When Newcastle sold Yohan Cabaye to Paris Saint-Germain it came as a bit of a surprise. The word was no one wanted him to go and no players would be sold. He had seven goals in 20 appearances for Newcastle before moving to Paris. Cabaye was one of the more consistent players for the team and really drove the attack through the middle. He worked from box to box, but now that player is missing from the Newcastle attack.
Most fans would be surprised to see Moussa Sissoko on the first page of the stat board for the most chances created in the Premier League. At one point he trailed only Eden Hazard in that category. Unfortunately, he may not be the answer to the previous question as he likes to create more than track. With the lack of goal scoring, he needs to find a new strategy to be creative and help his team find a goal.
After joining the club in 2012, Papiss Cisse scored 13 goals in his first 14 matches but has recently been challenged by manager Alan Pardew. There is talk of Cisse not staying with the club, which would cause quite a conundrum with two other current strikers on loan with the club. He has been dealing with a back injury but only scored three times in 18 appearances.
The team was supposed to have a day off today, but after the loss Pardew said they will be back on the field. He was quoted as saying his team "better get the message," after the 4-0 defeat. He was obviously not happy but a lot of the same refrain was said after the previous loss. Pardew sits in a bad spot as he has not been given much freedom from the owner but seems to have lost his players as well. The manager has also had to juggle plenty of injuries. Pardew's latest tactics have been to go back to basics and move to the 4-4-2 formation. Whatever he is trying is not working and his words are not being heard.
The transfer chief of Newcastle, Joe Kinnear, resigned at the beginning of the month. The move was welcomed by most fans as the Chronicle Live poll had a 98 percent approval rate. However, it seems more fans have amassed angst toward owner Mike Ashley. He seems to have controlled any and all moves lately, but those are all outgoing. Ashley seems to say all the players that leave, like Cabaye and Andy Carroll, demand a transfer. This is the owner that is rumored to have not looked through the financials before agreeing to buy the club. This type of news has piled up and there is a heavy amount of disgust from fans and even players. That disgust is being directed toward Ashley. The fans at St. James' Park have even used his name in negative chants. Observing from afar shows a large amount of disconnect between the owner and the product.
