Really excited about Mitrovic/Perez partnership!!

I can't help being excited. Even though we'll likely sell one of them if they have a good season, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Two passionate, hard working forwards that compliment each other! We haven't had this in ages!

It's going to fill me with a lot of confidence heading into the derby and other games knowing we're not going to have to rely on Cisse or some other **** up front on his own with no service.

This time we have two different types of threats and they can handle themselves, therefore creating space for midfielders to get balls into the box!

COME ON YOU ****S!

 

The problem is that we are only an injury away from complete and utter disaster.

 

Is that a Kleenex delivery van I see?
And closely followed by a snow plough? In September?

 

Have to agree, these 2 look a very promising duo and compliment each other very well. Mitrovic looks a real handful and will boss most CB's in the Pl this year. His passion was very evident on Saturday and will become a hero very quickly if he can play as he did on Saturday, retaining his cool.
Perez will have a lot of clubs sniffing in January so fingers crossed Cashley adds to our squad not deplete it.

 

Mitrovic keeping his cool will be vital. Hard to get the right balance between passion/aggression AND discipline.

Just hope they both get plenty of games together.

 

Its inevitable we will sell him

 

A bit disappointed with Mitrovic's finishing, but he's aa handful for defenders and offers something completely different to most of the strikers we've had since Shearer!

Perez is great little player, no idea why Mclaren has been cocblocking us by not playing him, but he's in now.

Just wish we had ome creativity in midfield!

 

Mitrovic looks pretty deadly in the air. He hasn't had enough chances for me to judge his finishing. He's only started 3 games like, and was sent off in one lol!

We need to get him some service though. He was mainly used as a battering ram against Chelski.

As far as I'm aware he's only had two crosses put into him since he's been here, one against Chelsea where it was a decent effort, and the once which he put on the bar vs Man Utd.

 

He should have scored both of those, but he missed chances in pre-season as well. Doesn't look like a 10+ goal a season premier league striker to me.

 

He's had two headers from about 18 yards give him a chance for goodness sake

 

Mitrovic is deadly in the air. He will scores goals. He's one of those strikers that once he scores, he doesn't stop.

 

I think it's a bit harsh like, neither of them were free headers. He scored plenty of goals in his other teams. Maybe those leagues aren't PL standard, but it's proof he can finish if given the service.

 

We'll see lads, maybe he needs the confidence of that first goal, he just doesn't look like a natural goalscorer to me.

Gini looks like he'd be a decent back-up striker because he does know how to lose a man and has wonderful instinctive finishing ability. However, his general play seems woeful. It would be fine if we were Chelsea and could carry that type of player, but we can't. Playing him on the left is just weird.

Still love Mbemba, comfortably our best signing. If only we could ship out Colo for another one!

 

I think what we have stumbled across, in spite of the best endeavours of Pardew, Carver and McLaren, is what Newcastle United is at its' core; 4-4-1-1. We have struggled for an identity since Ashley came in; Hughton was closest to establishing it, but was a bit beholden to some hoofball to Carroll. The 4-4-1-1 has heritage back to the halcyon days of Keegan's entertainers and remains the best formation we've ever played. Whether it was McGhee/Quinn, Beardo/Cole, Shearer/Ferdy, Shearer/Bellamy, Carroll/Nolan, we've always been at our very best when deploying that formation. We're now blessed with two players who revel in it, so the OP has every right to be excited about it.

Bit gutted that we couldn't have just dipped into England to sort out the midfield; Thauvin's almost certain to be a massive waste of money, Sissoko still doesn't quite fit, Obertan's not a PL player, Anita/Colback is just that bit too lightweight in the middle. Still, I do like the idea of the narrow 4 man midfield. We desperately need a quality LB, hard to think our young RB understudy is really going to solve that problem, as it's imperative when playing narrow that your full backs have the energy and discipline to run the wings. Is Aarons any good at LB?! Hopefully Dummett will be reasonable til January. But a narrow 4 works for me behind these two; you could even argue going with a diamond would work, like Inter's dominating tactic of the mid 2000's.

 

Yep pleased with this combo. Both will have dips as young players. Hopefully SDJ is up to speed to step in for Perez. However Mitro is a different matter entirely. If you had Austin or Carroll, your 4 centre forward options would be very good and very balanced.

Personally I liked Gini in that left role for the time being. He tucked in nicely first half. He was ok 2nd but like Sissoko (if not as alarmingly) dropped off performance wise. How much of that was down to the managers change in tactics I don't know. One thing is clear, we are not yet fit enough to play Cathro's high intensity press for 90 mins. That is what will win us football games along with of course carrying a threat. I am bit disappointed this is how McClaren wants to play, but we are not fit enough from pre season to do it?

We badly need a partner for Mbemba. The kid is electric and has a touch of class. He is fully committed. If you had a leader to sit alongside him and a proper left back, I'd like our situ for mid table. Mbabu is good enough cover for Janmaat. If we had solidity elsewhere in the defence and fitness to press for 90mins, Janmaat's attacking ability would look so much better instead of exposing us.

Basically my wishlist would go as follows:

Commanding Centre Back
Quality Left Back with a defence first mentality
Ball playing midfielder
Striker to compete with Mitro (Austin or Carroll type)

At some point I'd like a destroyer to replace Tiote. I think we should have just kept Kemen and Abeid personally, dumping Tiote

I'd prefer they were all british.

I have one more concern about McClaren - in his interview he admitted to asking Mbabu an hour before kick off if he had played left back and would it be a problem...WTF

 

I think the fact that both of them are 21/22 bodes well, Mitro has just turned 21 and has scored over 70 goals for proffesional football teams, which is amazing, he just need to get used to the prem and get off the mark, it will come though.

Get them two playing week in week out together for a year or so and the partnership will become so good, mitro really seems to love ayoze, he was chucking around after both goals and grabbed a clump of his hair.

 

I've got absolutely nothing against direct football as long as there's a ****ing proper target man up front with someone in support.

It can be devastating if done right, and also talent to surround the big number 9.

 

I think the change in tactics was a nightmare, I said as much in the match thread. To sit back is a disaster in the Premier league unless you have a VERY capable defence and a fast counter-attacking outlet. As I watched that match I was thinking "right, come on, let's get a third and really send a statement out" only to watch them come out and set up camp in our own third. That wasn't about Chelsea playing well, they were allowed to play. I have SERIOUS concerns about McLaren, already. I think Cathro's input is right, the high-press is a very strong tactic for teams without top-4 clout; Valencia, Atletico, Mainz under Tuchel, how Dortmund exploded up the Bundesliga under Klopp. I think McLaren's cowardice and typical British attitude is all wrong. And I don't like him. He doesn't talk normally. He started off being honest, now he just sounds a bit weird. He's desperate to switch his faux-Dutch accent back on. Jury's out.

We need a replacement for Colo. If Terry has to warm a bench, so should Colo. A strong CB - Joel Matip looked the part, as did that Abennour, but a Shawcross or Williams would be ideal - is a must. As is a competent left back. We need to just cut losses on Riviere, Gouffran, Marv, Willo, Haidara, Tiote and Cisse. Get every single one out and invest heavily in young British talent where possible, with a bit of PL experience too. Austin for about £8m in Jan would be great to supplement Mitrovic, SDJ can work instead of Perez so up front we'd be sorted. Left back - we just need to spend here, we can't keep putting in half-baked players and hoping for the best, we've got to accept that we need someone of Janmaat's calibre on that side as well.

Midfield we need a destroyer. Getting rid of 5, 6 or 7 bit part players must free up the reserves to spend well here. The likes of Colback and Anita are useful in a squad, but even a mid-table side can't be hanging their hopes on them all season. Not sure how easy they are to find, but a Matic type (though clearly not at that level) is what's needed in here. Someone to allow us more opportunity to go with a diamond formation. I'd probably cash in on Sissoko to ensure we could afford it all, so buy a RM to play there - Townsend would be my choice all day long, hard worker. Probably too early to sell Thauvin, but I'd sooner see Ola John in from Benfica/Reading than the French madame.

In: Matip (also helps with the DM issue), Dunk (backup CB), Willems (LB), Fer (CM/backup), Townsend (RM), Austin.
Out: Riviere, Gouffran, Marv, Willo, Haidara, Tiote, Cisse.

 

I think British coaches in general are light years behind those on the continent. McClaren is a dinosaur. He's of the same mould as Pardew and Roy Hodgson. Drab, boring football. That being said, we're stuck with him, so he should be given a chance. That means in January, getting rid of the deadwood like Colo, Riviere and the other ****e that Graham Carr has signed and bringing in some steel.

 

Come on we can't be slating McClaren's coaching just yet. Yes he has made a poor start, and yes some of his decisions have been a bit bewildering/borderline insane. However he has gone to the continent learnt his trade. There is no reason British coaches can't be every bit as good as their european counterparts. Look at the likes of Howe and so on, the new breed have a very similar ethos. Whether McClaren is old or new breed remains to be seen.

Personally I am not convinced age is that much of a factor. Old dogs do learn new tricks and sometimes are brighter. I think Marcelo Bielsa is a bit of a genius in coaching terms. He is about 60 odd. He found his own solutions with his favoured 3-3-3-1 formation with high press. You now see the much lauded Pochettino and Simeone (who worked under him) adopting the same aggressive press with similar formations. Marcelo Gallardo is current manager of River Plate doing a stellar job. He is another disciple.

Actually I think we should Gallardo as manager He can bring that Colombian centre half Balenta with him. Watched River as he took them to CL over there, he has done a cracking job. Actually is Bielsa not out of work too after leaving Marseille?

I think we have to give McClaren time and hope he improves. A lot of very good manages and coaches have sticky spells and make strange decisions in their first season. We have to give him a few seasons.