St. James Park Sunday PPV at 11am ET in the US Ok... we play the striped ones... Several key things in this match The return of Ruud: can he find his scoring touch in the Prem? who will partner him? will we play a 4-4-2? Scholes' form: if he continues playing like he is right now then he cannot continue to start will he play to potential? will this be his last match to prove himself? Midfield on a whole: We have been criticized for not creating chances... well, that's harsh. If the strikers and some of the middies put away the chances that come their way we can score. However, we still need some more creative play from the heart of the midfield. Solutions: Play Miller in Scholes' place. Play Ronaldo in Scholes' place with Miller on the right. Play Scholes in Scholes' place (free him of all defensive duties) Play Rooney is Scholes' place behind Ruud and Saha Defence: No issues here really, we've been rock-solid thus far and can't have many complaints here. Oh, of course... lineups? I think we will only have 2 changes or so from our last league match Ruud will return and Saha will get in for Smith.
Re: Newcastle Vs. Man Utd vs I usually stick the date on the thread title too, especially since this is a Sunday match. And of course the requisite [R]. But anyways, yeah Ruud is back and we should mostly have a fully healthy squad. I would put Saha in up top and let Rooney come off the bench if necessary. There's no reason we shouldn't play for the win, if for no other reason than not to fall further behind the top. I just think we need to find that finishing touch, and if we can do that and gain confidence, the chances will start pouring in. The midfield is still shaky-looking to me... I wouldn't hesitate to make changes at halftime if we look flat. Match is live on PPV rolleyes: again) at 11 am ET.
Re: Newcastle Vs. Man Utd Newcastle (from): Given, Harper, Carr, Hughes, Bernard, Elliott, O'Brien, Bramble, Johnsen, Butt, Bowyer, Jenas, Robert, Dyer, Milner, Ambrose, Shearer, Bellamy, Kluivert, Ameobi. Man Utd (from): Carroll, Howard, Ricardo, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand, Silvestre, Brown, O'Shea, Heinze, Fortune, Ronaldo, Bellion, Keane, Scholes, Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson, Fletcher, Giggs, Van Nistelrooy, Rooney, Saha, Smith.
Johno, I think you are too critical on Scholes. It's true that he has not been scoring goals from midfield lately. But his passes and distribution is the BEST among all of our midfield players in the last couple of matches. Keano, on the other hand, has been poor comparing to Scholes. His passes are slow and non-creative. He can still hold the ball well but he cannot move the ball forward and find other players quick enough. IMO, he has slowed down our attack whenever he gets the ball. This allows the opposition to have more time to organise their defense. I wouldn't mind to try replacing him with Fletcher or Miller in this match. We need to start scoring goals in fast break. I don't think we've scored any fast break goals in the premiership this season when the match is still tied at 0-0.
Scholes' passing has been decent, not great. He is also the only attacking midfielder in the team, Keane is playing the anchor role and Giggs and Ronaldo play the wings, who else is going to play through balls to the strikers/wingers? There are a few wingers who are the center of their team's attack who not only create chances for themselves and others, but are the focal point of creativity in the team. Ronaldo is good, but he is not yet that player. Giggs has never been that player so its up to Scholes. He has been slightly better thus far, but not a Deco or Lampard yet and that's where he needs to be. If he cannot play at that level he needs to be sat down because we have acknowledged the need for a replacement for Keane and we are trying our best, but he is still the best DM we have, however we might have a better attacking mid in the side - but he cannot seem to get into more than 3 games out of 10 so we may never know how good he can be (Kleberson).
I don't go along with this criticism of Scholes and Keane at all. We've only started to play attacking football in the Premiership against Portsmouth and City and in both games it was our finishing that let us down. In the City game we took 67% of the possession (82% at one point) - essentially down to Keane and Scholes (with Miller contributing nothing and Ronaldo out wide) against a 5 man midfield. The problem is that none of Smith, Saha or Rooney are goal poachers. In a box as crowded as City's was, it needs a player with the instincts of a poacher (epitimised by RvN) to find the space. We just didn't have that. These are three players that like to run with the ball and there just wasn't room to do that with nine outfield defenders in the box or lined up just outside. What did disappoint me was the apparent unwillingness of Ronaldo and Giggs to take the ball to the goal line and cut it back. That way you turn the defenders and the numbers become a problem instead of a strength. I was also troubled that Smith and Saha were so inneffective in the air - not improved by Ronaldo's appallingly wasted corners. But essentially this was a game of frustration at our finishing not at our ability to dominate the opposition with attacking play. It'll come! Someon'e's going to get hammered for six soon
We need three points from this match. This is very important so we can get back morale. Giggs and co. are getting the end of their careers and time for Fergie to let the others step up. Ruud is back so that is a positive thing.
Scholes is playing fine. Not his fault that the ballwinners aren't winning the balls. And that the strikers aren't finishign easy chances. He's not scoring goals, but his passing is the best on the team still. Easily. I have no idea how this game will turn out. Predicting Man Utd games right now is futile. So I might as well hope for the break-out 6-0 win !
hopefullly we can get some good crosses into the box for RVN to finish...that is wat was missing in the man city game. a poacher like Ruud..i predict a 6-2 win for us...we seem to score a lot against newcastle...
Since United have only been coming out to play against the bigger sides in the more important games, then maybe we'll see a good game from United tomorrow. Ruud is back, after his suspension and excellent performence against Sparta prague, he'll hit the back of the net. Saha should start as well, maybe Rooney just needs a chance to get his berings and some rest. No chance of this happening, i know, but I really wish Richardson could get a chance at some point. Anyone who followed the CP game knows how much of a threat he was. He showed a dynamic play thats eluded Giggs for the past year. Otherwise, to take my part in the Scholesy controversy, he is our best attacking midfielder. Maybe this will be his game. Or maybe not. I think he does bring more to the table than any other player we have, so whether you want him to start or not, he probabley will.
So here is my projected starting lineup --------------Saha-------Ruud Giggs---------Keane----Scholes----------Ronaldo Heinze--------Mikael----Ferdinand-------Neville --------------------Carroll Bench: Rooney Smith Miller Brown Howard I think this is a game that Rooney could be left out for 2 reasons. 1) Newcastle will not play defensively so we won't need Rooney to help break down the defence, in addition to Scholes, Giggs and Ronaldo - rather we just need good penatly area movement and finishing - weak fullbacks imo so lots of crosses and Saha will help there too. 2) We will not be playing defensively so we wont need a striker to come back for the ball quite as much as against a very attacking team that will possess the ball alot. This will also hopefully leave room for Scholes to play closer to the strikers and maybe now he will show some of that form of his. Rooney on the bench means that if we need a goal we can bring him on for a midfielder or if Saha is ineffective - his strength and will to run at defenders will be a good thing to have late in a game.
Has it gotten this bad where I see Giggs in a projested lineup and have to cringe? Maybe Miller or even Fletcher I say. CRon of course.
Early radio pre-match commentary suggests Giggs will nt be starting and that Fletcher will be on the right and Ronaldo on the left. Scholes and Keane in the middle. It also sounds like Ruud and Rooney will be up front. I'm waiting for the definitive word.
Confirmed. The back is Heinze, Silvestre, Ferdinand and G. Neville. Carroll in goal. For those who are interested, freelivefootball.co.uk will be streaming the game online from their own website. Its worth the couple bucks to watch online rather than paying big bucks for pay per view or heading out to the pub.
STARTING LINEUP Roy Carroll 13 Rio Ferdinand 5 Gabriel Heinze 4 Gary Neville 2 Mikael Silvestre 27 Darren Fletcher 24 Roy Keane 16 Cristiano Ronaldo 7 Paul Scholes 18 Wayne Rooney 8 Ruud van Nistelrooy 10 SUBS Tim Howard 1 Wes Brown 6 Ryan Giggs 11 Louis Saha 9 Alan Smith 14 giggs on the bench..maybe fergie is getting some common sense...UNITED
Newcastle United Starting Line-up 1 Shay Given 35 Olivier Bernard 19 Titus Bramble 2 Steve Carr 25 Ronny Johnsen 29 Lee Bowyer 4 Nicky Butt 7 Jermaine Jenas 10 Craig Bellamy 11 Patrick Kluivert 9 Alan Shearer Subs 12 Stephen Harper 5 Andrew O'Brien 8 Kieron Dyer 32 Laurent Robert 23 Shola Ameobi
But there would be one problem with that, he wouldn't raise near the money we want for him...he is nowhere near a 10m pound sell anymore..