Newcastle Utd - A view from Centenery Lower
Posted by JamesB in Newcastle | 20 September 2006
Sunday’s performance was exactly what the doctor ordered for Newcastle United. A comprehensive win, a fantastic attacking performance capped by Martins and Duff grabbing their first goals for the club was exactly what was required after a few below par Premier League outings.
We were positive from the start and did not look at all overawed by the presence of Carlos Tevez and the likes. One worrying moment did come in the first half when Tevez hit the bar from a free kick right in front of us, but other than that, Given (and at the end Harper) had a quiet game.
I was slightly worried about a possible lack of cutting edge, which in my opinion was definitely the problem against Villa where we never looked like creating anything from open play, but this was not the case at all at the Boleyn. From the very first whistle we were
direct going forward, looked threatening and definitely the more likely team to score.
Certainly Martins is one of those players you just love having on the team. Regardless of how well the team is doing he can make something happen out of absolutely nothing thanks to his unrivalled pace. And so he did. Seeing him score in front of our end was a great moment and I am so sure that there is plenty more to come from the new number 9.
The team seemed to have grasped that we won’t make the best out of him by chucking long balls up to him. Although he has an astonishing leap, he still gives most defenders a few inches in height, and even if he manages to reach the ball there is little he will be able to do with it. Keep the ball on the ground and we will be playing to his strengths, as we did on Sunday.
I’d also like to make a point to give James Milner credit for a very good performance. It’s fair to say I’ve been disappointed with him at times but he played a good game on the right hand side. The balance of the midfield looked perfect with Duff and Milner on the flanks and Parker and Emre both doing their fair share of attacking and defending. They had the game up their sleeve at times and were able to dictate the pace of it. Saying that, Parker looked slightly lucky to stay on the pitch towards the end when he could have easily been given a second yellow card.
Credit must also go to Craig Moore and Peter Ramage who dealt with everything that was thrown at them, with very little help from the full backs who had indifferent games at best, it must be said. The West Ham attack was blunted and I think that is thanks to the spine of our team in Moore and Parker, with Ramage picking up the pieces nicely.
I am much more optimistic about our trip to Liverpool now which I am vastly looking forward to. They are on a fairly poor run and we have won two away games on the bounce, one of which was won in style. Martins is off the mark and he will only go from strength to strength. The only slight downside is the loss of Shay Given, but not only are we blessed with the most capable keeper on the Premier League, we happen to have one of the most able deputies in the league as well. Loyal club servant Steve Harper is a player I have utmost confidence in and I’m sure he will do himself justice in his time between the sticks.
We travel to Liverpool today on the back of a couple of wins, and with the opposition going through a fairly dry patch. Although Anfield is never a place I am confident of bringing anything home from, hopefully we will at least try and put in a performance like Sundays. Keep an eye out for a match report on Friday.
