Article: Newcastle United V Manchester City Match thread Newcastle FC, Football

Obertan played like someone who'd won a competition to be a premier league player for the day

 

You're being more generous than you think.

 

Not really got much to add to our Man Citeh vistor's assessment. Poor poor tactics, terrible application of those poor tactics, and a miserable result...

There have been various things said. "We've been unlucky with injuries, Pardew's hands are tied"... "No we haven't, we've had bad luck sure, but the tactics and style are terrible and it's Pardew's fault"... "It's the players who aren't good enough"... and my personal favourite "We're doomed as a club and a species... the aliens are coming". I'm personally just of the opinion that we've had another horrible year injury wise, but that when we've been relatively well off, Pardew and the players haven't delivered. We were pretty much healthy for the first 10 or so games, so finding ourselves where we did and playing the style we did should carry no excuses.
After that we've failed too often against clubs we should be beating, even if we do have to use the squad.

I think the interesting thing now will be if us or Sunderland have made the correct call... or maybe both!

 

Rep

 

Allowing for the fact that we were

(a) playing the current champions at home
(b) missing probably 5-6 first team players

We still weren't great - lots of posts in terms of Pardew's tactics, but to my mind the players have to accept a degree of responsibility for failing to implement whatever the actual plan was.

The other reason (I think) we're suffering at the moment is the lack of ball retention - either from a lack of skill/ability/desire Cisse seems to be incapable of holding the ball up - admittedly he's often been too isolated, but whatever the reason the simple fact is

we win the ball, ball goes up field, we lose posession and the ball comes straight back. Result? yet more pressure on midfield and defence

Whilst I'm not his biggest fan by any stretch, at least if you put Ameobi up front there's a fighting chance that he could hold it long enough to allow the midfield to link up and also allow the defenders a break.

It might also give Cisse a kick up the arse he looks like he needs

 

Here is the insight into yesterday's tactics - Alan Pardew's Manchester City Tactic Book

http://www.cominghomenewcastle.com/2013/3/31/4166520/exclusive-alan-pardews-manchester-city-tactic-book-revealed

 

Alright then, out with it ........................ who snitched?

 

The writing was on the wall before the hour mark.

 

You're way too kind to be honest. If Pardew hadn't hauled him off at half time, I'd have lost all faith in the silver fox. I'm a big Pardew fan but that team selection and the mental preparation for the game left a lot to be desired. At least he acknowledged the approach was all wrong afterwards. As you mentioned in an earlier post, the blueprint for troubling City was well known. High tempo pressure football. We were so good at this kind of thing last season, like against Man U when we followed the Blackburn blueprint.