Newcastle United 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0

Philip Cole (RSABaggie):

I watched this match on TV after watching the Man City v Leicester game and the difference was striking. Leicester have not spent huge sums on players but they play as a team and look to get forward and create at the earliest opportunity. They deserve their success!

What a contrast with West Brom, that currently approach every game, home or away, aiming to defend to the death and nick one late in the second half. It's not that we don't have good players, although some of them have been criminally ignored - it's the script they're performing to which needs to be torn up.

So many questions stand out. The starting line up - dire and devoid of creativity. Fletcher is not a creative midfielder, so why try to play him as one? Given that Morrison is still out, why not try Sessegnon or even the new guy Pritchard at the top of the diamond? Why bother playing Anichebe when all he does is amble around and fall over every now and then?

The first half was woeful - we just sat back and invited Newcastle on to us for the whole half and made a very limited team short on confidence and without a defence look good. At least Pulis changed it at half time - but why not start with a more creative line up/ Why bother leaving Anchebe on when he couldn't be bothered. Even then we were still crying out for a midfielder who could take the ball forward and pick out a pass.

Marks:

• Foster (8): Our best player and saved us from a drubbing - that and the fact that Newcastle didn't have any forwards that could hit the target.
• Dawson (6): Reliable as a full back as we know he is but incapable of getting forward or passing it out of defence.
• McCaulay (8): Amazing that he continues to roll back the years and thankfully was not injured from what initially looked like a bad knock.
• Olsson (8): Just as solid as we know he is - Mr Reliable.Long may it continue!
• Chester (6): I actually thought he did alright even though he was given the run around by Townsend. Perhaps this is more a reflection that I expected him to be a total liability.
• Yacob (7): Did his role of breaking the play up very well but then had no-one to play the ball to or gave it away.
• Sandro (4): Did he touch the ball at all?
• Fletcher (6): Tried his best as always but is no creative midfielder and his legs are gone. Still looks to be suffering from his injury.
• Gardner (5): Why do we still start this guy? Plenty of honest effort but no quality or end product.
• McClean (7): When we improved (a bit) in the second half looked sharp and had a couple of half-chances.
• Anichebe (2): Total enigma. Every half and hour or so he teases us by looking like a beast of a centre forward. Otherwise he just ambles around wasting space. Does he even want to play competitive football?

Subs:

• Berahino (7): Still not fit but, although or woeful approach rarely brings him into play, still always looks like the one guy though which something could happen.
• Pritchard (7): Played well and gave his all. At last we had some creativity on the pitch - a shame about most of what was around him.
• Rondon (5): Didn't really do much and looks to be short on confidence. Unsurprisingly given the meagre pickings on which he has to live as a striker.
  

• Pulis (2): Much more of this dross and total lack of imagination or creativity and that precious 'never been relegated' boast will be in danger!

Brendan Clegg:

Absolutely terrible. A new nadir. How much longer can this go on?

How could Pulis look at the Swansea performance and deduce that what we needed was more players out of position and less creativity?

Injuries or not there were still better options than what he went for. And in my opinion, if you have players fit enough to make the bench then they should start - better to play your strongest team for as long as you can and then change it to try and hang on then go out there with an inferior team in the hope that you will sneak a draw. And if players on the bench or not fit enough to play, put players who are there - even if they are only your most promising kids.

In the first 30 minutes of this match we managed 30 pass attempts with a success rate of 57%. That is appalling at any level. 1 pass a minute! We ended the game with a possession percentage in the low twenties over the ninety minutes.

We were not playing Barcelona - we were playing a rudderless Newcastle side with brittle character and injuries similar to our own.

When you play centre backs at fullback you seriosuly limit your ability to keep the ball. When you go one further and play a right footed centre back at left back you surrender any attempt to play down that wing.

I cannot believe that internationals with as many caps as Poc and Gamboa are so bad - does anyone think Gamboa would do a poorer job than Gardner on the right wing if he cannot be trusted at right back? McClean could move to left back with Poc in front of him on the wing if Poc cannot be trusted at left back - at least we would have balance.

Instead we had 4 centre backs, 4 holding midfielders, a 1 dimensional championship winger and a career-inconsistent forward utterly isolated and with no service.

I do not blame the players. They either have to follow the rules or are made examples of and doomed to the bench - like McManaman, Sess etc.

It could have been 4 or 5 today against a team really struggling.

Pulis apologists - I get how much you love the club and how you value our survival in this league over anything, but nobody can seriously believe this is as good as it gets?

Moyes was on Radio 5 this morning saying how much he wants a job in the Pemier League at a decent club where he can be given time to build something again. Rowett, Pearson or Monk would be better than Pulis. Even Rogers might be although I worry our players are now so Pulis institutionalised that they would crumble if asked to play the Rogers way for our final 10 games or so.

It's not about wanting a Mel, Irvine or a Mowbray - it's about going for a proven or experienced coach who is better than the one you have when there is an opportunity to do so.

I could go on but what is the point? Say we do survive - do you trust Pulis in the summer? Do you want more of this next year?

• Foster - 7 Remarkable form given how much he has played in a year. Kept us in it.
• Chester - 6 I was worried but he did OK defensively. Kept at it and was never a liability, was just like a fish out of water on the ball.
• McAuley - 7 So many great blocks or clearances given this was attack v defence. Heroic.
• Olsson - 7 Same as McAuley. This pair might just keep us in the league again. Didn't deserve to lose.
• Dawson - 6 Not gonna blame the guy for switching off on pushing out for the goal or his struggling on the ball. Did a job for us he should never have been asked to do.
• Gardner - 2 Terrible. Gave the ball away whenever he got it. No pace, no quality, never a wide player in a million years as we have already seen in so many games. Great kid but rightly hooked at HT.
• Yacob - 7 Did his job great. Got his foot in so many times. When he is our best midfielder we are in big trouble.
• Sandro - 3 Cannot play in the same team as Yacob. Too similar - equally as immobile, physcially stronger but doesn't read it as well.
• Fletcher - 4 He has the brain to play higher up the pitch but no longer has the legs or quality. Hardly touched it while he deputised the Morrison role. When he dropped deeper he seemed obsessed to either hoof it as soon as possible aimlessly or holding on for so long and doing his now familiar twist that any hope of a break was gone. He cannot be playing this way without being told to.
• McClean - 4 A couple of decent crosses again but is getting worse over the season not better. Again service to him was starved due to having a player on the wrong foot behind him.
• Big Vic - 3 Service was terrible and support was non-existant. Not sure what he was supposed to do with the aimless hoofs that generally were not within 20 yards of him, but at the same time struggled when he got the odd taste of the ball.

• Pritchard - 6 We didn't do anythign enough to get him in the game but when we did he looked positive, never gave the ball away and looked capable of beating a man and trying to play quick incisive passes. Looks a much better Morrison replacement.
• Saido - 5 Couldn't get into it, but personnell changes are quite meaningless if you continue the same useless hoofing tactics. How often did he actually get a simple ball to feet?
• Rondon - 5 I'm sure will be lamented for the poor pass to Saido at the end but was our only forward in 95 minutes to make an intelligent run between defender and fullback to create that situation in the first place. If anything he should've had a go on goal himself.

Did anyone else think the ref's decisions against us were terrible today - lots of 50/50s or 70/30s in our favour that went against us? Might this also be a Pulis factor - referees so wise to the way he looks to play that they are subconciously prejudiced against his teams where there are comings together?

michael mills:

As expected, it really does get worse.

"Yesterday's", stubborn old coach, playing his inflexible, rancid, relegation, pub football.

Premiership? You really are having a laugh.

Pulis do you have a hidden agenda? Or do you just really dislike West Bromwich Albion, and us loyal fans?

More likely, you are past it, passed by, and can't move on gracefully. By your tactics, formations, and team selections, we are now in serious trouble. Why so scared to be more positive? but still have a leaky defence? Those 4 centre halfs, always out of natural positions, works well, doesn't it??

Brendan Batson and Derek Statham could STILL achieve more now, than our present supposed full backs.

If by some strange miracle, we cling onto premiership football, and you remain in charge next season, why any reason for optimism?

You will not change I'm afraid. I will. For the first time in 47 years, you will drive me away from attending the Hawthorns, and watching my beloved club. If you do go, please take your boy Gardner with you.

Even more fed up than usual.