Match Ratings -VS- Newcastle United

[Bus-Conductor]

Hutton walks man of the match.

Zokora first half was everything I've wanted him to be. Zokora second half was everything he is, and ultimately slipped into his familiar shortcomings. Not good enough.

So when he playes really well it's not him being him. It's him being someone else ?

Huddlestone is a tricky one - Juande has learnt today that he's not a right sided midfielder. Not being funny, Uno Especiale, but I could have told you that. Out of position and out of any meaningful contributions. Passable first half, though.

He wasn't completely out of position. He wasn't right midfield he was right side of a three man midfield.

Bent and Keane were good. Keane's channel running was ridiculously missed - the wrong substitution. Berbatov was obviously purring over United's performance thinking he's going to be there next year - didn't impose himself in the playmaker role, nor when shoved up top later - should have been the one to make way.

Bent was good ?
:-?

At least Zokora was very good for 60 mins. In fact he was the only player that was worthy of the word all game really. And even then he only really fucked up a couple of times when everyone around him was fucking up almost all the time. Huddlestone on the other hand was piss poor for 90. And not for the first time.

And apart from nodding in an inch perfect cross by Malbranque how the fuck can anyone say Bent was "good". He was terrible. Wasting 3 other guilt edge chances with poor control and lack of brain.

 

[Stoof]

At least Zokora was very good for 60 mins.

No-one was very good. Certainly not him. And no-one else self-destructed quite as spectacularly as him. His sideways passes fantastically and permanently finding the opposition as soon as the second half kicked off. "Thank fuck for that" was the general expression in the block I was in when he was taken off. He may good one half but to be as terrible as he was second undoes all the good work, and a bit more.

In fact he was the only player that was worthy of the word all game really.

Alan Hutton. Watch the game again.

And apart from nodding in an inch perfect cross by Malbranque how the fuck can anyone say Bent was "good". He was terrible. Wasting 3 other guilt edge chances with poor control and lack of brain.

Hmmm - OK. The 3 chances you speak of? One he got a tame shot away, granted. Another he rounded the keeper only to be shut down by the defence. And the third he scored?

Not enough ShiftAndShoot for you BC. I'd just love you to admit that Zokora was useless second half. He wasn't alone, but you just never will. I've accepted that he's had his moments, but you never will concede anything - which makes you impossible to argue with and impossible to take seriously.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

So Zokora being "everything you want him to be" is not very good ? You obviously wanted him to be shit I assume.

I merely pointed out the filter system you applied to Zokora but not it seems Huddlestone who was shite the whole game. Has Huddlestone ever actually been "everything you want him to be" ? Zokora was doing at least two peoples jobs for most of that game. And if people were fair in their assessment you could of taken off any one of our players (possibly bar Hutton) and said thank fuck for that. Ohara was even more of a liability than Hudd. Berbatov was static for long periods. Keane was hurdling the ball. Bent was following keane round the pitch getting in the way.Malbranque was busy but kept giving the ball away in good positions. Woodgate was determined to gift them a goal and Dawson was well...Dawson. And Robinson gifted his usual goal or two. Zokora still had an 88% completion rate on Sunday. Better than Carricks without having to carry Huddlestone in a 3 man midfield. But how could your block be expected to be rational. His game did get worse from about 60 mins onwards but by then he was virtually alone in midfield as Lennon was now on for the only other midfielder who could run and tackle at the same time.

I too have been honest about Zokora. I've never claimed he's world class or that we can't do better. But I continue to be baffled by people like you singling him out for criticism when on sunday he was clearly not the worse.

I don't know what your block's like but most of the people round me are thick wankers who spent most of the season slagging off Carrick when he was here.
And when we are passing the ball around often start screaming "naaahhh kick it forwards"

And Hutton gave the ball away in identical fashion to Taarabt about 2 minutes later and was lucky to get away with it. Alan hutton had a 70% completion rate and won one less tackle than Zokora despite being on the pitch 20 mins longer and playing in defence. So the facts and the mistakes would suggest Hutton was certainly not much better than Zokora despite having an easier job to do.

It's not that I'm stubborn Stoof. Just fair.

 

[SpurSince57]

Zokora still had an 88% completion rate on Sunday. Better than Carricks without having to carry Huddlestone in a 3 man midfield.

By 4%. And you aren't seriously comparing the overall quality of passes, are you? Carrick was applauded from the field.

Lennon had a 100% pass completion rate, Taarabt 94%.

No, I didn't see the game, but it's obvious that no-one came out of it with too much credit: if Robinson hadn't made his seemingly obligatory balls-up at a set piece you could probably make a reasonable case for declaring him MOTM, on the grounds that it would have been an even bigger humiliation but for his saves. That just about says it all. I doubt Zokora was the worst on view, but arguing over relative crapness seems completely pointless to me.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

By 4%. And you aren't seriously comparing the overall quality of passes, are you? Carrick was applauded from the field.

Lennon had a 100% pass completion rate, Taarabt 94%.

No, I didn't see the game, but it's obvious that no-one came out of it with too much credit: if Robinson hadn't made his seemingly obligatory balls-up at a set piece you could probably make a reasonable case for declaring him MOTM, on the grounds that it would have been an even bigger humiliation but for his saves. That just about says it all. I doubt Zokora was the worst on view, but arguing over relative crapness seems completely pointless to me.

Isn't that what you've just done ?

 

[Stoof]

I too have been honest about Zokora. I've never claimed he's world class or that we can't do better. But I continue to be baffled by people like you singling him out for criticism when on sunday he was clearly not the worse.

I haven't singled him out at all. In fact I mentioned and criticised every single one of our players. Just because you stop reading after the Zokora paragraph doesn't mean I have had a go at him in isolation. You then brought him up and I argued back - so don't make out that I'm the one singling out, because that's just a load of misaligned bollocks.

My point is, from your summary you'd give Zokora credit from that performance. Your persistence in giving out that pass completion rate which is completely fucking irrelevant - especially if his 12% of giveaways lead to goals - annoys me too. No-one cares about your fucking stats when we've got a pair of eyes. The only one that matters for me was that Newcastle hit 4 things on Sunday and we only hit 1. And the midfield unit which includes Didier Zokora was pathetic. Now Malbranque set up the goal and offered an attacking threat - the other two were pretty fucking useless. First half Zokora was marginally better than Huddlestone, second half they were both woeful. No, not at 60 minutes, from the fucking kick off. So what are you trying to prove here?

Zokora wasn't good. Nor was Huddlestone. I said both of those things, yet you defend and get all self-righteous about Zokora. Bollocks mate. They were all terrible bar Hutton.

 

[SpurSince57]

Isn't that what you've just done ?

No.