... why can't Alan Pardew get the best out of highly regarded Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa?
He signed for Newcastle in January 2013 from French club Montpellier for £6.7 million, arriving with the reputation of being one of the best defenders in the French League.
Some players are suited to certain clubs ...
But, having spent most of his Premier League career playing at RIGH-BACK for Pardew, the central defender is back on form having moved to Italy.
So much so, he has been called up for France's friendly against Portugal, confirming his fine form for Roma
He earned plaudits for his display at Manchester City in the Champions League, when he helped the Italian club to a draw at the Etihad.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa: “It is the aim of every player to wear the national team shirt, especially when we have already done so.
“You must also keep hope, confidence in yourself and be aware of your capacities. Afterwards, it will depend on what I can achieve with AS Roma where I have come to to win titles.”
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Pardew - We Need To Make Changes!
With Alan Pardew admitting his current crop of new signings are not as good as those before, United may need to change their recruitment policy.
Time for change?
Alan Pardew (talking to the Chronicle): "Our policy here has been the same since I’ve been at the club – we have bought players we think have good market value and that means mainly the younger players.
"I’ve had to deal with younger players and some have been massively successful and some haven’t. At the moment we are not having as much success as we’ve had.
"We’ve produced some fantastic players for this club and we need to start producing a few more.
"I didn’t think we were strong enough in the last part of the season and that’s been held against me that I’ve been making excuses, but I just felt that we needed more and we didn’t have it after the loss of (Yohan) Cabaye.
"This club needs big players because we are a big scalp for any team.
"Forget where we are in the league. We need big players and our big players need to stand up.
"We also need to create more big players and that’s what we are trying to do."
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Stats Against Pardew Fending Off Relegation?
Stats can be produced to prove anything, and the Evening Chronicle is ready to dig up quite a few in their long running battle with Alan Pardew.
The Chronicle, banned from the St James' Park press room, comes up with the stat that 62% of teams with less than four points after seven games go down.
Chronicle: "Alan Pardew is now battling the history books if he is get the Magpies out of their early-season mess.
"The Chronicle has pored over the history books to pick out Premier League trends, and the outlook is not great for teams that have just four points after seven games.
"Thirteen of the clubs banking four points or fewer after seven games went on to go down – a whopping 62%.
"Eight stayed up but here is where it gets really interesting for United fans urging the club to learn from Premier League history.
"Only TWO of the 21 who have started as badly as United this year have stayed up by sticking with their manager – and FIVE of the eight who stayed up took evasive action before the month of October and changed bosses to keep them up."
Mind you, with Sunderland rooted at the bottom of the Premier League last Christmas, the same newspaper quoted West Brom as the only Premiership team to have survived in the same position.
That's not saying we at NU-Mad are rooting for Pardew to stay.
Far from it.
Four years in the job, have we improved under his management?
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Newcastle Utd Fixtures ...
2014/15 SEASON
Sunday August 17
NEWCASTLE 0 MAN CITY 2
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Colback, Anita (63' Obertan), Cabella, Sissoko, Gouffran (74' Aarons), Riviere (83' Perez).
Subs: Haidara, Elliot, S Taylor, Abeid
Saturday August 23
ASTON VILLA 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Anita (70' de Jong), Colback, Cabella, Sissoko, Gouffran, Riviere (77' Perez - 90+2' S Taylor).
Subs: Haidara, Elliot, Obertan, Abeid
Tuesday August 26
LC GILLINGHAM 0 NEWCASTLE 1 (Egan OG)
Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, S Taylor, Haidara, Sissoko, Abeid, Obertan, de Jong (68' Perez), Aarons (60' Cabella), Riviere (86' Gouffran)
Subs: Anita, Ferreyra, Elliot, Dummett
Saturday August 30
NEWCASTLE 3 CRYSTAL PALACE 3 (Janmaat, Aarons, Williamson)
Krul, Janmaat (79' Perez), Williamson, Coloccini, Haidara, Sissoko, Colback, Cabella, de Jong (79' Anita), Gouffran (67' Aarons), Riviere
Subs: Elliot, Obertan, S Taylor, Dummett
Saturday September 13
SOUTHAMPTON 4 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Haidara, Anita (45' Tiote), Colback, Cabella (69' Perez), Sissoko (90'Ameobi), Gouffran, Riviere
Subs: Elliot, Obertan, S Taylor, Armstrong
Saturday September 20
NEWCASTLE 2 HULL CITY (Cisse 2)
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Tiote (85' Ameobi), Colback, Sissoko, Cabella, Gouffran (90+4' Perez), Riviere (69' Cisse)
Subs: Anita, Haidara, Elliot, S Taylor
Wednesday September 24
LC CRYSTAL PALACE 2 NEWCASTLE 3 AET (Riviere 2, Dummett)
Elliot, Janmaat (46 Haidara), Coloccini, S Taylor, Dummett, Colback, Abeid, Obertan, Armstrong, Ameobi (66 Sissoko), Riviere (80 Perez)
Subs: Anita, Ferreyra, Cabella, Alnwick
Monday September 29
STOKE CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Tiote, Colback, Sissoko, Cabella (74' Ameobi), Gouffran (68' Obertan), Riviere (45' Cisse)
Subs: Anita, Elliot, S Taylor, Armstrong
Saturday October 4
SWANSEA CITY 2 NEWCASTLE 2 (Cisse 2)
Krul, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, Dummett, Obertan, Tiote, Sissoko, Colback (69' Riviere), Gouffran (58' Ameobi), Cisse (85' Perez).
Subs: Anita, Haidara, Cabella, Elliot
Saturday October 18
Newcastle United v Leicester City
Saturday October 25
Tottenham v Newcastle United
Saturday November 1
Newcastle United v Liverpool
Sunday November 9
West Brom v Newcastle United
Saturday November 22
Newcastle United v QPR
Saturday November 29
West Ham United v Newcastle United
Tuesday December 2
Burnley v Newcastle United
Saturday December 6
Newcastle United v Chelsea
Saturday December 13
Arsenal v Newcastle United
Sunday December 21
Newcastle United v Sunderland
Friday December 26
Man Utd v Newcastle United
Sunday December 28
Newcastle United v Everton
Thursday January 1 2015
Newcastle United v Burnley
Saturday January 10 2015
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Saturday January 17 2015
Newcastle United v Southampton
Saturday January 31 2015
Hull City v Newcastle United
Saturday February 7 2015
Newcastle United v Stoke City
Tuesday February 10 2015
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United
Saturday February 21 2015
Manchester City v Newcastle United
Saturday February 28 2015
Newcastle United v Aston Villa
Wednesday March 4 2015
Newcastle United v Man Utd
Saturday March 14 2015
Everton v Newcastle United
Saturday March 21 2015
Newcastle United v Arsenal
Saturday April 4 2015
Sunderland v Newcastle United
Saturday April 11 2015
Liverpool v Newcastle United
Saturday April 18 2015
Newcastle United v Tottenham
Saturday April 25 2015
Newcastle United v Swansea City
Saturday May 2 2015
Leicester City v Newcastle United
Saturday May 9 2015
Newcastle United v West Brom
Saturday May 16 2015
QPR v Newcastle United
Sunday May 24 2015
Newcastle United v West Ham United
LEAGUE CUP - Ties to be played on September 23-24.
Chelsea v Bolton
Arsenal v Southampton
West Brom v Hull
Crystal Palace v Newcastle
Leyton Orient v Sheff Utd
Cardiff v Bournemouth
Sunderland v Stoke
Derby v Reading
Liverpool v Middlesbrough
MK Dons v Bradford
Man City v Sheff Wed
Burton v Brighton
Swansea v Everton
Shrewsbury v Norwich
Fulham v Doncaster
Tottenham v Nottm Forest
SKY SPORTS GAMES
OCTOBER
Sun 19: Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool (1.30pm)
Sun 19: Stoke City v Swansea City (4pm)
Mon 20: West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United (8pm)
Sat 25: Swansea City v Leicester City (5.30pm)
Sun 26: Burnley v Everton (1.30pm)
Sun 26: Manchester United v Chelsea (4pm)
Mon 27: Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa (8pm)
NOVEMBER
Sun 2: Manchester City v Manchester United (1.30pm)
Sun 2: Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (4pm)
Mon 3: Crystal Palace v Sunderland (8pm)
Sat 8: Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City (5.30pm)
Sun 9: West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United (1.30pm)
Sun 9: Swansea City v Arsenal (4pm)
Sat 22: Arsenal v Manchester United (5.30pm)
Sun 23: Crystal Palace v Liverpool (1.30pm)
Sun 23: Hull City v Tottenham Hotspur (4pm)
Mon 24: Aston Villa v Southampton (8pm)
Sat 29: Sunderland v Chelsea (5.30pm)
Sun 30: Southampton v Manchester City (1.30pm)
Sun 30: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton (4pm)
BT SPORT GAMES
OCTOBER
Sat 18: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur (12.45pm)
Sat 25: West Ham United v Manchester City (12.45pm)
NOVEMBER
Sat 1: Newcastle United v Liverpool (12.45pm)
Sat 8: Liverpool v Chelsea (12.45pm)
Sat 29: West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (12.45pm)