Bored with nothing better to do, so just thought I'd rant about footballing reasons applying to this season only as to why I hate Pardew (ignored his lies/excuses/lack of ambition/ties with Ashley):
1) Doesn't have a clue how to get players to pass and move effectively on the training ground, resulting in players turning up every week looking like they have no clue how they're meant to be creating goals as a team other than to just kick it forward and chase the ball (or try lots of 30-40 yard shots).
2) Lack of a single footballing philosophy that he sticks by. Ben Arfa has himself said Pardew sometimes asks them to kick it, other times to pass it. It’s no wonder the players look clueless so often, they’re being coached by someone who himself doesn’t know what style of play he believes in. How are they meant to excel at one given that other teams (with top managers) all focus on one style that they build upon? It's like a vicious cycle under this guy. Hoofball doesn't work because it's inherently flawed (and a waste of genuine talent if you have any) and difficult to implement without someone like Carroll up front. So we resort to having to pass when results reflect the state of the hoofball and Pardew gets desperate: but then trying to pass doesn't work because it's difficult to implement, not something you can just switch on and off if players aren't drilled to move and show for each other. So when passing doesn't work we resort to hoofball because that's what Pardew believes in, but then we're back to the beginning of the cycle. And all of this is the manager's doing.
3) Utterly and totally reliant on top class players to gloss over his own failings and keep the team's neck above water. I think it has been lost on some people that Remy and Cabaye are/were damn good CL calibre players who we were lucky to have in the first place. It’s not a given for a low spending mid table club to have players of that calibre. Pardew building up a complete dependency on that level of player to such an extent that we’re talking about serious relegation form without them is just an insane situation to have when we factor in him not being sacked for it.
4) Gameplans, or lack thereof. Plan A = negative stop the opposition hit and hope stuff, already covered earlier in this rant. Plan B = ??. Or more precisely, "throw Shola on and launch it". Worst NUFC team I've ever seen when we go a goal behind. Again, all entirely to do with Pardew.
5) Defending, or lack thereof. Despite his unbearably negative approach to the game and all the changes he makes aimed at nullifying the opposition, we leak goals left, right and centre far too often. He plays defensive "wingers" to stop opposition fullbacks, and those fullbacks still go and create goals for their teams. The guy thinks he's a tactical genius clearly, but it's obvious he just clueless in this department and none of what he does actually helps. Might be worth throwing defending at set pieces into here.
5) Formations. Could have played 4-3-3 for the whole season given that anyone who isn't blind can see it suits our squad of players best (and has done since 11/12) - but other than a handful of appearances Pardew has refused to play it for unknown reasons, just like he did for the entirety of last season when he nearly got us relegated. 4-3-3 suits all of our players best, but that clearly doesn’t matter because…
6) Could have played Ben Arfa as a right wing forward for the whole season, especially after the sale of Cabaye - after one average game vs Hull Hatem hasn’t played a single game there.
7) Could have started Marveaux in every game since Cabaye's sale, especially after Marveaux has looked a class act in the AM role on a number of occasions (especially the Christmas period in 12/13 vs ManU and Arsenal no less) - but no, Pardew refuses to even field Marveaux whilst Shola and Gosling get run outs.
8) Openly stated in the media that due to Cabaye's sale we would be switching from a passing game to a "different approach". Started Shola next game and we hoofed it to him at every opportunity. Pardew's idea, Pardew's vision, Pardew's responsibility. It’s clear as day that he genuinely believes in this “hoof it” nonsense.
9) We briefly had a moderately solid centreback pairing in Yanga MBwia and Williamson who seemed to complement each other well, with MBwia especially starting to look like the player he was described as being when we signed him. After losing his place to Colo for no real reason, Yanga hasn’t been seen at centreback since, and somehow even ended up behind Steven Taylor in the queue despite Saylor being Saylor. Just another in a long line of inexplicable decisions from Pardew where he is destroying the confidence of a promising player for unknown reasons.
10) Was obvious from very early on that Sissoko + Gouffran on the wings would not work in the long run. Neither provide any creativity and both are average “footballers” at best when being played out of position (we have no idea what they’d be like in their natural positions as Pardew refuses to play them there). Why does Pardew refuse to see this? Well, we all know why, because they’re only there to defend as that’s all Pardew sees. Same way he started Jonas in nearly every game in 12/13.
Rant over.
Time for him to headlock 'Atam and make it up to Pards.