Francis Jeffers must prove his worth

Following their loss to Sydney FC there is an unlikely buzz around Newcastle and that's down to the form of former Everton and Arsenal striker Francis Jeffers.

Jeffers has so far had limited game time this season, often starting off the bench, if playing at all, with suggestions by commentators that he is lacking spark and 'effervescence'.

But on Saturday night, as a means of trying to silence his critics, Jeffers came out firing, finding himself unmarked in the box with a shot on goal soaring over the crossbar for a goal kick. He put in a good stint and was substituted off in the 59th minute for Labinot Haliti.

Jets coach Gary Van Egmond praised Jeffers’ performance against Sydney saying he thought he Jeffers “did quite well”.

In recent games Jeffers has had little chance to make an impact with Van Egmond using Labinot Haliti, Kiwi international Jeremy Brockie and Ryan Griffiths to spearhead the Jets’ attack.

The lack of a fluid and structured build-up is not releasing the Jets forwards, including Jeffers, to place enough pressure on quality A-League defenses. Van Egmond has hinted at a structural change in the Jets formation and fans can only wait and see if that brings a more aggressive attacking pattern and balls in the back of the net.

“I think what we are going to have to do, and it’s probably more so my fault, we are going to have to get someone up there to play alongside him. So as much as I live playing a certain system, we probably don’t have the players here right at this moment, so we may change that” said Van Egmond.

Jeffers’ return to the side on a one-year contract was celebrated with excitement and highly anticipated from Jets fans and squad members alike, however, some have suggested he is merely flying under the radar.

A recent online article published by The Football Speak named Jeffers as number two in a list of “The Worst 10 England Players this century”, following the one goal he scored against Australia in their 3-1 loss at Upton Park back in 2003.

Since making his English Premier League debut with Everton at the age of 16, the now 30 year old has appeared in over 200 games, scoring just over 50 goals as a striker, in a career spanning 14 years.

Whilst Jeffers has played for a variety of English Premier League clubs, including Everton, Arsenal, Ipswich Town, and most recently in the Scottish Premier League with Motherwell, his return for the Jets follows on from last season which saw Jeffers sign a ten match guest contract.

Whilst there are a number of variables in any game, what it is going to boil down to is how well Jeffers is going to perform if he does get that support up front.

If a change in structure within the midfield and forwards doesn’t result in any major changes in the team's gameplay or results, then a determination will be required about whether or not Jeffers is really doing his job.

Can he show he is a quality player and deliver the goals that fan expect from a Premier League striker, since he joined the Jets? Or will he continue to be dogged by injury concerns and an apparent inability to find gaps in the opponents defense?

Surely he should be able to prove himself once again, after all Arsenal manager Arséne Wenger paid a record eight million pounds for him from Everton.