Newcastle 0-1 Everton - The 'Index 6'

We desperately need to buy a striker in January who can consistently hit the back of the net.

There’s no doubt that Aleksander Mitrovic will become a fine player. He’s young, strong, tall, and a handful. However, what his game is currently lacking is goals. He cannot continue to miss sitters like the one in the second half against Everton. Chances like that need to be put away. They don’t come along very often and when they do, they change games. Had that header hit the net, then Newcastle could well have gone on to win the game.

He will come good, I am certain of that, but Newcastle do not have the luxury of being patient in the position they find themselves in. When January’s transfer window opens, a striker who has proved he can score goals in the Premier League needs to be brought in as a matter of urgency. Anyone and everyone seems to have linked Charlie Austin with a move to the North East, but there are other candidates who would fit the bill – Loic Remy and Edin Džeko are two, but there are others. Finding consistent goals could be the difference between a season-long relegation scrap and managing to ease away from trouble to relative safety.

Referees have no one to blame but themselves for all of the criticism they get from fans and managers.

Referees get a lot of stick from Managers, pundits and fans alike. Some people think they get a lot of unwarranted flack, but, in my opinion, they only have themselves to blame for it. A lack of consistency from referees is what annoys me the most. The officials are allowed to make mistakes during games – they are only human (I think) – but as long as they give the same decisions for both teams then that is all fans ask for. However, Lee Mason’s performance during this game was erratic to say the least.

For example, he let a string of Everton fouls in the opening quarter of the game go un-carded, and yet the first challenge in anger from a Newcastle player – Daryl Janmaat – is punished with the first yellow card of the game. Following on from that, there were some perplexing decisions made, none more so than the tackle from behind on Ayoze Perez, for which a free-kick was not even awarded. Some may argue that he made contact with the ball. Yes, he may have…but he also took the man, and – by the letter of the law, which often gets overlooked by referees when it suits them – whether he got the ball is irrelevant, as a tackle from behind is penalised by the award of a free-kick and an automatic yellow card. It is precisely this inability to follow the rules that get my back up. Sympathy for referees? I am sorry…I have none!

Michael Owen holds an obvious grudge against Newcastle.

Having watched the game back on TV, reviewing the performance (yes, I am that sad), it seems obvious to me that Michael Owen has nothing but contempt for Newcastle United. The same Newcastle United that paid him thousands of pounds a week in wages. The same Newcastle United that stood by him during numerous injury lay-offs. The same Newcastle United that he fled from at the first opportunity following relegation. If anyone should hold any grudges here, it should be the Newcastle fans…against him! He proved virtually zero value for money when he came, and showed not one ounce of loyalty, or felt no guilt or responsibility for the club’s demise, largely down to his inept performances and string of injuries.

During his ‘expert’ summarising of the game, he had virtually nothing positive to say about Newcastle, even to the point of often making himself look foolish and bitter. He even had the gall to lay the blame for the goal on Rob Elliot – who had performed heroically again at times – for not punching the ball high enough from the corner. Trevor Francis was also quite negative about the Magpies, but at least he gave us a little credit at times. Listening to Owen drivel on during games on BT Sport make me long for the days when Sky offered the chance to watch the games on the red button with no commentary at all.

Mbemba is going to be a brilliant centre half in years to come…probably for someone else.

Chancel Mbemba seems to be growing in stature every week. He has put in some great performances this season, which is why he has played every minute of every Premier League game for Newcastle this season. It is hard to believe that he is only a 21 year old playing in his first season in the English top flight. He will, in my opinion, become one of the best centre halves in the country, and this is my major concern. We all know Newcastle’s philosophy by now. Buy young and inexperienced talent, develop them, then sell for a profit and move back to square one for the whole vicious circle procedure to start again. If Mbemba has an excellent second half of the season, continuing to get better, then by the end of the season the big boys will start being linked, and sniffing around.

Of course, the hierarchy could nip all of the prospective rumours in the bud by saying that he is categorically not for sale, or even offer him an improved contract (which seems to be the trend nowadays). My worry is that as he improves, and his current value increases, the chances for a high return on arealatively small investment will prove to be too tempting for Mike Ashley and Co. to say no to. This all too predictable approach has to change, or Newcastle will continue to be a lower third of the table team for many years to come.

Rob Elliot is playing so well right now that if Tim Krul was fit, he should possibly still be the first choice keeper (for now).

I think if you asked anyone about the ability of Rob Elliot prior to his first game in goal following Tim Krul’s injury, I think it would be fair to say that the only person that would have told you he could perform to the level of excellence that he has, in all honesty, would have been Rob Elliot himself. He has surprised most people with his heroics between the sticks. He almost single-handedly won three points at Bournemouth with a masterclass in the art of goalkeeping. His performances have been so good that if Tim Krul was fully fit now, I would still keep Elliot in the starting line-up.

He has been patient throughout his Newcastle career, and has waited for his opportunity, which he has grasped with both hands. It would be unfair and unjust if he were to be instantly relegated to the bench following a string of games where he has produced top class saves week in week out.

Many fans wrote Anita off under Alan Pardew, but right now he is probably our best player.

If Vurnon Anita picked up an injury at the minute, it would be a catastrophe for our midfield. That is not a sentence I, or many other fans, would have thought they would read or write before the season, but it is a testament to how well he has been playing recently. He is putting in some towering performances, which belie his diminutive appearance. He is keeping Cheick Tiote out of the side, quite justifiably I hasten to add, and his name, on current form, would be one of the first ones on the team-sheet.

He is the lynchpin of our midfield and is out-performing Jack Colback at the moment. It is an amazing achievement when you think that he was seemingly going nowhere at the club during the Alan Pardew era. He has been outstanding, and long may it continue. His upturn in fortunes has been one of the few positives in yet another underwhelming season for Newcastle United.