I Wish I Was A Geordie - The Blog of Newcastle United in the US

Stoke Loss Shows What A Difference A Year Can Make

If one game summed up the difference between this season and last for Newcastle United, it was Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Stoke.

Newcastle didn't boss the game or create a whole host of chances. But it was organized, maintained a solid shape and frustrated the opposition. That was oftentimes enough to eke out a win last season, particularly during the 11-game unbeaten run to start the Premier League campaign.

But on Wednesday, the result was a fourth straight league defeat that exacerbated an already nervy situation surrounding Newcastle. United remains in 14th place in the league table ahead of Monday's gotta-have-it home game against Wigan. The fan base is agitated, to say the least, with Alan Pardew receiving the lion's share of the flak.

It must be said, though, that Wednesday's performance was a major improvement from Sunday's demolition at Southampton. Newcastle still didn't look like a confident team - how could they be? - but at least appeared committed and sturdier defensively. Before the meltdown began in the 81st minute, Stoke had barely worked Tim Krul. Papiss Cisse was once again more active and scored his first legitimate Premier League goal of the season. James Perch added much-needed bite to the midfield.

Unfortunately, United's efforts were undone by basic mistakes by some of its standout players. Cheick Tiote was off his game and played the ball directly to Stoke in the buildup to the equalizer. After Jonathan Walters laid the ball off to Cameron Jerome, neither Tiote nor Davide Santon felt compelled to track Walters' run, opting to instead ball watch. Walters had a free header and scored.

Then, captain Fabricio Coloccini allowed Jerome to run freely on to Kenwyne Jones' cushioned header to fire home the game winner. It should also be noted that Mike Williamson, who wouldn't qualify as one of Newcastle's standout performers, was badly outmuscled and outjumped by Jones to set up the decisive goal.

On a whole, though, the performance wasn't nearly as ugly as the final 10 minutes. Indeed, compare last season's visit to Stoke - a 3-1 win behind a Demba Ba hat trick - to Wednesday's defeat and you'll find that Newcastle performed better this time around.

Last season, United managed just three shots on goal (all resulting in Ba goals), was outpossessed 43.6 percent to 56.4 and only completed 59 percent of its passes (157-for-265). In terms of chances created - the name of the game, really - Newcastle was outdone 8-3.

This time, Newcastle produced six shots on goal, was outpossessed 47.9 percent to 52.1 and completed 69 percent of its passes (239-for-345). It created eight scoring chances compared to Stoke's 10. Judging from those numbers, you'd guess that Newcastle had a better chance of emerging with three points from this year's trip to the Britannia Stadium.

An understandably crestfallen Pardew maintained that his team deserved the win after the game, while players insisted that similar performances in future games will lead to improved results.

We can only hope they're right. Because, unlike last year, it looks like it's going to be a long winter supporting Newcastle.

On The Air: Therapy For Trying Times

To brighten this week's podcast-a-ganza, the three IWIWAGsters welcome special guest Barry Ameobi, also known as @ToonArmyMIA of Twitter infamy, to help psychoanalyze the club, the fans and each other as Newcastle United's depressive state continues. We also stalk Shola, stare down Stoke, strip down strategy and start stalling for January. Plus: Barry volunteers for duty at the front! Click below to listen, or visit our iTunes page for your very own cybercopy.

 

I Wish I Was A Geordie 2013-8

 

How Can Newcastle Cope Without Cabaye?

Of all the injuries Newcastle is saddled with right now, none is worse for Newcastle's season than Yohan Cabaye's groin. Cabaye was just starting to settle into a role this year, and the lack of forward thrust in the midfield was all too apparent in the pitiful display against Southampton. But instead of dwelling on an embarrassing performance, let's look ahead. What can Alan Pardew do with the squad he has available?

When he's on form, Cabaye can paper over some of the questionable tactics of Pardew and his staff. He gets forward enough in a 4-4-2 to keep the formation from becoming static, and works hard enough defensively to keep the midfield from being overrun.

It is difficult to make an outnumbered midfield work with Cabaye in the team. Without him, it becomes virtually impossible. Whether Newcastle wants to play 4-4-2 long term or not, it cannot do so while Cabaye is missing. That means a central midfield triangle of some sort.

Unfortunately, Pardew has very few options to fill Cabaye's attacking role at the top of this triangle, none of whom are natural scorers. For the time being, Vurnon Anita may be the best choice. It's a far cry from his Ajax days, where he preferred to play almost as a third center back to start the attack, but he's flashed the ability to get forward and make a nuisance of himself around the penalty area. 

Another player worth considering for the next couple of matches is Jonás Gutiérrez. Though he seems to score about once a decade, he's actually got quite a potent shot, and maybe a more forward-looking position would encourage him to use it. He was also strangely effective in the same role against QPR last January, when Newcastle changed formations after Cabaye got injured and ended up with 61% possession in a 1-0 win. In that match, he completed 43 of his 46 passes, including 17 of 19 in the final third.

The best choice, when he returns from his own injury, would be Hatem Ben Arfa. He has had his moments in a free-floating wing role, but moving Ben Arfa into the center of the field would seem to put nearly all of Newcastle's players in their most comfortable positions - even after Cabaye comes back. Certainly while Cabaye is recovering from surgery, playing Ben Arfa ahead of some combination of Anita, Gutiérrez, Cheick Tioté, James Perch, and Gael Bigirimana would seem to strike a good attack/defense balance in the midfield. 

In a strange way, going without a player who does a bit of everything, like Cabaye, may be exactly what Pardew needs to sort out player roles and a tactical approach. Just as I said on Thursday after Ben Arfa limped off, strategy becomes more important when good players are missing. Let's hope that lesson sunk in after Saturday's disaster. 

Who's To Blame For Southampton Debacle? Pardew's Bosses

When the summer transfer window closed back in August, the prevailing sentiment among Newcastle United fans was one of mild disappointment.

Most fans felt Newcastle would have benefitted from additional signings. But very few saw the frugal summer as a colossal failure. Nearly three months later, it's looking like a pretty glaring oversight, at least as far as the short term of this season is concerned.

United's squad continued to look overmatched and stale as the season careened to a new low point at Southampton. It was Newcastle's third straight loss in Premier League play and easily its worst performance of the season.

The usual critiques of Alan Pardew's formation and tactics surfaced after the match, but talk of such intricacies is missing the larger point. Newcastle simply didn't look up for the game. Maybe that's on Pardew. Maybe that's on the players.

But there's a more obvious culprit here. Newcastle's hierarchy drew deserved praise last season for the way it navigated the transfer market, finding underpriced players and using the Andy Carroll windfall to rebuild its squad. The club refused to overpay for targets but still landed quality players.

That, however, is a difficult accomplishment to repeat year after year. And when the board dug in its heels again this summer, it wasn't as successful in its negotiations. The overly-rigid recruitment policy has left Pardew woefully short of options - both in terms of overall depth and quality - in his quest to match last season's Premier League finish while balancing a Europa League campaign.

Fans may not have liked the lineup against Southampton, but the sad reality is that, with key suspensions and injuries, it picked itself. And just as Newcastle gets captain Fabricio Coloccini back from suspension, it will be without Steven Taylor after he departed late in Sunday's match with a hamstring problem. It's been that sort of season.

Thirteen games in, Newcastle has just 14 points and sits 14th in the Premier League table. A couple of wins in a row would still catapult United firmly into the top half of the table. The season isn't lost.

Let's hope that's still the case when we get to January. And let's hope that the powers that be have learned from their summer mistakes.

Maritimo Performance More Famine Than Feast

Though yesterday was "Magsgiving" for American Toon fans, we had very little to be thankful for after watching Newcastle's 1-1 Europa League draw with Maritimo. True, one point was enough to qualify for the knockout stages, extending the continental run until late February. But it was another uninspired performance in a season packed with them, and a major regression from the promising attack displayed on Saturday.

Without Hatem Ben Arfa, who limped off with a hamstring injury late in the first half, Newcastle looked completely out of ideas. Maritimo won the possession battle 55-45. Let's repeat that: the 12th-place team in the Portuguese league came to St. James' Park and had 55% possession. That's simply not good enough, especially when the team lacked the quick counterattack that can balance out such a stat. 

The problem, once again, was too many long balls. And last night, the main culprit was Tim Krul. Obviously, there are plenty of times when the goalkeeper will launch the ball downfield. But when it is clearly not having the desired effect - Krul hit a teammate on only 8 of his 24 long balls - it's time to try something different. Especially when the back four against Maritimo had two players who love to run the ball out of the back in Davide Santon and Fabricio Coloccini. 

At one point early in the match, Santon won a free kick just outside his own box. Rather than simply playing it quick to keep the Maritimo players on their heels, Krul ushered everyone forward and fired the ball at Sammy Ameobi, who lost the header and sent Maritimo on the attack again. It got even worse in the second half, when Demba Ba was the only player over six feet tall in Newcastle's front six by the end of the match. Knowing that's the case, why would Krul continue to boot the ball into the abyss?

Since Ben Arfa will miss the match against Southampton on Sunday, it will be even more important to get the tactics right. Between now and then, Alan Pardew should stress one thing at every practice and team meeting: "Play it short, Tim." 

American NUFC Fans Get Real Football On Thanksgiving

It's the Thanksgiving holiday in America, second only to Christmas in stature, and broader in appeal, cutting across all faiths including the faith of football. For English and global readers who may not be aware, Thanksgiving in America has become synonymous with the US style of football, with nationally televised NFL games throughout the day and evening - the only weekday all year featuring such a feast. This Thanksgiving, though, brings a special treat for Newcastle United fans here: "real" football in the afternoon, as Newcastle kicks off its Europa League game against Maritimo at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific.

Now the tricky part about Thanksgiving is that it's supposed to be a time for gathering with family. And the family members who don't love sports can be touchy about divided attention between them and the lavish turkey dinner and the TV. For Newcastle fans this will be especially complicated today, given that many of our family members will never have heard of Newcastle United, and the match will overlap one of the biggest NFL "derbies" (Dallas versus Washington - don't ask how that's a derby, it just is). What's more, the Maritimo match is on Fox Soccer "Plus" - an obscure pay TV channel most households don't receive. It's one thing to keep an eye on a nearby television during dinner or drinks or snacks; it's another thing to be scraping for a stream on an indiscreet computer.

American soccer fans are nothing if not resourceful, however, and I have little doubt the rabid Toon supporters among us will find a way. I myself am timing the one-hour drive to our family's gathering to coincide with the first half of Newcastle-Maritimo, which I will be watching in the back seat via a 4G signal, Fox Soccer's online app and my iPad. Arriving at my aunt's house during halftime, I hope to access WiFi and set up a laptop computer near the main TV, which will be tuned to the Dallas-Washington affair, my family being made up of NFL fans here in the Green Bay Packers hotbed. If any of this shall fail, the fallback is a DVR replay when I arrive back home late night with a belly full of turkey and its famously sleep-inducing L-tryptophan chemical compound. I'm about as likely to fall asleep during a Newcastle match as I would be with my finger in an electrical socket. I'll crash afterward.

Are you watching the match today, fellow US Mags? Feel free to share your story below. Meanwhile, on this American holiday of thanks, allow the three of us to thank all of you who generously share your fandom with us here and via @NUFC_US in the Twittersphere. We hope you enjoy it even a fraction as much as we do.

Mythbusters: Ben Arfa (and Others) Against Swansea

Now that my co-bloggers have sufficiently chastised fellow Newcastle fans for their reactions to Saturday's match, let's get our hands dirty with some statistics and observations. I was stunned by the negativity during and after the match, because Newcastle showed signs of curing the pedestrian attack that has plagued the team much of the season. 

Despite what I may have said before, the team proved that it could play fluidly and aggressively within a 4-4-2 framework. And even though I've advocated moving Hatem Ben Arfa to the center of the field, the approach Saturday allowed him enough freedom to unleash his attacking skills in dangerous areas. Don't believe me? Check the numbers.

Below, I've charted some of Ben Arfa's key offensive stats, comparing his season averages prior to the Swansea match with his results on Saturday.

The problem with Ben Arfa for most of the season has been that he's been pinned back, often defending all the way to the corner flag. So unless he replicates his goal against Bolton from April, or the team runs the same efficient counterattack it showed against West Brom in March, he's simply too far away from goal to have an impact. 

But against Swansea, Newcastle controlled the ball, pressed its midfielders and defenders forward, and took the shackles off its most dangerous player. The result was a huge spike in shots and chances created compared to his season averages. He also nearly doubled his pass attempts in the attacking half and final third of the field - again showing that he had the ball in threatening positions far more often on Saturday. 

Though some of our Twitter followers weren't convinced, the rest of the team also played far more fluidly on Saturday. An unlikely source of this fluidity was Danny Simpson, who usually reacts to the ball like someone threw a grenade at his feet. Perhaps buoyed by his recent celebrity dalliances, Simpson formed an effective partnership with Ben Arfa, winding up in positions he didn't know existed on a football field.

In the 12th minute, Simpson ran inside Ben Arfa, then played a nice one-touch pass into his path to set up a dribble and shot. He also ran the channel late in the match, only to see Ben Arfa miss him with a through ball. Davide Santon had a similar curling run into the box without the ball from his left back position. Even though none of those moves created a goal, they demonstrate the team's commitment to move off the ball and attack in unpredictable ways, something that has been seriously lacking until this match.

It's certainly fine to be frustrated with Newcastle's results in the league this year. There is far too much talent on hand to be satisfied with 12th place. But Saturday's approach - even if it wasn't the specific tactical system we all wanted to see - was a major step in the right direction. 

Keep Calm And Carry On

It's easy to stay the course when you don't encounter the slightest sign of trouble along the way. No one ever draws praise for navigating a long but easy road.

Last season was a comfortable journey for Newcastle United fans. Sure, there were brief trouble spots - a four-game winless run in December and a few confounding blowout losses - but overall it was smooth sailing.

The general consensus among Newcastle supporters heading into this season was that it would be decidedly more difficult. Last season's fifth-place finish would be tough enough to match without the added distraction and wear and tear of the Europa League, not to mention the club's conservative approach to the summer transfer window. Many fans claimed they were hoping for a top-six finish but wouldn't be surprised by a mid-table showing with an extended run in Europe.

Three months in, Newcastle sits 12th in the Premier League table and is fairly assured of progressing from the group stage of the Europa League. That's far from a scintillating success. It's also far from a total disaster.

Back-to-back home defeats to West Ham and Swansea have been particularly frustrating, especially in light of Newcastle's overall indifferent start to the Premier League season. But the intensity of the fan backlash still disturbs me, particularly after a performance against Swansea that was markedly improved from the lifeless defeat to Kevin Nolan and Co. a week earlier. That's not blind optimism - the stats show Newcastle marginally outpassed possession-addicted Swansea and created more than twice as many chances as their visitors.

And yet afterward, Twitter exploded with rage about tactics, formations, Hatem Ben Arfa's role in the team, and just about anything else that could be pinned on manager Alan Pardew (curiously, no one seemed overly angered by Demba Ba's shaky finishing, Tim Krul's putrid distribution or Cheick Tiote's subpar passing). A few fans mocked Pardew's eight-year contract.

Really? REALLY? This is the reaction after a somewhat turbulent three months? Despite its slow start, Newcastle is just six points back of fifth place. No one is claiming United is playing well, but behaving as if the team is headed for relegation is way over the top at this point.

Granted, the vocal minority tends to drown out the rest of the fan base when trouble surfaces. Perhaps that's what's occurring here. Regardless, the discontent is hardly dismissing notions that Newcastle fans are expectant and prone to panicking. And it's hardly backing up the long-asserted claim from fans that all they want is a bit of stability around the club.

Stability doesn't guarantee that the club won't ever encounter trouble. It means persevering through losses, injuries, suspensions and transfers, in the belief that the long-term outlook is still healthy.

Newcastle has been hammered by injuries and suspensions to key players in the season's first three months. The club's decision not to further fortify the squad over the summer looks more and more curious with each passing game. We're all frustrated by the here and now. But that frustration shouldn't blind us to the long-term progress made over the past two-plus seasons. Or to what still looks like a stable future.

Fans' Blame Off Target After Swansea Loss

Losing is never fun, and Newcastle United fans have every right to be upset by the club's recent decline in form - especially fans who, unlike the three of us who author this site, were born into following the club and have been through years of disappointment. We winced after the home loss to Swansea on Saturday, though, seeing the disappointment of many Newcastle fans turn into what we think is misplaced and counterproductive criticism of the manager.

Like many Newcastle fans, we weren't thrilled to see Alan Pardew bring the club out Saturday in his favored 4-4-2 formation after seeing it generate next to nothing the previous weekend against West Ham. We were surprised and delighted, though, to see the changes Pardew made within that formation to sharpen the attack. Until Swansea broke through and desperation took over, the backs appeared intent on playing the ball short to start the drive forward, an overdue adjustment given Newcastle's standing near the top of the league in dribbling skill. That allowed the midfielders, particularly Hatem Ben Arfa, the freedom not just to move laterally but to push farther forward and become more involved in the overall flow. Unlike the previous week when West Ham packed tight to the box, Swansea's defense was stretched to cover, and the results were astonishing: Newcastle, which had 46 percent of the ball for the season before Saturday, dominated possession against the most possession-minded side in the league. Nor was it possession for possession's sake: Newcastle generated 25 chances and launched 32 shots in all, and though only 9 were on target, a number were near-misses.

This is not to gloss over the deficiencies. Demba Ba, normally one of the best chance-converters in the league, couldn't find the target. Tim Krul, normally one of the league's most reliable goalkeepers, gift-wrapped a goal with a giveaway. Mike Williamson and Cheick Tiote, normally two of Newcastle's best antidotes to the counterattack, put up little resistance when Swansea reversed tide. If a fan was looking to assign blame, there were plenty of options.

Yet the manager came in for harsher criticism on our Twitter feed than any of the players who had uncharacteristically bad days against Swansea. Of course, the blame for any loss ultimately rests with the manager, and the uneven individual performances could be a function of preparation. But we're disturbed to see so little credit given for the risks taken on the pitch Saturday by a normally risk-averse manager, and we're worried that the emotion-driven fan reaction to the result may serve to nudge Pardew back into his rigid tactical comfort zone, given it's his natural inclination to begin with. 

We're not apologists for Pardew. We've been calling for a more free-flowing tactical approach since early in his tenure. That's why it pains us to see him coal-raked for instituting just that, and with success, scoreboard nothwithstanding. No manager worth his salt lets fans dictate strategy. But when a club is in a slump, fan pressure doesn't help, especially when it's wide of the mark. Let's hope Pardew and his superiors realize the supporters' reaction to Newcastle's latest disappointing result is born more of frustration than reason.

We're in The Mag: Order or pick up the latest print edition of The Mag, the independent voice of Newcastle United fans, to check out the debut of our monthly page - or sample it online at themag.co.uk.

On The Air: Come Home, Andy (Or Not)

This week's radio-fied version of the blog features the three Amerimags having it out once and for all over Andy Carroll: Could we? Would we? Should we? We also cut into the West Ham debacle, revisit the latest transfer-rumor rumors, and do a few short passes around Swansea. Plus: What is Alan Pardew really thinking, really? Click the box below to have a listen, or visit our iTunes page to rate it, comment on it and transfer it to your very own device. Howay.

 

I Wish I Was A Geordie 2013-7