Gallowgate Toon

Our movement is garbage like.

If Santon wasn't injured by the way, he's just taken off some clear defensive pace, that could help us deal with their speed on the break.

Very odd decision. If it's not an injury, it's a poor decision in my opinion, Santon was looking good.

Desperation move from Pardew there, based solely on his free kick ability. Completely shit decision and a waste of a substitute.

Reckon HBA in the hole would work today actually, with the way Vuckic seems to play. Big lad, moves after passing and appears to attack the box, can substitute for a more direct secondary striker.

They're a decent team defensively and we haven't looked like getting the better of them in open play, any dominance we've had has been because they're happy to sit back. Need to keep it short, encourage a passing and moving game and stop booting it long, it's too obvious and they're always at the second balls.

Ah man.

Seriously, just fuck me, what a player.

Fuck me.

Jonas has been trying far too hard as well, needs to calm it and use Santon more.

We're looking disjointed, need to keep the ball a bit and work positions. Hoofing won't get us anywhere.

No they don't, it was a great move for them but they've been anonymous for the most part.

Best's lack of awareness can be so frustrating.

Fuck.

Vuckic looking strong but a little jumpy. Santon looks class to me, just the way he approaches the game.

If Pardew expects him to step it up in matches then he's got to realise that it's a two way street, when it comes to playing him as a secondary striker. For starters, the games he played him in were already tough enough, plus he was always going to need a run to get some match fitness but we made minimal attempts to change our style and mentality, despite what is a pretty major change to our shape. It felt like he just threw him in and said 'go on son, do something against the big boys', while the majority of our other players stood about like statues. We can't go 4-4-1-1 and play the same way that we have done so far, it becomes a far more fluid formation that requires levels of good passing and off the ball movement, with a bit of risk from the midfielders. It's the complete antithesis of the more traditional and set style we've been playing with. I think it's too late into the season to start changing it all around but I reckon we've got the players for it, to perhaps shift towards it in the summer. For now, we should stick with what we've been doing but Pards should grow a pair, stop fussing about the amount of metres every player covers and give him a try out wide, at least as a substitute.

But Sammy was played on the right, and he's left footed so would have had to come in. It's just a simple refusal to play him on the wing because he doesn't work hard enough. Very frustrating indeed.

I'm not so sure like, his main asset is his close control. What did Pardew mean then, when he said he was the one to open up defences with 'special moments'? Surely the scenario he just described is the exact thing he wants from him. The plot thickens I guess.

HATEM Ben Arfa will be fully “fuelled” to take on West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday night, according to NUFC boss Alan Pardew. Pardew did not call on the former Marseille star during the 0-0 draw with Swansea, instead opting for Sammy Ameobi, Shola Ameobi and Haris Vuckic as he tried to edge to victory. Many Newcastle United fans raised eyebrows at Ben Arfa’s non-appearance but Pardew said: “Sometimes you’ve got to fuel your players, and the disappointment he had about not getting on might fuel him for Wednesday night. “When you get a 0-0, you always think of something else.” Yet, Pardew admitted the thought of bringing Ben Arfa on had crossed his mind. He said: “A couple of times I thought about (bringing on) Hatem, but I just felt they were so deep, with so many numbers back, that I did not think he would find any space, if I asm honest. “He looks for pockets, and there weren’t any.” Explaining his logic in going for the Ameobi brothers rather than the French international, Pardew said: “Actually, I thought that maybe a diagonal coming in that box with Shola climbing on the back of a centre-half might just be enough. “As he was he had half a chance at a set play, and Sammy ended up winning a cross at the far post. “That was really the only time we had the space to get a goal.” Read More http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2011/12/19/hatem-ben-arfa-rested-for-west-brom-clash-72703-29976392/#ixzz1gywVCzDc

Especially in a game where you're crying out for some quality delivery too. What a frustrating match.

Aye in the first half but you've actually got to manage the situation to keep that going when things like momentum run out and you barely create a chance for half an hour. You're not always going to get the rub of the green.

Very poor decision making, we lost momentum after 60 minutes, he should have been looking to make changes far earlier.

Champions League player, has experience at top level for playing on the wing, stays on the bench, while untested youngster who's done nothing in his career comes on. Very poor management.

Fair enough not starting but not even coming on when we need a goal? It's moronic man, completely stupid and he's going to have to start giving some justification for it. He's going to be getting some stick if we don't win this.

Ah for fuck's sake man Alan.