One complaint from Man United fans - and not just this summer - was the lack of bite and thrust in the centre of midfield. Marouane Fellaini was bought by Moyes to add that, but so far he has not stepped up to the plate. The Belgian was entirely missing from the matchday squad to face Newcastle, leaving a midfield partnership of Tom Cleverley and Phil Jones. Whether he was aware of Fellaini's absence or not, Pardew decided to crowd Man United out in midfield, dropping Shola Ameobi to the bench in favour of Dutchman Vurnon Anita. This allowed Anita and anchorman Check Tiote to snap at the heals of the Cleverley/Jones duo, and the home side never got the chance to settle, as the door was slammed shut time and time again. Impressively, Tiote carried out his job with more control than he is usually renowned for, avoiding picking up any yellow cards. Anita wasn't so lucky, but even his booking was something of a professional foul, as his shirt-pulling on Anderson allowed a dangerous-looking attack to come to a halt still 40 yards from goal. This left the home side reliant on quality from the flanks, and aside from Adnan Januzaj's occasional bright moment, there was no real joy, with Nani getting nowhere down United's left.
I am from Bangor, aged 24, and possess an MA in Journalism from The University Of Ulster. I have had work published in the Belfast Telegraph and interviewed several local footballers and Olympic athletes. I also run my own sports blog, 'Sporting Thought' in addition to contributing to What Culture.
