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

Lineups Vs. West Brom: First-Choice Willo

Mike Williamson's recent history has been a rollercoaster, much like Newcastle United as a whole. When Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa joined the club in January, and Fabricio Coloccini made an early return from his back injury in the spring, it seemed like Williamson had been permanently pushed into the periphery. But a series of excellent performances has now seen Alan Pardew guarantee him a starting spot in tomorrow's match against West Brom.

That's one spot no longer up for grabs in the starting eleven. But Pardew still has plenty of other decisions to make. For a squad that many fans criticized for being too thin, it seems like there are plenty of players with good arguments about getting into the lineup. And it's not like the team is struggling, either.

As always, I'll choose the starting XI I want to see in tomorrow's match, then finish off the post by predicting Pardew's actual selections.

Keeper and back four: Tim Krul; Mathieu Debuchy, Mike Williamson, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Davide Santon

Williamson's place may be confirmed, and rightly so, but maybe the most intriguing decision will be who plays alongside him. For me, that should be Yanga-Mbiwa, whose growing rapport with Williamson has been one of the surprises of the last month. Leaving Coloccini out is certainly an unconventional decision, but it makes sense for several reasons tomorrow.

First, the matchup: Newcastle fans should be well aware of how Shane Long's pace and tenacity can trouble a defense, and there is a serious risk that Coloccini and Williamson would get left in the dust a time or two. Yanga-Mbiwa offers a quicker option to deal with Long more effectively. Then, of course, there is the matter of Coloccini's recent comments to the Argentine press about his desire to return home. If that does happen at some point, the club is going to need Yanga-Mbiwa to take a more prominent role. Leaving him on the bench just as he was starting to gain confidence would hurt Newcastle down the road. 

Midfield: Cheick Tioté, Yohan Cabaye, Vurnon Anita

Anita had yet another excellent cameo in the Norwich match, and every week, he looks more and more like a £7 million player. Though it's a vastly different role than he played at Ajax, he has eagerly sprinted forward off the ball at every opportunity, which is something none of the club's other midfielders seem to do. For that quality alone, he probably deserves to start. Add in his ability to drive the tempo of matches with his quick passing ability, and you've got a player who needs to be given more responsibility, starting now.

Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa, Yoan Gouffran, Loïc Rémy

It's not easy to put Shola Ameobi back on the bench after his remarkable display against Norwich. But if we know one thing about Shola at this point, it's that he doesn't have this sort of performance twice in a row. (Sometimes, he won't even do it twice in a season!) Leaving him on the bench means using a front three which can frustrate West Brom's sluggish back four with speed and movement. Gouffran and Rémy are known quantities at this point, but Pardew should keep a close eye on Ben Arfa. Should he continue to stall Newcastle's attack by holding onto the ball, Moussa Sissoko is available to come on as a second-half substitute.

Who Pardew will choose: Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Sissoko, Tioté, Cabaye, Gouffran; Ameobi, Rémy

On The Air: This Magsgiving, We Celebrate Shola

It's the day before Thanksgiving here in the States, and we're getting in the holiday spirit here on the podcast. After all, with three wins in a row, there is plenty to be thankful for as a Newcastle fan. But most of all, we're extremely appreciative that Kristan Heneage (@KHeneage), who covers Newcastle and Sunderland for ESPN FC, was able to join Matt and Phil for this week's episode.

We try to decide whether we're optimistic or pessimistic following another nail-biting victory, give perpetual enigma Shola Ameobi his due after a virtuoso performance, and do our best to find Alan Pardew a more sustainable system for the future. Then, we lean on Kris for his journalistic insights into the Fabricio Coloccini situation. Is there any good way to manage the club captain through a personal crisis? And finally, we make some predictions and suggestions for Saturday's match against West Brom. Can Newcastle play the ball short and upend Shane Long and the Baggies?

 Click below listen to the show, or visit our iTunes page to rate and download.

IWIWAG Podcast 11-26-13

 

Three Points: Norwich Win

Three excited-but-relieved takeaways from Newcastle United's 2-1 win over Norwich City at St. James' Park in a game that included the unthinkable — a Newcastle goal off a corner kick:

The 4-4-2, in all its glory
Formations are important, don't get me wrong. But the simplistic view with which some folks analyze them is out of control. These days, fans tend to react to a 4-4-2 with automatic groans. Sure, a static, bland 4-4-2 is bad. So is a rigid, uninventive 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 3-5-2 or anything other alignment you can come up with.

The 4-4-2 look Alan Pardew employed for the first 74 minutes or so today — the third straight Premier League game he's opted for that setup — was anything but dull. It shifted in the attack, with Yoan Gouffran pinching inside to add a third option in the box. Shola Ameobi dropped into midfield to sew plays together, while Moussa Sissoko tucked inside as needed to help out Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote.

The truth is, formations are more important when it comes to defending and transitioning into attack. Once a team is in possession and attempting to break down an opponent, though, it's more about movement and understanding than starting positions. So, even though today was a drastically different game than the previous two — the onus was on Newcastle to drive the game, rather than defend and counter — Newcastle's movement up front made the 4-4-2 work just the same.

On the defensive
Of course, then Pardew shifted to a 4-2-3-1 after bringing on Papiss Cisse for Ameobi in the 74th minute, and Newcastle played more defensive — in part because Norwich naturally had to push forward.

That strategy would have fared better had Newcastle taken advantage of the multitude of opportunities it had on the counter attack and shown more composure defending balls into the box.

Loic Remy, for all of his positive contributions in the first half, too often made selfish decisions when Norwich left gaping holes at the back.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Newcastle simply didn't look self-assured and was fortunate Norwich failed to create pressure earlier on. That seemed odd, considering captain Fabricio Coloccini was back in the middle of the backline. To accomodate Coloccini's return and cover for the suspended Mathieu Debuchy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa shifted out to right back and, while he was solid going forward, he struggled with balls played over the top behind him and looked scared to get too close to Norwich winger Nathan Redmond.

Pardew will justifiably take some flak for having his team sit back as the second half wore on, but Remy and the backline should have done better. The latter's performance begs the question: Given Coloccini is once again pining to return to Argentina, would Pardew be best served to stick with Mike Williamson and Yanga-Mbiwa at center back moving forward?

Big performance from the big man
Enough negative thoughts. Let's talk about something fun, like Ameobi's continued resurgence.

The big, affable striker was tremendous in the first half, setting up Gouffran's goal and combining left and right with Remy and the midfield. His performance merited a goal.

Remy has looked dangerous all season, but his play has gone up another level since Pardew paired him up front with Shola, whose physical presence has added a different dimension to Newcastle's attack.

Of course, we've been here before with Shola. He produces these sort of stretches, only to run into injury or inconsistency. It's hard to see this time being different, particularly now that mighty Shola is now 32. But he does have a World Cup to look forward to, and if he keeps it up, Newcastle will have a decision to make: Shola's contract runs out in June.

On The Air: NUFC Qualifies For World Cup!

For our World Cup-themed podcast, we've got a lineup with international flavo(u)r. Joining Matt and Phil on the show is special guest Neil Crawford (@WongaFootball), who typically plies his trade as Newcastle panelist for Canadian podcast Premier Punditry. The multinational trio talk about France's great escape against Ukraine and what that means for the club's World Cup-bound Bleus. Is a trip to Brazil just the ticket to keep Yohan Cabaye around for the rest of the season?

Then we take on Newcastle's own good fortune at White Hart Lane two weeks ago, thanks to the heroics of Dutch international Tim Krul. And looking ahead to tomorrow's match against Norwich, what changes should Alan Pardew make to earn the three points? Which Frenchman should start up front and put himself in Didier Deschamps' national team plans: Hatem Ben Arfa or Yoan Gouffran? Is "Magic Mike" Williamson playing himself into the English squad? Finally, after his strike against Italy over the break, is it time to change Shola Ameobi's nickname from the Mackemslayer to the Nigerian Messi?

Click below listen to the show, or visit our iTunes page to rate and download.

I Wish I Was A Geordie 11-22-13

Lineups Vs. Norwich: Changes By Choice, By Force

Alan Pardew benefited from a consistent system and lineup in Newcastle's victories over heavily favored Chelsea and Tottenham. But tomorrow against Norwich, he'll have to change it up - partly by choice, and partly by force.

The "choice" part of the equation is because of the opponent. In a home match against cautious Norwich, Newcastle will be expected to dictate the play and control the ball. That means there won't be as much of a need for Shola Ameobi as a safety valve when the defense faces pressure. Nor will Yoan Gouffran's tireless tracking back be as important. Thus Pardew should change the left wing and front two to reflect a more attacking approach.

On the back end, Pardew is forced to change his defense because of Mathieu Debuchy's suspension. It's a shame, as Debuchy has been superb for both Newcastle and the French national team of late, and the back four was developing a bit of chemistry, to boot. 

As always, I will select my preferred starting XI for tomorrow's match, then conclude the post with who I expect to see in the actual lineup.

Keeper and back four: Tim Krul; Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon

It's a good thing Krul appears to have found his peak form once again, because he's going to have a different-looking defense in front of him tomorrow. Debuchy's absence leaves Pardew with his first major decision. Does he break up a burgeoning partnership between Williamson and Yanga-Mbiwa? Should Santon switch sides to play on the right?

Here's my thought. Even though Santon is right-footed, he certainly doesn't play like it. No matter which fullback position he occupies, he wants to cut in toward the center of the field. If that's the case, it's better just to leave him where he is. That means keeping Yanga-Mbiwa next to Williamson, but as a right back. In his cameo appearances at fullback, he's been a better offensive player than you'd expect. Granted, he looked horrible defensively against Manchester City in the season opener at left back, but Norwich doesn't carry nearly the same attacking threat. 

Midfield: Moussa Sissoko, Cheick Tioté, Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa

After two weeks on the bench and another omission from the French squad, has Ben Arfa learned his lesson? There's only one way to find out. In the past, I've not been a huge fan of using him on the left wing, but there may be some value in trying it tomorrow. First, it gives him a more defined role. Ben Arfa's biggest problem has been his inability to fit into a team structure. Maybe a stint on the left, where he can either cross or dribble into the box and look for passing options, will do him some good. Plus, in a match where Newcastle should expect to dominate possession and keep the ball in the attacking half, his uneven defensive work won't be as much of a liability.

Forwards: Yoan Gouffran, Loïc Rémy

Gouffran's effort as a second left back has been invaluable in the wins against Chelsea and Tottenham. But it's time to build on his rapport with Rémy, which we saw once again in the first goal two weeks ago. I'd put money on the two being an effective partnership, especially with dangerous options on all sides to draw defenders' attention. Let's hope French national team manager Didier Deschamps is paying attention.

A Gouffran/Rémy front line means another stint on the bench for Papiss Cissé. Though Cissé has been the best player in training this week according to Pardew, he's competing against teammates who have excelled in competitive matches all season. As I said a few weeks ago, the best approach is to make things very simple for Cissé. Give him 20-30 minutes and task him with working one good chance for himself in that time. Considering he's hardly been in a dangerous position all season, that would be a great starting point, whether he scores or not.

Who Pardew will choose: Krul; Santon, Williamson, Coloccini, Haïdara; Sissoko, Tioté, Cabaye, Gouffran; Cissé, Rémy

Get Your Phil: Temporary Praise For Pardew

Guest post by Phil Lavanco

This is the first edition of  a regular column — most likely bi-weekly — by IWIWAG podcast contributor Phil Lavanco. Unlike Phil's Twitter account, the rules of grammar do apply here.

The man pictured on the right has taken a lot of crap from the Toon Army, and most of it has been deserved. Between last season’s near-relegation, the consecutive losses to Sunderland, and his now predictable excuse bingo, Alan Pardew is lucky to still be employed. So when the fixture list presented a gauntlet that started with a home affair against Liverpool, most fans thought this could finally be the end of Teflon Al.

After a shameful display against our rivals, Pardew stared in the face of criticism and rallied the troops with two consecutive victories against opponents that will probably play matches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays next season. Whether we want to admit it or not, he deserves praise for emerging from this testing run with more points than any of us expected. That doesn’t mean all is forgiven by any stretch, but as we stand here in this international break, we have to say the manager has done a fine job when we all thought he could not lead this team.

In these two victories, AP made a few bold decisions that have paid off immensely. First, when our curly-haired captain went down with a groin injury, Pardew turned to an unlikely alternate for the armband. Can anyone say that Cheick Tiote has not been an inspired choice as captain? The Ivory Coast international is back to his physical, commanding presence in the center of the field. Next, Pardew benched the most offensively-gifted player on the black-and-white payroll. In doing so, he changed the dialogue around Hatem Ben Arfa from “indispensable to the team” to “Hatem must learn to play in a system.” Finally, the last change, and the biggest for me: Pardew went back to the system he knows best, the 4-4-2. It’s not modern, it’s not continental, but it’s working.

Scouting striker success

When Loic Remy rounded the ancient Brad “Fake English Accent” Friedel to score his seventh Newcastle goal in eight starts, the one thought that ran through my mind was, “We are really good at scouting strikers.”

Think about it for a second: The last three strikers Newcastle signed have started their Tyneside careers with bangs. You might recall Demba Ba began with 15 goals (second to only Robin Van Persie in the Premier League at that point) before heading off to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Papiss Cisse started off with a historic run of 13 goals in 14 appearances. Now Remy joins the list of streaking strikers.

So you might be asking yourself, what does this all mean? I interpret this success as proof that Newcastle’s scouting system knows how to identify talented front men. However, from then on, it’s up to the player to determine how his Newcastle career evolves.

Ba finished his Newcastle career with 29 goals in 58 appearances — an impressive haul, despite the turns his career took in a black and white shirt. Whether he played down the middle or on the left of a front three, Ba hit the back of the net with lethal proficiency. On the other hand, Cisse’s career at Newcastle is in crisis mode. The Senegalese striker has not scored a Premier League goal since this photo was snapped by a fan. Cisse has lost his confidence, his shooting boots, and his place in the starting XI. If he doesn’t find the magic that made him a Newcastle star, he might find his way on the next flight out.

What is the fate of our newest striking sensation? We’ll have to sit back and find out.

Newcastle stat that may only interest me (shamelessly plagiarized from Sports Illustrated's Peter King)

This statistic spawned a 16-email thread from the “I Wish I Was a Geordie” crew. The fallout? Tom has been unable to type anything out of CAPS LOCK, and Matt cowering in the corner crying into his “I heart Yoan Gouffran” T-shirt.

Newcastle tweet of the ... time between columns

Iron Mike Williamson's back pockets are getting heavy due to the 76 million pounds worth of players he's kept in there all week. #NUFC

— Craig (@LostSoulsForEva) November 10, 2013

Three Points: Spurs Victory

Three takeaways from Newcastle United's gutsy 1-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane:

Don't count him out
However you feel about Alan Pardew — and it's perfectly valid to still question whether he's the best long-term manager for Newcastle — you have to applaud his resiliency. Every time he appears headed toward unemployment, Pardew finds a way to survive.

Pardew has responded to the latest crisis — the tame 2-1 derby loss at Sunderland — by reshaping his team into a 4-4-2 alignment that emphasizes quick ball movement and soaks up pressure. He's made bold decisions by removing Hatem Ben Arfa from the lineup, inserting Shola Ameobi, and moving Moussa Sissoko to the right wing. He made another big call on Sunday by sticking with Mike Williamson and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa in the center of his defense, in spite of captain Fabricio Coloccini's recovery from injury.

Those moves have keyed back-to-back upset wins, during which Newcastle has produced passages of attacking play that would rival any during the Pardew era. Now, the challenge is to develop some level of consistency.

Krul and unusual
Now that we've patted Pardew on the back, let's admit that Newcastle would have left north London with, at most, one point had it not been for a superhuman performance by its goalkeeper.

Tim Krul's distribution might disappoint at times, but the Dutchman with the haircut of a 1990s American teenager is about as good of a shot stopper as you'll see. Krul's only real blemish was a 63rd-minute shot from Andros Townsend that he pushed into the path of Roberto Soldado.

Admittedly, Newcastle needed some luck to keep Spurs off the board — how, exactly, did Younes Kaboul not score? — given the amount of scoring chances they allowed. Overall, though, the backline coped well with the sustained pressure and Krul won Newcastle three points.

Sign that man!
Of course, Newcastle still needed a goal to get the win, and Loic Remy obliged. The two touches Remy took to evade ageless Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel were beyond the capability of any other striker on Newcastle's roster.

Quite simply, Remy is the most elegant striker Newcastle has had during my time following the club (2006-07 was my first season). Assuming Remy's legal issues are resolved later this month, Newcastle should do everything in its power to sign Remy permanently in January, regardless of what the Frenchman has said about waiting until the summer to decide on his future.

Remy has been Newcastle's best player through 11 Premier League games and gives Pardew more tactical flexibility up front than any of his other strikers. If signing him means moving out a couple of fringe players — Sylvain Marveaux, in particular, comes to mind — to free up money to make it happen, so be it.

Lineups Vs. Spurs: Does Pardew Stick With B-Team?

Alan Pardew faces a manager's most difficult choice ahead of tomorrow's early match at White Hart Lane. After a strong performance from a makeshift team last week, does he reward his backups with another start, or hope that his missing regulars were inspired? And how does he solve an interesting problem in midfield, with Yohan Cabaye, Vurnon Anita, and Cheick Tioté all deserving of places in the starting lineup? Here's what I would do in the manager's shoes.

As always, I'll select my own XI, then predict Pardew's starting lineup at the end of the post.

Keeper and back four: Tim Krul; Mathieu Debuchy, Mike Williamson, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Davide Santon

The big decision for Pardew is at center back, where Fabricio Coloccini has recovered from the thigh injury he suffered over the international break. But even for the captain, why would you break up a partnership that looked so strong against Chelsea? As much as it pains his critics to hear it, Williamson has been an asset in his limited playing time this season. He's obviously not a cultured center back, but his one-on-one defending has been effective, and his leadership and organization have also helped. If the long-term goal is to get Yanga-Mbiwa comfortable in the Premier League, his stint alongside Williamson seems to be helping immensely.

Midfield: Cheick Tioté, Vurnon Anita, Yohan Cabaye

Though Tioté limped out of the Chelsea match, he is apparently healthy enough to start tomorrow, and his return to form has been one of the most encouraging signs this season. It's pretty amazing to think that this trio has been among the club's best performers, yet they have not started a single match together. Hopefully, that changes tomorrow. Ideally, both Anita and Cabaye will be given license to join the attack if necessary. We saw what happened last week when Anita came to life around the penalty area, and obviously Cabaye is always a threat to score from 20 yards out. They're both responsible enough defensively to handle a two-way role.

Forwards: Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran, Loïc Rémy

Though it has been tried unsuccessfully in the past, Sissoko looked good enough on the wing last week that it's worth revisiting this experiment again. His physical ability will present a challenge for Spurs left back Jan Vertonghen. There also looked to be a nice rapport developing between Sissoko and Debuchy that seemed worth trying out one more time.

With Sissoko on the wing, that means another day on the bench for Hatem Ben Arfa, who frankly needed a mental break after an extremely frustrating display in the derby. We discussed the Ben Arfa situation at length in this week's podcast. At the moment, he's essentially stopping the Newcastle attack by holding onto the ball too long, making it virtually impossible for his teammates to time their runs and get into good positions. When it works, he's capable of the spectacular. But when he's out of form, he can drag the whole team down with him. Unlike in previous seasons, there are now alternatives, and Pardew shouldn't hesitate to use them.

(By the way: yes, that's Gouffran in the center once more. And no, I won't stop until Pardew actually tries it in a league match.)

Who Pardew will choose: Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Sissoko, Tioté, Cabaye, Gouffran; Sh. Ameobi, Rémy

On The Air: Did That Happen, And Can It Happen Again?

The IWIWAG podcast returns with its "regular" panel (for better or worse) as Tom, Matt, Phil and Bob get 55 minutes of giddy over Saturday's spanking of Chelsea. Are we done weeping over Willo? Was Sissoko that good, or was he just winging it? Does a certain Boston blogger sleep in an 11 shirt? Did Pardew find Ben Arfa's best position? And when will Newcastle start doing this to teams it's supposed to do it to? Plus: Why Norwich is a bigger match than Tottenham (really). Click below to have a listen, or visit our iTunes page to rate and download.

I Wish I Was A Geordie 11-6-13

Three Points: Chelsea Stunner

Three delirious conclusions from Newcastle's unlikely 2-0 win over Chelsea at St. James' Park:

Ride the roller coaster
Good luck figuring out which Newcastle team is going to show up each week. Six days after unraveling against the Premier League's bottom team, Newcastle conjured up a composed, intelligent performance against one of the league's best.

The hosts did exactly what you need to against one of the top clubs: stay solid early on, make sure you're still in the game at halftime and build from there. Newcastle didn't hold onto the ball and connect passes particularly well in the first half, but Alan Pardew's charges stayed compact, defended soundly — Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Mathieu Debuchy should be singled out for praise — and pushed forward with quick ball movement when the opportunity arose. And when the second half came, they opened it up and grew more confident as the game wore on.

Unsung hero
Cheick Tiote's return to prominence has been one of the pleasant storylines of Newcastle's schizophrenic start to the season, and Tiote put in another solid showing before departing early in the second half with an injury.

On came Vurnon Anita, and Newcastle's attacking play instantly improved. The diminutive Dutchman is quicker and a signicantly better passer than Tiote, and it showed. Anita's work to set up Loic Remy's clincher was the exclamation point on his performance.

Assuming Tiote's injury isn't long term, it still seems harsh to drop the Ivorian enforcer after his recent uptick. It would behoove Pardew to find a way to incorporate Tiote, Anita and Yohan Cabaye into his lineup. Which brings us to ...

Is Sissoko all right on the right?
There must be something about playing Chelsea that unleashes Moussa Sissoko, who once again showed a ferociousness when running with the ball. Just think about how often Newcastle attacked down the right wing through Sissoko and Debuchy in the second half — against one of the best left backs in the world in Ashley Cole.

Pardew has used Sissoko as a No. 10, as a defensive midfielder, as a true center midfielder and as a wide midfielder. He's had impressive moments at each of those spots. But, as IWIWAG podcast contributor Phil Lavanco likes to point out, Sissoko's speed and tendency to dribble rather than pass would seem to point to him being more of a winger. Not to mention he gave Newcastle an alternative target on long balls. Perhaps wide right should be a more permanent home.