Are you confident in Keegan dropping the underperformers?

[Mick]

 

Carr = Enrique, Edgar

Smith = Viduka, Shola (FFS),  and especially Martins ASAP

Butt = Emre, Geremi (when he returns), Faye

 

 

 

I agree about Carr but some of those other replacements are as bad as those who they would replace.

 

Viduka doesn't do enough when fit but is better, Shola might even be worse than Smith, he's scored goals but how long ago was that?  Martins would do more but he needs to raise his game, I'd also like to know why he's not back here yet, his bad ankle shouldn't stop him flying back, he wouldn't have to walk. 

 

Emre has been here for almost 3 years and has done nothing, Geremi isn't even here to replace Butt.

 

Don't get me wrong, we could replace them but some of the replacements are hardly better than those that they would replace.

 

[chicago_shearer]

Are Troisi & Lua Lua any good?  Any chance throwing them in might give us a spark?

[gazza ladra]

@Mick

 

We'd been better off with Barton - Emre, Barton - Faye, or Emre - Faye.

 

Christ, I would've rather seen Smith out there in the midfield than Butt. Not a popular opinion I know, but I don't see that Butt offers us anything. At least Smith can run around like a headless chicken.

[heero]

drop smith , put 2 strikers on, owen and martins, for the next one, maybe go with 3 owen martins viduka

we can defend anyway, so why try to, everythime the ball gets near our 16 yard area we go all schoolboy on them, and we're sure to get a goal scored against us

 

 

 

 

[NE5]

Butt has been nowhere near what he was last season.

 

We don't have any options for too many positions though.

 

Geremi ? don't make me laugh.

[Doug]

Beye, Faye and N,Zogbia are the only starters for me (2 missing today). We cant even include Given anymore as even his game has suffered under this pressure.

Don,t blame Keegan he can,t do anything but motivate with what hes been left with.

He is doing what is called rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic at the moment whatever he does.

 

doug.

[NE5]

Beye, Faye and N,Zogbia are the only starters for me (2 missing today). We cant even include Given anymore as even his game has suffered under this pressure.

Don,t blame Keegan he can,t do anything but motivate with what hes been left with.

He is doing what is called rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic at the moment whatever he does.

 

doug.

 

yes I agree, and I think he will sort it out, or I think he will know already that he's got at least half a team he doesn't want at the club. Right now though I'm more concerned we just stay up .

 

 

[macphisto]

Read the thread and most of the players are much of a muchness so not really bothered who plays or doesn't play! They have all had their chance this season and haven't done the business! Thing that pleases me is that finally the board and some fans are finally realising we have hardly got any decent players and that big money needs to be spent! What we spent in the summer was a joke when compared to the expectations of the fans and the size of the club! That's why we ended up with Smith because £6 million does not get you much these days when wanting forwards and midfielders.

 

I was also pleased that Keegan did not buy anyone in January as it would not have made much difference as I don't think we'll go down and if we had of added one or two players I don't think we would have made Europe so I couldn't see much point in adding to the squad!

 

 

[gazza ladra]

Butt has been nowhere near what he was last season.

 

We don't have any options for too many positions though.

 

Geremi ? don't make me laugh.

 

Geremi should start. He's a kickdog for some, but he brings more to the pitch right now than Butt or Milner (or Barton for that matter)

 

Not saying he's irreplaceable, but we are a better side with him playing. (We're not a good side. Just better)

[toon25]

We certainly don't have many options, particularly in the centre. I am however confident that KK will, unlike Sam, be prepared to drop underperformers.

He did mention in his post-match interview that some performances were not what he expected from Newcastle players - this may be a sign that he is prepared to bench those who, in some cases underperform, and those who are just utter shite

[Dave]

Read the thread and most of the players are much of a muchness so not really bothered who plays or doesn't play! They have all had their chance this season and haven't done the business! Thing that pleases me is that finally the board and some fans are finally realising we have hardly got any decent players and that big money needs to be spent! What we spent in the summer was a joke when compared to the expectations of the fans and the size of the club! That's why we ended up with Smith because £6 million does not get you much these days when wanting forwards and midfielders.

 

I was also pleased that Keegan did not buy anyone in January as it would not have made much difference as I don't think we'll go down and if we had of added one or two players I don't think we would have made Europe so I couldn't see much point in adding to the squad!

 

 

 

I see your point but then some of them have not that chance under Keegan, playing football.

[ElDiablo]

Butt and Emre in midfield is fine with me till the end of the season cos they play in the same areas and work together quite well.

 

Smith is a joke. You are allowed to face the oppositions goal mate.

[Baggio]

If you look to the right of my username NE5 you can see if i'm on my mobile or not by there being either a white box or a black ariel. Right now i'm on my mobile doing both my weekly shop in tesco's and reading about you waffling on about Freddie Shepherd yet again. Isn't modern technology great!

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

Drop Smith and play Owen with Martins, Viduka, Ameobi or Carroll before ever playing Smith there again. A strikers job is to score goals. If you never shoot you'll never score. All our other strikers know this and are therefore more of a goal threat than Smith.

 

Given did his groin in again so it looks like Harper is going to get a run.

 

Drop Carr. Play Beye on the right and Enrique on the left.

 

Play Faye either in midfield instead of Butt or in Defence instead of Taylor or Cacapa.

 

Play Emre. He goes forward and tries to attack.

 

Play N'Zogbia on the left wing.

 

Let Duff be competition for N'Zogbia and Milner.

 

Play Barton (if his bail conditions allow) in reserve games along with all the other first team players who aren't match fit.

[Shayno]

So we are going to replace underperformers with....underperformers?

[toon25]

The problem with Faye is that he is the possible solution to two immediate problems:

- defensive frailty - owing to the ineptitude of Taylor

- the lack of spine in midfield - owing to Butt

 

I know it has been discussed in a different thread but I honestly don't know which of these problems requires addressing sooner, I think it varies depending on the opposition. If, like last week against the Boro, the opposition offer relatively little up front, then Faye should be given the opportunity in midfield in place of Butt. However, if like today, where the opposition had big physical forwards likely to bully defenders, Faye should almost certainly play at the back

 

However, I accept that to adopt this would breed inconsistency, something which we have too much of at the moment

[Mick]

I hate those shitty football manager games that people play but here goes for next week.

 

Harper, Beye, Faye, Cacapa or Taylor, Enrique, Milner, Emre, Lua Lua, N'Zogbia, Martins or Viduka, Owen

 

[Guest Knightrider]

We are at the wrong end of the table which requires battling types. Sadly to move away from the bottom end you also need good players. We don't have many though so we're stuck. KK can't win in many respects with the squad he inherited which lacks true quality throughout despite good depth. We just have to grin and bare it I'm afraid.

[Guest Phil K]

Sadly, I think he's of the opinion that theres more time to get it right than there is.

I firmly believe the makems could beat these pillocks at SJP - you can see it can't you ?

1-0 up at half time, Smith/Butt/Carr et all inspired collapso in the 2nd half, when the midfield defence and forwards go AWOL and before we know it, it's 1-3

[Guest Knightrider]

Long term I think a good few will be surprised by just how ruthless KK can be. Don't be fooled by his platitudes regarding players, his faith in them regarding selection or token gestures like the captain's armband. This is the same man that sold fans' favourite Andy Cole, ripped into fans for booing Mike Hooper, took the number 9 shirt off Sir Les and basically would if he could, replace every single player in the squad with a better player regardless of who they are, from Shay to Owen. I have no doubt in my mind that when it comes to the crunch KK will not be afraid or shy to do what he thinks is right and best, be it dropping a player, selling a player or one day holding his hands up and saying he's not the man after all and walking away if that's what it takes. For now though he'll play things by percentages and won't do anything drastic or too much different until the season has ended.

[Tooj]

Long term I think a good few will be surprised by just how ruthless KK can be. Don't be fooled by his platitudes regarding players, his faith in them regarding selection or token gestures like the captain's armband. This is the same man that sold fans' favourite Andy Cole, ripped into fans for booing Mike Hooper, took the number 9 shirt off Sir Les and basically would if he could, replace every single player in the squad with a better player regardless of who they are, from Shay to Owen. I have no doubt in my mind that when it comes to the crunch KK will not be afraid or shy to do what he thinks is right and best, be it dropping a player, selling a player or one day holding his hands up and saying he's not the man after all and walking away if that's what it takes. For now though he'll play things by percentages and won't do anything drastic or too much different until the season has ended.

 

blueyes.gif

[MW]

Harper

Beye Faye Taylor Enrique

Milner Barton N'Zogbia Duff

Viduka Owen

 

That would be my team if possible but there's no way he'll drop Smith or Butt. I expect him to put Charlie in at LB for the manyoo game and leave Enrique out.

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

Can see a massive clear out come the summer, thank fuck.

[S.S.R.]

Going by his previous stint; if he feels he can find someone else who is even slightly better, he's pretty ruthless.

[Guest Knightrider]

Ditched Kelly our top goalscorer in promotion season because he didn't think he was good enough for the Premiership. Look at Rozzy, which was Micky Quinn all over again, few negative comments in the press and boot - out the door. He's a ruthless man when it comes to the crunch. Thankfully he's also a fair man which means people will get a fair chance and that's the way to do things to be honest. Give people a chance, see if they can deliver, if not get shot. That's what will happen eventually. He's also a clever man. Owen didn't get the captain's armband because he's KK's blue eyed boy but he give him it to basically trump the media's "OMG KK HATES OWEN" or vice versa agenda and to give Owen some confidence. He isn't bigging up Ameobi because he thinks he's a good player either, again it's a confidence thing/keeping players happy and ready for battle should they get the call. He's a master at that kind of thing, he could buy and sell us all day long if he had a wicked side.