Kinnear Believes Balance Up Front Is Key To Victory!
"That was the best I have seen Habib Beye perform since I came here, but really, both he and Fabricio Coloccini have done well all season, and Sebastien Bassong showed what a good player he is when he is in his normal central defensive position.
"And I must say, I thought Jose Enrique handled Joe Cole as well as I have seen anybody do, and perhaps we are finally getting the message across to him.
"It (dropping Ameobi) was a difficult decision for me to make because both Shola and Obafemi Martins had been scoring goals for us.
"But when I look Shola to one side on Saturday morning in a little one-to-one chat and told him he was on the bench, he could not have taken it better.
"Obviously, he was disappointed, but he told me he understood my decision, and that he was part of the squad and that it was the team which mattered most.
"We have got a good balance with our men up front. We have Oba's pace, Michael's technical ability as a goalscorer and the power of Viduka and Ameobi."