Huddersfield 1 Newcastle 0 – Instant United fan/writer reaction to second defeat
Huddersfield 1 Newcastle 0 – Sunday 20 August 1.30pm
We asked a number of our regular writers to give us a brief instant reaction after the final whistle:
Ben Cooper:
“It’s a simple game football.
“They took their chance we didnt take ours.
“I would like to talk about some promising performances but the reality is that for all the effort we were pretty rubbish and got beat by another pretty rubbish team without ever putting them under any pressure.
“Two games, two defeats, too bored to analyse any further. At least try and play some football please.”
Jamie Swan:
“Before a ball was kicked this season we needed every swinging appendage at it on and off the pitch from top to bottom.
“We also needed to build on the positive of last season’s promotion, but nope – we are not going to do that and after today it’s pretty much evaporated.
“Who would think that all the needlessly self-imposed negativity caused by our owner could make the pressure even greater for a team which it was anticipated would be very difficult anyway.
“Others have speculated – like Huddersfield, who are not a COUNTRY Mr Ashley by the way. They are the stark contrast to us, 2 wins, six points, four goals and nil conceded – for NUFC you pretty much just need to turn that stat upside down.
“Didn’t play well mind and that’s where it matters. Trenches time. Everybody is dying to see an implosion, balls to the media, balls to the nation, big swinging hairy balls to Ashley too.
“Hopefully the wallet creaks open as we look short, but unless the unwanted leave town it’ll be as we are boys.
“The only way is up!”
Davey Hat-Trick:
“This feels like Premier League Groundhog Day.
“Plenty of honest endeavour from Newcastle, but very little quality and virtually no inspiration.
“It’s difficult to pick out players who were especially good or especially bad, but I thought Joselu did a lot better than Gayle.
“What worries me most is that I don’t see a range of obvious solutions in the reserves.
“I’d have picked pretty much the same team that Rafa did, and – as ever – he had them well organised. But in this league, I worry that it isn’t enough.
“Two games in, we need a kick start, as we did at the start of last season.
“Decent opportunities lie ahead – Forest in the League Cup and West Ham in the league. These will be crucial for team (and supporter) morale.
“Win them and we’ll believe we can at least avoid relegation. Lose them and despondency could become defeatism.”
Kevin Christie:
“Disappointing result but it’s something we’ll need to get used to if Mike won’t back Rafa before the end of the window.
“Whether Rafa will be bothered staying to fight with one hand tied behind his back remains the big question….
“Plenty of effort and application, just a lack of quality and creativity let us down.
“Merino looked rusty at first and was at fault for Mooy’s goal but grew into the game. He looks an interesting addition; good technique and vision and decent passing range.
“Manquillo had a nightmare. Caught out of position too often, didn’t track back. A downgrade on Anita if anything. Need Yedlin back ASAP.
“No Dummett also meant no threat from left side at all – Mbemba made some useful interceptions but a right footer at left back just doesn’t work.
“Gayle and Perez not at the races today at all and Diame really needn’t have bothered. A shocking cameo. Looked dead on his feet. His only contributions were negative.
“Impressed with Joselu. Provided a focal point, linked up well and put himself about. Good movement and positional sense too.
“Murphy wad bright and lively for the few minutes he was on as well. Looking forward to seeing more of them.
“God only knows what’ll happen long-term but there’s still hope as long as the window is open.
“The only certainty is that we’ll be relegation fodder if Rafa leaves. Praying for a miracle….! HWTL!”
David Punton:
“Mike Ashley’s strategic approach at NUFC is one of doing things on the cheap. We saw some evidence today it could backfire on him.
“We’ve lost to a club playing their first top flight home game in 45 years who came up through the play-offs by winning two penalty shoot-outs. A club that hands out happy clappers to their fans.
“That aside, Newcastle were pretty terrible today.
“Rafa looking for solutions already, if he’s not too peeved at being lied to by Mike Ashley.
“Just a Mooy goal separated the sides but it racks up a bad start to the season and suddenly it has the feel of ‘where’s the first win coming from’.”
Scott:
“Simple. Lack of quality.
“Maybe a long season this one. Rafa’s head must be done in at this club
“That little bit of extra quality needed to add to what we had.
“Ashley has failed again. Biggest chance you have had with a manager like Rafa.
“If you won’t do it now you never will. Had all summer to get it right.”
Toon Bano:
“Rafa Benitez can make it known we missed out on transfer targets earlier in the window all he likes but the deep thinking man would have to go a long way into explaining his own personal decisions.
“Rafa could attempt to explain to me in as much detail as he likes about why he would bring on Mo Diame into CM when we’re chasing the game. Fact is, it’s ridiculous.
“He could attempt to explain to me why Christian Atsu gets to play 90 mins when he does nothing but give the ball away, whereas Murphy gets 10 mins and Aarons gets nothing, again. Fact is, it’s ridiculous.
“He could attempt to explain to me why our strategy would be to go direct for the final 20 mins yet Mitrovic doesn’t come on to give this tactic a remote chance of working. Fact is, it’s ridiculous.
“And seeing as he moans about lack of signings, the ones he has made look unbelievably average, as do the ones he apparently missed out on, like Tammy Abraham or Willy Cabellero. He can only attempt to explain his thinking.
“If Rafa insists on Newcastle Utd playing a compact, low paced style then he better get it right, otherwise fans will start to lose focus on there criticism of Ashley and look towards him.
“That fact may sound ridiculous…but it’s completely justified & warranted.”
Paul Lyon:
“Didn’t seem to be at the races today.
“Had a couple of chances to score but because we create so little we really need to score the chances we get.
“Definitely need some quality players brought into the first team before the window shuts. Early days but this season feels like it’s gonna be a long one!
“Hopefully we can use the Cup game to get the goals going.”
Nat Seaton:
“A really disappointing performance.
“We never looked threatening and that is against HUDDERSFIELD, who, I can’t believe I’m saying this, deserved to win.
“If we don’t get new players in before the deadline, I fear it is going to be a very long season…”
Jamie Smith:
“On the surface, similar to last week in that one incident turned an insipid game into a defeat for us.
“For Shelvey’s red, read an abject failure to close down the dangerous Mooy for Town’s winner.
“However, this is far too generous based on a disjointed performance that bears out all the lingering fears.
“Many players aren’t good enough and the manager is cut adrift in his attempts to correct it.
“I can’t see the Fat Man consenting to fix this in the remainder of the transfer window despite more compelling evidence today.
“We’re looking at a relegation struggle on the basis of what we’ve seen so far and we can only hope Rafa sticks around to scrape the points necessary.”
Jack Lacey-Hatton:
“Hardly a disgraceful display, just not enough edge to hurt teams on the counter.
“Let’s not forget, we also had 3 defenders missing that would probably start.
“Can’t work out if Merino is brilliant or awful. Seems to do the hard parts easily.
“Awful goal to give way and in truth the better team won.
“One final point, Elliott is not and will not be a premier league keeper, his kicking was a disgrace.
“Don’t panic too much though, Sky are already revelling in our misery. In Rafa we trust.”
Stats from BBC Sport:
Huddersfield 1 Newcastle 0
Goals:
Huddersfield: Aaron Mooy 50
Possession was Huddersfield 53% Newcastle 47%
Total shots were Huddersfield 7 Newcastle 13
Shots on target were Huddersfield 3 Newcastle 5
Corners were Huddersfield 7 Newcastle 3
Newcastle United:
Elliot, Manquillo, Clark, Lascelles, Mbemba, Ritchie, Hayden (Diame 76), Merino, Atsu, Perez (Murphy 80), Gayle (Joselu 52)
Unused Subs:
Darlow, Aarons, Saivet, Mitrovic
Crowd: 24,128
Referee: Craig Pawson
(Read Alan Shearer’s reaction after the final whistle here)
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