November was yet another poor month for Steve McClaren’s Newcastle United side, picking up just three points out of a possible nine.
Heavy defeats to Leicester and Crystal Palace overshadowed the joy of securing their second victory of the season – a narrow 1-0 win over newly promoted AFC Bournemouth.
In the Magpies’ win at Dean Court, Rob Elliot churned out a top drawer performance, reminiscent to Tim Krul’s against Spurs a few seasons back and Jack Butland’s against us in October.
The former Charlton man was unbeatable and kept Newcastle in the game for the most part.
He continued his fine form into the next game, against Leicester, though the back four in front of him left him open and vulnerable, which the Foxes took full advantage of. Despite the embarrassing 3-0 scoreline, Elliot was arguably our best player of the game and was the only player who gave everything that afternoon.
In our most recent outing, a dismal display against Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace, Elliot was once again left to clear up his defenders mistakes but he had been handed an impossible task. The Eagles did not give the Irish stopper a moment’s rest, as Fabricio Coloccini and Paul Dummett frequently allowed Palace’s front line through on goal.
Other than Elliot, no Newcastle player can look back at their performances in November and honestly believe they performed well. So, Rob Elliot is Read Newcastle’s Player of the Month for November.
