What's wrong, and how is it fixed?

There's three facets to this one for me.

1) The "football board" continue to do little more than meddle in team affairs, there is still no real link between the managers' requests and the scout/MD's delivery on players.

2) The mentality of the squad is questionable; more players of the same ilk have appeared, young, unproven, with sell on value - is this message of "do well, and we'll sell you on" enough to make the squad buy into the club, the area, the fans? I don't think it is. They had a chance in the Summer to buy the likes of Austin, or slightly older ones like Payet, and didn't take it - they drum messages of "it's all better now" via press clipping and emails, but actions speak louder than words and whilst the player budget may have changed a bit, the process and logic remains as it has for 6 years.

3) The most simplest remedy is the strategy on the pitch. I think it is time for us to go back to some real basics this season - as a number of sides, like Chelsea, Liverpool, So'ton, Man U keep tinkering trying to come up with a FM16-style win-every-game formation, a few sides who are keeping it simple are having a really, really good time. I look back at the 4-4-2 we used to play, remember Beardo/Cole, Shearer/Ferdinand, even vs. Barca we played with 2 up top (Tomasson/Asprilla), lm/rm and 2 cm's.

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The owner, the scouts, the manager, his coaching staff, the players, the fans, geography and things beyond anyone's control.

 

I think you have a point re formations, but i think your second point is more pertinent, it leaves us completely devoid of leadership on the pitch. We would be a completely different animal with someone vocal and passionate out there, but how do your promote leadership when we are simply a stepping stone with no real long term plan for players... other than selling them? We got lucky with cabaye and the way him and tiote played together, bossed everything and were covering insane amounts of ground each game. since cabaye left weve been almost useless. Pardew comes in for a load of flack, a lot warranted, but i think its a minor miracle that he was able to take us on runs like that win streak last autumn/winter, particularly after the half season after cabaye was sold and the abuse he was getting. Jesus it embarrasses me thinking about it.

anyway long story short lets hope mclaren is a great man manager because he will need it with our lot. I do think mclaren is actually a good guy so hence me not being overly worried at the moment. Its also possible that with a bit of confidence and integration someone will step up on the pitch, i still dont even know a lot about de jong
but considering his experience and age etc, he could just be key. **** knows if he will stay fit mind

 

Much has changed (manager, new players) and yet so much remains the same, which would seem to imply whatever the problem is, it wasn't shipped out when Pardew left.

I agree with MF SHAK that Rolando's second point is probably much of it; if we are still bringing in the same type of players as previously, those whose's heart it is in their bank balance rather than on the shirt, then it is no wonder we find ourselves where we are. What we need is a Nolan type player who will galvanise the rest of the team and lead by example. However much Colo has been a good servant to this Club, I don't think he is the leader we need right now, nor the leader he was a few years ago. But who is there currently that could fulfil that role?

Something is wrong, it has been wrong for a long time, and however much some people want to blame Pardew, I think it is becoming evident that much of the problem was nothing to do with him (questionable tactics in innumerable games aside). It is more deep rooted than that, and I suspect it still comes back to the way the Club is being run as a business for people to line their pockets with rather than a football club that fans can believe in.

 

For me, the problem is playing one up front. The ball gets into the final third and we're lost. Cisse's first touch is horrendous and there's nobody there to pick up the pieces. If he persists in the same manner against Watford at home, he needs a good firm kick in the knackers.

 

Mike Ashley's head. Baseball bat.

 

I dont have a problem with playing one up front if it is someone like Perez. Cisse doesnt work hard enough to lead a line. Agree though that two would be much better. Hope that once Mitrovic is back he stops his version of ethnic cleansing and gets on with forming a partnership with Perez. A more attacking midfield of Wijnaldum, Thauvin, Anita and Aarons would then maybe allow us to create a few chances. We may concede a few more but its depressing knowing that once we concede there is no way back.

 

Yeah I just think we should go 4-4-2 and go for it old school style. We don't have the quality to play this system.

 

My concern is we went 442 in the carver days with similar gusto. That ended horrendously! I agree with winjaldum in the middle. If de Jong is fit then give him a run out if not maybe Sissons maybe cisse I don't care too much as both have been shocking apart from Southampton. But pere has to play! Obviously give Aarons a start

 

I would love to see Mitrovic and Perez given the chance to form a partnership.

It has all the makings to be a success, little man/big man, Pace/power, skill/creativity. I could see Perez getting alot more goals running on the end of Mitro's headers and flicks, and most importantly their age means they have time on their side, even if it doesnt work this season, just stick with it, as long as we finish in a respectable position, the time on the pitch together would be invaluable. We could end up with a world class attack if they both reached their potential.

 

I personally think people get way too hung up on formations or at least mistake what we did previously. Essentially if you look back at the successful times under KK we did indeed play a 4231 or 4411 most of the time. Beardsley could not really be classed as playing in a 442. He dropped deeper whenever we were defending and spent a lot of time closing down the holding midfielder. We all loved those sliding hook tackles he used to do to win back possession in midfield. He played behind Cole and Ferdinand in the period between 93-95. The wingers in Ginola, Sellars, Fox, Gillespie were very much pushed on.

The only time we went to 442 was Shearer and Ferdinand. However that team was so good it could get away with it. You had two of best strikers around, and a midfield pairing of Lee and Batty that could match to just about any. We are not that good any more and we'd struggle to get away with it now. Being honest we have no one anywhere near the class of Batty and Lee to cope with that burden it would place on central midfield. So we revert back to the 4231 or 4411 of the early KK days.

I can't see how you can get away with a midfield pairing of Sissoko and Gini. What role are we asking Sissoko to play in that formation above? Gini is capable of playing the Lee role. Sissoko to have the nous of a Batty/Makelele type player? I just cannot see how this can be the case. Sissoko has played in central midfield while here. He has floundered badly. The only time he has been effective is in a counter attacking team in the wide right or 10 role. I would suggest however 10 suited him best. The problem is McClaren isn't interested in playing counter attack, and from memory all the fans wanted us to play a more modern possession based game. McClaren is trying to do that. The problem in all this is Sissoko is then a really bad fit for the squad due to his lack of football intelligence and general laziness. He doesn't really fit a possession based game in a 4231, 4411 or a 442. He would be great to bring on as a direct option as teams tire and we are struggling to break teams down - but quite rightly he would not be interested in that.

If you truly wanted to play that way above you are probably best of sitting Tiote alongside Gini. If you want to go 4231 then Anita is probably the man. SDJ is ideal for the Beardsley role in a 4231 albeit in a different less energetic fashion. Perez could do the Cole role, and provide some of the energy SDJ won't. If you did want to go 442 I think you look at Perez and Mitro.

I think we have players to play a number of different ways. For whatever reason McClaren is just struggling at present to pick the right players for the way he has chosen to play. It is obvious our best wingers are Thauvin, Aarons and Perez. Our best strikers our Mitro and Perez. Our best 10's are Perez and SDJ (maybe even Thauvin?). Our best midfield therefore Gini and prob Anita with Colback's current form/limitations.

I think his problem is his devotion to Sissoko, Cisse and Colback at present. Whether it is form or just not fitting his style, I think he needs to quickly settle on what he wants to do and pick players who are suited to doing it.

 

I disagree with the Gini/Sissoko CM partnership, although it has an aspect of the age old Gerrard/lampard CM partnership where both were similar players that were too willing to attack and not defend, I think Gini and Sissoko would work if we are smart about it.

We struggle to get players in and around the box and when playing anita and colback, neither of them two really comit themselves going foward. If you worked on it on the training pitch im sure you could make it work where not all midfielders (including wingers) commited themselves and at least one stayed back during each attacking phase.

Also mixing it up and allowing gini to be involved in a couple of phases and then allowing sissoko to forward a couple of times gives the opposing team more to think about, they will be expecting to mark and follow one player, but then bam different player will be there. I think if we could get some structured fluidity then it could be a dangerous tool.

Barca have done it for years, messi isnt the only one maing runs, Xavi/inesta neymar, pedro suarez all take it in turns and make different runs at different times of the match making it impossible to follow and mark.

 

I don't necessarily disagree, but Beardsley/Cole chipped in with 63 goals between them, albeit an era or two ago - saying it was 4-4-1-1 is splitting hairs, Beardsley created and scored, was busy, a grafter, we don't really have that player but I think Perez is close. I agree that Perez/Mitrovic as stated above is, on paper, an effective partnership and maybe you have a point that it's less tactics and more about the chemistrty or make-up of the side.

Cisse's a waste of air, Colback not far behind. If we insist on a non-4-4-2 tactic then we should play with ONE holding midfielder, no matter how capable they are. What I mean is, Anita shades Colback in this position, so stick him in - Colback's his replacement. In an ideal world Tiote wants to play. In an even better world, we bought a better DM! If that means we go to 4-1-4-1 or 4-1-3-2 or 4-3-3 then it gives us a better shot at taking the game to the opposition.

Every lesser team is playing on the counter, even at home. We've played right into everyone's hands by being an average side trying to play Champions League football; we hold position without penetrating and as we gradually squeak forward, we'll just lose the all and off the opponent goes. It's happened time and time again all season, it's very disconcerting McLaren can't see it. I'll give him credit, though, in training we probably look strong. Pardew, then Carver, now McLaren have all fallen into the same trap I just hope Steve has the sense to see it.

 

No disrespect though whereas Gini may have the footballing intelligence, Sissoko hasn't IMO. He is not the brightest off the pitch by all accounts but there who aren't and still have football intelligence. Sissoko doesn't seem to have any of that. He has power and pace. Technique wise he is ok but he is very lazy by nature. That is difficult to coach. He just doesn't have a good udnerstanding of the game, hence when he plays centre midfield in the PL he just looks anonymous. I think it all happens too quickly and he struggles to know where he is meant to be.

Certainly then asking him to become the interchangeable style with Gini a la Xavi etc would be virtually unthinkable from my point of view. You need to be clever to do that, and it is largely coached from a young age. Gini could because the dutch play that kind of fluid system. I do think it is probably the most effective system when you have the players with the right intelligence. I'm not convinced on Anita but he will certainly have that grounding from Ajax.

 

I don't think it is splitting hairs though, it is very distinctly a different make up. I am not convinced it was even 4411. Were Fox and Sellars expected to do more going back over than Thauvin and Aarons, probably not. I don't think there is much between 4411 and 4231. You could even argue they are one in the same just that one is the defensive and the other the attacking. I think you have hit the nail about chemistry.

If we were playing counter attack, I'd possibly look at different players. I'd then want Sissoko, Aarons, Thauvin - players with power and pace, ball carrying ability. My problem is Steve wants one thing (possession) but then picking the wrong players to do it which I find a bit confusing. I think we largely agree here though I suspect you may want counter attack. I'm not bothered and probably prefer more possession. Either way I think it is largely about picking the right players for the right tactics. If you have options for both as we appear to then manage the squad accordingly. If we keep picking the wrong players for the style (which there is no reason you can't change depending on opposition), then we'll keep seeing ineffective football.

Why is it such a drama at Newcastle to drop Sissoko and Colback? Colback is out of form. Sissoko is not suited to what we are trying to do. I just don't see the problem.

 

If you play one up front and that one is someone as **** as Cisse you are in trouble.

 

Before the window ended I said that Sissoko should go. He just doesn't fit but as you rightly elude to he is "un-droppable" for a mid-table (or lower) side. His role is clear - pace and power on the counter. Give him the ball and some space, and he's as good as you can get. Ask him to play passing, possession football and the only tricks in his locker are completely lost. Try and make adaptable tactics and he's useless. If teams are then playing counter attack against us, picking Sissoko becomes a waste of time. We know this from an armchair, how can't the manager see it from a training pitch? It's baffling, because three successive managers have failed.

It's almost as if we give contracts to players Carr finds with "can't be dropped" in them, regardless of whether the manager wants them or not. As a result the managers role is to somehow make it work, he's not supported by the board at all; every other club gives the manager tools he needs, the tools at NUFC are in the board room and all he's given are players with sell on value, there's no sense of direction about it. The biggest step forward for this club would be the retirement of Graham Carr.

As it stands, we have what we have. I'd personally like to see 4-3-3, a different kind of dominance and three roles in the engine room - destroyer, player and runner. As Tiote isn't available, we have to use Anita, then it's Gini and Sissoko respectively. Up front I'd like to see an almost false nine as a front three, with Perez coming off the left and Thauvin the right, kind of the old school inside-left/right positions, with SDJ not used to hold play up, but dropping a little deeper than the other two forwards, if that makes sense. Sissoko would almost have license to bomb on and become a number 9, all of which is set up to attack with dynamism and is the only real way to get anything out of Moussa.

Aside from that, I'd just go 4-4-2. Perez/Mitrovic up top (SDJ when one's available, or to change the look of it), and a midfield 4 of Thauvin, Anita, Gini and Sissoko wide right. Get Colback out of the firing line, sell Cisse and Tiote asap to someone in UAE.

 

The problem we've had so far is we've been playing teams who are better than us (or at least similar and we've been away).

We need to change this by playing some of the teams in the league who are worse than us (or at least similar but this time with us being at home).

 

ps. I would actually love it if McLaren come out and said that.

 

I'm not impersonating a Russian Cossack dancer just yet.