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Toon Player Ratings Vs Liverpool
(a)
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 Match
Date: 26th December 2005
By Howaythetoon
An in depth look at each individual performance from Newcastle's dire
2-0 Boxing Day defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, rating the players,
the manager, Toon fans and the referee. Also included in our match
analysis are ratings for the Liverpool.
Players |
Shay Given - 9 (My man of the match) |
It is in games like this when you realise just how important Shay
Given is, just how priceless he is. If it wasn't for the Ireland man's
heroics between the sticks, pulling off at least 4 quality saves,
we'd have been hammered. His first-half save from Harry Kewell, reacting
instinctively to tip it away while in mid-air, was for me, the save
of the season. Get him signed up for christ sake man! Pay him whatever
it takes. Just do it. The longer we go on lurching from one win to
a defeat and back again, the more disillusioned this man will get
and who could blame him.
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Peter Ramage - 4 |
All the effort in the world, which Ramage showed plenty of, cannot
save you from having one of those 'mares' and that's exactly what
the Toon youngster had up against Steven Gerrard and Harry Kewell
- a nightmare. Time and time again the Liverpool pair targeted him
down that right and they got lots of joy from their runs. To be fair
to Ramage however, he was often facing them without any cover and
you get the impression at least with the 22 year-old, that he'll learn
from this so in that sense, this is a good learning curve for him.
One that cuts unfortunately. He'll live though such is his character
and temperament. Not once did his head drop and nor did he shirk any
challenge despite a torrid afternoon. Hard to bare lad.
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Jean-Alain Boumsong - 3 |
Two very very good performances at home to Arsenal and away to West
ham respectively seemed to be the turning point for the Frenchman
but this was as shocking a performance as you're likely to see from
a defender. He made the basics look like a challenge worthy of Albert
Einstein and this is simply not acceptable, not at any level. I'm
loathe to criticise him given his well publicised and heartfelt personal
problems and it's very brave and manful of him to play but this is
no good, for him or the team. Souness will have to make a decision.
Get yourself home Jean-Alain and spend some time with the wife and
bairn, come back refreshed and of sound mind.
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Steven Taylor - 3 |
When I heard he was back in the squad following his shoulder injury
I was very pleased, however I was angered when I saw his name on the
team-sheet because it smacked of playing him for playing him sake
and I had my fingers crossed from the first whistle that he'd come
out of this unscathed. However I knew he wouldn't and as night follows
day, he fell to the ground after a nothing challenge and grimaced
in pain, the shoulder popping out again. How much damage this will
do to the player himself and United in the long run, remains to be
seen. But what I do know is his inclusion in the first-team was reckless,
stupid and above all else, very costly. Nice one Graeme and Co.
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Celestine Babayaro - 3 |
Back after his suspension/injury and all I can say is... bring back
Elliott, all is forgiven. A shocking performance of ineptitude at
left-back from the Nigerian. On this form, his absence in the coming
month or so to participate in the African Nations Cup will be a blessing
in disguise. Has he any comprehension of the position he is meant
to play? Does he know how to tackle? How to head? How to pass the
ball? Having said all that, he was no more guilty than his team-mates.
Dear me...
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Lee Bowyer - 0 |
Firstly, Lee Bowyer is not a right-sided midfielder Graeme, playing
him there is like asking a ballerina to do their 'thang' with Doc
Martins on their feet. Secondly he was appalling. Yes he didn't deserve
a straight red but in truth, the referee did us a favour as he was
as much use in this match as central heating in the Summer. All he
did all game was get in the way of people - three times he got in
the way of Ramage resulting in lost possession and daggered looks
towards the youngster as if it was his fault - make silly little fouls
and give the ball away a lot. He gets a zero because I'm fed up with
this lack of intelligence on the field from a player who gets paid
absolute fortunes and who has contributed absolutely nothing since
his much maligned transfer in 2003. Furthermore, he wants away and
hopefully, he'll get his wish. I've defended him time and time again
and have turned an eye to his many poor performances but not any more.
With Bowyer you get the sense he's always the victim, 'what have I
done?', take some responsibility man!
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Charles N'Zogbia - 4 |
Which idiot thought it would be a good idea to put a 19 year-old bairn
about knee height and yet to taste any action at any level since he
picked up a hand injury, into a central midfield that contained two
of Europe's finest in Gerrard and Xabi Alonso? Shame on you... what
the hell was expected of him, to compete? As it was, he worked his
little socks off trying to defend and attack but whenever he was on
the ball there wasn't a shirt in sight to pass it to. Poor lad.
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Amdy Faye - 3 |
After a few promising performance, the real Amdy Faye decides to turn
up. Oh dear... another shocking performance. Wasteful in possession,
pulled out of a few challenges (admittedly he had been warned by the
ref following a kick at Gerrard) and laughable attempts to get up
and support Michael Owen and Alan Shearer. Unlike his performances
against Arsenal and West Ham, he was lackadaisical and his head dropped
as soon as he got that ticking off from Halsey. When up against it,
the last thing we need is a bottler and that's what he was in this
match.
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Albert Luque - 4 |
It's good to see the Spaniard start a game, however, this wasn't the
most ideal type of match to throw him in. He clearly lacks fitness
and despite a few decent touches, some trickery and one or two decent
balls, he was way off the pace and the game passed him by. Not a pointless
exercise for Luque though as 86 minutes under his belt can only do
him the world of good. It was also heartening to see him back at left-back
trying to win tackles and to help at Babayaro, sadly the Nigerian
and his team-mates did little to get him on the ball.
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Alan Shearer - 3 |
In search of that record, Shearer could have played all day long and
he still wouldn't have broken it such was the shocking service to
him. There was absolutely nothing for the number 9 to feed on and
he fashioned his only chance in the game, a goalbound effort from
a corner that hit his own team-mate. When Bowyer got sent off he dropped
into central midfield and this basically cut off Michael Owen. Steven
Gerrard owes his former England Captain a pint, the Liverpool man
pushed Shearer and grabbed him during the Bowyer farce but Big Al
didn't make a meal of it and actually ushered the Reds' man away.
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Michael Owen - 3 |
On his much hyped return to Anfield for the first time since leaving
Liverpool, this thankless 90 minutes of running must have reminded
him of his final months at Liverpool under Gerrard Houllier. Again,
there was absolutely no service whatsoever and the England man didn't
have a sniff in this game. In fact he must have had about 5 touches
all match and why the team continue to pump high balls to him and
expect him to do something with them, I do not know. Either way we
are totally under using him and with a predator like Owen in the ranks,
that's a footballing crime.
Subs |
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Titus Bramble - 6 |
Came on for Taylor after 28 minutes to much ironic cheering from the
home support and he for me was our best outfield player. He didn't
put a foot wrong and unlike those around him, defended well.
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Nobby Solano - 4 |
Came on for N'Zogbia and almost cost us a penalty and a sending off,
handling on the line. Luckily the ref/linesman didn't see it that
way. Aside from that he was rarely involved, often trying to stem
the tide of Red coming our way.
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Shola Ameobi - 0 |
Came on for Luque with 4 minutes to go, not enough time to make any
kind of impact, negative or positive.
Boss Man |
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Graeme Souness - 0 |
Forget the result for a moment, there is no shame in losing away to
Liverpool. However there is plenty of shame in the way we just gave
up, the way we set about our own game and the crumbling of our 'game
plan'. This game highlighted the absolute worst of Souness' abilities
as a manager. Firstly, he picked a central midfielder to play on the
wing, just so he could accommodate a winger in central midfield. Secondly
why he needed to start with Taylor when he had a perfectly fit and
capable Bramble on the bench is anyone's guess and thirdly, to sum
up his tactical prowess, up against the slow Crouch and Morientes
we defended deep yet down to ten men and up against the blistering
pace of Cisse, we held a high line? Sorry but I can not award him
anything for this incompetence. He keeps shooting himself in the foot
with both barrels and his baffling team selection and use of tactics
is costing us dearly. It's one extreme or another with the Scot. Against
Arsenal he got it right, why can he just not send the team out to
play that way in every match? Do that Graeme and maybe your job wouldn't
be on the line.
Mags |
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Toon Fans - 9 (comments by Paul Mosley) |
Another typically magnificent performance from the Mags in the Anfield
Road stand, once again we deserved so much better from those on the
field, traveling to Anfield on a chilly and damp Boxing Day. The afternoon
was spent taking the piss out of the Scousers really, and some nice
ditties near the end about a policeman who had a giant truncheon and
was adopted as one of our own by us, singing "Truncheon is a Geordie".
Sadly he wouldn't respond to requests to batter Souness over the head
with the stick. All this after seeing our lot undergo the annual Anfield
surrender.
Referee |
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Mark Halsey - 3.5 (comments by Paul Mosley) |
Well he was very poor yesterday was Mr Halsey. He's having a very
poor season by his standards. I actually used to think of him as our
best referee, but he seems to be dropping off the pace a bit as he
gets older. Yesterday he missed a hell of a lot. To name just a few:
* Blatant handballs not given
* Blatant fouls by Liverpool not seen (and bizarrely given as advantages
to Liverpool), one of which saw Taylor's shoulder go
* Bizarre fouls given to Liverpool
* Faye probably should have been booked in the 1st half
* Bowyer should have been cautioned not sent off (he steamed in but
made very little contact)
* Gerrard should have been sanctioned for his thuggery
* Liverpool should have had a penalty for Solano's goalline handball
which would have meant a red card too. He had a blocked view of this
one so it's the assistant Graeme Atkins to blame.
It was also extremely annoying to see Crouch climbing on every defender
possible to win every ball in the air illegally.
What did he get right? Not much to be frank, although he was right
only to give Crouch a yellow for the push on Bowyer. His assistant
John Holbrook also did well to develop x-ray vision to see the 2nd
goal cross the line, which it did, but how he could honestly tell
I'll never know.
Poor show overall, probably worth 3.5/10 at best (being generous).
I'll also take this opportunity to refer to this week's Referee
Watch for a couple of key points. Prophetic words.
Well I think this again proved to be so. He let the game flow too
much by missing key fouls, or playing advantages where there was no
chance whatsoever of there being one. He then called the game's key
decisions wrong (Bowyer red card, Solano non-handball) and ended up
creating rather a bigger problem for himself than he should have when
the melee ensued and went on for far too long. You may want to call
it flappy.
Opposition |
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Liverpool |
Liverpool fully deserved their win over Newcastle and to be fair,
they probably deserved more goals too. They were dominant from the
off and ruthlessly exposed our own weaknesses and while we gave them
a huge helping hand with our own shoddy tactics, baffling team selection
and the en mass dropping of heads, they can only beat what's in front
of them and beat us they did, very well. Tactically they got it spot
on and they must have licked their lips when they saw our midfield
line-up.
|
Ratings |
Reina - 6 - Nowt to do, untested.
Finnan - 7 - Got forward well and defended well.
Carragher - 7 - Did a job and wasn't tested at all,
comfortable afternoon.
Hyypia - 7 - See above.
Risse - 6 - Didn't get forward as much as he could
have.
Garcia - 6 - Game passed him by a lot but showed
flashes.
Gerrard - 9 - Awesome.
Alonso - 6 - Disappointing on the ball but effective
off it.
Kewell - 8 - Gave Ramage a torrid time.
Morientes - 8 - Held the ball up superbly and great
feet. Looks sharp.
Crouch - 8 - A handful and linked up play well.
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