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Isn’t it great when you are proved wrong about one of the Newcastle Players

9 years ago
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Isn’t it great when you are proved wrong about one of the Newcastle Players.

You know, somebody who you think has absolutely nothing to offer and ends up suddenly emerging looking a very good player.

You’ll all have your own examples over the years, plus of course you will have those who flattered to deceive and after a promising start, proved a liability.

The player that has proved me wrong isn’t Gabriel Obertan, Sammy Ameobi or Mehdi Abeid, they’ve all had their moments this season but I still think we need to give it more time before we can properly judge them as having totally turned it around.

Instead, the player I have in mind is Paul Dummett.

He had experienced a few bits of first team football for Newcastle but it was the Liverpool home game last season that catapulted him into the spotlight.

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Mapou’s sending off just before half-time led to Dummett replacing Sissoo after the break and playing as an emergency centre-back alongside Williamson, with no other central defenders on the bench.

Paul Dummett scored a quality goal to put United back in front and he put in a generally steady performance, though he was at fault for Liverpool’s equaliser, something that never really got much of a mention as it spoilt the story – a bit like Jak Alnwick’s one blip on Saturday, when he appeared to shut his eyes and hope for the best when Drogba scored Chelsea’s consolation goal.

The next weekend Dummett played again at centre-back in the defeat at Sunderland and was terrible in an overall rubbish display by the team.

Once centre-backs were available again, the opportunities for Paul Dummett were in his regular left-back spot and by the end of the season he had made 18 Premier League appearances altogether, including 11 in the starting eleven. At times he looked ok, but when up against somebody with a bit of pace and/or quality he didn’t look Premier League standard, at home to Everton in a 3-0 defeat being particularly gruesome.

I couldn’t believe how Alan Pardew played him ahead of Massadio Haidara, a player who looked to have far more pace and ability.

That continued into this season but after a handful of matches I had to admit he was looking better despite the team not winning Premier League matches, though I still thought Haidara should be ahead of the Geordie Welsh international.

However, he suddenly seemed to become a much better player and I think he definitely benefited as injuries and severe lack of form got the likes of Gouffran and Anita out of the team, replaced by others who would contribute and help the likes of Dummett improve their own games.

Then another emergency move to centre-back has been a revelation.In the middle, the fact he hasn’t got a turn of pace is marginalised and his composure and acceptance of responsibility have been first rate.

Maybe he will end up being a flop and his form disappear but I don’t think so.

It isn’t that I think he is now going to be a world beater but I have seen what I think is a really decent player emerge from the gloom of early season.

The rest is now up to him.

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