Forgive me if this week's reaction is a little less reasonable than usual. I should probably wait for at least another day before I write this, but I couldn't help myself as I read through other reviews from this match. It can be described in so many words, but bluntly it was nothing short of horrendous. Fundamentals were flawed, leaderships was lacking, execution exited the building, passion took a pass, the offense was (pardon me) offensive, the defense deplorable. Our Magpies couldn't pass, possess, shoot, cross, clear, tackle, or keep the ball out of their own net. Other than all that they didn't play very good football either.
I think I'm done ranting, come with me past the jump and let's see if there's anything worth learning from this atrocity.
What in the world is he doing? This was a common question today. Getty Images
Several weeks ago, when NUFC beat Chelsea in the Carling Cup, most of the post match banter was about how Chelsea started the scrubs. Our review said that simply was not the case, and empirically it was not. That's before we even get started mentioning that Newcastle itself did not run out its top eleven. This week it's the same song but a different verse.
Let me first say that I have never felt more anxious about a half of football than Sunday's second half at Emirates. But, I'm on record saying how well this team plays when it is the first to score a goal, and I had faith in not only that, but Hughton's ability to manage that slim lead to the end. After four minutes of stoppage time, it turned out that my faith was not misplaced.
In our short and sweet preview we left you with a 3 word mantra for contemplation on the Derby: Beat. The. Mackems.
Blood in the water. Getty Images
Even without a public prediction I expected a hard fought game. I expected for it to be a tactical battle, a competition of matchups. For 26 minutes the tie seemed to be just that. On that 26th minute something changed. Kevin Nolan once again found himself in the right place at the right time, and then he found himself at the bottom of a dog pile.
After going up 1-0 I was literally screaming at my screen for the lads not to protect this lead but to continue to attack. I wanted to see a "blood in the water" attitude, and on the 34th minute I was obliged. Nolan, again in the right place at the right time, hammered home from point blank and I started to notice how well this team plays after it gets an early goal. A penalty, converted by SholaAmeobi, in overage had us into the half up 3-0.
When the second half started I was feeling more comfortable about protecting the lead, but the lads continued to keep the pressure high. Titus Bramble suffered the most from that as he was sent off to a chorus on the 53rd minute, which really would have capped off a great day for most folks, but the lads were still not satisfied. Ameobi would be the beneficiary of that dissatisfaction in the 70th minute, and four minutes later The Skipper headed another one home. Have I mentioned that Kevin Nolan is a "right place, right time" scorer? No play better illustrates my point than this 74th minute goal. As Joey Barton's corner crossed in Nolan slid himself into a soft part of the defence, but he wouldn't be on the end of the cross in that spot. But, Shola rose to put a head on it and though he had not a chance to put in on goal at that height and angle he did have a chance to put it right into that soft spot that Kevin Nolan had sniffed out as the right place to be. At that point the Defence didn't have a chance to stop Captain Nolan from becoming Captain Hat Trick a feat not achieved in the derby since the year after my cohort and I were born.
Before I talk about form and starters let me first say that the Chris Hughton rumors have been in very poor form and I hope that this result goes a long way to shutting those shite peddlers up. Off soapbox. Hughton played the same side that faced West Ham a week ago, and much the same style. I was glad to see two attackers up front, and I hope to see more of it. He was dressed smart too, I like to see a coach on the touchline in a suit and tie, and not, say, a hoodie with the sleeves cut off.
Danny Simpson seems to be returning to good form, he looked a lot better than he did at West Ham. Not that he looked at all bad, he just seemed rusty. In fact the whole defense looked great, Colo and Willo are quite a pair, and Williamson has seemed to recover very nicely from his bad luck outing at ManC. Thought they did allow the consolation goal very late.
Tiote continues to hold down the midfeild like, well, I don't really have a good simile for what it is that he does on a weekly basis. He's just in top top form. Jonas did his thing on the left and Barton did his thing on the right, but obviously Kevin Nolan was the story of the midfield.
Andy Carroll had a quiet game, playing more the decoy to open up Shola and Nolan, but handled himself very well I thought. And Shola was Shola, with that lackadaisical approach that he has. I can see why people think he's lazy, but I think he just has an approach to the game that people don't quite understand. We will continue to defend him.
Man of the Match: Kevin Nolan, Obviously.
Beat. The. Mackems. And beat them we did. What a treat for all the Geordie boys out out there. By the way, this win put us 7th in the table! Howay the Lads.
Due to time constraints today, this will be the cliff-notes version of a match review.
I wondered last week which Magpie team might show up in Boleyn, and the answer was, I think, a move in the right direction. The team that lost to Wolves and Blackpool was the team that showed up first, which was admittedly disconcerting. But; after allowing that first goal, the side that beat Everton started struggling for dominance. At the end of the day I think that better side was on the field more often than not.
The idea behind Reasonable Reaction X-day is that sometimes we need a couple of days to let our emotions go before commenting on a game. This is our attempt at some semblance of objectivity.
This man made a huge difference, especially when he was moved to the right side. Photograph: Steve Drew/Empics
A draw is perhaps one of the most unsatisfying things in sports. As an American, one of the obstacles I run into most when trying to convince my friends of the merits of soccer is that they can't handle a sport that seems so content with not settling the score on the field. Doing battle for 90 minutes and then not getting a result is something I've had to get used to as a fan of a Premiership team; in fact, calling a draw a result at all is still not something I'm used to. Still, what I have gotten used to is the fact that there are good draws and bad draws. I can't decide which this is.
On one hand, Wigan is a very beatable team. Before the season started, I had them pegged as a serious relegation candidate, though to be fair one of the other teams I chose sits alone at 6th in the table right now. To draw with a team of that caliber feels like a loss, especially at home.
On the other hand, save for a crucial couple of minutes in the first half, The Magpies dominated play to the tune of 57.5% possession while spending 60.5% of the time in Wigan territory. Granted, much of that was a result of Wigan playing conservatively for much of the second half, put part of it is also due to a passing success rate of 83.0% and a success rate on tackles of 90.0%. For the most part, Newcastle played sound football. Hughton had the defenders playing a high line again, and though you could probably blame the second goal on that line, it worked for the most part. Besides the two goals, Wigan strikers only managed to get one other shot off inside the box, and they were caught offside 6 times.
Not that there weren't problems with the play. Charles N'Zogbia proved once again that one some days all it takes is a defensive breakdown and an unstoppable laser shot to put your team on top 2-0. James Perch was out of position all day; I wonder if he feels uncomfortable playing that far forward. Tim Krul's performance left something to be desired. He wasn't terrible, but when you're truly tested three times, to come up wanting twice is borderline unacceptable. Danny Guthrie also proved, in my opinion, that he belongs in the back, not on the wing.
The verdict? While I still wouldn't call this a good draw, it is an acceptable one, if only because it seemed to reveal a character we weren't too sure this team had. Hopefully, the loss of two points won't hinder us in the table down the road, but it's early enough that they can certainly build on that late frenzy and turn it into something profitable.
Talking Points: 1 - Charles N'Zogbia's celebrations - fair or foul? Traditionally, players don't celebrate when they score on their former teams. Did this sit well with you? 2 - Do you like Jonas Gutierrez on the right side, as he was late in the second half? 3 - What do you think of Andy Carroll's proposal that he and Shola Ameobi play up front from now on? 4 - Consider the following: In the final 16 minutes (plus stoppage time), Newcastle had 4 shots, 3 of them from well inside the box. Suppose Coloccini hadn't finished the final shot. What we have here is a lack of execution. Should that have gotten Chris Hughton sacked?
Your NUFC went into Stamford Bridge and after six minutes what everyone had predicted would come to pass seemed to start coming true. This years run at the Carling would be over for the Magpies, and hey, no big deal the Premiership points are what we're after in the first place. Chris Hughton had made 10 changes to the Newcastle side that won against Everton, it looked like concession, but he insisted this team was looking for a win. After only six minutes it was looking even more like concession. The Chelsea side wasn't a first team by any means, but Anelka, Ramires, Ferreira, Alex and Terry were there, wait didn't we just say it wasn't the starters? Well, we were half correct. At any rate, after six minutes it seemed like the Chelsea half squad would do exactly what everyone thought they would. But, then, somewhere in the teen minutes something changed. Passes started crisping up, build ups started actually building up, the defense solidified, and at Twenty and Seven minutes, Shane Ferguson put in a cross that looked intended for Peter Lovenkrands. It cleared just inches above his head and was headed out of play, but for the streaking and sliding Nile Ranger, who struck true on the back post side. The last time that happened at Stamford Bridge in competition was March 27, 2010.
Nile Ranger- “The best possible way to reply was to score, so I was pleased to stick it in the net.”
Goal: Ben Arfa 45' Bookings: Perch 59', Enrique 67', Nolan 69' Substitutions: Krul for Harper 35', Gutierrez for Ben Arfa 84' CHN Man of the Match: Ben Arfa
Not many people thought that the Toon would go into Goodison Park and snatch away a victory, though you can't really blame anybody for being skeptical following last week's abomination. Not only did Newcastle win, they were dominant in this game, save for a few stretches where The Toffees showed a little bit of life.
We think it's safe to say that the lads disappointed us all on Saturday. Even the most conservative guesses had the lads winning 2-1. But, it was not to be, and Blackpool made sure of that with organized defense and excellent goal tending.
Though Harper was good and The Toon had their chances, the unbeaten streak came to an end, and we take one more cheep shot.
Well we had hoped for a better showing from the Toros than we got on Saturday, but after the first half had us worried that we would end up in a 0-0 tie, and we don't mean one of those really good matches that ends 0-0. All parties looked sloppy from the start, passing was poor, tackles were lazy, and the officiating was horrendous.
Our Non-League Day local match in Frisco, Texas
The big takeaway of this match will be that the one goal scored in the game came off the foot of Jeff Cunningham, which brought his career total to 129, now just 3 shy of Jamie Moreno's MLS record. But, we would say that there were a few other headlines worth a look.
This was the first MLS game that we'd ever had the mind to take in, and I have to say at the end of the first half I was feeling pretty disappointed in the skill level of these professional athletes. Moreover, my compatriot mentioned specifically their lack of patience. By 15 minutes gone both sides had completely abandoned their game-plans in favor of hopeful and long forward passing, overly rushed shooting, and a melange of other nit-picky crud.
We also noticed that our predicted Man of the Match, Brek Shea, was in top form, but was continually frustrated by teammates whom, at best made poor passes to the lad, and at worst looked him over completely. We counted 12 smart runs he was on that his side was unable or unwilling to put the ball to him for. It left us wondering if there wasn't some locker room justice going on out on the pitch. There were at least 3 egregiously bad plays in which Shea was the obvious best choice the pass that went instead to another. We couldn't puzzle it out and in the last 20 minutes it seemed to be really getting to the kid.
We mentioned the horrible officiating and it was bad from start to finish. The cards all seemed deserved, but there seemed to be an inordinate amount of "no-calls" when a call should have been made, and a bit of whistle swallowing when there were obvious fouls. This included a ridiculously disallowed Eric Alexander goal. Off of a Brek Shea shot that keeper Stefan Frei didn't handle cleanly, but was still hovering over, Alexander booted it in right out from under him. The ref blew it dead and we were aghast. There was no illegal contact and no foul play; it was as if the keeper had a right to all the turf in a 3 foot radius and in that space the ball was unplayable. The shabby show continued a few minutes later with an utter mugging of Ruben Luna, who was in on goal late in the second half. It was the type of call that you could see perhaps not being called in the opening minutes, but it was a very hard tackle and it seemed the defender didn't even try to play the ball.
All in all a disappointing match, but not so disappointing that we won't be out at Dr. Pepper Pizza Hut Park again. It was an FC Dallas win and it extended their unbeaten streak, and moved them into a second place tie in the Western Conference, which is great news for their playoff bid.
FC Dallas Lineup: Kevin Hartman, Heath Pearce, George John (Bruno Guarda 54), Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez-Carded: 91, Marvin Chavez (Eric Avila 69), Eric Alexander, Jackson Goncalves, Brek Shea, Jeff Cunningham (Ruben Luna 82), David Ferreira
Toronto FC Lineup: Stefan Frei, Dan Gargan, Adrian Cann, Ty Harden, Nick Garcia, Maksim Usanov, Nick LaBrocca-Carded: 46, Joseph Nane (Jacob Peterson 58), Martin Saric-Carded: 15,89,89, Mista, O'Brian White
SAFC Reserves 1-3 NUFC Reserves was the final line at the Stadium of Blight, but it hardly told the story of a tie that saw the Toon Reservists up two goals after justten minutes of play.
Lots to Celebrate for Nile and McLoven as they leave the pitch.
The first tally came in the 8th minute when Peter Lovenkrands sped behind a flatfooted defense and passed across goal for Nile Ranger who, with a bit of work left to do, put the ball neatly to bed in the far corner.
Less than two minutes later Nile Ranger would return the favor in a way. Sprung free into the box, his attempt to play around the oncoming keeper Trevor Carson was thwarted, but Trevor simply didn't play the ball and the penalty shot was given. Lovenkrands hammered home from the spot and it looked as though it would be smooth sailing for the Toon.
In fact, they did ride those two goals into halftime, but not without seeing Xisco Red Carded for aparently flicking his leg out at SAFC's Jordan Cook. Match reporter Dan King called the straight red, "harsh, even if Xisco should have known better," citing little to no contact in the scuffle.
Coming out of the half the side still looked fit even a man down and at 58 minutes the cushion would get a bit fluffier after Carson picked up a back pass from a Sunderland back. Before the defense could organize Lovenkrands snatched up the ball and bumped it quickly over to the waiting boot of Ryan Taylor, who layed it in from less than ten yards.
The Magpies continued to coast on their heavy lead until Jordan Cook put in a penalty shot that came when Matthew Grieve went down in the box under the heavy defesnse of Jack Colbeck. But, it was too little too late in the 84th minute, and the Toon would celebrate victory just minutes later.
A few takeaways:
Sol Campbell played the first 45 and looked fit, thoug he admitidly didn't get much work as the Newcastle Reserves were clearly the class of the match.
Though the Mackems will probably cite the starting of first teamers, Lovenkrands, Taylor, and Ranger, as the main catylysts in their demise, we need only remind them that they had first teamers on the pitch as well in, George Mcartney and Andy Reid, as well as newly signed Marco Angeleri
Xisco will miss 3 first team games for the Red Card: Blackpool, Everton and the League Cup match at Chealsea.
NUFC: Tim Krul, James Tavernier, Paul Dummett, Ryan Donaldson (Phil Airey, 81), Sol Campbell (Ben Tozer, 45), Matthew Grieve, Ryan Taylor, Brad Inman, Nile Ranger, Xisco, Peter Lovenkrands (Greg McDermott, 81) Unused Subs: Ole Soderberg, Jeff Henderson
SAFC: Trevor Carson, Marcos Angeleri (Matthew Fletcher, 72), Blair Adams, Adam Reed, Michael Kay, George McCartney, Robbie Weir (Nathan Luscombe, 62), Jack Colbeck, Ryan Noble, Jordan Cook, Andy Reid (Liam Bagnall, 81) Unused Subs: Ben Wilson, Dan Madden
When the Premier League fixtures were announced and the Toon Army got a look at what it might look like to be a top flight team again, a three-tiered test at the outset of the season became quite evident. The Magpies were to start away against one of the Big Four, then at home against a mid-tier team that did very well for itself last season, finishing Top 6, and then away against a fringe relegation candidate. Supposedly this three-game stretch was going to let all of us know where we stand in the Premiership, as if you can ever tell anything from three games.
A loss, a draw, and a win through those 3 games would have sat just fine with me if you would have asked me at the outset, and it turns out that's what we got. It just so happens that the lopsided win came against an Aston Villa squad that seems to be struggling to find its identity, and the draw came against the Wolves, a team that it seems may have been written off unfairly by many.
So what do these results through 3 matches mean? Are we an upper-tier squad challenging for a spot in Europe? Certainly not. Are we a top half team, as the table seems to currently suggest (pending the rest of the weekend's results)? Don't forget, there is plenty of football left to be played. Are we fighting to stay out of the bottom 3? I'm inclined to think not, but a draw against the Wolves falls somewhat short of a confidence boost. The answer surely lies somewhere in between the last two options, which I think most Magpie supporters should be satisfied with given where we just came from.
Talking Points * Are you disappointed in the result or happy to get out of there with a point? * Happy with the Starting XI? What about the substitution (Ameobi for Carroll at 80'?) * Carroll's card for dissent - fair or foul? * Worried about Carroll's misses yet? * Who had especially good form? Who had especially bad form?
