Gallowgate Toon

Martins - just a good overall buy Cacapa - apart from yesterday, he has been class, and with his experience and champions league know how, a very shrewd buy. Solano - Wasn't as good as his first stint but brought back some good technical influence to Newcastle, was a delight to watch at times. Rozy looks a brill buy oo though.

Today wasn't inordinary, every season every team has an extremely poor and freakish result at home. Last season for us it was Birmingham last season for Arsenal it was West Ham etc, but weird things happen in football, like freaky results today, you can't stop them. today though, effectively the real result was 1-1, because those crazy 5 minutes were an absolute fluke and a total shambles. Cacapa, arguably our most experienced and best player had a shocker. I hope it doesn't have the same effect on him as it did on Boumsong after Man Utd. But he isn't totally to blame. The first goal was an absolute screamer but who the hell was closing paramot down? pathetic really. Cacapa is solely to blame for the second but for the third i blame the whole defence, what was Faye doing and why did Harper have to come out so early and make the goal a much easier target, those who celebrated Harper coming back, are i hope giving themselves a good slap, as he was also really at fault the fourth goal too. I can see why SA brought Taylor back to deal with the aerial threat but Beye must be back for next week imo. Enrique i thought had a good game and was our best player. Faye was just as bad as Cacapa just his blunders weren't so critical. Rozy showed us why he is a class act today really good when he got on. For me Barton not match fit, but showed some real class in glimpses some good balls etc. Butt for me never MOTM was poor. The wingers should never start like that, maybe switch round a little bit, but Milner was rubbish Zoggy was a little bit better. Emre was pretty lively when he came on and i would like him and Barton to start at home. Oba should never have been dropped in the first place you just simply don't drop the top scorer. Owen looked alright today just slow and weak. Smith was ineffective. Harper - 4 Cacapa - 2 Faye - 3 Taylor - 4 Enrique - 6 Milner - 4 Zog - 5 Barton - 5 Butt - 5 Owen - 5 Smith - 4 Subs Martins - 6 Emre - 6 Roz - 6.5

Don't think it's fair that our top scorer for the season is dropped tbh, he's done nothing wrong, been better than Owen imo. Beye being dropped isn't fair either, last few games he has been pretty decent exactly the same as Enrique. Emre set up the goal last week, mind you it was an awful delivery. Still he's put in some good shifts since he's come back and at home i'd much rather see Emre and Barton than slinging Butt in there. Geremi, well he hasn't been dropped so far and you can only really see what a player like Geremi gives team when he's not in it because his work is off the ball mainly, we will see if he is missed today. Still we will win today with the team Sam is putting out, but i think the selection is a bit unfair. i think we'll see a 3-0 today though..

Exactly. It's not like Given's one mistake asctually cost us the match.

Wow, can't believe people are saying good to this, its quite ridiculous, but then again as soon as Harper makes a mistake (History shows he drops some clangers) then we will see what some people say. There is clearly no comparison between the 2 keepers, i doubt that Harper would ever have got into the PL's team of the season, if he had started as many as Shay. Who says football fans aren't fickle.

Torres, we havn't seen much of him this season, but from what we have seen he has been very effective.

I think between Gallas and Toure. i went for Toure in the end, as he is still so young (26) but still so good, very consistant, and very good defender. For me John Terry is way too over-rated.

I'm stuck between the 3 of them.

I can't believe some people are talking about Allardyce leaving tbh, its pointless.

We really know nothing about Ashley, or how he goes about his business. From the little i have read though, Ashley is quite patient and easy going, in some financial columns he has been slated for being far too laid back about his businesses, this suggests that he will not panic and probably give SA some time to sort it out.

Pace is an absolute necessity away from home, you need it as your under the cosh at away games, and you have to counter, ok Martins is fast as anything, but he can't do it all game, so Zoggy should have started too. Just the basics of football. Typical Butt really have a good game one week, be positively crap the next. Sam needs to find his best team away from home, and quickly.

He just can't pick his best team, his starting midfield was piss poor really four CM's filling out a midfield, if you play that narrow you never win games, especially away games.

We play winning football thats all that matters tbh.

We play sexy football.

Disagree. It was a hard fought draw. Congratulations Glenn. haha

Tottenham are about to fall i think. In fact they are the new us in a way. When sir bobby was here we had a few class seasons with him, then we have a poor start to the next season for many reasons a la the lads got cocky and thought that they could club more than train and be good professionals (not all the players, but some of them), we should have kept bobby on to turn it round, but we go and get a bastard of a manager instead, and we have the fall from grace, gone from being a top champions league team to midtable stragglers, and now we are picking up the pieces. Spurs are in huge danger in doing this, i believe Jol could turn it round and turn it into a decent season, but the way its looking, he will get sacked and if Spurs do a Bolton and get an absolutely shite replacement then Spurs will do what we did, decline, and its really shite, as it has been for us the last couple of seasons.

Owen didn't really do that well against tottanham, he like martins lost the ball on 3 or 4 occasions. He got knocked off the ball, had a few bad touches and did a couple of misplaced passes, but then again so did Oba, they are strikers, they aren't supposed to have amazing passing etc, thats the whole point in a midfield. Everyone tries to big up his link-up play and stuff, when really its not as good as everyone makes out, he even said in that interview with tubes ages ago, "i know i don't do alot out the box, and i am not known for my work outside the box, more of my work is in the 18 yard area", sums it up really.

Shame you seem so bitter about him, eh?

Like your review of Emre mate, I didn't notice he was playing either Haha just changed it.

Ratings and opinions Given - 6 - Not much to do really, some good catches and seems to look more commanding of his defensive unit. Beye - 7 - Good Pace, still needs to learn about the league though. Very solid going forward, and at the back, He only got done twice, as did Enrique. Still he's a great defender, but my only concern with him is his final ball. Still a fan though. Cacapa - 8.5 - My MOTM, absolutely perfect defender, no more needs to be said. Faye - 8.5 - MOTM was always between him and Cacapa imo, both were fantastic and have the perfect bruiser and brains partnership, absolute beast in the air. Enrique - 7 - Solid enough, but like Beye needs to learn the ropes. Technically he is excellent his left foot is something else, he isn't too rash doesn't dive in but sometimes his positioning is questionable. As a player streets ahead of Taylor, this is the difference between a Spanish 21 year old and an English 21 year old. Zoggy - 7 - Not massively in the game today, was too greedy at times, his dribbling ability scares defenders. Emre - 7.5 - Creative and used some skill, good worker and a decent shift put in. Butt - 8 - I don't like him and for someone of his experience he gets far too wound up, he was good today though effectively breaking down attacks, and simply passing the ball along. Geremi - 7 - he keeps the ball well, hardest worker on the team, he is a good passer too, Shouldn't take as many set pieces as he does but i'd rather have him in the middle than Butt. Owen - 6.5 - Where is the pace?, its just vanished. Anyway such a clever footballer, makes up for it, People saying his link up play is excellent, well it wasn't tonight lost the ball on 3 or 4 occasions, had more time for that one-on-one too. Martins - 7 - His pace makes defenders s*** themselves, had Dawson and Huddlestone(?) all over all night. Nice flukey chest control for the goal, and a decent finish tbh. He got round the back on some good ocasions. Can be the headless chicken but he had an intelligent and calm link-up game tonight, and with his pace and skill he is great on the counter, he is a much improved player this season, too greedy at times, but he's a striker, so who cares. Subs Milner - 6.5 - Solid and provided cover for Enrique. Roz - 7 - Energetic. Barton - 6 - good to see him back, some good passes and positioning, one bad pass, not the end of the world.

What ever happened to him, he used to be a very good player 4/5 years ago.

It'll be him and Owen I'd have thought with Viduka and Ameobi injured and Smith suspended. Hope so anyway. The starting team will be very interesting, but if they do start, its what we've been waiting for all season.

He scored a good one-on-one against Mexico, both of his goals were pretty awesome imo. Hope he gets a start against Spurs now after those goals.

Has she locked herself out of her house? Wonder where she left her keys...

Not as good as Van der Vaarts wife imo but still pretty good. if i remember rightly then little Micky's wife wasn't too shabby either.