OK, the quality was naff, and I stand by that ... but the teams showed class and imaginate on dead-ball kicks ... both attacking and defending.
Something Newcastle United are CLUELESS at!
John Carver has explained his tactics after Newcastle United slipped to their seventh defeat on the spin.
The Magpies are hurtling closer towards the relegation zone but despite some pundits feeling they will be safe on the basis of other team’s failings, fans are now genuinely concerned their side could get sucked in.
Carver said after the 3-2 loss to Swansea: “I looked at the first half and thought we started the game quite well.
“I played a different formation – I played with two strikers and a diamond with Remy Cabella just behind the two strikers, and I thought we actually played some good football I thought we could have come in 2-0 up.
“The goal we scored was a fantastic move, great play, and the move that led to Riviere’s header, where the keeper made a good save, that was a good move.
“But we were in control of the game - the only worry was set-plays, and we know what we are like at set-plays, it’s our Achilles heel, and to concede in injury time (was a blow).
“We had two warnings before the goal came, two free headers, and it was third time lucky for Swansea.
“The guy gets above Jonas and puts it in the top corner, so your team talk changes at half-time because you could have gone in there 1-0 up, but we are level, it’s 1-1 and it’s disappointing. But I was still quite positive because of what I saw in the first half.
“We came out in the second half and conceded an early goal, so that’s that made a difference five minutes either side of half-time, and you could see a little bit of confidence.
“When you have gone on a run like we have gone on then your confidence is going to be a little bit lower, but when they got the second goal, you could see it drain out of the players, which was a little bit of a concern.
“We lost Daryl Janmaat because of sickness, so he should be okay for next week, but he wasn’t feeling too well, so I had to get him off the pitch.
“But we kept going, we didn’t give up on it. I changed it, brought Armstorng on, brought Siem de Jong on, and the shining light of today was getting him [De Jong] back on the pitch.
“You saw the quality he has got. He makes a great run for his goal nd he did one or two other things in the game.
“You can see why he is a top player, so I have taken a lot from his performance, coming off the substitutes’ bench and doing as well as he did.”