This is what can happen when LG1 and Championship standard players come up against an established Prem and international quality team, there was a few bright spots but in the main we were outclassed, the first goal was a carbon copy of the Man Utd goal after 1 minute, Davis gets caught upfield and a ball to the winger finds no one at home at left back again, 2 minutes before half time instead of belting the ball upfield Muric gives a hospital pass with the ball finishing up in our net, he really is the gift that keeps o giving
Sorry hadn't finished typing, Murics distribution is also poor and shows no sign of improving surely it's time for a change. All in all it was a hiding and could have been 7 or 8, this is going to be a tough season.
Didn't manage to watch all the match saw until 2-0 so can only really comment up until that point and rely on other highlights and to be honest at that point whilst we'd made mistakes we weren't that bad considering where we've come from the number of injuries and suspensions etc. We're a open team, that's part of our game and Newcastle have some world class players who really hurt us. I thought Tonali makes a huge difference for them, it's probably the first game I've seen this season where the quality has been so clearly a lot higher than the players we have. From what I saw, it was concerning how early Davis got caught up the pitch and concerning how many times Burgess was left in a foot race with Murphy, it reminds us how slow he is. For me H Clarke is the one player in our squad who I feel with some certainty is not good enough for this level, I saw this because I've not seen him perform to decent levels defensively in League 1 so he's always going to struggle however credit where credit is due I've seen him have worse performances in a Town shirt there past couple of games and whilst positionally could do better I don't think he's let us down. In the period of time I was able to watch I thought Burns seems to have discovered his confidence again and took on his defender and got a few good balls into the box. I thought Cajuste shows some real class sometimes but also at points to me doesn't look match fit. I have to say one of the biggest disappointments for me this season is Omari who's shown nothing like the form he was showing at the end of last season and he frequently holds onto the ball for too long then loses it in positions where because he's held onto it for too long our players have got beyond him and leaves us vulnerable to the counter. We certainly miss a presence upfront although I do think Szmodics showed some good movement, it's a tough ask having our 2 main strikers out with the quality Newcastle possess. And again Muric, not only is his decision making awful he's also conceding goals in positions which he should be saving. The number of repetitive individual errors from him is concerning.
If I was McKenna I’d focus on two aspects: trapping the ball and keeper distribution. It’s embarrassing to see Burgess loop the ball up in the air to try to bring it down and Phillips pinging a brilliant cross field pass to Burns who fails to control. The better sides take an expert touch to take the ball away from an opponent, keep possession and spring forward whilst we give it away or are forced to go backward. Once we have control of possession and we are on our game we are a match for anybody. The distribution has to be put right immediately. I’m all for the risky ball into feet under pressure that gets us up the pitch but there’s little point taking that risk when you don’t take the opportunities where a man is free in acres of space to drive forward and we slow the game down and end up having to kick forward long. And then we fail to trap it.
No bones about it, that was a really disappointing result and performance. Our worst game of the season, I’d say. We need to give Walton a chance. Muric has made far too many mistakes. At £10 million, he’s looking like a real dud of a signing. Harry Clarke and Leif Davis got absolutely torn apart. Both of them ball watching on the six yard line for the fourth goal. Clarke, in particular, is really not up to standard for this division. We need a new right back, even if it’s a January loan. Centre backs had a busy afternoon and were far too slack. My concerns around Burgess’ pace really were underlined yesterday. Far too slow and couldn’t handle the Newcastle attack. He wasn’t helped by Davis pushing far too high up though. We ideally need to switch to a back three against the better teams in this division. Midfield often overrun. Morsy arguably at fault for the first goal (along with Davis far too high up). Cajuste probably came out of the match the best from all our starting players - but as ptc says, he tired really quickly. Attacking wise, we were so blunt and predictable. Another struggling performance from Burns at this level. Hutchinson constantly lost the ball - really not sure crowbarring him in at the left wing position does him any favours. Chaplin’s most meaningful contribution to the match was his 35th minute sit down “injury break”. Completely anonymous and bullied. Szmodics was feeding off scraps and had a couple of opportunities, but we really missed Delap’s presence and ability to make things happen out of nothing. McKenna may need to evaluate our playing style. Patient playing out from the break is costing us goals, but direct football to small attacking players is just as ineffective. Injuries and suspensions have hit us hard, but I’m dreading what Arsenal can do to us at the Emirates in a few days time.
How are we getting away with the Chappers injury break? Why don’t we spread it around? It was a strange time to take it yesterday and cost us the chance to build some momentum in the game in a period where we were creating some decent chances.
Gaffer's take. After all the build up, SBR history, it is the expectation & anticipation of another rare Sat 3pm ko that kills you, and leaves us so disappointed. Well, we did get ko'd! However, let's reflect again. Our decimated squad was mostly playing in League One 18 months ago. Key players were out due to injuries, bans and fitness. Most Prem teams steal a march on us after years of investment, £££££££ talented players, many international and we just dont have the squad depth. And, we have competed well in most games so far, and often lost by a single goal, or an idiotic error. Muric is a disaster waiting to happen. Time for Walton and perhaps a new goalie in Jan. Clarke H is not up to it. Davis stunning attacking up high with his targeted crosses/assists in the Champnshp need a strong covering LB behind him. Burgess we love, but not his legs. Hutch is frequently being played out of position, surrounded by 2-3 men, and is not the wizard he was. Taylor & Cajuste have proved themselves but Morsey has lost his mojo in the middle. But we are where we are. I wish we had got Latte Lath over the line at the last window. January window will be critical for our Houdini escape act. All teams have their poor off days. Other recent results show big thumpings for most teams, notably our rivals. I am the eternal optimist, as one who has survived major traumas, and still believe we’ll stay up. Dont write off our manager, this remarkable group or the transformation of our plucky club. Happy Xmas everyone!
