15 Things We Learned From Newcastle Vs. Portland Timbers 2

13. Absolutely Nothing Will Stop McClaren Playing 4-2-3-1

Owen Humphreys/PA WireGael Bigirimana at right back. Shane Ferguson at centre back. Rolando Aarons at left back. Yoan Gouffran in central midfield. If there was ever a case of square pegs in round holes then this was it... We're slightly concerned that the new head coach has stuck all of his eggs into a double six shaped basked all summer long. Where is the evidence of United's plan B for when they inevitability find themselves 3-0 down away at Stoke inside 30 minutes next term? Even the mighty Arsenal have shown that playing one way all the time doesn't get you too far, so what will drilling one style of play into our group of players, the majority of whom still had a chance of being relegated on the final day of the Premier League season remember, achieve? Surely a manager with a largely inferior group of players compared to a lot of the Premier League clubs should be more cunning, and working on numerous ways for his players to break down the opposition. Although saying that, it is pretty comforting to see that Newcastle United will have some sort of identity next season, something that they've severely lacked for the last three years at least..
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Video & written Content Producer for WhatCulture Wrestling. NCTJ trained journalist. BA Hons, Sports Journalism.