Disappointed but....

this apart from doyle and stoke.

 

I must admit I thought Ba was an ok back up signing. Wasn't overly impressed with him at West Ham in general play but he did get a few goals. I must say I've been very disappointed so far but it is not really a big issue because he was never meant to be the main man. Happy to give him time but I think it would be wrong to expect too much. If he could get somewhere near 10 goals he'll have done his job.

 

As I say don't get excited. I could accuse you of smoking crack for your comments as I think you're wildly wrong. Just different opinions.

 

Ok then. But i think you've got a really negative opinion of our strikers.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter about reputation, if Ba and Best can hit decent form and score around 10+ goals each they'll be one of the best pairs of strikers outside the top 6.

Not many pairs of strikers both hit double figures unless they're at a top team.

 

Lippi made the "next Maldini" comment and it more related to the elegant style of play than being a natural replacement for Maldini. Santon was used under Mourinho at both right and left back, I don't think he has ever indicated he considered him a left back? If so fair enough. He was backing up because they had a massive injury crisis with Chivu/Maicon. Mainly it was to cover left back because they had more options on the right in Cordoba and Zanetti. He has also played right wing. He's versatile and can do a job at left back but he is definetly a right back by trade. Watched a fair bit of Italian football and he is an excellent player. The games where he had a torrid time were at left back against Palermo and Sampdoria. It resulted in them getting a natural left back on loan (japanese lad) and them loaning out Santon to Cesena.

I think he can do well for us at left back, and will probably switch long term as Simpson is our weak link. I don't have a problem with our business in this area to be clear. I am a bit of a stickler for balance defensively but as I say longer term I can see what they're thinking.

 

It is partly about goals and partly about all round game. I don't think they're very techinically gifted and feel this often results in a break down in play. Eventually this frustrates your midfielders and heaps pressure on your defence.

 

Erm, if they score goals who gives a **** if they're not technical players? Carroll wasn't a technical player, but he scored goals. Their job is to score and that's what wins games. Bent isn't a great all round player but he scores 15-20 goals a season so his team doesn't care.

They're technical enough to score, that's what matters. And Demba is technical enough to assist as shown vs Fulham.

 

Sorry but Carroll and Bent are a different kettle of fish to these two. They bring something extra these two cannot. I'm happy to put my head on the block now and say neither of these will ever disrupt a defence like Carroll, or score as consistently as Bent. Carroll is a bit of a freak for me, unplayable when on song. Technically I think he is a hell of a lot better than people realise. Bent is not the most technical player but like Carroll I'd say he is well above Ba and Best in that regard. We have very different views on how a football team functions clearly. I believe your strikers need goals but I also believe they need to be talented in other areas. Particularly when you are looking to play a certain brand of football based on movement like us.

 

ba isnt you typical hoofball stiker like carroll he is much more technically gifted and a lot better with the ball at his feet.

 

Franco Di Santo better hahaha

He's scored what, 3 goals in 400 appearances or something?

Cabaye is your saving grace, trust me, the player has £30m written all over him. He is better than Emanuel Petit ever was already, he's a leader, a general, once he gets going he will be the closest thing to Paul Scholes the Premier League has seen, in my opinion far too good to be wearing a Newcastle shirt. Dress his game up with talent around him, and he will not only get goals, but provide all day long for players to get goals themselves, but he can't help a donkey win a horse-race. If Pardew pairs him up with Tiote behind him and a fit Ben Arfa in front of him, NUFC have a CM that only top teams can match.

Massive mistake not getting a top striker in, better that getting another donkey in like Maiga, I agree.

You may wonder why I'm on the NUFC/SAFC boards so much, only because I get bored of the Bindippers regurgitated history-based turd that's always on the Utd board, and because I like the extensive range of debate over here, you guys have got it good.

 

I think this post 100% relates to Ba but not to Best. I think against Scunthorpe (yes yes, lower league opposition etc, I know) and Fulham his hold up play and how he brought others into the game got much better.

 

We need a finisher though. A player to play on the back 4 who is able to break behind when Cabaye or Ben Arfa play him in. A player like Michael Owen in his peak, or Long, or Odemwingie. We have nobody like this. Best is too slow with poor finishing (proven at S****horpe and Fiorentina), Shola is just pure lazy and has an inability to stay onside, Ba doesn't look like he has enough pace or awareness to play like this, and Lovenkrands can't finish or even really MOVE anymore.

It's what we have does not fit in to the rest of the squad. It's clear from the signings compared to who has been replaced (notably cabaye over nolan) that we're trying to move away from playing hoofball, yet our strikeforce is one who will only thrive from hoofball and will struggle to play the passing and moving game.

 

Agree re Cabaye, he could be fantastic, he needs a striker that understands movement to show his best though and I dont think we have one, or trust the one player that does!

 

I think he does do it in spells but as Pardew commented, he is not consistent with it and seems to switch off for long periods in games for some reason. What frustrates me with him sometimes is that he still does that thing new players do because of nerves. When the ball is played ahead of him down the line he'll somehow always end up losing control and the ball running out for a throw. It can't be nerves as he's been here a while. I'm not doing down Best and Ba, they are what they are and both were never signed with the thought they'd get a hgih number of PL goals. To then heap that pressure on them just because we haven't done what we should have is unfair to me. I'm happy with the team elsewhere and think the club has done some tidy business. I didn't expect spectacular business as we don't have those kinds of funds or the desire to spend them. But you pay top dollar for strikers for a very good reason. Look at Ferguson (I'm not trying to compare us to Man U before anyone makes that assumption, just more thought process), he never likes to go into a PL season without at least 5 strikers. Goals win games.

 

Technique wise Carroll is streets ahead of Ba who looks almost robotic at times.

 

Im pleasently suprised at this Tash. I was expecting more of a "****ing Fat Bastard ****".

Very well said, I was really frustrated last night. But, in hindsight. All is not lost. We still got Best who is good enough to get 15+. And of course Ba, who once he gets going could be an exciting player.

It is a shame, though. We still don't have a number 9. Hopefully, we wont get any more bullshite from Ashley.

 

Goooooooooooood article, not dissapointed with the window, very pleased infact and there is always January to get a striker in if we are looking desperate, NO NEEC TO PANIC!

 

There is no excuse whatsoever for signing no striker. If we couldn't get quality in then we should have put some more money in, that was clearly the problem. Leaving business til the last day when the window has been open for 3 months, and we've known we've needed a new striker for 7?

It's ****ing ****e.

 

we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

Very well said in this article, HMT . Also good to see most people saying after sleep they're not as kneejerky as they were last night and can see the good we got out of the transfer window, it's both honest and optimistic.

Some people got annoyed by pythagoras thread saying he was disgusted and no wonder everybody calls us deluded, but they are perhaps forgetting the hilarious stuff that some guys were saying last night. It was like a sort of mass hysteria with people trying to outdo eachother with the most depressing possible statement. Somebody said Championship sides are better than us and our team is a certain for relegation .