We lack inspiration and a captain figure

I don't give a **** what anyone says.

Coloccini was a good tactical adviser. He could organise a defence, but he was never an inspirational leader. He never bollocked anyone for stupidity, and he never rallied the troops to get up and try, and he rarely ran over to the referees to defend his players.

Cabaye isn't a captain either. Sorry but he never really sets a good example, and don't get me started on Jonas.

We've never really had a proper captain since Nolan. Him and Barton had their flaws, but they always slapped the rest of the team into shape and got us fighting back into games. We had little in terms of quality in the first season up, with Best and ****ing Lovenkrands leading the line for the last 20 games, but we were a side that battered teams every now and then, and at a time when the team couldn't produce too much quality, we had spirit to help us battle through. This is why we avoided relegation first season up.

We have no leader, and now it sounds like they're finally turning on Pardew.

It's quite obvious that Nolan, Barton and others were rid of mainly due to the fact that they had too much influence over the other players.

That fat **** Ashley and Pardew just wanted a team that would do anything they were told and that's it.

No one on the pitch in the last couple of years, apart from Saylor at times, has shown any leadership like qualities.

We have a team that has the quality to finish in the top half of the table, but doesn't have the spirit or leadership to battle relegation.

 

Been saying it all season Tash. It has affected us really badly. Pards has to of course take some criticism, as do the board. They ripped out what they saw as a mini powerbase. Plenty on here bought it and said "no player is bigger than the club, its progress". I doubted it at the time and still do now because football is a mental game a lot of the time, especially elite level. People used to say the same about Shearer, Speed, Lee "they have too much power", same for Terry, Lampard, Cole, Drogba etc. You know what though it isn't half nice to have that spine and backbone when the chips are down. If Sir Bobby had a blue chip brigade, I'm willing to believe you do so for a reason!

I have to say I think Colo is a leader. There are different types afterall, not all of them are chest pumping John Terry or Nolan types. What we lack is leaders elsewhere and a bit of grit.

I don't think Saylor displays any real leadership qualities either to be honest. Passion for the club? Tick. Desire to do well? Tick. Ability to lead players and organise a defence? Not on your nelly. He needs told what to do and where to be position wise. Saturday was a glaring example, time and again he was totally out of sync with the other 3. I had a guy sat near me saying "he's the only one who comes out with credit is Stevie" I had to hold my tongue to avoid a slanging match because I wanted to tell him his eyes were due a retest.

 

Mapou will step up IMHO.

 

Assuming we stay in the league. If not then I expect him to depart, as will most of our first team

 

But if they do we will get good money.
Our lads have relegate clauses so their salaries will drop... But their contract lengths won't.

 

Even Gandalf?

 

I care about what you say Gandalf.


I enjoy having something to laugh at!

 

When will the cyber bullying end?

 

Agree with Tash about the lack of leadership though.

Although most of us loathed his style, one thing Fat Sham brought in was a team of leaders. Half of his signings were captains from other teams. Pardew has none.

Colo is a quality player and leads by example, but is not a 'commander'. Saylor has passion, but not smart enough to lead. Little evidence of the others having genuine leadership quality on the pitch.

So if it starts going wrong, who is going to rally everyone?

 

The fans?

 

Agree with this, especially the last line.

We have missed Colo big time, not just because of his defending but because of his leadership, even though he may not have been a captain in the same way Nolan was. Results under Cabaye have not been good (understatement) and I do wonder how much of the poor performances of late are down to weak captaincy (amongst many other things, I am not by any means saying this is the only factor ...!) and whether actually someone else should be given the opportunity (although this begs the almost unanswerable question of who?).

For me, a lot of where this season went wrong (although it clearly went wrong elsewhere too) is following Colo's red card, which quite frankly was stupid on Colo's part and utterly avoidable. We missed him in those matches for which he was banned - I believe the results of those games would have been different with him in the team (and in which case our current predicament could have perhaps been avoided).

I also agree with Obi - yes Big Sam's 'style' of football (in the loosest sense of the word) is unpleasant to watch, but he brought Kevin Nolan to the Club who I credit with having a significant positive influence on the team and the success of the Club at the time. Up until then Owen had been Captain (I think) and suddenly Nolan arrives and shows how a real Captain of a football club leads and motivates a team.

If Colo leaves in the summer, then I don't think at this time there is any obvious candidate to take on that Captain's role and that is almost as big a worry as whether Pardew will still be in charge come the beginning of next season.

 

You have the same squad as last season pretty much (except Ba), so I don't think its a leadership issue.

More a case of the players that played above themselves last year like Cisse, Tiote, S/R Taylor, Simpson & Perch have returned to their usual performance levels/been injured/out of favour. Add that to the unrealistic expectation placed on the squad by the fans & Pardew, injuries to key players, midweek European games and new signings not being up to scratch then in hindsight it was always going to be a long season.

Most football fans saw this coming ages ago. The small squad was just a recipe for disaster.

 

Did Kinnear not bring Nolan in Mrs Magpie?

 

No doubt injuries have played a part as did starting the season with too small a squad. However we have literally one leader in the squad and he has spent the season in the fitness room bar a spell back in Argentina. I don't think the likes of Simpson, Saylor, Perch, Raylor played above themselves. They were just well led and organised. Some players are good at leading and organising, some are just good followers.

Cisse probably was the one who played above himself, everything went in.

Tiote has been regressing for a while. To be honest he wasn't that fantastic last year when we did well and missed the a fair chunk through injury. HIs best season was by far and away his first under Hughton.

 

Any chance of this **** awful site getting sorted out?

 

Err yes

 

Yes... I'm sure the unreasonable expectation of the fans makes our players play s***...



Er wait...



How come the mighty Liverpool are in mid-table?

 

Don't we just lack a motivational manager? I hear Pardew out again with the same old rhetoric.."we know our away form isn't great..blah blah...got to show them magnificent away fans we're better than our record shows...yada yada..."

Tw@t.

 

You need leaders on the pitch even with that though. We haven't got that. We can't just turn every deficiency in the club into a Pardew issue. He did play his part in getting rid of the leaders though. You can't credit him for signing the good players we've signed, but at the same time ignore the sales he's made which have hurt us.

 

It is much the same at Liverpool. Our players seem to crumble when any sort of expectation is put on them. The games they play well in are the ones where no one is expecting much from. Games against the likes of Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal & Chelsea. When at home against teams like West Ham & Stoke where they are expected to win, they often struggle, and the expectation placed on themselves by fans, pundits & media weighs them down.

I wasn't criticising Newcastle fans for being optimistic about their team by the way, its the way most football fans are, I was just saying that the brilliant season last time round has raised expectations in Newcastle and its weighing the players & team down...