TRon

Why, because he's said so? One of the worst tackles I've ever seen to be quite honest, Anichebe could easily have gotten an Eduardo-esque injury from it and considering he got him with both feet I'm surprised he didn't. Rotten, cowardly challenge. He's left the ground with both feet and drove them together in a stomping motion, it just doesn't get more dangerous than that. I'm sure he was trying to get the ball and all that but that doesn't excuse it, it was a horrific lunge and he should really get a lot more than the 3 game ban for it. Obviously it benefits us if he doesn't get a longer ban, he's a decent player who gives us a goal threat from midfield afterall. But if he does I'll have no complaints, because he'll deserve it and more tbh. Just out of interest, what makes it a cowardly challenge? FWIW I don't think it was cowardly, just slow and clumsy, the sort of tackle players like Nolan are likely to make once in a while.

Get him signed.

It took time to bring the change about FFS. He had to get the players minds switched from nagative football to open football. Birmingham was the turning point, where got a draw but could have won it. Libertine always sniping at KK, any little chance. Its ok tho, you just bend history to suit your argument. it took time to get 3 very good players back (and staying fit) to take the team forward in matches and score goals. the front 3 took the pressure off the s*** midfield the same as a good midfield will take the pressure off a defence. simple as that. Obviously the manager doesn't deserve any credit at all for changing the whole shape of the team though. to some extent. "playing your best players" is what its called at other clubs. dropping smith and ameobi to play martins and viduka isnt rocket science. You're absolutely pathetic. martins or viduka didnt start a game for keegan before the birmingham match and then they come back in and we start doing well. did keegan "change their mentality" or did we just get 2 very decent/vital players back in place of 2 s*** ones? the keegan thing. obviously. The players coming back was obviously instrumental but it was Keegans tactics that got us the results we did. Not many managers would have had the balls to play Owen, Martins & Viduka together. Allardyce certainly didn't. and prior to those players coming back? where were the tactics and the balls? Keegan did his best to inject confidence into the "name" players like Duff and Smith but in the end dropped them and accomodated all three strikers saying that he couldn't see any goals in the team and he didn't want to go into any future matches without goals in the team. By the way not only did it take balls to play 4-3-3, the most important factor was Keegan's refusal to stop playing passing football. That's actually what this thread is about, not about Keegan, he's gone and you can't turn back the clock. It's about the football and Ashley being overjoyed by the way Keegan's team swept the ghost of Allardyce's turgid shite away with proper football...carpet football as SBR would say. That's what had Mort saying "Kevin's got them playing again". I just wonder what Ashley's vision for the club is now? With Keegan you knew what it was about. Is Ashley happy with muck and nettles football now?

Absolutely. Or maybe he's just slow and shit? You're only proving what James said tbh. Or I'm just giving my honest opinion which has been the same throughout this thread from day one.

Absolutely. Or maybe he's just slow and shit?

Pointless even giving an opinion when you've already got your feelings about Nolan vocalised and cemented tbh. I gave my opinion on Nolan a long time back on toontastic when he scored that wonder volley. The thread's not about any one player though. It's about creating a collective team and which players are part of that and which players aren't.

Nolan was an after thought kind of signing, a decision made based on short-term needs rather than long-term given Barton and Guthrie's injuries and the impending closure of the transfer window. We chanced our luck so late on by asking Bolton if they would sell and they said yeah, so we bought him. I doubt any planning at all went into buying Nolan, Taylor or the Danish lad. Bodies basically. That is what worries me considering we knew months beforehand that the squad needed strengthening.

Really? We usually have at least five or six when Shola plays. The wingers were Duff and Ryan Taylor. Ryan's a full back and Duff develops legs of jelly every time he gets past the halfway line. Are you really surprised we didn't force any corners?

I think Kevin Nolan was a shit signing, the worst of the lot. No decent football team would have had any interest in him whatsoever.

At the end of March last year, we'd just beaten Spurs 4-1, Allardyce's dismal brand of Fear Football had been kicked into touch and we were passing all but the best teams off the park. Now the players I am seeing coming into the club are being brought in to do a different job. Are Nolan, Ryan Taylor and Butt really a midfield capable of producing that free-flowing football? If Ashley sacked Allardyce last season because the football was so dismal, what is the reasoning behind backing Joe Kinnear's signings?

He did ok by his standards, but MOTM? You must be joking. If he sticks to tackling and simple passes he can do a job, unfortunately he loses posession regularly when he tries to be too clever.

Similar to NJS's criticism of Jonas in the match thread...with so many bad players in our squad, I find it weird how people are concerned about two of our better players in their respective positions. Left back and left wing are the least of our problems IMO, although it would be nice to have some back up for Enrique. I think we can get away with cover from Raylor if we strengthen other positions. I'd rather we signed a decent midfield than spunk good money on a full back. Definitely.

it would be nice if the midfield was capable of doing much else.

Similar to NJS's criticism of Jonas in the match thread...with so many bad players in our squad, I find it weird how people are concerned about two of our better players in their respective positions. Left back and left wing are the least of our problems IMO, although it would be nice to have some back up for Enrique.

Colo had a very good game I thought. I would expect more off a £10 million defender. His distribution was abysmal, especially his passing. Nothing special but nothing crap, as some people on here will let you believe! That would make sense if he hadn't passed the ball very well today. Its his lack of pace that I fear most, he gets turned way way to easy and is not quick enough to make up the lost ground, I am not writing him off but when you look at our CB pairing Bassong looks like the £10mill player. Bassong looks the better player, but they work well together IMO.

Colo had a very good game I thought. I would expect more off a £10 million defender. His distribution was abysmal, especially his passing. Nothing special but nothing crap, as some people on here will let you believe! That would make sense if he hadn't passed the ball very well today.

Speaking of the need to make a post-Kinnear appointment, the unimaginative decision to stick with the team which started against WBA suggests the decision needs to be taken sooner rather than later. Hughton effectively turned Jonas' one match suspension into a two match one with his bone-headed team selection today. Luckily Everton were ravaged by injury otherwise we could have paid dearly. A more aggressive manager would have seen they were weakened and would have went for the jugular when we had players like Martins, Jonas and Viduka available for selection.

Colo had a very good game I thought.

Duff is very much on my "should never play for us again" list. I would have Guttierez in the team - my point was just that I felt his chance was an excellent one which I'd expect a good player (which I think he is) to do better and I don't understand why people are "letting him off" so easily. I think people realise he's not good enough in final product, he's just better than anything else we've got as you yourself acknowledge.

He panicked. He's not a striker or even a goalscoring midfielder, so I'm not that bothered. Should have done better but these things happen. How much do we play players a week for them to panic and come nowhere near hitting the target. Fuck me if we can't get frustrated or angry about player's basic failures we might as well give up. When you put it like that, Jonas is nowhere near good enough for us. We really should have someone like Ryan Giggs or David Villa in that role. I played pub football in a local league - probably about 56 levels below the PREMIER LEAGUE (© Spence) - from such a gulf I expect professionals to be able to hit the target with shots most of the time and maybe pass to their team mates occasionally compared to my shitness. The fact that I have to repeatedly comment on the fact that we (and other teams) have players who cannot do that on a consistent basis drives me mental. There is no excuse for basic ineptitude. Of course they have better defenders against them and may try more outrageous things but the basics should be a given and I'm sick of people settling for it. Guttierez looks a decent player to me - not the superstar some clam but a good player at our level with a reasonable level of talent. However he need to start putting it to good use which means crosses, final passes and goals - am I really expecting too much? What is your point? Would you prefer to start Duff up front, that seems to be the other option which is the one Hughton took? Do you think Duff offers more?

i doubt he'd got to citeh as i'm not that sure hughes is picking the team either. not likely to come here though either. I think he'll end up at City tbh. He'll command a lot more respect than Hughes from the owners, and with his track record they'll probably give him a free hand for a while at least.

He panicked. He's not a striker or even a goalscoring midfielder, so I'm not that bothered. Should have done better but these things happen. How much do we play players a week for them to panic and come nowhere near hitting the target. Fuck me if we can't get frustrated or angry about player's basic failures we might as well give up. When you put it like that, Jonas is nowhere near good enough for us. We really should have someone like Ryan Giggs or David Villa in that role.

Why is everyone ignoring Guttierez' shocking miss? Is it because he is awesome? Probably because it wasn't that shocking. He should have hit the target but the angle wasn't great in any case. If he was half as good as people on here think he is, it was an open goal. Do you think Robert would have scored? - I do. What are you on about? A player in the EPL through on goal within 5 yards of the centre - I call that a chance which I expect to be converted - maybe I've been spoilt by too many good players in the last 15 years and now have to get used to this level of expectation - Ashley's "You've seen worse" - my arse. I think you probably got it right about being spoiled tbf. Considering that chance was fashioned through brilliant interplay and quick passing between the two subs with nothing contributed from midfield you certainly seem to have the mud-tinted specs on.

Nolan is capable of the odd decent touch, he's just too slow similar to Geremi. It's not like Nolan is going to orchestrate the midfield when he plays, so if we play Smith or Geremi it's not going to make that much difference IMO.

Mourinho likes Newcastle as a club, he actually mentioned us as one of the clubs he'd relish the opportunity of reviving a couple of years back. He would want lots of cash though and there's no way Ashley would be able to offer him it, he's way out of our league now.