Season Summary So Far

Ok, let me go deeper then. I have constantly harped on about Newcastle having no identity at all, having no clear game plan. For many teams, at any level of success (even counting Stoke's "success" of remaining mid-table in the Prem through a slightly modified version of rugby), there is elements of consistency. Not imitation, not chop 'n' change, not guessing games, not writing eleven players names down and hoping for the best, but there is a consistency between what the manager wants to achieve and how he sets about doing it. You can see it with Chelsea at the moment, going from Benitez to Mourinho. You can see it in Man U going from Fergie to Moyes, from Moyes to Martinez. There are changes at all levels depending on WHO IS IN CHARGE. For all the flawed transfer policy, the managers ability to imprint his vision on his team is always there. Everything we see today, the flawed tactics, the shifting, the inconsistency, are a direct result of the manager. He has had more time than ANYONE ELSE IN THE LEAGUE (bar Wenger) to stamp his ideal on this team and has utterly, utterly failed. I cannot believe that all of our players have been forced upon the manager, that seems quite impossible. I accept he may not have agreed with the sales of Perch and would probably have preferred Simpson to stay, but no-one is holding a gun to his head and demanding he play Debuchy instead. Simpson would only be an alternative option now, a second choice. Simpson didn't like that, off he went. Perch same kind of story. But what we have failed to do is have a system and integrate whichever players we need into it. It cannot all be "buy cheap, sell high". Sure, we're the PL's equivalent of bargain hunt, but that doesn't stop you having some kind of team element when you step onto a pitch.

It just seems to me that this manager has no idea of his own. His attempts to move to a different formation appear to be the result of trying to copy other teams. Hasn't he even said as much, and even then not been consistent (Arsenal one minute, Liverpool the next I believe)? No, he has no idea at all. He may be an averagely competent 4-4-2 exponent. He is of an old school, like his DoF and his employer, and could probably get the odd result if we had Ricky Lambert or a fit Andy Carroll. But what he cannot do is adopt fluid approaches to games, or create a workable 4-3-3 formation, in spite of the fact he has deliberately asked for players of this type. All he wanted this summer was a big lump of a fcking striker to aim a ball at from the wings. Any attempt to play through the middle, into channels, no wingers has consistently given us poor results and highly inconsistent player performances. The only exception has been the Villa match. But do you know why this is? Villa ALSO play 4-3-3, without any real width (they lined up with Weiman, Agbonlahor and Benteke); there was simply not enough of the kind of threat other clubs have shown. Villa went toe to toe and got beat, on their turf, because our eleven players are simply stronger than theirs. Which pretty much sums up and underlines my point that our players ARE good enough, and our manager is NOT.

 

You will never be hear me argue the manager is blameless in this mess. He clearly has to be accountable. At the end of this season he will have had 3 seasons. I think that is the right amount of time to give a manager. The signs are clearly there that he still hasn't managed to get his own stamp on things and that will be his undoing. No question about that.

In my book though, what is complete madness is then think it is solely down to the manager and these players are suddenly going to remember the basics of defending they were taught as a youngster just because a manager has left. That's just crazy to me. They are not suddenly going to develop the mental capacity to not collapse under pressure physically/mentally. That is within them already. I have no problem accepting some of that comes from not having a clear approach from the manager, but not all of it. The managers plan does not decide whether Sissoko/HBA etc fancy it on any given day. The board and manager have got their transfer policy all wrong. I think much of it is clearly dictated to Pardew, at least on all known evidence I can see. You can allow for one or two not being used to the league, and being a bit inconsistent. This is not a new thing with foreign players afterall. What you can't do is put out a team of them. To then combine that with the lack of a clear plan is suicide. For much of the time I can see the clear plan from Pardew to be fair, I think its exaggerrated. Against Everton for instance, the plan was pretty clear in the pre match interview (indeed most agreed with it - not myself as I felt it exposed us). Now the fact is the players have not understood the plan. The argument is clear, is that because we don't have the cornerstones (british core) and leadership to carry it out, is it because Pardew cannot communicate to his players, or is it a mixture of both? Given we all understood the plan and I think its safe to assume they worked on it through the week leading up to the game, I'd have to hazard a guess it is a mixture of both.

The leadership thing is another failing of this transfer debacle. I don't think anybody would sit and argue that a few years ago we ripped the leadership out of team. We decided in our infinite wisdom that we still had leadership. Many on these boards who were happy the likes of Nolan and Barton went argued that the likes of Cabaye could bring that. Pardew himself said "others would need to step up". That is pathetic on the part of the board and him. Never mind someone stepping up, how about livving in the real world and buying some assurity.

Cabaye is not a leader of men. MYM is not a leader of men. I'm not interested in what their track records say, I believe you can only go off what you see. We have one man who leads but as he leads by example rather vocally, the team has no guts to it. There is no one when the chips are down who rallies the troops. I see every game we play as I'm sure many others on here do, an there are no leaders.

So by all means if the manager is not doing it replace him, but if we don't solve the rest of it we're just decorating damp walls.

 

It's no different to a player being good at one club, terrible at the next. It's not like they 'forget' the art of finishing, or the art of passing, or whatever it is that defines them. There's a million examples at every club, I only need mention one; Andy Carroll. He was devestating under the Newcastle gameplan and that manager, terrible the next. In his short time not being injured at West Ham, we've seen glimpses of the old player. Is that because the air is the same at West Ham and Newcastle, or is it more likely that the Liverpool MANAGER didn't know how to use him? So it follows that replacing a manager would seem the most logical course of action for Newcastle. What we have is a collection of players not doing the simple things right, which typically boils down to a lack of belief or a lack of coaching. Both rest at the door of the manager. It's inconceivable that players can get to the level of Santon or Debuchy and then just forget how to defend. You've kind of made my point for me here - you say they won't suddenly "remember the basics of defending they were taught as a youngster" without actually saying why they've forgotten them in the short time they've worked for Pardew? Or am I somehow to believe that Debuchy got to win Ligue 1 and play for his National side without the most basic of defensive capabilities?!

You also say that "much of the time you can see the clear plan from Pardew" - you've got to enlighten me, because I don't know what it is. Exposed full backs? A weak midfield? DM's who don't defend much?! I mean, I can see the semblance of a formation sometimes, but it's a hefty reliance on players doing it rather than our structure. I don't see a consistent approach, week in, week out. For all the transfer failings, I don't see how that can differ so much. Wigan, for example, lived and ultimately died by the same approach. They didn't have the quality to always play like they did when beating us 3-0, as was shown when they turned up, tried to play the same way and got beat 3-0! But you knew it'd be 3 at the back and a style of familiar play. But they're WIGAN! Top to bottom in the league there tends to be an identity. It falls apart when that identity doesn't exist - look at Sunderland. PDC's only attribute was being a Hitler-esque despot on the training pitch. There was no footballing identity there. Whereas Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal have all had spells of dominance as a direct influence of their managers vision. We don't have one. We need one. Let's get that first, and if the result is we see players out of depth, then we can replace with the type of player that fits the managers vision.

 

First of all a massive part of the structure is the formation surely? The other part is on the training ground, explaining to players what their role is. I just can't believe that Pardew is not doing this? Even then you look back at someone like KK, he was a great motivator, but he openly admitted that he'd give them a formation and then let them do their job. His reasoning, just like Bobby, Jose, SAF, Wenger etc is these players have grown up their whole life playing football. The basics of football do need to be taught to them. So then you go back to Debuchy and Santon. I can't understand as a full back how you can be unaware of where your other full back is? Its nonsensical, its come under the unwritten rules of defending. Only two teams I can think of have ever discarded that wit any success. Old Brazil and current Barcelona. So unless Santon/Debuchy and/or Pardew suddenly think we have that sort of talent, why is it being ignored? Listening to Carragher (however annoying) and Gary Neville, two guys who know a thing or two about defending, told you all you need to know. They both were both damning of Santon/Debuchy and their ignorance towards basic duties. Similarly with Mbiwa. At various points they intimated these errors were out of a managers control. Why? Because they know full well they'd have looked no where else but the mirror in their career. There are too many excuses being made for the players. They have been absolutely shocking for a while now. It is shown in your assertion that Pardew has somehow coached the defensive capabilities out of Santon and Debuchy. He has somehow made them forget the basics? Its just a cop out for me.

Of course you get certain directions from managers. Jose Mourinho for instance asked Claude Makelele to operate in a semi circle protecting the edge of the box for Chelsea. George Graham had a very specific role for Paul Davis in his great Arsenal team which restricted where he should be on the pitch. But then we look back to the season we came 5th, and Pardew quite clearly had very clearly thought out plans and ways for players to operate. Its why we were so successful. On paper we were not the 5th best team but because we were undoubtedly one of the best drilled we were able to overcome any personnel short comings. We had a very clear counter attack style. Pardew has undoubtedly tried to tweak that, unsuccessfully for me. So this is my major gripe with Pardew. However all teams evolve and change. The success of that evolution is largely down to the players you bring in. These players are not aggressive natured enough to play front foot football in the PL. They are not disciplined enough to play counter attack football. I think he is struggling to get the best from this squad at his disposal, I don't think that can be in doubt. However I still have the overriding worry that as a collective they have no identity regardless of manager. We are lacking elements and I don't think under this structure the option is there for a manager to dictate a change.

I won't comment on Carroll as I think there were a few issues other than managerial use of him.............

 

I won't comment on Carroll as I think there were a few issues other than managerial use of him.............

That might make interesting reading, go on tell us why don't you?

 

Lets just say I have from very good sources that he got carried away with the sauce and his big wage packet and big charlie lifestyle whilst in Liverpool. Not that you need good sources to discover this information because most of it ended up in the papers and his club and national managers alluded to it. Young lads lots of cash, can be bad news at times. We know that better than anyone with our brat pack (Bramble, Dyer, Bellamy, Jenas). They all picked up a lot of injuries too strangely. Something to be said for looking after yourself eh. Should all be little angels like your goodself AB!

 

To add some seasoning, were they always actually injured? I mean, whose word do we go off?! Club's unlikely to say they were hungover and couldn't be arsed. ....

 

Well I know a lad who saw two of the aforementioned doing lines in Malmaison. I take this kind of thing with a pinch of salt normally but he isn't the type to go spouting bullshit. Who knows. What I do know is that Titus Bramble was in Scalinis ona Friday when I was in once and he was so pissed he hit every table on the way out. He could barely walk. Imagine my horror the following day when plonking myself down in match day seat only to discover he was starting Had a really good game up to a lapse in concentration............at which point I became very annoyed with visions of unhappy diners having their table bumped. Bastard.

 

Oh, that game.

 

That would be a hell of a challenge wouldn't it? To pick that game out