KaKa

Bolton might as well take a punt on someone like Martin Allen rather than keep regurgitating some of these guys.

 

What's Martin Allen ever done? Gary Johnson or Simon Grayson would be better choices.

Basically anyone other than the likes of the names we keep on hearing was what I was saying ...

Souness has hardly 'failed consistently'. He's won a lot of stuff in his time.

To be fair I could see him do well at Bolton if I'm being honest. At least a lot better than what they are doing at the moment.

Bolton might as well take a punt on someone like Martin Allen rather than keep regurgitating some of these guys.

Souness still after Anelka I see.

Beye was good but should definitely be better. You can see he is still adjusting to the pace of the premiership. He joined us so late and got thrown into the deep end thanks to Carr.

I think he will definitely come good.

We weren't at our best today but took our chances when it came and for the most part, defended resolutely. Our attack wasn't fluid, but it looked like we had a gameplan (for example Given always kicked towards Geremi because he was up against the smaller Lee) and we never stopped hustling in the first half. Even though we weren't playing Arsenal-style football, we were really good in keeping possession and pinning them back. Sam seems to have instilled a low-risk attacking plan which puts the opposition under pressure for long enough that they'll make at least a couple of mistakes, and from there we hope that our strikers finish the job. I think all of this says that we're heading in the right direction, and all we need now is to replicate this type of performance away from home.

 

Note - Milner was quite disappointing whilst he was on. We missed Zoggy ALOT. I dunno whether it was because Chimbonda is a quality fullback or it's just that Milner's a bit tired atm, but he was slow in reacting and even slower in getting involved in our attacks.

 

Note 2 - Berbatov is deceptively quick. Skinned Beye with ease on one occasion near the byline. His agility is also something that hasn't been mentioned that much, but it's that and his close control and overall technique that makes him such a classy player.

 

Note 3 - I'm slightly worried about Beye. He looks good going forward - having pace helps here. However, defensively, he seems unable to adapt and change how close he's actually marking his player. On one instance with Berbs near the byline he was too close. On a few occasions when Spurs had a player on the left wing, he was too far away which made it was easier for them to cross the ball. Maybe it's a tad overreading his game but he needs to adjust to who he's marking and where they are on the pitch. This was also evident when we played Citeh three weeks ago.

Agree totally about Beye, but he will definitely come good. He joined us so late and he had to be thrown into it with  no preparation due to the uselessness of Carr.

He will come good. He's a top defender.

I can't believe how happy I am right now.

Absolutely brilliant result.

I never thought I'd see the day when we would be so tough at the back. We've had our moments back there but on the whole you can see the potential of this defence. They have confidence and don't play scared.

Emre has been disapointing which has meant that we have had to rely on passing it long more than we should, but at least when going long we have tried to play Martins in behind a few times. Martins movement has been great by the way.

Any chance this is a 4-3-3 with Zoggy and Martins either side of Owen?

Not sure I trust Butt. I think he might need a bit more support in midfield or our passing might not be good enough.

I think Martins is going to be very exciting to watch tonight and I am expecting him to have a very good game.

He has been very eager to prove he can play alongside Owen and I think he is locked into proving he can do so.

I can hardly wait.

Kenwyne Jones already looks twice the player Shola is.

Nobby for West Ham ... something sickening about that. Can't stand West Ham myself.

I've been predicting starting lineups this season using a Friday training orange bibs analysis.

 

This week, its a bit difficult, as those who played on Wednesday plus a couple others have clearly been given a break, with reserves taking their place in the training match.

 

I would however predict that Taylor, Geremi and Enrique start, while Butt, Barton, N'Zogbia and Ameobi miss out.

 

Orange bibs may not work this week though, as a consequence of the international week plus the Monday night fixture messing up training schedules.

 

http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php?topic=45719.msg1033965#msg1033965

 

Post 111;

 

"I made a slight slip up assumming N'Zogbia not playing due to seeing Milner Smith Geremi Butt and Enrique in orange bibs, but the orange bib theory still holds firm, and is giving away the team lineups a little too far in advance."

 

Conclusion - You're a fruit.

 

That was a case of me misreading the evidence, falsely assuming that Viduka was fit.

 

This time, N'Zogbia, Butt, Barton and Shola almost definitely miss out, while Enrique, Taylor, Geremi, Owen and Martins almost definitely start.

I want to play too!

Here is my prediction, and it's a lot sexier too.

I say 3-5-2.

Beye, Cacapa and Taylor as the back three.

Milner, Geremi, Faye, Emre and Enrique as the midfield five.

Owen and Martins upfront.

That's how you do it jamesy mate 

3-5-2 maybe?

Somewhere out there Big Sam is smiling ...

Should have gone 4-5-1 he says to himself.

Oh dear ...

Don't tell me England are going to screw this up.

Who is playing well so far? and how is Lescott doing?

Joe Cole doesn't half piss me off with his rolling around crying and general histrionics.

 

Poor tackle, though.

 

It was, and worth the yellow too, still annoyed me

 

Rooney's had a poor start, he's misplaced just about every pass.

How long before he clatters someone out of frustration and gets sent off then?

According to the Times yesterday, a loss tonight will mean an initial discussion and approach for Mourinho by the FA.

Is Owen injured yet?

Paul Robinson

 

Michael Dawson

 

Jermaine Jenas

 

Darren Bent

 

Aaron Lennon

 

Tom Huddlestone

 

Should all be on that list.

 

Walcott is young, his price was huge, but most of it wasn't paid upfront and is for future milestones. Babel i've not seen enough of, and think he could be deadly in the future, the rest are spot on though, maybe a bit harsh on Carragher, but still vastly over rated, especially by himself.

 

Huddlestone and Lennon should be on that list yet you let Walcott off because of his age?? Tbh the only one that could possibly be on that list is Dawson as Robbo is s**** so cant really be over-rated.

 

Agreed 100% on your Carragher comment though. He actually thinks he's something special.

 

I didn't say he was Gareth Barry. I was simply using Barry to explain how a player could still be excellent without winning every tackle or scoring every goal, like Barry has been recently for England.

 

To be fair I have watched Mikel play a lot for Nigeria as well and so I have seen a lot more of him. His move to Chelsea was an awful one. He isn't playing enough at Chelsea and I don't think he is as comfortable in the 4-3-3. He was outstanding for Nigeria in theunder 21 tournament where he controlled games from midfield and he took them all the way to the final. Best player at the tourney after Messi.

 

 

Dude seriously ... Jenas might be the poster boy for the term overrated. You talk about Obi mikel being a nothing player? Then what the hell is Jenas?

Lennon is not overrated to me and Huddlestone could be something in a 4-3-3. They are both still young enough to emerge. Jenas however is utterly useless.

 

 

 

hmmmmm a player that has managed 15 goals in a bit over 60 appearance which roughly equates to a goal every 4 games which goes to show he isnt a 'nothing midfielder' as he actually has goals to his game (something obi Mikel dosent have. Zokora on the other hand can be described as a nothing midfelder although i rate him

 

 

 

Obi Mikel is not hyped anywhere near as much as Jenas has been. He is also still somewhat new to the league and just 20yrs old. When I watch him I see someone that does do a good job of controlling the tempo of the game and distibuting the ball around and maintaining posession. Although not the strongest in the tackle he is no slouch defensively either.

 

Jenas on the other hand is seen as this special talent, but cannot keep posession as well as Mikel, cannot see a pass as well as Mikel and is not as strong on the ball or in the tackle as Mikel. He does get into good positions to score goals at times, but that doesn't make him a good player. Lampard does the same thing as someone else already mentioned.

 

Look at Gareth barry for England for example. You don't necessarily see him flying into tackles all the time to win the ball back, or scoring goals all the time either. However, he is the glue of the England team right now. He links everything together by controlling the tempo of the game and distributing the ball around quite impressively. 

 

Mikel is nothing like Barry who also has goals to his game. He's a poor tackler and all he has going for him is his passing (which isnt anything special tbh). Youre giving him way to much credit tbh.

Paul Robinson

 

Michael Dawson

 

Jermaine Jenas

 

Darren Bent

 

Aaron Lennon

 

Tom Huddlestone

 

Should all be on that list.

 

Walcott is young, his price was huge, but most of it wasn't paid upfront and is for future milestones. Babel i've not seen enough of, and think he could be deadly in the future, the rest are spot on though, maybe a bit harsh on Carragher, but still vastly over rated, especially by himself.

 

Huddlestone and Lennon should be on that list yet you let Walcott off because of his age?? Tbh the only one that could possibly be on that list is Dawson as Robbo is s**** so cant really be over-rated.

 

Agreed 100% on your Carragher comment though. He actually thinks he's something special.

 

Dude seriously ... Jenas might be the poster boy for the term overrated. You talk about Obi mikel being a nothing player? Then what the hell is Jenas?

Lennon is not overrated to me and Huddlestone could be something in a 4-3-3. They are both still young enough to emerge. Jenas however is utterly useless.

 

 

 

hmmmmm a player that has managed 15 goals in a bit over 60 appearance which roughly equates to a goal every 4 games which goes to show he isnt a 'nothing midfielder' as he actually has goals to his game (something obi Mikel dosent have. Zokora on the other hand can be described as a nothing midfelder although i rate him

Obi Mikel is not hyped anywhere near as much as Jenas has been. He is also still somewhat new to the league and just 20yrs old. When I watch him I see someone that does do a good job of controlling the tempo of the game and distibuting the ball around and maintaining posession. Although not the strongest in the tackle he is no slouch defensively either.

Jenas on the other hand is seen as this special talent, but cannot keep posession as well as Mikel, cannot see a pass as well as Mikel and is not as strong on the ball or in the tackle as Mikel. He does get into good positions to score goals at times, but that doesn't make him a good player. Lampard does the same thing as someone else already mentioned.

Look at Gareth barry for England for example. You don't necessarily see him flying into tackles all the time to win the ball back, or scoring goals all the time either. However, he is the glue of the England team right now. He links everything together by controlling the tempo of the game and distributing the ball around quite impressively. 

Paul Robinson

 

Michael Dawson

 

Jermaine Jenas

 

Darren Bent

 

Aaron Lennon

 

Tom Huddlestone

 

Should all be on that list.

 

Walcott is young, his price was huge, but most of it wasn't paid upfront and is for future milestones. Babel i've not seen enough of, and think he could be deadly in the future, the rest are spot on though, maybe a bit harsh on Carragher, but still vastly over rated, especially by himself.

 

Huddlestone and Lennon should be on that list yet you let Walcott off because of his age?? Tbh the only one that could possibly be on that list is Dawson as Robbo is s**** so cant really be over-rated.

 

Agreed 100% on your Carragher comment though. He actually thinks he's something special.

Dude seriously ... Jenas might be the poster boy for the term overrated. You talk about Obi mikel being a nothing player? Then what the hell is Jenas?

Lennon is not overrated to me and Huddlestone could be something in a 4-3-3. They are both still young enough to emerge. Jenas however is utterly useless.

Walcott?

Nonsense. At Southampton he was played through the middle as a striker and he looked outstanding. He played on the shoulder of the last defender and his movement was very good, he also showed he was a good finisher.

At Arsenal he has been played out wide and has therefore had to improve his dribbling, which was not a strength of his. However, you can already see him improving in this area and he will be a better all round player for it. The kid is what 17 yrs old? I can't see him failing under Wenger. No way.

As I said, you can buy a lot of grunts for 15 mill.

The whole Sam only buys/plays grunt players thing is so boring ... these are the players we needed first and foremost to strengthen our team which was way too soft. It was just a coincidence that our more talented players were injured at the start of te season too.

Let's see what type of players he brings in during the January window and next summer why don't we.

As good as Owen is he has never scored 20 goals in a season in his whole career. Even at his very best he still got injured regularly enough to not achieve the 20 goals. Not very encouraging is it?!

If we were offered £15 million I cannot for the life of me see how we could possibly turn that down. Big Sam built Bolton teams that got him fifth place with no star players. I would be more than happy for him to spend that money on strengthening the squad.