TRon

Maybe when we are playing teams with faster, younger midfielders Nolan can pull that graph out of his shorts and convince them to slow down.

I think he runs plenty of yards, he just does it at a slower pace than everyone else. I wouldn't fault his effort or his importance to team spirit...in fact I think he's got a good football brain on him FWIW. Against the better quality sides though he'll just be chasing shadows if he was actually played in midfield as a box to box player. You just have to see what a difference Tiote made to see how important being an athlete is in that area.

I still think we'd be better playing Jonas or Lovenkrands than Nolan.

One of the best moments for me was when he was pushing Barton away from a confrontation with the Everton player trying to calm him down. I assumed HBA was a bit of a head case so it was great to see him showing some responsibility for the team.

I think the key will be how long before he gets fed up and decides he wants to be somewhere else. I think he's more than good enough to play in this league otherwise. The lads got a touch of class. He reminds me of Beardsley during Pedros first spell at SJP. Very different player but looks quicker of foot and thought than the rest of the team. The big question is why wasnt there any competition for his signature? I also compared him to Beardsley in the HBA thread, mainly because I used to watch generally crap Newcastle teams which were transformed by talented individuals like Beardsley, Waddle and Gascoigne. The difference was end product. All three didn't just have skill they delivered the knockout blow. Just like Ben Arfa duid today. Beardsley in particular made the players around him better than they were. Whereas Gazza and Waddle lifted the level of the team but were more individual players? Not very well explained. I wasn't talking about styles, more an observation on these are talented players who can win a game with one piece of magic. By that I don't just mean go on a mazy dribble then put in a crap cross or blaze it over the bar, but actually deliver the knockout blow.

I think the key will be how long before he gets fed up and decides he wants to be somewhere else. I think he's more than good enough to play in this league otherwise. The lad’s got a touch of class. He reminds me of Beardsley during Pedro’s first spell at SJP. Very different player but looks quicker of foot and thought than the rest of the team. The big question is why wasn’t there any competition for his signature? I also compared him to Beardsley in the HBA thread, mainly because I used to watch generally crap Newcastle teams which were transformed by talented individuals like Beardsley, Waddle and Gascoigne. The difference was end product. All three didn't just have skill they delivered the knockout blow. Just like Ben Arfa duid today.

I think the key will be how long before he gets fed up and decides he wants to be somewhere else. I think he's more than good enough to play in this league otherwise.

We used to have a shite team years ago but it was lit up by the likes of Beardsley and Waddle, then later on it was Gazza. The goal he scored today is the difference a touch of real quality can make.

I honestly believe the lack of a midfielder with running power is the reason players like Milner and Duff didn't perform to their potential when they were with us. Now if you could just give Joey Barton a new set of legs we'd be world beaters.

Never really doubted Harper too much tbh, he's solid enough without being a keeper who wins you games with his performances. I'm more glad for Krul though, as I see him and Fraser Forster potentially to be dominant keepers and I wouldn't want to lose them because Harper is in the way. Now it's up to Krul to grab this chance.

get in there!

Shame we haven't produced the killer touch, we've bossed this 1st half.

as a goal scoring midfielder who isn't a fat bastard I think this thread is a fair indication.

This is similar to the debate around John Hall who sub-contracted all building work to his own company Cameron Hall, and Shepherd hiring his brother's warehouse and using his own son as an agent. Seems like everyone wants to milk the cash cow at the expense of the club.

I think the fact he's being mentioned as a central midfielder option is more of an indictment of our current central midfielders than a vote of confidence in his ability. Check Tiote will hopefully solve one half of the problem area but we still lack drive and mobility going forward in central midfield. Jonas isn't the answer, he's fast but he lacks quality in decision making and end product. Guthrie and Barton for now, with Gosling competing when fit. It's the best we can do until we can afford to buy a real midfielder.

The best teams have players who can score from midfield as well as attack. This was what Nolan was initially bought for until the penny dropped that his lack of mobility is a liability in midfield. Players like Jonas and Routledge have a duty to chip in as well, and if they don't then we should be looking to replace them when we have the funds. This season we'll just have to hope the forwards who are here will get enough to keep us up.

It's not like Nolan is standing there while the rest of the team plays this high energy attacking football around him. We simply don't have the squad to play like that, and one new player will not magically turn the rest of them into a team that can play like that. We have to live with that fact for this season at least, and Hughton has to try and put together a team that works effectively week in week out with what he has. Nolan is playing as a forward. His job is to get into positions to get chances, to score goals and set up others. He did it all last season and he's been doing it this season. As long as he keeps doing that, and as long as he keeps putting some of them away, then he's doing his job. If there's someone in the squad who can do that better than Nolan then fine - Shola? Lovenkrands? Ranger? - but I'm not sure why everyone is so keen to shoe-horn Ben Arfa into that position when he's been a midfielder most of his career. You say "we looked far more threatening after his introduction". Well he replaced Gutierrez, not Nolan. Perhaps that's why we looked better. best post in the thread imo It is like that actually. Ben Arfa also made a difference due to his individual efforts. But so did taking off both our wingers, we lost what little shape and width we had and the game resembled a playground free for all. Somehow Nolan survived the baffling changes and trundled about in his wading through treacle way, with the best view of all. I'm pretty sure Nolan has also spent his entire career as a midfielder yet you seem to have no problem with him being shoe-horned into a forward role? touche.

I have said since day one that the problem with our midfield is that most of them are too slow and I include Barton in this as well as Guthrie and Butt last year. Then you have Nolan who is also a midfielder but is currently playing up front because he is worse than the other midfield options. If you are going to play Barton as a midfielder can you really afford to play another slow midfielder in the team in front of him?

Unfortunately team spirit won't prevent the ref giving a pen when you clatter someone 5 mins late in the penalty area.

Not too concerned about Hughton at this point. I never really expected him to tinker too much with a side which has done well, even though I'm not a fan of the midfield regardless of the results. At least he's recognised the weak areas and has bought players to come into them. The one criticism I would have is that he is over-cautious. Like a lot of managers in this league he doesn't use subs quickly enough to change a game and ends up leaving it until the game's gone.

+1

ran 5 yds without his face going red.

I said he was shit when we signed him so at least no one can call it hindsight. Sunderland signed Gyanne who might be over-priced but who do you think will make the bigger impact on the premier this season? A few years ago it was the other way round, we were buying the thoroughbreds and they were buying the cart horses. Get Nolan out of our team and do it now.

At least his replacement has been signed and today Smith has just handed him the first team shirt.