Michael Johnson

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

It ain't official until it's on social media 📷 💍 #weeklate

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@eddylooksfrench Don't say that, Newcastle are sniffing around him!!

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@DealsFinderUK Mine said 1-2 months delivery last time this offer was on but came within 2 weeks. Arrived this morning

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Magpie24_7 It's the formation, leaves a lot of gaps between defence and midfield but expects the defenders to move up with the midfield. We are crying out for a 5-2-3 formation, we've always looked defensively better playing that #nufc

[LC @NUFCLC]

Evening @CraigHope_DM and @LukeEdwardsTele.

Newcastle United without Nick Woltemade this season would be SIXTEENTH in the PL table and level on points with the apparently “doomed” Spurs.

Why not write an article about that lads?

#NUFC

[Meia Armador - Mufaddal Idris Burhani @MeiaArmador__]

There’s a reason why you have never seen me put Howe in conversations around the elite. There are fundamental strategic issues in his approach that simply don’t work for a team aiming to be around the top of the league consistently.

Howe’s idea in possession is heavily based on creating through underlaps and overlaps via the positional rotations in the wide triangles FB–CM–W. This is a great tool to have, but Newcastle are overly dependent on it. This, in correlation with the fact that Howe primarily plays with constant double width in his 4-3-3, naturally forces his team wider. You will very rarely see a Newcastle player receiving between the lines facing forward in settled play, which requires a lot more carrying and baiting from the back four combined with zonal pinning, rather than the constant pass-and-move sequences in the wide triangle. This severely impacts the central and half-space (objectively the most valuable area of the pitch) threat Newcastle are able to generate.

The most worrying aspect is the lack of temporal awareness. Newcastle go long far more often than they should, even when there is a clear free man in the build-up. This, in turn, drastically limits the amount of control they can generate. These strategic issues are also aligned with the physical expenditure required from the players. When you combine this with the fact that Howe has a very strong bias towards out-of-possession attributes in recruitment, it makes the perfect combination of a coach who can occasionally get into Europe but ultimately cannot challenge at the very top consistently.

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@NUFCMurph Wouldn't mind having him around when the lightbulbs go 👍🏻

[OneFootball @OneFootball]

Real Madrid and Newcastle are now the 9th and 10th best sides in the World, according to Opta's daily Power Rankings 😮‍💨📊

🏆 Arsenal remain top of the pack despite Wolves draw

🇩🇪 Bayern continue to lead the pack for the non-English sides

📉 Inter and Man United drop out of the Top 10

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Im_RobM Players bickering and looking frustrated with each other, nobody moving into space to help their teammate out, players isolated all over the park. Going to be difficult for Howe to sort this, trip to a park and a boat building exercise won't change it! #nufc

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@dominic22733862 @LukeEdwardsTele I agree. Players bickering, nobody playing for each other. That unified team all playing for Howe for the past 4/5 seasons just isn't there #nufc

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Euan_9090 @NUFCThreatLevel Exactly, what's the harm in giving them 45 mins against city. All good experience

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Im_RobM Looking forward to Elanga and Wissa coming on in 68th min #nufc

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@DobbySolanoNUFC Yeah but Trippiers experience is invaluable!!! Just sub as many off as we can and get some kids on now, no point risking an injury to hall

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@caseysean51 I think a lot of us would have liked to see the 3-4-3 formation again. Especially after the way we neutralised psg attack. Instead Howe has done what everybody knew and brought 4-3-3 back alongside his favourites Tripps and Burn. I'm not Howe out but he's not helping himself

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Magpie24_7 I really do think they're looking at this summer as the big rebuild. Save the money now, this season is what it is. Let players go who wants to go and use the money for a new squad and possibly a new manager if Howe decides he has had enough

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@anthonygordon Smash it tomorrow 🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

[True Geordie @TrueGeordieTG]

Newcastle 0-2 Villa

Imagine having your teams only tactic to score being lumping crosses in then having Anthony Gordon play left wing who can’t cross for shit, force Harvey Barnes to play out of position despite being the only in form player, making him less than half the player he can be and playing 5ft Wissa as your target man. Eddie Howe’s tactics are LAUGHABLE.

I hope this gives a few a reality check after PSV’s shocking defending made us look good and some were even saying Gordon & Wissa were having good seasons after one easy game. Do me a favour!

We’ve had a handful of decent games this season but even when we do win we’re often poor. Every decent side we play aside from City at home - we’ve lost to!

It’s time for the happy clappers to wake up.

Just look at Villa’s first goal, played right through the middle of us, players linking up in the 10 space, supporting the striker between the lines and shooting from distance.

You hardly ever see Newcastle do that. Our strikers hardly ever take shots in and around the box - because Eddie has built a side with such little technique we can’t create shooting opportunities like that so it’s just Sunday league tactics - get the ball out wide and lump it in and hope for the best.

Great subs as always btw Villa must have been STUNNED when Woltemade was subbed on like for like again with Wissa, when the games already dead, for him to be just as isolated as Wissa was. Brilliant 👏🏼 As if a change at half time wasn’t obviously needed. Unbelievable

Genuinely feel sorry for Woltemade because giving him to Eddie Howe is like giving Bergkamp to Big Sam Allardyce. He hasn’t got a fucking clue how to play his record signing despite Germany playing with a fluid 3 behind him who constantly play close to him and link up - instead he’s got Woltemade & 5ft Wissa even, playing as fucking target men totally disconnected from the wide men and ZERO support through the middle.

Eddie’s made countless mistakes this season and the entire time I’ve been hearing “when he turns it round you’ll look stupid” - believe me I hope he does but it’s not looking likely considering we are shite most weeks including when we scrape a win to Burnley or Bournemouth or Leeds.

Eddie got done today and there’s nothing positive to take away from a 2-0 home defeat no matter what he says. It’s time we had some standards.

#NUFC

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@NUFC360 A very confident Villa came across a very one dimensional flat Newcastle. Credit to Villa for beating us easily, 4-3-3 is the issue. Howe has to try something new otherwise it's going to be a very long February #NUFC

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@Im_RobM It is like the old premier League managers who stuck with 4-4-2 rather than changing with the times. We're going to be bottom half by end of Feb #NUFC

[Michael Johnson @Mikey2736]

@NUFC_Oscar86_ Very isolated compared to his Brentford days. Need a couple of goals to get going #nufc

[Newcastle United @NUFC]

Falling behind three times before winning it in the 103rd minute 🙌

NEVER. GIVE. UP. 🤩