Losing games at the death is never nice – especially when you have to get up early and return late. Painful, gut wrenching, stomach churning, it was everything that you could imagine in a deflection.
The teams
The teams were revealed and I, at the time, described ours’ as brave. Without Yacob we played Morrison as a CDM with Gera in CAM. Dorrans then took a wide berth and Odemwingie on the other side with Lukaku picked over Long to try and beat down the Magpies’ defence. Tamas kept his RB position with Jones not even on the bench.
First half
We took our lofty position at St James’ Park with only our league position higher! For one I like the view, but that’s just me. We started very much like our counterparts. We had seemingly the same game plan to try and use our pace to hit them as they have a slow defence. Both sides struggled to string passes together in the first ten or so minutes and very few chances were created due to no-one getting a foothold in the game.
Newcastle then started to take the initiative. Passes were sticking and they were beginning to get a man free, mainly their two center midfielders and, when one is Yohan Cabaye and the other Hatem Ben Arfa, you have to try and make sure they have little time on the ball.
Lots of balls were played over the top to Demba Ba who hassled and hurried our defenders as much as possible but we dealt with it well. The issue was mainly in the midfield area where we couldn’t find a red shirt.
Ba’s strike created an issue when he got on the end of a cross to head just wide of Foster’s right hand post. The issues were showing. A very good chance and you would say the striker should’ve hit the target from the position he was in.
Santon forced Ben Foster into the first save of the game with a long low drive parried out for a corner. We gave him time and space to get the powerful shot off which was arrowing into the bottom corner.
Ben Arfa then showed the skill and ability that he did at The Hawthorns last season; one touch taking him past three defenders and into a crossing area. He stayed composed to find Ameobi but thankfully he had what can only be described as a pathetic shot which ended closer to the corner flag than the goal! 18 yards out he had time and space but the strike was woeful.
Still, we had chances of our own which were probably the best in the half. Romelu Lukaku was on the end of a neat break involving Dorrans and Odemwingie. One on one with Krul, Rom could only find the shot stopper’s gloves. I haven’t seen it back so can’t comment, but it looked a good height for the ‘keeper and he probably should have buried it. His reaction said that in itself.
That miss proved critical as Gareth McAuley uncharacteristically misjudged the flight of the ball to help it into the box where Demba Ba waited to fire home past Ben Foster. From my view maybe Fozzie could have done a little better as I don’t think it was cleanly stuck. Still, the goal wasn’t just his fault. They had looked for high balls all game and in the end one broke us. Ba’s touch and strength was causing us issues.
This got us going a little bit. We were more attacking and created chances using wide areas better. We got Lukaku in again. A lovely move culminated in the Belgium striker getting a shot 1 on 1 with the Dutch goalkeeper only for his strike to be aimed at the chest of the onrushing stopper. Again it was a good save but you’d have backed Long there.
The half time talk was full of two men’s names. One would be that of Romelu Lukaku and the other, well of course “our best striker” according to one man in Shane Long. Would Clarke change it at half time?
Second Half
The answer was no. But a pep talk from the coaching staff and Clarke did the trick. We came out with a bit more composure and that meant we felt so much more comfortable on the ball.
We created more with Mulumbu, my MOTM and star today, finding passes. Gera became the link up man and we were trying to find Lukaku. But too many times simple things fell short like a pass to Dorrans which he got and then forgot to take the ball with him. For every good piece of play we did a bad one came along.
Still we pressed, we were patient and tried to work opportunities and a fabulous one came our way when Gera jinked and ran with the ball. From my vantage point I thought he had shot. Instead he crossed for Lukaku to head and bury it from close range! Finally, we worked hard for that and it was fantastic but we wanted more.
Long came on for Lukaku and is most probably bruised all over after getting hit left, right and centre by Newcastle defenders as soon as he came on. Scenes that were reminiscent of a certain game against Aston Villa in the not too distant past.
Both sides believed they could win, yet both never really got a hold of game and both never really worried the opposition goal. Foster only called upon when balls came in the box, which he dealt with very well and confidently.
Krul was again not really troubled as the midfielders were struggling to find balls through to their strikers. We went for balls dropped in behind their defence for Long to chase, we attacked through wide areas as well and a chance came when Odemwingie drove a low cross in to Long who steered his shot towards goal and only to Tim Krul’s open hands.
Rosenburg, who had played some neat passes after coming on, nearly got a goal when he bursted through and nearly touched a low curling cross.
I still had a feeling there a goal still in this game. Unfortunately I was right as a long strike from Ameobi was horribly deflected past Foster by Cisse’s back. Foster was already down, nothing he could do, horrible goal. Spurs away Esq. Apparently, Cisse was offside. That is a bitter pill to swallow.
On reflection
It was a game of two halves. We need to make passes stick better and stop giving the ball away in dangerous areas but there’s definitely some positives after the second half performance.
I hear some are questioning Clarke. May I ask why? It’s a 38 game season and not every player can play every game. Players like Long run themselves into the ground all game and it will take its toll. Players like Lukaku show promise, yes we have him for one season but he will score goals. Midfield wise I don’t think he could do much more with what he had at his disposal.
Mulumbu was outstanding, Yacob was out and we needed him to step up, he did, it was a brilliant display. Let’s hope Claudio steps up like that in January when we miss Mulumbu!
Just keep calm guys, we have lost to two sides that were in the top six last season with late, late goals. One of those sides were the champions and the other a Europa League side. We matched them stride for stride. We deserved a point yes, but four points in the next two games (Saints home, Wigan away) should be enough to please us again. We’re still in the top half and on good points!
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