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Newcastle V Norwich / 18th October / 4pm / SJP


Anorthernsoul
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Last season we drew 3-3 with Burnley at home despite taking the lead 3 times. The team had only 3 different outfield players...

 

Janmaat

S.Taylor

Coloccini

Dummett

 

Colback

Tiote

Sissoko

Gouffran

 

Perez

Riviere

 

We looked like we were going to shit ourselves and throw it away in a similar fashion again today but Mbemba, Wijnaldum and Mitrovic are all a class apart from the players they've replaced. Let's hope we get no offers for them in January.

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Last season we drew 3-3 with Burnley at home despite taking the lead 3 times. The team had only 3 different outfield players...

 

Janmaat

S.Taylor

Coloccini

Dummett

 

Colback

Tiote

Sissoko

Gouffran

 

Perez

Riviere

 

We looked like we were going to shit ourselves and throw it away in a similar fashion again today but Mbemba, Wijnaldum and Mitrovic are all a class apart from the players they've replaced. Let's hope we get no offers for them in January.

Will never forget that Dummett own goal :lol:

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Mitrovic's goal was class btw. It didn't quite get the credit it deserved given Gini's performance but he's hit the ground running and looks like a bargain

Definitely. He looks the real deal doesn't he. Finally a proper target man who can hold it up and bring others into play. Nice looking partnership with Perez too. I think Cisse would look much better playing alongside him as well.

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Not wanting to pick holes in a fantastic performance, but Colback seemed rather pointless. For obvious reasons he should remain for the Derby but thereafter we shouldn't have him as a first choice option in the middle.

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Not wanting to pick holes in a fantastic performance, but Colback seemed rather pointless. For obvious reasons he should remain for the Derby but thereafter we shouldn't have him as a first choice option in the middle.

8 of our players had more touches than either of our central midfielders. As happy as we should be with the result, that's a worry.
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I thought Colback was ok. I think he gets criticised way beyond what is warranted based on his performance.

 

He never does much wrong, and he's not playing a game that grants him that many opportunities to do anything spectacularly right.

 

Tiote, on the other hand, was a liability. I'm glad he was subbed at halftime because he was bound to be sent off at some point. We looked better with Anita in there. As for the Colback/Anita partnership, I still not convinced it won't work, despite all the howling.

 

If one of Colback/Anita are able to get quick ball to Gini/Sissoko (when Sissoko fancies it) we are going to look dangerous. Got to hand it to Sissoko. He had a brilliant game today, and even defended with effort in the second half.

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The worry for me is that this was all dependent on Sissoko. It was counter attacking football that got the goals, and he personifies that in our team. I suspect he's probably going to play well until January at which point he'll be sold. We need to reshape the whole team when that happens as we have no one else who can bring the ball upfield in the way he can.

 

I doubt we'll find another player in his mould either.

 

It's weird - I'm not keen on the guy but he does seem to be the fulcrum.

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For once all the players were actually trying.

This was key. Sissoko actually woke up to his responsibilities and what he needs to do if he wants to get that move to a champions league playing club. He was still at fault for both their goals when he didn't bother tracking his man and left Janmaat horibly exposed. But he was excellent going forward and in the second half he also put the effort in to work back.

 

This really should be the perfect performance to go into next week. We showed that we have really improved as an attacking force but we also saw that we need to put the effort into making sure the whole team works defensively. Hopefull they will be spending time on that this week.

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Gini Wijnaldum, reigning Dutch player of the year, currently our leading goal scorer, lovely timed runs and good with his head akin to Gary Speed. :wub:

 

We’re still short of quality at LB and central midfield. Tiote was more assured on the ball than JC & VA, but the latter is more mobile. I think that’s why he was brought on at ½ time; to try to help defend the flanks. When GW & MS were given license and freedom to attack at will, DJ & PD were often left exposed. I think a Carrick kind of player* would make huge differences to that. We’d be able to control the game a little more, draw less pressure onto the defence. The hoofballs were just coming back if they didn’t immediately find their man. If we had a Carrick kind of player we needn’t look for the long ball.

 

 

 

 

Mitrovic, I thought he had a really good game despite not getting that much service and he’s really beginning to get an understanding with Perez (who also had a good game). AM never looked like picking up a booking despite quite a lot of shirt-pulling and niggles by Norwich. Took his goal brilliantly and was a gnat's fanny hair away from other opportunities (the failed 1-2 with Gini that lead to the opener e.g.).

 

 

 

Mbemba is our best defender by a mile.

 

 

 

Elliot was all right, don’t hink he could have done much to stop their goals, but that said Krul has pulled off some wonder saves in his time and I don’t believe RE is capable of the unbelievable.

 

 

 

 

Sissoko is the most frustrating footballer we’ve had in a long time. More so than Ben Arfa or Shola or whomever. He could be a top class player; he’s got a footballing brain and sufficient technique to make use of it, he’s got the physique to do it all game every game. It’s just his will that’s lacking. At least with HBA you knew that he wasn’t fit enough to run for days and doesn’t understand how to defend and couldn’t tackle even if he did, MS does. Shola was too slow/unfit, and had no technique, or a footballing brain, but he could ride a bike and eat an apple, so there's that. Sissoko's crosses will get the praise (and rightly so), but the lead up to Wijnaldum’s 1st was brilliant. The shoulder drop, the change of pace, the carefully weighted pass.. Why can’t he do that more often against opposition of Norwich’s “calibre”? I'd still get shot of him if a decent bid comes in because he doesn't do this enough to be worth the gamble.

 

 

 

 

 

A Norwich mate bemoaned his team’s luck, citing the woodwork, the penalty shout and the offside. But they were absolutely awful at the back & Alex Neil is right when he admitted that taking off Tettey was a massive mistake. When he went off, they lost the steel in the centre that was the platform for the pressure they had us under.

 

 

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