Im entirely with Kimbos team - ultimately, that eleven is the one I would play too. I suppose my only questions would be as to whether to go for Faye or Cacapa alongside Rozehnal - or alternately, whether to play both and replace Butt with Rozehnal as our holding player. Faye looks potentially more solid than Cacapa, but I would say he was the weaker of the two yesterday, whilst Cacapa is more of a natural leader on the pitch and less likely to lose his confidence during a game. Then considering Geremis poor form; that Faye doesnt seem more technically able than Butt and looks more of a typical centre back; that Barton alongside the other midfielders is perhaps too attacking even for me, and certainly too attacking for Allardyce; we are left with either Butt, who has at least had a few solid games this season and who, with Emre against Tottenham, comprised the only actual central partnership we have seen so far under Allardyce, or we try Rozehnal as the defensive midfielder. This has a lot of potential considering Rozehnals ability on the ball, and he has the pace which Butt lacks, but obviously it would depend on him forming a partnership with, ideally, Emre. However, Kimbo pointed out this week that Rozehnal has played in the position for PSG and was rated highly when playing there, so its viable.
I guess it boils down to whether Rozehnal is more important for us in defence, or whether he could improve us more in the midfield. We have been hoofing too much from the back, and Rozehnal helps us in this instance and can really play from the back which is something, besides from Woodgates brief spell with us, that we havent had since Albert. On the other hand its possible the presence of a footballing defensive midfielder would allow the other defenders to play off him more, and so Rozehnal could become a sort of deep lying playmaker, taking passes from the defence and spreading the play and building moves from there.
Most of the team is obvious, but like Kimbo says, Allardyce clearly has his favourites and so its difficult to see us playing our best team under him. With one winger we are half the team we could be, because with N'Zogbia on the left but Geremi or Smith on the right our whole right side becomes negligible, as neither can play out wide, neither holds their position, both lack pace, and it also leads to us switching wide players which, as Ive said numerous times, confuses us rather than the opposition and takes from the actual wingers game - for instance, N'Zogbia is pushed to the right and Geremi wanders to the left in a vain attempt to add width to the right and change our play, but it only tends to kill any momentum the actual winger is gaining on their proper wing. Just as the full backs are obvious selections because we only have one proper right and left full back, so its obvious who we should pick on the wings, because we only have Milner and N'Zogbia who can play there properly. This is besides from the fact that Milner and N'Zogbia are both more talented than Geremi, Smith, whomever, and that neither can be criticised for failing to track back.
As for the rest of the midfield, Emre has more ability than Barton, hes more creative, and he should play. He also gets on with Martins, and Martins should be essential to our team, and could thrive from Emres through balls. Which leads to the forwards and, as Ive said, Martins is the one who has to play whatever, because he more than anyone else in our team is a player who creates, and tries to create constantly, and from nothing. This is an incidental point here, but still an important one - a player like Martins is in fact one who genuinely tries on the pitch, who tries in a sense alien to the likes of Smith and Butt, because he doesnt simply do what he has to do but he constantly tries to actually make things happen, to test himself, to add to the team and to make us win games. As it is, Martins harries the opposition too, and so as well as our most creative player he is also the most hard working of our forwards.
Then he should play with Viduka, who is tremendously talented himself and who gives more options than Owen. As Ive said before, Owen, whatever his strengths, does not work in our team. We have the players to play a passing and attacking game, but as it is we dont play that way and even if we were to start, it would take time for the team to gel. And until we do play in such a way, Owen shouldnt be considered as a starter, because in a team that plays long balls at times, that doesnt hold onto the ball and play it on the floor, Owen isnt involved in the game. He stands high up the pitch and never sees any of the ball. Owens build up play is good and he has a fantastic sense for goal, and if our overall play improved and we learnt to pressure opponents with the ball, then Owen and Martins could work as a partnership - and Owen could then be considered as a member of the first eleven, though even then Viduka would challenge him because Viduka is stronger, better in the air, whilst still having excellent technique and an excellent finish. Theres also the undeniable fact that Owen isnt entirely interested in playing well for us, and would probably leave if he had the chance, and so this doesnt endear me to him, even though I could see him working well under certain conditions - and so this adds to the feeling that Martins and Viduka may be the best option however we play.
Again, like Kimbo says, the problem is that I cant see Allardyce dropping Owen from the team, and so Martins will probably end up on the bench when people are fit, whilst Geremi and Smith will be shoved somewhere into the midfield, and we will lose our shape and will continue to be hit and miss. Allardyce not only has his favourites, which is itself emblematic of a limited or at least limiting outlook on things, but his style is undeniably negative, and these are his two big failings, the latter of which is one that was evident at Bolton but which I hoped would fade with us, with better players at his disposal and perhaps even under the influence of the fans, who like attacking football. I imagine that he considers our defeat yesterday not so much as a product of poor management but as evidence of defensive frailties. And so he will focus on making us more solid at the back, when the problem was poor team selection, a lack of width and balance, which was all presumably intended to make us more solid to start with, and in fact meant that we offered nothing going forwards and couldnt hold onto the ball. Newcastle have suffered under a series of managers who have completely failed to understand that the best method of defence is actually attack - that no matter how able or organised a defence is, if you resort to long balls, offer no attacking threat, fail to pass the ball and hold onto it, and so invite pressure, you will let goals in. Whilst a midfield including all of Emre, N'Zogbia and Milner might look less solid than a one comprising Smith, Geremi, Barton, the fact that the former three are able to add width and pass the ball means that they will in fact make us harder to beat and harder to score against.
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