Mid Season Report

This will be my first post on the not606 website. I used to post a bit on the previous 606 site before it got taken down for some god awful reason. This is just a post about how I think the first half on our season has gone and to give an estimated prediction on what how i think we will end the season. I will apologise in advance for the length of this post as I feel I have got a lot to say.

Season so far

Well well well how would have thought it Newcastle United on their second season back to have such a good start to the season and be unbeaten in 11 games before the succumbed to the shoestring budget of Man City. Even thought we had a bit of blip after that but that's understandable when you look at the team that we have played over the period and the injures that occurred as well. All in all i never expected us to be in such a good position come the new year and hopefully long may it continue. Before I continue some of you will disagree with my comments but I havent been able to renew my season ticket this year as uni has taken more of a importance but I have watch the majority of matches thought streams and when we are actually on the box.

Player ratings

Krul - Has had an excellent start to the season and has matured into a very good goalkeeper of late. An excellent shot stopper and a keeper who is not afraid to come and catch/punch may crosses away from danger even if it means hit getting clattered sometimes. Standout performance - Man U

Simpson - Nothing to much to complain about really as Simpson has had a very good season so far and he is really starting to look like a decent full back. Does sometimes get caught out with his positioning sometimes but his performances have been helped with the understanding that he had with the back four. Standout performance - Man U

Colo - Captain Fantastic. Colo had definitely been one of the standout performers for me so far this season. Had a bit of a worry when he was named as captain as I didn't feel that he was going to be vocal enough but gladly proved me wrong and some of his performances have been sublime. Standout performance - Stoke

Saylor - Up until the end of the Chelsea game Taylor was in brilliant form and something that I was really enjoying him play in the sort of John Terry role where he takes on prisoners and just blocks everything. Whether or not that is determination to block the sort or his lack of brain remains to be seen. Standout performance - QPR

Raylor - Been pleasantly surprised with Raylor's performances this season and has performed admirably considering how out of position he is. Does struggle against quick pacey winger with the obvious candidate being his performance against Sturridge. Standout performance - Mackems (just for THAT goal)

Obertan - Some poor performances from the man from Manchester and seems to be a player that is 90mph off the ball and about 9mph on it. If he just takes people on he will have more success reminds me a bit of Routledge last season. Maybe its a lack of confidence that is hindering him but that cannot be helped with the jeering from fans when he is substituted. I mean come on fans are their to SUPPORT THE TEAM. Standout performance - Stoke

Tiote - Had a bit of a slow start to the season for some reason but got it back together again and has been the Tiote of old recently. He will be a miss when he goes to the ACN but hopefully he will still be the a Newcastle player when he returns. Standout performance - Spurs

Cabaye - Spearhead of le Revolution at SJP. He has been brilliant player since he joined in the summer. He has filled the Nolan role very nicely and although he doesn't get as many goals as Nolan did he has brought more of an all round game to Newcastle Standout performance - Villa

Gutierrez - Seems to have improved on his final third a bit more as his crossing has improved since last season and his work rate is again showing why he is an important player in the side. Has helped Raylor settle in his position a bit quicker by playing in sort of a wing back role. Standout performance - Wolves

Ba - Where do you start with this lad. A very slow start to the season caused by Ramadan but since then he has been a revelation and has certainly showed why there was a free price tag over his head in the summer . 14 goals in the league this season and has been one of the main reasons why we are so high up in the table. Standout performance - Stoke

Best - One of the players that has been harder to judge. I think that even thought he isn't the most physical of players he certainly puts himself about and works hard for the team. Needs to cut down on the amount of times he is caught offside thought. Standout performance - Fulham

other notable contributions

Ben Arfa - made very good cameos so far this season and if still learning the way the English game is played if you think about it. Hopefully will come good some and push Newcastle to the next level

Guthrie - played brilliantly when he filled in for Tiote and I hope he gets a new contract soon and I still think he is a very good squad player

Shola - seems to have had a diet of bricks recently as he had bulked up a lot and like Ben Arfa when he has come off from the bench as given the opponents defence a bit of a shock

Perch - I thought he played very well and filled that gap nicely when Saylor was injured but lacked that physical presence that Williamson brings. Much like Obertan fans need to get off his back so much commenting thinks like how we are going to lose now that perch is on the pitch even before the lad has even touched the ball.

Final thoughts - If we can keep hold of the players that we have got and maintain someone to bang the goals in when Ba is in Africa then I cant see why we cant still be in this position come the end of the season. Once again i apologise for the length of the post and hope that many weren't turned off halfway thought. Comments/feedback welcome

 

Nicely written article I think Obertan's standout performance as at home to Blackburn.

 

Good first post. Agree almost entirely...Or, to borrow some of your typos:

Welcome aboard...I'm in the same boat with the ****e streams due to Uni and this year I've been skint from start to finish, so haven't managed a game all season!

And while we're on the subject of Obertan's standout performance - Manure for me, all day long!

 

Decent post and welcome

 

Good review, agree with most of it.

PS: you're not a member of the BNP are you?

 

Agree with all the standout performances. Cabaye was excellent at Norwich, but just a bit better at Villa. Shame we didn't get the full points those games

 

I like you already

 

Thanks for the feed back so far and I am pleased that I seem to be well liked. Hopefully if I have time on my hands I will be able to post more threads soon and lets all hope that we can get another three points against Liverpool tonight. HTWL

 

If you have time? I'm afraid you've got to make time at the expense of having a life .

Welcome!

 

We joke, but we have got an EDL member on our boards in nufc4life, actually...As long as he doesn't spout the ****e on here I don't think it matters like!

 

Finely glad to see some intellectual's arriving on the board ( I joke ). A well structured article, which raises some good yet moot points.

I would like to see Vuckic picked abit more during the ACON.

Heaintarfonfire what would you like/expect to happen in this ever approaching transfer window?

 

Well written article, agree pretty much 100% with it. Welcome to the mad house, don't let Acid-Hippo get you alone.

 

Hello . Nice post.

 

I have only managed to get two games so far this season in Spurs and Chelsea but hoping to get to more over xmas and then i break up for the summer

 

Don't think you can come on here with your big ideas and fancy ways trying to curry favour with the lads, furthermore just because a few crawlers indulge in a bit of brown nosing you have the cheek, nay temerity to suggest that in an instant you're well liked.

Well if you want to take a bit of advice from me, may I suggest your dead right....welcome aboard..

 

I would obviously like to see a new center half come in as even though he played really well vs Bolton I don't think Willo is the answer and wouldn't mind seeing Tomkins from West Ham in as a realistic target in January. The main thing for me in the transfer window is not who we are able to bring in but who we are able to keep and hopefully Tiote and Krul are still Newcastle players come Feb. With regards to the striker situation I am disappointed with not signing Maiga as I don't really see someone who can come in and score goals when Ba is away. On the other hand I can see what Pardew is saying and agree with him as this is the new Newcastle United and is not a team that will panic buy into getting a new striker. They will only sign a player that will be worth their value.

 

Did you not see the BNP bloke last night?

 

What? What happened?

 

Fair points, if we signed either Tomkins or maybe slightly less realistically Samba and only say Smith and Loverkrands left, I'd be over the moon. However I feel there maybe a few twist and turns in this window, which maybe good or bad.