I've never done this before, so be gentle with me.

Our defence is okay, and needs tweaking if anything. The midfield will come good, with a bit of playing together. Clearly our problem is in attack. No league goals at home since August isn't too clever, and it needs to be fixed before the middle of November, at the latest.

For me Shearer has been hopeless this season. (I accept we haven't got any other options but that shouldn't stop us having a look at Shearer). Travelling back up on the train after Everton and discussing the match the comment was made that Shearer had become a target man, and nothing else. He had become a glorified Iain Dowie.

When we played Boro and Lua Lua stuck that pass into the inside left channel and pointed for Shearer to go for it, it was the first time he had made that sort of run in living memory. It may be a chicken and eggg thing in taht he knows our midfield doesn't play clever balls, but our midfield have also learned that there is no point playing clever balls as Shearer won't go for them.

I don't see Cort helping relieve the pressure on him, Lua Lua is still a sub, Cordone isn't good enough. We look stuck.

This is prompted by having watched the weekedn goals and seen Arsenal and Man U forwards creating chances for themselves, we just don't anymore.

Comments

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

Answers

MacBeth,sorry, but Shearer was great on Saturday. He got two chances and basically made them him himself. He was engaged in a pitch battle with Pearce and had he had any luck, he'd have got those two goals and Pearce would have been called "past it". Pearce himself has said this.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

Is anyone under the Illusion that Newcastle United are no more than an average, sometimes pedestrian and predictable team. Saturday was a game we should have won, yet for the 20th time we come away from london with nothing. I watched the game and I was horrified by how predictable we have become. It painfully obvious that Lua(x2) is more effective coming on as a sub, how many times did he lose his footing. He tries to beat too many players, time and again this happened. Acuna was the best one of the lot. Shearer was very very quiet, Did gary speed even play? Are we that short of Defenders that we need Solano and lee to fill in the gaps? To say that I am hugely dissappointed is an understatement, so we have no lost to charlton, everton and west ham all teams that we have no excuses for losing too. Acuna seemed on a different level than speed and dyer. I'll probably be censored for this but shearer is not doing it right now, his drive seems to have deserted him. When will Cort be fit?

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

I think we need to get a grip. We were calling oursleves world beaters after the Boro game. It's always like that with us. We win one and we Champions Presumptive. We lose one and we have a load of pedestrian gets. A few games with the same team may help us see what we are actually like.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

MacB,another point that I'm sure is relevant is that we have no defender currently in action who is comfortable going forward whereas Dabs, Barton and Helder were all decent last season. Domi was, too although he's hardly an ever-present.

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

We won't achieve anything till we have a settled team and until this trnasfer system is sorted out we have no chance of that. A couple of defenders will come in and a couple or three will go out and not until these settle will be effective. After Xmas probably.

A transitional season but at least we seem capable of finishing in the top half of the table. Robson obviously needs to sort out his own team and is not too far away with players like Acuna and Bassedas who seem an ideal midfield pairing, which I can't wait to see play together. Sorting the balance of the team out is the priority and to be able to attack down the left flank with conviction should remain the number one objective to remedy!

Make Lua-Lua a left winger!!

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

two words:

potential and consistency

All the players are or have the potential to be very good players.

Defence: generally good but prone to lapses in concentration Midfield: Jekyl and Hyde - when they were good they were good, but when they were bad.... tend to go missing depending on whether they 'feel like it'. Attack: World class but at times pedestrian and static

Whatever it is, until the players themselves actually decide week in, week out that they have to fight whether they're on form or not, we'll not string together a series of results.

Sadly, the teams we've lost to this season are the exact teams we have to beat to get into the top six. Carry on like this for much longer and we can kiss that goodbye...

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

I don't think thatLuaLua is reddy yet, he still takes tries to take on three or four defenders of quality, and will be lucky if one in 10 attempts gets him into the box. I like the lad, but would prefer Cordone to start alongside Shearer. I think that the two of them will bothe get goals if we can

1 ... get the balls wide, and get some crosses into the box from the byeline.

2 .... Get some quick balls into the box for Cordone and Shearer to run onto. The midfield biuld up is too slow and too safe. It is the midfield in my opinion that needs the work and the fresh players. ring on Acuna, Bassedas,with Glass and Dyer Wide, with a couple of wingbacks such as Solano and Griffin and we will get more chances, more shots on target and more goals.

the future is brighht, the future is Black and White!

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

We were calling oursleves world beaters after the Boro game. It's always like that with us.

I said I wasn't that impressed after Boro and was shot down on the bbs. Made the point that few other teams would give us that space in midfield. There ye gan.

rik: spot on re pace and passing - just what I said on your What's Wrong thread.

I feel rather too much is going to rest on young Cort's shoulders, though I'm interested that there's little hype and lots of doubt about him. Perhaps, after the disappointments of Tomasson, Andersson et al, we'll finally be pleasantly surprised by a striker that we're not actually expecting that much from. I don't know about all this wing-back stuff - unless the backs can really attack - Griffin? Hmm - or you've got wingers who can defend - Solano? Hmm - I think we're better off with a 4-4-2. Never lets you down - as long as the players are good enough...and there's the rub...

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2000

Balance is the key and without Glass we don't possess it. Interesting to see he came on on Saturday, how did he perform?

-- Anonymous, October 31, 2000

Shearer had a good game on Saturday he chased lost causes, created chances and had the passion that seemed to have been missing recently. The problem upfront is the same as it has been at the back. When was the last time we had a settled strike force? Where the two forwards played week in week out? How's about back to Keegan days. Lua Lua needs to be given a chance or Cordone should be stuck with or when Cort comes back play him and Shearer solely up front. Whatever it needs to be settled. As for midfield, currently Dyer and Solano only justify one place between them as both seem to be giving half measures, we still need a creaqtive midfielder, Dyer's quick but he's not overly creative. We need someone who can open locked doors ala Beardsley or Suker or Kanu.

-- Anonymous, October 31, 2000

Oh for a new Beardo!

-- Anonymous, October 31, 2000

While we wait for a new Beardo, the Journal reckons the midfield will consist these three.

Glass could figure in a midfield dominated by his South American colleagues with both Clarence AcuC1a and Cristian Bassedas tipped to make their home debuts. With Lomana Lua Lua cup-tied and Didier Domi expected to return to the fray, tomorrow's United team is certain to differ from the side which came away from West Ham empty-handed.

With Solano or Dyer on the Right Wing this looks like one of the most balanced midfields we have fielded in many a year. Left winger Glass, Right Winger Solano, Defensive midfielder Acuna (linking to the back four) and midfield playmaker Bassedas.

Speed deserves a rest after the amount of games he has played when others have shirked the responsibility, Lee probably needs a rest and Dyer could well do with the kick up the backside that being dropped would present. Cordene and Shearer up front will probably be the pair as Lua-Lua is cup tied. Shearer could probably do with a rest but we have no option but to play him if we want to win this game.

Hopefully Domi will return and Griffin will be given a run out at right back, Hughes and Goma in the middle with possibly Harper in goal.

I'm happy about the look of my proposed team!!

-- Anonymous, October 31, 2000