scott mathie 0 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 (edited) In the wake of arguably our worst performance of the season, I cant help but be slightly pessimistic of our current situation. Yes, its great to be 7th in the league, but my concern is that we are not aspiring to be any higher than that. This year is a fantastic opportunity to capitilise on our early season form and really push for a Europa place. This would involve signing a striker as was promised by Ashley and co many months ago. However they have backtracked again and we are likely to find ourselves a victim of the month period in where we lose our biggest asset Demba Ba. I realise that spending above the board for any player is unwise, but surely the situation warrants such an investment? Another situation that has irked me of late is the contract situation with Danny Simpson...As much as I admire the determination and fairly consistent performances of Simpson this season, I still don't feel he is the long term answer to the right back position. No doubt Davide Santon is being groomed for this role, although he'll need time to adapt and gain confidence to peform according to his potential. We were led to believe he was signed to full the vacant left back position, but clearly this is not the case. He is a right back and will be a far better player than Simpson, so for the sake of developing him and insuring we reap the benefits of his talent, I believe its time we stick by him and give him a steady run out for the first team. Danny Simpson has been a resolute individual this term, but will always lack the quality to take this club forward to dizzier heights. He would provide sturdy back up and it would be a great if we can secure him on a wage that befits a squad player at Newcastle. For this reason I believe it is important that Newcastle haggle effectively with his agent. There's no point giving in to his wage demands if he is to be a squad player. We need to find the balance. So in this department I am reluctant to agree with Ashley and Co, who appear to be driving a hard but necessary bargain. If Simpson is viewed as a long term squad player, then as fans I think we need to consider the man on the opposite side of the field too. Ryan Taylor has proven to be an effective and well-liked squad player and will be crucial for the club going forward, not in his capacity as starting left back but as an option when injuries and Europe come calling (optimistic shout I know). As much as I enjoy singing 'Ryan Taylor... over the wall', I realise that we are in need of assured left back. The Erik Pieters deal would be welcomed and would give our back four a touch of class, whilst providing a substantial threat down the flank. (segments of this article have been used from my recent piece 'Toon Tidings') http://www.backpageh...on-tidings.html Edited January 3, 2012 by scott mathie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7182 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Good post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsweeney 0 Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Be sure to here again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 6 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 A very long winded way of saying we have to two shit fullbacks and no cover for Ba. FYI, Ba is the Carroll replacement we were promised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayatollah Hermione 14069 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 A month of poor form and injuries is not unique to NUFC. If that cover comes in, we'll sew 7th up IMO. If not, 8th-10th is a good finish. Not sure you can say "is this all we're aiming for?"after a season and a half back, in which we've made nothing but progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree 4851 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 After the last few years a period of consolidation wouldn't go amiss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 A month of poor form and injuries is not unique to NUFC. If that cover comes in, we'll sew 7th up IMO. If not, 8th-10th is a good finish. If we'd played every game like we did against Villa, Blackburn and Stoke, I might agree, but even before injuries we were flattered by results. our performances haven't really dropped off particularly, irrespective of injuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toonotl 3116 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 tl;dr Cliffs: Simpson is no good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChezGiven 0 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Where were you in August and why weren't you saying then that aiming for 7th was not good enough? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonasjuice 0 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I remember when Deano said he thought we'd finish 7th at the start of the season, people laughed. Now for some people apparently that wouldn't be enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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