NUFC.com Waffle from Everton Match Report

[Gemmill 46321]

Enough of the lily-livered young Mister Grace "you've all done very well" platitudes though. The fact remains that less than a month into our tightrope-walking squad selection we're down to what a Premiership Manager who never, ever, ever takes bungs would call "the bare bones."

 

We knew it, you knew it - we'd be short-handed. If it can happen here, it will. The main interest watching Newcastle is not that we screw things up, it's that we continue to find ever more convoluted ways to do it.

 

To the accompaniment of much head-shaking, we attempted to fashion a comfort blanket to see us through to 2007 by begging and borrowing what we could on the final day of transfer dealings.

The results speak for themselves.

 

While to all and sundry our headcount was of concern, some of us were slightly more worried about what was actually contained within said bonces, not to mention the size and strength of heart and limb they were attached to.....

 

Glenn Roeder could barely conceal his contempt for our alleged left back Babayaro after yet another piece of avoidable daftness was caught on camera - this time apparently slapping Dirk Kuyt in the face with an invisible glove at Anfield, a move which neatly gives him the thick end of a month off.

 

Unfortunately our prevarication in acquiring a left back meant that, we were forced to break up the fledgling partnership in central defence between Moore and Ramage that had shown some signs of promise - partly due to Moore's verbal marshalling of Ramage and the latter's willingness to listen.

 

Even that though was a lashed-up partnership.

 

Post-transfer window newspaper comments about our massive disappointment in signing Robert Huth just don't square with the information that came from the player, Stamford Bridge and Smogside.

 

The fact remains we failed to replace Boumsong with anyone and in his absence, Titus has now taken on the added responsibility for bungling, diving in and ensuring that pundits have ample stocks of scorn to pelt our defence with.

 

To be fair, it's a role that he's quickly settled into, but with his current contract up at the end of the season, should he worry? Probably not, with this expected to be Craig Moore's last campaign in Europe.

 

The recent appearance of a malnourished Olivier Bernard on our doorstep seeking board and lodgings may help in weeks to come, but at present he's unplayable.

 

Don't forget though that Olly has been available for most of 2006, turning out for Sheffield United against Greenock Morton as our Intertoto campaign got underway in July.

 

Had our acquisition of him been anything more than last-gasp expediency he would now be in our side, having gone through a full pre-season, rather than a couple of reserve team trundles.

 

Moving swiftly past the goalkeeping situation which looks like seeing another unexpected arrival to compensate for our ill-fortune, let's turn our focus to the attack.

 

Whether Babayaro bothered to watch this game or went elsewhere to pull his groin further isn't known, but Luque was certainly spotted exiting SJP before kickoff - the arrival of Rossi and Sibierski putting him further down what passes for a pecking order here.

 

The US/Italian youngster has so far only been seen on the periphery at SJP: indeed, by the time he is eligible to appear for us again against Bolton next month, he'll have played just 41 minutes out of a total of 630 possible - far less than for his adopted country's U21 side.

 

And with Martins trying to find his feet in a new environment, the burden of responsibility up front falls fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Shola - that's the Shola who has been carrying a hip injury for almost as long as we've known Shearer was going to retire; the Shola we'll apparently try to nurse through to January before he goes under the knife and faces three months out.

 

A scandalous situation frankly and unfair on Sibierski to expect him come in to lead a line and score regularly for the first time at the tail end of his career.

 

[Tom 14021]

Fuck

[Dr Gloom 22228]

spot on as usual

[JJ 0]

Aye it is spot on, and a sad indication of where this club is going wrong. How do we honestly think we're going to compete at the top level with this current squad? In midfield I'm pretty happy with the personel (sp?) and can't complain about Given when he's fit. But up front and at the back? I think Martins is ok, but struck me as a bit of a panic buy. Much like Sibierski. I'll not even get started with the defence. Fuck knows what the management is thinking by trying to get by with the shower we've got at the back right now.

[Jimbo 175]

Depressingly accurate.

[Dr Gloom 22228]

Aye it is spot on, and a sad indication of where this club is going wrong. How do we honestly think we're going to compete at the top level with this current squad? In midfield I'm pretty happy with the personel (sp?) and can't complain about Given when he's fit. But up front and at the back? I think Martins is ok, but struck me as a bit of a panic buy. Much like Sibierski. I'll not even get started with the defence. Fuck knows what the management is thinking by trying to get by with the shower we've got at the back right now.

 

don't let leazesmag hear you say panic buy

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Excellent article on a depressing subject.