Newcastle United Weekend Wrapup
Well, obviously this weekend was a rough one for the Black and Whites. Not a great weekend to remember whatsoever. Typically, I like to look on the bright side of things, especially when it comes to Newcastle, but this one is a tough pill to swallow, particularly because we played as bad as we did against the Red Devils, a team who a very close friend of mine supports. And a team who we play this bad against virtually every year we travel to Old Trafford.
From the first until the 40th minute, things weren't going too bad. Now, nothing we going WELL, to be said, but nothing had been destroyed yet. Then it all came crashing down in the next 15 minutes, and although no goals were scored in the final 35 minutes, the tone continued to get worse and worse for the Magpies. By the end of the match, it was laughable how different the level of play was between the two sides.
First things first: ANOTHER goal conceded in the final five minutes of the first half. That makes three on the season. Three. In seven games. Am I the only one noticing this?
Next: Glenn Roeder's questionable decision to play 4-5 1. Starting lineup w/ player ratings: Harper(7/10), Carr(6/10), Ramage(7/10), Moore(5/10), Taylor(5/10), Milner(8/10), Butt(5/10), Emre(7/10), Parker(6/10), Duff(6/10), Ameobi(5/10).
Now - This was a good back four to play with. I mean, who else was he going to play? He really had no other options back there, which shows just how sad our team sheet is these days. We've got two men out for the match, and we field a Championship-level back four. As for my opinion, Carr and Moore both need to go. I LOVE Ramage. He had the only decent shot of the second half. And Taylor will flourish if he gets playing time this year. I trust him, although his botched header in the second half completely GIFTED the second goal.
We should have played a 4-4-2 with Butt on the bench. Parker and Emre completely dominated the middle of the field for the first 30 minutes, and if they would have had somebody to play it to at the front, the Manchester mids and defense wouldn't have been able to take so many liberties going forward, therefore halting some of the pressure which came in the middle of the match. Roeder needs some freaking trust in his own players, or this whole managerial thing won't work out too well for him. Duff was nowhere to be found all game, which surprised me, but Milner had a brilliant one. The kid is faster than people give him credit for. He just needs a bit better touch on the ball to set up crosses. Of course, what's a good cross if there's nobody in the middle to receive it? Ameobi did all he could at the front, but he's freaking injured, so what was GR expecting of him? It was a terrible decision. If we had Martins' speed to accept a few balls at the top of the box, or send in some low crosses, Ameobi wouldn't have had to run so much with his bum hip AND ankle. I love Ameobi. His game was awful, but only because he didn't get the support he needed from his teammates OR his coaching staff.
All that being said, Manchester United played brilliantly. I have to give it to them - Fletcher, despite what I said in the preview, had a better game than any of the nufc midfielders. Ronaldo should have scored a hattrick, and albeit BOTH incredibly fortuitous goals, Ole had the knack of knowing EXACTLY where to put himself on the pitch to be effective. But the midfield was who really impressed me. The one-time touches and incredible, quick movement was what changed the game. With two passes, the Mufc midfield spread out our mids and defense so much, getting from 18 to 18 was virtually a giveaway. It was only a matter of time before they sprung their attack. Whereas we were typically stuck on our end of the halfway mark trying to find a hint of an opening. They were brilliant on Sunday, and deserved even more than the 2-0 win.
This week, we've got a precious week off, for Emre and Ameobi to heal, and for Parker to shine in the ridiculous Euro qualifier. Let's hope he plays well enough to keep his spot!! Then, next Sunday we take on Bolton for what SHOULD be 3 points at St. James, despite Bolton's recent upsurge. If we can have a healthy Ameobi to partner Martins like we should, we can take it and start the up and up of what should be a very manageable October.
From the first until the 40th minute, things weren't going too bad. Now, nothing we going WELL, to be said, but nothing had been destroyed yet. Then it all came crashing down in the next 15 minutes, and although no goals were scored in the final 35 minutes, the tone continued to get worse and worse for the Magpies. By the end of the match, it was laughable how different the level of play was between the two sides.
First things first: ANOTHER goal conceded in the final five minutes of the first half. That makes three on the season. Three. In seven games. Am I the only one noticing this?
Next: Glenn Roeder's questionable decision to play 4-5 1. Starting lineup w/ player ratings: Harper(7/10), Carr(6/10), Ramage(7/10), Moore(5/10), Taylor(5/10), Milner(8/10), Butt(5/10), Emre(7/10), Parker(6/10), Duff(6/10), Ameobi(5/10).
Now - This was a good back four to play with. I mean, who else was he going to play? He really had no other options back there, which shows just how sad our team sheet is these days. We've got two men out for the match, and we field a Championship-level back four. As for my opinion, Carr and Moore both need to go. I LOVE Ramage. He had the only decent shot of the second half. And Taylor will flourish if he gets playing time this year. I trust him, although his botched header in the second half completely GIFTED the second goal.
We should have played a 4-4-2 with Butt on the bench. Parker and Emre completely dominated the middle of the field for the first 30 minutes, and if they would have had somebody to play it to at the front, the Manchester mids and defense wouldn't have been able to take so many liberties going forward, therefore halting some of the pressure which came in the middle of the match. Roeder needs some freaking trust in his own players, or this whole managerial thing won't work out too well for him. Duff was nowhere to be found all game, which surprised me, but Milner had a brilliant one. The kid is faster than people give him credit for. He just needs a bit better touch on the ball to set up crosses. Of course, what's a good cross if there's nobody in the middle to receive it? Ameobi did all he could at the front, but he's freaking injured, so what was GR expecting of him? It was a terrible decision. If we had Martins' speed to accept a few balls at the top of the box, or send in some low crosses, Ameobi wouldn't have had to run so much with his bum hip AND ankle. I love Ameobi. His game was awful, but only because he didn't get the support he needed from his teammates OR his coaching staff.
All that being said, Manchester United played brilliantly. I have to give it to them - Fletcher, despite what I said in the preview, had a better game than any of the nufc midfielders. Ronaldo should have scored a hattrick, and albeit BOTH incredibly fortuitous goals, Ole had the knack of knowing EXACTLY where to put himself on the pitch to be effective. But the midfield was who really impressed me. The one-time touches and incredible, quick movement was what changed the game. With two passes, the Mufc midfield spread out our mids and defense so much, getting from 18 to 18 was virtually a giveaway. It was only a matter of time before they sprung their attack. Whereas we were typically stuck on our end of the halfway mark trying to find a hint of an opening. They were brilliant on Sunday, and deserved even more than the 2-0 win.
This week, we've got a precious week off, for Emre and Ameobi to heal, and for Parker to shine in the ridiculous Euro qualifier. Let's hope he plays well enough to keep his spot!! Then, next Sunday we take on Bolton for what SHOULD be 3 points at St. James, despite Bolton's recent upsurge. If we can have a healthy Ameobi to partner Martins like we should, we can take it and start the up and up of what should be a very manageable October.
posted by darkred at 11:50 AM
2 Comments:
When you announced your blog on Monday, Fulham had just gone two goals down to Watford. Luckily it ended in a draw, but there were some dark moments there, and it was a well-deserved equalizing goal from Watford. I've got nothing against Watford, but I just can't have them get their first win against Fulham.
"And all the world is football-shaped, it's just for me to kick in space"
Looking forward to a few words on the subject of architecture as well. Wish you and A had been able to comment on London architecture in person. And possibly Newcastle architecture.
Thanks for the comment, Karen! You're the first on the new Architecture and Football site to comment. You deserve a commemorative plaque. I'm not saying you'll GET one, necessarily, but you definitely deserve one.
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