morpeth mag

Yep, HBA is going to play the midfield enforcer when Tiote goes to the ACN so he can play some of this hoofball that's all the rage nowadays

Gary Speed

With three CB the CM positions are about passing and work rate rather than size. The front three are mobile but two must drop behind the ball when possession is lost. The key is speed on the break.

I don't think I've ever seen a team in the PL _choose_ to play with a back 3, would love to see us try it... if we had the personnel for it anyway (us having 3 good and healthy centerbacks, haha). Think Villa have been trying it which just goes to show that formations need time to embed. Personally think we have the full backs now to play 433 and that Colo would be great in such a formation. Maybe: Krul Taylor Colo Douglas Debuchy Cabaye Anita Santon HBA Cisse Marv (Remy)

Good post, you're spot on there. Agree also. What was so disappointing is that despite the late goals against we played decent football for an hour at OT and the Emirates. The Ba saga gave us a golden chance to build on that by playing Cisse centrally and playing creative players around him. Instead we get Shola and then more route one crud with Ranger as well as Shola. Pardew admitted he got the subs wrong against Arsenal yet still thinks the only way to get a late goal is to play hoof. Once he got t wrong the first sub should have been Bigi for Shola.

Ferguson is just a bully whose power is diminishing. His outburst is a sign of the pressure he is under as Manchester United slip slowly down the list of good footballing teams. I think they'll find how far they've fallen when they face Real, who in themselves were a poor shadow of an excellent Dortmund team in the earlier group stages. He's losing his grip in the PL with Chelsea and Man City gradually overhauling his team despite the present league positions. All he has left is the vacuum of power left by an inept FA. He's been a great team builder but his time is coming soon, and like many, I look forward to seeing the mighty fall.

Carrying the injury all season apparently

Might prevent a Jan sale.

I'd certainly be playing Cisse up the middle whilst this drags on.

Can't play against Everton as FA closed for hols so no registrations possible.

Thought his new hair style was good: and he played very well.

No way he'll drop Tiote but he will have to drop Cisse otherwise Baines will have a field day. Think he'll go with: Krul Perch Williamson Colo Santon Tiote Bigi Obertan Anita Marv Ba

Needs a break - his confidence is shot. Despite what Pards said this morning I think he has to play central in the 433 formation. Might have to play at OT with the suspensions.

Don't believe in coincidences. IF he refused to play the club would announce an injury so as not to weaken their bargaining position. We are in for a right back and he is our number one target. He wants a move and knows he can't be as passive as the summer. He's on his way IMO.

Played well against man city too. Think he likes the three central midfielders as he can pass simple.

They're looking at our full back but someone's switched Simpson into the article rather than Santon

I think the past month or so has shown Sammy has much to learn but he has a spark and if you need a goal in the last five minutes I don't think he's a bad call. The thing that is surprising me is that Marveaux isn't getting more pitch time. We need to run the clock done by keeping the ball.

Ok so he backs off too much sometimes but Danny is a decent defender with a reasonable nose for danger. Why I think he needs to move on is because modern teams need full backs who can attack or at least retain possession. He doesn't trust his first touch so plays the ball back towards our goal - safe but ultimately ending in a Krul or Williamson boot. I sit in the East Stand and you can see HBA et al desperately looking for a pass that is not Danny. In today's game the 'defence' is the two CB and one or two CM. in any such system you need width from you FB. Danny will probably be at QPR in January. I'll be pleased if that happens but will wish him well.

I think much praise is rightly due to AP for what he has done since he took over but he's got to carry the can for today. It was the wrong team, the wrong formation and the subs were too late. I think we can get away playing 442 with Tiote and with Jonas LW but otherwise we just surrender midfield. Anita has to play as part of a three and Cabaye is better suited to this type of formation. We need HBA around the penalty box of the other team not our own. We need to play at a high tempo against all teams but certainly teams like WHU. Pass and move. That relies on having mobile attacking full-backs in the modern game, not DS, especially at home. We need centre backs who are at ease on the ball, and that means more than Colo and Taylor. I saw a stat somewhere saying that in the six games we had trailed 1-0 at HT we had three draws and three defeats prior to today. If we don't score first we lose any pattern to our play and just start humping aimless balls forward. I've also lost count of how many times this season we've got to the byline inside the other teams box and failed to pick out our players.

The problem with most yellow cards (and bad language) is one of crime and punishment. The punishment of a yellow card and free kick is worth taking to stop a dangerous break. Moving a free kick 10 yards forward is no penalty in most cases. I think we should have sin bins for yellow cards and long penalties for cynical offences. Say a 25 yard shot at goal from the person fouled for example. Makes the punishment real, makes games have more goal action, makes clubs manage the behaviour of their players and enables refs to punish teams without going nuclear with a red card.

Colo is a class player but in stereotypical South American style he can play dirty if things aren't going well. The Bolton / Elmander game a couple of years back springs to mind. Whether he changed his mind at the last moment in the red card incident on Sunday or he just missed him, there was intent and malice there and it was a red card in my view. Don't know if they have history as Colo was gunning for him all game. Either that or he just wanted to play some Europa games.

Think it might be as above but Ferguson at LB and maybe Marveaux instead of Anita as Anita will play in midfield on Sunday. Possibly Shola not Cisse for the same reason.

Did what he was bought to do - breaking up their play with his reading of the game and improving our passing and all retention. Probably helped as LFC pay a Dutch type of possession game (badly).

It will be Williamson because he's played we'll recently and because we have to stop Olsen in the air at set pieces. Handling their pace on the break is about team shape. Think it will be Perch alongside cabaye and Jonas in midfield. Also think he'll go with Cisse over Shola just because of the away game last year but that's a call for Pards.

Struggled so far but there's many a player come into the league and had a mediocre first season. Pires comes to mind. I'll judge next year.