4. Rampaging Tiote
2 fouls and one rasping shot in the first 3 minutes pretty much sums up Cheick Tiotes evening. Despite being elusive and even silky when he possesses the ball (although he attempts one too many dribble-in-front-of-the-back-four for fans liking), he remains something akin to a bull in a china shop without it; rampaging around the field, seemingly on the lookout for his next foul to concede. Newcastle fans do have a soft spot for the steely Ivorian but his gung-ho tactic is responsible for his poor disciplinary record and perhaps also his problem shaking off niggling injuries. Although often responsible for being Newcastles enforcer, he needs to learn to reign himself in if hes to be as reliable as Alan Pardew would like. Another yellow card leads to a 1 match ban (possibly why Pardew took him off at half time, along with a suspected niggle) whilst another red would mean that Tiote would sit out 5 games. Something that cant happen if Newcastle want to start climbing places in the League. Tiote will forever be adored on the terraces thanks to his magnificent, memorable equalizer against Arsenal but thats looking more and more like a flash-in-the-pan. Last season Tiote had the embarrassing stat of most shots without a goal but that doesnt seem to have dissuaded him from attempting a pile-driver whenever the crowd cry shoot!. He got close last night but didnt manage any on target.