Not even sure we're in for Remy. We're sat waiting, I believe, for Lacazette's agent to convince his player to come. I don't think we have any kind of scouting plan or reach - we always seem hugely limited to a small handful of players. That Afobe went without a sniff all but confirms it to me; his enthusiasm alone would have got a goal today against Watford. We're still being hamstrung by our policy and cannot hope to change it in a week. We have to survive, first and foremost, and the board (by name alone) should have this in their mind. If we need a Remy, a Defoe, a Papin, a Cole, a Higuain, an Inzaghi, or whoever, we should be going all out to make it happen.
Take a punt on Sturridge and hope your medical team can keep him fit till the end of the season. He'd keep you up, 100% if fit!
We've already got the most injured squad in the league. Sturridge makes Andy Carroll look super fit. Love the conquering lion avatar by the way.
Alessandro Schoenmaker is responsible for the physical condition of our playing staff and I can safely say the man is useless.
Geography is one of the biggest problem northern clubs face. Everything is going on down south for a young, good looking, very wealthy footballer. Why, simply why, would any person drop all that, leave everyone they know and travel up to the cold north? For a team which pays just as much as anyone else in the league. Desperate players mostly, and that's all we get, bang average desperate players. I think we are finished personally.
Lets not carried away. Mitro has looked quite decent in games this season. About half of them. Which is why we need different options in the squad. With Cissé fit we've got a poacher, so what we really need is someone who is mobile, as well as competitive who asks question of defenders 1 on 1. We don't have that. I've no idea what Riviere can do but from what I remember he's not really up at the highest level. I think Mitro wil come good in time, but he's got quite a lot to learn. For instance if he wants to be that Heskey type centre forward, he needs to improve his passing and vision.
Some players take longer to adapt. His value at the moment lies outside of goal stats. Gini would not have half of his goals without Mitro pulling the defenders around.
Exactly this. Unfortunately for Mitro though you cannot quantify that and people do love a stat and a striker will be judged by their goals. Get support around him and people running off him and we will score even if he doesn't
I firmly believe if you stuck Mike Williamson up front, the picture would look the same as Mitrovic, except he'd probably be able to control the ball more often.
He should simply never have been expected to lead the line on his own. Everybody already knew Cisse was worthless, the powers that be simply tried to do things on a shoestring, which time and again has proven to be completely counter productive and ultimately more costly anyway. Still trying to work out why Afobe wasn't taken on. I mean, wtf does Carr do all day?
Anyone remember a certain Jon Dahl Tomasson? Couldn't hit a barn door for us, yet went on to be lethal after leaving us. Mitrovic will do the same. He's not scoring because he has been thrown in at the deep end in a new league, part of a **** team and a completely different cultute and is expected by our unrealistic fans to score 30 goals. He's also being asked to play as a lone striker most of the time by a tactically clueless muppet. He's a kid learning the game for crying out loud. We should have signed an experienced, prolific pro to play alongside him and help him develop. A certain Mr Shearer didn't start becoming a regular goalscorer until he was 22 years old at Blackburn. Give Mitrovic a break and get off his back.
I think the problem for Aleksander yesterday wasn't that he simply missed, but he was actually MIA far too often for a professional attacking footballer. It wasn't as if he was ever having to drop that deep, nor should he be, yet on at least four occasions outstanding attacking play had the ball across the six yard box and he was never near it. Even someone not firing on all cylinders would have been busting a gut to grab a tap in, almost goal hanging. CIsse always did it, whenever he was really off form he'd always want to score (subsequently breaking all kinds of offside records in the process). That for me is why it's a real worrying one with Mitrovic. Worse of all what's the encouragement for him? There's no replacement, there's a big salary and ultimately no consequence as he joined the club, like most, as a stepping stone. Without ambition, you're going to miss basic targets and that's why relegation is looming large. To be absolutely honest, we do look good at times. Steve has us playing some decent football - there's no hoofball anywhere to be seen. If we had spent money on someone really talented up front and at left back last Summer we'd be near Europe. Alarmingly, on Sky's odds, we are odds on favourites to sign Gomis. Jesus. Personally I don't think anyone's getting the sack during the season but at the end of it I'd be astonished if Charnley kept his job. McClaren probably will, depending who replaces Penfold.
As Newcastle United slowly, but surely, trundle along the road to relegation, with Mitrovic continuing to miss chance after chance, the apologists will keep on telling you, but, he's young......putting the ball in between the sticks is a bit of a problem, ...but, he holds the ball up well if it helps....
a good player like...shearer who was not that quick had ten yards in his heed...anticipation and got into the right positions you cant teach it and metro ain't got it in afraid
i get all this but when the chances are there he must at least take one... It is his job and al that.
