3pm game. TV: 12 noon (delay) Fox Soccer Channel. (NUFC.com has FSC+ listed, but my OSG says otherwise). Squad: Out: Fabricio Coloccini, Cheick Tiote, Danny Guthrie, Mike Williamson, Sylvain Marveaux and Steven Taylor are confirmed absentees and Jonas Gutierrez returns after serving a one match ban. NCFC: Defenders Ritchie de Laet and Elliott Ward remain sidelined. Ref: Martin Atkinson Can we escape the deathblow that was given the team the last three games? I'm completely convinced that Pardew has the acumen to drag the team through this dark period. However, in his previous stops as manager, there's been complaints about the style of ball he played. Hopefully he doesn't revert to type in the face of danger. We have a few winnable games coming up before the Jan window opens. And our strike force hasn't been hit, yet. Thx, Jay!
NUFC XI: Krul R Taylor Simpson Perch Santon Obertan Cabaye Gosling Jonas (c) Ba Shola Ameobi NUFC Subs: Elliot, Ferguson, Smith, Sammy Ameobi, HBA, Lovenkrands, Best I'm probably not gonna watch on a stream so I'll be back after the FSC broadcast. Thx, Jay!
Shit. Norwich take the lead in the 38th minute. They've had the better of it recently so it has been coming a bit. Although it was from a corner that shouldn't have been. Two bad calls in 8 days cost us.
Holt scores for them off another corner in the 58th minute. 2-1 down and our makeshift defence has been vulnerable to set pieces.
Not really surprising but with no proper CBs Norwich are winning headers all over our box. 3-1 Norwich.
Well we lost our third game of the season, second on the bounce. It's disappointing but perhaps not that surprising. We couldn't cope with their aerial threat because of our lack of CBs, playing four full-backs as a back four has cost us this game. Had a feeling that our lack of squad depth would bite us on the arse at some point, well this is that point. Just have to put it behind us and focus on Swansea next week, getting some injured players back is pretty vital since Gosling will be suspended too (unless it gets appealed). If Tiote's not back next week we'll be playing Smith or Abeid. Should be said Gosling and Obertan were poor. Santon did okay on his first league start.
Thankfully the Dan Gosling show has closed. At fault on the last three goals. 1) Didn't stick with his mark, Holt. 2) That pass. Ugh. 3) Got sent off and no one else realized he was marking Holt. 100% right about depth being the issue here. Surprisingly it was the midfield depth and not the backline depth that had the most failing. However you have to think Gosling's not marking Holt if Colo or Saylor is available. I was also enthused about Santon's (handball free) game, less so about Smith making the pitch. And how's that a red on Gosling and not a red on the Ameobi tackle by Crofts? Gosling would have been gone anyway, but still. Thx, Jay!
That sucked. But, our goals were magic. This team can play, and play hard. Truely, someone deserves to get a game in place of Obertan. He provides very little threat. Sami, Ben Arfa, Vukcic, Ferguson, anyone. Gosling's game turned sour but he started brightly, getting into the box. Hopefully there'll be a central defender joining the squad on Jan 1.
I don't know what Obertan does that Pardew feels he deserves to be an automatic selection but right now I think SAMeobi deserves to be playing over Obertan. I just haven't been that impressed with him. I want to know what Kadar has done that has Pardew so low on him. All reports out of the reserves are that he has impressed and had a good season with them. Why then start Simpson and Perch over a true CB? I am not happy they lost, but in a way I am happy. Hopefully this is a wake up call to CAshley and leads to reinforcements in Jan at several positions.
Four goals from crosses, three from set plays. The fact that we ostensibly didn't anticipate that issue when starting "CBs" who are 5-8 and 5-11 is surprising. Also goes to show how little AP apparently thinks of Kadar. Did we seriously not have a single CB anywhere in the pipeline with giving a shot?
Santon didn't have a disaster of a game. I was wondering where he was a couple times when the ball went deep in his side,l and wondered where he was going a couple times when he carried the ball into the center at midfield, or popped up on the right side in attack. But hey, an attacking fullback is no bad thing. But now he has "EPL Experience". We should get to see more of him. And if Colo is in the back 4 maybe he can keep him a little more where a semi-traditional RB should be.
I was watching Raylor in the first half and the strange thing was he looked uncomfortable at times on his natural side. I wondered why Pardew didn't consider switching Raylor and Santon in the second half? Rewatching the game I liked Santon going forward. He is definitely more Roberto Carlos than Maldini. That said I wonder if playing him at Right Mid would be a good move? The thing Pardew has not liked about him is his defensive ability. Why not give him a chance to take Obertan's spot? He is good out wide, can cross better and would probably help the D more and better than Obertan. Has the same wheels. The right side is his natural side. I'm not seeing a downside about that move here.
When are we going to get some of those that get kicked of our player and into the net before anyone realizes it? We've certainly given up enough of them.
