Match Day Thread V Swansea City

The reason why we didn’t win was poor finishing.

 

We should have had it won by half time. The second half was a different ball game, we didn't have much answer to their counter attacks, down the left, down the right and through the middle. I think we struggled in the second half down the middle going forward as well, there wasn't much support for the man on the ball.

 

Quite simply: Newcastle are going down. It may not be this season, it may not be next. But it will come and unless there's a complete change from top to bottom: from the Chairman through to the Academy, then coming back to the top flight will be only a pipedream or, at best, a quick one season return.

It won't be long before

 

Bournemouth just beat arsenal. This is why they will stay up. They might get battered occasionally but they carry an intensity and threat going forward which gets them WINS. Scrapping around drawing too many doesn't keep you up.

We would never get a surprise result against arsenal with our current set up. We'd be too defensive and eventually give in.

 

Its still all to play for fellas.

 

Bugger Arsenal. It's Bournemouth that I am more concerned about!

 

It's this season. I'm coming around to accepting it now. We have failed to win games at home which we should have (not due to playing better than the opposition but simply that they were games we should win if we are going to get enough points to stay up). Swansea are the only team in the league worse than us and in the end they deserved to win yesterday. We'll get to 30 points but we will not get to 40 and when we sign no-one of value this month whilst watching teams around us doing so we'll just have to accept that the people in charge have already accepted it.

 

I can’t believe how much of free ride Rafa gets off our fans. As good as his tactics are away, at home he is clueless. When we get good results away it’s all down to him, yet when we have no plan at home it’s because he has no money. We are in a relegation battle because we have a squad that deserves to be. Of that there is no doubt. It just isn’t the whole story. We have decent spells at home but then there are other times crying out for guidance and none is forthcoming from the bench. This rigid substitution system is laughable. Then the ones we make are equally as laughable. It’s one of the tools a manager has available to them to change the course of a game. Our manager just uses it as something which needs to be done in the course of a game. They are made coldly, clinically, without passion and seemingly just to get it over and done with. It is moronic.

 

Our lack of a cutting edge or structure to our attack going forward does need to be laid at his door in part. We have one of the better set piece players for some time (Ritchie) with some decent headers too (Lascelles, Mitro) or alternatively some really threat on the break (Gayle, Atsu, Murphy, Aarons) and players capable of releasing them (Shelvey, Merino) but instead of playing either real tactic we put in a random selection of Perez, Diame, Joselu, Hayden, etc. It's not at though they are all terrible players but you do sometimes watch them running around the pitch and think "given we're meant to be trying to win this game what are you actually contributing?" - listlessly passing the ball amongst ourselves before fumbling it out of play doesn't seem to be striking fear into our opponents.

 

ps. I would almost guarantee he knows exactly which substitutions he is going to make before the game starts. It rarely feels reactive. I love the man but he certainly isn't immune from criticism.

 

This what worries me. The plan is so clear away. They know their jobs. It’s not pretty but at least we have a plan.

I don’t see a plan at home. We have players who can do damage. As you say we have players who with some quality drilling should bring a set piece threat. Can he not just at least put something in place for the home games. The record at home is a joke. The subs are a joke. Of course frustration is heightened because I’m sitting through all these home games, I accept that. But all I know is that any other manager would be getting pelters. I’m not saying that would be a good thing, I just hope this unwavering support is not making him as complacent and listless as our home performances suggest.

 

He certainly does. Unless it’s an injury he just seems to have some notes and thinks “right 65mins, player x comes on for player y”

We have it drummed into fans by the Chronicle writers etc we are watching one of the games tactical masters, I think some fans are buying that bullshit and just blindly following such rubbish rather than watching what they are seeing. I’m sick of the transfer and money excuses. We need players but we have what we have, a smart cookie will put his faith in them and move forward.

 

What we have at our disposal is good enough to have dispatched Swansea. It isn't the draw it was the manner of the draw, if we'd had another half hour I'd have backed Swansea to win it. Swansea are utterly terrible.

 

Brighton, Bournemouth and Swansea home. Three home games that we should have won but didn't. Main reason? Benitez. He needs to stop with the cautious approach against these types of sides.

 

I personally don't mind caution if its co-ordinated. Of course I prefer swashbuckling but I fully understand there are many ways to skin a cat. You just have to have a plan. Turning up to skin the cat with a Postman Pat book and a spoon isn't a plan.

 

To be fair it is a plan, just not a very good one....

 

Can't quite understand the issue. We should have won and would have easily beaten Swansea by the furst half if we'd finished chances. I rate Benitez and all that but not enough to miraculously make Gayle find some shooting boots.
Moans about subs also seem pretty pointless in this match considering the mighty Joselu scored within minutes of coming in. If we are moaning that all three of his subs didnt have perfect impact, then no we'll never be happy.

The way I see it people were using Huddersfield and Brighton as sticks to beat our seasonal performance with and yet only Brighton are above us, and by one frigging point. You can also point to the impending Man City game but that would be ignoring Southampton have Liverpool and Brighton have Chelsea. Okay hudds have Stoke so somebodys picking up points, but the season doesn't end at 24 games.
I just dont know who was expecting an attacking brand of football when the summer window ended.
Oh and that Bournemouth, a team that goes for it and will survive, is one point above us. That attacking thing has certainly been paying off, the table doesnt lie

 

But it would be more entertaining to watch than our bored one fighters on the pitch.

 

I think people are suggesting we have to get some wins from somewhere and this was a game we should have gone out hard to win.

The tactics and style of play where questionable.

You look at your fixture list and pin the 3 pointers and this, plus Brighton plus Bournemouth for me where matches we lost points.

Our home form is the second worst in the league so he’s getting the away performances correct but not the home ones for me I am afraid.

 

Not attacking, PRESSING. Go for it further up the pitch. On the break at home is just weird.