Home form

[midds]

Stoke are effective but very limited. It's not a surprise when they pump it forward and sling it in the box as early as they can, you either deal with it or you don't. Today when they turned the screw a bit we buckled and couldn't deal with it. It's not pretty but they're the ones going back with 3 points in their back pockets.

 

We never created enough to win the game and they did, fair play to them. Don't like it but they did a number on us. 

[Parky]

We really have to try 2 forwards AT HOME against poor/average sides or domination won't produce as many goals as it should.

[Guest BooBoo]

I agree but it's nigh on impossible to do effectively without asking Nolan to step-down to the bench which Hughton won't seemingly do. An injury to Nolan would be a blessing in disguise if it forced our hand into playing 4-4-2 at home.

[Neil]

Carroll and...?

[Guest BooBoo]

Against a team like Wigan who are next to SJP, I'd use Lovenkrands.

[The Prophet]

We absolutely have to beat Wigan, they're dog shit.

[Guest BooBoo]

We absolutely have to beat Wigan, they're dog shit.

 

It's a must win, no doubt about it.

[geordiemonster]

It's probably too early to talk about "must win" games, but I've had Wigan pegged for the drop since early in the season so if we don't beat them then I fear for us.  Our home form is what is going to decide if we stay up or not and to be honest I would have expected 4-6 points from the first 3 games, so we are well behind that.

[Guest BooBoo]

It's a must win given that we have already lost two home games we had pencilled in for points.

[Robster]

It's a must win, no doubt about it.

Frightening sense of deja vu hearing that

[Guest BlacknWhiteArmy]

Wigan is the big game we need to win. If we don't win that, that's when I'll be a bit worried.

 

But anyway, Blackpool and Stoke are very winnable games, and we threw them away both times.

[Guest BooBoo]

Can't play down the importance of targetting two wins from Wigan and the mackems. After Christmas, the home games include a lot of meetings with the tougher sides.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Our main problem, is that when we're at home, we're so one-paced up front it's easy to defend against. We have good creative players imo and very nice passers of a football but what's the point in having a great passer if there's nobody running onto them with a bit of pace. Carroll needs somebody with more mobility to play off him and we need someone playing upfront that isn't afraid to get the ball and run at players, if only we had a player like that...

[Crumpy Gunt]

As long as Hughton is at the helm we will head only South.

 

Nolan will be a millstone to this team. He seems to be in an undroppable (the cunt hasn't even got the balls to substitute him ffs) position. Taking Tiote off today so Nolan could drop back was a disgraceful decision by the manager. Almost as poor a decision as playing Perch at right back when its been apparent he's not good enough for a few games now. His own goal aside notice Stoke attacked his position for their first goal. We araen't blessed in that position but I think R Taylor should have been played at right back today. Why the fuck did he take off HBA?

[Guest neesy111]

4-5-1 at home is negative against teams like Blackpool and Stoke and very easy for them to defend against.

[Gallowgate Toon]

I think it's more of a 4-4-1-1, which i think is fine for home games, you just need the right personnel to be playing in the key areas. If the second striker isn't performing his role properly, linking midfield and attack, then it just doesn't work and the shape is lost.

[Guest neesy111]

I think it's more of a 4-4-1-1, which i think is fine for home games, you just need the right personnel to be playing in the key areas. If the second striker isn't performing his role properly, linking midfield and attack, then it just doesn't work and the shape is lost.

 

Nolan can't do do that role in this division.

 

We should be capable of beating teams like Blackpool and Stoke with a standard 442 IMO.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Definitely but unfortunately we don't really have anyone suitable to Carroll imo. Ranger and Ameobi are too similar to him for it to really work and although i like Loven, he's not good enough at this level. That only leaves Xisco, who i think has the ability to be a decent player but he won't get the run of games.

 

All that leaves it sticking to what we already have which imo could be extremely effective but it needs work as the balance isn't right. It's all really good until you get to the front two, where they just don't suit each other and lack the necessary mobility/brains to create opportunities themselves. The first half is a great example of this tbh, we played some lovely, neat football and were looking to thread through one of our forwards but it just wasn't happening, they couldn't creat any space for themselves.

[Sifu]

If we are to survive this season, we really need to be winning games at home.............I'm still hurting from today and from Blackpool but it's still early days yet.

 

16 home games left.

[Guest Loven11]

As long as Hughton is at the helm we will head only South.

 

Nolan will be a millstone to this team. He seems to be in an undroppable (the c*** hasn't even got the balls to substitute him ffs) position. Taking Tiote off today so Nolan could drop back was a disgraceful decision by the manager. Almost as poor a decision as playing Perch at right back when its been apparent he's not good enough for a few games now. His own goal aside notice Stoke attacked his position for their first goal. We araen't blessed in that position but I think R Taylor should have been played at right back today. Why the f*** did he take off HBA?

 

Two stupid decisions, Nolan should have been subbed straight away instead of Ben Arfa.

I can't see it happening but I hope Hughton grows some balls and drops him for the next match, offers very little to the team and it's about time we seen Ben Arfa in the role Nolan has been playing, surely would offer us much more.

 

 

[merlin]

Everyone reckoned our home form would keep us up this season, and yet we have somehow lost to Blackpool and f***ing Stoke. Should we be worried?

 

Yes, because we are not really creating CLEAR chances and we lack another quality striker...

[merlin]

I agree but it's nigh on impossible to do effectively without asking Nolan to step-down to the bench which Hughton won't seemingly do. An injury to Nolan would be a blessing in disguise if it forced our hand into playing 4-4-2 at home.

 

He WILL have to drop Nolan if we lose the next home game ; failure to do so will result in the crowd getting on both their backs anf Hughton getting the sack.

[Guest neesy111]

I agree but it's nigh on impossible to do effectively without asking Nolan to step-down to the bench which Hughton won't seemingly do. An injury to Nolan would be a blessing in disguise if it forced our hand into playing 4-4-2 at home.

 

He WILL have to drop Nolan if we lose the next home game ; failure to do so will result in the crowd getting on both their backs anf Hughton getting the sack.

 

First two points are valid, last point is a little :kneejerk:

[The Prophet]

The problem is the formation. It's all well and good playing 4-5-1/4-4-1 away when it's on the other team to attacks and dominate you but it's far too predictable when we're at home. Nolan doesn't provide an adequate link between attack and midfield. The midfield as a whole don't support the forward and it's making us far too easy to defend against and pick off on the break.

 

 

[Dyeyzzon]

Newcastle 0-2 Blackpool

Newcastle 1-2 Stoke

Newcastle 2-2 Wigan

Newcastle 3-2 Sunderland 

 

anyway....we can't just play defensive in all our games. we gotta be more adventurous and attack at home. carroll needs someone, ben arfa middle, jonas in. the best thing CH would do now as a manager is to face the reality of Nolan.