da brwin： It is always a daunting task to attempt to fill the void of an injured player, particularly a player that has performed solidly and made that position their own. The task is ever more complex when you have to cross a threshold of the utmost expectations, one which you have never previously encountered. This juxtaposition is between playing in the Championship and the Premiership. A few players may hold their egos in check and confidently claim to have made this transition successfully, yet others fail to assume the necessary level required and there have been more of the latter than the former. One such unfortunate player is James Perch, who has been thrust into the role of right back due to the long term absence of Danny Simpson who is still recovering from a foot operation. Simpson is on the road to recovery, having played in a behind closed doors friendly against Aston Villa, managing to play 75 minutes. But in the time that has elapsed, Perch has had to apply himself as best he can to meet the demanding intensity of the Premiership and, some would argue more importantly, the commitment that Newcastle fans deem as a prerequisite. I do not doubt Perch’s commitment, conversely I’ve been impressed by his determination and physical prowess. What is lacking is the experience of the Premiership, which can only be ascertained though time, so I shall forgo this criticism, rather I will take up the criticism that he hasn’t adequately made the transition from Championship to Premiership.
da pinnacle： At a time when there are few well balanced right backs, even England’s finest Glen Johnson lacks the ability to defend choosing to compensate this flaw with attacking proficiency, you may be forgiven for forgetting that the primary objective for a defender is to, (I apologise for the blatancy of this) yes you guessed correctly, defend! It is all well and good to venture forth into the oppositions territory in search of glory, but why then build castle walls? The simple answer is to guard what is held as so precious a thing. This precious commodity of which I articulate is the ability to keep conceding goals to a minimum, any team seeking success has built strong foundations upon this concept. Another proverb usually true of football teams or collectives in general is that the sum is only as strong as its parts and when one part is struggling, it is to the detriment of the whole. Perch finds himself struggling and as mentioned, this allows teams to exploit a major weakness in Newcastle’s defensive wall to the downfall of keeping a clean sheet. This was confirmed when playing Wigan, when the former Magpie Charles N’Zogbia lined up as Perch’s opposite, consequently the two Wigan goals came from N’Zogbia with Perch having to take the majority of culpability and left, as were the fans, looking on in dismay.
Some liability may be removed from Perch in that the right winger in front of him, whether it’s Routledge, Gutierrez or Guthrie none of them offer much defensive exertion, the former two the most likely perpetrators. Regardless of this absence of support, it still remains that Perch isn’t, at this point in time, playing well enough to stop Danny Simpson reclaiming his position once fully recovered and fit. Chris Hughton had the prescience of mind to cover for the absence of Simpson; this is why I believe we purchased the young man from Nottingham Forest. In clarifying my position, the adage ‘squad player’ comes to mind when I give thought to Perch.