ohmelads

I think he's capable of establishing us in the top 6. I don't think his 'brand' of football is really made for teams who need to compete at the very highest level on a regular basis and I'm not convinced he is able or willing to change that. I see him as a step in the right direction, but that's all he is.

We didn't really buy any flair in the transfer window and sold our most technically gifted player in Solano, so these tactics were to be expected. It does concern me that all of Sam's signings point towards a Bolton style of football. Sam took Bolton a long way using those tactics, they are tactics suited to underdogs who lack the technical ability of their rivals but make up for it with a physical advantage. People thought to themselves that if Sam can take Bolton to 5th, imagine what he can achieve with a bigger club and the financial muscle and ability to attract players that comes with all that. But the big question was always whether or not he was capable or willing to move away from those small club underdog tactics and build a team that, technically, can ever go toe to toe with the big boys. The next couple of transfer windows should answer that question. While Sam points to a few flair players he's bought in his time, what he doesn't tell you is that they were the only flair players he ever really bought. I hope that he was just putting the foundations in place this summer, but it's a bit worrying that no technical flair players were brought in at all and the emphasis seems to be on height, physique, workrate, attitude and experience far more than technical ability. Yesterday we were dumped out of the cup by a side with a far more technical and youthful emphasis and if we ever want to be among the big sides we will need to go toe to toe with them technically. It's true that Chelsea and Liverpool's tactics under Mourinho and Benitez were not so different to Bolton in terms of team shape but they were far more gifted technically and could string together a lot of successive passes and dominate possession. We've got a squad in place now and there seems to be money available, there's no excuse for failing to invest in younger and more technical players in the next couple of transfer windows. Time will tell if Allardyce only intends to pursue this Bolton mk II route or whether he brings in the players to take us up a level. It'll all take time to achieve, but to see no flair players at all coming in when we already lacked them does raise eyebrows. Hopefully Mort meant what he said when he talked about buying younger players.

So that's our yardstick for the season then? A defeat to Derby. Does that mean Aston Villa should be devastated if they draw at home to Man Utd, because they beat Chelsea 2-0? I dread to see what people think when we do have to go to places like Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. Should we just throw the towel in then and concentrate on damage limitation - try to keep them down to two or three goals? No. You're right we should be aiming to beat Citeh, but if we come away with a point it's something to build on. I could take positives from a draw, it'd be an acceptable result in the circumstances and as you say something to build confidence with if we can go to our rivals and give them a game at their place. But Man City are not that good, they're still a new team very much like ourselves and they have quite a lot of average players. I'd like to think we'll be going down there for the 3 points, not playing for a draw and trying to nick something if we're lucky, which might be an acceptable attitude at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.

So that's our yardstick for the season then? A defeat to Derby. Does that mean Aston Villa should be devastated if they draw at home to Man Utd, because they beat Chelsea 2-0? I dread to see what people think when we do have to go to places like Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge. Should we just throw the towel in then and concentrate on damage limitation - try to keep them down to two or three goals?

Don't mean to sound pedantic but I don't think a point would be a good result, it'd be an acceptable result. For teams fighting relegation it'd be a good result, they talk about going to places like Man City and nicking a point. But it's not like we're going to Stamford Bridge or Old Trafford, let's have a bit of perspective. If getting a draw at Man City is considered a good result then you'd have to say that finishing 11th or so in the league would be a good finish.

There was a feeling of inevitability about the result when the team lineups came out and Smith and Faye were together in midfield. Is that really so different to Butt and Bowyer under Souness? To add insult to injury, while we've gone down the short-term route of signing players like Smith and Faye, the opposite number tonight was Lassana Diarra, apparently a target of ours once and a symbol of the difference in mentality between the two clubs now. It's thoroughly disappointing that we can't put a team out to give Arsenal's youngsters a hard game or that we don't have any realistic alternative to Milner, or any pace for that matter, on the right wing. While we look more organised off the ball this season and better defensively, we are worryingly predictable and workmanlike. We've sorted out the issue of lacking numbers, but we're still lacking real quality and flair to put us above the also-rans.

To be fair he did point to Kuyt who looked like a goal machine in Holland yet is hardly prolific over here. Kezman would be another example. But you only have to look as far as Van Nistelrooy to see that some players do carry on that scoring form at a higher level. From the times I've seen Huntelaar playing in the Champions League against sides like Inter Milan he just looks a class act and if he can perform at that level I reckon he'd be a good shout to carry it on in the Premier League. Kuyt on the other hand had not proven himself as a goalscorer at that sort of level when he came to the Premier League, so he represented a bigger gamble. I think we've waited so long for Owen to come back that we need to give him this season to assess his contribution to the cause. If he stays fit, we'll have our league rivals (teams like Spurs, Man City, Everton, Villa at the moment are probably our rivals) green with envy because he's a player none of those clubs could attract who will take us up a level. But having said all that, if the opportunity came to replace him in January I do think it would be wise to fork out the money to do so. He may well leave next summer anyway and Viduka's not getting any younger, so someone like Huntelaar might not be such an unrealistic shout if we were to try and steal a march on the big clubs and put the money up in January. Writing Owen off is a gamble which could come back to haunt us, but it wouldn't be wise to plan anything around his fitness or to take for granted that he will be willing to stay here beyond next summer (given the clause is still in his contract).

You may be right about the formation. Everyone is assuming we'll stick with the 4-4-2 but Sam has spoken about changing the formation for different games and I don't think he'll want to give Arsenal space in the middle of the park. I wouldn't be surprised if we pack the midfield.

Both Smith and Ameobi have terrible goalscoring records. Both were shocking against Derby. It's a tough one to call for me, but I think Ameobi is happier playing with his back to goal than Smith and we'll need that against Arsenal. If we try and outplay them at the Emirates we're asking for trouble. Ameobi is terrible at converting crosses and his hold up play is very hit and miss I agree, but I don't see how Smith will do that job any better. because he's a better footballer? i'm not basing my opinion on these two players solely on the game against derby like, i'm talking about their entire careers, smith is a better forward than ameobi, i mean, haway Maybe he is, but it's all about picking a team to win a game. There are plenty better footballers than Heskey, but he did the job against Israel and Russia. He didn't score but the team won. Smith's goalscoring record is actually pretty shocking anyway, in a game like this I think it's a tough one to call between him and Ameobi. They'll bring different qualities to the table, but neither are ideal. Ameobi will be significantly less fatigued than Smith who played 90 mins yesterday, and he is a lot bigger than Smith. In a game like this I think we'll need to make our physical advantages count against a young but technically gifted Arsenal side. But who knows? Neither are great choices IMO, I just hope whoever is picked does the job tomorrow.

Both Smith and Ameobi have terrible goalscoring records. Both were shocking against Derby. It's a tough one to call for me, but I think Ameobi is happier playing with his back to goal than Smith and we'll need that against Arsenal. If we try and outplay them at the Emirates we're asking for trouble. Ameobi is terrible at converting crosses and his hold up play is very hit and miss I agree, but I don't see how Smith will do that job any better.

Worst possible time to be playing Arsenal. They're top of the league, it's at their place, and we only get one day's rest while they get two. We have to go down there and rain on their parade, get at them early on and show them they won't get an easy result. They got to the final last year with their youngsters, we have be considered underdogs here regardless of the team they put out. I do think we'll need some height up front, Arsenal aren't the most comfortable with high balls, espescially their younger players. I'll probably get slated for this but there is a case for playing Ameobi. Viduka won't handle three starts in a week and certainly won't handle two in three days, so it's a straight choice between Smith and Ameobi to partner Martins. Smith looked OK alongside Owen for England, but that was in a dominant team against Germany's reserves. We'll be the underdogs here, and I think we'll need an option for those longer balls when we're in trouble.

It's hard to see light at the end of the tunnel when he's breaking down again and again with different complaints. His foot, then his knee, now his groin. It's becoming a similar situation to Woodgate. Great player to have when fit, but is it worth the hassle? I'd give him the rest of this season definitely, god knows we've waited long enough and we owe it to ourselves to give him a chance. But if this goes on all season then there's no doubt in my mind that we should be looking at a new striker next summer.

It was always a concern when he signed that he would be in and out of the team. He's played about as many games as Dyer or Woodgate over the last few years. I suspect this largely explains why we were able to get such a good defender for nothing.

N'Zogbia was the best player on the park today, and perhaps the difference between the two teams.

Impressed with him today. No nonsense in defence, much like Cacapa he doesn't take chances and puts the ball in row Z if need be. He and Cacapa add experience and common sense to the defence, they both have a safety-first mentality which we've lacked at the back. Showed one or two moments of quality going forward too, created a decent chance when he megged one, skinned another and cut a teasing cross back into the box. Enrique looked good when he came on as well. Promising signs from our new full backs.

At half-time I wasn't really sure what to make of the game. We'd been second best for much of the game in terms of possession but found ourselves in front. It's harsh to say we were lucky to be ahead because neither goal was a fluke, both were good goals. Similarly, West Ham had only created half-chances. It was a tight, nervous contest and I felt at times we were showing them a bit too much respect. Second half though was a different story, I thought we were very professional while 2-1 in front and thoroughly deserved it. The most encouraging thing was that West Ham put in a decent performance, and yet Martins should have made it four. We played the way a team in front should, we never let up and tried to punish them on the counter. When Enrique came on and Zoggy moved into midfield we looked a much different outfit. N'Zogbia had it tough last season, he had lost his father, picked up a serious injury and his manager didn't seem to have great faith in him any more. He played very much with his head down and he couldn't find form. Now he's looking revitalised, he gets his head up and looks much more like the player of two seasons ago. His ability to cut inside or go on the outside keeps defenders guessing, which is something Duff lacks. Releasing N'Zogbia into the midfield will give this team a lot more going forward and defensively. Similarly, Beye might just be the right back we've been searching for for years. Beye and Enrique could turn out to be our most important signings, because we haven't had a pair of decent full backs for years. This wasn't vintage stuff, but it was a professional performance against a good West Ham team. I felt that in the first half West Ham gave us a real challenge but in the end we rose to that challenge, we raised our game in the second half and saw them off. Arsenal on Tuesday will present a very different challenge, but I do feel that freeing N'Zogbia into midfield will give us a different dimention. I suspect Sam will revert to the safer 4-3-3.

Good post. Mind, a lot of people like to make out they're offended, it makes them feel important.

I'd like to see Martins in the team, simply because with Zoggy stuck in defence (Enrique's not playing) we'll need some pace and movement. Neither Viduka nor Owen are willing to play the channels the way Martins does. Our goal against Wigan came because of Martins' willingness to move into those wider positions to find space and time on the ball. With Viduka and Owen only playing through the middle and little pace or creativity coming from the flanks, we look a bit one-dimensional. We've been praying for a penalty or a goal from a set-piece too much this season, we're really lacking movement to pull teams apart and score from open play. We did play some good stuff against Wigan, but we need to remind ourselves that it was Wigan at home and we made hard work of it.

To be winning titles you have to be picking up those easier points. Liverpool can beat anyone in the world on their day and often raise their game against big rivals but they need to be taking teams like Birmingham and Portsmouth more seriously. When you look at Alex Ferguson for example, you get the impression that he's never satisfied, he always wants more. Yet with Benitez I do get the impression sometimes that complacency sets in and this is reflected in his team selections. His squad rotation probably gives them the edge over other big sides in the cup competitions, because later in the season players like Torres won't be as burnt out as other strikers. But they're paying a price for it in the league.

It's just a bit of craic. I don't see the need for all this analysis and judgement, it comes across as a bit pretentious and pompous.

I agree it's too easy to make any big statements when half a dozen players possible first-teamers are yet to make their first starts under Allardyce (Beye, Faye, Enrique, Duff, Emre, Barton) and those who have played have only a few hours of competitive football together. However, pointing to the league table after half a dozen games seems like you're trying to pull the wool over people's eyes a bit, HTT. We all know we've had an easy run yet we find ourselves in 10th and a game in hand is only worth what you make of it. Following the Derby result and performance and taking into account the good and the bad that we've seen so far, I think it's been a distinctly average start. There's a real sense that the serious business starts now, with games against the revitalised West Ham and Man City, as well as Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton all to come in the next few weeks. And even after that lot, we still won't have faced any of the 'big four' in the league. After those games we'll have a much better idea of just how far we've come and how far we have to go.

Managers come out with excuses to protect themselves from the pressure of the media, the fans and the board, as well as to try and protect their players rather than heap further pressure on them. I think managers rarely say what they really feel after a defeat/poor performance, because to do so would be detrimental. What has worried me about the performances so far and our squad is that Allardyce is building us up exactly the way he built up Bolton. His signings certainly suggest we're going down that road, with experience, height, physical stature and workrate seemingly top of his list of priorities. There is very little flair and a real lack of pace to stretch teams. The squad is surely better than last season, but it remains to be seen whether we have signed genuine talent to push us up a level or simply acquired an abundance of mediocrity to pad the squad out. This was only one game, but it does force people to reassess the season thus far. The glass half full becomes the glass half empty as 8 points from 12 becomes 8 from 15. Reflecting on things from where we are now, it's been an average start in my view. We have had an extremely gentle start to the season and I expect things to get a lot tougher from here on in. Sam and his players spent the international break talking themselves up an awful lot. This time around I'd rather they kept their mouths shut and did the talking on the pitch.

I've had my doubts about Rozehnal since the first game. He looks decent, but he just doesn't look built to be a Premiership centre back and you could see Derby were targetting him yesterday. He was muscled off the ball by Agbonlahor against Villa as well, it's a weakness in his game which opposition managers will look to exploit. He'll get better, but the games just get tougher and tougher from here on in, I don't think some people have appreciated what a gentle introduction to the season we've had. Taylor and Cacapa sounds good to me, but there's no way of really knowing until we see it. Whoever it is though we need to find a pairing soon and stick with it, it takes time for central defenders to get a real understanding and in this case it isn't helped by the language barrier.

That performance worries me. The result is poor, but the performance was probably as bad as anything we produced last season and that's some statement. Owen only got 14 touches of the ball against Derby. There is very little flair in this Newcastle team, and while I doubt we'll produce a worse performance than that again this season, a lot of what we saw today was in evidence against Villa and Boro. A lack of flair and pace means we're trying to blag results, pumping it long, fighting for second balls and trying to nick something from a set piece, and that'll only get you so far. I won't single out any individuals for criticism because we performed poorly as a team. Derby were very lucky to finish the game with 11 players on the pitch and some of the refereeing and linesmanship was incredible. Rozehnal was rugby tackled in front of the referee, the ball even bounced off him as it happened yet the ref seemed to pretend he hadn't seen it. It happened again, and then again and again. Michael Owen was also offside while two yards inside his own half, apparently. We were hard done by to say the least, but we don't deserve any sympathy, not after that performance. Both the manager and his players have been talking themselves up over the last couple of weeks, ever since Owen's 87th minute winner against Wigan. Too much of the talking has been done in the media and not enough on the pitch, and they've all been taken down a peg or two. So have we as fans. The club has made strides forwards, but time will tell whether we've moved the first team significantly forwards or simply built up an abundance of mediocrity. Allardyce has a job on his hands, and for all the experience, height and strength he's brought in, we're lacking the flair and pace to put teams like Derby away. Tactically we are looking increasingly like Bolton and I don't like the sound of that. When Allardyce joined I had mixed feelings. He's proven himself as a very good manager at what he does and that style of football is suited to underdogs, but the million dollar question was whether or not, given greater financial backing, he could move away from his underdog tactics and build a team to play top quality football. The jury is still very much out on that one. The summer signings point to progress, but are we simply progressing into a rich man's Bolton? We'll have to pick ourselves up soon because there are tough games around the corner, much tougher than this one. The chairman, manager and players may have changed, but this was the same old Newcastle. Old habits die hard. This may be true of Newcastle, but I fear it could also be true of Allardyce.

He started whenever fit last season and has started every game this season. Also, I believe we now have greater depth in defence than we do on the right wing, so if Taylor does find himself on the bench and Milner doesn't, I suspect that'll be the main reason. I think he's every bit as important to this club as Milner, potentially a lot more (IMO). Lastly and perhaps most importantly, I think Taylor is still some way off his best, because no central defender peaks at the age of 21. I'm suggesting he can become one of our main men for years to come, like the players I mentioned, not that he already is. I hope that clarifies my comparison.