It's Yohan Cabaye

[LeazesMag 0]

Some of you are going to love this.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/se...ted-alan-pardew

 

Yohan Cabaye fuels French revolution at Newcastle United

Newcastle United are developing stability. That should probably be trumpeted across the headline of this piece; it certainly explains why the team have defied hysterical pre-season forecasts of doom and are in the upper part of the table, unbeaten from their first five matches. Wasn't Mike Ashley supposed to be presiding over the ruin of this club?

 

The sales of high-earning players such as Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, José Enrique and Joey Barton were said by some, not least Barton, to be catastrophic for Newcastle. But this accomplished performance was the most persuasive evidence yet that the players hired to replace the departed – for modest fees and on sustainable salaries – are in fact talented enough to achieve the club's ambitions and not merely on the balance sheet.

 

Cutting cost without slashing quality requires canny recruitment. Newcastle challenged for the Bargain of the Season award last term with the purchase of the Ivorian midfielder Cheik Tioté for £3.5m from FC Twente – and his new central midfield partner looks set to compete for that prize this term. Yohan Cabaye was the best player on the pitch against Villa; he and Tioté established a platform that enabled the visitors to dominate for long periods. The £4.8m summer signing from the French champions, Lille, has an eye for a cutting pass and a knack for finding space to shoot from the edge of the area.

 

He struck one shot inches wide in the opening minutes against Villa, for whom Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring in the 13th minute; then he hit another against the crossbar just before Leon Best's equaliser in the second half. He almost secured the victory that his team deserved with a third shot late on, only for Shay Given to produce a superb one‑handed save.

 

Cabaye scored 18 goals in his last two seasons for Lille. That led to him earning six caps for France and the Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, is justifiably excited about the impact he is starting to make in the Premier League. Once the 5ft 9in schemer fully adapts to the physicality of the Premier League, he should be a formidable force.

 

"I don't want to build him up to much at this stage because he's still learning his trade," said Pardew. "There have been a couple of games this year where he's struggled – he needs to get a grip of the hurly-burly of the Premier League but if we can get him on the ball he's an outstanding player. There's no mystery why he's in the French national team. He has a gift of a pass – his vision is his real quality. He has that special intelligence. He showed that against Villa, where he and Cheik controlled the midfield, with help from Demba Ba, and that's something we didn't do very well last season."

 

The French winger Gabriel Obertan also impressed against Villa. With Hatem Ben Arfa scheduled to return to action in the Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday after almost a year out injured, and two other summer recruits from the French league also in line to feature in that match – the winger Sylvain Marveau and the midfielder Mehdi Abeid – there is a strong Francophone presence at Newcastle, producing signs that the club's strategy is paying off.

 

"It hasn't been a planned process to sign French players, it's about making sure that we've got players who fit our salary system and can take us forward," said Pardew. "That's not easy but we've worked very, very hard to get these players and they're gelling nicely."

 

 

It's something we didnt do very well only last week.

 

Anyway really hope the boys can gel together and find that elusive thing that imho has served us well since our return to the Prem-the actual desire to play for this football club. I'm inclined to think well of those we've bought until there's evidence to suggest otherwise, so it'd be nice if we could show them patience, particularly the likes of Obertan.

Big week coming up and i'm going to regret saying this as when we were in this position last season, a little bit of confidence would bubble up which would immediately be burst by a couple of defeats. However, progression in the cup and victory next saturday would represent a fantastic start to the season and strong evidence that the management of first team affairs is under good stewardship. I personally reckon Pardew needs a lot of credit as whether he has any role in identifying players or not, its him thats dealt with losing Barton and Enrique and integrating the new look midfield. Challenges everywhere (loss of Jonas's best mate, how to play Tiote / Cabaye together, where the fuck are the goals coming from, the left back postion generally, new right wing play) so in a weeks time, if things go well, he should be able to take some big credit.

 

Lets see though, Blackburn were a bit lucky on saturday but they'll be bouncing on the back of that and Forest away is the sort of fixture we lose.

 

I think a lot of the moodiness/needle on here is down to the fact that people want to enjoy the start to the season but can't because of the 'bigger picture'*. I just think you've got to dissociate the two things as best you can tbh, for your own sanity as much as anything, but equally because I think the new lads deserve our backing. I do think it remains a group of players who are here with good intentions as far as performances on the pitch are concerned, and that means a lot to me personally. I do also think that there's potential formations (Barfa/Santon to come in) that can look like a decent match for most teams so that lends credence to what you say, although it isn't socially acceptable to admit that.

 

I think what Alex says is probably ultimately right, (about a good midfield but ultimately far too light up front, suggesting 10-12th) and that's what really fucked me off about the last window because a striker would have made a hell of a difference and there was no excuse at all not to find one, but it doesn't stop me hoping Barfa can't lift us massively as a team with his re-introduction/deployment in the support striker role.

 

*not that I think there should be less moodiness/needle btw, I think it's mint.

Now that CT has gone, i recognise my role in maintaing decent levesl of moodiness and needle. Identifying buttons and pressing them seems to be a characteristic i share with my 15 month old daughter. Its easy for me though, i just want us to do well in spite of our problems rather than feeling we need to resolve our problems before we can enjoy doing ok/quite well.

 

it's only one game Chez.

 

I understand you looking for even the smallest shred of optimism though, considering the stance you have adopted the last few months.

 

9 points in the bag is a reasonably haul, if 40 is the target. Thats all it is. There is a long haul [and a lot of hard games] to go yet.

 

Sorry to burst the bubble, but teams start the season well and sink towards the bottom all the time.

 

On a long term basis, the club is not set up to achieve success on the pitch and "build" a good football team. Thats a fact mate, because the actual football is not coming first.

[LeazesMag 0]

What are you on about

 

actually, I was wondering exactly the same. Then I saw the poster

[ChezGiven 0]

Chez was it you who said Platini was quoted as saying Cabaye could play for any team in the world? I can't find his quote if it was you.

Didnt see this earlier. No, dont think it was me. I might have quoted it without paying attention but dont remember now. If its not in this thread then it wasnt me.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

What are you on about

 

actually, I was wondering exactly the same. Then I saw the poster

 

[Gejon 2]

What are you on about

 

actually, I was wondering exactly the same. Then I saw the poster

 

 

You should stick to making a fool out of yourself in just the one thread, not sure you have it in you to spread it over a number of threads at your age.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Chez was it you who said Platini was quoted as saying Cabaye could play for any team in the world? I can't find his quote if it was you.

Didnt see this earlier. No, dont think it was me. I might have quoted it without paying attention but dont remember now. If its not in this thread then it wasnt me.

 

I think we should chill with the Fabregas comparisons for the time being, last game was good but I would want to see at least a few more games of that caliber before crowning him the next [insert random star player here]

[Lake Bells tits 1]

What are you on about

 

actually, I was wondering exactly the same. Then I saw the poster

 

 

You should stick to making a fool out of yourself in just the one thread, not sure you have it in you to spread it over a number of threads at your age.

 

Whether you are 25 or 55 shouldnt matter surely? Fans are around in all age brackets...

[LeazesMag 0]

What are you on about

 

actually, I was wondering exactly the same. Then I saw the poster

 

 

You should stick to making a fool out of yourself in just the one thread, not sure you have it in you to spread it over a number of threads at your age.

 

at your age, you should be listening to people like me, if you had listened to me years ago, you wouldn't have spouted the crap you've been spouting all that time.

[Gejon 2]

Speaking of making up what others have said, did you ever take Fish up on his bet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here comes some moronic waffle from the pensioner...

[Lake Bells tits 1]

I love where this is heading. In the old days we used to respect our elders!

[Guest alex]

Chow Yun Fat is mint btw. You can get back to bickering now.

[LeazesMag 0]

Speaking of making up what others have said, did you ever take Fish up on his bet?

 

Here comes some moronic waffle from the pensioner...

 

are YOU going to spend another 4-5 years disagreeing with me too ? [then the penny drops ?]

 

Good job for YOU, because I don't do bets, that I didn't bet you Mike Ashley would drag the club downwards like he has done, into a selling club again.

 

Stick to the drones elsewhere that occupy your time, and learn nothing whatsoever.

[LeazesMag 0]

Chow Yun Fat is mint btw. You can get back to bickering now.

 

is he Mike Ashleys replacement for Andy Carroll ?

[ChezGiven 0]

Some of you are going to love this.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/se...ted-alan-pardew

 

Yohan Cabaye fuels French revolution at Newcastle United

Newcastle United are developing stability. That should probably be trumpeted across the headline of this piece; it certainly explains why the team have defied hysterical pre-season forecasts of doom and are in the upper part of the table, unbeaten from their first five matches. Wasn't Mike Ashley supposed to be presiding over the ruin of this club?

 

The sales of high-earning players such as Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, José Enrique and Joey Barton were said by some, not least Barton, to be catastrophic for Newcastle. But this accomplished performance was the most persuasive evidence yet that the players hired to replace the departed – for modest fees and on sustainable salaries – are in fact talented enough to achieve the club's ambitions and not merely on the balance sheet.

 

Cutting cost without slashing quality requires canny recruitment. Newcastle challenged for the Bargain of the Season award last term with the purchase of the Ivorian midfielder Cheik Tioté for £3.5m from FC Twente – and his new central midfield partner looks set to compete for that prize this term. Yohan Cabaye was the best player on the pitch against Villa; he and Tioté established a platform that enabled the visitors to dominate for long periods. The £4.8m summer signing from the French champions, Lille, has an eye for a cutting pass and a knack for finding space to shoot from the edge of the area.

 

He struck one shot inches wide in the opening minutes against Villa, for whom Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring in the 13th minute; then he hit another against the crossbar just before Leon Best's equaliser in the second half. He almost secured the victory that his team deserved with a third shot late on, only for Shay Given to produce a superb one‑handed save.

 

Cabaye scored 18 goals in his last two seasons for Lille. That led to him earning six caps for France and the Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, is justifiably excited about the impact he is starting to make in the Premier League. Once the 5ft 9in schemer fully adapts to the physicality of the Premier League, he should be a formidable force.

 

"I don't want to build him up to much at this stage because he's still learning his trade," said Pardew. "There have been a couple of games this year where he's struggled – he needs to get a grip of the hurly-burly of the Premier League but if we can get him on the ball he's an outstanding player. There's no mystery why he's in the French national team. He has a gift of a pass – his vision is his real quality. He has that special intelligence. He showed that against Villa, where he and Cheik controlled the midfield, with help from Demba Ba, and that's something we didn't do very well last season."

 

The French winger Gabriel Obertan also impressed against Villa. With Hatem Ben Arfa scheduled to return to action in the Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday after almost a year out injured, and two other summer recruits from the French league also in line to feature in that match – the winger Sylvain Marveau and the midfielder Mehdi Abeid – there is a strong Francophone presence at Newcastle, producing signs that the club's strategy is paying off.

 

"It hasn't been a planned process to sign French players, it's about making sure that we've got players who fit our salary system and can take us forward," said Pardew. "That's not easy but we've worked very, very hard to get these players and they're gelling nicely."

 

 

It's something we didnt do very well only last week.

 

Anyway really hope the boys can gel together and find that elusive thing that imho has served us well since our return to the Prem-the actual desire to play for this football club. I'm inclined to think well of those we've bought until there's evidence to suggest otherwise, so it'd be nice if we could show them patience, particularly the likes of Obertan.

Big week coming up and i'm going to regret saying this as when we were in this position last season, a little bit of confidence would bubble up which would immediately be burst by a couple of defeats. However, progression in the cup and victory next saturday would represent a fantastic start to the season and strong evidence that the management of first team affairs is under good stewardship. I personally reckon Pardew needs a lot of credit as whether he has any role in identifying players or not, its him thats dealt with losing Barton and Enrique and integrating the new look midfield. Challenges everywhere (loss of Jonas's best mate, how to play Tiote / Cabaye together, where the fuck are the goals coming from, the left back postion generally, new right wing play) so in a weeks time, if things go well, he should be able to take some big credit.

 

Lets see though, Blackburn were a bit lucky on saturday but they'll be bouncing on the back of that and Forest away is the sort of fixture we lose.

 

I think a lot of the moodiness/needle on here is down to the fact that people want to enjoy the start to the season but can't because of the 'bigger picture'*. I just think you've got to dissociate the two things as best you can tbh, for your own sanity as much as anything, but equally because I think the new lads deserve our backing. I do think it remains a group of players who are here with good intentions as far as performances on the pitch are concerned, and that means a lot to me personally. I do also think that there's potential formations (Barfa/Santon to come in) that can look like a decent match for most teams so that lends credence to what you say, although it isn't socially acceptable to admit that.

 

I think what Alex says is probably ultimately right, (about a good midfield but ultimately far too light up front, suggesting 10-12th) and that's what really fucked me off about the last window because a striker would have made a hell of a difference and there was no excuse at all not to find one, but it doesn't stop me hoping Barfa can't lift us massively as a team with his re-introduction/deployment in the support striker role.

 

*not that I think there should be less moodiness/needle btw, I think it's mint.

Now that CT has gone, i recognise my role in maintaing decent levesl of moodiness and needle. Identifying buttons and pressing them seems to be a characteristic i share with my 15 month old daughter. Its easy for me though, i just want us to do well in spite of our problems rather than feeling we need to resolve our problems before we can enjoy doing ok/quite well.

 

it's only one game Chez.

I understand you looking for even the smallest shred of optimism though, considering the stance you have adopted the last few months.

 

9 points in the bag is a reasonably haul, if 40 is the target. Thats all it is. There is a long haul [and a lot of hard games] to go yet.

 

Sorry to burst the bubble, but teams start the season well and sink towards the bottom all the time.

 

On a long term basis, the club is not set up to achieve success on the pitch and "build" a good football team. Thats a fact mate, because the actual football is not coming first.

Its 5 games tbf and the thing that got me going was watching the performance of Cabaye. The game could have easily been 2-0 to them and therefore could have gone very differently. Thats the nature of 'performance' though and it was a good one.

 

Its too early to tell of course but a couple of good results this week would undermine a lot of people's points of view. I realise that by saying this i set myself up for the fall but i dont believe in the inevitability of our failure this week. I certainly without doubt believe the team i've watched this season has what it takes to get a result at Forest and at home against Blackburn. So, if i can say today they can realistically get to the 4th round of the cup and have a '3 wins, 3 draws' start to the season, forgive me for not considering this a 'small shred' to be positive about.

 

Lets see next week. This is a results based business so those results will be my guide to the season, not whether i like the chairman.

[Gejon 2]

Speaking of making up what others have said, did you ever take Fish up on his bet?

 

Here comes some moronic waffle from the pensioner...

 

are YOU going to spend another 4-5 years disagreeing with me too ? [then the penny drops ?]

 

Good job for YOU, because I don't do bets, that I didn't bet you Mike Ashley would drag the club downwards like he has done, into a selling club again.

 

Stick to the drones elsewhere that occupy your time, and learn nothing whatsoever.

 

 

I was spot on, brilliant

[Guest alex]

Some of you are going to love this.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/se...ted-alan-pardew

 

Yohan Cabaye fuels French revolution at Newcastle United

Newcastle United are developing stability. That should probably be trumpeted across the headline of this piece; it certainly explains why the team have defied hysterical pre-season forecasts of doom and are in the upper part of the table, unbeaten from their first five matches. Wasn't Mike Ashley supposed to be presiding over the ruin of this club?

 

The sales of high-earning players such as Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, José Enrique and Joey Barton were said by some, not least Barton, to be catastrophic for Newcastle. But this accomplished performance was the most persuasive evidence yet that the players hired to replace the departed – for modest fees and on sustainable salaries – are in fact talented enough to achieve the club's ambitions and not merely on the balance sheet.

 

Cutting cost without slashing quality requires canny recruitment. Newcastle challenged for the Bargain of the Season award last term with the purchase of the Ivorian midfielder Cheik Tioté for £3.5m from FC Twente – and his new central midfield partner looks set to compete for that prize this term. Yohan Cabaye was the best player on the pitch against Villa; he and Tioté established a platform that enabled the visitors to dominate for long periods. The £4.8m summer signing from the French champions, Lille, has an eye for a cutting pass and a knack for finding space to shoot from the edge of the area.

 

He struck one shot inches wide in the opening minutes against Villa, for whom Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring in the 13th minute; then he hit another against the crossbar just before Leon Best's equaliser in the second half. He almost secured the victory that his team deserved with a third shot late on, only for Shay Given to produce a superb one‑handed save.

 

Cabaye scored 18 goals in his last two seasons for Lille. That led to him earning six caps for France and the Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, is justifiably excited about the impact he is starting to make in the Premier League. Once the 5ft 9in schemer fully adapts to the physicality of the Premier League, he should be a formidable force.

 

"I don't want to build him up to much at this stage because he's still learning his trade," said Pardew. "There have been a couple of games this year where he's struggled – he needs to get a grip of the hurly-burly of the Premier League but if we can get him on the ball he's an outstanding player. There's no mystery why he's in the French national team. He has a gift of a pass – his vision is his real quality. He has that special intelligence. He showed that against Villa, where he and Cheik controlled the midfield, with help from Demba Ba, and that's something we didn't do very well last season."

 

The French winger Gabriel Obertan also impressed against Villa. With Hatem Ben Arfa scheduled to return to action in the Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday after almost a year out injured, and two other summer recruits from the French league also in line to feature in that match – the winger Sylvain Marveau and the midfielder Mehdi Abeid – there is a strong Francophone presence at Newcastle, producing signs that the club's strategy is paying off.

 

"It hasn't been a planned process to sign French players, it's about making sure that we've got players who fit our salary system and can take us forward," said Pardew. "That's not easy but we've worked very, very hard to get these players and they're gelling nicely."

 

 

It's something we didnt do very well only last week.

 

Anyway really hope the boys can gel together and find that elusive thing that imho has served us well since our return to the Prem-the actual desire to play for this football club. I'm inclined to think well of those we've bought until there's evidence to suggest otherwise, so it'd be nice if we could show them patience, particularly the likes of Obertan.

Big week coming up and i'm going to regret saying this as when we were in this position last season, a little bit of confidence would bubble up which would immediately be burst by a couple of defeats. However, progression in the cup and victory next saturday would represent a fantastic start to the season and strong evidence that the management of first team affairs is under good stewardship. I personally reckon Pardew needs a lot of credit as whether he has any role in identifying players or not, its him thats dealt with losing Barton and Enrique and integrating the new look midfield. Challenges everywhere (loss of Jonas's best mate, how to play Tiote / Cabaye together, where the fuck are the goals coming from, the left back postion generally, new right wing play) so in a weeks time, if things go well, he should be able to take some big credit.

 

Lets see though, Blackburn were a bit lucky on saturday but they'll be bouncing on the back of that and Forest away is the sort of fixture we lose.

 

I think a lot of the moodiness/needle on here is down to the fact that people want to enjoy the start to the season but can't because of the 'bigger picture'*. I just think you've got to dissociate the two things as best you can tbh, for your own sanity as much as anything, but equally because I think the new lads deserve our backing. I do think it remains a group of players who are here with good intentions as far as performances on the pitch are concerned, and that means a lot to me personally. I do also think that there's potential formations (Barfa/Santon to come in) that can look like a decent match for most teams so that lends credence to what you say, although it isn't socially acceptable to admit that.

 

I think what Alex says is probably ultimately right, (about a good midfield but ultimately far too light up front, suggesting 10-12th) and that's what really fucked me off about the last window because a striker would have made a hell of a difference and there was no excuse at all not to find one, but it doesn't stop me hoping Barfa can't lift us massively as a team with his re-introduction/deployment in the support striker role.

 

*not that I think there should be less moodiness/needle btw, I think it's mint.

Now that CT has gone, i recognise my role in maintaing decent levesl of moodiness and needle. Identifying buttons and pressing them seems to be a characteristic i share with my 15 month old daughter. Its easy for me though, i just want us to do well in spite of our problems rather than feeling we need to resolve our problems before we can enjoy doing ok/quite well.

 

it's only one game Chez.

I understand you looking for even the smallest shred of optimism though, considering the stance you have adopted the last few months.

 

9 points in the bag is a reasonably haul, if 40 is the target. Thats all it is. There is a long haul [and a lot of hard games] to go yet.

 

Sorry to burst the bubble, but teams start the season well and sink towards the bottom all the time.

 

On a long term basis, the club is not set up to achieve success on the pitch and "build" a good football team. Thats a fact mate, because the actual football is not coming first.

Its 5 games tbf and the thing that got me going was watching the performance of Cabaye. The game could have easily been 2-0 to them and therefore could have gone very differently. Thats the nature of 'performance' though and it was a good one.

 

Its too early to tell of course but a couple of good results this week would undermine a lot of people's points of view. I realise that by saying this i set myself up for the fall but i dont believe in the inevitability of our failure this week. I certainly without doubt believe the team i've watched this season has what it takes to get a result at Forest and at home against Blackburn. So, if i can say today they can realistically get to the 4th round of the cup and have a '3 wins, 3 draws' start to the season, forgive me for not considering this a 'small shred' to be positive about.

 

Lets see next week. This is a results based business so those results will be my guide to the season, not whether i like the chairman.

I just hope we take the Forest game (and the competition) seriously and don't ring too many changes, i.e. win it then worry about the Blackburn game. Maybe rest one or two but not too many. I also believe in winning the game then, if possible, taking people off rather than getting bit on the arse trying to chase the game like Stevenage away in the FA Cup.

[LeazesMag 0]

 

 

Now that CT has gone, i recognise my role in maintaing decent levesl of moodiness and needle. Identifying buttons and pressing them seems to be a characteristic i share with my 15 month old daughter. Its easy for me though, i just want us to do well in spite of our problems rather than feeling we need to resolve our problems before we can enjoy doing ok/quite well.

 

it's only one game Chez.

I understand you looking for even the smallest shred of optimism though, considering the stance you have adopted the last few months.

 

9 points in the bag is a reasonably haul, if 40 is the target. Thats all it is. There is a long haul [and a lot of hard games] to go yet.

 

Sorry to burst the bubble, but teams start the season well and sink towards the bottom all the time.

 

On a long term basis, the club is not set up to achieve success on the pitch and "build" a good football team. Thats a fact mate, because the actual football is not coming first.

Its 5 games tbf and the thing that got me going was watching the performance of Cabaye. The game could have easily been 2-0 to them and therefore could have gone very differently. Thats the nature of 'performance' though and it was a good one.

 

Its too early to tell of course but a couple of good results this week would undermine a lot of people's points of view. I realise that by saying this i set myself up for the fall but i dont believe in the inevitability of our failure this week. I certainly without doubt believe the team i've watched this season has what it takes to get a result at Forest and at home against Blackburn. So, if i can say today they can realistically get to the 4th round of the cup and have a '3 wins, 3 draws' start to the season, forgive me for not considering this a 'small shred' to be positive about.

 

Lets see next week. This is a results based business so those results will be my guide to the season, not whether i like the chairman.

 

of course. Last October, we won at Arsenal, and home to the mackems [and another game, can't remember but I'm sure someone will or look it up] and there was a similar buoyancy among some people.

 

You can say that one year on, we haven't sank so low - or rose so highly - as predicted, on both sides of the scale. But - to me - the seeds are being sown of decline, we are just treading water, but its coming, unfortunately.

 

I think Pardew is doing a good job tbh, but I thought he would [with the constraints he is working under, but thats another topic altogether......]. I don't buy his PR as either being indicative of him being "shit" or anything of the kind, he's just doing his job, he's not going to come out and say he wants to kick Llambias in the nuts or anything is he ? Of course he knows he's got his hands tied, and he's probably massively pissed off about it, even though he knew the score when he took the job.

 

I stand by my view that I've always said, he'll do a decent job with what he has, but in the end, he'll either get sacked for not qualifying for europe on the cheap, or he'll lose patience and get sacked for eventually showing it [even in private] which is the direction I think Hughton was also heading and a big reason why he lost his job.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Fully agree, rather field a strong starting XI, then gradually replace our most "vulnerable" first-teamers should we get a comfortable 2-3 nill lead...

[LeazesMag 0]

Some of you are going to love this.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/se...ted-alan-pardew

 

Yohan Cabaye fuels French revolution at Newcastle United

Newcastle United are developing stability. That should probably be trumpeted across the headline of this piece; it certainly explains why the team have defied hysterical pre-season forecasts of doom and are in the upper part of the table, unbeaten from their first five matches. Wasn't Mike Ashley supposed to be presiding over the ruin of this club?

 

The sales of high-earning players such as Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, José Enrique and Joey Barton were said by some, not least Barton, to be catastrophic for Newcastle. But this accomplished performance was the most persuasive evidence yet that the players hired to replace the departed – for modest fees and on sustainable salaries – are in fact talented enough to achieve the club's ambitions and not merely on the balance sheet.

 

Cutting cost without slashing quality requires canny recruitment. Newcastle challenged for the Bargain of the Season award last term with the purchase of the Ivorian midfielder Cheik Tioté for £3.5m from FC Twente – and his new central midfield partner looks set to compete for that prize this term. Yohan Cabaye was the best player on the pitch against Villa; he and Tioté established a platform that enabled the visitors to dominate for long periods. The £4.8m summer signing from the French champions, Lille, has an eye for a cutting pass and a knack for finding space to shoot from the edge of the area.

 

He struck one shot inches wide in the opening minutes against Villa, for whom Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring in the 13th minute; then he hit another against the crossbar just before Leon Best's equaliser in the second half. He almost secured the victory that his team deserved with a third shot late on, only for Shay Given to produce a superb one‑handed save.

 

Cabaye scored 18 goals in his last two seasons for Lille. That led to him earning six caps for France and the Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, is justifiably excited about the impact he is starting to make in the Premier League. Once the 5ft 9in schemer fully adapts to the physicality of the Premier League, he should be a formidable force.

 

"I don't want to build him up to much at this stage because he's still learning his trade," said Pardew. "There have been a couple of games this year where he's struggled – he needs to get a grip of the hurly-burly of the Premier League but if we can get him on the ball he's an outstanding player. There's no mystery why he's in the French national team. He has a gift of a pass – his vision is his real quality. He has that special intelligence. He showed that against Villa, where he and Cheik controlled the midfield, with help from Demba Ba, and that's something we didn't do very well last season."

 

The French winger Gabriel Obertan also impressed against Villa. With Hatem Ben Arfa scheduled to return to action in the Carling Cup tie against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday after almost a year out injured, and two other summer recruits from the French league also in line to feature in that match – the winger Sylvain Marveau and the midfielder Mehdi Abeid – there is a strong Francophone presence at Newcastle, producing signs that the club's strategy is paying off.

 

"It hasn't been a planned process to sign French players, it's about making sure that we've got players who fit our salary system and can take us forward," said Pardew. "That's not easy but we've worked very, very hard to get these players and they're gelling nicely."

 

 

It's something we didnt do very well only last week.

 

Anyway really hope the boys can gel together and find that elusive thing that imho has served us well since our return to the Prem-the actual desire to play for this football club. I'm inclined to think well of those we've bought until there's evidence to suggest otherwise, so it'd be nice if we could show them patience, particularly the likes of Obertan.

Big week coming up and i'm going to regret saying this as when we were in this position last season, a little bit of confidence would bubble up which would immediately be burst by a couple of defeats. However, progression in the cup and victory next saturday would represent a fantastic start to the season and strong evidence that the management of first team affairs is under good stewardship. I personally reckon Pardew needs a lot of credit as whether he has any role in identifying players or not, its him thats dealt with losing Barton and Enrique and integrating the new look midfield. Challenges everywhere (loss of Jonas's best mate, how to play Tiote / Cabaye together, where the fuck are the goals coming from, the left back postion generally, new right wing play) so in a weeks time, if things go well, he should be able to take some big credit.

 

Lets see though, Blackburn were a bit lucky on saturday but they'll be bouncing on the back of that and Forest away is the sort of fixture we lose.

 

I think a lot of the moodiness/needle on here is down to the fact that people want to enjoy the start to the season but can't because of the 'bigger picture'*. I just think you've got to dissociate the two things as best you can tbh, for your own sanity as much as anything, but equally because I think the new lads deserve our backing. I do think it remains a group of players who are here with good intentions as far as performances on the pitch are concerned, and that means a lot to me personally. I do also think that there's potential formations (Barfa/Santon to come in) that can look like a decent match for most teams so that lends credence to what you say, although it isn't socially acceptable to admit that.

 

I think what Alex says is probably ultimately right, (about a good midfield but ultimately far too light up front, suggesting 10-12th) and that's what really fucked me off about the last window because a striker would have made a hell of a difference and there was no excuse at all not to find one, but it doesn't stop me hoping Barfa can't lift us massively as a team with his re-introduction/deployment in the support striker role.

 

*not that I think there should be less moodiness/needle btw, I think it's mint.

Now that CT has gone, i recognise my role in maintaing decent levesl of moodiness and needle. Identifying buttons and pressing them seems to be a characteristic i share with my 15 month old daughter. Its easy for me though, i just want us to do well in spite of our problems rather than feeling we need to resolve our problems before we can enjoy doing ok/quite well.

 

it's only one game Chez.

I understand you looking for even the smallest shred of optimism though, considering the stance you have adopted the last few months.

 

9 points in the bag is a reasonably haul, if 40 is the target. Thats all it is. There is a long haul [and a lot of hard games] to go yet.

 

Sorry to burst the bubble, but teams start the season well and sink towards the bottom all the time.

 

On a long term basis, the club is not set up to achieve success on the pitch and "build" a good football team. Thats a fact mate, because the actual football is not coming first.

Its 5 games tbf and the thing that got me going was watching the performance of Cabaye. The game could have easily been 2-0 to them and therefore could have gone very differently. Thats the nature of 'performance' though and it was a good one.

 

Its too early to tell of course but a couple of good results this week would undermine a lot of people's points of view. I realise that by saying this i set myself up for the fall but i dont believe in the inevitability of our failure this week. I certainly without doubt believe the team i've watched this season has what it takes to get a result at Forest and at home against Blackburn. So, if i can say today they can realistically get to the 4th round of the cup and have a '3 wins, 3 draws' start to the season, forgive me for not considering this a 'small shred' to be positive about.

 

Lets see next week. This is a results based business so those results will be my guide to the season, not whether i like the chairman.

I just hope we take the Forest game (and the competition) seriously and don't ring too many changes, i.e. win it then worry about the Blackburn game. Maybe rest one or two but not too many. I also believe in winning the game then, if possible, taking people off rather than getting bit on the arse trying to chase the game like Stevenage away in the FA Cup.

 

we are going to be inconsistent. Because, we aren't good enough, that is what inconsistency is !!!

[Gejon 2]

First season for a while I have been comfortable giving the cups a proper go so as with others I would be happy resting a couple of players but we shouldn't take the piss.

[LeazesMag 0]

we shouldn't rest anybody, we should be going for this cup and trying to win it.

 

As always.

[The Fish 9340]

we shouldn't rest anybody, we should be going for this cup and trying to win it.

 

As always.

We should definitely be going for the win and I think, in a weird way, playing Forest forces our hand a little. The temptation would be to field a team of kids and reservists if we were up against a lower league outfit. I'd maybe rotate the strikers and perhaps give Tiote a rest as I still don't think he's 100%

[bobbyshinton 59]

Please god let me see us win something before I peg it

[sniffer 0]

Well, I just finished watching the match and I thought Cabaye was tremendous. He reminded me a lot of Fabregas in that he was involved all over the pitch and always looking to go forward. Better shot than Fabregas, though.

 

Maybe some of it will rub off on obertan, you never know.

[Kevin S. Assilleekunt 1]

Fabregas' shots tend to go into the goal more.