Jump to content

NUFC Pre Season 2012 - 2013


Christmas Tree
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 323
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Bet you also think that Nile Ranger is good, eh?

No...I have watched Ameobi enough to know he isn't either. He has a role within the club and it isn't starting week in week out, more often than not it's coming on late closing off games.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goodlooking lad too.

 

Just hope we flog obertan before his value reaches zero. People say he needs games and an arm around his shoulder... he got 20 games on the trot and was blatantly told he was preferred to Ben Arfa.

If thats not confidence-inducing - what is?

Only thing he has going for him is that first touch and pace - other than that he is thick as pigs shit and have no clue what to do with the leathery thing.

Get rid I say!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Campbell in the squad for the Cardiff game.

 

Adam Campbell@adamcampbell_

So happy to be going away with the 1st team tomorrow! It is a dream come true no matter if I get on or not ! #buzzing #ontopoftheworld #nufc

 

This is why you need local lads in the squad. They get it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guardian writers' predicted position: 7th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position: 5th

Odds to win the league: 175-1

Newcastle United fans are asking plenty of questions at present. Should Alan Pardew stick with the 4-3-3 formation he used late last season or switch to a 4-3-1-2 diamond that would allow Demba Ba to play more centrally? Would signing Andy Carroll represent a regressive step or may he turn into the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic? Why does owner Mike Ashley not compromise and meet Lille's fee for the France right-back Mathieu Debuchy? Will Europa League involvement prove a blessing or a curse?

They are all intriguing queries; not to mention very different from the questions the same supporters were pondering this time last year. Back then people wondered if they were about to watch the unfolding of a relegation battle and looked extremely doubtful if it was suggested that signings such as Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Davide Santon would prove a success.

No one dreamed that the team would finish fifth in the Premier League or that Pardew would morph into "Pardiola", let alone envisaged Ba rattling in 16 goals in record time before being joined by a similarly prolific Senegalese compatriot striker in Papiss Cissé during the January transfer window.

A clever tactician and astute man manager – how many other coaches have coaxed smiles out of Hatem Ben Arfa? – Pardew thoroughly deserved his manager of the year award but now the bar has been raised and he must confront a set of fresh challenges.

Providing Newcastle survive their Europa League qualifier they will then fall into the draining Thursday night/Sunday afternoon playing routine demanded by the competition's group stage.

While a return to Europe is eagerly anticipated by fans, Pardew will need to devise a fairly radical squad rotation policy. Either that or several of his best players could be burnt out by Christmas by which time their challenge for a Champions League place may have bitten the dust.

After recovering from a nasty knee injury Sammy Ameobi – Shola's little brother and a skilful creator – has impressed in pre-season and will almost certainly be offered games in Europe and the Premier League. So, too, should the gifted attacking midfielder Haris Vuckic. The 19-year-old Slovenia international could do with putting some appalling bad luck with injuries behind him in what really needs to be a breakthrough season.

So far new signings have been youthful, low key and targeted at a radically overhauled development squad. Even so Gael Bigirimana, recruited from Coventry, has caught the eye in midfield this summer while medium-term hopes are similarly high for both Romain Amalfitano, another midfielder acquired from Reims, and the Australian centre-half Curtis Good.

It would help Pardew's cause if long-mooted moves for Debuchy – who shone for France during Euro 2012 – FC Twente's Brazilian centre half Douglas and the Ajax defensive midfielder or left-back Vurnon Anita are completed by the end of August.

Anita, especially, appears an important target as he promises to be an ideal replacement were Cheik Tioté to be injured or, worse, subject to a last-minute bid from a Chelsea or Manchester United.

Pardew, who remains optimistic he can retain "stars" such as Tioté, Cabaye and Cissé this summer, reports that Tioté is "10 times better" than last summer when the Ivorian was detained in West Africa for a chunk of pre-season while he negotiated the red tape involved in renewing his visa.

Like Ba, Cissé and Ben Arfa, Tioté is a Muslim but, this season, that quartet will not have to cope with problems of daylight fasting during the early weeks of the campaign as Ramadan ends, conveniently, on 18 August.

By then they should be joined in the first-team squad by the centre- half Steven Taylor, Pardew's best defensive header of a ball, and the winger Sylvain Marveaux. While Taylor missed the second half of the last campaign with a ruptured achilles, a groin operation meant Marveaux's career on Tyneside has still to get going.

Ba was widely expected to be swiftly out of the starting blocks en route for lucrative pastures new this summer. Everyone knew that the Senegal striker's contract contained a clause enabling him to depart for £7m before 31 July but despite some interest from Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Rubin Kazan, Ba's long-term, if well managed, knee condition – something Pardew describes as "a deficiency" – evidently deterred suitors.

Newcastle have declined to re-negotiate Ba's partially pay-as-you-play contract until next summer but Pardew has promised that he will occupy a central attacking role "90% of the time" rather than operate in the wide left position in which he ended last season.

Come January, Ba, Cissé and Tioté will almost certainly be bound for the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, which explains why Pardew is so keen on signing Anita and a striker.

While Shola Ameobi – aka the Fenham Eusébio and/or the Mackem Slayer – enjoyed some excellent moments in attack last season and should not be underestimated, he can be injury prone. Moreover his erstwhile co-forwards Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands have, along with the underrated midfielder Danny Guthrie, left Tyneside this summer.

Such exits explain why Pardew was disappointed to lose out to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the race for FC Twente's promising young striker Luuk de Jong before trying to persuade Liverpool to loan him back the centre-forward he sold them for £35m in January 2011.

Carroll's mooted return looks a non-starter – (although Ashley's ability to hold his nerve in a game of brinkmanship with Liverpool suggests that could yet alter by 1 September) – and there are those who feel that may be no bad thing.

This, after all, is a season that Newcastle are looking forward to with optimism rather than drawing solace from past glories. With the outstanding Tim Krul in goal, the fabulous captain Fabricio Coloccini at centre-half, Tioté enforcing in central midfield and Pardew coaching meticulously the team are in their best shape for ages.

As long as Cissé and Ba are around goals should not be in short supply but, if the days when a crisis constantly loomed around every corner at St James' Park have been consigned to the past, the team's enduring success depends on certain variables.

Foremost among them is the relationship between Ashley and Pardew staying healthy. Then there is the question of whether the manager can not only keep Ben Arfa onside but extract the No10's true creative brilliance on a consistent level. Luck with injuries will also play a part as will the maintenance of an extraordinary spirit among an increasingly French-speaking squad.

There are those in football who, rather unfairly, regard Pardew as rather too full of himself and believe he and Newcastle could be poised to fall flat on their faces. Granted, the road ahead promises to be tricky in places but both manager and club have learned from past mistakes and the suspicion is that their critics may be disappointed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

oh......

 

Cardiff City 4 Newcastle United 1

 

Comments (9)

 

 

Recommend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWCASTLE UNITED were beaten 4-1 in Wales this afternoon in their final pre-season friendly of the summer.

Fancy a Bet? Free £25 Bet with Blue Square

The Magpies found themselves 3-0 down at half-time on a day to forget against Cardiff City.

 

United were without Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse with the duo understood to be rested while Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye – who has been out with an illness - were left back on Tyneside to work on fitness.

It black and white and red all over in the Welsh principality as the home side controversially donned new red shirts to infuriate the traditionalists in the home crowd.

The first chance though fell for the home side on seven minutes when City found a route into the box and Aron Gunnarsson but Ryan Taylor was on line to sweep the ball clear.

Newcastle’s first real glimpse of goal came on nine minutes when Jonas curled one at goal with David Marshall claiming with both hands.

But on 16 minutes Cardiff were ahead when Peter Whittingham picked out Gunnarsson on the right hand side before his volley left Tim Krul with no chance whatsoever.

Four minutes later and the Magpies found themselves 2-0 down when Jordan Mutch picked out Joe Ralls before he kept his composure to guide it calmly past Krul.

After 26 minutes United conceded a third goal after being caught on the break.

They failed to clear their lines and Gunnarsson applied the finish from close range.

Pardew made a statement of intent after just 28 minutes when he hooked Ryan Taylor and replaced him with James Perch to shore up the midfield.

Newcastle were trailing 3-0 at the break but Pardew kept his team talk short and sweet at the break by sending his troops back out early for the second half.

With 48 minutes on the clock sub Haris Vuckic put in a teasing ball for Jonas but the Argentine was fouled with ref Mark Whitby pointing to the spot.

Shola Ameobi stepped up and calmly placed it to the right hand side of Marshall to reduce arrears.

But Cardiff still looked a solid unit and it was only the glove of Krul that denied them a fourth when he tipped Filip Kiss’ effort over the top.

Chances for Jonas and Davide Santon went just wide of the goal frame for Newcastle in the second half as they looked to get back into the game.

However, in a game that featured plenty of substitutions sub Etien Velikonja bundled his way through after a long ball and rammed it past Krul despite Mike Williamson’s best efforts to catch him with 14 minutes left.

United boss Pardew handed a debut to Adam Campbell with seven minutes left.

The young Geordie played in Romain Amalfitano within moments of coming on and the Frenchman was unlucky to see his shot saved by sub keeper Joe Lewis.

CARDIFF: Marshall (Lewis 80), McNaughton (Blake 73), A Taylor, Hudson, Turner, Whittingham, Conway, Gunnarsson, Mutch, Ralls (Earnshaw 71), Helguson (Velikonja 39).

UNITED: Krul, Simpson, Coloccini (Williamson 46), Steven Taylor (Gosling 63), Santon, Obertan (Campbell 83), Tiote (Amalfitano 71) , Jonas, Marveaux (Vuckic 46), R Taylor (Perch 28), Shola Ameobi.

Ref: Mark Whitby

Crowd: 9,682

 

 

Read More http://www.chronicle.../#ixzz23GGdvaer

Edited by PaddockLad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It deffo showed we need another decent striker though to fill in if the others aren't available. Disappointing to get beaten, even if it is only a preseason friendly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We'll apparently we had no proper midfield structure, which in turn will pressurise the defence. Even the best defences concede goals if there's nothing in front of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We'll apparently we had no proper midfield structure, which in turn will pressurise the defence. Even the best defences concede goals if there's nothing in front of them.

 

That caused a lot of our problems the season we went down.

 

Still, preseasons about fitness and getting match ready, its always nice to win but everyone has a shitnresult now and then and we did it without 4 of our top players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well i'd say this stage of pre season isn't so much about fitness as performance but I really wouldn't worry about it too much, they'll have their heads screwed on when they are playing Spurs in front of a full house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.