My Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Tottenham (H)

Player Ratings

Steve Harper (7.5) - Made some important saves today. Probably deserved a clean sheet with his performance.

Danny Simpson (6.5) - Allowed Lennon to cut in onto his right foot which was poor on his side and it ultimately led to their goal. Did not have a bad game though overall.

Mike Williamson (7) - He was very solid in the air, even beating Peter Crouch at times. Formed a good partnership with Coloccini but should have done better for their goal.

Fabricio Coloccini (8.5) - Another classy performance by the Argentine centre half on his 29th Birthday. Took his goal very well as he took it down on his chest before hammering it home. Did not give Defoe too many chances too.
Jose Enrique (6.5) - A rather uncharacteristically quiet game from Enrique. Only made a few runs going forward although he was relatively solid in defence. Got beat by Lennon once in the first half which almost led to a goal. He still had some of his usual good moments though.

Joey Barton (8) - Another good display from Joey. Played some very good through balls and worked hard for the team. Could see he was running on empty towards the end but it was a sign of all his commitment during the match.

Kevin Nolan (7) - Put in a good shift considering he had a throat infection. Made one superb interception when Spurs looked like scoring and led from the front with his off the ball pressing.

Danny Guthrie (7.5) - I thought he had a very good game. Did some defensive work while majority of his passes were spot on including a superb assist. 24 of his 30 passes were successful and considering the amount of long passes he played that was very impressive. Its a pity he had to go off injured towards the end.

Jonas Gutierrez (8.5) - I think this was one of his best games in a toon shirt. He gave Spurs all sorts of problems and not only that he put in some excellent crosses which deserved to lead to a goal. Did some good defensive work too to top off his impressive display.

Leon Best (6.5) - Worked hard for the team and was unlucky too hit the crossbar but the introduction of Ranger showed that Best needs to do better to keep hold of his place.

Shola Ameobi (7) - Guilty of again missing some great chances. Should have been on the score sheet today. Did win quite a bit in the air though and held the ball up nicely which helped us in the second half in particular.

Substitutes

Peter Lovenkrands (6.5) - Looked lively when coming on but should have done better when through on goal.

Nile Ranger (7) - Made quite an impact despite only being on for a few minutes. Deserves more minutes if today was anything to go by.

James Perch (6.5) - Put in some tackles whilst filling in for Guthrie in midfield.

Man of the Match - Fabricio Coloccini

My Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Sunderland (A)

Player Ratings

Steve Harper (6.5) - Made some very good saves but can possibly be at fault for their goal too.

Danny Simpson (6.5) - Defended well and was part of a solid back four. Was unable to attack too much though and was guilty of giving the ball away a few times too many.

Mike Williamson (7.5) - Looked very shaky early on but got better as the game progressed and won quite a bit in the air. Should be happy with his performance.

Fabricio Coloccini (9) - The man was incredible today. Defended superbly with some fine cover tackles as well as being good in the air and being a calming influence at the back. Read the game well and showed what a classy centre back he is.

Jose Enrique (8) - Another typical Enrique performance. Solid at the back and excellent going forward. Made some brilliant runs and put in some good balls into the box.

Joey Barton (7.5) - Continued his good form today. Played some intelligent balls over the top for the strikers to run onto and provided the corner from which we scored from.

Alan Smith (6) - Went off with an injury but didn't do as bad as I thought he would do.

Kevin Nolan (7.5) - Scored yet another goal against our rivals and took it well with an intelligent flick. Also did some defensive work and yet again showed his worth to the team.

Jonas Gutierrez (7.5) - It was a good display from Jonas in that he continuously ran at the Sunderland defence and never made it easy for their right back. Worked hard for the team and it was another energetic performance from him.

Leon Best (7) - Proved to be a decent outlet up front and showed some neat touches. I liked his back heel and the way he kept working hard up front. Certainly did not let the team down.

Shola Ameobi (7) - Missed two really good opportunities but did win a lot in the air and allowed the other players to run onto those flick ons. Played his part in the goal and had a pretty good game overall.

Substitutes
Danny Guthrie (6.5) - Got better after a poor first half of about 15 minutes. Seemed to gain more confidence as the game went on which was good to see.

Dan Gosling (6.5) - Looked impressive in the few minutes he was on for.

Peter Lovenkrands (N/A) - Barely got involved in the few minutes he was on.

Man of the Match - Fabricio Coloccini

My Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Stevenage

Player Ratings

Tim Krul (5.5) - Not at fault for any of their goals and made some good saves but his kicking was very poor and did not fill me with confidence. Needs to work on that for it is the one weakness preventing him from being our number one I feel.

Danny Simpson (6) Should never have allowed the first goal to happen. Allowed his opponent to turn and have a clear shot and goal which was disappointing. Apart from one good cross he was not at his best in this game.

Mike Williamson (5.5) - Had a chance to impress but did not take it. Was unlucky to deflect their first goal goal wards but looked very shaky at times.

Fabricio Coloccini (6.5)- Our best defender on the day but even he did not impress too much. Has played 5 games in 13 days so could perhaps be forgiven for a rather tired looking performance.

James Perch (5)- Offered very little going forward, gave the ball away too much and wasn't good enough for me. He was played out of position but I still think he was a waste of transfer funds by the club.

Wayne Routledge (6) - At times he looked good on the ball, while he seemed to also be our only player capable of creating something. The problem is though that he never created anything despite all his efforts.

Alan Smith (3) - A player earning such great wages but does absolutely nothing. It was as though we played with ten men as he did nothing to protect the defence. Can see why Tiote was brought on.

Kevin Nolan (6) -Fought hard to get us to create something but failed to inspire the team when they looked so poor.

Joey Barton (7) - Scored with a stunning strike but other than that he was not as influential as he has been this season. Played out on the left which was a big mistake, despite young Shane Ferguson being on the bench.

Peter Lovenkrands (6) -Was very much anonymous although he got very little service.

Leon Best (6) -Did virtually nothing although again, he too got little service for the half that he was on for.

Substitutes
Nile Ranger (6) - Failed to make any real impact on the game after coming on at half time.

Cheik Tiote (4) - Tried to make an instant impact and to stamp his authority on the game but he was sent off for a some what wild tackle. Did seem to win the ball but his sending off was the last thing we needed.

Phil Airey (6) - Had a shot at goal which is the only thing I remember him doing. Not the greatest of debut's for him.

Newcastle United Man of the Match - Joey Barton

My Newcastle United Player Ratings vs West Ham (H)

Player Ratings

Steve Harper (7.5) - Made a few good saves on a night in which he did not have a lot to do.

Danny Simpson (7.5) - Very solid at right back. Really has been excellent since he's come back into the team.

Steven Taylor (7) - Picked up an injury which only allowed him to play until half time but hardly looked troubled when on the field.

Fabricio Coloccini (8) - Put in some fine tackles, even when the score was already 5-0 and just looked so assured at the back.

Jose Enrique (8.5) - Barely gave West Ham the chance to attack down his flank and was very good going forward. Linked up well with both Jonas and Ferguson as well. I wouldn't swap him for any other left back in the league.

Joey Barton (8.5) - Fast becoming one of my favourite toon players, he was once again very impressive. Controlled things for us in midfield and it came as no surprise to see him involved in the build up for three of our goals. He is bang on form at the moment and long may it continue.

Cheik Tiote (8.5) - Magnificent in midfield, the Ivory Coast international did well to protect the back four as well as getting us onto the front foot regularly with his passing and drive from the centre of the park. Went off with an injury but hopefully he'll be fine for the mackems game.

Kevin Nolan (7.5) - Took his goal very nicely indeed and really does lead from the front.

Jonas Guierrez (7) - Played his part in the build up to our third goal and certainly worked hard for the team when he was on. Considering he played with an injury for much of his 60 minutes some credit should go to him.

Peter Lovenkrands (8) - Made some excellent runs, as seen by his movement for the first two goals. Took his goal nicely to get on the score sheet and kept the West Ham defence busy all evening.

Leon Best (9) - What a performance! Many thought he did not warrant a starting berth but he proved all those doubters wrong. Took all his goals well and was excellent in the air, winning numerous flick ons and linked up nicely with Lovenkrands up front.

Substitutes
Mike Williamson (7) -Would have relished being given another opportunity after half time and defended fairly well during his time on the field.

Nile Ranger (5) - Missed a real sitter and still seems to be very raw at the moment. Needs to be sent out on loan.

Shane Ferguson (7.5) - It was a nice cameo from the youngster who seems to be a real good prospect.

Man of the Match - Leon Best

My Newcastle United Player Ratings vs Wigan (A)

Player Ratings

Steve Harper (7) - Did not have a lot to do but did well when called upon.

Danny Simpson (7) - Provided a superb cross from which Shola should have scored. Despite an early booking he defended well and linked up nicely with Barton.

Steven Taylor (7) - Was unlucky not to score with a header which hit the crossbar but will be happy with the clean sheet for our defence defended well with him winning many balls in the air.

Fabricio Coloccini (8) - Really steady and calm at the back. Can hardly remember him making a mistake today and he too was unlucky not to score after his header hit the post in the first half.

Jose Enrique (7) - Made one or two mistakes early on, losing the ball or miss controlling it but recovered well thereafter even though he's had better games before.

Joey Barton (8) - It was his hard work which lead to the goal. He pressurised the defender and eventually got a good shot in which the keeper could only see end up in the back of the net moments later. Controlled things for us and most of our best moves had him involved somewhere in the build up. Provided some good set pieces too.

Cheik Tiote (8) - Superb in the centre of the park. Won many tackles, lost the ball very few times and helped us win the midfield battle which lead to us winning the game. On top of all that, he never got booked today which doesn't happen very often!

Kevin Nolan (7) - Not as influential as the previous two but still played his part in today's win. Proved to be a good link man between the midfielders and strikers.

Jonas Gutierrez (7.5) - He lost the ball twice in the first three minutes and I thought to myself how does he start every game but he picked up his game and did well especially when he ran at the Wigan defence. Had a pretty decent game and showed he does add value to this team when he plays well.

Peter Lovenkrands (7) - Should probably have scored at least one goal today but despite that he ran into space well and played his part in the goal. Put in a good shift overall.

Shola Ameobi (7.5) - We saw the good and the not so good from him today. Scored the only goal of the game but missed the easiest chance of the game as well. Won plenty in the air though and did well in the absence of Andy Carroll.

Substitutes
Wayne Routledge (7.5) - Despite the lack of a good final ball he did very well when coming on. Beat his man at least three times and showed that he can be a danger when coming on through his skill and pace.

Leon Best (6) - Looked pretty average when he came on although he did go on one good run despite failing to hit the target with his shot.

Alan Smith (N/A) - Came on with a few minutes to play.

Man of the Match - Joey Barton