Vote For Your Carling Player Of The Month

By Dan King

September was a mixed month in terms of results for Newcastle United, but there were nonetheless several star performers for Chris Hughton's side. 

In the fantastic wins away to Everton and Chelsea, a number of players stood out while there were also some decent showings despite defeat against Blackpool and Stoke.

And the performances of new signings Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheik Tiote mean there could be a new name on the Carling Player of Month award, which will be presented ahead of United's next game against Wigan Athletic.

Here are the list of candidates:

Shola Ameobi
In the month where he celebrated ten seasons since his Newcastle United debut, the ever-popular striker marked the milestone in some style with a stunning double against Chelsea in the Carling Cup.
The 28-year-old made the score at Stamford Bridge 3-1 with a fantastic finish, then after The Blues levelled in a pulsating second half, he met Jonas Gutierrez's corner in the dying seconds to secure a memorable 4-3 victory.
He then came on as a substitute against Stoke, where he once enjoyed a brief loan spell, and came close to scoring within moments of his introduction.

Hatem Ben Arfa
The French star made an eye-catching debut from the bench against Blackpool, emerging as one of the positives from a disappointing defeat.
But he really announced his arrival in his next game, when he started against Everton. Not only did he cause problems all day for The Toffees' defence with his skill and dribbling ability, he capped it with a sensational 25-yard strike with his left foot to secure a 1-0 win at Goodison Park.
Unfortunately, he suffered a double-leg break in October but his performances in September made him a contender for the monthly award.

Cheik Tiote
Few United fans knew much about the Ivory Coast international when he joined the club, but they soon sat up and took notice when he made a wonderful debut at Everton.
He broke up attacks with amazing regularity as well as starting plenty to boot, and looked every inch the midfield anchorman.
The former FC Twente man, who signed for the club in August, proved it was no fluke by helping Newcastle win at Chelsea, albeit from the bench - he also showed his versatility by playing at right-back that night - and then put in another storming display against Stoke.

Fabricio Coloccini
Anybody who questioned whether the Argentine international was cut out for the Barclays Premier League have now seen the answer as the curly-haired colossus has continued where he left off during last season's Coca-Cola Championship winning campaign.
One of the better performers against Blackpool, Coloccini was then unbeatable at the back against Everton and was the only man from the side that won at Goodison Park to start against Chelsea in a much-changed Carling Cup team - striking up an instant partnership with Sol Campbell.
And against Stoke, he also performed admirably with a mixture of grit and skill which few central defenders in the country can match.
 
Jose Enrique
The Spanish star, who made his 100th appearance for the club in October's defeat to Manchester City, has been his usual reliable self throughout September.
Against Blackpool, he was a focal point from left-back as United mounted attack after attack - only for them all to be repelled by Seasiders' goalkeeper Matt Gilks, who had an inspired game. He then struck up an exciting partnership down the flank with Hatem Ben Arfa against Everton, with another good performance against Stoke putting him on the shortlist.

To vote, look out for the poll on the right hand side of the Latest News page and elsewhere on the site, and register your choice.