Newcastle United 2 - 0 Fulham - 22/03/08 - post match reaction from page 20

[Incognito]

Its a good result,and a vital one,but we are not out of the shit just yet.However,i see confidence returning since Monday's 2nd half performance,and believe we can pick up points at Spurs,Portsmouth etc.,as well as win our home games against other teams near the bottom.Feel a lot happier with our situation big time.

[Tooj]

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/80343858.jpg?v=1&c=NewsMaker&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF1933B836CAF14D5D5C83B645DE7E2876423E30A760B0D811297

 

 

love it 

 

have you seen the celebration where he does that?

 

he tries to squirt it first but the top is down, gutted for him!

 

Just seen it then on Sky Sports.

[Syrette]

Its a good result,and a vital one,but we are not out of the shit just yet.However,i see confidence returning since Monday's 2nd half performance,and believe we can pick up points at Spurs,Portsmouth etc.,as well as win our home games against other teams near the bottom.Feel a lot happier with our situation big time.

 

We needed the win. Not just for the points but for the confidence. This result is incredibly important to our season, that can not be understated.

[madras]

butt and enrique were very good.

 

beye and geremi play a game with themeselves that doesnt help us.

 

viduka was enigmatic

 

owen play like he was trying to be mark hughes circa 85.

 

martins has the skill,needs the nouse.

 

faye and taylor lack confidence (in themselves and each other)

 

barton still isnt worthy of a starting place but is getting better week by week.

 

 

harper made a couple of seemingly easy but tricky-under the conditions-saves.

 

 

 

did i miss anyone ?

[Mick]

butt and enrique were very good.

 

beye and geremi play a game with themeselves that doesnt help us.

 

viduka was enigmatic

 

owen play like he was trying to be mark hughes circa 85.

 

martins has the skill,needs the nouse.

 

faye and taylor lack confidence (in themselves and each other)

 

barton still isnt worthy of a starting place but is getting better week by week.

 

 

harper made a couple of seemingly easy but tricky-under the conditions-saves.

 

 

 

did i miss anyone ?

 

Smith.

[madras]

butt and enrique were very good.

 

beye and geremi play a game with themeselves that doesnt help us.

 

viduka was enigmatic

 

owen play like he was trying to be mark hughes circa 85.

 

martins has the skill,needs the nouse.

 

faye and taylor lack confidence (in themselves and each other)

 

barton still isnt worthy of a starting place but is getting better week by week.

 

 

harper made a couple of seemingly easy but tricky-under the conditions-saves.

 

 

 

did i miss anyone ?

 

Smith.

like i said ?

[Ally]

Keegan looks a bit, erm, special in that photo.

[robbo_11]

Was on the radio that Ashley now has King Kev 1 on his shirt instead of Smith 17.

[Mick]

Was on the radio that Ashley now has King Kev 1 on his shirt instead of Smith 17.

 

No biggy, he wore it against Stoke in the cup replay.

[Optimistic Nut]

Really like the look of Viduka, Owen & Martins up front. Owen definitely doesn't have the same pace, but looks like, to a lesser extent than Shearer still, to have adapted his game to still be a major player. His link-up play and passing today was first-class. Having Viduka & Martins alongside him the last couple of games rather than Duff & Smith has made a huge difference to our attack.

[Mick]

Keegan looks a bit, erm, special in that photo.

 

He certainly does.

 

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8407/80343858rr5.jpg

 

[Incognito]

Keegan looks a bit, erm, special in that photo.

 

He certainly does.

 

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8407/80343858rr5.jpg

 

 

Fuck me Hughton can do "jizz rings!"

[Cronky]

A bit ragged at times, but a well deserved win. The spirit in the side looked good, players were taking responsibility and trying things, no-one was hiding. The midfield three did well as individuals as well as a unit.

 

Steve Harper didn't have much to do, but he dealt with whatever came his way. He's really stepped up to the mark since Given's injury.

 

 

[Yorkie]

Having watched the full game on Sky Sports, it really was pleasing to see - right from start to finish. (Although, in fairness, if i'd have been watching that live i would have been quite animated ).

 

In truth we were the only team in it, we dominated and dictated from whistle to whistle, but for a nervy ten minute period at the end of the first half. The most satisfying thing about the performance itself is that i honestly can't pick out who was the best player. It was a very good team performance.

 

The defense held together well, all four of them - instead of nonchalantly blasting it out, they controlled it, brought it down, and cooly played it out. Aye, this would be risky against better teams, but it was Fulham and they were shite. It'd be typical for us to make some sort of blunder, but not today, we were calm and authorative. Faye probably tries to be a bit too footballing, his adventurous forays didn't really lead anywhere but trouble, but he and Taylor commanded the air again especially.

 

I thought Barton was quite decent. He was the attacking outlet from the midfield and did fairly well. He'd have performed better with a winger to his left-hand side, but what he did he did reasonably well. Difficult to get excited about him like.

 

Butt made a couple of decent challenges, and a couple of utterly stupid ones that would have typically cost us games against better sides.

 

Geremi though was a bit of a beast in the middle of the park i thought. He was everywhere in my opinion, shielding the ball, moving forward with it, and playing it. We gained yards when Geremi had the ball, even if it wasn't in a counter. Worked well with Beye i thought and, obviously, two assists. Great performance.

 

Martins was adventurous, impeccable footwork and creative; when he's gonna score? Viduka - not really in it but held it up well and a good finish. Owen though, was excellent in everything he did. Played the role of a playmaker superbly well imo.

 

Harper - 6

Beye - 6

Faye - 7

Taylor - 7

Enrique - 6

Geremi - 8

Butt - 6

Barton - 6

Martins - 7

Owen - 8 (MOTM)

Viduka - 6

 

No bad performances today. Simple as. Get in there.

[Yorkie]

Really like the look of Viduka, Owen & Martins up front. Owen definitely doesn't have the same pace, but looks like, to a lesser extent than Shearer still, to have adapted his game to still be a major player. His link-up play and passing today was first-class. Having Viduka & Martins alongside him the last couple of games rather than Duff & Smith has made a huge difference to our attack.

 

Aye, spot on with everything there.

[Dave]

Well that was just about as one-sided a set of highlights one can see. Fulham had like two shots, with one on target.

 

Was it really that comfortable?

[Dave]

Decent points on Owen being deeper on MOTD. He's a much better passer than Martins, so it makes sense. The way forward?

[Guest JamesD]

can't remember harper having anything to do.

[Yorkie]

Decent points on Owen being deeper on MOTD. He's a much better passer than Martins, so it makes sense. The way forward?

 

It is at the moment mate. Just about every pass he played was inch perfect, and actually put us in a potential goalscoring situation. First time i've seen him look the quality player that he's supposed to be since, probably, before his injuries. Even if it wasn't 'typical' Michael Owen.

[colinmk]

Decent points on Owen being deeper on MOTD. He's a much better passer than Martins, so it makes sense. The way forward?

 

Yeah think so. It makes good sense since he's older now, bit less pace on him so I think it's a very good move by Keegan and one that could really get the best out of Owen and evolve him into the type of player that will suit him better as he gets older.

[James]

Well that was just about as one-sided a set of highlights one can see. Fulham had like two shots, with one on target.

 

Was it really that comfortable?

 

Fulham were poor with the final ball, so even though Bullard dictated tempo at times, Fulham were snuffed out every time they got near our goal.

[johnnypd]

Really like the look of Viduka, Owen & Martins up front. Owen definitely doesn't have the same pace, but looks like, to a lesser extent than Shearer still, to have adapted his game to still be a major player. His link-up play and passing today was first-class. Having Viduka & Martins alongside him the last couple of games rather than Duff & Smith has made a huge difference to our attack.

 

Aye, spot on with everything there.

 

in a weird way it reminds me of when Lennon and Beckham played down the right for England one time. Beckham and Lennon weren't good enough individually to be international class wingers, lennon's final ball wasn't good enough and beckham's movement was pap, so paired together lennon did all the running, made the space, then left it to beckham to put in deliveries.

 

in the same way, Viduka, Martins and Owen aren't really good enough individually to be top strikers, they all have weaknesses and all need others to compensate for them. but together they all cover for each others weakness and complement each other. owen has pace and presence alongside him, viduka has players with anticipation and movement to spin off him, martins has players with finesse who can hold it up. obviously it is not a fantastic balance as there is no real width there and long-term it is not really viable. but till the end of the season it is definitely going to help us gain points and make us have a proper attacking unit.

 

thank god that triumvirate displaces the likes of Smith and Duff too. would've been so easy for keegan to fall for DUff's reputation, or buy the 'we need workers like smith in a relegation battle' line but he's cut through the crap and made the right decisions.

[Yorkie]

Honestly, this three-pronged attack really could work. And i don't just mean as a stopgap either. I know, it's a bit knee-jerk-ish, but in both games in which it's been played, the strikers - especially on an individual level - really have taken to it in their own way. It's not like they didn't work with each other, either.

 

/ Owen was just classy today. That is the word. He was quality. Fairly quiet but popped up with several key passes, brought the ball forward and supported his 'out and out' strikers.

/ Viduka, again, not in it a huge amount but when he was on the ball he held it up well and came up with a very good target-man type goal.

/ Martins, once again, not always in it, but when he was on the ball he got it and ran with it, supported his on-rushing midfielders very well and frightened the defense.

 

Just to continue a running theme regarding the team... the only thing it was lacking was a good, attacking, creative centre-midfielder. Martins/Viduka would have been in it more then.

 

The strikers all had different roles, and all should have had a goal really. How good is that? Surely that speaks volumes on it's effectiveness, all three strikers should/could have scored. Martins was agonisingly close, but for a couple of great saves.

 

It just wasn't typical 4-3-3. If there was ever a 4-3-3 system that was Keeganised, it would look like that.

 

[/optimism]

[madras]

if we play 4-3-3 at spurs we'll be throwing points away. it was ok agianst brum and fulham but with confidence up 4-4-2 away will be better....keegans choice to drop owen,viduka or martins (owen my choice but it wont happen)

[Karjala]

why not fuckin go for it at spuds? nowt to lose IMO.

 

Nobody is expectng anything there, and everyone knows the Reading game is the big one.