DERBY CO: Bywater, Mears, Leacock, Davis, Griffin, Teale, Oakley, Pearson, Lewis (McEveley 87), Howard, Miller (Feilhaber 80).
Subs Not Used: Jones, Earnshaw, Todd.
NEWCASTLE UTD: Harper, Taylor (Beye 75), Cacapa, Rozehnal, N'Zogbia, Smith, Geremi (Faye 60), Butt, Milner, Owen (Martins 55), Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Given, Pattison.
Att: 33,016
When Allardyce arrived at Newcastle a lot of fans feared his Bolton tactics. He certainly was not the 'manager made in heaven' that the media claimed we wanted, and you would be hard pressed to find a Toon fan who had him top of the list.
But he is here, and we have to back him.
However, last night was a show of just how naive the man can be. He has the hi-tech gadgets, and top class medical men, but what's the point if you have ONE idea of winning a game?
Sticking a big man on the penalty spot and having ten other players trying to pick him out, went out with the stone age! And when that 'big man' is Shola Ameobi ... it takes a 6-year-old kid five minutes to realise you're "backing a loser"!
Did he change it? Did he hell!
A run down of the players and how they performed last night:
STEVE HARPER:
Should he be in the side? Seriously, is he better than Shay Given? Personally I have no problem him being picked. He's done no wrong so why not give him his shot?
He did nothing wrong against Derby, and I doubt if any goalkeeper in the league would have stopped Kenny Miller's volley. It came out of the blue and no fault of Harper.
But I dare bet Given's in for the West Ham match!
STEVEN TAYLOR:
He is never at his best at right-back. One of three players Allardyce played out of position, and he didn't have one of his better games.
He got forward often enough, blasted a shot high and wide, and put in the effort, but looks like a fish out of water out wide on the wing.
His pace is not the best, he dives in too often, and his recovery time is well behind that of a top quality Premiership full-back.
To be honest, since his England call up, he tends to believe the hype and believe he is a far better player than he actually is!
CACAPA:
A good player and possibly the best central defender at the club for distrubuting the ball, but painfully slow - as it showed last night.
Is he match fit? Too often Derby broke (and they are not the fastest strikers in the Premiership) and he was left 20 yards up the field as United tried to track back.
DAVID ROZEHNAL:
Missed a guilt-edged chance when he should have hit the target at least!
He put himself about - in both penalty boxes - and was unlucky not to get a penalty. Of all the team that figured at Pride Park, he probably played the best.
CHARLES N'ZOGBIA:
Lively left-back who is still coming to terms with his defensive position.
He has pace and the ability to take players on, but you must have a left midfielder with defensive qualities to get him out of the hole he often creates for himself.
In truth, he's a midfielder/winger filling in for a defender. And two players out of position in a back-line of four is at least one too many.
ALAN SMITH:
Yet another 'fish out of water'. Wide on the right? What the hell is that all about?
He is creative midfielder or striker, who should be playing just behind the front two ... not stuck out on the right wing!
He hardly played a decent pass/cross all evening, and was left to knock players into the advertising boards on the wing.
He wins the ball and has the ability to help dominate in the middle of the park ... something nobody did last night! So why the hell stick him out there?
GEREMI:
He tries to get involved in everything, which is not a bad thing.
Throw ins; corner kicks; free kicks; making the tea at half-time; ect. But he needs a helping hand at times.
No-one can doubt is effort ... but at Derby it needed something more. He didn't get to grips with the game in any shape or form, and he was replaced.
NICKY BUTT:
Kicked a few players and got on the end of most that was 'kicking off' in midfield.
Like Geremi, he tried his arse off, but didn't get much reward.
He will win you the ball and pass it, in the old David Batty mould, but sadly everyone had one thing in mind ... HOOF IT FORWARD!
JAMES MILNER:
The liveliest of the attackers who caused Derby a few problems, but they were on him like 'flies around shit', and he rarely broke loose.
Should have been used more than he was, and we could have seen some reward.
He is a livewire and has what it takes to get to the line and pull the ball back for the likes of Michael Owen. So why didn't he do it?
MICHAEL OWEN:
Found the byline once and set up David Rozehnal, who scuffed his shot wide, in what was one of only two real chances we had.
You have to give the man service, and he didn't get it.
What the hell he was expected to do when every ball was fed up to Shola Ameobi - who wasn't standing his ground - I do not know. His talents were wasted, and Derby must have been delighted when he was taken off.
SHOLA AMEOBI:
Missed a chance when he was found on the edge of the box unmarked and blasted wide. Nothing new there then.
He had a dreadful night. The Derby backline had him tied up and bagged for Christmas, and we could all see it.
All except Allardyce of course!