Was it as bad as it sounded on the webcast. Why can't we score goals at home. Played 5, won 2, lost 2, drew 1. Failed to score in three of those games, Are we afraid of our own big crowds. What's the answer guys, whats wrong? What's right? I only get to see a game once in a while on the telly. Listening to the webcast after 20 minutes it had 0-0 draw written all over it.

PiC

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

Answers

Need time to compose myself having just got back in from SJP and another very disappointing display - but basically everyone coming here now simply packs midfield stifling the service to AS, and trying to hit us on the break. Boro allowed us to play in midfield, Everton didn't.
Teams know we lack high class creativity to split defences with passes, and also that we still make too many mistakes defensively - so they'll always get 3 or 4 chances to steal the game.
Barton's injury (another discussion in itself) meant Solano had to play RB. Everton played Graveson wide on the left to stop Domi going forward. Result? No width, and very few real chances created. Despite us having loads of possession, Everton had the clearer chances.
Gazza ran his socks off and IMO was terrific
After two successive away wins even a draw wouldn't have been a disaster today, however...... I'm seriously brassed off.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

There seemed to be a total lack of confidence in all of the midfielders. Gary Speed made some awful blunders, Dyer got into good positions with the ball then thought. what do I do now. Robert Lee got man of the match , WHY? he was one of the main culprits of our lack of creativity. He kept looking for the ball, then when he got it laid it to someone behind him. Cordone was fairly hopeless, and Even Lua Lua wasn't very good when he came on. He kept running into the other team, hoping to get lucky, he didn't. Poor Nobby, stuck as right back , he played very well considering the position that he was in. The defence were OK, with little to do until the final 15 minutes. Then One break, One Goal and another disapointing game. Personaly I hope to see Speed and Lee replaced by Acuna and Bassedas next week, but it won't happen.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

We had cart loads of possession but the final cross/ball in the penalty area was invariably cr@p.
GS didn't have one of his better games, but IMO he was no worse than anyone else.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

Speed was worse than Hughes, Given, Solano, Shearer, Dyer, Gallacher and Domi. He had a bad game, the question is WHY? his place is under threat from Bassedas,in the same way that Lee's is under threat from Acuna, they both had ad games, too much presure perhaps?

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

The only 'pressure' that mattered was the pressure on the man in possession from the Everton midfield.
You're entitled to your opinion on GS, Rik - all I'll say is that the guy is 'gamer' who battles away every single game, never gives less than 100%, and is one player who doesn't hide when things don't go well,even when he makes errors.
I'm not suggesting he played well, but if you really think Solano and Domi played any better - well as I said, you're entitled to your opinion.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

Discussing the subtleties of whether Speed was better or worse than Dmon or anyone else misses the point completely. We were appalingly bad. Given wasn't. Hughes had one or two odd moments but also had some pluses, Goma was okay the rest were either anonymous or plain poor.

Our midfield was none existent. Hughes/Goma would get the ball from Given and nothing at all was moving in a black and white shirt ahead of them.

That's my calm appraisal. A more gut feel apporach would be that Lee, Speed, Shearer are supposed to be our solid pros and they were hopeless. Yes Speed may try for 90 minutes, give 100% but which of us wouldn't. Lee was none existent. Shearer needn't have bothered being there, he was hopeless. Time after time after time we were static in midfield allowing Everton to qattack the pass to a static player. Cordone was non-existent. Dyer played as well, I know cos I heard the team sheet read out. Gallacher came on and buzzed arounf giving the midfield some movement for 15 minutes before he went and hid whereever Lee and Speed were hiding.

Lua Lua got a hero's reception ,the best reception an on-coming has had in many a year, but he was the only one who wanted to do anything, and after beating 15 Everton players and still not finding a Newcastle player moving eventually lost it.

We were as bad as I've seen in a while. Although I missed Charlton.

Not happy of Dunfermline. Oh yeah and the GNER service on the east coast was running 75 minutes behing the REVISED timetable. Bad end to a bad day. At least GNER eventually delievered me to Edinburgh, NUFC could still be playing and they wouldn't have scored yet.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

after today.. shopping in Canterbury with a radio glued to an ear Prefer BBC world service and a coconut tree to be honest God its shittie when we get beat

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

IMHO, the only way to beat a packed defence is to get round the back and pick out the on-comming forward or midfielder. We didn't do that today, and when we moved Nobby back to FB, we effectively gave up any chance of winning. Lua x2 showed his inexperience. He can walk through a defence which isn't packed, but when confronted by a wall of defenders, you have to pass your way round it. Today we failed to do that and we (again) failed to score. Apart from the Smoggies, we have failed to score more than one (or is it more than zero) in most games this season.

Yours, worried of Cheshire (temporarily removed to Blyth.)

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

Was Dyer playing in the 2nd half? I thought he was non-existent after the break. Not that he was the only one to blame. Speed and Lee did nowt either, and Nobby stayed in is own half after being (strangely) asked/told to play as RB.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2000

I'm as disappointed with this result as anyone macbeth, but for you to suggest that Rob Lee and Gary Speed "hid" in the game is the ultimate criticism for two terrific pros - and IMHO is grossly unfair, and indeed inaccurate.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2000

Overrun & unorganised, our players were 2nd to the loose ball and unavailable for passes in fact they seemed overconfident and dwelled on the ball too long. Everton looked hungrier and more determined and should have went ahead earlier but for a glaring miss by Campbell. Frustrating to see the likes of Dyer, Cordone, Lua Lua beating two or three players and still not getting any support.
On this home form teams will be looking forward to this fixture.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2000

I think Lee hid, I think Speed was having a bad day and should have hidden (or be replaced by Bassedas). Gallacher did his best but he isn't a left winger, and all players who seem to play on the left this season apart from Glass have had a poor game.

Dyer and Lua did try to get through the nine man defensive midfield , but it just didn't work. The alternatives to going through them are go over them, This didn't work as the Portuguese freak had Shearer in his pocket, Or go around them, but ashas been stated we don't have a left winger and outright winger was playing as a full back.

Might as well look forward, How do the Hammers play at home and how do we beat them?

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2000

Ntlsports.com,

Gallacher played on the right wing.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2000

MacBEth - you ARE having a laugh about Shearer, aren't you? He had a great game. EVERY cross that came in was from him, he was running around like a blue arsed fly and had two huge fecking centre backs on him for most of the game. He also induced two great saves.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

Nice to see at least one other fan prepared to give Shearer an ounce credit.
He didn't have a great game by any means, but he certainly wasn't "hopeless" either.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

Clarky, he put in a world class cross at one stage - remember Big Dunc' strike against Man U? Well, it was like that, erm, only a cross. And there was nee bugger on the end of it. Pit Bill and I had an amusing conversation about Shearer, concluding in our misery that he only stays at the Toon cos he's local, otherwise he'd leave the other "useless knackas" to get on with it. (We were low at this point).

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

Dougal,

When I bang on on here about the pathetic service the man gets it's just taken as a lame excuse for an ageing millionaire who is well past his sell-by date. However, I still believe it's generally true, and there were several examples yet again on Saturday.
When we're into criticising Rob Lee and Gary Speed for "hiding" in a game, I might as well just keep 'shtum'.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000

You aren't alone Clarky. At the moment I think AS is playing for the wrong team cos we're only using half of his assets, and it'll stay that way till we start to do some constructive running off the ball. This keeping posession at all costs by passing sideways and backwards is awful to watch.

I'm inclined to wonder if we wouldn't be better off back where my blood pressure was through the roof hoping they could hang on to a one goal lead in a five goal thriller and occasionally stuffed somebody big time, than the crap we're dishing up now. Them were the days. Not very practical, but.

-- Anonymous, October 24, 2000