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Match Report By Gaz
Pearson (22 August 2005)
I guess they will have to be louder next time? And yes, there will be a next time if we do not bring in some players who actually look like scoring, who aren't afraid to have a shot and who can unlock even the tightest of defences such as that of West Ham United. A West Ham team with 10 men that is! It was another match at home where Newcastle failed to score and the away team leaving with a deserved point. St. James' Park is no longer the fortress it once was. Call me cynical but if teams like a newly-promoted West Ham team can come to Tyneside and take something from the game then what is the rest of the Premiership thinking? We needed to win that one, if only to give ourselves home advantage for the rest of the campaign. We didn't and now I fear for us when the likes of Manchester United roll into town next weekend. The game itself was a dire display from the home team and the biggest applause of the day was for the arrival to the game of returning Toon hero, Lee Clark. I stood, I applauded and then I sat back down. That was about as good as it got. The second half controversial dismissal of Paul Konchesky for a desperate last man lunge as Jermaine Jenas ploughed through on goal should have turned the game for Newcastle. It should have enabled us to go on and win the game. It didn't. To be honest we never looked like scoring and Scott Parker's ballooned effort in the dying moments of the match summed up the entire 90 minutes. To try and take some plus points from the game is surprisingly not that difficult. We kept a clean sheet and although we never looked like breaking the net, neither did West Ham. A few minor scares but that was it. There was another superb display from Steven Taylor at the back and his partnership with Boumsong seems to be improving all the time. Scott Parker was again influential in midfield and Charles N'Zogbia showed glimpses of his attacking skill, especially in the first half. Defensively we were spot on, but when you take into account the opposition then we should have been. Rooney and Co next week won't be as feeble as Harewood and Sheringham. What more can we expect if Souness continues to play a 4-5-1 formation in our home matches? Not a lot would be my first thought. I believe that away from home the 4-5-1 formation is spot on, makes us hard to beat and silences the home crowd. Unfortunately, Souness feels it is necessary to silence the St' James Park as well. How can supporters be expected to get behind their team if they rarely form a decent attack? Perhaps it is the limited attacking options available to Souness? Saturday's attacking no-show showed that we are in desperate need of attackers. With Emre injured and Dyer perhaps managing to play half of the games this season (as he usually manages, he really deserves his new contract doesn’t he?) there is no craft in our midfield. Souness has created a team of battlers and plays in an old-school style with strict disciplined football. However, it will be interesting to see how the 'stylish' 4-5-1 will fair against Bolton on Wednesday night? Can we really out battle Bolton? Sometimes you need to adopt an attacking style to blow away teams such as Bolton, West Ham and all the other battlers in the Premiership. It's good to have this defensive capability in our locker; we might actually be able to hold onto a lead. However, that’s the thing… we have to score to take the lead! If Souness really did miss the boos at the end of the game then he is either ignorant or a liar. He knows he is on borrowed time at SJP. Results will decide his future. With many papers already expecting his swift removal from the Gallowgate hot seat and bookmakers slashing their odds on him to be the first man to be sacked the pressure is well and truly on. A trip to Red Rose County on Wednesday awaits and the clock on Souey's Newcastle reign is ticking.
Lineups
Booked: Jenas. West Ham: Carroll, Repka, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Konchesky, Benayoun (Dailly 78), Mullins, Reo-Coker, Etherington, Harewood (Zamora 90), Sheringham (Newton 48). Subs Not Used: Noble, Hislop. Booked: Harewood. Sent Off: Konchesky. Att: 51, 620.
Post Match Reaction
"If you nullify Alan Shearer we're short on goal-getters, but we know that and we're working hard to change that. "Give West Ham credit, they were ready to throw bodies in front of everything. We did create chances and on another day we would have scored, but today it wasn't to be." Alan Pardew: "The referee has seen the replay. I showed him three or four times. "I don't hold too much hope out because he seems adamant that it is a foul, and to be honest, I just can't fathom that. "I felt there was a chuckle from the Newcastle fans because they couldn't quite believe he had been sent off." |
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Match Report: Newcastle United 0-0 West Ham United
