I'm not concerned about Johnson. I'm concerned about the way in which his talents are being utilised. As I said in my previous post, if MON knew in advance that he would use a counter attacking formation throughout this season, why would he spend a large part of his budget on a player who lacks pace and is only primarily effective in and around the penalty area? Johnson is the type of signing we should be making in 3 years time. At this point in time, a winger with pace would suit a counter attacking gameplan. Johnson doesn't suit our style of play and that is due to the managers gameplan. When we brought Johnson in during last summer it was assumed by most fans that we would be playing attacking football. I believe that this team is capable of playing much higher up the pitch, infact, if we did, I believe Johnson could have scored 8 or 9 goals this season....
The quality of the squad on paper is better, but the performances are about on par. I don't buy this 'had 2 windows' lark, 2 windows is more than enough, our friends up the road moved on Carroll, Nolan & Barton, replaced them with Cabaye, Ba & Tiote in one window. I think MON is a better gaffer than Bruce, and will get us there, the problem for me lies in a piss poor scouting system that sees us pay more for Gardner than the Toon paid for Cabaye, as one example, and any manager could be hampered by that. What is becoming apparent, or frankly IS apparent is that several first team players don't have the heart, they must be moved on. I won't list them, it's counter productive, but we all know who they are. Of MON's signings, only Fletch has been great, Rose very good & N'Diaye shows much promise, but we all expected AJ to be a wonder signing, MON is blameless for his lack of application, but he WILL come good, I have no doubt. So, to date, no, he hasn't improved us, but absolutely and positively, he will, as mentioned, the summer window is massive, he fluffs that, and we labour, he'll be gone by Christmas.
I don't think there is any discernible difference between MON and Bruce. The overall performances are pretty similar. However, having said that, I don't believe a change in manager is warranted, at this juncture. In the past I've maintained(and been shot down for it) that finishing at, or around, mid table is all we can, realistically, expect, given the level of financial support we have, and have received, over the last 10-15 years. Also, like any mid table-ish team, we're are going to have periods, like we're having now, where we will lose a few games in a row. Don't get me wrong, these performances frustrate me as much as the next supporter. Unfortunately, the name of the game, these days, is to stay in the Premier league and reap the monetary rewards that brings. The thought of being relegated and staying outside the Premier League just does not bear thinking about. Changing manager brings the very real chance of this. Remember what happened to Charlton(Curbishley), Blackburn(Allerdice), Wolves(McCarthy), Chelsea(Ancelotti), Liverpool (Hodgson) and, not forgetting those up the road(Allerdice & Hughton). Reflecting on the last few years, I don't think things have been, anywhere near, as bad as the dark days of the old second & third divisions and some of the performances, & players, we had then. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow.
Problem is. I take a rough guess here and say that 99.9 % of fans don't want to "go with the flow" The name of the game has to be improvement. Sell a player buy a better player, finish 16 one season, try to better it the next. i get what your saying but why the hell bother, should have kept Roy Kean, save 100m and still be finishing 16th. we see the likes of Swansea who probably win a major trophy today, Birmingham the other year. We, as a club size should be able to compete with the likes of Everton who have been skint for the last 20 years but are still way ahead of us on the pitch. This season has been a nightmare, I for one just can't go with the flow.
I would disagree with it being a nightmare - not the best - agreed. What have Birmingham done since they won the league cup? Where are they now - sailing close to the wind at the bottom of the Championship? With swansea, I can't see them having a long term future in the Premier League, once Laudrup leaves. The last trophy Everton won was in 1995, so, really, we're quite comparable over the last 10-15 years. I'm not trying to be clever. It's just that, below the obvious top 5-6, teams, success has been limited for all the other Premier League clubs. So I don't think we're any worse than those clubs. Also, I wish it wasn't, just, about the Premier League but that's the way things have gone.
O'Neill's problems are many-fold. He has had instant success at other places, but sadly not with us. Due to injuries and suspensions, we hardly see a team he wants to put out. His signings - on the whole - have not provided the spark expected. Anyone on here who was not happy with Magic signing is either lying or a fool. Its time Martin's - and our - luck changed. x
I had no problem whatsoever about where Bruce was from and I don't know another SAFC supporter personally that did! The Geordie abuse by a minority at the end of his time here was just another stick to beat him with. (Along with the chants of "You don't know what you're doing!"
you have to chill out fellas and judge him next season. It takes time to clear out deadwood in any club.
Graham Carr was already in place and had scouted these Frog players before Pardeaux was installed. MoN hasn't had that assistance and is having to rebuild our scouting network as well as the first team. With the likes of Alfie N'Diaye and Mangane coming, it looks like there is movement here too but to expect team improvement and new scouting networks all set up and producing results in 14 months is simply absurd.
This may sound backwards but I think we have improved (only slightly mind) however, the results would suggest otherwise. There is something fundamentally wrong at our club that we are no further forward now than we were when we got back into the PL 5 years ago.
Bruce made some great signings: Bent, Gyan, Wellbeck, Jos, Catts, Migg, Sess. Part of Bruces problem was the dross he inherited from Keane. If Bent and Gyan has stayed Bruce would have done much better in his final season. If mon lost Fletcher and Sess we would be in big trouble. The thing is it highlights the fact mon needs time to build his own team, I agree with the earlier poster who said we need stability and a long term approach. We still need to clear some players out and replace them with younger hungrier ones. It needs to start with the signing of rose and 2 new centre halfs.
Did I blame MON for it? No, I used it to defend him. Read the posts before going on your 'MON is god' horse, he ****ing isn't, or we wouldn't be in a relegation fight.
Too much change of which Bruce was a master. Bruce had it cracked the first season and then changed it with Muntari and Sessegnon and it worked against him. MON has to change it all again with the likes of Vaughan and Larsson. Keane had to change the mess left by McCarthy... If Bruce had kept the spine of the initial squad he assembled he would have on the road to becoming an SAFC legend. I sometimes wonder if he made so many changes because he was told to reduce the wage bill after failing to secure Europe during the infamous 10th placed season.
Graham Carr gets far to much credit these players were well known in there own league before moving to Newcastle its not like he has pulled 18years olds out of Metz's reserve team who have gone on to be big players for Newcastle
