Lesson For Allardyce At St James' Park!

Last updated : 25 October 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

Let's face it, Tottenham were there "for the taking" on Monday, and the only time we lost our grip was after the second goal, when Sam Allardyce decided to switch from attack to defence.

He was "losing his rag" on the touchline shouting at his midfielders to get back and "shut up shop" when we were obviously on top.

The tactics backfired when he had six in the back-line, three in midfield and Oba Martins alone on the halfway line ... and Spurs scored and were back in the game.

But Shay Given says the entertainment is back at the stadium, and that is good to see.

Shay Given: "A few things have been said about Sam Allardyce's teams not playing attractive attacking football. But we've scored three goals in each of our last three (home) games, that's as good as anything the so-called 'Entertainers' could have done.


"We're scoring a lot of goals, especially at home and that's very important for the fans. We were poor at home last season and we certainly didn't score enough goals so it's nice to be able to send the fans home happy after a win like we had against Tottenham. I think they are enjoying how things are going and so are we.

"It was a good home win and it has put us among the pack which have created a little gap at the top of the table. We're only one point behind Chelsea who are seventh and things are going well, particularly at home.

"It's a shame we haven't kept a clean sheet again (against Spurs), but that is something we're working on.

"The defence is going okay, but we know we need to improve and there are a lot of things we can still work on. But considering the number of players from different nationalities at the back, it's going to take a little bit of
time.

"As a goalkeeper it can be difficult trying to get your message across, but we are trying to improve our communication at the back and when the language barrier is broken down a little bit we'll get better.

"The new boys need to settle and they need to get used to playing with each other. That's very important when it comes to building a defensive unit.

"I've been pleased with how quickly the new players are settling because it isn't easy to come to a new country and a city like Newcastle where people are so passionate about football. It's a new style of football for a lot of the new players, especially in defence, but they're doing alright."