Can't we just accept we lost to a good team

[Moshe Gariani]

Good thread on which to make a sensible comment or two and then move on from last night...

We battled hard against a very good side who were able to quite easily nullify most of our threat and also to create their own opportunities - despite them playing without much of a recognised "strikeforce" for most of the game.

Shelvey is the best player in the division by a country mile. So influential - a player for whom the epithet "Machine" is completely justified.

No shame at all in being second best, last night and at the end of the season, to such an expensive and strong team.

I expect us to take 4 or 6 points from our next two away games and go on to finish runners up with a degree of comfort.

 

[drew]

I can take losing when we play well but last night we made too many sloppy mistakes conceding possession with poor passing, many of which were simple passes that didn't reach their target!!! Pretty much everyone at some stage did it.

Annoying things are that had we won, we would have had as many wins this season as Newcastle. We would have avoided having the double done against us for an entire season. And, we would have had a four point advantage towards the title.

Still think we'll go up but would have loved to have gone up as champions ahead of a team that cost tens of millions.

 

[Alba Badger]

The boys have the perfect chance to make it all better with three points on Saturday.

 

[clippedgull]

Very much this. They weren't great at all. We were so sloppy after we took the lead. 3pts dropped for me.

Agreed. Anybody that thinks Newcastle are currently a great team are in lala land. They were fortunate to get a draw at home to Bristol C just last Saturday. Our players didn't handle the pressure for 90 minutes after being gifted an early penalty. Shoddy ball control all over the pitch.

 

[trueblue]

Agreed. Anybody that thinks Newcastle are currently a great team are in lala land. They were fortunate to get a draw at home to Bristol C just last Saturday. Our players didn't handle the pressure for 90 minutes after being gifted an early penalty. Shoddy ball control all over the pitch.

Newcastle have the best away record in the division. They only struggle under the weight of expectation at home and seem to have a particular problem against the strugglers - which may just be because some of their 'star' players can't quite get themselves up for it. Last night was always going to be the type of occasion that suits them more.

 

[Martlet]

Agreed. Anybody that thinks Newcastle are currently a great team are in lala land. They were fortunate to get a draw at home to Bristol C just last Saturday. Our players didn't handle the pressure for 90 minutes after being gifted an early penalty. Shoddy ball control all over the pitch.

The pressure Newcastle put on our whole team was more than I've seen this year - right from their front players, who harried our defence, through to midfield - and their defenders gave us nothing all night (barring the penalty). Murray looked physically spent at the end of it - compare with the Barnsley and Reading games where he won balls & created space for Baldock to run into.

Nobody underperformed - in fact I thought they stepped up a level, just so did Newcastle. Apparently they were all over Bristol City after shipping a couple of sloppy goals.

Poc coming off clearly unsettled the team, it took them a long time to find a rhythm after Tomori came on, with the midfield looking to support him rather than push forward. Not the lad's fault - just simply trying to adapt to a new team against the toughest opposition in the league. Second half he seemed to come to terms with it a lot better, and the team's shape improved.

Big job for CH now - but we've bounced back before.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Newcastle are not a great team but for this league they are pretty close to it. The have 'bottled' it at home but their away form has been brilliant. Last night even if Dunk's header had gone in they would have kept at it. They have a ;lot of very good players and looked a lot fitter, often first to the ball and they did not slow down. We deflated after that first goal and no one on the pitch or bench picked us up. A positive team would have put Hemed on as both forwards and in particular Murray were struggling. Newcastle on the other had brought on two forwards so I think we got our tactics wrong.

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

Agreed. Anybody that thinks Newcastle are currently a great team are in lala land. They were fortunate to get a draw at home to Bristol C just last Saturday. Our players didn't handle the pressure for 90 minutes after being gifted an early penalty. Shoddy ball control all over the pitch.

We did make more errors in possession than normal. Agreed. But from my perspective that was because Newcastle pressed really well making our passing quicker, or making the longer ball feel like the only sensible option. This then means that people start to rush things even when they don't have to - Stockers pass to their striker was a good example.. rushed thinking based on anxiety. In the context of this season, then surely you have to concede that Newcastle are a good side, arguably the best all-round side we have seen this season at the Amex? Whether it's the word "great" that bothers you, and they would not be "great" in the premier league. The table suggests they are the best side we have in the Championship.

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

Newcastle are not a great team but for this league they are pretty close to it. The have 'bottled' it at home but their away form has been brilliant. Last night even if Dunk's header had gone in they would have kept at it. They have a ;lot of very good players and looked a lot fitter, often first to the ball and they did not slow down. We deflated after that first goal and no one on the pitch or bench picked us up. A positive team would have put Hemed on as both forwards and in particular Murray were struggling. Newcastle on the other had brought on two forwards so I think we got our tactics wrong.

Broadly agree. However Newcastle had to bring forwards on. I do agree that bringing on Kayal was strange, especially after the goal went in. I think CH thought he would be able to pick up the ball in the midfield space that was appearing and carry it up the pitch, but the whole thing changed with their goal..

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

If the Newcastle that turned up at the Amex tonight also turned up at St James park regularly then
they would be out of sight by now.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe it is not over-fanciful to say it was their cup-final.

But you're right in your original post. We've got 12 more eminently winnable games to play.

 

[clippedgull]

We did make more errors in possession than normal. Agreed. But from my perspective that was because Newcastle pressed really well making our passing quicker, or making the longer ball feel like the only sensible option. This then means that people start to rush things even when they don't have to - Stockers pass to their striker was a good example.. rushed thinking based on anxiety. In the context of this season, then surely you have to concede that Newcastle are a good side, arguably the best all-round side we have seen this season at the Amex? Whether it's the word "great" that bothers you, and they would not be "great" in the premier league. The table suggests they are the best side we have in the Championship.

Yes they are a good side. People on here were saying at the beginning of the season that they would 'walk' the league. They haven't done so far and are unlikely to finish well clear.

If we hadn't conceded the winning goal we would be on top so would that make us the best team?

Lots of Championship managers have said we have the best team but Newcastle have the best squad

 

[BBassic]

It's just frustrating we couldn't see the game out at 1-0 or even 1-1.

It's football and it happens.

Onto Forest and Rotherham which, for me, seem to be a bankable 6 points (famous last words)

 

[trueblue]

It's just frustrating we couldn't see the game out at 1-0 or even 1-1.

It's football and it happens.

Onto Forest and Rotherham which, for me, seem to be a bankable 6 points (famous last words)

Now you've gone and done it. Sounding like a Newcastle fan there!

 

[Honky Tonx]

We lost to the better team on the night. Brighton will always be the best team in the world for me as I'm a Brighton fan

 

[SUA Seagull]

I spoke with a number of Toon fans on the trains to and from the Amex last night. On the way to the match they expressed mixed feelings, most expecting a narrow win, others worried that Albion might open up a 4 point gap at the top. Nearly all expected the Toon to be eventual champions with us joining them in the autos. After the match, on the way back to London almost all said that they felt Toon were the better technical team but that Albion had contained them well until that fluke-of-the-season goal went in which took the wind out of our sails, uplifted them and gave them impetus to press us hard in the last 10 mins and nick the winner.

With Murray visibly flagging and his first touch heavy (he was knackered from about the hour onwards) I was hoping CH would bring Hemed on, to hold the ball up in their half - which he does very well. With no such substitution, Toon felt us less of a threat up front and more able to press forward from the back and I fear that’s what did for us in the end, alongside several uncharacteristic Albion errors on the night. It was a shame, because I thought we did enough to justify a point and which, I felt, would have been a fair outcome. Now we know how Fulham and Birmingham must have felt when we returned the compliment in our visits to them this season.

All of the many Toon fans I spoke with said that the Amex noise levels were amazing and they were impressed with our stadium-wide vocal support, especially the way we got behind the Albion when the Toon scored. Apparently, if you are an away fan, being on the receiving end of 27,000 Seagulls bellowing out "Al-bi-on" can be quite intimidating! Nice to know, and one to remember for the future.

After all of the build up, nerves, expectations etc I still feel a little deflated today but, to be fair, Newcastle did their job well and at times displayed their Premier League squad quality, so we don't need to be overly concerned about last night, from which I am sure we will learn. Onwards and upwards - with 7 of our remaining 12 games away from home a good points' haul from the upcoming Forest and Rotherham games is essential and will certainly steady the nerves! Promotion remains well within reach and it's very much in our own hands to achieve it.

 

[dazzer6666]

I spoke with a number of Toon fans on the trains to and from the Amex last night. On the way to the match they expressed mixed feelings, most expecting a narrow win, others worried that Albion might open up a 4 point gap at the top. Nearly all expected the Toon to be eventual champions with us joining them in the autos. After the match, on the way back to London almost all said that they felt Toon were the better technical team but that Albion had contained them well until that fluke-of-the-season goal went in which took the wind out of our sails, uplifted them and gave them impetus to press us hard in the last 10 mins and nick the winner.

With Murray visibly flagging and his first touch heavy (he was knackered from about the hour onwards) I was hoping CH would bring Hemed on, to hold the ball up in their half - which he does very well. With no such substitution, Toon felt us less of a threat up front and more able to press forward from the back and I fear that’s what did for us in the end, alongside several uncharacteristic Albion errors on the night. It was a shame, because I thought we did enough to justify a point and which, I felt, would have been a fair outcome. Now we know how Fulham and Birmingham must have felt when we returned the compliment in our visits to them this season.

All of the many Toon fans I spoke with said that the Amex noise levels were amazing and they were impressed with our stadium-wide vocal support, especially the way we got behind the Albion when the Toon scored. Apparently, if you are an away fan, being on the receiving end of 27,000 Seagulls bellowing out "Al-bi-on" can be quite intimidating! Nice to know, and one to remember for the future.

After all of the build up, nerves, expectations etc I still feel a little deflated today but, to be fair, Newcastle did their job well and at times displayed their Premier League squad quality, so we don't need to be overly concerned about last night, from which I am sure we will learn. Onwards and upwards - with 7 of our remaining 12 games away from home a good points' haul from the upcoming Forest and Rotherham games is essential and will certainly steady the nerves! Promotion remains well within reach and it's very much in our own hands to achieve it.

Great post, sums it up for me too. Sure most of us would've taken 6 points from the last 9 beforehand if asked.

 

[ozzygull]

I think that despite the hyperbole of the media last night game was not as important as the Reading game and Forest game. If we had won, yes it would be fantastic and took the edge of the nerves as the gap would be bigger etc. But we get promoted by beating the other teams. Newcastle should be winning this division at a canter, they will go up and probably as champions. When they go up their ambitions will not be to survive but minimum to consolidate. We were not far off doing it last night, freak goal.

I feel as nervous as anyone. I so want this team to do it, and I think they will. We can't miss out on goal difference this year. So we need to try and hide our nerves and get right behind this team. They are fantastic group of players worthy of all praise they get plus a class manager and best chairman anywhere in football. We're on are way......

 

[Bold Seagull]

Cracking game of football from two excellent sides going at it hammer and tongs. Lots of chances, some brilliant passages of play from both teams. Neither side deserved to win, lose or draw, it was just a really good game between two very well matched sides.

 

[Doonhamer7]

If they had been able to play Gayle last night instead of Goufran up front, I think we could have been well beaten. They fluffed so many good chances.

 

[MattBackHome]

Yeah I'm more sanguine now.

We lost to a team whose wage bill is around three times ours, and it took a fluke to get them back into the game.

I'm disappointed that we didn't respond quicker to their change of shape, but then we're all experts aren't we.

Onwards to the City Ground. There will be more twists and turns to come...