Newcastle v Leeds - Team, Reports, Ratings

[Chester]

Twiggster - What an excellent summary of last nights match.
I actually thought we played quite well, apart from the result, it was a good game to watch.
I say ' watch' loosely because I was on the last row of the top stand where we were housed, row X. At times I couldn't make out the players.
I find our football so much better to watch compared to last season but unfortunetly in the last third of the pitch we have nobody to put the ball in the box and when we do, we have nobody to put it into the net.
Sam Byram is clearly not back to his usual self. Has he been brought back too early ?
I felt it was overall a good performance against a better team.
My Man of the Match has to go to McCormack who I thought had a brilliant game.

[Genghers]

Decent analysis...

I don't think Kenny could have done much about either goal to be honest, Byram was out of position for the first and couldn't get back to stop the cross, which was whipped inch-perfect onto Cisse's head. Second was just a superb strike - he was facing away from goal a split second before he hit it!

He also made two one-on-one saves towards the end of the second half!

Byram didn't look up to speed, though did show some nice touches and is willing to get up in support of the strikers. I think he needs match time in less competitive games like this (which are better than ressie games), so I'm glad he came through the 90 mins.

Wooton and Pearce seem to have a decent understanding building up. Maybe one of them could have been tighter to Cisse for the first goal, but the Toon were limited to those chances more or less...

Thought Warnock was okay personally, does what he needs to in defence and gets forward well (though has no end product).

Austin put himself about and was done no favours by the referee (who's decisions for us I could count with mittens on!).

I have to be honest and say I didn't really see Tonge do anything particularly, though as Chester says, the away end is pretty high up... He's a grafter, but not quick or agile enough... Would much rather see Mowatt and Murphy next match.

Mowatt is so composed for his age! Took him a little while to get up to the speed of the game, but had some nice touches and a few nice passes. Didn't deserve a yellow.

Poleon didn't really get into the game. Was wide right for most of the time he was on, which I don't think is his best position. He needs to be just off the striker, or wide left where he can cut in.

McCormack - wide left. Was pretty much our only play who looked dangerous, few nice balls into the box, but no one there. We all thought his chip was going in! Still think he needs to be in and around the box more though, at one point he was covering Warnock at left-back!

Smith had a pretty poor game. Double marked and was pulled down two or three times to which the ref turned a blind eye. One cross in the second half just hit him though, should really have done better with it. To get the best out of Matt, I think we need someone playing off him (Poleon or McCormack for me), who can collect his knock-downs.

White - Shocking. Really really poor. On wide right again, where he miscontrolled and failed to beat his man a couple of times. When he did keep the ball, it invariably went back to Byram rather than being whipped in (as he's one footed...). If he's going to play it needs to be on the left.

Diouf - Has great control and vision, but he slows everything down too much. Any chance of a break is gone as soon as he gets the ball, as he usually just turns round before deciding what to do...

All in all I thought we played well. I don't think the tactics were right, as I'd much rather see Poleon and McCormack more central, but we needed something on the wings to counter their quick full-backs...

Ref = 0 (spineless)
Newcastle fans = -1 (songless)
Leeds fans = 10

[HarryofOz]

Mowatt will get more time on the ball v a prem team than in the hustle bustle of the championship, probably in BM's thoughts.

This is a furphy based on the premise that they play the passing game in the top division and hoofball in the lower division.

The pace of the game in the Premier league is much quicker than the pace of the game in the lower leagues. Defenders are smarter and quicker and players who are on the ball have less time to think and act before their options are shut down.

If players in the lower leagues would benefit from the extra time and space supposedly available in the Premier league then the top clubs would be raiding the lower clubs for all their half decent players rather than spending millions on players from top divisions elsewhere.

If players that are ball players had more time and space in the premier league then player like Diouf, Bentley, Bellamy and so on would be at premier league clubs rather than lower league clubs. Players like Becchio and Beckford would score lots more goals in the premier league than they do in the lower leagues...yet they don't.

You get less time on the ball and less space the higher the standard of the football. You have to be quick of foot and quick of mind. It's not easier playing against the top sides, it's harder.

[paddy parrott]

Good post Ghengers and great points can`t disagree.In a month or so hopefully BMc D will have seen to all of this transitional, tactical and injury concerns to see what`s best and who`s best at club in any situation that arises. Though at least another couple of good players are needed and double quick so to speak.I still think the cutting edge isn`t there particularly week on week so forget about last game at newcastle.
Our approach play looks good but with no pacey player wide or any road it fizzles a long way short from goal... that and no real threat there either is the problem no.1 and how to sort it no.2 would Ross or a potent goalscorer be sufficent in that final delivery?

[leeds&leeds&leeds]

I'm sounding like a broken record but I don't know what Kenny has to do in some people's eyes.

For the second there isn't goalie in the professional game would have kept that out then saves a 1 on 1 against Obertan after a spectacular defensive f c u k up.

The first is a good cross, a world class keeper "might" have claimed it but tbf it was straight onto the lads head he hardly had to move.

Always thought Sammy Ameobi would be a decent loan acquisition, if there is such a thing.

Also- what's with the auto-correct on swear words? Bit weird...

[Genghers]

For the second there isn't goalie in the professional game would have kept that out then saves a 1 on 1 against Obertan after a spectacular defensive f c u k up.

Well Obertan is just a sh!t scum bast@rd after all...

[Martyn]

I'm sounding like a broken record but I don't know what Kenny has to do in some people's eyes.

For the second there isn't goalie in the professional game would have kept that out then saves a 1 on 1 against Obertan after a spectacular defensive f c u k up.

The first is a good cross, a world class keeper "might" have claimed it but tbf it was straight onto the lads head he hardly had to move.

Always thought Sammy Ameobi would be a decent loan acquisition, if there is such a thing.

Also- what's with the auto-correct on swear words? Bit weird...

Don't worry about the Kenny thing mate.

Twiggs just has to have a ritual scapegoat that he can blame for everything. This season it's Kenny, before that it was Becchio, and Howson before him.

Shakespeare summed it up brilliantly:

It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing. — Macbeth (Act 5, Scene 5)

[eastyorkshirewhite]

The only thing that remotly looked like premiership from leeds last night was the fans all 6,000 of them.As for the team we looked far from been any thing a team who could survive in the premiership and this was against a poor premiership side.
Kenny 8 Did nothing wrong and should have had more help from his defence
Byram 6 As a defender he should remember to get back and defend
Wooton 5 Showed why he he never played in the premiership
Pearce 5 Completely out of touch
Warnock 4 Poor
Mowatt 7 Started well but faded badly
Austin 6 Could not cope
Tonge 7 Put himself about
Poleon 5 Ran around like as headless chicken
McCormack 9 Maybe the only Leeds player who could cope in the premiership
Smith 4 Back to normal

Diouf 4 Not given any time on the ball
White 4 Did nothing