John Carver may be somewhat disappointed that his side couldn’t pick up all three points yesterday but, Newcastle United have finally put an end to their dismal run, of eight straight defeats, with a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion. Here is what we learnt from the game:
The difference when Mike Williamson isn’t in defence is night and day
Fabricio Coloccini gets a lot of schtick for his poor defensive displays by fans and pundits alike – sometimes rightly so. That said, when Coloccini has a competent centre-half alongside him, with either some footballing knowledge or just a bit of pace, the Argentine isn’t having to clear up their mishaps as well as dealing with his own.
This might sound slightly harsh but Paul Dummett seems to be a younger, quicker and more competent version of Mike Williamson. Whilst they both perform the same role of basic no nonsense defending (clearances, slide tackles etc.) the Welshman seems to be more composed at centre half than Mike. I fear Dummett may end up like Mike in five years time when he starts to lose his pace but, for now, he’s far more ideal alongside Coloccini.
Daryl Janmaat returning next week and Mike Williamson still being suspended is a godsend.
Ayoze Perez is on another level
How and why Ayoze Perez was destined for under-21 level at Newcastle still baffles me. For such a young, raw talent, the Catalan has such ability, flair and vision. Even when I saw him for his brief cameo at Villa Park last August, with his back heel through to De Jong, I could tell he was special.
His second goal in as many games against West Brom proved it. It was superb control with his right foot to tee him up for a left-footed volley on the edge of the box, despite the number of bodies in front of him. If we manage to stay up, Perez will be a key player for us next season.
Vurnon Anita had his best game in a Newcastle shirt
What timing too! Anita has looked off boil for quite a lot of his time since moving from Ajax, unable to hold down a starting place in his desired central midfield role. That said, when filling in at RB for the suspended Janmaat, Anita was superb. Possibly even Man of the Match. It’s a shame he had to come off at the end with a knock – hopefully nothing too serious ahead of the trip to Loftus Road next weekend.
The fight is there
I don’t know where it has been for the past two months but the effort levels yesterday eclipsed anything else I have seen from any John Carver side since the win at Hull. Whilst the result wasn’t ideal, the performance and will from the team was. Taking that against a relegated QPR side should hopefully prove to get a result of sorts in West London next week.
A new deal for Ryan Taylor is definitely not forthcoming
Ryan Taylor would appear one step closer to the exit door with yet another game in which he failed to make any significant impact. Ever since he sustained back-to-back season long injuries, he has looked a mere shadow of his former self. Even though Ayoze’s goal today came from one of his set-pieces, the dead-ball specialist’s delivery is substandard compared to what it once was. With his top trait now gone, Taylor is just a passenger – who unjustifiably seized Mehdi Abeid’s spot in the first-team.
Remy Cabella out wide isn’t working, Jonas Gutierrez proved that
The best effort I saw from Cabella yesterday was him cutting inside and having an effort, which ended up straight over the bar, down the Gallowgate end. He cannot cross, nor go past people down the outside, but what he can do is cut inside and shoot from range.
Jonas behind him at left-back showed him how to play the wide role and skip past defenders whilst winning corners or free-kicks. It looks like the Frenchman has taken it on board – enticing the opposition into giving away fouls against him.
Cisse’s a great goal scorer but a subdued footballer
I hardly know Papiss is on the pitch until the ball is finally delivered his way. That said, when it does land towards him, the outcome of late has been a goal!
Perez contributes more as he has a footballing brain. Simply put: Cisse doesn’t, but that’s OK. Shearer didn’t have much of a footballing brain either, especially compared to Beardsley or Ginola, but he had a knack of scoring goals – much like Cisse.
Papiss has said he’ll be fit to start next week and, hopefully, Newcastle will have Siem De Jong back too. It is all beginning to finally come together, right when we need it to. De Jong, Cisse, Cabella, Perez, Sissoko all available to take on a suspect and relegated Queens Park Rangers side next week – hopefully we pick up a result there. A win for us and a favour from Spurs, who take on Hull next weekend, could seal our top flight status for another season. Would it be deserved? That’ll be analysed over the summer.
