Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

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Expand view Topic review: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by NoteToSelf » Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:33 pm

Aye. Truth is while squad depth has improved, having 11+ first team players injured for half a season is going to be a setback.

Now, I think challenging some decisions like playing Murphy with a dislocated shoulder, not giving Trippier a break when he's been flagging and a reluctance in using substitutes are warranted, but honestly the club have been doing fine in the circumstances.

A loan body might help give some space to avoid rushing back some of the injured players, but I don't think it'd be worth splashing out for.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by ALF » Sun Jan 14, 2024 4:44 pm

Don Sholeone wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:23 pm
 Just feels like we (fans) have been looking for excuses for 3 months. Whatever the current plan is, it is clearly not working and something needs to change. 1 league win from 7 and being rock bottom of the form table is simply not good enough, especially when you factor in some of the opposition we have lost to recently. Some people are pointing to an easy run of fixtures when some of those "easy" teams are the same ones that brushed us aside easily in recent games.
They aren't excuses, they're reasons. You could see our front 3 were shattered after an hour but the options on the bench just weren't sufficient. This has been the case for months and it's cost us massively.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Colly » Sun Jan 14, 2024 3:29 pm

Bodacious Benny wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 14, 2024 3:15 pm
Don Sholeone wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:23 pm
 Just feels like we (fans) have been looking for excuses for 3 months. Whatever the current plan is, it is clearly not working and something needs to change. 1 league win from 7 and being rock bottom of the form table is simply not good enough, especially when you factor in some of the opposition we have lost to recently. Some people are pointing to an easy run of fixtures when some of those "easy" teams are the same ones that brushed us aside easily in recent games.
The difference being, we’ll be playing those teams with a weeks break inbetween games and more players available - so it will be quite different.
Let's not count any chickens...

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by bodacious benny » Sun Jan 14, 2024 3:15 pm

Don Sholeone wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:23 pm
 Just feels like we (fans) have been looking for excuses for 3 months. Whatever the current plan is, it is clearly not working and something needs to change. 1 league win from 7 and being rock bottom of the form table is simply not good enough, especially when you factor in some of the opposition we have lost to recently. Some people are pointing to an easy run of fixtures when some of those "easy" teams are the same ones that brushed us aside easily in recent games.
The difference being, we’ll be playing those teams with a weeks break inbetween games and more players available - so it will be quite different.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Colly » Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:58 pm

I think that's maybe fair, particularly Luton and especially the home game v Forest where our home form finally abandoned us, but yesterday (and more so once Joelinton was ruled out) was never likely to be the game to turn it around.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Don Sholeone » Sun Jan 14, 2024 2:23 pm

Just feels like we (fans) have been looking for excuses for 3 months. Whatever the current plan is, it is clearly not working and something needs to change. 1 league win from 7 and being rock bottom of the form table is simply not good enough, especially when you factor in some of the opposition we have lost to recently. Some people are pointing to an easy run of fixtures when some of those "easy" teams are the same ones that brushed us aside easily in recent games.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by jpg » Sun Jan 14, 2024 11:36 am

Absolute FPL masterstroke by me to bring back KDB as captain… <coat>

Our performances are still there but can’t keep relying on the same players week in week out. Few weeks off and hopefully we’ll see some fresh legs back soon.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by overseasTOON » Sun Jan 14, 2024 10:29 am

Proud of the performance yesterday and gutted that we couldn't hang onto a point but given the opponent is Man City, they have quality throughout the pitch and a very strong bench to keep up the pressure for 90 minutes.

Now time to enjoy a break and use it to work on fitness, bring players back into the squad after injuries and focus on the second half of the season.

The top 6 will be nicking points off each other until the end so a decent run of wins should push us up the table and come the end of the season we just have to hope that we're there for some more European football next year.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by bodacious benny » Sun Jan 14, 2024 10:14 am

I’m still optimistic about the rest of the season, even if we lose away at Villa in a couple of weeks time.

The fixtures are on the most part not bad at all, and we’ve shown that with more time between games we can play more like we did last season. Yes we won’t get top 4 or 5, but I still think we’ll have a strong end to the season and be in a respectable position. We’ve just given the best team in the world by some distance a very hard game!

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Colly » Sun Jan 14, 2024 9:31 am

I don't think you can say we had no intent to attack, we'd got to half time with Almiron and Gordon (plus Burn and others) running themselves into the ground, they couldn't continue that for a second half and did when they could. We had an unquestionably softer midfield without Joe (and moreso with Bruno getting booked 15 minutes played in) and City were going through the middle all game, those wingers had to support that rather than pressing high.

If we had Murphy, Joe, Willock, Barnes, Wilson then you've got fresh legs and a chance to keep pushing, as it is when they've got those changes on 70 we had to hang on. It's not as if it was an onslaught, we defended very well against absolute quality, but coping with De Bruyne when you've already had an hour of Foden was a step too far.

Bit gutted we didn't get a third too, we had the chances. If you could somehow transplant Wilson's positioning and finishing in the area to Isak you've got the best striker in the world.

Yet another superb game for Dubravka, if we waste any money on a keeper this window our priorities are completely wrong.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Chappy » Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:53 am

UlversToon wrote: ↑
Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:21 am
 Still absolutely gutted!
I mean yeah - always hurts to lose that late but I'm not as bothered by it as I usually would be. I thought it was an encouraging performance overall and we're looking like we're getting back to how we can play. I think the next 2 weeks off will do us a world of good too.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by UlversToon » Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:21 am

Still absolutely gutted!

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Timshorts 2 » Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:15 pm

The difference is not having players to come on and press by running around like headless chickens for the last 15-20 minutes off the ball while still having the talent/skill to be dangerous as a counter-attacking unit. That's been obvious for months.
A second unit of
Barnes - wilson - Murphy
All missing
And, of course, there was also a second unit just behind Anderson - longstaff/joe/Tonali (whoever wasn't starting) that did the same job.

Miley and (more so) tino, have been real bonuses, but don't replace those absences to an extent that is effective, particularly as tino has been filling in for other losses.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Sir Bobby » Sat Jan 13, 2024 10:12 pm

We’re playing a team that has way more ammunition than us in the late stages of the game though. That means the players will be focused on conserving energy as much as possible so aren’t going to make as many forward runs as when we’re losing (or even drawing). The benefit of an extra goal at 2-1 is 0 in points terms but the cost of conceding is -2 points, so the incentives are clearly there to preserve rather than attack and potentially open things up. Every team does it. It’s just what happens when you play the game sensibly, especially when you don’t have the players to come in and switch things up

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Don Sholeone » Sat Jan 13, 2024 9:08 pm

It was clear we had no intention on putting together any attacks in that second half and that's kinda my point. Put on all the reinforcements you like, if the plan is to sit behind the ball with 11 men then it will make no difference.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by seaside nipper » Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:53 pm

There’s an underlying trend around our form this season, it’s quite obvious………. we are not ruthless enough in taking chances.
We dont take chances and we inevitably turn vulnerable.
Need to get s*** housing again and not accept this passive pragmatic respect to our opposition.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Sir Bobby » Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:38 pm

Don Sholeone wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 13, 2024 7:40 pm
 Howe just doesn't have that extra something to survive at the level we need, last season was the peak I'm afraid, I don't see what difference a fully fit squad would have done today for us or what 2-3 more signings would have done for us. Tactically he's been found out and I don't think he knows what to do to rectify it. That second half was a peak Rafa approach of just trying to survive and scrape out something with 11 men behind the ball.

Add 3 new signings and bring back all out I juries for this match and I just can't see what Howe would have done differently there, I'm sorry but I think we have hit our peak already under him.
If you don’t think the unavailable players would have made a difference then I really don’t know what to say other than ‘you’re wrong’.

A fully available squad would have allowed us to bring on Wilson, Tonali, Joelinton, Barnes, Willock and Murphy. Literally all 6 would have had a decent/major impact on the game by providing energy in attack. Instead literally the only sub that made any sense was to bring on Hall for a winger/full back.

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by seaside nipper » Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:28 pm

Just feel it’s another mental pump up the ass
We seem to have a mentality problem that is a major blocker for us. We should have scored three in that first half, they were all at sea , but heh, the boot in the haw maws was always somehow inevitable
We need to grow a spine !

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Don Sholeone » Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:16 pm

I just think it's gone beyond injuries and fatigue, tactically we have been a mess and this has been the case against far lesser teams than man city

Re: Matchday thread - Toon v Citeh

by Chappy » Sat Jan 13, 2024 7:59 pm

Don Sholeone wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 13, 2024 7:40 pm
 Howe just doesn't have that extra something to survive at the level we need, last season was the peak I'm afraid, I don't see what difference a fully fit squad would have done today for us or what 2-3 more signings would have done for us. Tactically he's been found out and I don't think he knows what to do to rectify it. That second half was a peak Rafa approach of just trying to survive and scrape out something with 11 men behind the ball.

Add 3 new signings and bring back all out I juries for this match and I just can't see what Howe would have done differently there, I'm sorry but I think we have hit our peak already under him.
It's not like we had a lot of attacking options on the bench tbf. Despite the loss that was a much better showing compared to recent weeks.

I don't get how you think having a fully fit squad wouldn't have made a difference... yes City would have still been favourites going into it but they're the current champions and a treble winning side ffs - but if we had the likes of Joelinton, Tonali, Willock, Tino & Barnes I reckon we'd have seen that game out at 2-2 or maybe got a win.

I know a lot of people think this season is a write-off but I disagree - we're still in the FA cup and despite another tough game away at Villa coming up, I'm confident we'll pick up some form going into February and there's no reason why we can't push for top 7.

I don't think we've peaked with Eddie yet at all.

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