Defeat under Souness for the first time, and pretty deservedly so. In a game where Bolton showed they have turned scrappy into a valid system we never really did much to show we could rise above their long throw set pieces. Souness again showed he's not afraid to tactically tinker with formations, playing three strikers with Kluivert sitting behind Shearer and Bellamy. In general this is perhaps something to be commended, too often manager's of this team have seemed to completely lack ideas or to be oblivious of the opposition they are playing, but I think in this case it may have been a formation that never was really going to work. I can understand the justification for dropping Robert if playing with the tight three midfielders across the middle. Bernard's replacement with Hughes also seemed sensible, giving more aerial presence and a lesser tendancy to venture forward down the flanks where there is no real cover. But there in lies one of the major disadvantages. The formation and team suffered terribly from a lack of width. With three in the middle it is always going to be a little too intricate and tricky to thread the ball through to the third striker, especially against a hard working team like Bolton. Not surprising then that Kluivert made little impact. And that lack of width means that once the ball isn't coming through the middle the front too are largely absent as well.
Things actually started quite brightly, with an initial burst of play which must have had Bolton worrying that they might just have a problem containing their opposition. But it lasted barely five minutes before Bolton settled into their routine of disrupting play and winning set piece after set piece, not least the long throw. For the first half our defence actually managed to cope but it was never looking comfortable and often a little paniced. Early in the second half it could hold out no more. Given may have broken Jaidi's nose but Diouf pounced to break the deadlock. One must wonder if the imminent birth of his first child wasn't playing a little too much on the normally ultra reliable keeper's mind as he put in a display where it might be argued some fault could be found for both goals. The first his attempted punch never really got near the ball. The second his rush out seemed too tentative, and it may have been more advisable to stay where he was anyway---Davies was never going to do much more to stretch to reach the ball and it would have been a comfortable save. There was also a terrible clearance at one point. Given's cause was not helped by the lack of confident protection he was recieving, and he must have felt at times (like coming for the punch he never got) that he had to do something to try and get some control of the box. Given (no pun intended) the number of times he's saved us, one can't criticise too harshly.
Bolton's opener was cancelled out in spectacular fashion by Ambrose beating a couple of men and hitting as fine a shot as you're likely to see into the top corner. Some things really are unsavable. It never looked like the genesis of a Newcaslte domination though and it was little surprise when Bolton's second went in. Souness tried to change it. We looked more dangerous when Bellamy found himself in wide positions and the introduction of Robert did lead to a couple of chances but he was effectivly cancelled out.
In all a draw would have been kind and the defeat was pretty much deserved. Once again the inadequacy of the defesive organisation has been exposed. If Souness wants players come January, like he says, hopefully most of them will be defensive. There is also the hope we can bounce back from this defeat. After all, we're not Arsenal and we were always going to lose at some point, and this was away to a in form high flying team (though there is still the suspicion that that is something more to do with those below the Arsenal's and Chelsea's, who just play through it anyway, not yet having worked out how to handle Bolton's bustling scramble system than anything like skill). A win in the UEFA cup midweek would do nicely to aid that bounce.
(@23:10)
A cup game successfully negotiated then, and the manager's unbeaten record remains in tact. We'd been promised changes and indeed they came, though the reintroduction of Kluivert can hardly be considered as weakening the side. Things started well from the opening moments as Jenas apparently got a touch in the scramble to force the ball across the Norwich line which followed Robert's corner. Norwich never really threatened our switched around defence (complete with a very rare outing for the very capable Harper), and our attacking play was at times fluid, especially with the wide threat of Robert and Milner. A deserved second came from the felling of Ambrose in the opposition box. That gave Ameobi the chance of a confidence building shot from twelve yards (on the sort of form he was showing Kluivert certainly needs no boost to confidence). The striker cooly slotted the penalty home and all looked well going into half time.
The second half didn't really live up to the first. Ameobi evened up his penalty score by lumbering into Svensson which gave ex-mag Huckerby the opportunity to pull one back, despite Harper guessing the right way. That brought back memories of the recent league encounter, but to be fair there was never the determination from Norwich that there had been in that game. They never really looked like they would complete the come back, although we never really got round to putting together something to finish the tie off either.
All in all a fairly straight forward progression through to the next round then. It's widely known as the tin pot cup but it is a trophy, something we have distinctly lacked. The draw isn't too kind though, pairing us at home to Chelsea, one of the very few teams who can field a weakened side in the competition and still look very dangerous. If we can get through that though, who knows?
(@16:10)
The first half of this game suggested a continuation of the recent trend from the past couple of matches; plenty of possession but an inability to do much with it or actually maintain it unbroken for more than a couple of passes. It seems to be becoming clear that the way to defeat us is to come with a solid defence which we can't break down and then patiently wait, as our backline is suspect enough the opposition are bound to get chances. To be fair we had the better opportunities of the first half and could have led. We were at home, that is how it should be.
Then there was the second half.
Keegan seems to have an affinity with 4-3 scorelines, undoubtedly more than in part due to the way his teams play, all attack, little defence. We took the lead as we earned a free kick and Robert finally decided not to simply blast everything in sight but apply a bit of culture from his left boot. He actually fell over as he struck the ball so maybe he'd meant to whack it one, but either way the ball dipped into the net past a static James. Good, determined work by Carr then brought a penalty for Shearer to convert and it seemed game over. But this is Newcastle after all, and this is against a Keegan side. Sit on the lead and see the game out? You should be so lucky. Wright-Phillips continued to add weight on the side of nurture against nature by producing the sort of performance which gets him England call ups. His first goal was followed by a debatable penalty awarded against Butt, who appeared to at least get some of the ball before his man (in the post match interviews Keegan unjustly berated the referee for being poor, blaming hm for all his woes. We'll put it down to his frustration at yet another 4-3). Parity restores and a suddenly entertaining game was there for the taking.
Then the long forgotten (or at least repressed) chicken dance saw the light of day as Elliot scored a fine header which struck the post and bounced over the line while somehow evading a touch from anyone else during the scramble. For a top team that should have been the signal to shut up shop and hold out. Had your scare but we're Ok now, let's just get to the final whistle with the lead intact. By now though our defencive frailties were becoming increasingly apparent and it seemed inevitable that another equaliser came as Wright-Phillips bemused the defence. It could have ended there, and maybe that would have been fair though just recalling that the few first half moments did belong to us gives some justification to the final result. After a week in which he became the first player to have a public run-in with the new manager Bellamy produced a last gasp winner, somewhat scuffing a well placed shot into the corner. There simply wasn't time for Man City to get back this time.
So what do we learn? Not much. The team showed good character to keep going, having lost the lead twice. But they also showed a very worrying tendancy not to be able to protect an advantage. We also have to banish the seeming tiredness and lethargy with which we played the first half. The unbeaten run remains under the manager. The league cup in midweek could be something of a distraction, not really too important in the scheme of things. However it is silverware. A chance for Souness to try out a few more players perhaps, whilst trying not to risk that unbeaten record too wildly against a Norwich desperate to try and get winning again. In the league though we continue to slowly sneak up that table. The next game at Bolton is a real test however. Bolton we would think we should beat by rights but they are proving something of a surprise this season. If we can beat them though it may be a real move forwards.
(@13:10)
The first time I tried to post this blogger.com seemed to be down. I haven't had a chance to get round to it again before now. Hey, at least it's marginally before the next game!
Much like the first half of the previous league game at Charlton, for much of this match there was an air of wondering if we were actually going to make the breakthrough merited by our possession and dominance. We didn't help ourselves in the first half with some woeful passing leading to a complete inability to maintain possession long enough to make it count. Admittedly this wasn't helped by a poor pitch and a referee determined to show off his whistle but that isn't really an excuse.
Interestingly Robert was given an opportunity away from home (presumably the opposition weren't rated high enough to be expected to pose too much of a threat). Strangely he seemed to produce more good defensive work than attacking. The midfield pairing dominated, though at one point Bowyer briefly lost his head (I'm not convinced this was quite as bad as some have made out. He did swing at the ball remember, not the player). Ameobi did his best to stake a claim for a place at some point. He did offer something different when he came on, with the drive and dynamic determination that Shearer is now too old to offer and which simply isn't part of Bellamy's game. It was Ameobi who won the penalty (having had a possibly equally justifiable claim just turned down). Shearer of course was never missing. So job done in Greece. And we can forget about Panionios now. In the strange little half league we're joint top. WIth the top three going through that's not bad. A home win and away draw would probably be almost certain to carry us through. But we are aiming to win the group (whether that would actually carry some advantage I'm not clear on). So far, so good.
(@13:10)
If there is a sign of improvment in this season then it is that a few weeks ago we would probably have lost this game rather than drawn. That is of little comfort given that we dropped points we could (and perhaps should) have taken, against a team considered a close rival). We dominated the first half enough to justify the lead and more. With only the one goal however we inevitably fell over ourselves and allowed Charlton a way back level before another stupidly frantic finale to the game.
With Kluivert injured Bellamy got his chance to play alongside Shearer, a roll he took to with obvious relish. Bowyer continues to look much better in the centre of midfield than he ever will down the right and was somewhat unfortunate to be disallowed a goal. Jenas produced another display to suggest why he merits an England squad inclusion (let's just hope it doesn't go to his head, eh?). Ambrose on the other hand pretty much may as well not have been on the pitch. Granted left wing is hardly his prefered position but it seems difficult to imagine Milner, Jenas et al. having such a poor game over there. Maybe this should partly be a little push to the manager as well though---sometimes things might go much better if players are actually played in position.
We did dominate much of the first half but, worryingly, at times we seemed to lack a certain bite. At some point we may have had all the possession, especially in the attacking third, but it was the opposition who'd had all the shots. The goal did come though, neatly worked through midfield before a (thankfully, given he'd scuffed most of his previous opportunities) fine Bernard cross from the left found Bellamy's head. At one-nil possibly half time came too soon for us, allowing Charlton to regroup and come out stronger. Their drawing level was, yet again, our own fault though. And yet again it is the defence which is being talked about. The players asked to play there may try hard but at some point it must be recognised that trying will not cover for the lack of class (it is a harsh truth that they are not good enough, but a truth none the less). A ball which should have been dealt with wasn't and three points turned into one.
After that it could have been anyone's game, neither side having the composure to produce enough of a calming influence to gain control. So we scrambled away with a point, the unbeaten run in tact but the chance to climb to the giddy heights of fourth in the table missed. It's that sort of missed opportunity which gets you midtable obscurity if you're not careful.
The next game brings with it its own tests. Away for the start of the bizarre UEFA group stage it's certainly a bit different to Charlton. If we can keep the unbeaten run going there (which is the least we should achieve) we'll be canny, just in time to welcome a certain Mr Keegan to St James'
(@21:10)
The honeymoon isn't quite over but thoughts are certainly turning to the pile of bills awaiting the newlyweds upon their return. Having won everything in sight since Souness's arrival we failed to defeat a Birmingham side we really should be looking to beat. After just three minutes things looked to be going fine, Jenas calmly slotting home the parry from Kluivert's shot. We could have wrapped it up in the opening 15-20 minutes. But we didn't and as the game progressed we began to look more and more like a team who had been to Israel and back during the week, our play becoming increasingly sloppy and frustrating.
Pegged back to level terms at half time Bellamy found himself in a prefered role alongside Shearer during the second half, but the supply was still lacking and it was the opposition who capitilised. Having falling behind, and still not looking likely to do anything about it, some credit must certainly go to the manager. His predicessor was oft criticised for having few tactical options, and the number of triple substitutions made with fifteen minutes left did at times smell of desperation. Souness saw what was needed and changed things to a more attacking formation, with three across the back and Robert on. Things soon improved, though it must be said this seemed partly because pretty much every player was now playing roughly where they are supposed to rather than the wrong side of the pitch or completly out of postition. Butt struck a fine shot to equalise with a goal which had been coming.
The last twenty or so minutes were frantic, either side could easily have won. The problem with the nice attacking formation became quickly apparent. With four at the back we struggle to cope so with three we were at times in danger of being truely overwhelmed. Back to the four then, in a tinkering move it is hard to contemplate Bobby ever having made (he would have had no subs left by now). In the end that settled us for a draw, which is probably a fair result. There in itself is a problem. As mentioned at the start of this post, Birmingham are a side we must look to beat, not cling on to a draw earned by some risky gung-ho play. There's time off for internationals now. And time to work some sense into the weaker part of the game (the defence). Hopefully we can improve more in time for the TV watching us at Charlton.
(@12:10)
Easy, easy, I believe is the phrase. Despite the oppositions best attempts to kick us out the competition (and the disgraceful performance of the officials allowing them to do so---presumably they were making some compensation for Sakhnin apparantly not actually knowing the rules), we sent them back to the school kicking grounds where they belong.
Souness stuck with what has worked so far, Shearer and Kluivert up front and Bellamy wide right. While Bellamy was certainly very effective it was again apparent he is desperate to be in a central striking role and his natural tendancy to wander towards such a position does leave our right flank exposed (especially with Carr at righ back, who had a particularly poor game. Undoubtedly a make-do signing I'm beginning to rate him less and less as a first team player). My having mentioned that Roberts exclusion would be easier to justify this game, Souness included him in the starting lineup. He didn't do too badly, especially considering one might have expected him to hide with his gallic flair being certailed by so many fouls.
One Kluivert scored the opening, neatly worked goal the result was never in doubt. It's a pity that at the back we still look frail though. We switched off to allow some hope for the home side when we should have been completly killing the tie, Carr in particular guilty of ball watching for not the only time during the game. Despite that disappointment there really only seemed one team likely to score. Harper got a welcome run out second half but only really had one, admitedly fine, save to make. In the last twenty minutes we got bored, basically, and sloppiness frustratingly crept in when all we really needed was to pass the ball simply.
Eventually Sakhin were reduced to ten men, for the silliest of hand balls by their keeper. With all three of their subs used and an out field player in goal it only remained for Shearer to secure his hat-trick with a hard left foot shot the original keeper would have struggled to save (his first attempt from the free kick due which resulted from the sending off was converted by Bowyer but given offside in a truely awful decision which summed up the quality of the officials).
Onwards then. having safely negotiated the opening tie with the ease we would expect but rarely achieve, to one of the more bizarre league formats yet thought up. Two ties away, two at home (so, no, we don't play everyone home and away, just the once thank you), with the top three going through (which makes you wonder if it's almost worth all the effort). One would think we ought to manage that much (though this is Newcastle!), then it gets tricky as the elimated teams from the Champion's League drop in. Ah well, the european adventure has begun. Haway the lads.
(@18:10)
