TRon

Unfortunately Smith will probably play there instead.

The sickening thing is, it would be a miracle and euphoria if we got a point. Yet we chucked that same point away yesterday when it was in the bag against Blackburn just down to negligence. Criminal.

I'd agree that the spirit in the side looked good. Where the pressure told a bit was the finer points of decision-making - players taking another touch instead of hitting the ball first time (eg Duff), and then at the end, throwing everyone forward when a draw would have been better than nothing. You quote Duff there - he's a prime example of what this thread is about. An attacking player with no end product, and also looks the type to fail under pressure. His early corner-taking was woeful as well, failing to clear the first man on all three occasions. Zog should be starting ahead of him if only on the basis we know he can score goals when played further forward.

Read the first post again.

Read my sig, and for the next few weeks live by it. We will decide our future, no one else.

I'm not particularly an Owen fan btw. But the idea that Owen can't score with his feet any more because he's missed a few is laughable. I know a natural finisher when I see one and Owen has always been one. Whatever else he has lost from his game he hasn't lost that.

Like yesterday? No one is guaranteed to score in every match. He won't get three better chances than he had yesterday. He's finished. Quicker everyone accepts it, the quicker we can get shot and move on. He's not the player he was I agree, but he'll still get us crucial goals this season IMO.

Like yesterday? No one is guaranteed to score in every match.

Owen scores in big games when the heat is on. I think he could play a crucial role in the relegation head to head games.

I think that's true, for a start we don't have players capable of sitting back and defending for 90 mins. Which brings us back to the point of the thread. If we ARE going to play attacking football then we need to give our lads the artillery to do it. Smith out, Martins in for a start. Zog in and Duff out would also increase our firepower IMO.

1. Which of our midfielders are capable of smothering anyone?? if there's 5 of them it means less distance between them which should make passing a bit easier. In theory.

speak of the devil

Just makes me laugh reading through these threads tonight, seeing people calling KK a cunt for playing Smith and saying he should 'fuk' off. Anyone who watched us batter Blackburn led by the supposed up and coming Mark Hughes shouldn't have failed to be moved. These are players low on confidence who don't know where their next win is coming from, yet they went at Blackburn all guns blazing, even if the sights were off. Testament to KK's motivational skills. Just imagine what he could do with real quality players to work with.

Drop Smith and go 4-5-1. Two benefits: 1. Stifle the scouse midfield. 2. No Smith should improve the passing. Losing a non-scoring forward won't give us any less goal threat.

If anything I'm more encouraged and enthusiastic about attacking football than I have been in a long time after watching us pen back Blackburn for 90 minutes yesterday. I posted this yesterday when I was seriously down after another awful result. I have real concerns about attacking all out as if you don't have goalscorers, you leave yourselves open to be countered and picked off by better teams. I would seriously consider going 4-5-1 next week to make it harder for Liverpool instead of handing them the points. At least against the quality teams we should cut our cloth accordilngly. Against the struggling teams we have to go at them. Just reflecting again on yesterday's game if things were going our way, that could have been one of our best performances of the season. I don't agree with some of the team selections but the players gave it everything and deserved better.

I support anyone who does well for the club mate, and just right now the new owner and his chairman are doing decidedly worse than their predecessors. This might not suit your "opinion" but its true. Even if it is is true, do you have to keep blathering on about it day after day, month after month, year after year, on and on and on and on.....

He should be given a new contract on lower wages if it's going to be performance based.

What I admire about the Fat Bastard is that he takes holidays and knows when to take a rest. Wish we could say the same about his supporters.

BEAUTIFULLY put. That sums up the mentality of so many on here. Its still in our hands - but we need a DRAMATIC change in attitude by players and manager. To be fair, you couldn't really fault the players attitude yesterday. They had a right good go, but some of them just aren't good enough in front of goal. Duff, Smith and Milner (who had a good game otherwise). Only Owen looks like scoring and he needs help. Martins and Zog should be starting for that reason alone.

The best thing about Enrique is he releases Zog further forward. N'Zogbia produced more dangerous crosses in 15 mins than Duff did all game.

There was a bloke the day before we appointed him saying he'd take the job who was probably the closest we were ever going to get to a Ramos/Wenger type, but we ignored him. It was a great appointment for a day or so for nostalgia, but do people REALLY think and expect him to change us much? Who was that? The fella who was worried about coming because there were no French schools in Newcastle?

It's got to the stage now where I think it's pointless moaning about the team selection. 9 games left and we'll just have to hope Smith can do a David Kelly somewhere, even if it goes in off his arse. Maybe Duff can score with his elbow and Barton can sneak one in with his hand. About time he put his fists to some productive use.

anyone but the fat bastard Fred People such as mick will tell you that because he called us nasty names and ate all the pies, made all the managerial decisons on his own and backed his managers more than anybody in the previous 50 years [strange one that like] we would automatically do miles better without Fat Fred the fat bastard at the helm. Things are going absolutely brilliantly since the fat bastard left and took his pies home with him, and so we are of course doing massively better because anything we didn't do perfectlly in the past was all the fault of the fat bastard and his pies which were obvously alright We've came on leaps and bounds since he left Bravo. Just the sort of positive attitude we need right now. We are fighting for our lives and people are still sniping away with one track agendas.

Still 100% behind Keegan. He's firefighting at the moment, this situation was brewing long before he arrived.