Player Ratings - Newcastle Utd v Everton (A)
By Wasim
September 19 2010
Tyne-Talk player rater Wasim4nufc has awarded Hatem Ben Arfa Man of The Match for his performance and his goal against Everton at Goodison Park yesterday afternoon. With relatively high scores for most of the team, it was a good day all round. Read on to see how the rest of the team faired.
Player Ratings
Steve Harper (6) - Went off in what looked like a serious injury. Didn't have much to do before he went off though.
James Perch (7) - A much more composed game from the young right back. I think his starting to settle in this league now but unfortunately for his sake, he got yet another booking and he'll miss the next game.
Mike Williamson (7) - There were a few moments where he looked a bit guilty of committing a foul in the box but other than that he was solid in the air and had a good game.
Fabricio Coloccini (7.5) - Another outstanding and composed performance by the centre back. Was very elegant on the ball and really has become very consistent as of late.
Jose Enrique (8) - Just like his teammate, he was very reliable and very much involved in both defending and our attacks. He put in a few fine crosses and linked up nicely with Ben Arfa.
Wayne Routledge (6.5) - He wasn't as involved as he normally is but he certainly contributed to the win. Nothing spectacular from him but he did his job.
Cheick Tiote (8) - What a debut from the man from the Ivory Coast. He looked solid, good on the ball and as if his been playing at Newcastle for many years. Formed a good partnership with Joey Barton.
Joey Barton (7.5) - He certainly seems to be getting back to the form that once made him an England international. He played some good balls on attack, particularly in the second half and was prepared to take some heavy tackles. His set pieces were a bit of a mixed bag though.
Hatem Ben Arfa (8.5) - This lad is quite special. He scored an absolute beauty, and looked so good on the ball. Always willing to take on his man and beat a player or three. He worked hard on defence also so although he comes with some baggage, on this display, he's the best player we've had for some time.
Kevin Nolan (7.5) - Initially I was thinking he should be dropped but after today I feel he still has a big role to play for us and as skipper too. He linked up nicely with the midfield and striker and just like the others he played his part in the win.
Andy Carroll (6.5) - Today wasn't his best day at the office but he worked hard and helped us out on defence a few times. Made one great block of note as well.
Substitutes
Tim Krul (7) - Considering it was his first real taste of Premier League football he did well. Never looked out of place at all.
Jonas Gutierrez (N/A) - Only had a few minutes in which it was hard for him to make an impact.
Man of the Match : Hatem Ben Arfa
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Also-I've been seeing nothing but glowing praise for him...but if he's flirting with giving a pen that can't be good.

Wasim's Sport Blog
Toon4life

Wasim's Sport Blog
Toon4life
It is a tough one for the team, as I want Jonas to play, Nolan has stepped up and I thought he may have struggled and Routeledge may not have found his feet fully, but with his pace he offers us quite a bit
According to guardian, Tiote was 43/43 passing, 3/3 tackling, 2 interceptions, and 1/1 shooting on target. According to that graphic, about half of his passes pushed the ball out wide. Can't ask much more from a holding midfield then that display.
Im not jumping on the bash smith bandwaggon but just flying into tackles is not good enough. In the same way that Guthrie got us ticking from that position last season it looks like Tiote will do the same with maybe a little more bite. Maybe against some teams I would like like to see Tiote and Guthrie together with possibly Barton pushing on.
Anyway....totally agree about Colo and Williamson. I was pleased when we got Williamson as I had seen him being a no nonsense CB who clears the ball well. But even I have been surprised at how well he has settled and like has been said if they carry on like this then Sol or taylor will not break into the team. I hope they dont if you know what I mean. I think the pair complement each other well. Colo being quicker and being a bit better with the ball at his feet. Williamson taller who is good at heading.
All in all more brownie pionts for CH for the signings he has made and the way he goes about his business.

Quote:harrynufc
Spot on with the ratings wasim. Just thought id leave a comment letting you know youre ratings are something a few people (from other forums too) look forward to. So even though you might not get many comments, you're definitely getting a lot of views. The quicker you post the ratings after the match, the better. Anyway good job mate!
Thanks for those comments Harry. I'll be looking to get the ratings up as quickly as possible, although sometimes the Newcastle games are showed delayed here by us, which in turn means I can't do the ratings immediately.
Quote:Biffins Bridge
Thanks for that Waffles. Thats good crack. Think I mentioned how pleased that I was that Tiote had a great first game on the other thread.
Im not jumping on the bash smith bandwaggon but just flying into tackles is not good enough. In the same way that Guthrie got us ticking from that position last season it looks like Tiote will do the same with maybe a little more bite. Maybe against some teams I would like like to see Tiote and Guthrie together with possibly Barton pushing on.
Anyway....totally agree about Colo and Williamson. I was pleased when we got Williamson as I had seen him being a no nonsense CB who clears the ball well. But even I have been surprised at how well he has settled and like has been said if they carry on like this then Sol or taylor will not break into the team. I hope they dont if you know what I mean. I think the pair complement each other well. Colo being quicker and being a bit better with the ball at his feet. Williamson taller who is good at heading.
All in all more brownie pionts for CH for the signings he has made and the way he goes about his business.
I second those comments. The thought of Tiote and Guthrie in the same team at some time certainly is something I'll look forward to seeing, while like you say credit should go to CH for the signings his made.

Wasim's Sport Blog
Toon4life
out of the line up for saturdays match, who (and why) should drop out for guthrie?
for the everton match we had round pegs in round holes, something which we havent had too much off in recent seasons
Quote:lostmekeys
tiote, guthrie, and barton? i'd hope tiote and barton/guthrie (up to this point barton has doen enough to fight off speculation about his place, i'm going tiote and barton until one or the other goes off the boil) could cover without the third man, allowing us to include more progressive players.
out of the line up for saturdays match, who (and why) should drop out for guthrie?
for the everton match we had round pegs in round holes, something which we havent had too much off in recent seasons
The only way to bring in Guthrie right now is to drop Nolan. You adapt the formation from the a 4-4-1-1 to a 4-3-3 with the wingers pushed high, Tiote dropping deep and Barton/Guthrie running the show in the middle. Something like:
Perch Colo Williamson Enrique
Tiote
Guthrie Barton
Winger Carroll Winger
That said, dropping Nolan doesn't seem wise at the moment, as he's playing fairly well. He's winning balls in the air and making good runs to find space. He and Barton have a good connection going right now. Furthermore, Hughton's too defensive minded to go to a 4-3-3 from the onset. I love the IDEA of Guthrie, Barton, and Tiote sharing the midfield together, I just don't see it as likely right now, nor do I see it as the wisest choice on current form of our healthy players.
Hughton has tons of options though. He can have Arfa, Jonas, and Routledge all in at the same time with Arfa in Nolan's spot. Barton can fill Tiote's role if duty calls. Lovenkrands can fill out wide or up top as duty calls.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:21:17:09:06 by waffles.
i know you like him, but he's currently odd man out for me. tiote has not just threatened to call time on smith, his arrival will cut guthrie's opportunities too. nothing against the guy, but the team is being strengthened, in the way that whilst i like lovenkrands a lot, i see ben arfa as the better choice since we now have that option.
like i said above, barton's form/fitness may allow someone else into the eleven in time, for now it (playing guthrie)would be making room for a player who adds nothing we dont already get from someone already in the team. he'll get games this season, but at this moment he should wait.
as an aside, would you like to see jonas in a more central role in a 4 3 3?
Quote:tunyc
BB-one other thing. I don't think it's fair to refer to a "bash Smith" bandwagon. Several here speculated last season that his tackling was not quick or precise enough for the top flight.
Not to mention we said he got found out towards Christmas time last year. Teams realized he was off the pace, even in the Championship. As a result, he lost his spot to Guthrie for the entire second half of the season.
Quote:waffles
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/20/premier-league-chalkboard-analysis
According to guardian, Tiote was 43/43 passing, 3/3 tackling, 2 interceptions, and 1/1 shooting on target. According to that graphic, about half of his passes pushed the ball out wide. Can't ask much more from a holding midfield then that display.
i hadnt looked at the chalkboards before waffles, they are pretty good to play with, arent they?
check out nolan, he actually got about the pitch and did quite a lot of good things on saturday. stats only tell so much, but there is something to be said for his numbers, regarding tackling and passing...
Quote:lostmekeysQuote:waffles
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/sep/20/premier-league-chalkboard-analysis
According to guardian, Tiote was 43/43 passing, 3/3 tackling, 2 interceptions, and 1/1 shooting on target. According to that graphic, about half of his passes pushed the ball out wide. Can't ask much more from a holding midfield then that display.
i hadnt looked at the chalkboards before waffles, they are pretty good to play with, arent they?
check out nolan, he actually got about the pitch and did quite a lot of good things on saturday. stats only tell so much, but there is something to be said for his numbers, regarding tackling and passing...
Like I said above, Nolan's playing well enough, that despite my affinity for Guthrie, it'd be foolish to drop Nolan at this point. He's winning balls and making good runs. 36/40 passing is an excellent showing for him, and 6/7 tackles is stellar too. I like Nolan a lot, and if his form holds, you're right Guthrie doesn't get in the side. He does a lot of things that don't make the stat pages, specifically shielding, picking defenders for dribblers, and drawing coverage.
Normally, when I'm picking someone to drop for Guthrie, it'd be Barton, but it's harder to argue dropping him then Nolan at the moment, based on form alone. Note: Both of them have well earned their starting spot through 5 games, and don't warrant dropping for a lad still yet to return from a hefty injury.
Interesting stat I just looked at, check out Ben Arfa's interception and tackle tallies. Although his tackling rate wasn't great, he really was all over the pitch.
With the Smith Bashing thing Im definately not trying to say that anybody on this forum has said anything out of turn about Smith. We have all said it as long as he has been at the the toon and especially last season as both Tuncy and Waffles point out. I think it had more to do with the comments made about when it was mentioned that Tiote was a possible signing. Some people said why sign another defensive midfielder when we had Smith and Guthrie.
If we play the one forward, which we will then I think Nolan has to play, as he can offer goals and support for Carroll. I can't see us dropping Barton as he is starting to come back to the player he was without him being a tw@t, Tiote sounds quality on all accounts, and would be good to see if he can maintain it longterm and if he does then he will do the cr@p jobs that need doing.
Guthrie is probably my favourite player so I want to see him play, and I think he offers so much to the team, but won't come straight into the team, but as already stated I think we should rotate the players to suit the team we are playing, so we can play attacking or a bit more defensive.
Smith has been good for us last season and has done a job this season, but has been of the pace and has given a away freekicks and penalties when they could have been prevented. But I always thought that we would struggle having both Smith and Nolan in the same team in the premiership, as both lack the pace to hold it togethor. But the good thing about Smith is that he will fight for every ball, but Nolan offers more. Smith best job at the club for me has been his influence off the pitch, and I wouldn't be suprised come the summer if he isn't sold
Gosling is quality, and when fully fit he will be joy to watch, but I am not to sure if we will see him this season or atleast until the later part, but when he does get in the team, I don't think he will leave it
TTID-bang on about Nolan and goals. I full expect him to be among our top 3 scorers at the end of the season. On form, he's proven he's one of the better midfielders for that in the PL.
Thinking of these selection dilemmas and the depth we have now, it's completely believeable when CH says he takes the cup seriously. If we can survive this round and avoid awful draws subsequently we do have the depth in the squad to field good teams there and in the league.
Quote:tunyc
Thinking of these selection dilemmas and the depth we have now, it's completely believeable when CH says he takes the cup seriously. If we can survive this round and avoid awful draws subsequently we do have the depth in the squad to field good teams there and in the league.
I think now we are through I would, as you stand a chance of going on a run, some good teams are out so possibly this could be the year
But then again I say the same old cr@p every season
If we avoid the red mancs next round, the lads can make some hay in this competition.
A low league team will come in fired up. A second half PL team will take it in stride.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:09:23:03:05:58 by waffles.
Wouldn't fancy Man U and Arsenal, and would like to see them to drawn against each other, Villa would be a hard as they would be fired up after our result
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Six of the remaining 16 sides are from the lower divisions. We have a 40% chance of drawing one of them.
Of the five teams ahead of us in the PL, only 2 are still in the competition.
Just sayin'...
