Newcastle legend has new local hero

In fairness, the squad is thin and unbalanced with regard to positions. It was revealed that Shearer had prepared the team in training to play with a front three of Ameobi, Martins and Owen, with four in midfield and three at the back. However, when Martins withdrew, the manager had to reshuffle and Danny Guthrie went into the midfield with Owen, who would have worked as a link between midfield and attack, pushed up alongside Ameobi.

Clearly, with José Enrique picking up an injury, left back is a problem position. Having little faith in Fabricio Coloccini after his nonchalant display against Chelsea, Shearer wanted the classy Sebastien Bassong tucked inside the back three in support of David Edgar rather than at left back and so went with Damien Duff in a wing back role.

A wing back is fundamentally a wide defensive midfielder. The problem with playing wing backs behind the narrow midfield three as Newcastle did, is that without an attacking link, the team ended up penned in their own half with no easy way forward. Newcastle lacked width because every time the ball did go out wide, it had to come back inside or go aimlessly long. This worked to Stoke's advantage, and they were able to get the ball out wide (with a man over due to United's isolated wing backs) and play a lot of direct crosses into the box with Newcastle defending deep.

The first half was poor and typically it was a Newcastle old boy who did the telling damage. Negligence from Ameobi allowed Abdoulaye Faye enough space to score his second headed goal against his former- club this season and his immediate reaction was to make a point of touching the Stoke crest on his shirt; a gesture of loyalty? A gesture against his former employers? Or merely a pathetic hackneyed gesture?

Ameobi continues to be a liability and, for that matter, so to Martins. Ameobi is unfocused, lethargic and lacks any football intelligence in terms of movement off the ball or positioning. Martins is hardly a clever player but can be dynamic and has been an important player for United the last few seasons; unfortunately, he is yet another unprofessional big earner who is far too unreliable and struggles to prove his worth on a regular basis.

Newcastle did rally in the second half and enjoyed the majority of the possession as they eventually started to worry Stoke. It is a shame the Magpies didn't take the game to the Potters' from the start because the higher up the pitch United defended, the less of a threat Stoke posed.

All things considered, a draw is acceptable, but it needs to be backed up by getting something at Spurs and beating Portsmouth at St. James' Park. Hopefully Shearer will ditch the wing back system in favour of something more attack minded, and consider using Carroll from the start. It is understandable that the manager will not want to put too much pressure on the inexperienced youngster, but Carroll, like many hot prospects eager to make an impression, is fearless.