Diary of a Fan

Borrowed from nufc.com

Latest quotes from Albert Luque taken from the News of The World, Sunday.

"My situation is now desperate. It is incredible that I was not picked for Watford.

"The final decision is with the coach and, if he is not interested in me, the best solution is for me to go, probably in the winter market.

"I'm very unhappy here."

Good luck mate. It is indeed a disgrace that he wasn't even near the pitch Saturday as we played a player who by his own admission needs an operation. One rumour had Barcelona of all people interested. The fact that isn't entirely incredulous should tell you something about Luque before we got our hands on him. Once again this club has taken a player with an abundant of talent and entirely wasted it due to what can only be off field differences. If we ever make it back to Europe (ha!) expect Luque to turn up and score a hat-trick against us.

(@23:11)

This team is certainly enigmatic. They have the stars, the stage, the talent hidden somewhere, and the fans. For five minutes they had the football to match. The last two minutes of the game plus three of injury time this was a side which looked like it could have ripped the opposition apart at will in every flowing attack; pace, commitment, skill, flare. For the other 88 minutes those were words we would have struggled to find in a dictionary. There is something very dangerous looking about the complete lack of cutting edge and a defence with more holes than a pack of polos. Had a nothing but average Man City side had their own cutting edge then those last five minutes would have been even more academic. As it was our inability to defend brought a string of fine saves and the disallowing of what seemed a perfectly good goal. Carr in particular looks worse and worse and I couldn't help hoping the knock he picked up might keep him as far away from our back line as possible. Not that his companions have much more sense of what's around them, or the nerve to take responsibility for a situation. One wonders what goes on at the training pitches such that any ball vaguely near the box can cause such panic.

Whilst the back leaks though the front seems to have become completely bunged up. Here it is not just the players who may be questioned but also their management. What purpose bringing in the obvious unfit Ameobi served, other than to lumber around the pitch entirely uninvolved, is beyond me. What is even more baffling though is the selection of substitutions. Ameobi was never going to last 90 minutes (arguably he couldn't last one) so why was there no replacement?? Instead we had a bench full of midfielders. While this squad may be overly supplied with them surely Carr's injury shows a covering defender might not have been a bad idea, and Rossi or Luque to play when Ameobi inevitably limps off. And why, with all those midfielders having a sit down, was Duff not withdrawn earlier---it's not like anyone would have noticed his absence; you'd have to have noticed his presence for that.

So with no strike force (once Ameobi was off we yet again had no forward on the pitch) and a leaking defence it seemed inevitable that we'd eventually capitulate and Man City could have the three points they deserved. Then came that last five minutes, in which we played football. Passing, moving, winning the ball, making space. Yet the thing is I have no idea, none, what brought on the sudden transformation from fucking awful to half way decent---and I'm willing to bet neither do the players, management, board or any of the other thousands watching. On Tuesday we actually won on penalties (though almost inevitably drew Chelsea in the next round). Yesterday we took a point we never looked like getting and certainly didn't deserve. And in five minutes we showed that somewhere in there is a side which can play football, if only we knew where the hell the switch is, and could flip it from the start, the season might have some hope.

(@15:11)

Oh to follow Newcastle United. In less than a week only this club could bring so swooping heights and dipping lows. After the glory of Europe and the dismal reality of the league came the competition that probably matters the least of any. It was though a chance to gain some form, produce some football (remember that) and try to get back a good feeling rather than the despair and helpless desperation which had settled over the city. Maybe, in our own round about way, some of that was achieved.

This was a game we deserved, on balance, to win. Yet we tried our best to once again convince everyone that we should lose. Had this been a team with any sort of cutting edge beyond Sibierski (who again must take great credit for his work effort and actually producing something) then we would have been out of sight in the first half. Instead, having been the better team, we came out for the second half seemingly almost resigned to allowing Watford back. And so, of course, it proved. And even before they'd witnessed the sadly back-foot, lacking verve second half display would anyone have been surprised to be told that's what would happen?

Then came extra time and a point where we just didn't seem to know what we were doing, on the pitch or off it. I've been hesitant to criticise Roeder---I at least remember how he took over a team essentially as dead in the water as this one and guided it so we could have that glory Europe night---but some serious questions must be asked of his in game decisions. With extra time upon us and Sibierski apparently ready to collapse Roeder again dillied and dallied over substitutions. Having replaced the rather quiet Rossi but still going the all too predictable goal down he finally realised something more had to be done, only to leave us in desperate search for a goal without a striker on the pitch. There may well be the excuse that all's well that ends well but that's all it is, and excuse. There is a definite feeling that we got there despite Roeder's lack of action, or poor choices, not because of foresight on his part. This trend of no, late, or seemingly poorly judged subs is a real worry. As is the way we came out perhaps all too ready to try and defend in the second half. One further point of all's well that ends well. We got through penalties, finally!, but there was a noticeable, in my eyes anyway, absentee from those takers. While the young Milner and, particularly, N'Zogbia stepped up to place the spot kick burden on there young shoulders our captain was no where to be seen. Fair enough we won, but any captain of mine not leader enough to step up to the spot wouldn't be pulling on the arm band again any time soon, cool finish minutes earlier or not.

But we won! Penalties and we actually won! This is hard to believe. This club does not win meaningful penalty shoot outs. So I'm going to look on the bright side. Yes at times we were still awful, at times we seemed to be led astray from the sidelines, but those penalties! Seasons are turned by strange things in football, and this club is stranger than most. Perhaps, just perhaps, winning on penalties will find a corner to peak around. Can only hope!

(@23:11)

What is going on with this side. They win away (with a performance that was admittedly not overly convincing but at least showed some steel) only to capitulate to a hard working but mediocre Sheffield United team. Maybe part of the problem was all the talk of confidence gained was largely irrelevant as one thing or another led to over half the team being different from that which had gained the victory Thursday, but a bigger problem was that the opposition simply came looking for the win more. In the brief flurry of play where we pressed as hard and looked for the ball as much, and won as many second balls as they did we looked like we should have done, a team able to overwhelm a championship side. That flurry was all too brief however, and for most of it we looked a championship side (which isn't to say Sheffield United didn't, just we were as poor, or worse, than they were).

After a European boost and in front of home fans, with the threat of being very bottom of the table looming, you might have thought it was a day for players to step up and be counted. Yet from the very first we were a side of egg shell walking players who looked like they'd allowed the pressure to freeze them rather than inspire and drive them. Parker I am almost convinced must have been injured still so ineffectual was he at gaining anything like control of the midfield (Butt can be forgiven a little having put in such a good and tiring display only 48 hours earlier). Duff....arrrg. Does he want to beat everyone else on the pitch? Is that it? He has the talent and ability to create chances and opportunities but there's no point if when that moment arrives he decides to carry on and try to beat another five players, again. And was he supposed to be alongside Rossi? Was anybody? The defence went from looking almost solid to being flakier and flakier again. Where on Thursday the two full backs being really centre halfs by trade led to their naturally covering round, Carr and Babyaro's ability to do so is questionable (perhaps this is partly due to their more attacking nature but Carr in particular's forward forays rarely lead to anything more than a poor cross). The situation isn't helped by the fact that the central defenders often seem to have no idea where the man they are supposed to be marking are. In mentioning the defence it's worth noting the very high line that they seem to have taken to holding. I noticed last week against Charlton and it was more evident Thursday and today. Already teams are finding the room to run in behind the ragged line, and one can only worry that this will increase as teams notice we're doing it.

It's not just a single performance though. There are very worrying signs, symptomatic through out. And it's difficult to know where all the problems actually lie. A lack of goals is an obvious place to start. Injuries, injuries, injuries. A certain Mr Owen would be an improvement to any side of course, and we've certainly been unlucky with losing his cover---and there is the thing, Owen's cover. With Shearer's retirement he was never "replaced". Ameobi, while he might be half dead and at least giving his all, but he's never been a great forward. In the summer we punted on a striker, but Martins is more of an Owen player. Luque's well documented as not being a big old centre forward, Rossi is a skill player too. There's a lack of creativity coming from midfield at times, but it's exacerbated by needing to play clever football all the time. It was painfully obvious today, for instance, that when we got into a good wide position there was a reluctance to cross because...well, cross to who? The defence is still a shambles. It's probable that we went chasing after what is now Middlesbrough's central defence, shame we didn't get some of it.

I'm not one to criticise management as a rule. Roeder is undoubtedly struggling under an injury burden, but I am beginning to wonder. He seems to at least got over the reluctance to make substitutions until far too late. Yet there is still the chopping and changing every game (not all forced by injury, or tiredness). Then the reluctance to player Luque (who when I came on I thought had his most involved game for us yet, even though he was as ineffectual as everyone else). Most importantly, it is now that Glenn must prove his ability to inspire, which between transfer windows is really one of the main jobs of the manager.

Bah, I'm too disappointed, thinking to disjointedly, to coherently comment properly now. More later, maybe...

(@22:11)

I was thinking a bit more about the fact Luque scored yet seems pretty likely to be dropped to the bench at best later today (there might be an argument that the squad rotation is necessary given the number of games but it's not a very good one really). There was also a piece in the local rag mentioning how Luque hadn't exactly hit it off, but it did manage to mention that, really, he hadn't had the chance. That got me thinking about actual numbers (that's just the sort of person I am), so I thought I'd do a little comparison. I have to confess, I was mainly interested in comparing to Martins, a player who in my opinion hasn't exactly set the pitch alight in his time here but who would be pretty much guaranteed a start were he fit. As I was doing it though I thought I may as well include Ameobi and Rossi (I left Owen out because, well, frankly none of the others are the same class). I pulled numbers from the BBC's squad profiles to get this chart:

The chart shows the number of goals per game for each player, both for this season and in their total Newcastle career (which for Rossi and Martins is of course the same thing). At first glance Luque's record does indeed look poor, until one remembers that most of his limited time has been as a substitute. Examining the goals per start shows a record comparable with that of Martins. Looking at only this season becomes even more interesting. Luque's goals per game has greatly improved and his goals per start ratio is the best of the four strikers.

Of course this is far from an in depth analysis; there are many factors I've not included---consistency, number of minutes actually on the pitch, injuries carried... but as Luque himself has pointed out he cannot improve, or indeed even show anything (good or bad), if he is not playing. Anybody who watched him play in Spain knows he is talented (and that he hasn't really been played in his natural position at all for us); with the current crises in injuries perhaps it is time to give him a run and see if we can get anywhere with him, rather than again writing it off as an expensive mistake no matter what the lad does, and despite of any improvement he shows.

(@14:11)

I'm quite in shock that not only did we go to Italy and get something from the game, that something was all three points! While Palermo may not have played there strongest side (is their fixture schedule as crazy as ours, or did they just under estimate us), the same can certainly be said of a very weakened Newcastle team (we did after all have about half a team of internationals missing). We stole the game, but we stole it with determination and steel.

Special mention has rightly been given to the young Tim Krul (who has a wonderful Dutch-Geordie accent!). Whilst the show reaction saves really just say he's a good stopper it was his positional sense, ability to stand up when one on one, and the confidence to shout at the defenders in front of him which were most impressive. Given his excellent showing it seems a little churlish to consider the options but just because it goes right doesn't mean we shouldn't' think about how wrong being left with only a rookie young keeper for a tough European away game. If Harper's injury was (is?) so precarious then why was he playing Saturday? At that point we had a perfectly good and experienced goalkeeper available in Srnicek and Harper could have been rested in the hope he'd be ready for Thursday.

Another mention must also go to Luque, finally with a start and a goal. Any regular reader of this little piece of the internet would know I'm a defender of the Spaniard. There will probably be those who criticise his performance last night too, but in a decidedly deliberately defensive set-up (especially once he had scored) I thought he did as well as could be expected in a position alien to his natural game---his first touch when the ball was played up to him seemed better than Ameobi's is on a lot of occasions, and better than Martins' too. It would be nice to see him get an extended opportunity now, though he needs to do so not as a lonely striker up front alone. Given the current injury list that does seem more likely than it has looked before, at least before the transfer window reopens. A game this Saturday isn't out of the question, though it seems an almost certainty that Rossi will be back in as we continue to nurture Man U's talent.

The midfield held together well in protection of the back four. Butt seems to have found something of a resurgence of form, while Emre still looked one of the most talented players out there whilst half crocked, sitting back to control when he knew he couldn't be as dynamic as he sometimes is. If only Milner could whip in crosses like that every time rather than once in a blue moon...

After the heights and delights of Palermo though comes the indifferent form of the premiership. We have to turn the ability to hold out and scrap shown on Thursday into the same attitude in the bread and butter of Saturday. It's a game which comes insanely quickly and Glenn's hand is fairly much forced in terms of picking the players who are fit and available, but then the same were true last night and look what happened.

(@21:11)