Another summer of negativity beckoning?

After last seasons disaster of a season, Newcastle fans would have been right to expect big changes. Many expected to see three or four new faces coming in to the club. The transfer market has now officially opened. The only team not to make a first team signing is Newcastle United. 

So, what do we need? Well Last year the competition for places in one particular area of the pitch was extremely limited, up front. Alan Pardew has been on record more than a few times saying he agrees with this, this being the case what is the reason that we are yet to bring in a striker?

The Debuchy saga from last year was proof, if ever it was needed that players must be brought in quickly. Darren Bent, allegedly available for five million pounds continues to be touted around by his current club Aston Villa. Yet Newcastle have made no bid and show no signs of doing so.

It is important to remember that we brought in good players from the French league in January, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Massaido Haidara and Mathieu Debuchy. None of which managed to perform consistently last season. Unsurprising in a struggling team in their first season. This season better is expected from them, as well as the little Dutch midfielder Vurnon Anita, who came with a big reputation but was unable to back it up. 

More positivity, the first eleven does remain strong, I doubt many people would disagree with that. The squad however is not strong, more must be added, but only time will tell if we will bring in what is required.

Midfielders Suffering From Their Own High Standards

For the two seasons previously to this season just gone, midfield enforcer Cheick Tiote was arguably Newcastle’s best and most consistent performer. Forming key partnerships with his more attack minded colleagues Kevin Nolan and then Yohan Cabaye. When former captain Nolan was sold to West Ham a lot of eyebrows were raised as to why Newcastle were selling their main goalscorer just months after the departure of number nine Andy Carroll, who coincidentally spent this season with Nolan at West Ham, reuniting their partnership from their days in the North East.

Cabaye, however came in and excelled from the off and he was only pipped to signing of the season by the free transfer of that seasons top scorer Demba Ba after his release from West Ham following their relegation. Cabaye brought with him an excellent range of passing along with his tenacious nature and sometimes questionable temperament. He was superb alongside Tiote, so much so that the pair of them were linked with big money moves away from the club however they both stayed put.

This season both started Newcastle’s first game against Tottenham at home, in a two – one home win, with goals from Ba and then a Hatem Ben Arfa penalty. Before Newcastle traveled to Chelsea key man Tiote picked up an injury and was ruled out of the game, he would go on to miss a number of games throughout the season. When Tiote returned it was Cabaye who began to miss games through injury and the team was beginning to struggle. Tiote returned in body only at first, looking a shadow of the man who had attracted interest from some elite clubs. He struggled to get his own passing game going and looked tired for pretty much the whole campaign, possibly the two International tournaments in two years had taken its tole on the midfield dynamo.

Some fans have now labeled Tiote a liability. How can this be the case? How can the man who has been exceptional for two years be a liability? Tiote has struggled to replicate his best form this season, but he will be back. I have no doubt about it. Yohan Cabaye has struggled through this campaign for most of it, while the influential Frenchman has shown flashes of brilliance and his six goal return is not the worst, he has failed to produce what he is capable of. Next season it is imperative that both Tiote and Cabaye return to their best form and our fans must be more tolerant of bad performances, remember that before this season they were two of our best players.

@jakeswinburn

Gary Neville’s assessment on MNF

I decided to post this after seeing the reaction of some Newcastle fans to Gary Neville’s analysis of the weekends Premier league football. Particularly Newcastle’s 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool on the preview of the Monday night ‘Villa vs Sunderland game. In which he spoke about the lack of English and British players in the Newcastle first team set up. This was something that many fans seemed to think warranted criticism of Neville. With many moving to band the “overpriced English players” tagline about. However I personally agree with Neville One Hundred per cent, not only do I agree with Neville I also feel that English players are often no more overpriced than Foreign imports.

The issue i have with the previously mentioned “overpriced English players” line is summed up quite nicely by this up and coming short comparison.

Ukrainian forward Sergei Rebrov was without any question a quality player on the continent, excelling with his performances for Dynamo Kiev. So much so that his £11million transfer to English side Tottenham Hotspur seemed more than understandable. Rebrov arrived at Spurs with a very big reputation but it is safe to say that he was average at best during his spell in England, scoring just one goal in his final season at Spurs. Another Ukrainian forward who arrived in this country with an even bigger reputation was Rebrov’s former strike partner, while nobody can doubt the quality of striker Andriy Shevchenko they can doubt his torrid time at Stamford Bridge, they can also doubt how a £30million move without delivering performances did not bring about a “overpriced foreigner” line such as the “overpriced English” one being used today, with the most recent high profile example being former Newcastle man Andy Carroll. The number of expensive foreign imports who have failed to deliver goes on and on. El-Hadj Diouf failed to show his best for Liverpool and was consequently shipped off to Bolton Wanders, while French Striker Steve Marlet was quite frankly just not good enough after his £11.5million move to Fulham.

Newcastle fans seem to have short memories and have been quick to put recent flops, Luque, Boumsong and Marcelino to the back of their minds. After this particular trio cost Newcastle almost a combined £25million. This is not to mention players such as Guivarc’h and Anderson who just couldn’t cut the mustard at St. James’. On the other hand, Englishman Jermain Defoe has been transferred a number of times, never going for a single fee more than £14million. Defoe has always had the knack of putting the ball in the net, but for some reason has never gone for a fee anywhere near that of Shevchenko. Hardly an overpriced Englishman.

Tom Huddlestone is a player who I have always admired, his range of passing and the way in which he can strike a ball are both something special, he cost Tottenham a whopping £2.5million, whereas Aaron Lennon who has been a key figure at White Hart Lane for a number of seasons set them back a staggering £1million. Not to mention the £5million paid for right back Kyle Walker. Which coincidentally is around £1million less than Newcastle forked out for Mathieu Debuchy. If you had purchased Englands ‘Keeper Joe Hart when he moved to Man City, the £100k fee would hardly have even made a dint in most clubs budgets. Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka complete the list of just a few of these “overpriced Englishmen” costing £10million for the pair of consistent performers. Hardly overpriced were they.

Newcastle themselves had the closest thing they have had to success in a while under the late, great Sir Bobby Robson. Englishmen Kieron Dyer, Jermain Jenas and Alan Shearer where three of their most influential figures in Robsons later seasons. All of which proved to be more than worth the money Newcastle paid for them. I admit English players are sometimes a little overpriced, but what escapes most peoples attention is that a lot of the time so are players from abroad.

It is not only the lack of English players being brought into the Newcastle set up that is a concern, it is also the lack of opportunities being awarded to the ones who are already there. Dan Gosling has found it difficult to get a look in recently, since he returned from injury he has sat on the bench as under performing Argentinan Jonas Guttierez has been given the nod ahead of him. Gosling has still somehow by a number of our ‘fans’ admittedly most of these ‘fans’ are those who embarrassingly christened us ‘Le Toon’, but the fact of the matter is that Gosling is a hard working, young player with a reasonable eye for goal, who deserves a chance.

Shola Ameobi might well not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the big, strong academy graduate is and has always been a fantastic servant to the club. He is a good player to have to protect a lead, as his strength with his back to goal and his ability to bring people into play would suggest.  He also has experience and has scored some crucial goals over the years, although goal scoring might not particularly be one of his strengths. However his reward for his service is to sit and watch while his beloved club struggle week after week, and the previously mentioned Jonas, along with under performing French international Moussa Sissoko are persistently played in attacking positions. Whatever you think of Shola as a player, his influence in the dressing room cannot be underestimated, he is a reminder that we must not lose our identity as a club as so many Frenchmen are brought in. Yet he was overlooked for the captaincy after an injury to the excellent Fabricio Coloccini, instead the armband was passed to French midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who if truth be told has been below par himself this season. Is this proof that we are beginning to lose some of our identity?

Cheers for reading, whether you agree or not – @jakeswinburn