Against Liverpool we showed the passion, commitment and fight expected of a Newcastle United team. To earn a point again the team currently sitting 2nd in the Premier league with only 10 men for 45 minutes is very impressive.
Add to this the fact that we were missing our top defender and faced the Premierships top striking partnership with our 4th choice centre half and a young lad with only a handful of appearances.
Liverpool humiliated Newcastle last season strolling to a 0-6 win in what was one of the worst performances from the home side a SJP and you could see that Newcastle still carried the scars of that defeat. There was a real desire to right that wrong and up until the 43rd minute I felt we were on top and looked like winning this game - however obviously the red card and penalty changed that.
No one including myself gave Newcastle a chance and I was hopeful of damage limitation so that our fragile confidence would not be shattered, yet we really showed that we can mix it with the big boys and give anyone a good game at SJP.
The following were the key positives we can take out of this game:
- Cheick Tiote had a very good game, probably his best for over a season. He took on the responsibility of captain and really thrived. He managed to nullify Steven Gerrard and limit his influence on the game. When Tiote is in this form he really is a massive asset to NUFC.
Pardew “That was as good as I have ever seen from Cheick. I felt if you take Gerrard out their team, that’s the equivalent to us losing Coloccini.” I thought we needed someone to replace him with the same instincts, and that is to lead by performance. Cheick needed to do that and I thought he was absolutely brilliant. I know Steven won man of the match and I’m not going to argue with that, but in my eyes Cheick shaded it with all he had to do today.
- Paul Dummett showed maturity in his second half performance did very well alongside Mike Williamson. Facing Suarez & Strurridge is daunting for any defender, yet the young Geordie excelled and took his goal so well. Us Geordies love to see one of our own make it and hopefully this lad can have a big future.
- Yohan Cabaye is restoring his relationship with the fans in the best way possible - performing well and scoring crucial goals. If Cabaye continues to perform like he currently is then he will be restored as a Geordie hero in no time. His partnership with Tiote is improving each week and hopefully they can return to the form which fired us to 5th in the league.
-Alan Pardew really has instilled a strong work ethic in the squad this season. This is typified for me by the effort of Yoan Gouffran who may not be the most talented player, but makes up for this with his work rate - the lad simply never stops running and really gives blood, sweat and tears for the club. To see the lives of Remy and HBA defending from the front is beautiful to see. We attach and defend as a team. Without this work rate and commitment we would have lost that game on Saturday.
So many positives and things are really looking for NUFC at the moment. Now it is key to keep this good run going and not to fall into a trap of complacency. Sunderland are up next and I cannot imagine Pardew will need to get the lads up for this game as I am sure they are ready to put things right after the embarrassment of 0-3 defeat last season.
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| Dummett - |
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