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

Saying Goodbye to Cabaye, Starting With Norwich

Regardless of what happened at Carrow Road on Tuesday, Yohan Cabaye's all-but-completed move to Paris Saint-Germain was always going to hover over Newcastle United's matchup with Norwich.

How would Newcastle respond to the departure of such an influential player? Would Alan Pardew's troops crumble, like they did in the season's first game when Cabaye was desperate to leave for Arsenal? Or would they rally, as they have for most of the season?

This being Newcastle, it wasn't unreasonable to expect a complete shit show against one of the Premier League's worst teams (with all apologies to Chris Hughton, it's true). A comatose peformance, complete with a Steven Taylor own goal wouldn't have been a surprise.

Instead, we were treated to a hounding attacking first-half display, and, while Norwich carved out a couple of opportunities after the break, Newcastle thoroughly controlled the game for the full 90-plus minutes, regardless of the 0-0 final scoreline. The unlucky result shouldn't overshadow the resilient performance.

Pardew replaced Cabaye by shifting Moussa Sissoko into a central role in front of Vurnon Anita and Cheick Tiote and bringing Hatem Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi off the bench and onto the wings. The lineup looked cohesive from the kickoff, with center forward Loic Remy and his wingmen ripping the Norwich backline to shreds.

Ameobi faded as the game wore on, but Ben Arfa, Remy and Sissoko continually drove forward and looked dangerous — at least until Remy was sent off for his foolish dust-up with a theatrical Bradley Johnson. Yet Newcastle couldn't break through; of United's 22 total shots, only three were on target. Granted, Newcastle's three efforts that hit the post didn't technically count as "on target," but United lacked the sort of piercing presence that Cabaye has provided for most of the season (not to mention his potent free kicks).

Remy has been Newcastle's most prolific scorer this season, but Cabaye was the team's calmest finisher. He could have made the difference between a frustrating draw and a deserving win that would have allowed Newcastle to stay firmly in the race for Europe (which, of course, may not be the owner's goal).

So what now?

In the immediate future, Pardew will try to avoid a third straight Tyne-Wear derby defeat without his best player and his best striker. Impending loan signing Luuk de Jong fills a need by giving Pardew another option up front for the rest of the season, and the Dutchman is an alternative when Remy opts for a higher payday in the summer.

Cabaye's departure opens up consistent playing time for Ben Arfa and Anita, so the quality of the starting lineup won't take a total nosedive. The bench is a different story, but in a league that's weak after the top nine teams, Newcastle still looks like it could coast to a top-10 finish without replacing Cabaye in the next three days.

The long term is a different story. Pardew has gotten Newcastle playing the best soccer of his tenure this season — more possession, with quick passing, a fast tempo and better off-ball movement in the attack — and Cabaye has been the centerpiece. Finding another forward-thinking central midfielder or a natural No. 10 is a must for the current system, but not every recruit will blossom as Cabaye has.

From a broader perspective, Newcastle can't afford to allow Cabaye to become the first domino to fall. If Mike Ashley, Joe Kinnear, Graham Carr and Lee Charnley fail to adequately replace him and United stumbles through the final 15 games of the season, might Mathieu Debuchy be inclined to explore his options (if he isn't already)? And wouldn't that cement Remy's decision? Suddenly that starting XI isn't looking so strong.

Newcastle lost Cabaye, at least in part, because it couldn't match his lofty goals. If the club isn't careful, others will follow his lead.

Get Your Phil: Transfer Edition

Guest column by Phil Lavanco

We are now 60 percent through the Premier League season, and before we know it our attention will be focused on the 32 teams descending on Brazil.

The Hall-of-Fame NFL coach Bill Parcells once said "you are what your record says you are," so by that measure it has been a pretty decent season for our Fightin' Frenchies. Over the course of the season, I think I've figured out this team and its storylines pretty well.

Let's take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the 2013-2014 Newcastle United season before Clint Dempsey lifts the Jules Rimet Trophy at the Maracanã on July 13.

The Good

Pardew has figured out "the best XI." 
The five-man midfield Pardew has been rolling out has been the direct cause of our rise up the table. The shift in formation has allowed Twitter All-Star Vurnon Anita to display his abundance of skill and put Yohan Cabaye on the plane to Brazil. We could nitpick (and some of you do in spades) about the faults of the system, but you cannot deny the results this lineup has produced this season.

Mike Williamson's rise to aerial dominance has been a welcome surprise.
Magic Mike is so full of confidence he busted this move out against West Ham. I'll pause while you watch over and over. The day he replaced MYM as Coloccini's Robin was the day Newcastle started its rise up the table. "Consistency" has been the name of the game for our No. 6. Very rarely has he put a foot wrong during his time in the starting lineup. Williamson has plugged the leaky gap in Newcastle's back four.

The Bad

Pardew would rather swim with piranhas then rotate a team.
Our manager simple refuses to rotate the squad to keep our players fresh, even during the long Christmas. The manager's stubbornness has directly led to two losses in very winnable matches (Swansea and West Brom).

Newcastle's most gifted offensive player has been relegated to bench duty.
The fallout from the best XI is we've left our most talented offensive player on the bench for significant portions of the season. Hatem Ben Arfa has been relegated to either 45 minutes of "the team needs a bit of pixie dust" or "go on and run around a bit" duty. The man who is capable of magic has only made himself disappear.

The Ugly

This guy in charge of making the team better has no chance of making the team better.
Joe Kinnear has embarked on scouting trips to Germany and delegations to France under the guise of attracting players to Newcastle United. So far, Joe Kinnear has as many signing as Cisse has league goals. The Toon is in need of a few fresh bodies to liven up the squad, but can the man in charge of recruitment actually recruit players? And the bigger question: Does the owner want to spend the money to push his team along?

Yohan's imminent departure makes me sad for the future of Newcastle.
Our Dreamboat wants to win trophies and play in the Champions League. Unfortunately, he cannot do this under the current regime at St. James' Park. Personally, I hope he stays until after the World Cup, but it looks as if he might leave this month to the Scrooge McDuck rich in Paris. I can't blame him, either.

...

Transfer season — my favorite time of the year. If I were in Graham Carr's position, here are three players I would ship off the roster and three players who would immediately help the squad.

Three players I'll give a ride to the Newcastle airport:

Sly Marveaux/Gabriel Obertan
It's a simple story. Players are acquired to challenge for a position on the first team. Those players (for whatever reason) fail to make a significant impact and get sold to their next club. The first club takes the money it receives for its fringe players and spends it on new players who will compete for first-team places. The two Frenchmen get grouped together because they just simply did not cut the Dijon mustard at Newcastle.

Davide Santon
How many games does it take for potential to turn into mediocrity? At the time of this writing, our Italian fullback has played 84 matches for Newcastle. He has shown one real talent: dribbling. He is a below-average defender and a below-average offensive threat. In his 84 matches, Santon has tallied three assists (per ESPN FC’s stats) and one more goal than our entire blogging team. So if AC Milan bids any amount of cash to bring Santon back to his homeland, would anyone stand in his way? I didn't think so.

Papiss Cisse
As mentioned many times before, it's just not going to work for Cisse. The ship has long sailed, carrying with it any optimism that he will turn it around in a black and white shirt. The manager has lost faith, the crowd has lost faith, and now he has drifted into an irrelevant status on Tyneside. The best option for him is a move abroad to rehabilitate his career. But will Ashley sanction any move that doesn't bring back more than the £9 million we paid? It's a fascinating topic that our owner has not encountered under his dictatorship.

Three players I would like Newcastle to buy (if we were a real sports team):

Demba Ba
Come home, Demba. The grass is not always greener on the other side. I forgive you for the ruckus that forced a move to Chelsea for a bigger pay stub. I forgive you for unsettling your countryman. Turns out he wasn't actually worth all the trouble. We found you a new running partner and he's a perfect complement to your skill set. You've made some cash on the Chelsea bench, rested your knees … it's now time to resume your goal scoring career. I'll stock up on strawberry syrup.

Adam Lallana
OK, this is the spot where Remy Cabella gets all the love. A technical, playmaking midfielder from our beloved country of cheese, wine, and white flags. He sounds all sorts of wonderful, except for the standard period of "settling into a new league," while Newcastle settles into mid-table indifference. It would be wonderful if our hierarchy showed some ambition, and identified a ready-made Premier League player of superior skill to help the charge up the table.

Dimitar Berbatov
If Demba doesn't come because he loves sitting on the sidelines, this is the guy I want. I will preface this by acknowledging I completely understand he has no chance of coming to Newcastle. Not this window, not ever. But picture this scenario: Newcastle is playing a close contest at St. James' Park, and the score is tied. Magic Mike hoofs the ball to the center circle, toward our Bulgarian target man. Da Berba traps the ball cleanly, and in one quick turn volleys an inch perfect pass into space for Loic Remy to run onto and tap in. All while taking a puff from the cigarette that loosely hangs from the crease of his lips.

Newcastle stat that may only interest me (shamelessly plagiarized from Peter King)

Cabaye has scored 3 times from outside the box in the PL this season, the same number as the entire West Ham side combined. #NUFC

— NUFC Stats & Data (@NUFC_data) January 18, 2014

I am going to miss you, Dreamboat. May you win many trophies in your future endeavors, except for the World Cup in Brazil (obviously).

Newcastle tweet of the... (time in between columns)

Gabriel Obertan stormed off, then realised he was storming the wrong way, then tripped over a kit-bag and tried to claim a pen.

— Ste Slade (@schtev_slade) December 29, 2013

Self-awareness is not our Martian friend's strongest suit.

Sign-off
Transfer windows have an ugly way of bringing out the worst in Newcastle United. They shine a light of the dictatorship of Mike Ashley and a regime that cares more about ROI than trophies. This is a really talented group of players that does not need an overhaul, just a tweak. Newcastle is dangerously close to being a really good team that could contend for many accolades —which is the point of sports, to win stuff.

Three Points: A Tale of Two Halves At West Ham

Three takeaways from Newcastle United's closer-than-it-should-have-been 3-1 win over West Ham United in East London:

Second-half swoon
For most of the season, Newcastle has avoided the perplexing trend that engulfed it during last season's tumble down the table: A positive first half would be swiftly followed by a lifeless second 45 minutes.

It seems harsh to complain too much after a 3-1 win on the road, but it was disappointing to see Newcastle follow a predictable narrative after West Ham's garbage goal made it 2-1 going into halftime. The visitors stopped putting pressure on the Hammers' hapless backline and dropped deeper, allowing West Ham to build possession and confidence.

Newcastle, which should have made more of its chances in the first half, ended up being fortunate Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll couldn't convert a pair of easy chances.

Simply the best
What's made the difference between last season's near-disaster and this season's resurgence? It's hard to name a greater factor than the play — and fitness — of Yohan Cabaye.

Cabaye ran the game in the first half, and his first goal — the footwork, the calm finish — was tremendous. His free kick to seal the win gave him seven goals this season, the third best total among central midfielders in Premier League play (behind Yaya Toure's 11 and Aaron Ramsey's eight).

The diminutive Frenchman wasn't right physically or mentally last season, and when he tried to force a move to Arsenal at the start of the season, it was difficult to envision a happy reconciliation. Rather than sulk, Cabaye has established himself as Newcastle's best — and most important — player.

Help on the way?
In a report on French website ActuaFoot that surfaced before today's game, Remy Cabella's father and agent claimed that the Montpellier attacking midfielder "will join Newcastle this winter."

Should Hector Cabella's quotes prove accurate, his son's arrival, while a timely boost for a squad lacking quality attacking depth, would pose a long-term predicament for Alan Pardew. Initially, you'd expect Cabella to start on the bench as he gets used to the Premier League. But Newcastle won't be shelling out a substantial fee for a squad player, so eventually Pardew will have to decide on how to deploy Cabella. That would likely involve only using two of Cabaye, Cheick Tiote and Vurnon Anita.

Of course, cashing in on Cabaye in the summer would solve that logjam ...

Is Breaking Even On Transfers A Bad Thing?

Prompted by this tweet from @NUFC_Stats, my co-bloggers and I have been thinking about the club's transfer policy. Throw out the Andy Carroll deal, which virtually no one questions anymore, and Newcastle has basically broken even in the transfer market since returning to the Premier League in 2010. To many fans, this state of affairs is an indictment of Mike Ashley's regime - perhaps the biggest indictment. It's why our podcast contributor Phil kept referring to NUFC as "not a real sports team" in Wednesday's episode. But taking a sweep of the club over the last several seasons, what have we accomplished by breaking even?

For one thing, breaking even doesn't mean that Newcastle never buys players. After all, Ashley opened his wallet to make the Premier League's biggest buy in January 2012, then followed it up this time last year by adding five new players - four of whom regularly start, and one who very well could. Neither of those are signs of an owner who totally refuses to bring some new blood into the squad.

And what about the squad? I brought this up at the start of the season, but it has steadily improved since Newcastle returned to the Premier League in 2010. Loaning out Jonás Gutiérrez, as much as it nearly brought all of us to tears on the podcast, is yet another sign of the squad's progression. Who in the world would take back the team that finished the 2010-11 season, with its midfield of Ryan Taylor, Joey Barton, Danny Guthrie, and Shane Ferguson? The midfield and defense are pretty well stocked with the kind of options that weren't even available during the fifth-place season. While players have been sold out of those areas, they've been replaced with better ones.

Because of the persistent poor form of Papiss Cissé, the front line is the only area of the squad that feels a bit short right now. And if Newcastle sells Cissé and uses the proceeds to help buy a more effective replacement, that would mean another significant progression in my eyes. As has happened in the past, the club would be replacing a marginal option (which sadly is what Cissé is at this point) with someone who can contribute on a consistent basis. It might mean breaking even in yet another transfer window. But if the squad continues to get better in the process, why should it matter?

Lineups vs. West Ham

My suggestion: Krul; Santon, Williamson, Taylor, Haïdara; Tioté, Anita, Cabaye; Sissoko, Gouffran, Rémy

Who Pardew will choose: Krul; Yanga-Mbiwa, Williamson, Taylor, Santon; Tioté, Anita, Cabaye; Sissoko, Rémy, Gouffran

On The Air: Raging Against Injustice (Perceived Or Real)

On the first IWIWAG audio offering of the new year, the four chiefs of chat chew over what might have been or should have been against Man City. Is Mike Jones corrupt, confused or nearsighted? Are the cards stacked against Newcastle? Was Mapou carded enough? Who was that guy named Taylor? We also debate Santon, fantasize about a better Ben Arfa, and scout the world for a true No. 10. Plus: Our favorite moments in the Magpie life of Jonas. Click below to have a listen, or visit our iTunes page to beam it into your own device (iPhones with iOS 7 now supported).

I Wish I Was A Geordie Jan 15 2014

A Sad Ending For Newcastle's Spiderman

Jonas Gutierrez's Newcastle United career all but officially ended Monday, when the zany Argentine joined Norwich City on loan until the end of the season.

It was an oddly quiet departure, considering the substantial role the occasionally-masked man has played at Newcastle since arriving in July 2008. Amid rumors that subsequent appearances in a black-and-white jersey would trigger a new deal, the gangly winger had essentially been shunned from the first team since early in the season. He'll almost certainly move on permanently in the summer.

It's hard to argue with Newcastle's decision. Jonas, while goofy and lovable, was coming off his worst season in England and turned 30 last July. The club has a pair of hard-working, run-themselves-into-the-ground types on the wings in Yoan Gouffran and Moussa Sissoko, so Gutierrez had become redundant.

But let us not forget Jonas' contributions throughout his time at Newcastle. His first season coincided with relegation — he was the least of Newcastle's problems in 2008-09 — but he established himself as a core player in the group that scrapped its way back into the Premier League. On a team possessing more fight than athleticism, Jonas was the default pressure reliever. Game after game, he and Jose Enrique pummeled Championship clubs down the left flank.

He continued to bail out his less leggy teammates when Newcastle returned to the Premier League, and showed his versatility by playing all over the midfield during the club's drive to fifth place two seasons ago.

Unfortunately, his production took a nose dive last season. Jonas has always been more crafty than dynamic and, in a team lacking creativity, he was often a scapegoat. His limitations — the lack of a telling final ball or dangerous shot (11 goals in 195 appearances at Newcastle) — began to outweigh his endless stamina and dribbling prowess, particularly as younger alternatives arrived.

But Spiderman managed to pull off one final superheroic feat: Not many players can leave a club and draw near-universal praise. Then again, few players have covered more ground for the black-and-white cause over the past six seasons.

Here's hoping Jonas makes a similar impression at Norwich and wherever else his career takes him in the years ahead.

Three Points: NUFC 0-2 City/Mike Jones

Three quick takes on today's maddening (but also somewhat encouraging) loss to Manchester City:

Tiooooooooooooot-oh no! 

There's really nothing to say about the offside call that erased Cheick Tioté's would-be equalizer. It was an absolutely horrendous decision. If Alan Pardew's halftime tirade was accurate, the blame should be squarely on referee Mike Jones. Facing a daunting opponent, last year's Newcastle team would have crumbled under the weight of the injustice. Today, however, was different. Though the players and manager lost composure for a few minutes, they rallied to continue controlling the match. There are no points for moral victories. But today's resilience showed the team is mentally and physically capable of shaking off some poor results and making a run at Europe over the next few months.

The midfield swarm

Around this time last year, my co-bloggers started campaigning for a more physical presence in the center of the park. Their argument was that Newcastle's slight midfielders were incapable of the stereotypically English toughness required to make waves in the Premier League. My response was that small players can still be intimidating and disruptive if they press high up the field, forcing opponents into mistakes and hurried clearances. As proof, I submit today's performance.

After going down 1-0 in the first 10 minutes of the match, Newcastle's midfield absolutely dominated. And maybe the best performance of all came from its smallest, least physically imposing member in Vurnon Anita. Before being substituted for Papiss Cissé, Anita seemed to be just about everywhere, seizing on loose balls and never giving the City players a second to collect themselves. And because Newcastle only has the Premier League to worry about now, there's no reason why its midfield can't buzz around with this level of energy from here on out. Against a weaker opponent, it should produce plenty of success in the last 17 matches of the season.

Time to shuffle the front line?

Though the midfield is clicking at the moment, Newcastle's forwards seem to have gone a bit stale. Without a plethora of options to choose from, the best bet may be, as suggested in our last podcast, to shuffle around the existing players. Loïc Rémy (27 touches) seems to struggle when he's not involved early on in matches. When the ball finally did reach him in the second half, he really should have capitalized on the opportunities he got. Maybe the simplest solution is to start him on the wing, allowing him to run at defenders in the first 15 or 20 minutes, then slide him into the center after he's a bit more engaged in the match. If nothing else, it'll force Newcastle's opponents to adapt mid-match, which could work in its favor.

Newcastle United's 2013: The Bests and Worsts

It wouldn't be a year in the life of Newcastle United without some manic highs and depressing lows, would it?

In 2013, Newcastle might have outdone itself, subjecting us to a free fall toward — although ultimately not reaching — relegation, before treating us to a feelgood revival. The captain tried to flee to Argentina, the owner went on a spending spree in France, John Carver tried to fight a Wigan player, Hatem Ben Arfa gained, then lost, then gained a few pounds, everyone's favorite drunk uncle Joe Kinnear suddenly reappeared as director of football, Yohan Cabaye became Yohan Kebab and begged to leave for London, Alan Pardew rediscovered his mojo ... the makings for a wacky sitcom are in there somewhere.

To commemorate the roller-coaster year, we're unveiling our bests and worsts of 2013. Without further adieu ...

Best player
Tom: Yoan Gouffran
Just about all of this season's stars also carry warts from last season's calamity. Gouffran, whose 10 goals tied for the club lead in the calendar year (with Loic Remy and Papiss Cissé), was at least steady on a floundering team, before emerging more in the current campaign.

Bob: Tim Krul
A host of Newcastle players have been in better form at one time or another in 2013 than Krul. But no one has been as good throughout. His scatter-shot distribution and indiscriminate launches can drive goalkeeping connoisseurs to rend their garments. But as a pure shot-shopper he's one of the world's best, and he rarely yields a soft goal. Without him we'd all be awaiting upcoming matches with Doncaster and Barnsley.

Matt: Yoan Gouffran
Unlike some of the other potential candidates, Gouffran never really has a bad game. He works hard, always makes himself an option on the counterattack, and he'll probably end up with double-digit goals this season, despite never starting a match as a striker. Oh, and he also scored the goal that ensured Newcastle's Premier League survival. Not bad for a total afterthought among the club's January transfers.

Phil: Fabricio Coloccini
Our best players all had demerits. I chose the curly-haired captain because, while his off-field problems are difficult to ignore, when he was on the field, he was our best player. Quite simply, our back four is better when he is around.

Worst player
Tom: Steven Taylor
Taylor's center back partnership with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa was disastrous in the closing months of last season, and his only contributions this season have been a moronic red card in the opener and a racially insensitive tweet.

Bob: Papiss Cissé
It pains me to give this anti-honor to such a good and in some ways unfortunate gentleman. But with even an average chance-converter in Cissé's spot last season, Newcastle would've finished in or near the top half and Joe Kinnear would still be spouting his delusions on a pub stool instead of a director's seat.

Matt: Steven Taylor
He's been around the Newcastle United first team for 10 years, yet he still makes the same undisciplined mistakes he did as a kid. And did I mention his completely brain-dead tweet? It's time to think about Curtis Good or Remie Streete as fourth-choice center back options.

Phil: Haris Vuckic
Signed in 2009 and billed as the "next great thing," Vuckic failed to make any impact in 2013, appearing in just two games — in the Carling Cup. We've seen our table neighbors all bring youth players through into the first team (Barkley, Sterling, Townsend, etc). In the meantime, Vuckic attempts to stay fit for Rotherham.

Best match
Tom: Nov. 2: 2-0 vs. Chelsea
This was the game that breathed life into Newcastle's season. Finally, the manager and players seemed to arrive at a moment of realization in terms of how the current team could — and should, based on its personnel — play.

Bob: Dec. 7: 1-0 at Manchester United
Something that hasn't been done in 41 years has to be the best match in this year. Manchester United was mired in a difficult managerial transition and without Wayne Rooney. But it was still Old Trafford, and note: Man U has won 6 of 7 since.

Matt: Dec. 21: 3-0 vs. Crystal Palace
How often have we been able to watch Newcastle simply roll through an inferior opponent in convincing fashion? While other matches may have been more meaningful, I personally got a great deal of satisfaction from watching this team earn a comfortable, stress-free win for once.

Phil: Dec. 7: 1-0 at Manchester United
Anytime you boss the most popular team in the world on their turf and come away with the victory seems like the best match of the year to me. The 1-0 victory was as dominant as any victory we had this season, in front of a traveling section that refused to leave at full time.

Worst match
Tom: April 27: 0-6 vs. Liverpool
The lack of effort and composure was incredible, considering how the club was fighting for its Premier League survival.

Bob: April 14: 0-3 vs. Sunderland
Please. It made Tax Day seem like a relief.

Matt: April 27: 0-6 vs. Liverpool
All of the players and coaches involved should have donated their paychecks that week to charity. They certainly didn't do anything to earn them.

Phil: April 27: 0-6 vs. Liverpool
I watched this match with a friend in Brooklyn. The look he gave me at full time can only be described as the same look my parents must have received during my college years: pity. The total collapse was the first time it looked like Newcastle might be relegated.

Pardew's best match
Tom: Nov. 2: 2-0 vs. Chelsea
Instead of parking the bus, Pards employed a 4-4-2 formation that wasn't the dull variety that causes fans to groan. With Shola Ameobi dropping into the midfield and releasing Loic Remy up top, Pardew kick started Newcastle's season.

Bob: Nov. 2: 2-0 vs. Chelsea
I'm agreeing with my co-blogger Tom on this one, but for an additional reason: This was Sissoko's coming-out party in front of Debuchy on the right. At the time it was an experiment. Now Newcastle has one of the most dangerous right thoroughfares in the league.

Matt: Dec. 7: 1-0 vs. Manchester United
Putting the historic significance of the win aside, Pardew went against stereotype, and it paid off. At Old Trafford, he went with a 3-man central midfield, outpossessed the Red Devils, and generally controlled the balance of play. Not bad for a staid English long-ball merchant hopelessly wedded to the 4-4-2.

Phil: Nov. 2: 2-0 vs. Chelsea
The birth of the "rope-a-dope" strategy saw United propel into European consideration. It was also the first match this season our manager looked as if he could hang tactically with the top of the league.

Pardew's worst match
Tom: April 14: 0-3 vs. Sunderland
Besides playing Jonas Gutierrez at left back, Pardew failed to get his team up for the occasion. I generally blame players for a lack of motivation, but Pardew has to shoulder some blame given how deflated his team looked in a derby.

Bob: April 14: 0-3 vs. Sunderland
We have a running debate on the blog about the role of managers in motivating teams. But a manager should at least make sure his players aren't visibly unmotivated, not least of all when battling relegation, at home, in one of the world's most venerated derbies.

Matt: April 27: 0-6 vs. Liverpool
Do I really need to say anything else after my earlier comments about this match? Newcastle was an unprepared, undisciplined mess against a Liverpool side which didn't even have Luis Suárez available. After losing in the derby two weeks earlier, you would have expected Pardew to light a fire under the players the next time Newcastle walked into St. James' Park. Instead, the home fans were treated to this debacle.

Phil: Jan. 19: 1-2 vs. Reading
The match against the soon-to-be relegated Reading showed the worst of both Newcastle’s complacency and Pardew’s conservative tactics. A free-kick goal from Yohan Cabaye was our only tally in 45 minutes that should have yielded many, many goals. In the second half, we let someone named Adam Le Fondre come into the match and score twice in a 10-minute span.

Best individual performance
Tom: Moussa Sissoko, vs. Chelsea (Feb. 2)
If Ashley Cole needed a reminder that he's lost a step, Sissoko gave him one. Sissoko was all over the field in just his second game at Newcastle — after looking pretty darn good in his first one, too.

Bob: Tim Krul, at Tottenham (Nov. 10)
Debuchy, Sissoko, Cabaye and Remy have all turned in deserving outings. But no one on the club won a game as much on his own power as Krul did at White Hart Lane. Tottenham outshot Newcastle 30-8 (11-4 on target) and enjoyed 70 percent possession. Without Krul's acrobatics, Newcastle takes an Etihad-style whipping, and let's not think about what might've happened from there.

Matt: Mathieu Debuchy, vs. Arsenal (Dec. 29)
He covered practically every blade of grass on the right side of the field, clearing the ball off Tim Krul's line and nearly looping a header over Wojciech Szczesny's. Against the top team in the league, he still looked to get forward at every opportunity, while also dominating on the defensive side of the ball. Thoroughly deserved his Man of the Match award from Sky Sports, even though Newcastle lost.

Phil: Tim Krul, at Tottenham (Nov. 10)
Arguably one our most consistent performers, it was the Dutchman’s turn to shine at White Hart Lane. Krul left Spurs' players befuddled and their fans in awe. Newcastle sat back and welcomed the pressure, and Krul answered every test Tottemham threw at him.

Worst individual performance
Tom: Mathieu Debuchy, vs. Liverpool (April 27)
The red card was straight out of the Joey Barton playbook. Thankfully, Debuchy has more than redeemed himself this season.

Bob: Steven Taylor, at Manchester City (Aug. 19)
Has a role in two Man City goals, gets away with a blatant handball then cuts down Sergio Aguero with a backward roundhouse and gets sent off. That's pretty much the trifecta of poorness.

Matt: Mathieu Debuchy, vs. Manchester City (Aug. 19)
Constantly out of position and outpaced, Debuchy looked about as much like a World Cup-caliber player as I do. Proof that even veteran international players take time to settle in the Premier League.

Phil: Papiss Cissé, at Sunderland (Oct. 27)
Down a goal at half to our arch rivals, our No. 9 was introduced to provide a scoring threat against a team that had not won a Premier League match all season. The result? Zero shots on target, five turnovers, and the realization that the man who once scored 13 Premier League goals in half a season was beyond repair.

Best moment
Is there really any debate? We all agreed that Newcastle's Dec. 7 slaying of Manchester United at Old Trafford — and the scenes of the traveling Toon Army that followed — was the clear winner.

As Phil said, the post-game images of the visiting fans beamed back to the United States on NBC Sports Network showcased every reason to become a Newcastle fan, as painful as it might sometimes be.

Disagree with our choices? Post your Newcastle bests and worsts of 2013 below in the comments.

Three Points: West Brom Stumble

Three uninspired reactions to Newcastle United's bumbling 1-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns:

The downside of Debuchy
We've justifiably praised Newcastle's indefatigable right back Mathieu Debuchy for most of the season. He's been one of the Premier League's best fullbacks, covering the entirety of the right wing, winning headers that someone his size shouldn't, and making the sort of attacking runs that most defenders only do in their dreams.

But if there's a negative to Debuchy's game — and one he's shown too often since arriving in England last January — it's that he's prone to overly aggressive challenges. And, in the midst of a ridiculously good stretch of performances, he demonstrated that deficiency once again.

The fiery Frenchman won the ball with his two-footed lunge on Claudio Yacob in the 62nd minute, but it was a no-brainer red card for referee Lee Mason. A diving two-footed tackle deserves red every time. Only Debuchy knows why he felt compelled to attempt such a wild challenge.

Newcastle wasn't at its best from the opening kickoff, but looked like it had enough to eke out a point on the road. Debuchy's decision killed those hopes. Now we'll have to see how Alan Pardew fills the right back slot during Debuchy's three-game suspension.

Bad location
Aside from the scintillating 3-1 win two seasons ago, Newcastle hasn't looked particularly good in any of its visits to The Hawthorns since both of these teams were relegated from the Premier League in 2009.

That counter attacking pillaging in March 2012 is now Newcastle's lone win in six visits. Newcastle never found any sort of rhythm, and there were too many bad touches to count. United worked hard, but the quality just wasn't there.

If it hadn't been for point-blank misses by Nicolas Anelka and Liam Ridgewell on gimme chances, Newcastle would have been down before Saido Berahino beat Tim Krul on the decisive penalty kick in the 87th minute.

Different plan, same result
After seeing his team struggle to generate many scoring chances three days earlier against Arsenal, Pardew reworked his attack. Out went diminutive midfielder Vurnon Anita, in came hulking striker Shola Ameobi.

But Pardew didn't use the 4-4-2 formation that worked so well at the start of Newcastle's surge up the table. Instead, he opted for a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid, with Ameobi up top, Loic Remy on the left, Yoan Gouffran on the right and Moussa Sissoko underneath. Remy, Gouffran and Sissoko rotated throughout the first half, before Pardew replaced Gouffran with Hatem Ben Arfa after halftime.

None of Pardew's tinkering worked, although it's debatable whether any formation would have today, given the lack of sharpness among Newcastle's attackers. Gouffran reminded us all that, for all his hard work and constant movement, he's not particularly dynamic on the ball. Shola was ... well, more like what we've become used to over the years, as opposed to some of this season's surprise performances. And Ben Arfa was non-existent for most of the second half until he found himself open on a counter attack in stoppage time and, instead of cutting the ball back to an open Remy, dribbled, dribbled, and dribbled some more until the chance was gone.

Let's just hope that Mark Douglas' story in today's Journal about Newcastle looking to sign a winger rather than a striker this month is a smokescreen.

Editor's note: Pardew revealed after the game that captain Fabricio Coloccini, who limped off in the second half, suffered a knee injury and could miss four to six weeks.