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

Liverpool Preview: Can NUFC Make It Four Straight?

Pre-match narrative

Newcastle, and Alan Pardew, are off the hot seat. Whatever we think of the manager's work over the last several months (and beyond), that's clearly the narrative after three wins in a row, with the performances improving steadily throughout the streak. Wednesday's win over a far more experienced and talented Manchester City side had the Football Weekly podcast wondering if the 2012 Manager of the Year trophy that Pardew went home to polish had some sort of talismanic effect. I'd wait until Newcastle strings together two good halves in the Premier League before musing about the influence of magical artifacts.

Team we want/team we'll get

Unbelievably, I'm in agreement with Pardew's likely 4-2-3-1 formation. (I'll always prefer Massadio Haïdara to Paul Dummett at left back, but we'll just leave it be this week.) It will be exciting to see Sammy Ameobi and Rolando Aarons work in tandem against a shaky Liverpool defense, and hopefully the two switch flanks from time to time. The center of the park is where it gets interesting, with a few different possibilities in midfield and plenty of question marks up front. Ayoze Pérez seems to thrive off good service, and maybe he and Rémy Cabella will develop some timing via through balls and intricate passing moves. If it comes off, a Newcastle team which didn't seem like it knew there was a goal to shoot at earlier in the season could suddenly become quite dangerous at that end of the field.

How Pardew will screw this up

The manager's cautious approach could prove costly against a team like Liverpool, which dominates possession under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers. Not that I advocate being reckless, but Newcastle should at least be willing to send enough players forward to make its counterattacks worthwhile. It got a bit lucky against Spurs to score twice without needing to commit very many players to the attack. That probably won't happen again.

Predicted Chronicle headline

This is the highest-scoring fixture in the history of the Premier League, for what it's worth. And given these two clubs' defensive records, a 0-0 is highly unlikely. I'll say that Newcastle continues its good form in a relatively exciting 2-2 draw, prompting the paper to go with this on Sunday morning:

Fireworks on the Tyne

Three Points: How To Process The Win Over City

How do we process Newcastle’s most famous, and improbable, victory since their last triumph in Manchester? Here are three thoughts after the Magpies’ 2-0 victory against Manchester City to advance to the quarterfinals of the Capital One Cup. Since everyone knows Rolando Aarons is legit, and Ryan Taylor is a hero walking among us, let’s talk about other interesting nuggets from the victory.

Alan Pardew gave Twitter, and critics everywhere, the double bird.

Once the lineup was announced on our favorite social media platform, every keyboard critic – including myself – gave Newcastle a negative percent chance of success in the tie. If you follow me on Twitter, (and you should, @Lavanglish) I lamented about how it would be wonderful to root for a team that actually tried. Too many changes and too many kids in the starting XI rehashed the old narrative of Newcastle not taking the cups seriously. On paper, it wasn’t a question of if Newcastle would lose, but by how many goals. Boy, we were wrong.

To the astonishment and joy of us all, Alan Pardew was right all along. Much like the famous victory at Old Trafford last season, his tactics hit the green part of the bull’s-eye and forced us Twitter warriors to eat a heaping helping of crow. The manager deserves all the credit in the world for how he lined the team up. Paul Dummett at center back and the returning Rolando Aarons and Ryan Taylor all came up aces for the manager. Even his substitutions were flawless.

Newcastle broke out of its slump with an injection of pace.

I was texting with a friend who was at the match, both of us attempting to wrap our heads around how someone who should have been fired months ago got the better of the Premier League champs. My friend asked me the common theme among the goals the Magpies have scored in the recent breakout. I mentioned that the un-zombiefication of Gabby Obertan and Sammy Ameobi have helped Newcastle on the wings by offering something the likes of Yoan Gouffran have not. The inclusion of Aarons in the starting lineup on Wednesday illustrated one thing Newcastle had missed in its early-season slump: rocket-powered pace scaring the daylights out of opposition back lines.

The one thing Aarons, Obertan, and Ameobi have in common is speed to burn. And in each of the last three victories, one of those players wreaked havoc on opposing fullbacks en route to a goal. Besides the direct effects, defenders have also been forced to back off because of the pace on the wings, opening up space all over the park. This has allowed Moussa Sissoko to have his resurgence in midfield, as he's taken advantage of the extra real estate to make his power runs through the center.  Sissoko’s goal was reminscent of City's Yaya Touré, splitting defenders and surging into the box.

What’s next?

Up next for Newcastle is a scuffling Liverpool side. (We'll talk more about that match later today.) If the Toon can put together a repeat performance on Saturday, another win is a distinct possibility. The manager has finally seen rewards from sticking with a formation which looked dead in the water. Does he keep the young burners in the lineup, or go back to trusted lieutenants in familiar spots?

After everything that happened in the first few weeks of the season, it's pretty amazing to think that a) Pardew still has a job, and b) he seems to have motivated the squad again. While the majority of the fanbase still would prefer to see the man removed from his position, a continued run of results could see the hostility dissipate.

What about the curious case of Rémy Cabella? He admitted during the week to L’Equipe that he has struggled to adapt to the pace of the league. The talented Frenchman was bought to replace Hatem Ben Arfa, but instead has just replaced him on the bench. How to work Cabella into the lineup is just one of the decisions Pardew wil struggle with in the coming weeks. As we know, league position is still most important to the Newcastle board. And even though getting out of the bottom three was a nice first step, there is still plenty of work to do the rest of the season.

Three Points: NUFC 2-1 Spurs...We're Going Streaking!

Three takes on Newcastle's shock win at White Hart Lane yesterday, almost as quick as it took Sammy Ameobi to score...

A tale of two halves

Let's start with Sammy's goal, shall we? The dictionary doesn't contain enough disparaging adjectives to describe how abject the first-half performance was. As analyst Danny Murphy accurately stated, Newcastle looked like a team that was simply waiting to get beaten. Though Tottenham wasn't making the most of its chances, that's exactly what looked destined to happen. There was no apparent strategy other than packing it in around goal. Then Ameobi came on at halftime and scored six seconds after the whistle, and suddenly Newcastle decided it felt like playing.

I've said for some time now that Sammy deserves to start. It's a shame that injuries have prevented him from being able to really challenge for the starting XI on a weekly basis. His 2014 appearances have been few and far between because of those injuries, but his directness and left-footed creativity are qualities the current squad lacks. Let's hope Alan Pardew agrees and actually gives a worthy young player the chance to shine.

Cabella-ella-ella

Speaking of players making the most of their sub appearances, how about that Rémy Cabella? The ex-Montpellier man has divided the fans with some pretty uneven performances early in his tenure, and looked perilously close to becoming Hatem Ben Arfa 2.0 in Pardew's eyes. However, he came off the bench with a plan, completing 16 of his 18 passes (including a perfect cross for his assist) and also managing four tackles. Like Ameobi, he has hopefully punched his ticket back into the starting lineup.

One start, one goal

First-time starter Ayoze Pérez was the beneficiary of Cabella's good service, nodding in the header that proved to be the match-winner. It wasn't an easy afternoon for Pérez, who was (unfairly in my view) criticized by the commentators as not ready for the Premier League. When Pardew goes with the ultra-conservative approach we saw in the first half, most lone strikers will struggle. There just isn't the support to do anything except get shoved off the ball by a defender. However, we have seen from his sub appearances that Pérez does get himself into prime scoring areas if given the opportunity. With a more determined attacking effort in the second half, he did just that. You'd like to think that the manager would learn something about how to get the most out of these players from a performance like this. Sadly, we've read this script too many times over the past few seasons.

Tottenham Preview: Can Timmy Save Newcastle Again?

Pre-match narrative

After claiming its first Premier League victory of the season, Newcastle United hops on a plane down to the English capital to square off against Spurs at White Hart Lane on Sunday. The Magpies secured their first victory of the season against Leicester, with the lone goal coming from Newcastle zombie, Gabby Obertan. Can Alan Pardew use a speech like this to get his side streaking? 

 

Tottenham has won only three of its last ten contests, but walloped Irrelevant Greek Team FC 5-1 in the Europa League on Thursday. If you haven't seen it by now, Érik Lamela did one thing in that match that's almost certainly more entertaining than anything you'll see tomorrow.

Tomorrow's match is the first of three tricky fixtures in a row for Newcastle. However, one of those is against Manchester City in the Capital One Cup, which we know the club couldn't possibly care less about, and wouldn't even bother to field a team for if it didn't have to. Still, it means there are plenty of chances for whatever momentum the Magpies have built up to be halted.

Team we want/team we'll get

An injury bug means Pardew's choices tomorrow will be pretty limited...and so will mine. Both Papiss Cissé and Emmanuel Rivière could miss out, as could Mike Williamson and Cheick Tioté. So the formation isn't dictated by tactics as much as it is by which eleven bodies Pardew can shove onto the pitch. If I had my way, Obertan would start from the left, where he's generally been more effective (see last week's goal and his stellar display against Bordeaux in the Europa League two seasons ago), and Yoan Gouffran would get a chance in his preferred position up front. But we all know that the manager doesn't bow to facts and logic, so expect the 4-3-2-1, and players in the wrong roles, once again.

How Pardew will screw this up                           

The three points from last season’s 1-0 victory against Spurs are a credit to both Tim Krul and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. The Dutch goaltender made an absurd 14 saves to keep Tottenham out of the net, and needed a fantastic goal line clearance from the center back (yes, Pardew briefly gave in to reason and started Yanga-Mbiwa in his natural position) to preserve the points.

In that match, Pardew employed his “rope-a-dope” strategy, which he used to stifle José Mourinho's Chelsea the week before. (Seriously! He briefly looked like a competent manager at one point last season.) But Tottenham was not nearly as inhibited by the defensive shell, and it took a heroic effort from our goalkeeper to earn the points. If Pardew goes with the same approach against Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs, Newcastle will have no chance of leaving the Lane with any points. Tottenham has too much attacking talent, and despite last week’s result, the Magpies are still not a good defensive side.  

Pochettino put out a strong XI in the Europa League win, so Newcastle will have an energy advantage against its opponents. It should go out and attack a side who hasn’t scored more than one goal in the Premier League in a month. But, of course, it won't.

Predicted Chronicle headline

Pochettino lines his sides up to push high and attack, and this side is no different. While the attacking talent at Tottenham’s disposal, there will be chances for Newcastle to create an attack. When Spurs push up the field, there will be plenty of space behind the fullback for Obertan to attack (another weird sentence to write). Unfortunately, Pardew will set up Newcastle to defend too deep and for too long in the match, which will ultimately end in defeat. The headline after our 2-1 loss will be:

Narrow defeat in the nation’s capital

Three Points: NUFC 1-0 Leicester...Is This What “Winning” Feels Like?

 Gabriel Obertan’s first Premier League goal in 32 months secured a 1-0 victory for Newcastle United over Leicester City to earn Alan Pardew his first league win of the season. Saturday's "triumph" was the first league win for the Mapgies since May 3^rd, and only the sixth win in the last 27 matches. Before this odd sensation of “victory” subsides, here are three thoughts on the Newcastle win:

Alan Pardew does have a playing style with his Newcastle team.

One of the many, many darts thrown at the Newcastle manager is that over the course of this tenure at the club, he has failed to impart an identity and playing style. However, Pardew does have elements to his management that could be described as an identity. He loves Moussa Sissoko, he loves a left-back substitution, and he sets up his team to play dull, tedious football.

In the first half of the match against the Foxes, Newcastle enjoyed 59% of the possession and mustered a grand total of one shot on target. This is Pardew’s identity as manager of Newcastle. Lull the opponent (and fans) to sleep with tedious possession football, but don't dare make any attacking moves.

The resurrection of Gabby Obertan’s career is a reflection of Mike Ashley’s transfer policy.

If Newcastle United operated like a real sports team, instead of a marketing arm of Sports Direct, Obertan would have been deemed a bust and sold to Russia, Turkey, or back to France. Unfortunately, this team does not conduct business in a normal manner. A comical lack of investment and corresponding lack of depth has given Obertan another opportunity. The squad has no other healthy wingers at the moment, and Pardew plays a formation that is crying out for some width. Why else would he praise Obertan so profusely to the media? Sadly, he desperately needs what the ex-Man U man can offer. On Saturday, Squidward rewarded the manger’s roll of the dice. But in reality, did Pardew really have any other options?

Steven Taylor played a great game.

Taylor was called into the Newcastle lineup because of an injury to Mike Williamson, and had himself a fine performance. The center back was his usual attention-seeking self on Saturday. But unlike most of his recent displays, he also paired his histrionics with excellent defensive work. Taylor even capped his performance with his customary shot block to the groin.

Like Obertan, the 28 year-old has an opportunity to once again save his Newcastle career because of the lack of depth in the squad. There isn’t a single Toon Army member who trusts that Taylor will keep up this level of play. But if the local boy can add some maturity to his game, he could prove to be the plug in the leaky Newcastle back four. 

Leicester Preview: An October 6-Pointer

Pre match narrative

Must win. Uber must win. Must, as in, “Lee Ryder must not write ever again about Alan Shearer as Newcastle manager." That kind of must.

Newcastle has defeated Leicester on each of its last four visits. In fact, the Foxes have not won at St. James' Park since April of 2000. So the story going into this match couldn't be simpler. A desperate team playing at home against a weak opponent (albeit one playing fairly well at the moment). The only acceptable result is a win.

Team we want/team we'll get

 I've been pushing the "diamond" formation for a few weeks now because of what it offers up front - two possibly complementary strikers, a playmaker behind them in Rémy Cabella, and some midfield support in case Cabella loses the ball. Against Leicester, which tends to go 4-4-2, I think three central midfielders could help control the tempo and possession. However, since Alan Pardew still holds the reins, we all know what's going to happen...

How Pardew will screw this up

It’s quite stunning Pardew gets to take his place in the technical area against Leicester City. The come-from-behind draw against Swansea last time out was vital to the club for this campaign, but by no means should it have saved his job for another match. Over the international break, there was plenty of time to finally kick the manager to the curb. However, the oxford shirt-wearing overlord had thought otherwise, so the besieged Pardew, and his perennially ineffective 4-2-3-1, continue to darken our doors.

The Newcastle manager has already shown one of his hole cards to Nigel Pearson, by revealing in Thursday’s press conference that Gabriel Obertan will be starting on Saturday. More on this later.

First things first, Pardew must change the back four. Only Everton and QPR have conceded more goals then the Magpies. There are not a lot of options when it comes to defensive alterations, but the current starting quartet have made defending look like an interpretive dance. And even though Leicester isn't full of big-name players, the Foxes can score goals. Trotting out the same rear-guard would be a bad decision. In addition, starting Moussa Sissoko would be a huge mistake. Whether you prefer he plays on the right, or insist that he plays in the middle of the park, one thing is clear. Sissoko has casually strolled through the first seven games of Newcastle’s season. The second goal that was conceded at the Liberty Stadium only highlights the Frenchman’s lack of effort the season. The match Saturday is too important to risk Sissoko’s indifference. He must be stapled to the bench. Finally, do not even think of starting Adam Armstrong. Once again this is a matter of risk management. The points are too vital to thrust in a 17-year-old, no matter how much promise he has shown. There will be a time for Armstrong. It just is not on Saturday.

Gabby, just do Gabby things

With an unlikely assist against Swansea, our very own Squidward deserves a start against Leicester. Obertan has his faults, and we all know what they are. But the formation the manager insists on using needs width to help break down a defensive shape. Obertan provides that width, something we haven't seen this season from Gouffran, Sissoko, and Cabella.

Chronicle headline

With tensions again running high around St. James' Park, Leicester will do the sensible thing and play to the crowd's anxiety by sitting deep and daring Newcastle to find an opening. Each minute that passes without a breakthrough will crank up the pressure on Pardew and the players just a little bit more. But the match is too important for the Toon to lose, and the visitors' dam will eventually burst. It will not be pretty, and there will be one or two moments the crowd will be on the edge of turning. But like the stereotypical horror-movie villain, Pardew will somehow live to torment us another day. The predicted Chronicle headline after the home side’s narrow 2-1 victory will read:

Newcastle barely outfox Leicester. 

Wanted At SJP: Lots Of Empty Seats

via Twitter @EmptySeatsPics

You're looking at a photo of the crowd at Monday's National Hockey League game between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators. As you can see, the game has started, and the building is practically empty. The announced attendance was a little over 7,000 in a building that holds 19,000. Across the hockey-watching world, photos of the sparsely populated arena were used to mock the club and its lack of support. But as someone who has followed the Panthers for two decades of almost constant ineptitude, I applaud our fans for making their feelings known by staying home. I hope Newcastle supporters do the same and clear out St. James' Park, starting on Saturday.

Whenever a boycott of SJP is mentioned, some segment of the Twitterverse rises in opposition, claiming that empty seats don't affect Mike Ashley in any substantial way. And I'm sure they don't, especially not for a single match in the middle of the season. The tickets are mostly paid for, and the concessions and other ancillary profits from one match probably add up to what Ashley loses in his couch cushions every day. But the message a vacant SJP would send is one that the owner seriously needs to hear: there's a limit to what we are willing to put up with. You've hit it.

Following Monday's de facto closed-doors game, one of the new Panthers owners recognized what was happening, and understood he had to win the backing of the fanbase:

When it comes to hockey in South Florida, we can assure our fans that the past is not prologue. We invested a lot of money in the offseason in the right players for our franchise long term. Vinnie [Viola, Panthers co-owner] and I have said we will earn through honesty, integrity and transparency the patronage of each and every person who comes to our games.

Obviously, expecting a statement like this from Ashley is foolish. But he needs to understand that Newcastle supporters' loyalty - at least when it comes to ticket sales and season ticket renewals - is not guaranteed. If that means tuning in on the radio or watching from the pub, so be it. When the club stops aiming for mediocrity (and failing, if the start of this season is a sign of what's to come), then the fans will fill the ground once again.

Maybe it won't work. Maybe whatever revenue Ashley gets from the TV rights is sufficient, and he genuinely doesn't care whether people show up or not. But there's only one way to find out, because everything else has been tried. At least there's one bright side of opting to stay home on matchday: you won't have to witness Alan Pardew's tactics in the flesh.

Three Points: Cissé Double Masks Dour Performance

Three thoughts on yesterday's 2-2 draw against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium, faster than the flick of Papiss Cissé's boot:

He's back... In case his brace against Hull two weeks ago wasn't sufficient evidence, Newcastle's number nine appears to be back to his instinctive best. Cissé is a painfully frustrating striker to rely on. Neither quick nor big and strong, he lacks the physical tools to threaten an opposing back line. I literally cannot remember any time he touched the ball in the first half besides his goal. But when he finds his scoring touch, look out - 13 goals in 14 matches at the back end of 2011-12 demonstrate exactly what a terror he can be.

...at the worst time imaginable. For the sizable majority of Newcastle fans desperately hoping to be rid of Alan Pardew, Cissé's revival could not be more poorly timed. By virtually every measure, the performance today was terrible. Pardew's side managed to be both frail at the back and toothless up front, looking every bit like a team whose place in the relegation zone is deserved. Swansea had double the possession, most of the best chances, and looked in total control of the match until Cissé evened the score at 2-2. And since we know that Mike Ashley won't dare cut Pardew a severance check until the last possible moment, a result like this simply strings all of us along for a little while longer.

Captain Shambolic As I tweeted during the match, Fabricio Coloccini looked simultaneously over-the-hill and naïve, which is a deeply troubling development indeed. It's frankly amazing that a center back whose calling card has long been his ability to read the game suddenly looks like he's never played before. For Wilfried Bony's goal, the captain was undressed by a simple one-two between Bony and Gylfi Sigurdsson. A few minutes later, he weirdly didn't bother to follow Sigurdsson, who was clearly onside, on a ball over the top that the Iceland international couldn't quite control. Normally in a situation like this, you'd want Coloccini replaced. Of course, Newcastle perma-loaned its Coloccini cover, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, who's currently getting rave reviews at Roma. So for better or worse, we're stuck with Colo in the starting XI. Seems like a recurring theme at this club.

Swansea Preview: Pardew's Bird-Brained Tactics

 Pre-match narrative

Seriously, how does Alan Pardew still have a job? The much-maligned manager (an understatement at this point) leads the black and white troops to the Liberty Stadium in hopes of Newcastle's first league win of the season. Meanwhile, Swansea has not won a Premier League match since August 30, though three early wins are good enough to put the Swans fifth in the table. Last season's 3-0 loss at the Liberty was the only defeat Newcastle suffered last November and December. In fact, Pardew's side hasn't managed a point against Swansea since 2012.

Here's another disturbing stat: Newcastle enters tomorrow's match on a 720-minute* dry spell away from St. James' Park. All indicators are looking very grim as the Toon makes the long trip away from the North East.

*stat courtesy of nufc.com, which points out that an OG at Liverpool is the club's only away tally in that time.

Team we want/team we'll get

 

Pardew isn't doing it, so I'll keep suggesting it. All of the available evidence shows that neither Emmanuel Rivière nor Papiss Cissé is suited for a lone striker role. But playing in tandem, with Rémy Cabella in support, they may be able to string together a few chances. What does Newcastle have to lose at this point? It's not like I'm trying to break up an attacking juggernaut.

How Pardew will screw this up

For one thing, continuing with a formation with the creativity of a wet sock. At Stoke, the 4-2-3-1 Pardew insists on deploying proved lifeless once again. Rivière's double against a weakened Crystal Palace team proved to be a mirage. Cabella is looking more and more like the swordsman against Indiana Jones - fancy, utterly pointless skills - and Moussa Sissoko has packed it in until his probable move in January. Something else is needed, and fast: a different idea, a personnel change, whatever it takes to wake the squad up from its current offensive malaise. A continuation of the same lineup and formation would only confirm the manager's complete incompetency masked as stubbornness.

On the defensive side of the ball, starting Paul Dummett would be a colossal mistake against speedy Nathan Dyer. Dyer, snubbed from the recent England squad, would leave Dummett chasing shadows and picking up bits of Fruit-of-the-Looms for 90 minutes.

Finally, Swansea's style of play is the antithesis of Newcastle's under Pardew: quick, slick, and direct. This is not the 2011-12 side, which could sit deep and hit Swansea on the counterattack, as it did in its resplendent orange shirts in its last win at the Liberty.  The tactics which drip from Pardew's DNA almost certainly guarantee another heavy defeat.  He must push his squad up the park and challenge an opponent currently brimming with confidence, at least compared to his own players.

Predicted Chronicle headline

Frankly, at the moment, this team stinks. The players know the manager is well past his expiration date and just playing chicken with the owner to claim his severance. The only excitement coming out of the club lately was the revelation Cheick Tioté has two wives and a mistress.

The Newcastle fans who remain positive are the ones who still believe in Santa Claus and happily ever after. Tomorrow's inevitable defeat will continue the club's worst start in the Ashley era, prompting the Chron to lead with the headline:

Time's Up