Excellent point HfM - I thought the game against Citeh was one of the best I've seen this season!!! I'd like us to 'be safe' by the time Villa visit and CH decides to avenge our defeat in the Capital One Cup.
I don't really remember the Swansea game, but the Man City game was fantastic and two goals from Martin! Great that the defence are contributing. Look at the goals Bassong has scored as well. The attacking towards the end of the Everton game was also great.
Ha, the Swansea game was BRILLIANT - 4 different players scored and I particularly liked the way Snodgrass and Whittaker combined for the opener!!!
I fail to see how anyone can see us as being anything but boring. Rigid going forward. Long deep crosses Strangling the opposition Lack of goals for and against Barely any lateral movement in the midfield The ball going wide early and staying there As for being Pyjamas "stupid" comment I'd say the lack of vision and the short term outlook is firmly in his court. Style of play is integral to the development of the club, it effects the youth system, attracting players, the attendances, National stature, and the general outlook of the club. I have little doubt Hughton will stick to this style of play next year and eventually squeeze the life out of the team. I don't see any progression with Hughtons team, the goals against is better only through a use of increasing the numbers which is really no managerial genius. In addition the attack has been reduced to this non entity from a highly prolific start point. We've gone from one extreme to the other. The managerial skill comes from making the defence better without obliterating the rest of the team (of which he has pretty much ruined despite having much, much better players). He's not the managerial genius some are are trying to make out. I read an article that he got the sack from Newcastle by Ashley for having a defeatist attitude and a lack of ambition. I think a lot of people can see where he is coming from.
I really don't understand your analysis Carrabuh. Others have mentioned the Swansea and Man City games, and I would add the first half of the Sunderland game to that (28 pass Pilkington goal?). Yes there have been frustrating games, and others which are best forgotten, but it is no more valid to use these as examples of Hughton's style to the exclusion of others, than it is to do the opposite.
The poor games have exceeded the good games by some distance, the poor games have also been of shocking quality, not just poor, truly abysmal and far to frequent. When a trend develops then that becomes the norm, the football at Carrow Road has been particularly bad due to the mindset and I think to the detriment of our points tally. Sticking 10 men behind the ball is not sorting the defence out because its not a viable long term solution. He's tried to solve one problem and created another and now neither function correctly. The defence doesn't function as it should because it needs too many players to work, and the attack doesn't function because there is no movement or freedom for the players to interact. I don't think anyone can argue with that analysis because it is blatantly true and no 3 points against Everton disguises the fact, two goals both headers and neither from open play, a recurring theme, no skill, no managerial intelligence, no attempt to entertain. Bog standard, one dimensional, easy football. Nobodys asking for Spain (a further misconception of those appreciative of how we play), they just don't want to watch Stoke or Wet Ham week in week out which is sadly what we are developing into.
As many people have said, CH has been given the goal of survival this year and he is on target at the moment. It's been a strange season. The wins against Arsenal and MU were fantastic highs, and the first-half performance at Swansea was stunning, but there have been at least ten games in which we have been dire. IF we survive, I'd like to see a different approach next year. I don't want next season to be a carbon copy of this.
Are you referring to Derek Llambias's comments at the NUFC AGM that year (quoted in the Newcastle Chronicle)? If so, here are his exact words; “We had a different view of where we wanted to be and what sort of character we needed to push this dressing room further." Maybe you are referring to a different article? Either way, those comments sound to me more like a specious "justification" for Ashley's appointment of his gambling pal Pardew. And are Newcastle "where they wanted to be" and has Pardew "pushed this dressing room further"? Well they did get into the Europa League places last season, have spent a lot of money on players meanwhile, and now sit below us in the table (albeit with a game in hand). Can anyone really say that they wouldn't have been better off keeping Chris Hughton?
I find it slightly worrying that people hold the Man City game up as an example of when we played attractive, attacking football - do they not remember that we were two down after about three minutes and therefore had no choice but to open up? Had we not have conceded so early do you really think we would have gone looking for goals? Do people also forget that we played the majority of that game against ten men? And that the three goals we did score we from a deflected free-kick and two scrambled set-piece goals from a defender? "Fantastic"???!!! That basically leaves the Swansea game as the one example of where we have opened up and played attacking football - one game out of 29 is hardly indicative of a team with attacking intent now is it? I want to stress than I am not saying anything like "Hootun out" or any such rubbish as I can appreciate that this year survival by hook or by crook is the important thing, he has got us halfway up the table against the odds and I do recognise that he has improved the defence and made us more difficult to break down, but I'm afraid I can't see why people are having such difficulty in accepting Carrabuh's analysis of our style of play because to me it is pretty much what he says it is - slow, negative, fearful, turgid, lacking any real creativity and most of all absolutely **** to watch!
Oh dear, looks like we have some common ground here Munky I know Carrabuh is regarded as perhaps our most negative poster over the months but he has made some very valid points in that time - against the tide of public opinion. However, one by one, people are beginning to recognise that at least some of what he says and has been saying for some time is actually on the money. Yesterday's game seems to have been more of an eye opener than any other game, probably because it is just the latest in a long line of dreadful performances this year. Swansea was a brilliant 45 minutes, what happened in the 2nd half was a shocker and we were probably fortunate to come away with 3 points. I would add the first half against Spurs as being a decent attacking performance but even then the entire 2nd half was a rear guard action as the team started to defend deeper to keep hold of a slender lead (which failed). The defence for draws, such as Spurs, is they are a good team or Bale was sublime. While true in both cases, we had them pinned back and the half time break saw all impetus lost. What we don't know is if that was under the instruction of CH or did the players all of a sudden stop believing in their own ability for no good reason? Either way, the rot was back and we have not really recovered since. As Carrabuh said, the Everton win papered over the cracks - we only played for 10 minutes!
To be fair, we probably agree on quite a lot of stuff fella, it's just that when we disagree we tend to do it somewhat spectacularly
One of the most sensible posts I've seen in a long time and as you say - some of comments made by carrabuh are quite accurate. I'm really hoping our style of play improves dramatically next season, otherwise my seeason ticket wil be available for several games.
I've got to say that relying on the big lad to trip over a pie every game isn't a convincing strategy but then CH is a conservative manager. Nowt wrong with that if he keeps you up this season. I'd save your moaning til survival Sunday. If you're clear of that fiasco I'd say job well done
CH has done very well this season, that is unquestionable given the aim is to be in the PL next season. It takes a long time to develop a team and it was clear that his starting point was to remove some of the defensive frailities left by his predecessor. I do think he has got the balance wrong at times, and I am hanging on to the few examples of creative flair that have been in evidence this season. I think he is overcautious, and the problem with playing that way is it can reduce his confidence that his team have the capability of outscore the opposition, therefore changing to an attacking mode is more difficult (it'sa catch 22 situation). However, I imagine with new personnel next season, CH will have greater opportunities to play different styles. The goal of staying in the PL is nearly acheived, why would be change tactics now? I wish he would but not going to happen this season.
Wubba,I think I prefer our pieman to your wonder boy Taarabt.At least Holt shows signs of life.Adel could get mistaken for one of those human statues at times.
Neither have been great this season have they? On balance and being completely biased I would prefer the mercurial strop-thrower over the man who taught bale all he knows about buying decisions from the ref. Regardless of where either team end up I can't see holt or Taraabt being at our respective clubs next year
Munky, so you're saying that the Man City game wasn't exciting because it wasn't attractive football. That's asking too much, for now at least. We scored 3 goals - that's exciting in itself and shows that we had attacking intent against one of the Premier League's top two clubs. It doesn't need to be attractive football to be exciting. But it shows that we were positive. The main issue is that we're being 'too negative'. We are not talking about the football being exciting necessarily. For goodness sake you negative people are so annoying, you can't appreciate where we are compared to where we were and you are asking for too much, too soon. Survival is the main aim and we are well on the way to achieving that!
