The midfielder - who found opportunities hard to come by last season after his move from Ajax - came into the team after Arsenal target Cabaye refused to play.
But he played the "safe ball" for 90 minutes on a largely forgettable afternoon at St James’s Park.
Not one single shot on target from the whole team, and I certainly saw nothing creative from the Holland international ... and I watched his every move, because I don't believe for one second he is Premiership quality.
He ducked when stood in the defensive wall that allowed Manchester City to score from a free-kick, and at 2ft 6" he is not built for the rough and tumble of Premier League football.
If you use him you MUST defend him with tough midfield players; but is he worth the effort, because he is no more creative than those defending him.
He has a decent first touch, but he is so small he is easy to push off the ball and he knows that more than anyone.
His first objective is to 'get out the way' rather than take control and play the magic ball.
Alan Pardew: “We didn’t have enough offensive creativity on the pitch, but on a positive note, the back four looked solid.
“The goalie (Tim Krul) looks in great shape, while Vurnon and Sylvain had their best games for the club.
“Vurn tired a bit towards the end. Sammy (Ameobi) also did well. That reflects what has happened in pre-season.”
Anita's best game for the club?
Play the game back, and if THAT was the best he's played during his 12 months at the club we need to worry.
And I mean SERIOUSLY worry!
NEWCASTLE UNITED
1. Tim Krul
26. Mathieu Debuchy
13. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
2. Fabricio Coloccini
3. Davide Santon
10. Hatem Ben Arfa
7. Moussa Sissoko
8. Vurnon Anita
22. Sylvain Marveaux 66'
23. Shola Ameobi
9. Papiss Cisse 72'
Subs
11. Yoan Gouffran 72'
15. Dan Gosling
20. Gael Bigirimana
21. Rob Elliot
28. Sammy Ameobi 66'
29. Haris Vuckic
36. Paul Dummett
WEST HAM UNITED
22. Jussi Jaaskelainen
20. Guy Demel
19. James Collins
2. Winston Reid
17. Joey O'Brien
21. Mohamed Diame 75'
16. Mark Noble
4. Kevin Nolan
23. Stewart Downing 64'
11. Modibo Maiga
7. Matthew Jarvis
Subs
5. James Tomkins
8. Razvan Rat
12. Ricardo Vaz Te
13. Adrian
15. Ravel Morrison 75'
18. Alou Diarra
26. Joe Cole 64'
We have scored 7 goals in the last 13 games, and we couldn't even get a shot on target at St James' Park on Saturday.
Where do I start? This was the first game of the season at St James' Park, always a day of high expectations in a party atmosphere ... and I swear ... it was like a funeral.
Even after relegation, there was always a buzz around the place on the start of a new season as we beat Leeds 5-2 back in 1989 and Reading 3-0 in 2009, but this was like an invitation to a wake!
The Hammers fans taunted us with "Were's your famous atmosphere?" and 99.9% of the Toon fans in St James' didn't even have the enthusiasm to reply.
Rather than a build up to something new, it was 90 minutes of watching a side so lost in ideas, tactics and motivation.
Substitute Sammy Ameobi came within inches of salvaging three priceless points for under-pressure Alan Pardew but it would only have papered over the cracks.
Ameobi's injury-time cross caught the inside of Jussi Jaaskelainen's post and bounced back out to Yoan Gouffran who somehow contrived to spoon the rebound over the bar from point-blank range.
The near-miss summed up the frustrations of the Newcastle players who once again started without Frenchman Yohan Cabaye.
Cabaye didn't fancy playing because Arsenal want him, and he continues his Prince-like strike against humanity "I'm a slave!" protest that defies belief.
So we watched a side who failed to muster a single shot on target through the afternoon, while Kevin Nolan did us a massive favour by heading over the bar when the goal was at his mercy.
Former Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce stretched his record of never having lost at his former club since his departure, but will have left the north east frustrated at not having taken all three points in a game his side edged.
Winston Reid, Kevin Nolan and substitute Joe Cole all missed good chances before the Hammers briefly thought they had won it themselves in the 89th minute when a Modibo Maiga tap-in was ruled out for offside.
United's best chances fell to Hatem Ben Arfa, who hit a couple of free-kicks well wide, and a misplaced back-pass by Reid which trickled inches past the post with keeper Jaaskelainen beaten.
He seemed on a mission to score and seemed to head for goal at every opportunity, bypassing those in better positions simply because he seemed to have no faith in them!
It was as though, "I'm not giving you the ball because I know I won't get it back!"
The Hammers had looked sharper from the start, winning a third minute corner which was flicked on to the far post where the lively Reid poked a shot towards goal which was blocked by Vurnon Anita.
The home side's first foray forward in the seventh minute was brought to an end by James Collins' foul on Ben Arfa, and the same player stepped up to scoop his dangerous-looking free-kick way over the bar.
Mohamed Diame was posing the home side some threat down the right but they came closest after 13 minutes when Anita played the ball towards Papiss Cisse and Reid's interception trickled inches past his own post with Jaaskelainen beaten.
Despite that near miss the visitors continued to shade the opening exchanges, and might have gone ahead five minutes later when Guy Demel dug out a cross from deep on the right but Maiga could not quite connect in front of goal.
Ben Arfa continued to be at the centre of most of Newcastle's attacking moves, screwing a hopeful effort wide in the 25th minute, while Reid had another chance at the other end, stretching for a flick-on by Maiga only for home keeper Tim Krul to get there first.
The darkening sky gave way to rain at the start of the second half and it was the Hammers who had the first chance, Stewart Downing bursting through down the left flank but hitting his shot straight at Krul after good work from Fabricio Coloccini to jostle him out wide.
Sylvain Marveaux belatedly stirred the home fans by surging into the box after a neat one-two with Ameobi, but the Frenchman slipped as he bustled past Collins and an all-too-rare opportunity for the hosts went begging.
Anita hardly played a ball forward the entire 90 minutes, choosing to play the simple ball left or right. Yes we kept possession, but it's a bit of magic we needed, not a crab in the middle of the park.
Meanwhile Mathieu Debuchy was as slow as normal, three times skinned down the right flank by West Ham's pacy wingers, and if he is any better than Danny Simpson ... I will show my arse in Fenwick's window!
But the Hammers had arguably the best chance of the game on the hour when Downing found space to cross from the right and the ball deflected wide off Nolan's shoulder when the former Newcastle man really should have scored.
Allardyce made his first change in the 63rd minute, replacing debutant Downing with Cole, while Newcastle soon followed suit by bringing on Ameobi for Marveaux - a change greeted with some displeasure by the home fans.
A series of further substitutions included the 75th minute introduction of Ravel Morrison for his Premier League debut, but it was fellow sub Cole who almost won it when he screwed a rising 82nd minute effort inches wide.
After Maiga briefly thought he had clinched it for the visitors there was even later drama when Ameobi came so close to easing the pressure on Pardew.
Newcastle United Fixtures ...
Wednesday August 28
19:45 League Cup - 2nd Rnd Morecambe v Newcastle United *Sky Sports
Saturday August 31
15:00 Premier League Newcastle United v Fulham
Saturday September 14
15:00 Premier League Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Saturday September 21
15:00 Premier League Newcastle United v
Hull City
Monday September 30
20:00 Premier League Everton v Newcastle United *Sky Sports
NU-MAD - WE TELL IT AS IT IS!
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Squad Numbers ...
1 Krul, Timothy Michael
2 Coloccini, Fabricio
3 Santon, Davide
4 Cabaye, Yohan
6 Williamson, Michael James
7 Sissoko, Moussa
8 Anita, Vurnon San Benito
9 Cisse, Papiss Demba
10 Ben Arfa, Hatem
11 Gouffran, Yoan
13 Yanga-Mbiwa, Mapou
14 Remy, Loic
15 Gosling, Daniel
16 Taylor, Ryan Anthony
17 Amalfitano, Romain
18 Gutierrez, Jonas Manuel
19 Haidara, Massadio
20 Bigirimana, Gael
21 Elliot, Robert
22 Marveaux, Sylvain
23 Ameobi, Foluwashola
24 Tiote, Cheik Ismael
25 Obertan, Gabriel Antoine
26 Debuchy, Mathieu
27 Taylor, Steven Vincent
28 Ameobi, Samuel
29 Vuckic, Haris
33 Good, Curtis
34 Tavernier, James Henry
36 Dummett, Paul
41 Newton, Conor
42 Alnwick, Jak
44 Streete, Remie
49 Campbell, Adam