 |
Site Features |
|
Toon Player Ratings Vs Arsenal (h)
 Match
Date: 10th December 2005
By Paul
Mosley
An in depth look at each individual performance from the 1-0 win over
Arsenal at St. James' Park, rating the players, the manager, Toon
fans and the referee. Also included in our match analysis are ratings
for Arsenal.
Shay Given - 8
Well for a change our Irish keeper didn’t have a lot to do, thanks
to a misfiring Arsenal and a better defensive display. However, his
incredible reflex save from Henry in the 1st half earns him his 8
alone. His distribution was better, but at times still poor. He must
be relieved to have a game like this, he doesn’t get many! Please
sign that contract Shay, I don’t know what we’d do without you!
Peter Ramage - 9
The lad gets better by the game. It’s hard to believe that he’s only
22 and playing in an unfamiliar position when he puts in performances
like this. Thierry who? Arguably the best player in the Premiership,
the Frenchman never got a sniff thanks to a fantastic Ramage rampage.
Some of his challenges and interceptions were vital, and brilliantly
timed. Old head on young shoulders
Titus Bramble - 6
Still not the Bramble we came to see during last season, but this
was better. He still has me a bag of nerves whenever he’s in possession
of the ball, and when he went charging into a couple of tackles I
winced, but fortunately he came out of risky challenges in possession.
His distribution was nothing like we came to expect last season, playing
balls either straight to Arsenal or straight into touch. Titus looks
likely to be dropped when Taylor returns in light of his partner’s
better performances.
Jean-Alain Boumsong - 9
This was the type of performance we got from Boumsong at the back
end of last season, when he actually looked like the French international
central-defender that he is. As has been a theme of the previous Newcastle
vs Arsenal fixtures he’s played in, he kept Henry very quiet indeed.
He looked composed and in control, won a share of headers, and showed
some nifty footwork before Gilberto’s dismissal.
Robbie Elliott - 6
A fully committed display from the Geordie Elliott, never shirking
a challenge when he was required to make one. His distribution however
was abysmal and needs to be sorted out if he is to continue filling
in for Babayaro, giving the ball away countless times and looking
long whenever on the ball, needlesly handing over possession to Arsenal..
Nobby Solano - 7
Still nothing like the Nobby we had 2 years ago. He didn’t show any
willingness to get down the right hand side and attack, despite there
often being oceans of space there. He did get stuck in and keep the
pressure on Arsenal though. His involvement in the goal was two-fold,
firstly the clever ball to Shearer, and then the beautiful finish
with the outside of his right boot. A nice Birthday present for him
turning 31 on Monday.
Scott Parker - 10
Yes, ten out of ten. Scott Parker gave one of the finest performances
I have ever seen from anyone in our famous black and white shirt.
Having been shown up by Faye last week he decided he needed to show
exactly who was boss, even topping his opening day showing at Highbury.
He fought tooth and nail for every single ball, won vital challenges,
blocked anything and everything and played the ball around very well.
He can also count himself unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after
a long range effort went just over, and fell foul of a deliberate
attack by Lehmann which ensured damage to his mouth and concussed
him. Amazingly he played on but was finally done for when Toure sat
on his head soon after. If he hadn’t been about 3% conscious I reckon
he would still have played on to the end. The guy just gets better
and the price we paid for him, originally looking a little high, now
looks a real bargain. My Man of the Match, and surely
the England manager cannot continue to ignore him on this form.
Amdy Faye - 8
I think we must have replaced Amady Faye with Andy Henry, such has
been the improvement in his performances of late. One feared he would
struggle to follow on from a man of the match display against Villa,
yet he proved it was no fluke with another assured and battling display.
His partnership with Parker is working nicely, and they complement
each other well. He also won some aerial challenges and his passing
was good. Keep up the good work Amady.
Shola Ameobi - 7
Shola toiled away in the unfamiliar left-wing role for the 2nd week
in a row, working Kolo Toure extremely hard and turning in a few Shola
party pieces on the way. He was less lazy than usual, and helped out
defensively aswell, which proved vital to our victory. He is showing
that he is an option in this role when others are unavailable.
Michael Owen - 7
A welcome return from injury for our record signing, despite him failing
to get on the scoresheet. The difference he made was clearly noticeable,
as his pace and movement meant we were miles better going forward
than at Chelsea, Everton and Wigan, and against Villa. His fitness
was impressive, and he appeared fine even until the final moments
when he was replaced. Had he been a little sharper late on when he
controlled a ball over the top he may have made the game somewhat
safer than it was.
Alan Shearer - 9
A true captain’s performance, and one which we really needed in a
game like this. Shearer knows the game better than anyone, and he’ll
know that the way to beat Arsenal was to wind them up and rattle them,
and he did his fair share of that with sly digs at Lehmann and Lauren,
and a nasty challenge on Campbell for which he was lucky to escape
sanction. He gave Campbell and Senderos a torrid time at the back,
really roughing them up, and it was his classic Shearer hold-up play
and quality ball to Solano which made our goal. We’ll miss him on
days like this when he’s gone.
Subs
Lee Bowyer (74 mins, for Parker) – 6 – Far, far better
than he has been of late. He was in the action right from the get
go, won plenty of aerial challenges and was fully committed from the
moment he stepped on the field.
Michael Chopra (90 mins, for Owen) – Did nothing
to rate.
The Boss Man
Graeme Souness - 8
Souness has had his critics, myself being one of the main ones, but
to be fair to him he got it spot on against Arsenal. The line-up was
probably the best available, with Ameobi a good option on the left
side for this game in place of the strangely absent Luque. In the
1st half we seemed to take a back seat and let the visitors do all
the pressing, but for all of that they only had an Henry effort brilliantly
saved to show. We then came out for the 2nd half and got at them in
a style similar to Bolton the previous Saturday, with Shearer and
Parker being the chief combatants, and boy did it work. After the
sending off of Gilberto, Arsenal seemed to lose a bit of discipline,
and the supposed ‘roughhouse’ tactics had worked a treat when Solano
buried a peach of a shot 9 minutes from time. Souness has beaten Arsenal
before, as manager of Blackburn, and he certainly knew what we had
to do to beat them again. Well done.
Magpies
Toon Fans - 7
In the 1st half the atmosphere was pretty similar to last weekend
against Villa, tense and quiet. However, once we got stuck into them
in the 2nd half, the crowd were lifted, and the sending off of Gilberto
definitely helped, as did a few wrong decisions made by Dermot Gallagher,
as well as some pantomime antics from Arsenal and Lehmann inparticular.
Scott Parker got a well deserved ovation when he was finally knocked
out of the game, and when Solano buried his 1st goal at St James since
April 2003, the roof was lifted off the place, and the atmosphere
continued until the end, with loud cheers greeting the final whistle,
nice to hear for a change.
Referee
Dermot Gallagher - 6
Dermot Gallagher was the perfect referee for this fixture. I say this
because he is one of the most lenient referees on the Select Group,
and he was never going to take a really hard line on our ‘roughhouse’
antics. Had Mike Riley been in charge, I fear there would have been
a couple of penalties to Arsenal, yellow cards in double figures and
probably 2 or 3 sent off (Riley himself had 9 yellow cards and a penalty
on Saturday at Blackburn vs West Ham). Thus I was amazed when Dermot
sent Gilberto off. Both challenges were yellow card offences, thus
he couldn’t really have any complaints. However, if Gilberto watched
the rest of the game he would be aggrieved at some of the things which
did go unpunished, such as a couple of challenges by Shearer, particularly
the foul on Campbell which amazingly drew no card. However, overall
I felt Dermot did miss quite a few offences, particularly by the away
side and, while we do like to see games which are a bit more physical
I think he let too much go. Nonetheless he was correct to wave away
Arsenal’s penalty appeals when Bramble accidentally handled, and I’d
happily rather have him referee one of our games than the likes of
Riley and Bennett. It will be a shame when he hangs up the whistle
in May.
The Opposition
Arsenal
Lehmann – 6 – Brilliant pantomime act. Disgraceful
assault on Parker. Handling excellent.
Toure – 6 – Didn’t look massively comfortable playing
at right-back against Ameobi.
Senderos – 7 – Did OK.
Campbell – 7 – Was up to the challenge of the physical
battle against Shearer.
Lauren – 7 – Not tested enough due to Solano’s insistence
on drifting inside.
Ljungberg – 6 – Had an unusually quiet evening.
Fabregas – 5 – Disappointing.
Gilberto – 4 – Had a poor game, and was sent off.
Hleb – 8 – Arsenal’s best bet, considering how unfit
he was, looks to have been a good signing.
Van Persie – 5 – Taxi required for the Dutchman after
his air-shot compounded a miserable evening.
Henry – 6 – One brilliant effort somehow stopped,
another lazy air-shot at the far post, and classy touches but got
frustrated when things stopped going his way. Well marshalled by Boumsong.
|
|
|
