Monday Night - An away fan's view.

Hello lads...

View from an opposing fan here.

Been having a read of your forum before and after the game on Monday, thought I'd post rather than be a lurker




I picked up on a couple of quotes from some other threads:







This is becoming a trend for opposition fans' views on Newcastle this season. At the moment (and, no, our current success won't last), Pardew is applying different game plans to different opponents. We had a plan on Monday and it worked. So why would we need to add a 2nd dimension when we were 2-0 up away from home and never really looking under threat?


I, personally, got the most satisfaction from this win as any game for years. Not just because the Brit is a tough place to go (we got steamrollered here last year), but because we played a brilliant tactical game.

At times, I had visions of Alan Hansen sitting in the dark in his big mansion, crusty sock in one hand, Aberdeen Angus in the other, purring erotically at Newcastle's defensive shape. As a Newcastle fan (as I'm sure you can understand), I've never seen defending like it.



We've averaged around 55%+ possession in our games this season, but on Monday, we were happy to give up possession and play percentages on the break, knowing full well that Stoke didn't have the technical threat to damage us with the ball (admittedly, this put a lot of faith in our ability to stay resolute and organised from set plays, which surprised me).

In short, and in relation to the quote at the top of the post, there WAS NO possession game for Stoke to win. It was turned into a scrappy game.

Every Stoke throw in went long. Every time it did, Newcastle kept Cabaye (our ball player) outside the box with Obertan (our pace) on half way. 60% of the time, it went back out for another Stoke corner/throw. 40% of the time, it offered a chance to break quickly against a slow back four.

I'm not going to get carried away here. I thought Stoke looked knackered and devoid of ideas, which made the task easier. I was guininely surprised that we managed to cope with the aerial threat as well... Huth, in particular, destroyed us home and away last year.



On Stoke....


I think Delap's throws are a dangerous weapon, but to be relied on as your only tactic? Criminal. He's taking a place up in your midfield, and offering nothing on the field other than a throw in.

Good player to bring off the bench, when opposing teams are flagging though. And that low, yorker-style, flat throw he tried a couple of times is AMAZING. But the lack of any other ideas from Pulis would worry me as a fan.


Also, I don't understand the narrowing of the pitch when you have 2 of the most dangerous wide men outside the Top 6. In Etherington and Pennant, plus Palacios, Crouch, Walters, Jones there are players capable of some exciting football. If they're allowed to play.

Etherington is quality. Pennany is quality. Jones is a beast in there. Crouch is Crouch.


I've seen Stoke batter teams with quick, direct football down the wings, mixed with the famed set pieces, but this didn't happen on Monday. It was just throw in after throw in. Maybe it was just a one-off?


I hope I'm not sounding patronising just because we've won the game. I'm just interested in your thoughts.

How has it taken this long for Stoke's tactic to be beaten? And how has it come from an average, mid-table team like us?

I'm not like 'Geordieboy' complaining about the whole 'anti-football' tag - I've seen enough of Stoke to believe there is much more ability there than the football 'public' in general give credit for. But, I've seen Stoke quite a few times and they've played with an intensity that was missing on Monday.

Is the Europa League already taking it's toll?



"Newcastle are no great shakes and have been lucky"


We're probably a top ten team. No more, no less. We've been lucky in so much as we've not had many injuries, but the only other luck we've had was some woeful finishing by QPR, and a dodgy late decision against Wolves (a game, let's not forget, in which we were utterly dominant for 80 mins). Also, you could argue our fixtures have been easier, but you can only beat the teams you face.

We've beaten everyone so far bar Villa (A), Spurs, Arsenal and QPR (A). And we could even have beaten Villa and Spurs (if we were to consider 'luck' actually going the other way).

Sunderland fans will probably tell you we were lucky to beat them, but in truth, Mr Potato Head was out-thought in the 2nd half of that game too. A manager who's tactics when trailing involve getting as many forwards as he can find on the sidelines, and sticking them all up front together.





We have Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea in a row after the international break. Fully expect 0 points. But then, where's the shame in that?






Anyway...


Stoke will finish Top 10, easy. Probably close to where we will finish. I'm surprised at the negative reaction on these boards.





Good luck for the rest of the season.