Haven't posted for a while but keep an eye on the discussions on here. IMO there are various things that have contributed to our downfall this season. Tactics, and all the rest of it. However I look back to when we have players like Carroll, Nolan, Smith, Barton & Co. (I know Smith was ****e). All you ever heard was how good the morale was in the squad and that the team spirit was fantastic. Compare that to this season where we have heard nothing but grumblings off discontent within the squad. I realise that when things are going well that the players are going to be happy however this season I think a lot of players simply gave up. If we still had the players I mentioned above I really think we would have much more fight about us and would have been safe much sooner. Out of all the French players we have in the squad I honestly think the one with some fight is Gouffran. Even Cabaye has looked disinterested this year. I really think that even if it means sacrificing quality slightly that we need a few more players with a bit of fight in them. Which is why I wouldn't mind us going for the following players this summer. LB - Shaw - £12m (Probably priced out of this but i'd love him here) CB - Douglas - Free CM - McCarthy - £8m (Bigger teams will porbably be interested) CM - Nolan - £4m RM - Maloney £5m LM - Lallana - £7m CF - Carroll - £13m Get rid of CB - Williamson - £1m RB - Simpson - Free RM - Obertan - £2m LM - Gutierrez - £2m CM - Tiote - £8m CF - Shola - I'll pay for his taxi I'm leaving Colo in for now. I'm praying he stays although it's unlikely. If we can sign a few of the above realistic players and get rid of the dead wood i'd like a team of Krul Debuchy - Douglas - Coloccini - Santon Sissoko - Cabaye Ben Arfa - Nolan - Maloney/Lallana Carroll Subs GK - Elliot (although we could do with an improvement) CB - Taylor CB - Yanga-Mbiwa FB/DM - Perch DM - Anita LM - Marveaux CF - Cisse I've tried to be as realistic as I can there. I can't see us spending shed loads but I think that team is an improvement on this seasons. Of course with Pardew in charge i'm not expecting miracles. I'd love to be able to replace him with Laudrup.
Consett will reach 30°C in January when Nolan re-joins us. IMO Elliot will never be a Premiership goalkeeper.
Losing Carroll, Nolan & Jose Enrique was where our probelms began. £50m is a massive transfer amount to gain from those 3 sales, but you can't put a price on a happy dressing room. Chris Hughton should never have been sacked.
In: Frazer Forster: Competition for Krul and Elliot. 3 good keepers isn't too rich for any good club. Aaron Cresswell: Good, young English left back who is solid defending and a very good cross on him. Johnny Evans: Good Biritish center half who is also a threat in the air and a good leader. Douglas: On a free, aggressive and a force in the air. Would give Taylor, Mbiwa etc a push. Sam Byram: Ryan Taylor will miss the season and Simo has left, Sam is one of the biggest prospects in England right now. Leon Bridcutt: Chiekh Tiote needs a push, James Perch won't provide him competition. Andy King: A goal-scoring midfielder who would chip in and help spread the goalscoring burden, new Kevin Nolan. Nathan Redmond: We lack creativity, our wingers are sub-standard and Ben Arfa needs to prove his fitness consistently, Nathan would give a big boost. Andy Carroll: He would help retain the ball in the final 3rd (something we lack) and work hard and score a hatful too. Jordan Rhodes: Old fashioned number 9. would complete a very decent choice of forward options alongside Carroll, Cisse, Sammy and Campbell.
I wouldn't get rid of Williamson. What would be the point? He's not really ambitious, he doesn't mind being on the bench and he knows his place. He only cost us a mil anyway, I think. He's not a bad back up and the lad puts in decent performances. He's not good enough to rely on for 20+ games, but does a good job as a 4/5th choice. Only sell him if we get someone better in, otherwise, like Pardew, no point in getting rid because we hope we can get someone better in the future. Wait until someone is putting pen to paper before getting rid.
it did a few years ago though fella. I remember the ladies wore less than normal too (I.e. were as good as naked)
Why would we buy back Forster and Nolan? And how do you think we'd convince Forster to leave automatic first-team football at Celtic to be our third choice keeper? Was that not why he left in the first place? Jesus Christ.
Unproven youth? I think what we realistically need is to spend quite a lot of money on at least 2 "leaders". Carroll could qualify as one, then we need another at either CB or DM (replace Tiote). Someone who weighs in not just with talent, but with morale. I don't think Cabaye is that person. Colo is.
I'm just disillusioned with football & Newcastle United at the moment, I honestly don't believe it'll make one difference who we sign as long as Pardew remains as our manager. If there was a choice between signing Carroll, McCarthur etc etc or changing manager then I'd rather make no signings at all and just replace the manager to be honest. I literally have no confidence at all in him any more. He's had 38 games to learn from his mistakes and he's failed to do this so why anyone thinks that from next year he'll suddenly grasp that Jonas is ****, Tiote needs bringing down a peg or two, Cabaye isn't a DM, Sissoko isn't an AM etc is simply beyond me. Bottom line is that we will not progress under Pardew. Anita did more in 30 minutes than Cabaye has in the last 5 games, it's beyond belief that he's not had more game time. On a final note, whoever is in charge next year really needs to run the lads in to the ground in pre season, we look so unfit it's unbelievable.
You do realise Vurnon managed 37 appearances this season. That puts him 4th, behind Cisse (47), Santon (38) and...yup...Jonas (40). That includes 17 league stars and 8 Prem sub apps. It's not the worst record. The slight problem was that unless you come with a label on your forehead that says "I AM A FULL BACK", or whatever, Pardew doesn't know where to play you.
17 league starts in a season where Tiote has either been injured, suspended or in a horrific run of form is still a poor amount. As you say, it appears Pardew has looked at Chelsea, Spurs etc and believes 4-2-3-1 is the way to go (which it could well be), the only problem is that to play that formation you need to be prepared to let the front four and your full backs (down either flank) pretty much roam wherever they wish, with your two CB's and two DM's tasked with the job of sitting and protecting your goal. As stated unless you come with a set position then Pardew has no such knowledge on how to integrate such a formation with out squad. If he did then this formation would be perfect for the "front foot" football that we're promised every press conference but yet to see in nearly every game we play.
Carroll would be a maybe for me. We definitely need a striker, but preferably one with pace, we have absolutely none, it's painful. Like someone else said, a change of manager is essential, to manage to get so little from this team is a total outrage. Our midfield never support the striker, never once do they run beyond, or offer any kind of support. What makes it worse is we can't even set up a team around the striker we do have. You can see from his Wikipedia, never mind via a proper insight into football, that the Cisse we see this season is the real Cisse, the most offside player in the Bundesliga with a very low chance conversion rate. However, in what is a very competitive league he consistently out scored players in far better teams, due to being played in a system that suited him and provided with suitable 'ammunition' for goals. Pardew couldn't change his tactics if his life depended on it, hoof hoof hoof or pray Ben Arfa or Cisse score a wonder goal from nothing. We might have been a bit more pally when fat Kevin Nolan was jogging about and Barton was being an arsehole to people, but this current team is far, far better, it's just being run by a buffoon - like a Ferrari being driving by a blind cat. We need a couple of players and a decent manager and the subsequent good results will lift spirits and boost team harmony - just like our successful spell in the championship did. Rumours are going around Ashley is going to do the right thing and issue Pardew with his p45. Lets hope he does the right thing, continuing on trying to make amends for royally messing up in the summer as he did with the January signings.
For me in terms of signings for next year we need a Kieron Dyer type signing...HBA, Marveaux & Cabaye are all midfield play makers if you like, we don't have anyone running beyond the striker to create space or stretch teams and all of our play is constantly in front of the opposition defence rather than looking to get in behind. As it stands we have to be one of the most predictable teams in the league.
