as we have some class youngsters coming through and we only really need to buy one centre half or get Goma to commit himself. The main worry has to be the midfield. Last week when we were all getting out of our prams and saying the bairns should play on Saturday to teach the seniors a lesson. Well, who precisely would we play in midfield? Gavilan and McClen - not good enough by all accounts. Who else. We appear to have almost no one coming through in that department. Bearing in mind the wonderful midfielders the North East has spawned, you'd think that we would finally get one for NUFC. This is worrying because our midfield is so crap and is a bigger reason than any defect in the back four for our poor defensive record. At the front, there appears to be a good prospect or two coming through, but they are probbaly a couple of years off first team action so we need some purchase up front too. Conclusion - defence is the least of our worries. Do you lot agree?

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Answers

Sorry - this was prompted by looking at the past couple of weeks worth of threads and seeing that the defence appears to be our key preoccupation. Who is our defensive coach, BTW?

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Dunno - but it's not been the same since M@rk L@wren$on left ;-)

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Marcelino+Goma cash (assuming we can find buyers for both) should provide one good replacement, which leaves us in a decent CB position with Dabz (remember him?), Hughes and Caldwell. But what about full- backs? Only Griffin as cover for Barton/Quinn? Feel we need to invest there if there's no prospects from the stiffs.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

I agree with you Dougal. The mid line whther as of old it comprised the right, centre and left half, or the popular four of today, is the key to the success of any team. At the risk of boring the younger element -- I never really thought that the great cup winning sides had great fullbacks -- Bobby Cowell, Alf McMichael and Bobbie Corbett were competent. But Harvery, Brennan Crowe, Scoular and Stokoe were commanding. They have to be great in attack or great in defence. We were successful im Keegans era because of the mid field who supported Cole/ Ferdinand and Shearer. And the lack of continuing as opposed to sporadic dominance has caused us to be where we are today

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

Cool. I love this type of debate. Look at our midfield now - Solano, Acuna, Lee, Speed - if that's the first choice. Dyer currently playing off Ameobi.

Show me the muscle. Show me the ballwinner. Show me the next Batty. Unfortunately we don't have him. Lee has adapted his game but he's never going to be felt with the same impact as a Batty type player.Acuna may be, have never seen him play. Charlton game doesn't count.

Unfortunately the ball players (supposedly) predominate. Solano can fire in a cross (except against Charlton) but these people are not first class ball players, except on the odd occasion. We've seen passing on the telly when we played the Smoggies , but its been painful otherwise, Solano the exception at times.

You can have as many Shearers as you want, if we can't put it together to play him in, we've blown it.

Have you seen us outfight or even outthink a midfield this season? When have we controlled posession and made it count. Once or twice maybe. No more.

The answer? Solano, Lee, Speed seem to be here for keeps. I'd let Solano go if I could be assured that Dyer could fulfil his role. Otherwise, Lee and Speed can do until either the South Amricans progress or we let them all go. There's nowt in the reserves in midfield, no strength anyway. Nobody rolls off the tongue as an instant cure. We'll have to sit and wait. There's a few I'd like but aren't available.

Unfortunately we haven't got the time. I don't see Lee playing on for long. Speed will never be the midfield general (make me eat my words, please) and there's not much coming through.

Say next year you're an opponent and you meet Given/Harper, Griffin (boot Barton), Hughes, (AN Other), Quinn, with Solano, Dyer, Speed and Acuna in front of them and you're strong defensively. Who bothers you? Nobody. Just keep Dyer quiet. Solano can't play without the ball. Speed's getting a pay cheque. So's Acuna.

And yet we still beat the likes of Leeds who have Dacourt and Bowyer and some fairly hefty (tanfer fee wise) defenders. What happened there? Please be diagnostic rather than emotional in your response.

I sense the same again next season.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2001

The thing about the Leeds games was that the Leeds players thought they'd tonk us. In fact they approached the game in the same way as we approached the Charlton games. In more general terms, it occurs to me that you can identify a lot of our problems by looking at what we did well last season. Firstly, our best spell was that period of about 12 games when Al and Dunc were both fit: they terrified defences. We haven't had anything like that at all this season. Secondly, last year, we were stowed out with players who were good in the air: Dunc, Al, Dabs, Helder, Howey, Speed.. I mean, if you're defending a Toon corner with that lot in the side, where do you start? Equally, we conceded incredibly few goals from set pieces last season and that was largely due to our quality in the air. This season, our only aerial threat and our only real aerial protection has been an unfit Shearer and Gary Speed. Also, last season, all sorts of players were scoring: Helder scored one or two, Domi scored a couple, Speed scored loads, Nobs scored a few, Dyer scored a few, the front lads scored loads, Dabs scored a few, even Hughesie scored two. This was largely because the back lads were roaming forward much more freely, presenting direct threats themselves (eg. Hughesie turning up in the centre forward's position to score against Everton) or to set up the front lads (remember the superb cross Barton put in for Al's first goal against Boro last season or that great cross from Hughes to Shearer at Anfield). This season, the lads at the back have hardly ever got forward and have rarely been instrumental in attacks - I think Goma is probably the last defender to score (but I may be forgetting a goal somewhere). Speed isn't scoring because he's now one of the few Mag players other sides have to mark at set pieces. So really, it has just been Nobs and Dyer who have presented anything like a threat and if they aren't on songm you can forget getting anything out of the game. A lot of these problems will be eradicated when the front lads get back.

-- Anonymous, February 22, 2001

All ready thought of this. Keep Nobby and Dyer for the midfield. Go to Blackburn and offer them bucket loads for David Dunn. He's the current England U.21 captain, a ball winner in the tackle and quite skillfull. Failing that Go to Nottingham Forrest and offer them slightly less for David Prutton.

Then go get Denillson for the left wing.

Go to Derby and get Seth Johnson to play as our left fullback.

Finally bring Michael Bridges home.

Easy wasn't it.

:-}

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

I think you're partly right Dougal - midfield does represent a real problem for us - perm any four from the 15 available, but the players just aren't good enough to compete at the highest level, that is a bare minimum of European qualification every season.

However, and this sounds awefully pessimistic, but I still feel the defence is also a worry - again because the players we have just aren't good enough defenders, either individually or collectively.

It's possible I might feel more optimistic after getting over jet-lag - but I doubt it. I've had a full week in the sun to carefully contemplate that horrible Charlton performance, and have concluded the answer is blindingly simple - Charlton were better than us, all over the field. QED.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

Great to have you back, Clarky. I think I articulated the point about the defence badly as it is clear that there are problems. However, I think a lot of the back four's problems derive from a lack of continuity: when Goma and Hughes got a long run at the beginning of the season, we went for weeks with the stingiest defence in the Premiership. Unfortunately, since then, it has been chop and change. Good defences aren't like strike partnershipsw hich can just click: they take years to build.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

Thanks, it's good to be back on-line Dougal, if not in this miserable country.
Regarding your last point I agree - but you first have to have the raw material.

I'm still not really convinced by Goma, and am just hoping Quinn works out. As our best FB, Andy Griffin, seems rather injury prone, so IMO we are short at FB as well as CB.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001

Clarky, I think Goma is a bit over-rated: he is strong and good in the air but he seems to have these lapses in concentration that almost always result in us conceding. In fact, Sir Les will NEVER have scored and will NEVER score again such an esay goal as he did against us at WHL. Another thing is, he seems to have this Shearer-type thing of bawling at the bairns. Against Coventry, Arron was having a bad time, but Aloisi got a free header which was basically a bit of confusion between him ABD Goma. Goma immediately starts bawling at Aaron like's it's just his fault.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2001