Happy Face

If someone made a compilation of the games where he didn't shine so much you wouldn't worry about being harsh. 4 minutes of disinterest and dispossession. It's fair to recognise he blows hot and cold. I'd love to see him start against Arsenal though, you just have to light the firework and see what happens, if it fizzes out, make a change.

Is it the same people saying the game has changed so much that it's not possible to compete, but also saying Spurs are shining example of how it's still possible to compete without getting into financial difficulty?

I've made the point repeatedly all season that Cabaye is Barton's replacement and i've made the point repeatedly about us changing our style of play. Your insistence to even say that Ben Arfa doesnt play in the same position as Nolan shows a canny basic lack of understanding of the game. I'm the one posting from the perspective of reality, the actual dynamics of the 11 on the pitch, the options that Pardew has available. You are making your point based 'he played on the RW, therefore the player in the RW position this year is the replacement'. Sorry, like been consistent in my approach to that point of view all season, its fucking bollocks. I agree you've been shaping the argument for a while. I said Ben Arfa has rarely been utilised in Nolan's role. Not quite what you're suggesting I said. Getting bogged down in the specifics though. The basic point was that our replacements have been about 50/50..... Relative disappointments for whatever reason (so far) - Ben Arfa, Obertan, Marveaux Impressive (so Far) - Ba, Cabaye, Santon

It basically says Ben Arfa needs to start

There's no reason to believe we'd spend 5 years getting to a break even point.....then flash £50m to make a push on the top 4. We might go incrementally higher than than in recent seasons, but I just can't see "push on" funds being made available.

Bolton were top 7 in March last year. I suppose that renders their relegation this season uttterly pointless. I think you have just won 'the most pointless post of the year award'. What that adds to the discussion it literally nothing, its a pointless post with no relevance. Unless you want to argue that spending 10m on Cisse is the equivalent of selling your best striker and tying up two of your best players is like not offering new contracts to one of yoiur top players, or that being heavily in debt and needing to sell players is just like getting revenue ahead of costs for the first time in 5 years. Thats what you would need to be doing to actually support that post. Which if you are, makes you pointless. It's only as pointless as saying, "We're 6th now, end off". If you want to make all those other points then... Signing our best player to a new contract is great, it's also exactly what we did last year with Carroll. Chances are we'll sell our best striker this summer too, especially if the clause rumour is true. As much as you could take the "ambition" view from signing Cisse (a striker we didn't need as Ba was flying - certainly not more than a CB - who would leave a double sized hole when the African nations rolls round in 2013), you could equally assume he'll act as a cheap alternative when we get good money for Ba. I wouldn't want to compare debt with revenue at all, we have the 4th highest debt in the league, far in excess of what it was 5 years ago, so there's a long way to go on that score. If the point of turning a profit is to balance the debt, we have many more years of low investment ahead of us.

That's not the positions we've replaced though is it? Ben Arfa* was here before we sold Carroll, the first of those 4 to go. RW - Barton > Obertan LB - Enrique > Santon CF - Ba > Carroll CF/MF - Cisse/Cabaye > Nolan *not that Ben arfa has been half as effective as Nolan either btw. Which team have you been watching? Fuck me, if you hadnt noticed the fulcrum of our attack and style of play has changed this year, last year Barton was delivering balls into the box for Carroll, this season Cabaye is the creative fulcrum and has supplied a few goals for Ba. Ba is also, if you hadnt noticed, a bit of a no.10 and likes to drop deep to pick up the ball, quite similar to Nolan's role when he was playing off the striker last year. Ben Arfa can also play that no. 10 role and has done ok with 4 goals this season. If Ben Arfa score 2 more goals, he'll be a long way down the road to replacing the only thing that Nolan offered. Him being on the books but not in the first team picture is a hugely relevant factor in the decision to sell Nolan. The fact that you come at this from Obertan is Barton's replacement just shows how little you have grasped. Comparing us to Bolton is then just clutching at straws. Barton played on the right, and won player of the season doing it. We currently struggle on the right hand side, but the lad we brought in specifically to play on the right wasn't his replacement. Gotcha! I only repeated exactly what you'd said about Ba (better than Carroll) but that makes me a cretin for making the comparison. Roger! Ben Arfa is a better replacement for Nolan despite rarely being played in Nolan's position and not supplying half the goals or assists. Righty O! The fact you've you've been the one comparing Obertan and Barton before, but now want to say I'm a div to it, because it suits your argument about buying better replacements says it all.

That's not how LM has portrayed it at all. He's got no issues with selling anyone if it's right for the club and the manager is backed to replace them. Of course it's not how he's portrayed it, Who are you talking about then?

Bolton were top 7 in March last year. I suppose that renders their relegation this season uttterly pointless. So what you are saying is we're worse than Bolton, or you expect us to be ??? Not at all. I'm saying the league can flatter teams. There's been glimpses of what could be a good team to build on this year, but performances have been generally scrappy all season long and points VERY hard won.

That's not how LM has portrayed it at all. He's got no issues with selling anyone if it's right for the club and the manager is backed to replace them.

Bolton were top 7 in March last year. I suppose that renders their relegation this season uttterly pointless.

That's not the positions we've replaced though is it? Ben Arfa* was here before we sold Carroll, the first of those 4 to go. RW - Barton > Obertan LB - Enrique > Santon CF - Ba > Carroll CF/MF - Cisse/Cabaye > Nolan *not that Ben arfa has been half as effective as Nolan either btw.

There are 25 places in a squad though. We've arguably improved on half of those 4.

And as I also said when you first pointed it out, how many of those did we 'cash in' on? You weren't making that argument when I responded though. You and Gemmil have been saying we don't sell our best players and LM is daft for saying we do. We clearly have done though.

If Enrique, Carroll, Barton or Nolan hadn't wanted to go they wouldn't have gone. None of them was forced out of the door kicking and screaming for the sake of profit. But I don't see a player wanting to leave as any sort of justification though, there's a reason they want to leave, the same reason as Given wanted out.

To be fair, as I pointed out somewhere or other, he HAS sold 4 out of 7 of our best players (as sanctioned by a Toontastic poll) from last season.

My mistake, it was Alastair Stewart. Apologies to John Suchet.

John Suchet just put in an abysmal performance on the lunchtime news. He's knocking on 70, time to wrap in I think.

Cheers, that means a lot. If we play with some derby day spirit we might have 4 first teamers serving bans at the same time. FYP

You're still in the cup man. Blatantly secondary to trying to slip up your bigger rivals on a bananaskin.

This should go on the Mackem badge. You're comedy characters on a par with Delboy, "This time next year Rodney brav, we'll be North East top dogs!"

Following our magnificent start to the season, the club has lost 7 of it's last 16 games. Only Blackburn, Bolton, Wolves and QPR have lost more in the same period. I hope the progress made isn't fleeting. Liverpool away Chelsea home Man City away Spurs away Norwich away West Brom home Fulham away So not that bad when you look at it more closely, only 2 home defeats all season makes me think we're much harder to beat. And we've only lost one of 14 games against teams in the bottom half all season. That's a great record.

I thought this was a great read, especially part 2. It followed the Wolves game... Newcastle United | Goals & creativity WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! A first half that promised so much against Wolves on Saturday, was shortly followed by a frustrating and lacklustre effort to sit on the lead. Newcastle proved yet again that they just do not have the ability & power to see off teams, even at home. Wolves were there for the taking. 2-0 down, unknown managerial territory and away from home. But, Newcastle United came out thinking the game was already won. And, when you consider Pardew’s distorted substitutions and at the point in the game where he made them (during a free kick), Newcastle did nothing to help themselves. Yet again, Newcastle looked short of ideas and innovation in a bid to break Wolves down. 13 chances created, leading to 15 attempts at goal, just 5 on target leading to 2 goals – but, neither goal was credited with an actual assist. The introduction of Hatem Ben Arfa gave Newcastle an extra dimension on their play, although he still had that vexing edge to his game where the ball is lost at crucial times far too easily. This lack of creativity has been a regular feature of Newcastle United’s play this season, especially at home. With the quality they have in midfield this season, getting to the final 3rd is not a problem, but once there, Newcastle seem to struggle to fashion clear-cut chances. In two parts, NUFC_Stats looked at where Newcastle United’s Premier League goals this season had come from, who was creating them and how they fared against others in the division. Who’s scored them? Everyone knows of Demba Ba’s season thus far. The Senegalese forward has smashed in 16 goals from 72 shots; a 62% shot accuracy, and a 29% chance conversion rate. After him though, the numbers seem pretty bleak – Leon Best is the next highest Premier League scorer with 4, alongside A.N Own Goal. Then, comes Cabaye, Jonas, Raylor and Ben Arfa, who each have 2. So too does new no.9 Papiss Cisse, who has been very impressive at the start of his Newcastle United career. 2 goals in 3 games from 9 shots for Newcastle United’s other Senegalese forward, a 43% shot accuracy and a 29% chance conversion, the same as Ba. After that, Danny Guthrie, Shola Ameobi, Gabriel Obertan and Dan Gosling have each chipped in with 1 goal Where they’ve come from Newcastle United’s 25 goals from open play is the 6th highest in the Premier League, obviously reflected by the league position. Consider though, that 13 of them have come from Demba Ba and the thought of playing this season without him really stings the senses! Only 4 teams have scored less than Newcastle United’s from ‘fast breaks’ (Arsenal are the current title–holders with eight) and only 4 teams (QPR, Arsenal, Fulham & Villa) have scored less than Newcastle from set plays in the division this season. No team in the league however, has been the beneficiary of more own goals than Newcastle, equalled by Fulham and Blackburn. Who’s creating them? It won’t come as a great surprise to most black & white fans that Cabaye is up there as top creator, but most of them come from set plays. It is Ryan Taylor and Jonas who are creating consistently from open play, as well as Obertan, who despite his recent exclusion from the first team is only 1 chance behind the Englishman and the Argentinian and level with the Frenchman.Leon Best has been pretty essential in terms of ‘setting up’ in the games he has featured in this season, so too Danny Guthrie, who produces more key passes per game at home than any other Newcastle United player. In the good, old-fashioned, English 4-4-2 Newcastle United insist on playing though, flank players have to be doing the business for a team to be successful in scoring adequate goals. And, in flank players, reference is not made to just the wide midfield players. In a team with as a good a holding midfielder as Cheik Tiote, the players in the full back position have to be positive and attacking minded. Between Danny Simpson and Davide Santon, just 19 chances have been created. Simpson in particular, having played every Premier League so far, not as providing as he should with just 13 and neither of the two have a single assist. Further to that ‘flank’ notion, it is Yohan Cabaye, a centre midfielder, that has produced the most crosses for Newcastle United in the top flight this season and Ryan Taylor, who has played at full back, centre midfield and wide who features second. Surprisingly, Danny Simpson has had a good assemblage of crosses and is the most accurate after Papiss Cisse, but from much more. Part 2 That uninspiring, innovation-lacking second half on Saturday at home to Wolves left a string of Newcastle United fans scratching their heads at the team’s ability to punish ‘lesser’ opposition and finish them off. The further question of, ‘why and how often does this happen’ led NUFC_Stats to take a deeper glance into the current production line at Newcastle United in the Premier League this season. In case you missed it, yesterday’s Part 1, which looked at who has scored NUFC’s goals, where they’ve come from and who is creating them, can be accessed here. Part 2 will take a closer look into Newcastle United’s creative ability in terms of creating chances, scoring goals and working in the final third. A look at the chances created by Newcastle United in the last 6 Premier League games make very interesting reading. Firstly, you’ll notice a much loftier amount of chances are created from the right hand side compared to the left. Having said, there hasn’t been a single assist in those games from the right hand side, although it hasn’t been a very fruitful 6 games with just 9 goals. You’ll also notice that about the crossing, there aren’t a great deal coming from the byline. Newcastle United’s wide players are not ‘beating’ the full back often enough and the majority of play from wide positions is coming infield or being crossed too early from deep. Finally, the play in the most important area of the pitch for goal scoring (Zone 14 – central edge of box) is pretty none existent. Newcastle United do not have that player that is consistently clever and manipulative around the penalty area; just one chance has been created by ‘sliding’ in an attacking from Zone 14 and that turned into an assist (Best v QPR). Against the others Starting on the positive, Newcastle have scored the 6th most Premier League goals in this season’s campaign. However, that positive soon fades when looking at the other data. Only 3 teams have had less shots than Newcastle and only 61% (5th lowest) of those 38 goals have been via an assist. A glance further right, and only 4 teams are creating less chances per game than Newcastle United, although only Blackburn from those teams presently live in the bottom three. Looking at the teams around us and thinking about European qualification of some sort, it’s easy to see why Arsenal & Chelsea got the results they did at the weekend and it’s also clear why Liverpool are where they are. Possession A quick look at the possession numbers show Newcastle working below average in terms of general ball retention – at 47.3% general possession, Newcastle United don’t have it their way on average in games. But, a deeper look into the thirds identifies bigger deficiencies. In the final third, only Blackburn and Swansea spend less time on the ball, highlighting yet again that when Newcastle United get the ball there, it doesn’t stay. Furthermore, only 4 teams sit with the ball more than Newcastle in their defensive third. In the final third A more significant look into that final third possession shows that only 3 teams make less passes in the final third than Newcastle United and only 2 produce less successive ones. A look at those teams around us again, and Newcastle have it all to do in the final 12 games of the season to compete and make sure a high place is achieved as they all work the ball well up field and with good success. More depth about who produces the final third passes at Newcastle identifies Cabaye, Jonas & Taylor as the ones working it most up field, reflecting the earlier chance creation stats. But accuracy wise, it is Davide Santon and Hatem Ben Arfa who are the coolest in the final third. The figures don’t make good reading for Danny Simpson and Demba Ba in particular. To wrap this box of numbers up, Newcastle are screaming out for a more creative player to make sure the rest of the season doesn’t fizzle out. The second half against Wolves was simply not good enough for a team with European ambitions, but that was not an isolated incident. The new-look Newcastle United are as good as they have been for a several years at working the ball into the final third, but when there, very rarely does something seem to happen. Hatem Ben Arfa has the creativity and invention that Newcastle need but until Alan Pardew is 100% confident in his contribution and finds his best role, his game time and appearances will continue to suffer. As good a signing as Papiss Cisse has been, he plays the game very similar to Demba Ba and is not a forward that likes to work between the opposition’s midfield and defensive units. Could it be that a different system of play, a one incorporating both Demba’s and Ben Arfa, be employed from now in a bid to change Newcastle United’s fortunes for the good for the final 12 games? 4-3-1-2 anyone?! http://www.eplindex....astle-united-fc

Just realised he's our 3rd top goalscorer

I don't get your point. It's not like they close 10/11 and then haven't a clue what is happening financially until a year later. They'll know the financial health of the business from one month to the next. Exactly my point, They'll have known this was going to be the case for almost a year, but CT's still having to put up with Jonas on the wing. If they didn't get anyone better in over the last 2 windows, I wouldn't think it's great news that will lead to a summer spending spree.