A GREAT RESULT, BUT DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY

That should settle a few nerves.

Had Newcastle United lost to Sunderland on Saturday, an already-panicking fanbase would have begun hyperventilating. Instead, the boys in black and white returned victoriously from the Stadium of Light, with fill-in left back Ryan Taylor doing the honors in the 1-0 win.

It was a superb result for Newcastle against its hated rival, a club that entered as the clear favorite after being much more aggressive in the transfer market this summer.

But for the second straight week, Newcastle showed some defensive fortitude keyed by superb play from its center back pairing of Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor. There was plenty of grit and battling spirit as well, further evidence that the sale of Kevin Nolan didn't erase those qualities. Summer buys Yohan Cabaye and Gabriel Obertan showed promise and Jonas Gutierrez was his usual busy self.

But it wasn't all rosy for United, because the performance clearly didn't match the result. Sunderland controlled play for the majority of the game, with almost all of Newcastle's threats coming from set pieces and counter attacks.

Cheik Tiote had one of his worst games since joining United last summer and Joey Barton reminded everyone why he should strictly play on the right of the midfield these days. Instead, everyone's favorite Tweeter lined up in the center - Cabaye pushed up into the hole behind Shola Ameobi, with Obertan on the right - where his lack of mobility and desire to have more time on the ball were exposed.

Shola Ameobi bustled about up front, but he didn't have enough support. Cabaye is a playmaking midfielder, but he appears better suited to play a bit deeper. And apart from his superb free kick goal, Taylor looked shaky at left back. To be fair, he's playing out of position. Danny Simpson, who was wobbly at right back, doesn't have that excuse.

Most of all, Newcastle simply looked like a team in need of some reinforcements, which is exactly the case. An attacker of some sort is needed, whether it be an out-and-out striker or, if Alan Pardew continues to prefer a 4-5-1 formation, a goal-scoring attacking midfielder of the Stephane Sessegnon variety. A true left back is an even higher priority.

So a good result, but United's work in the transfer market in the coming weeks will need to be just as positive.

Comments

[Ryan]

Great win today to beat the dirty bastards. But I will agree with Tom. It was 3 points, but it wasn't pretty. If anything, Mike Ashley should see the need for a scoring threat and a true LB now more than ever. Let's hope something gets done early this week in time for the Carling Cup match and the Everton match next weekend.

[Charlie Prince]

Not pretty, but for all the possession that Sunderland enjoyed, we had the best two scoring chances, not including Ryan Taylor's goal. Larsson's uncalled handball on the line was one of the most obvious I've ever seen. Between that potential PK and Gosling's chance late in the game, we easily could have had another two goals. Sunderland definitely had some good chances too, but like Arsenal, they never looked all that dangerous in and around the penalty area.