Newcastle Thread

I can't remember Thauvin being introduced?

In his last 7 sub appearances he's had less than 20 minutes to make an impact, most often being under 5 minutes too.

Wijnaldum isn't a CM in a 4-4-2 either is he? He's a CAM or at most a CM in a 4-3-3.

Fairness probably a bit harsh, but 20 minutes against Villa and nearly 10 against WBA and Newcastle have probably looked worse when Wijnaldum has tucked inside. Leicester dismantled us after Wijnaldum tucked inside against them, And Sheffield Wednesday completely overran him in the League Cup. I agree he seems to have the most talent at the club, but he needs to do something with it..

Wijnaldum apparently played in the '2' of a 4-2-3-1 for PSV last year - and is supposed to be equally comfortable at CM as he is in AMC. McClaren was talking him up as part of a 'double pivot' earlier during preseason. So I'm guessing him and Colback/Anita/Tiote were penciled in at CM with De Jong/Perez penciled in at number 10.

As far as I recall, the early formation was 4-2-3-1, with Wijnaldum playing behind Cisse/Mitrovic, with the current 4-4-2 with Sissoko and Wijnaldum out wide adopted from the Chelsea game onward. From what I can see, GW has only once been deep starting in the 2 in competitive games, and that was during the home disaster against Watford, although the nufc.com report listed him as one of the few to put in an effort during that game.

Meanwhile, McClaren told the media they want a striker. Personally I think a winger (or perhaps two) is the bigger problem, although given Mitrovic is out of form, Cisse is injured/barely performing and Riviere is injured/shit, an extra option couldn't hurt. Not sure Henri Saivet is that option though... maybe if this was a game of FM07.

A winger would be definite priority as well. Maybe two. After that how badly we need a CB, CM and a striker, depends on Cisse, Taylor and Tiote.


I like Batshuayi - but he seems exactly what Newcastle don't need right now - another young player who may need time to get up to pace. Feel players like Shane Long should be the priority right now.

So with the exception of a keeper, we need perhaps one of everything.

Sounds about right, albeit more on a numbers basis as much as anything.

tbf I though yesterday was more of a 'turn the corner then any other' - we actually controlled a game for large parts, and looked comfortable something we haven't done this season.

Wijnaldum actually was very good in AMC/CM. Tiote and Colback looked excellent deeper and the defence looked comfortable and organised. A high tide rises all ships, Perez, Mitrovic and Sissoko seemed much more invoved, Thauvin looked better coming on etc.

If we could have this level of performance and organisation for the remaining 18 games we'll be closer to 10th than 17th. The Hard work starts now.

We've raised our game like that against Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd already this season, I'm not holding much hope.

Perez looks better in LAM than he does in CAM though, and Wijnaldum looks way better in his natural position too.

Thought Tiote and Janmaat were our best performers though.

I only saw highlights but I do agree we looked substantially more comfortable yesterday than we did in other games. But in a microcosm, the sort of thing that bothers me is that in the previous game, we let West Brom dominate us in a way Arsenal might've been expected too.

We need at least 20 points to stay up (37 could be enough, such is the poor quality of the league atm), and 23 to reach that magic total of forty. I'm not 100% convinced this group of coaches and players as is will get it, but we'll see - hopefully they take inspiration from yesterday and apply it to as many of the remaining 18 games as possible.

Apparently we've been offered Loic Remy.

God knows why we wouldn't snap their hands off immediately.

We defended reasonably well and rode our luck against Liverpool and Man Utd, and Chelsea were rubbish and we couldn't hold on after scoring two goals out of nothing.

Is it worth taking the Cup seriously?

Its a weird one - we need to show we can be arsed in the cups after the last few hideous years in the FA Cup in particular, and a cup run can boost morale, but it also adds games at a time we need to focus on league wins.

So... pfft. Ehdunno.

It's not up to me but yes. Every team should try and win every game, as winning can be a habit.

Anyway I'm looking forward to the usual of putting out a strongish team and getting beat of a side playing a very weakened team. And then hearing about how Newcastle don't take the cup seriously as Wijnaldum gets overshadowed by some guy Watford forgot they had.

Anyway the Chronicle is being a bit weird with our transfers.

If we're linked with a lesser player like Afobe etc. they say that Newcastle are 'aiming higher' - but they don't seem to put any names forward.

*Cough*

There's a difference between overshadowed and directly assisting. Which is not helpful.

I swear nobody knows how to score a goal.

I haven't heard his name mentioned on the radio since the 50th minute so....

We really do not know how to score. Its getting increasingly tedious hearing that Mitrovic misses an open goal every week, or that Perez, Wijnaldum, Sissoko and all the rest have also seemingly forgotten what scoring a goal is.

Its getting to the point where a failure to get a capable striker in this window will be an act of negligence.

I think it would be a massive disaster but I would love Andy Carroll back.


Looks like Newcastle desperately need a striker or Cisse back. Mitrovic and Perez just don't seem good enough. But at least all of the people with twitter names like 'Thxuvin' have given him the nickname Mitrogoals and insisted he's better than proven PL goalscorer Papiss Cisse.

According to the BBC radio, Sissoko was excellent and gave 100%.,

We don't seem to win either way, given Cisse puts in as many shit performances as scoring ones, Mitrovic/Perez have given up on scoring goals, spending the whole 2014/15 season injured finished de Jong, and Riviere is the invisible man.

The McClaren Out bandwagon also appears to be rolling back out... although tbf, given the pre-season expectation was top 8 and a half-decent cup run, and all 3 are now pipe-dreams, its not an entirely unforeseeable reaction to this increasingly hideous pile of crap.

Cisse's a goalscorer though, if we supply him with chances he'll score. Everyone was going mental when Mitrovic and Perez were dropped even though Newcastle won both games. They've lost them all since they were reinstated.

Don't think you can really count the second of them at Spurs given Mitrovic and Perez scored the goals, and in that game, Cisse was awful. Hence my point - yes, he's our best (or increasingly, only) scorer, but he can also be a liability when he's not really in the mood. New blood is going to have to be found.

Whether or not there is desire or funding to get it is another issue, and that's not least if Ashley is willing to provide it given SportsDirect is taking a pummeling on the stock market.

Journalists think money is available and players will be signed. Seems Shelvey is most likely. Think he'll be another disaster - if a club who's in relegation trouble are willing to sell to a rival relatively cheaply alarm bell should be ringing. To be honest I've never rated him anyway - always though he was an absolutely Hollywood player.

Chronicle is a bit weird in regards to all of the players we're linked to - it the player isn't a superstar ie, Afobe or that Doucarre from Rennes - they say that Newcastle are 'aiming higher' but we don't seem to be really linked with anyone of a calibre. Lacazette is a non starter, Carroll is still unlikely and if were serious about Austin he would have been here early in the window.

Not sure I can endure another transfer window anyway.

Is it really worth getting animated about? We all know we're not going to sign anyone, or at least if we do, nowhere near the 3/4 players we need, and most likely of shite quality. So who cares.

After the last 3/4 quality players we've added, doing nothing is probably the best policy.

Doing nothing will get us relegated.

Saying that, doing more of what Graham Carr wants will get us relegated faster.

Reports youse had a £12m bid for Shelvey rejected.

Shelvey's performance at Oxford was less a commanding CM performance, more an advert for why he should stay in their reserve team forever. I still believe we need wide rather than central mids, as we're wasting two CM's in wide positions (GW has been infield in the last two, but still).

Most are claiming Henri Saivet is in England for a medical and talks. Most NUFC fans on Twitter have either written him off as a dud already or slagged off people for writing him off as a dud already. Which sounds about right. Tbh I know shit all other than that he was good on FM07.

I reckon Matty Phillips could do a job down the right for NUFC...if you could keep him fit.

Aye I'd much rather we got him than Andros Townsend, who we'd also been linked with, although talk of that one has mercifully died down of late.

I have seen some talk we want Saido Berahino, but I'm not so sure about that call either given the frankly stupid way he's got himself out of West Brom.

Confirmed just this second that Saivet has signed.