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MIDDLESBROUGH v NEWCASTLE TACTICS TALK 21-10-06
Stuart Ward
The first derby of the season for Boro sees the visit of Newcastle United to the Riverside. After last weeks AWESOME showing (by ME not the Boro!) here is how we are going to vanquish the skunks back into the wilderness of Newcastle.
As always, starting with Boro's opponents today.
Key Players
Scott Parker - I am constantly told that he is a fantastic midfield player. Someone who loves a tackle and can also play some good football. Can't say I have ever seen it myself. He is, in my eyes, one of the most overrated players in the Premier League. He turned out for England the other day, the media blowing all the trumpets they could muster, and promptly had a stinker. He apparently makes the Magpies midfield tick, giving some protection to Emre, so if Boateng can get about him early doors then I think we will control the midfield.
Obafemi Martins - Newcastle's latest folk hero (for the simple fact that he is a striker) is the Nigerian Striker Martins. Whilst claiming to be 22 or something, he looks about 76. They must have some hard paper rounds in Nigeria. He is very fast, but his finishing appears to be somewhat circumspect. He tends to want to shoot from whereever he is, and seeing as how he will be up against Super Woodgate, all he will be doing is shooting from thirty yards out. He has scored a few goals for the Geordies, mainly in Europe though. Being as Ameobi is rubbish, he will probably be the biggest threat to Boro's goal all match.
Damien Duff - The Irish winger is probably the only outfield player of genuine quality in the Newcastle line-up at the minute. He is quick and great on the ball and doesn't mind tracking back either. If he gets a good run going he will be difficult for Davies to stop, so expect to see our rather booking-prone youngster to pick another one up here. We cannot allow Duff to get his runs going, as he can terrify defences and provide quality ball into the area. A good hard kick early on could do some damage, as Duff is notoriously injury prone.
The Manager
Glenn Roeder - Rubbish in one word. Resembling Roland Rat and with all the managerial talent of a puppet, Roeder is the latest in a long line of managers who aren't living up to the hype in the Newcastle hot-seat. A prime example of his ineptitude is his insistence that Titus Bramble is a quality centre half. I certainly hope this ridiculous bit of thinking continues for Sunday, as it will allow Boro loads of chances at goal. Roeder missed out on BOTH Woodgate AND Huuuuuuuuuuuuuth to the Boro in pre-season, a fact that could well come back to haunt him today. In conclusion, an average manager with a great ability to get teams relegated. Play on Glenn, play on!
Possible Line-up
Harper
Carr - Moore - Bramble - Ramage
Solano - Parker - Emre - Duff
Ameobi - Martins
Due to lack of quality in their squad, Newcastle are likely to be forced to stick with the same line-up that lost to Bolton. The only possible change would be Harper dropping out due to his groin complaint, with Oldie Pavel Srnicek coming in to replace him. Which would be hilarious.
The defence has long been Newcastle's weak point and it is no different this season. In the middle, the ageing Craig Moore has been lumbered with the worst centre half in the Premier League in Titus Bramble. Bramble is fat, slow and can't head or tackle. I really do think that Yakubu and Viduka just need to target him, and they will get HUGE amounts of joy. Carr is a decent enough right back, but is a bit prone to just bombing forward and leaving his position wide open.
On the left, Ramage is one of those players in the Stuart Parnaby mould. Rubbish. A player that would probably look half decent playing in the Championship, but is poor at best in the Premier League. Downing and either Morrison (hopefully) or Cattermole (probably) will get plenty of room to make their runs and whip their balls in. There isn't one particular part of the defence for Boro to target as it is all rather terrible really.
Midfield is undoubtedly Newcastle's strongest area. On the right, Nolberto Solano is a player who I admire greatly. He is a great crosser of the ball, both in open play and from dead ball situations, and he can also score goals. More worrying, he seems to like playing against Boro for some reason. He will get plenty of the ball given to him, and he will look to use his experience to give young Andrew Taylor a torrid time.
On the left, I have already singled Duff out as a danger man. He will look to run at Davies every opportunity he gets, it is what he does best. Much of Newcastle's attacking success will depend on this little battle, and the Boro youngster with the obscene hair will have to play as he has all season if he is to stick anywhere close to the Irish flyer. In the middle, Parker acts in the "destroyer" role, whilst Emre runs about kicking things and taking long range shots. I really fail to see why Boateng and Rochembach should fail to control the centre of the park on Sunday.
Up front, Newcastle are again a little weak. Ameobi has been hailed as having a "breakthrough" season for about four years now. He is still just a long gangly diving fool who can't actually play football. The only thing that Boro will have to be careful of is his penchant for going down stupidly easily in the area (that's how Shearer scored 2/3 of his goals in his career you know - penalties that Ameobi dives earned.) So Huth will have to be careful with his fantastic hammer tackles (see A. Johnson last week). Up front with Ameobi is Martins. A lightning fast, strong centre forward. He COULD be a good player for Newcastle, but he hasn't shown it yet. He has scored a few, but not in the league yet, so hopefully Woodgate shouldn't have to hard a time marshalling him (he is no Thierry Henry after all).
Now, with the horrible bit out of the way, onto our beloved Boro.
Key Players
Jonathan Woodgate - I had to pick between Woodgate and Huth for this bit. I would like to pick them both but I want to mention others! Much will depend on how these two come together on Sunday. The guy is CLASS without doubt, and he will probably have one of the easiest times he has had since coming home. His ability to read the game and his pace and ariel prowess should make him too good for the shower of poo Newcastle have to offer.
Jason Euell - A surprise entrant into key players this week, the ex-Charlton man has impressed me with some good showings of late. He was a vital part in big Vids goal against Everton and getting into good positions himself. I really think he is a good part of the midfield at the minute, and he should definitely keep his place alongside the Boat after last match. He will be allowed to bomb forward and support the attacks, and with Newcastle's defensive frailties he should have a chance of opening his Boro account in the best way possible.
Aiyegbeni Yakubu - The big man seems to be returning to himself slowly but surely and has now scored two in two for the Boro. If he can hit top gear tomorrow then Newcastle will be in deep, deep trouble. We all know his strength and power are a match for any defence in the Premier League, and the one Newcastle boast is one of the worst. Titus Bramble will get no sleep whatsoever on Saturday night, thinking about some of the ways in which the Yak can destroy him. I really think Yakubu is going to continue his scoring run, and fire Boro on to a great victory.
The Manager
Gareth Southgate - The mystery of Boro's boss continues. We put in a great performance against Everton, playing good attractive football and picking up a well deserved victory against a previously unbeaten team. Hopefully (I said this after the Chelsea match I know) this will be the start of a run of wins that will lift our league position and our expectations again. He is still sticking to his philosophy of attacking football which is a credit to him, and I think he is bright enough to stick with the team that despatched Everton with style last weekend. His "period of grace" comes to an end early next month, and it still hasn't been announced if he will be allowed to stay on. This match will somewhat shape my opinion on the matter.
Possible Lineup
Schwarzer
Davies - Woodgate - Huth - Taylor
Cattermole - Boateng - Euell - Downing
Viduka - Yakubu
The only change for the match should be Woodgate replacing the VERY unlucky Emmanuel Pogatetz. Whilst Mad Dog has been awesome, I think everyone will agree that we have to give the new boys a chance to form their partnership.
Our defence is looking solid at the minute, and the return of Woodgate only makes us stronger. They kept Andy Johnston VERY quiet last time, and one of the highlights of the match was seeing HUUUUUUUUTH deposit him several rows into the stand early on. This is the type of defender we have been waiting for for a long time so let's see how they do together. I think they will be awesome. Davies and Taylor will face a pretty stiff test from Duff and Solano but they have proved themselves to be reliable under pressure this season and I am sure that they will both do well.
In midfield, an injury to Morrison meant a change in thinking was needed from Southgate and as it turned out, he did rather well. Moving Cattermole to the right worked brilliantly. Whilst he didn't provide too many crosses, the lad never stopped running, and caused problems going forward and support for Davies when we didn't have the ball. I think he will continue in this role for this match.
On the other wing, Stewey Downing basked in the fact that he was at home. He put Phil Neville on his arse on a few occasions. This is great to see again, and I hope he continues to shove articles firmly up arses against the Geordies. In the middle, the biggest plus of the match for me was Jason Euell. He looked clever and inventive, full of running and an eager worker. He moved from box to box and put a good shift in. He proved he can play football with his massive contribution to Boro's second goal. His pass to set up Viduka was class. Boateng had a good match and when I say this, I mean that he didn't stick out at any point. This means that he just went about his job in midfield without making any horrible missed passes or ridiculous attempts at shots. If he continues to do this then he will get back to being an important part of the side again. GEORGE! KNOW YOUR LIMITS!
Up front, Viduka and Yakubu finally look to be gelling. Yakubu is becoming a bit of a target for some of the older Boro fans who want something to moan about, but if he continues to score goals, they will have to shut up and move on. Probably to Downing.
Viduka took his goal well, looking a little more like the big fat Star that we saw last season. Yakubu ran at the defence more than he has been, causing havoc in a Everton defence that is usually so assured to the extent that he won us two penalties. If they can both continue like that against Roland's Skunks, then they have a great chance of scoring some confidence boosting goals and endearing themselves to the fans a bit more.
How it will go
Got it spot on last week I did! Even named a couple of the scorers, kind of.
This match SHOULD see a Boro win. This is based on last match and how we played. If we can do that on Sunday, we will have far too much for a poor Newcastle side. I am going to say 3-1 Boro, with Yak continuing his goalscoring streak and Euell to bag one.
Until next time, I am Stuart Ward. Cheers.
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