Feel free to treat this as your conversation starter. We want you to be as much a part of this blog as we are, especially as we make some changes as we head toward the new year.
- How was Pardew's first game? What did you notice that was different?
- Were the protests noticeable and effective?
- Were you happy with the selection and substitutions?
- Who is your man of the match?
I finally just finished watching the game. Some stray observations, mostly about individuals:
ReplyDeleteJoey Barton is definitely the glue that holds this team together. They definitely missed his free kicking ability, and his hustle and determination to win the 50/50 balls made a huge difference. Definitely my man of the match.
What a goal from Andy Carroll! I couldn't stop laughing.
I'm the biggest Shola fan I know, and even I have to admit that Nile Ranger's entrance into the game was a spark for the team. I wonder if Pardew will reward him with a starting spot in the near future.
Not very impressed with Jonas the last few games. As I was texting with RKW, he mentioned that Jonas' poor form messes with Enrique's game, and I wholeheartedly agree. When 1/3 of the passing triangle struggles, the whole triangle suffers.
Sol struggled, just as he did last week. I'll be supporting Coloccini to take his place next week.
Solid performance from Tim Krul, wonder how Pardew will handle the impending goalie controversy.
There were some hints in the first half that this is still the same team that likes to lob long passes into the box and hope for the best. That's not sound strategy, and I hope the more patient team we saw in the second half is the one that shows up next week.
I'm still not a fan of the decision to bring Pardew in, but you won't find me complaining about 3 points. Great win!
P.S. Anybody that thought Mike Ashley would be affected by chants or demonstrations was sorely mistaken. He looked like a kid on Christmas. Shameful.