Newcastle Utd 2-4 West Ham Utd (15/08/21)

[sutts07]

I am going to go against the grain here and state once again (I do this twice a season each time we play them) that I really don't rate Saint-Maximin.
Yes he is quick and yes he has some skills in his locker, but he is also very easy to defend if you just stand him up and close out his options.

We defended poorly against him to start with but once we stood off him a bit, limited his options and Rice started to put a few on him he was close to non existent.

He only managed 3 goals and 4 assists last season and they all came from just four games (3 and 5 the season before - 3 of those assists came in one game too).

He is great for highlights reels, youtube clips and MOTD edits but he'd frustrate the life out of me if he was at our place though. I can't forget the sitters he missed at our place season before last. He was clean through three times in that game and fluffed the lot (they still beat us 3-2).

[Up the Junction]

The opposition view: Newcastle United
https://www.kumb.com/story.php?id=135977

[BigFatSam]

Wow, that was a good win. What an intense game.

Hard to see how Lingard will fit in the team if he comes back.

Saint-Maxim caused us all sorts of problems. Can’t understand why a bigger club hasn’t gone in for him.

And a penalty in our first game of the season. Incredible. Please don’t let Antonio take another one though.

In 52 games he has 6 goals and 9 assists. Which suggests to me he looks a lot better than the reality. He’s also pretty injury prone.

[sutts07]

Reasonable OV today, fair play to them. By and large they admit we were the better side and they don't all hide behind the pen call.

Interesting that our fans seem far more impressed with Saint Max than theirs were. A case of grass is greener maybe.

Thought Saint-Maximin had a really poor game aside from the first cross. Lost the ball repeatedly, one of which directly led to a goal.

[S-H]

The opposition view: Newcastle United

Honestly, reading those comments, you could be forgiven in thinking, that you were reading this forum not so long ago.

[Morocco Mole]

How good was the ball from Bowen (on his right foot) to release Benahama, for Antonio's goal.

Brilliant stuff.

Bowen was quality from start to finish. My man of the match.

[dave_l]

Just a very pleasing result and second half performance in particular. It wasn't so long ago that an away win was rare as hens teeth so to go up to the land of the Barcodes and win 4-2 shows you how much we've progressed. Again, coming from behind twice is the mark of a decent side.

It's clear we need defensive re-enforcements and a striker. Dawson is a back up CB and was only ever meant to be such. Comparing him to Breen is harsh. Breen was completely useless from the get go whereas Dawson has had more good games than bad for us. A partner for Oggy and back up for Antonio is key if nothing else. Starting to get a good feeling about Lingard now too.

[sutts07]

Honestly, reading those comments, you could be forgiven in thinking, that you were reading this forum not so long ago.

Setting up defensively with five at the back at home to a team who we consider to be on a par with us at best
No faith in the manager
Hate the board
A slow old timer stuck in centre midfield
Full backs just not good enough
Schoolboy defending
Nothing to offer from the bench
Ref (VAR) always going against us

[mushy]

Interesting that our fans seem far more impressed with Saint Max than theirs were. A case of grass is greener maybe.

I honestly don't get the love in with Saint Max.
Loads of speed and a few tricks and that's about it. And yes I know he setup the first goal. His distribution is generally awful.
Opposition coaches will work the guy out

[mushy]

I also feel that the penalty decision was poor but what it has done is given the Geordie fans and manager something to distract their attention away from what was a poor performance.
They can complain about Var and the penalty all they like but it wouldn't have made much difference to the result in my opinion.
Bruce played a blinder by focusing on that post match.
They will be hoping that there are three worse teams in the league and there probably are

[sutts07]

I honestly don't get the love in with Saint Max.
Loads of speed and a few tricks and that's about it. And yes I know he setup the first goal. His distribution is generally awful.
Opposition coaches will work the guy out

Agreed, see my post at the top of the page. I think most have already worked him out and even those that haven't, it only takes them 20 mins or so.

[psychoscoredthelot]

Nice to see the term WAZZOCK being used in the OV

[CarltonColesLeftFoot]

Declan Rice, nae room for you son. Go back to Ireland.

Sean Longstaff WHOOOOOOOOOO future England captain.

Never forget.

[Billydinho]

For me Bowen should count as offside, he's right there and even if he doesn't touch the ball before it goes in he's got to be playing some part, in the mind of the defence.

Man kicks the ball in the net after it goes in so should be given as offside.

[Burnley Hammer]

Did we have another player offside? Not Bowen, but another before him who didn't get a touch? I thought it might have been disallowed on account of that as it could have been argued he was interfering with play with him being right in front of the keeper.

[fjthegrey]

At no stage, in any part of the goal, was anybody offside. Even if Soucek got a touch on the ball, he was onside when Cresswell played it, and Bowen was behind the ball.

[Albie Beck]

At no stage, in any part of the goal, was anybody offside. Even if Soucek got a touch on the ball, he was onside when Cresswell played it, and Bowen was behind the ball.

Yep the defender on the far side - well, his foot - was playing them on.

[OFT]

Man kicks the ball in the net after it goes in so should be given as offside.

Ha ha ha.

Meant to add the poster OTF on there is not some distant cousin of mine :arry:

[Estuary]

At no stage, in any part of the goal, was anybody offside. Even if Soucek got a touch on the ball, he was onside when Cresswell played it, and Bowen was behind the ball.

Correct, the barcodes right back played them all on by a foot or so. The pen was soft, but they cleared a header off the line at 1 min in and Antonio hits the post before the pen is awarded, the game was never about the ref or VAR.

The OV on ASM is weird, he was key in both their goals and was the only real danger to us, he hasn't got 90 mins in him though, a bit like Traore, sprinters burn a lot of energy.

They just hate anything with Ashley's finger print on it, including their best player. That's just weird.

To me they are lost in a silo of hate, better give football up than live in abject misery.

[sendô]

Sadly I missed the live action for this as I was on holiday at the biggest craphole in the UK (Pontins), and after finally managing to get the long suffering Mrs Sendo to agree to let me go to the bar to watch the second half I get there only to find they weren’t bloody well showing it.

Anyway, I feared the worst when I saw us behind twice - that the West Ham of old was back - but the character and resilience in this team is phenomenal. When was the last time we won opening day? That Arsenal game when we all thought Reece Oxford would be the next big thing?

Looking at this, it could well be that the core of our team is even better this year than last. We just need to improve the defence and add depth and options.