Shak

His set-pieces have been nothing special really, Milner could do it just as well. I'd not be too upset if we lost the long throw either. Think Butt gives us more in general play, can't say I know a lot about Faye but some seem to think he's good enough to be first choice DM. Hope so, don't think Geremi is suited to the role at all.

It was a big problem last season with Parker, and before him it was a bit of an issue in Shearer's last year or two. We had a captain that, arguably, shouldn't have been playing every game for us but was undroppable due to his captain status and the apparent problems dropping him might have caused. And, low and behold... http://www.cynical-c.com/archives/bloggraphics/oopspage_01.jpg The same thing could be about to happen with our new captain, Geremi. Emerged as the obvious choice in pre-season due to his good form, experience and natural calmness on the ball and apparent good attitude and influence in the dressing room. But, as everyone gets fit in CM I wonder if Geremi is going to be someone we want in our starting line-up. Not a natural DM by any means, works hard but doesn't get about the place and break up play to the level that Butt does, and doesn't seem to have a natural ability to assess danger and protect the back 4 accordingly. Not a box-to-box player either and his passing and creativity isn't particularly outstanding so not a playmaker. Useful to have in midfield as he's generally pretty decent at everything, without being really outstanding at anything in particular. If Emre gets fullly fit and playing well (massive question marks over that tbf) I'd have him in ahead of Geremi every day of the week. Will Sam drop him if needs be? I'd like to think so. What happens then though? Deputy Captain? Barton seems a good bet, always gonna play when fit you'd imagine and it'd give him some responsibility without going the whole way.

It does specify that the player has to be very slow to be fair ("big-time slow") so I can see their point to some extent. And if their touch is exceptional I'm sure they'll make an... exception for them. Also says that if they ahve l0oads of pace but a bad touch they won't look at them. Agree with the general point though, but I doubt if a 14 year old Riquelme showed up at most academy's around the country he'd be told to fuck off or anything.

He's the boy alright. blueyes.gif Told yous And the best is yet to come, although there are a few things that we won't like around the corner. Mick, aye, it will be very interesting to see how he handles a bigger budget and what kind of players he'll go for. I think if the money is available he'll be in for Diouf in January, look to offload Ameobi, will maybe listen to offers for Martins and spend big on a more mobile striker to fill the role Viduka currently occupies in the forward 3. That really is the key to this whole lark. Yet you felt the need to belittle the thread I started about exactly that.

I was going to mention his first goal for us against Blackburn, but decided not to bother. You've shown me up I'm afraid.

Good point G.

Yep, his movement and anticipation get him on the end of enough balls as well to make him a threat from crosses. He'll never climb above a defender for a cross, but he'll get there before them so he won't need to.

He wasn't for us. He'd gone to shit by the time he came here though. Gerrard does alright there for Liverpool, and Barton is similiar (in style if not quality) to him.

Agree with that, that'd be the best 6 for a typical 4-3-3. But we have to find a way to incorporate Owen when he's fit, for the majority of games at least.

Barton on the wing will be just like Bowyer on the wing. Bowyer was pretty fantastic on the wing for Leeds.

Would have boughT another winger instead of Smith if we were going to play 4-4-2 on any sort of regular basis. Hope we try it anyway, maybe push Barton out on to the wing for some games when he's back.

Bentley or N'Zogbia, not sure.

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=39896.0

I want to see him play on the right of a 4-4-2 with N'Zogbia on the other side, think that could be very good. He'll always be a very handy player to have but I'm not sure he'll ever be a top player. If Allardyce wants to go 4-3-3 long term then I don't see where he'll fit in though, as some sort of pace is absolutely essential to play the wide roles in that system. Reckon he'd do well as one of a 3-man midfield either. He'll continue to improve though and his ability to play both flanks make him a very valuable member of the squad. N'Zogbia is a vastly better prospect though in my opinion.

Did you see the Chlsea game may I ask? They didn't have a single chance the whole game until injury time, all their shots were hopeless efforts from range that rarely hit the target.

His problem isn't that he's a utility player, it's the fact he's a average player. I'd agree with you, he's average. But I really don't see the problem with having him here at all. We've basically acquired solid depth for a number of positions. We've paid 6 million, yeah, but it'd have cost more to buy seperate players for the positions he'll fill that would play to the level he does. Also seems a good character and comes from a club with a winning mentality. If he's still starting when we get Barton and Emre back then I'll be unhappy, but for now all he's doing is keeping the likes of Pattison out of the team, which I see as crucial. We can't have 22 top class players, some solid ones are needed and Smith is just that.

Everyone writing Spurs off already is mad, still the best side outside the Top 4 IMO, 4 great strikers and if they get Lennon back playing well the midfield will look much better. The gap is closing though and they'll slip back to the rest of us soon enough.

How are your knees, in other news?

He does acknowledge there's already a thread tbh, he just doesn't care.

Physioroom reckon he will, I doubt it though personally as we'll want to ease him back I'm sure. Also metatarsals heal really slowly towrads the end of the rehab IIRC? Remember Rooney's took ages to be completely cleared up after looking like he was almost ready for weeks. I want Barton in the middle, eventually, but you need only look at how Gerrard has progressed at Liverpool to see that it's not naturally a bad thing to have one of your better players out of position. Now that Liverpool have some players better suited to 4-3-3 in wide areas and up front Gerrard is being moved infield more pemanently. ---------- Mascherano -- Alonso Pennant -------- Gerrard --------- Babel -------------------- Torres That'll become their first eleven in my opinion, Pennat possibly could go if someone better becomes available for the right hand side.

Would get bummed away from home tbh. If we're playing a flat 4-4-2 with Barton in the middle then I'd have Butt partnering him before Geremi every time.

All fair enough but surely our main concern should be the good of the team rather than maximising individuals? Barton taking the hit and playing out of position (where I still think he could do a good job) allows us to play a system that suits Owen and Viduka, yet doesn't leave us exposed in CM as an orthodox 4-4-2 with say Milner and N'Zogbia on the wings may do. OML, I'd like to have seen us bring in a winger instead of Smith, but the fact that we haven't says to me we're not going to be playing with two pure wingers all the time, wo we're not really short there as much as we're not in need of much depth there.

I know, but hear me out. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of our team right now is whether 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 is the right formation to play if and when we get everyone fit and have our first choice team out. Allardyce has said before that he prefers 4-3-3 as a system to 4-4-2, and judging by the amount of central midfielders in our squad (Butt , Geremi, Smith, Emre, Barton) compared to the number of wingers (Milner, N'Zogbia, Duff) I think it's fair to say we'll be playing with 3 CM's more often than not. It's important, especially away from home, to have a bit more presence in the middle of the park, and 3 CM's is a good way to achieve this and will make us a much tougher team to play. However, so far we've looked much better in a 4-4-2 when we've played it. Owen is clearly not suited to an orthodox 4-3-3 as he's wasted out wide when we have the ball, and as our best player it's in our interests to have him on the pitch as often as possible. Viduka also works better with someone playing just off him rather than as the lone targetman type. Barton, while not in the same class as Gerrard by any means, is a very similiar player in style to him. One of the biggest things we'll be looking from out of Barton is goals from midfield, and ideally he'd be deployed similiarly to Lampard at Chelsea with licence to get forward all the time knowing he has two behind him to cover defensively. But I think, like Gerrard has at Liverpool for a couple of years, he could benefit the team coming in from the right in a 4-4-2. The key would be ensuring that whoever plays on the left hugs the touchline so we don't become narrow on both sides. Ideally it would be N'Zogbia or Duff when he returns, as both are natural lefties and can run at people with pace and get to the byline. Milner could do a job there, but if Barton was on the right we'd be awful narrow as Milner comes infield a lot on that side. Two of Butt, Emre, Geremi and Smith could comprise our engine room in the middle. The beauty of this is we can be quite flexible and easily change to a 4-5-1 when we don't have the ball. With the ball... Barton -- Geremi -- Emre -- N'Zogbia ----------- Owen ---- Viduka Without... ------ Barton -- Geremi -- Emre Owen ---------------------------- N'Zogbia ------------------ Viduka With Barton playing on the right, it makes us much more flexible as well in general. We can easily push Barton infield and bring on Milner for one of the CM's if we want to play a bit more of a jnatural 4-4-2 in order to chase a game more, or at home to the weaker teams from the start. Martins can play instead of Owen in certain away games where we want to go for a straight up 4-5-1, he's more suited to that spot than Owen. We can still easily change to 4-4-2 with that as well. Ideally I'd have him in the middle, but we need to be strong in the center of the park and I really feel Barton playing from the right could really allow us to play the 4-4-2 that our forwards seem so suited to, while at the same time having an extra man who can tuck in and really mix it up in CM when we don't have the ball.

Thank God we didn't sign Glen Johnson.

Aye, they'll be gutted with 10 points from four games if it finishes like this.