Match Day Thread F.A. Cup: Oxford United vs Newcastle Utd

Rafa is clueless how to get the best out of Mitro and to be honest he has looked pretty limited as a manager so far when it comes to match day. The bloke has a cracking squad available for the division but doesn't know how to get the best from it. He knows one way of playing - zero plan b.

I know it's unpopular to say these things but I'm not that impressed.

Those changes today suggested he was trying to exit and make a few scapegoats along the way. I'm sure it's not the case but I'm kinda thinking that's even worse!

Not massively disappointed to exit, but who it was and how it happened was really poor.

 

Funny how Mitrovic's best run of form last year was straight after Rafa took over. Mitrovic has gone downhill since his agent was touting him for a move. Guy is conning us all or maybe not that good, same as a few others.

 

I think you're overrating the squad tbh.

Not that Rafa is infallible either. But let's keep it in perspective. We are still well within target of going up and are probably likely to do so.

 

I don't think he has done a bad job - I just would have expected better. The squad is the strongest any manager in the division has to work with in my opinion.

The squad would get relegated or be in that mix if we go up. I don't rate them that highly. At this level though Rafa has underperformed in my opinion. Whenever Shelvey doesn't play he doesn't seem to be able to adapt his tactics. Even when he is available we should be able to rest him and still win. No changes in formation, no understanding of how to combine different players to get the best from them - all predictable and frustrating.

For instance both Murphy and Mitro lend themselves to being surrounded with pace and wide men getting crosses in. We have Yedlin and Lazaar - natural pacey wing backs. We have several centre back. Ritchie and Perez can play off a target man. Why hasn't he tried 343 when Shelvey is out? Mitro or Murphy would thrive. Instead he plays the same way and isolates them.

I'm not into the big Rafa love in, he needs to improve massively and doesn't seem as good as he was.

 

I don't really mind getting beat to be honest.

 

I disagree - it's just basics of getting the best from him which comes down to how you set up and what personnel you use. In reality I think Mitro quite rightly will want out. He doesn't fit in with Rafa. The guy is rigid in his style and has been since day 1. You've gotta back the manager. Long term I'm not convinced but when I get to the ground I'll support my team as always. I just think Rafa is a bit archaic. I mean Pardew got rinsed off our fans week in week out for performances like this and having no plan b. At present (it may change) I'm struggling to see much difference.

 

Promotion is the priority and always has been for this season, we only put out a strong squad for the quarter final against Hull in the EFL cup. 9 changes was about 6 changes too many IMO, but hey ho, on we go. Rafa is the Gaffer and I trust him. We needed to concentrate on the league, not the cup, and that is what we can do now Was a bit embarrassing though

 

Mitro missed 3 chances,chances that most strikers would of put at least one away nevermind missing a ****ing pen...he was in the correct position twice and missed twice this had nothing to do with rafa its all to do with nitro not being good enough.Rafa was not interested today it was obvious by his team selection....i backed Oxford at 7 to 2 soon as I heard that team

 

He was below his best and certainly rusty. Most players are off an injury lay off and not having played much part all season.

Mitro will do very well somewhere he is the main man and loved. It's never going to be the case under Rafa. Sometimes as a player you have to accept your in the wrong place at the wrong time. It took crouch too long to realise this at Liverpool - I assume Mitro won't make the same mistake. I think he genuinely loves the club. I keep hearing bullshit about trying to con the fans with faux love - to be honest our fans who think that are just morons. He's a young guy who is desperate to do well for our club, something most have been claiming to desire for the last few years. We get it and then it's "ah he's conning us" just because he has a few bad games and is not really getting a look in. Out fans are so fairweather at times. I can understand sometimes why the modern footballer thinks loyalty is overrated, it only seems to travel one way these days.

 

Wow, we are talking about a £14.5 million pound striker here, the 4th highest signing (possibly 3rd) in the clubs history, that struggles to get a game ahead of Gouffran and Murphy. Against Blackburn he was half arsed and I'm sure it was his agent that was touting him for a move, sounds committed to me, Rafa sees more on the training ground and behind the scenes and the lack of playing time would suggest there something he's not happy with.

 

He just doesn't fit his style of play. You can't blame the player or manager for that. I've never seen anything to suggest he doesn't care. He had a poor game against Blackburn - he certainly was not the only one. It's hilarious to be honest - they all play badly but Mitro is a ****? Hilarious logic. Half arsed? What like Perez every time he pulls on the shirt? The usual Newcastle fans scapegoating - always the same

I couldn't give a **** what his agent is up to, or rather rumoured to be. I couldn't give a **** what he cost. I see a young lad trying his best.

 

The most frustrating thing about Mitro is not that he is ****e, it is that he is ****e for us. That implies blame on both sides of the coin. He could and should have done better with the opportunities he has had. He should also have been helped to do better by playing to his strengths. I think he will go on and do very well somewhere else if we can't get the best out of him. Anyone remember Jon Dahl Tommason? Too ****e to play for us but good enough to win the champions league!!

 

Some strikers HAVE to play otherwise it really messes with their game. I think mitro is 100% one of these. If he's confident he becomes much more of a handful and he stops over thinking it. The very best have a mindset where their finishing isn't affected by confidence.

I definitely think there has been times this season where Rafa could easily have changed it up a bit. By either putting hit at the top of a front 3 or even partnering Gayle and we still would have won.

I agree on this thinking that Rafa needs to beable to adapt more. Having said that. The primary objective is to get back up and you can't really argue with the record in the league. Also perhaps Rafas thinking is a bit more long term and he is trying to drill his way of playing into the ethos of the team and will over time get the players he needs to ideally fit into this and lose those that don't (Mitro!)

 

It's funny how earlier in the season, Mitro came when Gayle was injured and stepped up. His reward? Dropped. The way we have treated him and Mbemba is shocking. Mbemba is clearly our best defender but was inexplucably dropped by Rafa for one bad game. Yet Lascelles who has been consistently dog **** keeps his place.

Mitrovic needs a team around him to play to his strengths. He also needs a pacey counterfoil to play off him. Anderlecht played 4-4-2 with two wingers playing the ball on to his head and he Mathiaz Suarez playing off him up front. Deadly partnership. Get ****ing Townsend in. Stick him on the wing with either Ritchie or Atsu on the other side. Play Mitro and Gayle and get ****ing crosses on his head. Give him a run of games playing to his strengths and watch the difference.

Rafa needs to **** off with the one up top. It's ****, largely ineffective and is awful to watch. You need a solid defence, pacey midfield and lethal striker for it to work. We have none of that.

 

After a season and a half with us, it is criminal but true that he would also need time. It is unforgivable that after spending so much money on him, we still haven't ever tried playing in that style to see how he got on. It isn't something that would happen overnight though, which makes it even less likely that he will ever be given his chance here - which is a shame as he does genuinely love the club.

 

I know where you're coming from but we're the top scorers in the league so you can't say it doesn't work.

 

It's call having an opinion, Mitrovic has been a disgrace for the last 3 months, a player who costs that in the Championship should be able to adapt to any style, especially in a team that are 2nd, as for Perez heard plenty more criticise him on twitter, I agree he has been shocking, like a few others including Mitrovic. As for the Blackburn game he never won a header up against the giant that is Charlie Mulgrew, big man for you. I will praise players when they do well and will criticise them when I think they deserve. All 11 players should be axed for the match against QPR.

 

We should be top scorers in the league with the players we have. But how many games have we lost because of the system?

 

Our system is too reliant on getting the first goal, only time we've got any points from being behind this year was against Norwich when we scored first and went to two up front at 3-1 down. Only other time we've equalised all season was against Huddersfield when we lost 2-1.

 

With J D T he came to the Club as a young kid and in the first few games Shearer was seriously injured and blew the whole plan to pieces. He was actually promising in the friendlies before Shearer was injured.

Wiki

Newcastle UnitedEdit
His success attracted the interest of other clubs, and he completed a high-profile move to the English FA Premier Leagueclub Newcastle United in July 1997, managed at the time by former Celtic hero Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish saw Tomasson as the perfect link-up player to England national team striker Alan Shearer. The partnership initially worked well, with Tomasson impressing during a pre-season friendly tournament in the Republic of Ireland. However, a serious career threatening injury to Shearer, combined with the controversial transfer of popular striker Les Ferdinand to Tottenham Hotspur, meant that Tomasson was moved from his traditional attacking midfield position, to that of striker. He struggled to adapt to his new position on the field, and also struggled to adapt to the English game, due to his lack of physical strength,[5][6] and therefore he only managed to score four goals in 35 appearances in all competitions. The bad performance of Tomasson came at a time, where the entire team also played a season below their previous standard. In the previous two seasons, Newcastle United had achieved a runner up position in the Premier League, but for the 1997–98 season they only managed to get a 13th place.

If Shearer hadn't been so badly injured it could easily have been a completely different story.

Wrong time, wrong place, that was all.