Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa might get a Newcastle United reprieve after impressing Alan Pardew Newcastle United defender was set to be off-loaded this summer but Pardew has seen signs from the defender that he is worth keeping Alan Pardew talks to his players during a Newcastle United training session at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand Mapou Yanga-Mbiwaâs efforts in pre-season have not gone unnoticed by Alan Pardew this summer. Pardew tried to offload the French international by offering him to Ligue 1 sides Lens, Bordeaux and Marseille â but none of the French trio were able to strike a financial deal that suited both clubs and the player. However rather than sulk, Yanga-Mbiwa has redoubled his efforts to get into the first team for the opening game of the season against Manchester City in two weeks time and he is now pushing Steven Taylor hard for the right to partner Fabricio Coloccini. The former Montpellier captain is way ahead in the leaderboard for the most minutes played this summer on 334 minutes to date. Thatâs 55 minutes ahead of his nearest rival Vurnon Anita and some margin ahead of the rest of the squad. And although some players wanted more rest rather than playing at Sheffield Wednesday this week, Yanga-Mbiwa put his hand up to play against the Owls. The defender has returned to pre-season in great shape and it is showing in friendly games so far. His only substitution came in Wellington last weekend when he was withdrawn after a couple of bad tackles and found himself on a yellow card. With Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa and Coloccini all appearing in pre-season so far, Mike Williamson finds himself behind and needing a run out sooner rather than later after an unspecified injury. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mapou-yanga-mbiwa-might-newcastle-united-7547875
I think he has it in him to be a good centre back. Get him playing at CB alongside Collo rather than pushing out to FB / the bench and he'll become a much better player for us. Of course if he is going to play at FB then there's really no point and he may as well head on elsewhere
Why not? If he is showing a good attitude and showings signs of improvement, we need a centre back, it would be foolhardy not to give him a chance. I'd give him util Xmas and see if he has ironed out his issues.
I've always been in the minority and rated the bloke. He is just taking a bit to settle in. Colo was ****e to start with too don't forget.
I too think Mapou will come good. Like Colo, he has taken time to settle in but I think we'll see a big improvement this season, PROVIDING we use him in his proper position at CB.
MYM is a utility defender who can play right across the back four. Whether at centre back or right back, he just needs to perform which he didn't do in any position with any degree of consistency since arriving 18 months ago. MYM will need to play right back at some stage too as we only have Janmaat. Unless he is bombproof. He has had enough time now. The Colo reasoning is not really a similar situaton. Colo looked good apart from he kept getting bullied. Once he sorted that out his natural ability shone. MYM hasn't looked able to pass, has been bullied, looked poor in the air, poor positionally, rushing out of defence and prone to giving a pen away. Its been a bit of a horror show. Hopefully he can put it behind him and start to perform for us, we desperately need a partner for Colo. There have been 2 or 3 games with a glimmer of promise in amongst the ****e. Hopefully they can become the norm.
From the perspective that it doesn't look as though we can sell him, we need to give him the chance to prove himself. We don't have the luxury of having an expensive defender sitting on the bench week after week. I don't go in for comparing him with the Colo situation, as Colo benefitted from his second season being in the Championship playing for a successful team. That gave him the chance to get used to English football.
I said in a thread last week that I thought he had it in him to be a good premiership defender and even if he doesn't cut it I think we'd be crazy to not give him a run of games between now and January/ the end of the season and if that doesn't work out then at least is wont feel unresolved. No matter how bad he was last season no-one will be able to convince me that he was worse than Perch looked in his first run of games for us. I'm confident he's a better player than that and right now I'd probably have Perch back...
MYM each time I have watched him has shown glimpses of real talent. He can be calm on the ball and able to play. He has tended to be overpowered at times and occasional poor decision making. The first problem is a case of matching him with the right partner and experience of not allowing the forward to be in a position to overpower him and the second is a question of learning and experience as he has age on his side. MYM could be a very good player for us given time and games and could be the successor to Colo in time. I would definitely stick with him for now but would play him in his preferred position otherwise it's a waste of time keeping him.
I'd sooner see MYM on a teamsheet than Williamson. Or Taylor. That said, I'd sooner we upgraded all three, but for some unknown reason that isn't on Pardew's agenda.
Mbiwa has all the physical attributes that a top CB should have but his positional sense is appalling at times. Quite often in fact. The Wellington game suggested to me nothing's changed because I saw him a few times coming rushing out of the back line to try and get to someone in midfield and leaving a huge gap at the back when he should have been holding his position. They need to school him on the basics on defending first and foremost if he's going to stay and partner Coloccini. I was always hopeful he would come good but the areas he's lacking in are things he should have had mastered at a far earlier age and you wonder if he has a case of the Titus Brambles and is just a bit thick. I mean, what about him wrestling that player to the ground and giving away the penalty last season (Chelsea game?). Just awful stuff based on poor position and concentration. It's a shame because we could really use his pace at the back as Colo and Willo's lack of pace leaves us very vulnerable to balls in behind.
I think we should give him a chance to be first choice along side colo. We need someone young to be a settled starter at the back.
I'm wondering if we should try giving him a run with Williamson if we don't bring in another CB and Colo continues to look shaky once the competitive matches are underway. Sadly I think age is starting to undermine the effectiveness of our captain.
