BottledDog

Good post. We almost exclusively look to sit back and defend a lead. We just lack the players for it to work effectively and it's horrible to watch. Wigan looked dangerous for a spell at the start of the second half. We were all over the shop and invited too much pressure. We end up looking nervy, the crowd get edgy and it's just a vicious circle. The game against Maritimo was a perfect example and we were guilty of it to a point against Stoke. I'm not saying we should be gung ho, but we certainly need to be more positive. The 2 or 3 hammerings we had last season didn't help the goal dif, but neither did the negative, sit back on a slender lead mentality. There have been lots of games where the opposition are there for the taking, we have a chance to boost the goals for column, pass the ball about nicely and get a bit of confidence up. We just plonk everyone behind the ball! Would be foolish to get too carried away, bit hard to judge the performance really. But there were a lot of positives to take at least. Did we actually sit back, or did Wigan not come out for the second half in desperate need for an early goal? We contained them fairly well and then got back into our stride.

I don't think there was any major sea change change in our philosophy last night, it is how Pardew and the team ideally want to play. We resort to lumping it when we are put under more pressure, and we will go back to doing it again in the coming games. We all hate it, but I'll still have a certain degree of sympathy with it as long as we struggle to put out a fairly consistent side (whether that is due to injuries or the fatigue of a squad lacking depth in Europe).

bottling challenges and sauntering about isn't going to endear him either. This x 100. I have a great deal of time for Marveaux but that pisses me of no end and I'd be reluctant to start him full stop, never mind sticking him in centre mid.

Playing at the centre of a back three if I'm hearing right.

Getting a lot of touches, which as a defender is not good. Just given away another corner which is not good. Overall though he's playing flipping cheeky decent (based on't commentary).

Fill yer boots. 5 mins to go. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football-20539351

No wait, 1-1. This kid's good.

Get rid. 1-0 down.

Good to hear. Well said. Well said even though it apportions almost all blame for our current predicament on something you consistently defend? Yup! I'm not sure why you're trying to point score on this, but there is a considerable gap between taking positives from keeping the core together while having sympathy with the notion of sticking to our guns on valuations, and being actually happy at where our ambition left us at the end of the window. I could see us being ok, even justifiably better than the previous season (barring a run of injuries or loss of form obviously ), but we had all hoped for more. I have a good deal more sympathy for Pardew than Ashley currently for that very reason.

Good to hear. Well said.

Geordie boys, taking the piss... :-)

That side and bench. Bare bones doesn't really do it justice. Come on you fuckers, surprise me.

I know i was generalising what Pardew said in an interview once. I guess i just want the opposition to worry about us. Obviously when you play Man Utd, City, Chelsea you have to be set up properly. Just not to extent where you hope to nick a goal and hold on for dear life. Thats very Martin O'nil Did he? I'd be interested to see the quote as I'd got it into my head that it was a jokey comment that came from JC. Not sure i'm remembering this right but i thought it was from the Radio Newcastle interview with him and JC, Pardew said he concentrates on the shape and defensive side Monday to Thursday and JC looks at the attacking side Friday's. Last season and before the Europa League disrupting. Not an excuse that by the way, piss poor one for me. You're probably right like. I'd be surprised if that has remained the training regime to this day though, things change and I'd guess that was at a point when we were just trying to get the basics sorted. /fuck only knows if they are even doing any training at the moment. It certainly doesn't show. Maybe thats Pardew flaw, he doesn't adapt, change and evolve the way say Sir Alex has or Sir Bobby didn't when he managed abroad. You are right though, if they are spending that much time on defending i'd want my money back The amount of time he has spent studying other managers (for the most part, abroad), I'd like to think one of Pardews strengths is that he is open to change or other ideas. None of us really have a clue what goes on on the training pitch though, so we'll just have to sit back, support, and see what direction the team takes once we climb out of this interminable rut.

Sure, but you also need some people with a different point of view to make it worthwhile. FWIW you're basically right, that's why I stopped coming on here for a couple of months. Totally agree. I think the reason why the place is so downbeat is because of the season as a whole and not just the performances/results from the last 4 games. The performances before that were a big concern any case, not magnified against because of the results against 4 teams we should be beating and seeing nothing in those 4 games that we can go forward with. Aye, I totally understand why it's downbeat, I'm far from happy myself. I'm not ready to think about Pardew's job yet though. I'm hoping he can turn it round, and I know Ashley probably won't sack him anyway. That's probably the most certain thing from the whole situation. Though in true NUFC fashion we'll probably sack Pardew right at the end of the transfer window. It really isn't.

I know i was generalising what Pardew said in an interview once. I guess i just want the opposition to worry about us. Obviously when you play Man Utd, City, Chelsea you have to be set up properly. Just not to extent where you hope to nick a goal and hold on for dear life. Thats very Martin O'nil Did he? I'd be interested to see the quote as I'd got it into my head that it was a jokey comment that came from JC. Not sure i'm remembering this right but i thought it was from the Radio Newcastle interview with him and JC, Pardew said he concentrates on the shape and defensive side Monday to Thursday and JC looks at the attacking side Friday's. Last season and before the Europa League disrupting. Not an excuse that by the way, piss poor one for me. You could be right. I'd be surprised if that has remained the training regime to this day though. Things change, and I'd guess that was at a point when we were just trying to get the basics sorted. /fuck only knows if they are even doing any training at the moment. It certainly doesn't show.

I know i was generalising what Pardew said in an interview once. I guess i just want the opposition to worry about us. Obviously when you play Man Utd, City, Chelsea you have to be set up properly. Just not to extent where you hope to nick a goal and hold on for dear life. Thats very Martin O'nil Did he? I'd be interested to see the quote as I'd got it into my head that it was a jokey comment that came from JC.

Nah. Save the makems for the final.

Never mind that, why exactly will the prices be lower now we're desperate? Half of the ones we seem to be linked with are freebies at the end of the season, so I'd hope so. One positive is that we can pretty much guarantee any potential centreback a starting spot at the moment.

The injuries are just getting silly now, and January can't come soon enough. The big worry is whether any of the players we'd targeted would still be interested if we continue in the God awful manner in which we're playing at the moment.

Pardew's wages are linked with our wage bill and our debt. It's also possible that his wages are linked to league position, qualifying for Europe, cup wins, etc. Couldn't say. We know that they are linked to the wage bill and the debt though. So, if he thinks he can get by with what we have then that's what will happen. Logical enough. It's his job and he has a set of objectives that can affect what he earns, naturally enough, they will influence his decisions. As they would yours and mine. Have i missed something? I mean I've seen people mention it before, but never thought anything of it other than speculative bollocks. How would anyone 'know' this? (aside from Pardew etc obviously) Its bollocks, good bollocks but bollocks all the same. From a "club source" just before Pardew took over... You what? Neither off those quotes, wherever they have been dragged from, back up Lotus' argument in any way whatsoever. In fact they offer almost exactly the opposite, what sounds like a sensible approach compared to the made up ravings of a tin foil be-topped lunatic. Who's this us out of interest?

Flair players? Yesterday? I'm struggling to think any of our players on the pitch could be considered 'flair players' beyond supposedly technically decent players in Santon and Anita.

Moyes didn't have a squad as good as this though. Besides that being open to debate, It has no bearing on the basic sentiment. Like Hughton I'd be happy to try a different tack now, hold our nerve and see Pardew crack on and supported for as long as he can be.

Id really love to see a manager not be hounded out after his first big slump, and actually get to see where backing someone ala Moyes actually takes us (for better or worse). Unless we are sitting in the bottom three come March, and even though I'm not loving what he or the team is doing at the moment. I'm all for sticking with him.

Fuck off... ...to this thread.