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<\/p>\nIt was another mad day at St James’ Park but there were some plus points<\/p>\n
Malick Thiaw of Newcastle United and teammate Nick Woltemade celebrate with Aaron Ramsdale after winning the penalty shootout (Image: )<\/p>\n
Are Newcastle United drama queens or what? Do they love to win the hard way? To shred Geordie nerves before sending them home on a cloud of euphoria? Can this old heart of mine take any more?<\/p>\n
I mean against Leeds<\/a> we were behind three times before striking a 102nd-minute winner. So late the pubs had closed!<\/p>\n Then a few days later United go again before the faithful and require a 92nd-minute equaliser to remain in the FA Cup and trudge exhaustingly into extra time. What happens then? Harvey Barnes appears to be the match winner once more completing a two goal haul only for Bournemouth to equalise a couple of minutes later with the very last kick.<\/p>\n On and on it went into penalties – and deep into penalties before United edged it 7-6.<\/a> Deary, deary me. Let me lie down in a darkened room and take a couple of aspirins.<\/p>\n Cover keeper Aaron Ramsdale, who had been beaten three times in open play and looked distinctly suspect at times, became the end-of-the-day hero with a trio of penalty saves including the crucial 18th of the shoot-out to end the drama.<\/p>\n This really was whacky races stuff even if joy came again as the clock struck twelve.<\/p>\n On the plus side, apart from getting through of course, we had confirmation that Harvey Barnes is at last proving to be the real deal. These were his 10th and 11th goals of a fulfilling season when he has put Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy and new boy Anthony Elanga in a deep shade.<\/p>\n I was also well chuffed for Nick Woltemade. Playing him as a sole through-the-middle centre-forward has been almost like cruelty to animals and I’ve pushed for the lad’s sake to pick him as a No 10 because that’s what he is.<\/p>\n Suddenly out of the blue Eddie Howe, who said he wouldn’t do it in the foreseeable future, selected both him and Yoane Wissa in the same starting 11 and what we got from Woltemade for over an hour was a cameo of what the promised land might look like before the inevitable tactical substitutions saw him revert to playing up front like a No 9.<\/p>\n He was involved in play so much more when he could drop deep naturally with someone ahead of him. He looked energised and enthusiastic, his good touch came much more into play, and United were not compressed by the lack of someone running in behind. The way Woltemade set up Barnes for the game’s opening goal with a pass from the outside of his boot was a joy but his creativity had been on display as early as the sixth minute when he slid in Wissa only for the keeper to save brilliantly when in truth he ought not to have been given a chance to get a glove on it.<\/p>\n The trouble is can Nick overcome the rigid thinking of his manager who reluctantly went with the two in tandem and has stated his resistance to repeating the experiment. A lot of critics have said it didn’t work as though that’s some sort of justification for not pairing them before now but in my opinion it was not an outstanding success because Wissa lacked the sharpest of cutting edges after his long lay off rather than down to his big German partner. Still, I await with eagerness to see Nick play once again where he belongs.<\/p>\n On the minus side Howe has a major problem with his defence. Playing at home which was once a fortress they have of recent times let in two goals against Spurs, two against Chelsea, three against Leeds, and three against Bournemouth. That is as water tight as a colander.<\/p>\n