NEWCASTLE ATTACK FINALLY BREAKS ENOUGH TO FIX

Sometimes a subpar performance is the best thing that can happen to a team.

Of everyone with an opinion one way or the other, Alan Pardew may have been the last to think Newcastle United's attack didn't need a makeover. We've typed about the statistics until we're blue in the fingers. My co-blogger was pleading for Pardew to replace Gabriel Obertan with Sylvain Marveaux a month ago. The fan-o-sphere has been calling ever more insistently for Hatem Ben Arfa to take the hole spot waiting for him; Tom fears he's still rusty, but to quote my orthopedist after a hockey accident in which I snapped one of the same bones Arfa did, "That leg's not going to finish healing until you skate on it." After a while the only place the rust will come off is in the lineup.

Saturday's yawn of a first half against Wigan, punctuated mainly by close calls from the visitors, was finally an argument eloquent enough to convince the manager. The world is done waiting for Obertan to show something other than pace. And 60-percent possession doesn't do a club much good when there's nowhere to take the ball. In came Ben Arfa at the half, a tick behind the play at times, as could be predicted. But when Marveaux joined in place of Obertan at the 77th minute, the lift in the squad was so palpable, even from our distance, that it could have been mental as well as physical - perhaps the players themselves had been pining for the manager to act. It took just four minutes for Marveaux to find some long-awaited working room, spin and feed Yohan Cabaye with a chance he could put against nylon instead of woodwork.

Fans are by nature impatient, and managers are by nature conservative - not surprising, considering whose posterior is on the line for the decisions. It's hard to blame Pardew for not wanting to mess with a formula that hasn't been beaten. The Wigan match provided Newcastle's manager and fans with the best of both worlds: a performance bad enough to fix, but good enough to win. With the toughest stretch of the schedule just ahead, we can hope now that Pardew is too conservative to change what, for 17 minutes at least, finally looked like an attack that befits Newcastle's spot on the league table.

Comments

[Jeff Leopard]

The headline says it perfectly really. I don't want to hear any Obertan bashing but I'd like to see Marv get his place next league game.

[Bob]

On TV it sounded like Obertan got jeered as he went off, I hope not - I hope people were cheering Marveaux. But Obertan hasn't quite been getting it done, there's no avoiding that.

[IanMJ]

To me, Obertan was being clapped while Marveaux was being clapped. It happens week in, week out when a player is replaced. No idea where the suggestion of being 'sarcastically' clapped has come from.

Not his best game today but that also goes for four or five others. Wigan did well co contain us.

[M]

that was my interpretation too Bob - the subbing of Marveaux for Obertan was cheered ironically. I'd say as well as being due to frustration with Obertan's recent performances, it was probably equally aimed at Pardew because 1. Marveaux finally belatedly got a chance off the bench and 2. He never seems to take Obertan off regardless of how poorly he's playing

[Andyb]

Agreed that Obertan seems one dimensional but in todays game you need to have a few different formation options to break down a prem. team. Possibly Ben Arfa's in the Chicharito role for ManU. Seems to work for them ('till today).

[chris]

Great post. Agree with a lot you have to say.its hard to argue that ober has been anything but one dimensional or poor up to now, but as you put forward for benny that having been out for so long only games will help surely the same must apply for ober? although not through injury he has been out for close to 2 years, and at least through injury you can understand why your not playing. I think given time he can mature into a good player, but I do still think marv is a better option.