Whats that old chestnut again? Oh yeah, that the more things change, the more the stay the same.
If thats true, Newcastle seem to be doomed to a miserable existence at the lower reaches of the table, in a constant battle for the wooden spoon.
All the familiar failings have reared their ugly mugs yet again. A lack of guile and inventiveness going forward, mediocre and, at times, slapstick defending, as well as Jason Hoffman as striker.
The man responsible? One Ernie Merrick
Hold on a second, you say. Isn’t he the man that turned the club around? Led them to second in the table and a heartwarming grand final at Newcastle itself? How could he be the problem? Impossible!
Well, good coaches can make poor decisions. They’re only human.
Lets review some of the baffling decisions that have contributed to Newcastle’s slump this season.
Hoffman as striker
Hoffman’s a fine player who bleeds Newcastle blue, but lacks the technical requisites to succeed in his new role. He would be better used as an impact sub when chasing games, where his aerial ability is more of a threat.
Possible Solution: Playing Kosta Petratos/Shifting to a false 9 system of play.
Lachlan Jackson as LB
Lachie’s a centre back. Lachie’s a centre back. Lachie’s a centre back. I dont know how else to describe this.
Lacks the crossing ability and technical skill required to an offensive fullback and guarantees a lack of attacking nuance down the left flank.
Possible Solution: Ivan Vujica/Nick Cowburn/ Daniel Gieorgievski (flanks switch)
The insipid 4-3-3
The 4-3-3 shape they currently line up in calls for players that they don’t have. It is a classic case of square pegs, round holes in its current form.
A possible solution would be a return to the 4-1-2-1-2 that saw them thrash CCM 8-2 last season. Has the additional bonus of maximising S.Ugarkovic’s effect as a shield on the defence. God knows they need all the help they can get now.
So thats it for my analysis. What do you think are the problems that plague the Jets this season – and how can we solve them?
Kangas
Roar Rookie
One down 23 to go Go jets
Chen Yang
Roar Pro
Hey alex, dont think the fullbacks of the league are that bad though. Zullo is a brilliant crosser of the ball for example. Davidskn is good as well. Its just that there is a tendency for coaches to play centre backs in fullback positions, dont understand it. E.g. elrich in yesterdays match
alexgibb
Roar Rookie
Good analysis CY. Obviously, the Jets have been off the pace this year, but I'm not sure it's all doom and gloom. I have seen in some of their games some good build-up play-the Wanderers game particularly. You are right to point out the issues you have. Lachlan Jackson's lack of crossing ability is endemic across the whole league though. I think a simple fix for the Jets may be to get their creative players like Vargas and Jair a little more central. They so often seem to be receiving the ball against the sideline, or with their back to goal. Also, I think Dimi Petratos has been a little poor this year. If he can provide a better creative outlet they may see themselves picking up a few wins.
Chen Yang
Roar Pro
His technique was awesome:(
Fadida
Guest
Rodriguez was poor. He was rightly released.
Chen Yang
Roar Pro
Another thing is the loss of patty rodriguez, brilliant technical player that the jets should have kept. While there are rumours that he was too casual in training, i think the pros outweigh the cons overall. A la melb city with their joyce/fornaroli battle rn
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Jets are About to go on a 24 game unbeaten run .
Chen Yang
Roar Pro
Thanks for the positive feedback:D
Griffo
Roar Guru
Great summary, thanks for submitting. Can’t disagree with any of it. Much has been made of O’Donovan coming back and flooding the score line with goals. Can’t see that at the moment but then if the quality of balls from collective attack improves...but that requires changing and that is looking unlikely. We are unlikely to bring in a player or two in January - the owner has offloaded other football assets and the Jets are the proverbial eggs in the basket - so unless things are mixed up, we could be back to regular seasonal programming at 7/8th spot.
Fadida
Guest
First team to ever make the final when finishing 8th?
Fadida
Guest
Short and sweet, and I think spot on
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Well done for writing a jets article They have too many good players out right now . But they will be there on grand final day imo , probably against Adelaide