Arsenal 0-1 Newcastle United FC

[Monkeys Fist 43115]

Top post that Mancy.

[Christmas Tree 4851]

Fucking brilliant that.

 

Not to get too overwhelmed by it all, but that is what following a top club is like in my book. 11 players just busting a gut for the shirt, for themselves and for their manager. The club can always bang on that it's proud of its fan base, but to be fair it's put out generations of teams that (with few exceptions) literally couldnt give a fuck about the club or it's following. Yesterday was a flavour of what it feels like following the top clubs week in week out.

 

Obviously I know it's only a part of the story and for the rest you need (insightful) investment in players, but it's all a waste of time if those players dont care about playing for the club. That's always been the biggest (and I mean absolutely fucking massive) gripe for me.

 

Hansen's comments on MOTD last night must have provoked a similar reaction in everyone I reckon. Absolute joy but also near disbelief to hear the words falling from his lips. That speaks volumes for me because really I take those comments simply to be another way of saying that the players cared enough individually and collectively and showed enough heart and bottle for a change. The fact that that is not something that's automatically associated with Newcastle is the biggest indictment of the way the club's been run for years in my eyes. The fans can always be proud of their contribution but how many times have we had a team like that wanting to fight and win as badly as though they'd piled in a Ford Transit, filled up on the A1 and driven down themselves at their own expense?

 

I won't sail too close to the wind with those analogies because I realise there's a massive inherent danger in doing things on the shoestring we're operating on at the moment and you could almost imagine MA asking Chris to drive the lads down to London in a Bedford Rascal, never mind a Ford Transit...but suffice to say it can't go on indefinitely. It will need some fairly imminent investment in the manager and players alike.

 

I've still no time at all for Ashley because I still think this largely reamins a case of him winging it as ever; but we were a club that had long needed to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. Seriously we had become an outright joke and everyone knew it. So even though I think Ashley doesnt have a plan beyond driving down absurd costs, I do hope he is intelligent enough to see which of the advances we've made are due to good fortune alone and what advances can only be sustained with some actual follow up investment. Because this team and this manager actually deserves it. It goes without saying that the fans do too.

 

Tiote sums this up more than anyone. What else is left to say? The guy is immense and has become pivtal for us. Without rehearsing what I said earlier, that for me is part of what being a big team is about. Having a player like that in the centre that wins you every ball and represents the spirit of the whole club on the pitch. Again it's utterly shameful that it's become such an oddity for NUFC to have that type of player, simply because if you don't, you're automatically on a hiding to nothing most of the time against anyone that does. Again, back to Ashley; we've managed to acquire him, now it's about retaining him. A different challenge.

 

On that point I honestly don't subscribe to the view held by some that Tiote (and players like him) simply represent a tidy profit for the club next transfer window-or that Ashley's business model is solely about making a £10 million net return on player transfers each season. In all seriousness (and to give him the credit he does deserve) this is an actual billionaire we're dealing with, not a leveraged chancer. While it may seem surreal to the rest of the world, £10 mill and sums like that is nowt to him-it's simply not worth his time and energy. That's not his motivation in finding better quality players at good value. So I dismiss that type of talk because I think it's baseless; for me, what he did in fact realise was that you simply can't afford to pay the likes of Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Oba Martins all circa 100k per week when they're indifferent (at best) about their employer and put in performances reflecting that. We have to come to terms with that because the reality is, wherever income fails to cover expenditure it is actually Ashley's own money plugging the gap (whether loaned or gifted). Other viable forms of credit to cover shortfalls in income simply arent available anymore.

 

What is crucially important though and where there is a danger in his pricing policy is in making sure we do compete on wages where someone is actually worth keeping and another big club comes sniffing about. That's a different matter altogether and requires a proper strategic plan going forward.

 

That said, only Chelski and Citeh are bankrolled into that fantasy division that isolates them from reality and nobody knows how long that will go on for. Outside of that everyone should be capable of competing in the real world using any and all of their natural strengths to their advantage. We're still posting gates that are top 3 in the division so we're still a big club on that basis. That sort of revenue profile warrants a strategic spending plan that allows us to consolidate on what we've got and keep improving imho. That and the fact that (and I only hope this continues) we've got a manager that seems to have truly forged a team spirit and pride in the club, must only make us more attractive to genuinely ambitious players.

 

I think this season's still going to throw us back and forth numerous times but as long as the effort remains then I'll largely be happy. We're in a cycle where we needed sheer honest endeavour on the pitch to restore credibility to the club, pride to the city and lead the ressurgence in the clubs fortunes. It's quite right that the blank cheque method was abandonned. If the team lead resurgence can continue however then there will be absolutely no excuses if competitive sums are not made available to a manager who will have earned the right to invest in his team.

 

We'll see I suppose.

 

For the moment, fucking gettin' and howay the lads!

 

Post of the season....Had a little stirring while reading that

[sweetleftpeg 0]

What did I say about not changing a winning team?

 

I'm as happy as a pig in shit. You've got two centre halfs who look excellent as individuals and a partnership, you've got a holding man who never stops running, and a centre forward who even when he doesn't score is a right pain in the arse to mark. In short, a backbone.

 

This team has the graft and togetherness that the one that got relegated sadly lacked. You've got to say, it has to be our manager who deserves the credit.

[The Fish 10972]

You know how Ferguson and Mourinho foster the "Them against us" mentality? Well This feels like Hughton is fostering an "Us" mentality and it's bloody marvellous. He's not coming out and saying the press are out to get us, or that refs don't give us anything because of who we are. Simply "The team are together", "Carroll has the support of everyone at the club" and his honesty and class shines through in every interview. At no point has he taken credit for the good works he's done.

 

 

To get us comfortable in the Premier League, to get through the nonsense that immediately followed our relegation, to get the team playing well, together and to do all this and still maintain a dignity and poise brings to mind Sir Bobby Robson and that's the highest praise I can think of.

[Ketsbaia 0]

You know how Ferguson and Mourinho foster the "Them against us" mentality? Well This feels like Hughton is fostering an "Us" mentality and it's bloody marvellous. He's not coming out and saying the press are out to get us, or that refs don't give us anything because of who we are. Simply "The team are together", "Carroll has the support of everyone at the club" and his honesty and class shines through in every interview. At no point has he taken credit for the good works he's done.

 

 

To get us comfortable in the Premier League, to get through the nonsense that immediately followed our relegation, to get the team playing well, together and to do all this and still maintain a dignity and poise brings to mind Sir Bobby Robson and that's the highest praise I can think of.

 

Dignity is the key word. Compare Hughton and then compare what came before.

[Guest alex]

I think respect's the key word actually. The players obviously have loads of that for Hughton which contrasts even more sharply with their feelings towards JFK.

[Ketsbaia 0]

I think respect's the key word actually. The players obviously have loads of that for Hughton which contrasts even more sharply with their feelings towards JFK.

 

A mixture of the two - digspect.

[Guest alex]

Like Normski says, respect is d-u-e.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

It's amazing what confidence can do to a team, not arrogance, confidence. When you know everyone around you is giving 100% then you're more likely to give it yourself. When you know you've got a centre forward who's deadly in the air then you're more likely to put a cross in. Everytime even a half decent cross comes in you half expect him to get on the end of it. I never get carried away with players, I'm usually the first to tell everyone to calm down and stop overrating players..but if this kid can stay off the drink and out of trouble (the signs aren't great tbh) he has the potential to be an exceptional talent. Dare I say, class.

[nortoon 0]

Have anyone managed to find a download of this yet?

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

Interesting to read the comments on an Arsenal forum, obviously there are the exceptions but the general opinion on Carroll is a very good one. Also good to see alot of positive comments being thrown Barton's way, turned a corner, deserves an England place more than Gareth Barry etc.

[Park Life 71]

We'll miss Tiote when he gets his inevitable ban like.

 

Might just be me, but there seems a bit of a conspiracy to give him a quick yellow in matches. Just summat I noticed. The last one was a joke...For a tiny bit of shirt pulling which is normally a telling off.

[shackbleep 0]

We'll miss Tiote when he gets his inevitable ban like.

 

Might just be me, but there seems a bit of a conspiracy to give him a quick yellow in matches. Just summat I noticed. The last one was a joke...For a tiny bit of shirt pulling which is normally a telling off.

 

 

I think that opinion is assisted by the fact that we're desperate for him not to be banned tbh.

[nortoon 0]

I didnt even see tiotes foul, suddenly the play was stopped and the card was out. Its ok for Fabregas to come in late 3 times though.

[Park Life 71]

I didnt even see tiotes foul, suddenly the play was stopped and the card was out. Its ok for Fabregas to come in late 3 times though.

 

It's why I think there is a bit of a conspiracy a) against non-top four sides If a non-top four have a key player who is playing well. There is definitely bias in big games against sides who are up against the fav media outfits (we used to be one of them. but reluctantly).

Edited November 8, 2010 by Park Life

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Which is one of the reasons I think Barton has done well, I thought last year and the start of this year he was getting penalised/booked because he was Joey Barton..something that would piss lesser players off and make them more likely to kick out.

[Park Life 71]

Which is one of the reasons I think Barton has done well, I thought last year and the start of this year he was getting penalised/booked because he was Joey Barton..something that would piss lesser players off and make them more likely to kick out.

 

Barton has been admirable in the last few games.

[Park Life 71]

Anywhere I can get this game for posterity?

[The Fish 10972]

Anywhere I can get this game for posterity?

I'll have it too.

 

Re: Tiote, couldn't it be that the ref sees a lot of tackles from him (and the calls for a freekick that follows) and he presumes (sorry the train hostess just walked past and I'd love to have a go up her East Coast mainline, her name is "Iwona" and I think I'm in love) that, say, 20% of them must be 50/50s so he'll book him after a while, for "persistent fouling" when in fact he hasn't been fouling at all?

[ewerk 31225]

Arsenal are appealing the red card.

[Barney 0]

Fairynuff.

 

Didn't get to see a replay of Tiotes yellow card. Looked like a shirt tug in a safe part of midfield. Possibly persistent fouling. I didn't think Fabregas deserved a 2nd yellow or anything like that. He was in bad mood though, wasn't he.

 

Anyway, I think Pulis has a point(much as I dislike him) :

 

"Every club should have one vote [annually] and mark referees after every game.

 

"Then they have a chance of being relegated to the Championship. It would be a great system."

 

"If the top three [referees] in the Championship got the opportunity to work at the top level, I think it would certainly clear a few referees' minds."

[ewerk 31225]

Are all refs in the PL and Championship fully professional? Or is it only PL?

[Ketsbaia 0]

Fairynuff.

 

Didn't get to see a replay of Tiotes yellow card. Looked like a shirt tug in a safe part of midfield. Possibly persistent fouling. I didn't think Fabregas deserved a 2nd yellow or anything like that. He was in bad mood though, wasn't he.

 

Anyway, I think Pulis has a point(much as I dislike him) :

 

"Every club should have one vote [annually] and mark referees after every game.

 

"Then they have a chance of being relegated to the Championship. It would be a great system."

 

"If the top three [referees] in the Championship got the opportunity to work at the top level, I think it would certainly clear a few referees' minds."

 

That reminds me of a story I was told by someone ITK a few years ago - several managers in the Championship were so sick of Rob Styles and his cackhanded officiating that they decided to big him up rather than slag him off so he got a 'promotion' to the Premier League.

[Barney 0]

I think D'Urso got relegated before a few years back.

[Holden McGroin 6785]

I think D'Urso got relegated before a few years back.

 

Shit ref. As is Styles.

 

What happened to Uriah Rennie?