Yeah I agree Rose and Walker certainly fit the philosophy a lot better, there's also no doubting they're the number one pairing at full back but I've been thoroughly impressed by the other two as well and I just think that after the Southampton game, perhaps giving the fresher pairing a go against Newcastle would be more ideal. The defence as a whole has been a joy to watch for most of the season, Toby has been sublime, Jan has looked backed to his best for the most part and then when Jan was out injured, Big Kev stepped in and made Jan's loss seem non-existent, what a find he's been and at £4m it's peanuts in footballing terms, I can see him seriously giving Jan a run for his money next season while I hope Davies and Trippier continue to keep Rose and Walker on their toes.
For me, walker and rose are the better fullbacks, but I am happy to see trippier and Davies on the team sheet. However, IMO, it all depends on whether Chadli is playing. If he's in the first XI, (hopefully not) we should look at playing Davies, as he'll provide that bit more defensive stability. - Rose bombing forward and Chadli being his lacklustre self, will allow players like Townsend to have a field day.
The stats bear you out OS in terms of Trippier; we have conceded 1.12 goals per match he has played compared 0.82 per match when Walker has played. Rose and Davies is much closer 0.93 for Rose and 0.91 for Davies. But we have scored more with Danny in the side almost half a goal more per match on average (1.73 compared to 1.26). It's been a very slow morning at work!!
Newcastle have only had one golden age since the seventies with "SuperMac", JohnTudor, Jinky Jimmy Smith, Kennedy, Barrowclough,Alan Gowling, Pat Howard and Geoff Nulty. Joe Harvey followed by Gordon Lee was a good time for them, a time they have never repeated. I'll never forget the complete thrashing they took at the hands of Liverpool in the 74 final. 3-0 should have been 4-0 because Alec Lindsay's goal was disallowed for offside when he was played back on.
Walker and Rose have both been guilty of some pretty poor errors in judgment in the last few games, so if we're picking the starting xi on form then keeping them in the team because of reasons makes little sense.
That Newcastle side was coached by Keith Burkinshaw. If they'd won it...who knows whether we'd have had the team with Ossie and Ricky?
Trippier and Davies have earned our confidence based on previous performances this season, Vorm probably hasn't.
Going up to the game-never been to St James' Park, and who knows when we might next meet them in the PL? Really looking forward to it-I understand it is normally a great atmosphere although could be different tomorrow. I will not be happy if we don't get second place. Would we be awarded those medals after the game if.....? COYS
We had better fooking win! Or at least flippin' draw! That's all I know. These gooners will be unbearable if we don't. Second or third matters little to me. Even getting above them is of small concern to me. That isn't what I'd be celebrating. We've had the best season for ages by far, but I've been enjoying the relative quiet of Arsenal fans of late. Long may it continue. Or at least until next season. COYS.
Townsend may well be up for it purely for Euro 2016 reasons. His form for the Toon has been ok in recent weeks, and a good performance against Spurs may tempt Woy to include him in the final squad.
While we all still love the Newcastle team from the late 60s to mid 70s up here, they were a pretty poor league team. Our best league position was 5th and we only finished in the top 10 four times in 10 years, and the year after we finished 5th I experienced my first relegation as a toon fan when we finished 21st. That team was a decent cup team though, with an FA Cup final in 74, a league cup final in 76 (we lost both) and our last trophy when we won the Fairs Cup in 69. The team from 93-94 to 2003/04 had a much better league record - twice runners up (you get medals for that apparently), twice third, plus a 4th, 5th and 6th place finish, We also had two FA Cup finals (both lost), followed by a losing semi-final. We also had a European semi-final, and two quarter finals. You'd probably still have to give the edge to the late 60s team just because we won something and that is what matters. By the 70s we were a very average team who had two good cup runs though. Anyway, good luck for today. I am hoping it ends as a draw so that you get 2nd place and we at least don't go out with a whimper.
The Keegan team with Asprilla, Ferdinand, Ginola, Albert etc was a great team, fabulous to watch and unlucky not to win the title, I don't quite recall the 60s team , but as an outsider I don't think I have ever enjoyed watching 'another' team more than Newcastle under Keegan.
Apparently it was your fault he walked away. Well...not you personally (unless you are Gerry Francis). He gave his reason for leaving as seeing the state of Gerry Francis after we beat you 7-1 and deciding he didn't want to be involved in a game that could do that to someone. Probably still the weirdest reason ever for a manager leaving a club!
No I am not Gerry Francis!! There were times I wished I was (England v Scotland 1975 comes to mind), I had erased the 7-1 match from my memory, not one of the games where I enjoyed watching you if I am honest!
