TRon

It does seem to have been executed pretty well assuming it comes off. I'd be happy with a combination of any of those four tbh but Cissokho would be the preference for LB.

Pardew needs a left back and a striker there's no question about that. But if we've performed badly then a lot of it has been down to his long ball tactics which don't fit the players we have brought into the club. So far results have been good so we can say the ends justify them means. The jury is still out for me on Pardew though, I'll be interested to see if he makes the required changes necessary once we've got a proper left back in. I've got my fingers crossed that our long ball stuff is caused by our fullbacks not being good enough to generate a vibrant wing and our strikers offering nothing to hold up, play off or link the midfield. Cabaye has also been playing too deep to penetrate (LOL) anything from the middle. Still early doors. It's after 10 games we should have a perfect tactical insight I think. I'll be generous and say it's because of our limited full backs Pardew is playing the long ball game as a tactic rather than he doesn't have a clue how to set up a passing team. If I was a manager for example, the first thing I'd do was tell my goalkeeper to throw the ball to the full backs to start a move rather than hoof it down the pitch to two big twats I'd selected specifically to play the long ball game. I don't know where this notion of pardew being a long merchant has come fom he built decent fluid attacking and passing teams at West Ham and Reading. Didn't he actually talk about that being a priority when he started with us? I lose track given every new manager talks up the attractive crowd pleasing football. It's not a notion it's an observation of the three games we've played. The goalkeeper and the defenders are hoofing the ball long towards a big centre forward, it's not up for debate it's happening. Like I said, I'll be generous and put that down to us having no decent full backs so maybe this is a temporary tactic until we get players in who we can trust to bring the ball out.

It looks very much like we've pursued two options for both left back and the striker, playing them off against each other. If everything goes to plan it might well be Cissokho and Roux through the door by Wednesday. I wouldn't say no to that.

Bruce turned you down didn't he? Fairly sure I remember reading about Bruce's son Alex, saying how he would regret doing that and he should have took the job. Bruce turned Shepherd down yes. I can remember arguing with NE5 and others on this site that Bruce, despite being a Geordie was as thick as pig shit. Enjoy your choice of management for the next two years.

It's worth noting that Fat Fred Shepherd actively pursued Steve Bruce on account of his being a Geordie before turning to the expertise of Graeme Souness. I don't expect UV or any of the Shepherd sympathisers to pop up in this thread any time soon but worth considering in any case.

What are your thoughts on Bruce as a whole? Do you not think he's cracking up a bit with his comments post-Newcastle and post-Brighton? I'm not a Bruce fan, never have been and if you are really bored go back and look through the Sunderland thread and you will find I wanted him sacked from about March onwards. I'm amazed he is still here but their you go, that's Quinn for you, too loyal and Bruce will never be sacked by Quinn so I can just hope he walks, however with the contract he has, that will not happen. At any other club in the country Bruce would have been long gone, 9 defeats in last 11 home games, 11 points from last 16 games, 7 home points since January, it's shocking stats but like I say, he will never be sacked by Quinn, just have to grin and bare it. He will just buy his way out of the mess we are in, probably end up mid-table again and everyone will think it's all rosy, then just repeat season after season. These views do not surprise me at all. Do you all not think this about Bruce? He should be long gone IMO. Nope, a lot of people still think the sun shines out of Bruce's a***, all pointing out the "3rd best finish in 50 years". In hindsight us finishing 10th is the worst thing that could have happened, we could easily have finished 12/13th on that last day and while you lot will snigger, finishing above Newcastle was a big thing in a lot of peoples minds. Put it this way, I guarantee if Newcastle had lost 9 out of the last 11 home games your manager would have been hounded out by now, Quinn is too soft and maybe the fans are too, just accepting mediocrity. It's one of the reasons I don't mind having cockney cunts in charge of our football club. At least they won't make daft decisions based on emotion. Like hiring a Geordie pleb on the basis we might want him in the first place.

Fatigue from looking after a newly born premature baby perhaps? A plausible explanation. Nah he's been shite for a long while now, well before Daddy Simpson. People comparing their performances in open play from the last few games, imagine they were on the opposite flanks. Imagine how hopelessly shit Simpson would be having to use his left peg a fair amount of the time. Taylor is still way below average but given the amount of service Simpson has had in decent crossing positions, I bet he would produce far more quality without having to cut inside on his right all the time. What I can't understand about Ryan Taylor is, why if he's considered a defender cum midfielder, he needs to whack the ball upfield under the slightest pressure? Why not hold the ball, manoeuvre it then pass to a colleague with your midfielder skill? If he'd shown this skill along with any sort of defensive capability then I'm sure big clubs would be banging down the door to sign up this free kick goal machine.

Pardew needs a left back and a striker there's no question about that. But if we've performed badly then a lot of it has been down to his long ball tactics which don't fit the players we have brought into the club. So far results have been good so we can say the ends justify them means. The jury is still out for me on Pardew though, I'll be interested to see if he makes the required changes necessary once we've got a proper left back in. I've got my fingers crossed that our long ball stuff is caused by our fullbacks not being good enough to generate a vibrant wing and our strikers offering nothing to hold up, play off or link the midfield. Cabaye has also been playing too deep to penetrate (LOL) anything from the middle. Still early doors. It's after 10 games we should have a perfect tactical insight I think. I'll be generous and say it's because of our limited full backs Pardew is playing the long ball game as a tactic rather than he doesn't have a clue how to set up a passing team. If I was a manager for example, the first thing I'd do was tell my goalkeeper to throw the ball to the full backs to start a move rather than hoof it down the pitch to two big twats I'd selected specifically to play the long ball game.

I agree. High levels of hubris going on. I can still see us sinking like a stone down the table. I'll bet you had us nailed on for defeat against the mackems too.

Pardew needs a left back and a striker there's no question about that. But if we've performed badly then a lot of it has been down to his long ball tactics which don't fit the players we have brought into the club. So far results have been good so we can say the ends justify them means. The jury is still out for me on Pardew though, I'll be interested to see if he makes the required changes necessary once we've got a proper left back in.

They may have been strong characters that stood up to the hierarchy but I would be amazed if the same story doesn't happen next year when Colo and Jonas are into the final year of their contracts and they turn down new offers. And others move on for better wages and to more ambitious clubs. Their leaving will probably be less acrimonious because they are not likely to rock the boat. We have to expect that as soon as we have a decent player on our hands, that they will move on fairly quickly once they get a better offer that this club are not prepared to match. At the moment, we should have enough about us (providing we find someone who can score goals) to survive the the recent exodus but I don't think that will continue to be the case if the same scenario is repeated every year. The problem is we are not a top 4 club, and only the top 4 can pay big wages within a long term structure. The rest can pay it for a while, like Villa tried to, but if you don't break into the top 4 you are then in over your head and the cost cutting will be hard. It's a tough pill to swallow but we are coming back from a long way down and at this stage there's not a lot we can do to stop our players being cherry picked except get the best prices we can and try and replace them well. I agree but we should not then be turning on the players and accusing them of greed because they consider themselves to have moved on to better things - whether that is because of ambition, salary or a better-run club. Also, most of our players always seem to want to leave on good terms with the fans for which they are also slated by many but then you gets the likes of Nasri laying into the Arsenal fans once he has moved to a new club. I don't think fans turn on players who have genuinely left the club for better prospects. Since we came back up only two players fall into that category, Carroll and Enrique. It took £35m to prise Carroll away and Enrique was offered a fantastic deal to stay but still left. At the end of the day though, they are wearing Liverpool shirts now and they are there because a manager who has links with our club is hovering like a vulture because of those ties with our club. As for Nolan and Barton I have little but contempt for both as they tried to use their clout with the genuine talents to inflate their own value. Look where they are now.

Totally forgot they had signed Wickham. Not a cat's chance in hell they'll sign Bendtner then.

They may have been strong characters that stood up to the hierarchy but I would be amazed if the same story doesn't happen next year when Colo and Jonas are into the final year of their contracts and they turn down new offers. And others move on for better wages and to more ambitious clubs. Their leaving will probably be less acrimonious because they are not likely to rock the boat. We have to expect that as soon as we have a decent player on our hands, that they will move on fairly quickly once they get a better offer that this club are not prepared to match. At the moment, we should have enough about us (providing we find someone who can score goals) to survive the the recent exodus but I don't think that will continue to be the case if the same scenario is repeated every year. The problem is we are not a top 4 club, and only the top 4 can pay big wages within a long term structure. The rest can pay it for a while, like Villa tried to, but if you don't break into the top 4 you are then in over your head and the cost cutting will be hard. It's a tough pill to swallow but we are coming back from a long way down and at this stage there's not a lot we can do to stop our players being cherry picked except get the best prices we can and try and replace them well.

It would have been exactly the same if you lot had lost it, don't kid yourself any different. if if's and but's were monkey's and nuts...

It could be they are in talks with him to find out his demands in case they shift the likes of Gyan. I would imagine Bendtner's in talks with a few clubs right now.

I wonder if they are getting ready to sell Gyan now? Weren't Spurs after him a while back?

This. People keep talking about how poor he was when he joined, doesn't change the fact he was one of our best players today. Guess it's personal opinion. Call me an idiot but I honestly don't think he was one of our best players, and definitely don't think he was worth a contract of 60p/w+. Kind of like Nolan in one respect, so many fans classed him as one of our best players. Spot on. I feel these players have used the club to boost their profiles which has given them delusions of grandeur beyond their worth. Landing at QPR and West Ham might have brought them back down to earth with a bump.

He must be fucking dense then. He had a good offer, knocked it back and has since been taking potshots at his employers in various ways. Not the best way to get a contract from them is it? Everybody makes mistakes, though, right? Even IF he had a good contract offer from us in Jan and decided to wait, it would have only been fair from the club to offer him another (the same one as in Jan) one considering how outstanding he's been at times last season. There was no need for Joey to be so confrontational with the people who pay his wages. All the rubbish his agent was spouting off about top four clubs wanting him was not only bollocks it was in bad taste. You don't talk like that if you are wanting to stay at a club.

He must be fucking dense then. He had a good offer, knocked it back and has since been taking potshots at his employers in various ways. Not the best way to get a contract from them is it?

Without Carroll, no chance.

Fair play Joey if you knocked Sunderland back it shows some standards.

Marveaux will probably come into consideration as well.

Pardew

He's not in prison now and we need to replace him now. The fact that he's been poor in the past for whatever reason should have nothing to do with how he's replaced now, recently he's been one of our best players. He's been one of our best players for over a season so it's not a flash in the pan. I haven't seen that "best player" since Carroll left which is a long time ago. He's been fairly mediocre since then. The main issue for me isn't letting him go, it's getting in a decent replacement who will offer more in a wide position than Barton did. Barnetta would have been ideal but that looks like it's not going to happen now.

One thing I did notice was that after Sammy and Vukic came on we created a hatful of chances, most of which were badly squandered. The style of play will make a difference and Pardew needs to get it right.