10 Things We Learned From Newcastle vs Northampton

By Matt Smith /

10. Surprisingly, Yoan Gouffran Can't Play Holding Midfield

Yoan Gouffran can no longer play attacking midfield, right, left or centre and certainly can't play as a central striker. Therefore, it seems Steve McClaren has other plans for the 29-year-old and yesterday fielded the Frenchman alongside Cheick Tiote as one part of the midfield pivot. It was horrible, the midfielder looked like a lost airedale terrier for the first thirty minutes and his incompetence on the ball led to a flurry of Northampton attacks in the first half. Gouffran doesn't have the technical attributes to retain possession, play clever through balls or track opposition runs. It is a shame that Steve McClaren doesn€™t trust Gael Bigirimana or Olivier Kemen enough to play them against weakened opposition because Gouffran isn't a long-term central replacement.