Gallowgate Toon

I doubt he'll drop anyone for Palace. It'll have been said to be 'last chance saloon' for whoever he's had a go at and if they don't perform changes will be made. Personally, I hope he's not too kneejerk, as I do think we performed relatively well for that chunk of games and the last 2 performances shouldn't totally overshadow that.

Was it Saturday when in the first few minutes he tried to play an incredibly inventive flick in the box from one of our usual s*** crosses? Was really unlucky it didn't come off. He's very skilful and aware imo but he's just not seeing the ball enough in the right places because the rest of the team doesn't function. He'll score goals. He does display some really deft touches and when he gets a run on a header he's good but some of his movement is quite poor and he's definitely a bit slow in his thinking. After all, he will be adapting to this league still and that's to be expected (which is why we shouldn't be relying on him as much as we are).

He's a bit flat-footed in the box and seems to be struggling to get to grips with less space around him in that area. We do get crosses in but they're often crap and that negates quite a large part of his threat. I can see why he'd get frustrated but we can't afford for him to be like that.

Georginio Wijnaldum admits Newcastle United played as individuals and not as a team against Leicester City - and accepts he himself must “do way better” in the weeks to come. The Magpies succumbed to a 3-0 home defeat to the Foxes, who moved to the top of the Premier League table, and looked lethargic and second-best throughout. Along with just about every single one of his team-mates, Wijnaldum was disappointing against Leicester and he believes their poor performance was down to their inability to work together as a team. Wijnaldum said: “We have worked hard as a team but there were too many individuals (against Leicester). And if you do that you can see the problems. “The manager was also mad. We had players who have had good games which we didn’t win, but it was disappointing. “You can play games badly, we are human, but you must always work to get the result. “We played as individuals so you don’t get the result. We must play more as a team.” The Dutch international started the game on the left wing but was forced to move into a central position alongside Vurnon Anita once Cheick Tiote limped off with an injury just 18 minutes into the game. And the £14.5million summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, admits he prefers to play in a more advanced role than in a defensive one, but says he will feature wherever Steve McClaren believes is best for the side. However, while assessing his own performance against Leicester, Wijnaldum accepts he was not good enough - even in a slightly different role - and says he is determined to put in a better display during United’s visit to Crystal Palace next weekend. When asked if if he found it frustrating being asked to play in a deeper role, Wijnaldum responded: “It is difficult. First half I played on the left side and I was free to walk where I want. “Because of the injury to Cheicky I had to move inside more. “It is not like I can’t play there but it is difficult for me because I have the quality to make goals in an advanced person. “If a manager wants you to play in a position you play there. “Of course I am one of the players who has to help the team. “I am disappointed in myself because I want to help the team and get a better performance. “I am a key player to this team and I must do way better than I did (against Leicester). I was disappointed. “It is a different position, a little bit defensive. “It is difficult to do the things you do normally. I must still be creative and help the team. “Next week we have a game and I will try to be better then.”

I'd go with that. Worked well at Norwich. Been utter s*** ever since and it seems like we won't go away from it, despite how bad it looks. 8/10. I am really worried now. The only thing that gives me hope and stops it being 10/10. Is the fact that Villa look dead and buried and sunderland are awful. They will probably go, even though we'll gift them 6 points again. So we're in a battle, with some very average teams, for the third and final spot. I think we'll probably scrape by and finish 16th or so. What an exciting thing to look forward to every season. I think we'll spend a bit in Jan. Just like in 2013 when it looked like we were going down. We played 4-3-3 all second half on Saturday and looked even worse Luckily, I didn't watch the game TBF. Sounds like we're doomed then. Unless we decide to actually invest in some midfielders and a goal scorer. Oh and a centre back and a left back. A new manager would be good too It was absolutely God-awful I think we're pretty far away from a 4-3-3 now, nowhere near the right balance of central midfielders and no competent/ready wide players. As crap as it is, the weird hybrid 4-4-2 is probably our best bet until January.

I'd go with that. Worked well at Norwich. Been utter s*** ever since and it seems like we won't go away from it, despite how bad it looks. 8/10. I am really worried now. The only thing that gives me hope and stops it being 10/10. Is the fact that Villa look dead and buried and sunderland are awful. They will probably go, even though we'll gift them 6 points again. So we're in a battle, with some very average teams, for the third and final spot. I think we'll probably scrape by and finish 16th or so. What an exciting thing to look forward to every season. I think we'll spend a bit in Jan. Just like in 2013 when it looked like we were going down. We played 4-3-3 all second half on Saturday and looked even worse

He is on his heels a bit in the box, sometimes. We do get a lot of crosses in in games, IMO, they're just often absolutely useless.

I can't work out how we got a performance like yesterday's. The squad has been in OK-ish form over the last few weeks (7 points out of 12 is what I expect from our lot, they're just not very good) and put in generally decent performances and then you get that sort of rubbish. We've actually been looking like a team for 6/7 weeks or so (bar Bournemouth and second half against City) but they slunk back to their disillusioned/not arsed mode so quickly. The sort of unity and determination we saw that began to turn the tide a bit just disappeared; lots of moaning, focusing on the wrong things and just not doing the very basic stuff. It's almost as if they thought they'd done enough to get themselves out of trouble and they could start to coast. Too many tossers.

The fear on show from midfielders was pretty amazing, like, they just didn't want to know - either too scared to get involved in the tussle or too scared to lose it. You can say fair play to Leicester for shutting space down in the right areas but our lads just didn't want to take a risk at all, nobody trying to turn and get moving or play a risky pass. It's not like we had anyone running behind or challenging for long balls either, the result was just nowt but a lot of sideways passes.

I feel a tad sorry for him but he's not really helped himself the last 2 games in that he's given up on fighting for certain causes we've needed him to stick at.

We played that exact formation all second half and looked absolutely minging.

that norwich game is looking like a long term disaster for us because mcclaren appears to be banking everything on that happening every single match from what i can see He switched them into a midfield 3 for the whole second half and neither got a kick. They were actually disgraceful.

They were utterly crap first half, imo. Turned it up a bit in the second but I think our midfield disappearing was the biggest reason for it. Honestly, that midfield 3 in the 2nd were shameful, I'd be embarrassed to put in a performance like that.

Leicester didn't even press us high, though. They were happy as owt to sit off and fill spaces to make it hard for us to pass. We were too proud, I thought, to do some old-fashioned stuff and get the game open. I remember Vardy & Ulloa pressing our CBs and DMs so that they can't play the high ball that Mitro loves. Our midfielders too didn't have the space to turn when receiving the ball. They did on occasion but I saw them blocking passing lanes more often than not. If space had been that open, I think we'd have gone long much more.

They're shit at home, aren't they? Got a weird feeling we won't lose, tbh.

Also, we're just not very good. Our best football this season has been when we've gone the simple route. Trying to play 1-2s in tight areas and build moves, with our lot, just doesn't come off well at all.

Leicester didn't even press us high, though. They were happy as owt to sit off and fill spaces to make it hard for us to pass. We were too proud, I thought, to do some old-fashioned stuff and get the game open.

What a goal.

Don't think we'll go down, tbh. We'll be patchy as fuck but just about see it through enough until January and then get a couple of players in.

Dummett had an absolute nightmare. Couldn't seem to win a header, kept losing his man and was absolutely shocking on the ball.

He actually moved on a couple of occasions and did one or two decent things. Overall, he was still shit, but there was worse around him and he didn't seem to give up.

Aye, he was horrible and it's not like he's good enough off the ball when we're under the cosh to compensate. Tiote, as fucking crap as he might be, has some presence about him. Genuinely think we missed him when he went off, which is a pitiful state of affairs, nobody else was there to get a grip of the game. Sissoko should be that man but he's just not got the attitude.

Odd game. Thought we started quite brightly, Sissoko got a bit of joy getting in behind, a nice interchange or two but it all went very flat soon after. Not sure if it was their break that shook us a bit or Tiote going off but we just seemed to lose impetus. The switch to 4-3-3 resulted in absolute awfulness. Wijnaldum and Sissoko are mint magicians, like, fucking disappeared all second half and I think that was as good a snapshot as any to show the fat knobhead why we need at least one central midfielder in January - not a single tackle between the 3 of them all half and Gini/Sissoko looked lost trying to attack through the middle - the result was a nice big chasm of nothingness. Some of them just looked like they couldn't be at all arsed and/or looked as if they'd been in the piss the night before, so delayed in their decisions, so much less snap/desire to get the ball and do something with it, no pace on passes. Only Sissoko ever showed any willingness to get in behind. I think we've played some good football over the last 6 weeks but today was the absolute opposite - hardly any one-touch play, lots of unnecessary short passes, nobody trying to dribble at players, nobody showing for the ball. The last one is crucial, the whole point in building from the back is for players to move ahead and make space for more incisive balls in, nobody did. And when we did try and play in tight areas, we came up embarrassingly short. Leicester were nipping all around us and wanting to get stuck in, too many of ours were ducking challenges and letting opposition run past. It's just so odd, they've worked hard to get out of the mess they were in and then go and produce that absolute shite. It all just looked so half-arsed, like it was a bit cold and they didn't want it. Leicester were very average on the ball in the first half, I actually thought we'd been the better team (very slightly), but they always kept up their intensity and it paid off.

Not too fussed if he doesn't change the line-up, tbh, Leicester are a really energetic and tough side. This probably isn't the game to ease Thauvin in to as a starter and Wijnaldum is probably better off not having to fight a massive midfield battle.

Like Wijnaldum, he shows the odd bit of desire to get back but he's generally awful at it. Spurs away last season was the only game where I thought he looked like a proper box-to-box midfielder at breaking up play and driving us forward.