14th March 2005
By
Gaz Pearson
 Shay
Given
World class saves, especially the one in the second half from
the Defoe strike! Looked assured and sets himself up with that
performance in the same league as Peter Cech. We all know he
is as good, maybe now the rest of the Premiership will take
note. We'll see. Let's hope the vultures don't circle. |
8 |
 Stephen
Carr
His performance cannot be underestimated. Tenacious in the tackle
against a very slick Spurs team. Can take great heart from this
performance and should be delighted at getting one over his
old team. |
7 |
 Jean-Alain
Boumsong
Not his usual commanding self but he was up against a very fluid
and potentially lethal Spurs strike force and did well nonetheless.
His physical presence and athleticism are invaluable assets
to the Toon defence. Could probably have launched the ball to
safety a few times instead of trying clever passes when they
weren't required. |
7 |
 Titus
Bramble
Departed through injury and did well before leaving the game.
Hopefully the injury won't rule him out for too long and detract
Titus from his recent rich vein of form. The Newcastle defence
seemed to miss his sheer presence and no nonsense tackling at
times.
|
6 |
 Aaron
Hughes
Switched to centre-half following Bramble's injury. Deputised
well for the in-form Bramble in the heart of defence. Did well
in the air and did a decent job alongside Boumsong against the
dangerous partnership of Defoe and Kanoute. |
7 |
 Kieron
Dyer
Man of the Match. Head and shoulders above
the rest of the Newcastle out-field players. Looks very much
back to his best as he terrorised Tottenham with his amazing
pace and trickery. Fantastic outlet for Newcastle and with some
crucial England Qualifiers coming up, he must certainly be in
Sven's first-team thinking? |
9 |
 Lee
Bowyer
Much improved after the break. Spirited challenges and work-rate
was commendable. Perhaps could have taken more control of the
midfield and seemed overrun especially in the first half. His
second half performance merited his rating. |
7 |
 Amdy
Faye
Did well, covered a lot of ground for the cause without really
catching the eye. His ball winning was valuable but his distribution
needs to improve. Never took charge of the midfield mainly due
to the deepness in which the Newcastle defence lingered for
most of the game. |
6 |
 Laurent
Robert
Not an enjoyable afternoon for Laurent. However, he did try.
It was just that his magic never came off and to be fair the
Newcastle defensive style in protecting the lead never really
suited him. Hopefully he will bounce back mid-week. |
6 |
 Alan
Shearer
Work-rate and commitment are never in doubt. Denied any real
service as Newcastle defended their early lead. His dream of
actually winning something before he retires (possibly this
season - who knows?) is very much alive. |
7 |
 Kluivert
He just loves this competition and playing London teams. Scored
in the last round against Chelsea and coolly slotted home today's
winner. However, a sour note for the Dutch forward was the fact
he appeared to pull up, possibly with a hamstring injury, when
in full steam. Let's hope it's not too serious as we are going
to need him in the coming weeks. |
7 |
Substitutes:
 James
Milner
Never had chance to get into the game. Young legs provided an
outlet. |
6 |
 Jermaine
Jenas
Weird afternoon for JJ who was forced to play out of position
at left-back following Bramble's injury. Never looked comfortable
but did his best and can boast a clean sheet in training on
Monday. |
6 |
 Shola
Ameobi
Could and should have broke the net on possible two occasions
towards the end.
|
5 |
The Boss Man:
 Graeme
Souness
Could this turn into his season? Could he actually be the guy
who takes us all the way to winning the F.A. Cup? Could he be
on the way to legend status? Newcastle's amazing run continues
and all credit goes to Souness. You just never know, and if
we do get to the Final he will surely have us more motivated
than our previous finals in the late 1990's. Keep up the good
work! |
8 |
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