Official Premier League 2010/11 thread

[Gazz]

I will not hear a bad word against Cheick Tiote, ever, from anyone.

I am ecstatic over where we are in the league, I said at the start of the season if we finished 17th with +1 goal difference over 18th, then the season could be considered a success. I think Pardew's actually done a pretty good job considering the circumstances and our paper thin squad. This summer will be a big indicator of whether he's got any plums though, it's imperative we keep Enrique and Tiote, get another left back as cover and strengthen the depth of the squad all round. We desperately need some strikers too, I play 5 a side (badly) and I wouldn't be scared about defending against a forward line that consists of some combo of Ranger/Lovenkrands/Ameobi/Kuqi and Best.

Nile Ranger is a joke, he's made 20 odd appearences this season, totalling 8 full games of football and I can't remember him having a shot on target, let alone scoring. For someone who is regarded as a pacey striker with a good first touch, all I've seen of him is him ballooning it into the stands, being outpaced by James Collins repeatedly and the ball hitting his shin, bouncing five yards followed by Ranger falling over. All reports indicate that his attitude towards training sucks and he is generally an all around cunt nugget. If we offloaded him for nothing tomorrow, I wouldn't be crying and I won't be crying when in six years time, he's playing in the EvoStick League.

[Rafael]

Okay, but how is that Pardews fault, barring throwing Tiote on late on against Stevenage that saw him suspended for Sunderland and Spurs

I called him Ivorian Nigel De Jong because of that sending off , several yellow cards he gets because of lenient refereeing , and a powerful shot , which is , in my opinion , his only good point.

[Gazz]

Do you not think it is in poor taste to compare our best defensive midfielder to the guy who nearly crippled our best attacking midfielder?

[Ben E.]

Do you get to actually watch many Newcastle games? To me, even Match of the Day highlights show Tiote is far more than overly agressive with a powerful shot. The thing I like about him is that he's tireless, I can't remember the last Newcastle player that put the same amount of effort into each game. If anything he's too eager to win the ball back in midfield, and that's what's getting him so many yellow cards.

[Rafael]

Do you get to actually watch many Newcastle games? To me, even Match of the Day highlights show Tiote is far more than overly agressive with a powerful shot. The thing I like about him is that he's tireless, I can't remember the last Newcastle player that put the same amount of effort into each game. If anything he's too eager to win the ball back in midfield, and that's what's getting him so many yellow cards.

In my opinion , effort is something that every player should have , and if one doesn't , then he shouldn't be playing soccer otherwise , and that's why I don't consider It a good point from Tioté , because if he has so much energy , he's so eager ... I've seen many ''eager'' players injury skillful athletes and put them on the sidelines for months...

[EddieG]

Argument over.

[Ben E.]

Do you get to actually watch many Newcastle games? To me, even Match of the Day highlights show Tiote is far more than overly agressive with a powerful shot. The thing I like about him is that he's tireless, I can't remember the last Newcastle player that put the same amount of effort into each game. If anything he's too eager to win the ball back in midfield, and that's what's getting him so many yellow cards.

In my opinion , effort is something that every player should have , and if one doesn't , then he shouldn't be playing soccer otherwise , and that's why I don't consider It a good point from Tioté , because if he has so much energy , he's so eager ... I've seen many ''eager'' players injury skillful athletes and put them on the sidelines for months...

So the "fantastic" team we had when we went down shouldn't have been playing football, then. In an ideal world sure, every player should work as hard as Tiote does, but it doesn't work like that unfortunately.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Ben E.

[Guest viperlike]

Rafa makes some good points, keep doing ya thing thing young man.

[Matt]

I'm still baffled that his main reason for sacking Pardew is, apparently, a cup shock to Stevenage because everyone knows that no other Premier League sides have ever lost to lower division opposition.

And I think you seem to be confusing "tireless" with "effort".

[Jimmy]

I think every team needs a player like Tiote. Someone compared him to Makelele earler, and he was key to Chelsea's success. You need a midfielder who is disciplined to sit back, make a hard challenges and break up the play. I wonder if Newcastle are going to be able to hold onto him or if another club might come calling. My gut instinct says he'll be at Newcastle for another year or two.

[Gazz]

Rafa makes some good points, keep doing ya thing thing young man.

You're a United supporter, you don't know dick about football.

Tiote is neck and neck with VdV for bargain of the season. I'd argue Tiote was the better find because he was an relative unknown, VdV was a known quality player who happened to be available for an absolute steal.

[Rafael]

You need a midfielder who is disciplined to sit back, make a hard challenges and break up the play

Not at all , not at all ...

Y'know , I may not like Barcelona because I think they play the ball too much to the sides , and when they face a team that has the counter-attack as weapon , they lose in humiliating fashion , same thing to Spain...

But they're the closest example to what Total Football was back in 1974 , where players could switch positions regularly...

In the defensive midfield , you have Sergio Busquets , a young man that has good heading skills , runs well with the ball and oftenly goes up in the attack , and he plays in the SAME POSITION as Tioté , so I guess , if a team can't have a player like Tioté on their starting 11 , leave it the same , because It wouldn't do no good. Unless your team plays with all the 11 players behind , they might be fine.

[Starvinho]

Rafa makes some good points, keep doing ya thing thing young man.

You're a United supporter, you don't know dick about football.

Tiote is neck and neck with VdV for bargain of the season. I'd argue Tiote was the better find because he was an relative unknown, VdV was a known quality player who happened to be available for an absolute steal.

What about Hernandez, he was a relative unknown when we signed him just before the World Cup and he has 18 goals already this season.

[Gazz]

Rafa makes some good points, keep doing ya thing thing young man.

You're a United supporter, you don't know dick about football.

Tiote is neck and neck with VdV for bargain of the season. I'd argue Tiote was the better find because he was an relative unknown, VdV was a known quality player who happened to be available for an absolute steal.

What about Hernandez, he was a relative unknown when we signed him just before the World Cup and he has 18 goals already this season.

I would accept him too. Quality player.

Can someone please point me to the last time Barcelona lost in humiliating fashion? And by humiliating, I mean a 3/4 goal drubbing.

[Starvinho]

Rafa makes some good points, keep doing ya thing thing young man.

You're a United supporter, you don't know dick about football.

Tiote is neck and neck with VdV for bargain of the season. I'd argue Tiote was the better find because he was an relative unknown, VdV was a known quality player who happened to be available for an absolute steal.

What about Hernandez, he was a relative unknown when we signed him just before the World Cup and he has 18 goals already this season.

I would accept him too. Quality player.

Can someone please point me to the last time Barcelona lost in humiliating fashion? And by humiliating, I mean a 3/4 goal drubbing.

Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona, 7th May, 2008 La Liga

[Guest viperlike]

You're a United supporter, you don't know dick about football.

Your so beneath me i will not even respond to that.

[Gazz]

See, the argument doesn't really hold up when the best example anyone can come up with is an away game against Real Madrid from nearly three years ago.

[Rafael]

They were humiliated against Hercules , but it wasn't 3/4 because of the lack of talent . In Camp Nou , at the City Anniversary.

Spain lost 2-0 to USA , they neutralized the spanish side and used well of their few counter attacks to beat 'em

Spain lost 4-1 to Argentina.

Spain lost 4-0 to Portugal.

Scotland scored twice against Spain ( how can someone let Scotland score TWO GOALS? Even the U23 Brazil managed a clean sheet )

I'm relating Barcelona to Spain because it's 60% of the Barça Squad and has the same playing style.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

If Newcastle stay up this season then it's a success.

If they finish top half next year then it's a success.

If they start challenging for UEFA the year after then it's a success.

[Matt]

You need a midfielder who is disciplined to sit back, make a hard challenges and break up the play

Not at all , not at all ...

Y'know , I may not like Barcelona because I think they play the ball too much to the sides , and when they face a team that has the counter-attack as weapon , they lose in humiliating fashion , same thing to Spain...

But they're the closest example to what Total Football was back in 1974 , where players could switch positions regularly...

In the defensive midfield , you have Sergio Busquets , a young man that has good heading skills , runs well with the ball and oftenly goes up in the attack , and he plays in the SAME POSITION as Tioté , so I guess , if a team can't have a player like Tioté on their starting 11 , leave it the same , because It wouldn't do no good. Unless your team plays with all the 11 players behind , they might be fine.

So... your point is that because the best team in the world who once every 3 years lose humiliatingly have a holding midfielder that can get forward a lot (which to be honest, I'd argue he only does as frequently as Tiote does), Newcastle don't need one. Or am I reading this wrong?