Match Day Thread Blackburn vs Newcastle United

This is becoming a bit of a shambles. I'm sorry, but this squad should be some 15 points clear of 3rd. I mean 3rd are LEEDS ffs. Leeds who have had no investment, no stability, and they're getting closer and closer. Brighton are miles better.

NB. Didn't realise both Hudd (crap) and Reading (worse) won as well. So Leeds are 5th, but only 6 points ahead of Reading who have a game in hand.....we'll be 5 behind Brighton. Very poor.

We have to change this. We can all see it. This arrogant rigidity of sticking with 4-2-3-1 regardless of opposition, regardless of available players, is a huge handicap. We should be going 4-4-2 or even 4-3-3, we should be the Celtic of this little league. I really need to see something different from Rafael. He's done all the hard work of revamping the top level strategy, but we can't just never waver from playing a certain way. Some of our performances have been really, really poor even in victory. Some of the players just aren't working. Rafa has to realise we're not one of his usual clubs and don't have luxury, top drawer players to make in-game decisions and drive it forwards. Perez, Dummett, Colback all really poor. Diame replaced Sissoko in more ways than one - we get one good game every 10. Gouff has fallen away, as has Ritchie and Hayden. We keep conceding stupid goals. I don't know what's going on but I don't fancy our chances of going up at this rate. You can't get beaten easily off Blackburn, Wednesday, etc., and go up.

 

Colback should not play in the first team again.
But there needs to be questions asked by Newcastle about referees.
Seems like game after game its disallowed goals and disallowed penalties
And we need midfielders and not just one. What are out there at the moment are atrocious. NOT just Colback either. The rest contribute nothing. AND I notice Goufran's back to what he was last season

EVERY team do the same - hussle the players and go in hard (at which point referees look other way) and defend in depth. This mess today was the most glaring example.
You need to change, or we're in deep **** Rafa

 

It's like slowly pulling your teeth out watching this lot play. To lose two games to Blackburn is incredible.

Oh well, fuk it, life goes on. It isn't as if we haven't seen this a dozen times before.

 

Unfortunately, pretty close.

 

Have to give the ref credit today. I thought he did really well. Both decisions to disallow our 'goals' were correct.

I think we were a bit unlucky today in all honesty. Loads of shots on goal but we just didn't manage to get the goal. Disappointing to concede after being so dominant. Colback wants shooting for giving the free kick away and I'm not sure Darlow was positioned quite right for the subsequent goal.

We now lose Atsu, Diame and Mbemba for a few games. Hopefully we get beaten off Birmingham in the cup and we just make sure we get promoted.

 

Totally on top for 70 minutes but couldn't score.
My heart sank when Colback gave that free kick away, and we got punished.

Lost the signal for the last 15 minutes, but this is so disappointing. The bottom line is that if we can't score in 3 hours against a side that will probably be in league 1 next season, then our promotion dream is maybe just that - a dream that the goals of one man has given us a glimpse of.

 

We have to sign a couple of good midfielders because all of them bar Shelvey have got just a little to comfortable with being in the first team. I would take delph and cleverly on loan: they would boss the midfield for us. We should also desperately sign some left sided players and we need another striker.

 

The problem for me is there is a pattern of this type of performance against the so called lower sides. We setup to control with no intent. We had 5 shots on target of which two where offside which says to me we don't create enough good chances and we are taking pot shots. I know we where unlucky today. But we have now lost to many games for a title winning side.

 

This little rocky patch we've been having may be a blessing if it gets the club to strengthen the team this month.

 

I hope we do. Cause I don't think I can watch colback pull on the shirt anymore. Look at his career credentials. He's been involved in 3 relegations and gone down all three times. That's says something to me.

 

maybe Rafa's plan

 

seems to me you don't like your players being tackled.welcome to the best league in Europe.where football is played by men with big hearts.this is what it used to be like i the sixties and seventies.so it's the refs fault is it.refs at this level are not puppets like the ****ty prem.

 

Ref got all decision bang on for me today. It's not the refs fault. Our prem players just didn't like the tackle but the real problem for us is the lack of real creativity and to one dimensional.

 

you need a centre forward and a hard midfielder.chris martin the mercenary would do the job.

 

Be careful 1996 all over again hehe 9 points clear though and this time Brighton champions and Reading look good.

 

We are so lacking in creativity, floating about with no sting in our tail.
Diame is not doing enough for me, he ought to be so much more influential.
Colback is a pure liability, constantly fouling in circumstances which doesn't warrant it.
When he went clattering aimlessly in today for their free kick l just knew they would score. Plus did anyone else notice that Colback stood on the perifery of the wall, and even though the shot was nowhere near him, he still turned his back on it!
Also the continued use of Perez, l just don't get why Rafa continues to use him as an impact sub? He brings very little and is far too easily knocked off the ball.
I think Mitro has one foot in the exit, why else would he get so little opportunity?
Dummett is a steady Eddie but one dimensional.
I cannot believe how easily we succumbed today.
If this decline is really all down to the absence of Shelvey, then we really are in trouble. I accept a players presence on the pitch can raise a team, thinking of Shearer, but surely to God we ought to have enough in such a strong squad to be dealing with the likes of Blackburn.
Still love Rafa and l still believe, but l am starting to question his stubborn stance on our formations and his want to stick with certain players, who in my opinion don't deserve the starts they get.

 

You're right Wakey. If you look at the Leeds team that went up to the old first division in the late 80's, we had:

Vince Hilaire
Noel Blake
Vinney Jones
Chris Kamara
David Batty (breaking through)
Ian Baird

The opposition just did not fancy it

 

if I was looking to buy a wide player. He must have pace. And is able to use skill Etc. To get out of a corner. And. Take players on. Sadly for us. We have neither. Apart from atsu. Who never gets a chance for me Also. Need a ball player in c mid Badly. Slow play. Is no good

 

Colback started as he meant to go on. In the first minute he clatttered one of their players. He's clart end of. I'm sick of watching him jogging in the centre circle and passing sideways and backwards. We have to many weak players in midfield. It really is that simple.