Newcastle (H) Post match thread

[Babolat Boy]

48 minutes ago, WoodyFox said:

Didn’t test their keeper, Gray still hasn’t shown anything promising in the 3 and a half years he’s been with us, we look so much more chaotic with Maguire at the back. 

 

48 minutes ago, WoodyFox said:

Didn’t test their keeper, Gray still hasn’t shown anything promising in the 3 and a half years he’s been with us, we look so much more chaotic with Maguire at the back. 

Gray

[TJB-fox]

Why is Maguire getting so much stick on this forum lately? He’s our best centre back and was our best player tonight. 

 

Yes we should probably cash in if we get offered silly money but I think that’s distracting away from what a good player he is. Becoming a bit of a scapegoat really isn’t he.

[kingfox]

17 minutes ago, vanity said:

Yes, but they hardly parked the bus. They pushed forward hard at every opportunity, we had chances to counter down the sidelines but we didn't take them. We were too narrow, we repeatedly missed passes, often passing yards behind our attacking players to kill our own momentum.

 

Meanwhile, Newcastle repeatedly dispossessed us by jumping the passing lanes and attacking Ndidi while covering his outlets, and Rodgers did nothing to offset their tactics. We simply beat our heads against their wall the first 70 minutes of the game until we finally became a threat to get wide. 

 

Staying so narrow was f'ing bizarre. Rodgers needs to answer for that stupidity.

But they did park the bus, every time Newcastle come down here they perform the exact same gameplan, try nick a goal, try hit us on the counter at the right opportunities, park the bus and frustrate the hell out of us.

 

They gave us absolutely nothing tonight, you could say we played narrow but they cut off all our supply to the wings, their RB and LB were touch tight on Barnes and Gray all game, Barnes got a bit of luck in the first half then faded, Gray did absolutely nothing.

 

Our sloppy play also allowed them to get up the pitch, they just suffocated Ndidi, Tielemans and Maddison.

 

We were absolutely dreadful in the final third because we simply didn't play it quick enough, same old, same old when it comes to playing teams like Newcastle.

[Manini]

I’m more worried about what I saw tonight than I have been excited about what I saw in the last 4 games. I don’t think he’s changed a great deal yet, whether that be a personel issue I don’t know. But let’s be totally blunt here: we are nowhere near a European footballing side. Get that out of your minds right now. 7th flatters us no end and is more a reflection on our fixtures than the performances. Long road ahead I’m afraid chaps, it’s not going to be smooth either. 

[hejammy]

Just now, TJB-fox said:

Why is Maguire getting so much stick on this forum lately? He’s our best centre back and was our best player tonight. 

 

Yes we should probably cash in if we get offered silly money but I think that’s distracting away from what a good player he is. Becoming a bit of a scapegoat really isn’t he.

I agree with the unjust criticism but he certainly wasn't our best player tonight. I'd rate Morgan over him tonight 

[Nickfosse]

31 minutes ago, KingsX said:

 

It's only been a month, and the same players are in mostly the same positions.

 

Why are we acting so gobsmacked that an off night looks the same as it did in February?

Err,  because we’ve been told that there was nothing wrong with the players, they’re top 6 material. Apparently it was the toxic atmosphere induced by the manager that was the problem. Once we got rid of him, all would be well...we were told...

Edited 12 April 2019 by Nickfosse

[EastAnglianFox]

4 minutes ago, Tringfox said:

??

 

Just a bit of tongue in cheek humour, if Watford win the FA Cup then finishing 7th wouldnt get us a European place either way.

[Babolat Boy]

Why on earth do we keep starting Gray? He should go out on loan ASAP

[North Leeds Fox]

Not the worst thing for brendon to see us like that tonight. It would be a worry if he had thought our squad was good enough as it is. The starting 11, which wasn't the worst, played poorly and unfortunately our bench looked very light on game changing players. We definitely need a new striker, winger and a replacement for youri and maddison (if youri stays) if they are having one of those games where it just doesn't happen. These matches will happen for a young team and hopefully they can use that match as an example of how we need to use the ball better going forward. 

[murphy]

Very disappointing performance.  Especially being outfought and outmuscled.

 

It does make wonder whether a plan B  'lampost' is on order.

 

If teams come to sit back and frustrate us and squeeze the space, we are not good enough to break them down.  If teams are going to sit back and let us have the ball, I really think we should go medieval on their ass, bypass the banks of defenders and pump the ball into the box to a big target man if we can't play through them.

 

It might not be pretty and I'm not advocating it as plan A but it could be effective.  Tonight would have been the perfect game to unleash a bombardment.

 

 

Edited 12 April 2019 by murphy

[mucfox]

BAD - WORSE - CHILWELL

 

his official stats today: 150 touches 

whole season - 2421 touches and 1386 passes

 

can anyone remember a good pass or even a good cross? Me not.

Ben, please go to Pep and sit with Riyad on the bench in Manchester

[Dan LCFC]

Abysmal. Too many errors. Too many off days.

 

We don't have enough magic to open these teams up and I'm looking at the wingers here. Barnes has been a bit off lately and Gray just isn't good enough, and nobody will convince me he is.

 

Newcastle execute the exact plan from last season to perfection once again.

[Russell sprout]

As poor as we were Newcastle’s game plan worked to a tee,

losing 1-0 flattered us,I thought they looked a threat going forward and defended superbly,

though we was terrible tonight,

no positives at all,was very puel esk 

[La-li-lu-le-lo]

It was shit. No one played well and those slimy ****ers north of the border shit their way to a 0-1 victory. Rancid match and one I never hope to see again. 

[Ian S]

24 minutes ago, Clever Fox said:

Even Rogers was poor tonight. He failed to effect the game in anyway. That's one thing Puel was good at. Effecting the game particularly the second half.

Like when?

[SouthStandUpperTier]

3 minutes ago, murphy said:

Very disappointing performance.  Especially being outfought and outmuscled.

 

It does make wonder whether a plan B  'lampost' is on order.

 

If teams come to sit back and frustrate us and squeeze the space, we are not good enough to break them down.  If teams are going to sit back and let us have the ball, I really think we should go medieval on their ass and pump the ball into the box to a big target man if we can't play through them.

 

It might not be pretty and I'm not advocating it as plan A but it could be effective.  Tonight would have been the perfect game to unleash a bombardment.

I don't think that's Brendan's style. In fact, I think his style is very similar to Puel's.

[Clever Fox]

14 minutes ago, dayday said:

Sometimes it takes a game like that to show up your frailties, Rodgers identified straight away our weaknesses after the game in that we need to move the ball quicker and also in having a midfielder who can break the lines, Ndidi will be dropped the next time we come up against these sort of teams.

I doubt Wilf will be dropped, more likely BR will try to improve his touch and all round game.He would or should have known our failings from past games.

But sometimes it's the players who let you down and that was the real problem tonight.

it's hard to be too critical because they never gave up trying. We just needed or or two of them to believe in their own ability to take on and beat a man.

Not once did I see Maddison drop his shoulder inviting the challenge and free kick which he's been doing effectively in recent games.

[The_Rorab]

9 minutes ago, TJB-fox said:

Why is Maguire getting so much stick on this forum lately? He’s our best centre back and was our best player tonight. 

 

Yes we should probably cash in if we get offered silly money but I think that’s distracting away from what a good player he is. Becoming a bit of a scapegoat really isn’t he.

In retrospect I think I am feeling a bit reactionary with Maguire. He has been pretty poor for most of the season though - and with Soyuncu, Evans and Benkovic coming into next season (though Evans of course getting older), his general poor form this season compared to the heights he hit when he first moved here and the purported mega money move we rejected just kind of make me feel like he should be doing so much better than he is, so I think I'm harsher on him than most because he has shown the ability to be brilliant.

[murphy]

Just now, SouthStandUpperTier said:

I don't think that's Brendan's style. In fact, I think his style is very similar to Puel's.

Yes, I think you're right.  It just makes sense to me to have that option on nights like tonight.

 

I think Brendan is too much of a purist to consider it,

[TJB-fox]

12 minutes ago, hejammy said:

I agree with the unjust criticism but he certainly wasn't our best player tonight. I'd rate Morgan over him tonight 

Disagree. Maguire travelled with the ball and played some fairly decent balls forward into the midfield. Plus didn’t get done at the near post for the goal like Morgan did

[Livid]

Poor individually and collectively. It was almost like a Claude Puel guest managerial appearance. 

 

They came with a plan and executed it perfectly. Let Maguire, Morgan and Ndidi have as much possession and go side to side and back again as much as they liked as they knew they wouldn’t hurt them, as soon as the ball goes forward then press players who just aren’t strong enough physically. 

 

Crap week at work, tooth extracted & antibiotics meaning no pre match pint, freezing my nuts off watching the Leicester City we love and loathe. Great start to the weekend, thanks lads! 

 

 

[Dan LCFC]

1 hour ago, FIF said:

There was nothing perfect about their performance.

 

We failed to take advantage of our superiority, then started giving the ball away and not marking, went one down and were incapable of scoring.

 

Do you think that wolves or Watford would have lost at home to that lot?

Both needed late equalisers to draw at home to them. West Ham are the only side outside the top six to beat Newcastle at home.

[TJB-fox]

2 minutes ago, The_Rorab said:

In retrospect I think I am feeling a bit reactionary with Maguire. He has been pretty poor for most of the season though - and with Soyuncu, Evans and Benkovic coming into next season (though Evans of course getting older), his general poor form this season compared to the heights he hit when he first moved here and the purported mega money move we rejected just kind of make me feel like he should be doing so much better than he is, so I think I'm harsher on him than most because he has shown the ability to be brilliant.

That’s fair enough mate, think you’re right in saying we know what he’s capable of so can expect far more of him. Plus, we have a decent set of centre backs now. But, he’s head and shoulders above Soyuncu, Morgan and most likely Benkovic and would be a real loss were he to leave. A lot of throwaway comments on here acting as if he wouldn’t be missed at all

[Bezzanator89]

Think Newcastle aren't getting enough credit here. For all our passing flaws and general poor gameplay, a fair-sized proportion of that is now to their tactics. From the off, they closed us down ferociously, got in our faces and defended robustly in numbers, which did at times resemble parking the damn bus. Yes, there were also some dirty gamesmanship antics going on but that was just showing the lengths they'd gone to for the objective of smashing and grabbing those three points all the way back up to Tyneside. They simply wanted it more.

 

Waited for a mistake as we pushed up and they'd punish us, and that they did. 1-0? It could have been worse. They had a more potent cutting edge over the course of the 90 minutes, and their passing was vastly superior given they had a hell of a lot less possession. They didn't even need a Plan B, whereas we didn't have one when we needed it most.

 

It's not the size of the possession, it's how you use it. 

[The Quick Brown Fox]

1 hour ago, FIF said:

There was nothing perfect about their performance.

 

We failed to take advantage of our superiority, then started giving the ball away and not marking, went one down and were incapable of scoring.

 

Do you think that wolves or Watford would have lost at home to that lot?

I was saying at the game that this is the sort of comment we would see/hear. We were only superior in passes And we had one more shot than them. They did very well to defend and keep us at arms length but in not having we were superior at all. Us giving the ball away was due to Newcastle forcing us to try something different and it didn't work. 

BR needs to work on how we are going to break down teams that sit back, because the possession build up play we seen tonight won't do it as often as we would like.