10 Things We Learned From Newcastle vs Northampton

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.