holy cow...

Newcastle takes on Liverpool at Anfield for FA Cup 4th Round Tie.

lets juz hope the scousers continue playin like crap, and that owen doesnt play, then maybe newcastle can win.

oh, and there was this editorial on soccernet about newcastle's recent form. thought it was pretty true.
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Shaky Toon defence by Norman Hubbard

The chairman's public criticism is, the manager and captain agree, correct. Matches with Leicester and Blackburn produce a solitary point between them. They are behind Fulham and Charlton. All is not well at Newcastle.

But Sir Bobby Robson's team are only four points off a Champions League place. They boast, in skipper Alan Shearer, the Premiership's top scorer. And their summer transfer expenditure was, like Kieron Dyer's goal tally for the season, zero.

However, there is an undercurrent of underachievement on Tyneside. In too many places on the St James' Park turf, youthful promise is not being fulfilled. And though Jermaine Jenas' slump in form is merely temporary and even Craig Bellamy cannot be injured forever, defensive failings are a constant.

Admittedly, they have conceded only 22 goals in 19 Premiership games, but it is more the manner of the defending than the statistics which is concerning.

Jonathan Woodgate's imminent return guarantees individual excellence. But the six Premiership games the £9 million centre back has played (and that figure is in itself a cause of problems) scarcely provided collective competence.

Newcastle's most accomplished defender has yet to assert himself as the dominant figure in an inexperienced back four. Hence confusion, especially with Titus Bramble, which has cost vital goals.

Defending long balls is a staple diet of Premiership centre backs yet, against Wolves, Woodgate's lack of communication with Shay Given allowed Nathan Blake to steal in and score. When Liverpool visited St James' Park, he and Bramble overcompensated, headed for the same ball and Danny Murphy relished the subsequent space he was afforded to meet the flick-on and score.

With James Beattie's Southampton Newcastle's next opponents, a weakness against the punt upfield is sure to be tested. The raw aggression of Leicester's Paul Dickov unsettled Newcastle's defence so Beattie's physical approach probably won't constitute their ideal start to the year.

In mitigation, Woodgate is a mere 23. Bramble is 22, the other centre back Andy O'Brien and regular full backs Aaron Hughes and Olivier Bernard all 24.

No other Premiership defence is as young. Few others are as quick, either. But potential alone does not win points.

Consistency does and consistency of selection has been impossible for Robson. Woodgate's fragile frame has cost both the former Leeds man and Newcastle. Invariably injured when Sven-Goran Eriksson calls, John Terry and Matthew Upson have leapfrogged him in the England queue for replacements for Rio Ferdinand.

Ferdinand, Lucas Radebe and Dominic Matteo were all the senior partner when partnering Woodgate in the Leeds defence. At Newcastle, he has greater responsibility but the January transfer window could provide an opportunity to introduce a more experienced, vocal and fit defender to complement Woodgate's composure and class.

The concept of several captains is more common in American Football and even Rugby Union. Newcastle have Shearer and Gary Speed to boss attack and midfield respectively, but they need a leader at the back.

Summer rumours suggested Gareth Southgate would be the man. The consistent Southgate has the attributes Newcastle lack; however, he may now have more glamorous suitors now in Manchester United.

But the contrast between Middlesbrough's ruthlessly efficient back line and Newcastle's chaotic defending against Blackburn shows why a top four berth eludes the Premiership's most northerly team.

With Woodgate missing, Newcastle deserved their defeat despite the dubious nature of Paul Gallagher's winner. As Bramble discovered, one-man offside traps rarely succeed. Andy Cole has not been the only forward this season to give him a torrid time.

One lapse in concentration almost presented Cole with a clear-cut chance. Bramble had the ability to recover but he rarely completes 90 minutes without an error. Sure enough, a back-header sold Given short, Cole nipped in and only O'Brien on the line prevented a goal.

And impressive as Bramble can be between mistakes, it is all too familiar a tale. He was arguably the best player in the first half when Newcastle faced Manchester United in August but found wanting for both the visitors' goals.

That Bramble has been preferred to O'Brien is an indication of Robson's emphasis on promise over reliability. Presuming future glories will result from current team selection, however, is a dangerous assumption.

After early exits from the Champions League and the Carling Cup, the FA Cup takes on greater importance for a club without a trophy in three decades.

With Woodgate ready to return, the Newcastle manager has to decide between the callow Bramble and the more limited but dependable O'Brien on Saturday.

And a decision with still more importance for Newcastle's season must be made in January; does he spend on a striker to deputise for the injured Bellamy and Shola Ameobi or a centre back to strengthen his shaky defence?

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