Chris_R

There's plenty wrong with only ever having 3, or 4 if a fullback joins in, players attacking. It's crazy. And our defence stays way too deep. There's nothing wrong with the 1st pic as a setup if you don't have the ball, but it's f***ing stupid way to try to score goals when you do have the ball. That's the problem. We can play as image 1 when they have the ball, or deeper even if need be, but we just don't push up to the second image. I dont mean the depth mate, i meant the actual formation itself. Same formation but pushed up is fine with good movement, should have made that clearer. Oh for sure. That's really all formation 2 is: Formation 1 but pushed forward. Except Cabaye moves forward as well so there's only 1 holding midfielder, but it could still work (but be a bit less gung-ho) with Cabaye further back but I think that would be a waste of his talents, as we're seeing now.

In my hurry to do the pics and because I watched swathes of the match through gaps in my fingers, maybe Sissoko, Gouffran and Marveaux could be interchanged a bit. But that's the formation, either way, and that's my point.

There's plenty wrong with only ever having 3, or 4 if a fullback joins in, players attacking. It's crazy. And our defence stays way too deep. There's nothing wrong with the 1st pic as a setup if you don't have the ball, but it's fucking stupid way to try to score goals when you do have the ball. That's the problem. We can play as image 1 when they have the ball, or deeper even if need be, but we just don't push up to the second image.

This is how Pardew set us up to attack today: http://oi47.tinypic.com/14o61j4.jpg Watching a bit of the Man U game, this is how Fergie would set the same 11 up: http://oi47.tinypic.com/2w4wh1d.jpg Now I know which I'd rather watch, and I know which I think would have this team highest up the league.

Agree with the 1st bit. Not about Tiote. I'm no great fan of his, when he came here I was ridiculed for saying his passing was shit and would hold him back when everyone else was busy licking his hoop out, but I do feel he can have a role to play for us. Imagine, if you can, a team where we attack with 5 or 6 instead of with 3 or 4. Tiote would be a great player to have sitting in front of the 2 DCs who are on the half-way line. 3 in or around the opposition box, 1 wide each side, fullbacks bombing forward when the ball goes wide. We could be frightening. Instead we're frightened.

We attack with 3 players. We sit too deep. These are tactical decisions from the manager. Irrespective of the summer, we'll STILL play s***, uninspiring football. We did well last season despite Pardew, not because of him. We ended up with a front 3 of Ba, Ben Arfa and Cisse and it worked well. We still only attacked with 3 players, but they were 3 very direct forward players and they offered enough threat to the opposition that we got a few goals. Now we've lost Ba, Ben Arfa has missed nearly all the season and teams know what we're about and how we'll play. Also, loads of other teams underperformed last season and allowed us to sneak in. We can't be so utterly reliant on 3 players for any success whatsoever because when something goes wrong (Ba sold, Ben Arfa injured) we're f***ed, as this season shows. Our system is rubbish, it relies on exceptional individuals performing moments of magic. Spot on. Our lack of direction and movement just screams poor coaching. And aside from how crazy that is in the first place, this season 2 of those 3 players capable of such magic haven't been part of the team, yet we persevere with the same setup and scratch our heads when it doesn't work. As Einstein said, the definition of craziness is doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. But that's Pardew and his tactics for you.

We attack with 3 players. We sit too deep. These are tactical decisions from the manager. Irrespective of the summer, we'll STILL play s***, uninspiring football. We did well last season despite Pardew, not because of him. We ended up with a front 3 of Ba, Ben Arfa and Cisse and it worked well. We still only attacked with 3 players, but they were 3 very direct forward players and they offered enough threat to the opposition that we got a few goals. Now we've lost Ba, Ben Arfa has missed nearly all the season and teams know what we're about and how we'll play. Also, loads of other teams underperformed last season and allowed us to sneak in. We can't be so utterly reliant on 3 players for any success whatsoever because when something goes wrong (Ba sold, Ben Arfa injured) we're f***ed, as this season shows. Our system is rubbish, it relies on exceptional individuals performing moments of magic.

Pretty pleased that I'll be shut away in a room for almost the entire of the week with 2 fellas who are flying in today from Nigeria. And the only abuse I've had thus far is from 2 mackem women via Facebook.

He's going outlast religion isn't he Be him and Shola, here until 2050.

When I was younger I'd play football 2 or 3 times a week and I wasn't an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. When I was a kid I'd play from morning to night, 7 days a week. It's bullshit.

Well exactly. If we have a gameplan, a way to attack, then we can use that for every match. "Same as always lads, get at them, bodies in the box, look for the overlap and get the defence up to the half-way line." Worked for Fergie for 30 fucking years.

Yeah, you've got most of them too far forward there.

Oh, and Man U are playing away, have all but won the league anyway and are already a goal up. Today we were at home against our biggest rivals. Fucking cowardly disgrace.

Again, an interesting choice of words that shows him up for the coward he is. He doesn't want to win. He wants to avoid defeat. That's a massive difference.

I just flicked the Stoke - Man U match on to see how Man U are set up. When they're starting an attack, the defence push up to nearly half-way. I mean right on it, past the start of the centre-circle. They have 3 forwards in or on the edge of the area, with one man out wide on each side. If the ball DOES go wide, the fullback overlaps on that side. Contrast that to us. The defence stay camped deep in our half. Cabaye and Tiote are in the centre circle (if we're lucky) with Gouffran and Sissoko wide and Cisse alone in the box. It's dire.

See this is just symptomatic of the man. Note the choice of words: "We didn't look organised". He wants us MORE organised, MORE disciplined. MORE defensive. If he'd come out and said "We didn't look threatening" or "We couldn't break them down" it'd be far more in line with what everyone else thinks. There's nobody in here that thinks our lack of organisation was to blame for todays inept performance.

What? We weren't clinical in front of goal and they were. What tactics would you have employed chris? I watched Barcelona in the CL semis, wanting to see how a good team sets itself up. Now I know we don't have the players Barca do, but Sunderland are not exactly PSG either and the aim is the same either way, or should be: Try to score goals. So anyway, EVERY time Barcelona attacked, they had six men ahead of or trying to get ahead of the ball. Normally at least 2 or 3 in the box increasing as they get close to the opposition goal. Contrast that to us. We attack with Cisse, Sissoko and Goufran. Everyone else sits back for the majority of the time. We don't need 2 holding midfielders ffs. That's crazy. We need 1. Cabaye is completely hamstrung by playing there, he should be further up. We play to deep. We defend the edge of the box, sometimes inside of it. That invites pressure on us. We should be pushing the back 4 higher up which in turn pushes the midfielders closer to the attackers and gives the opposition less space to play in. Yes, that means teams can play in behind us but we're over-cautious to the point of stupidity. We need to spend less time worrying about the opposition and more time making them worry about us. Perversely, that will almost certainly mean we concede FEWER goals as we'll not be on the back foot all the time. We never attack with more than 3 players unless a full back has overlapped. It's my main bugbear. Defending sides just find it too easy to nullify that kind of static - safety first approach. And Cisse is usally by himself with two or 3 players around him. Indeed. We play a counter-attacking game but we counter-attack with THREE fucking players. OK, sometimes a fullback gets up as well but it's still not enough. It's shit and predictable. The ball just goes straight back to the opposition and we're back under pressure again. Our crosses are often with the wrong foot. Inswinging crosses simply do not consistently lead to chances being created as you've got no space to play the ball into and the defender is facing the right way to clear whilst the forward is looking back over his shoulder and away from the goal. Any player tasked with putting crosses in should be on the correct side to do so. If they can't play there, sell them and get some in that can. And I don't mean HBA and Gouffran as their job is to support the striker (well, it should be) and not to put crosses in for Cisse all on his own (which is often the case). I'm mainly talking Santon and Jonas being used down the left with no effect whatsoever. And don't even start me on the penises. When did we last score from a corner? Can someone actually tell me?

I'm sure Redknapp turned us down at some point in the past, or am I remembering incorrectly? I wouldn't want him for that reason alone, as if he came now it would be for him, not for us. It would be the managerial equivalent of signing Nicky Butt or Michael Owen. No thanks. Plus he's an abhorrent shitstain of a cunt.

Wont happen as he doesn't want to move from the South Coast. This. He won't leave Sandbanks. Not sure why mind, it's nice there but not that nice. Only round the corner from me, I've cycled past his a few times hoping to see him so I can give him a slap.

What? We weren't clinical in front of goal and they were. What tactics would you have employed chris? I watched Barcelona in the CL semis, wanting to see how a good team sets itself up. Now I know we don't have the players Barca do, but Sunderland are not exactly PSG either and the aim is the same either way, or should be: Try to score goals. So anyway, EVERY time Barcelona attacked, they had six men ahead of or trying to get ahead of the ball. Normally at least 2 or 3 in the box increasing as they get close to the opposition goal. Contrast that to us. We attack with Cisse, Sissoko and Goufran. Everyone else sits back for the majority of the time. We don't need 2 holding midfielders ffs. That's crazy. We need 1. Cabaye is completely hamstrung by playing there, he should be further up. We play to deep. We defend the edge of the box, sometimes inside of it. That invites pressure on us. We should be pushing the back 4 higher up which in turn pushes the midfielders closer to the attackers and gives the opposition less space to play in. Yes, that means teams can play in behind us but we're over-cautious to the point of stupidity. We need to spend less time worrying about the opposition and more time making them worry about us. Perversely, that will almost certainly mean we concede FEWER goals as we'll not be on the back foot all the time.

What?

I'd get rid now, and have an interim manager until the end of the season. Carver or anyone really. And use the time between now and the new season to get the right bloke in.

I don't understand people saying things like this, that would be the worst time possible to replace a manager. Yeah you're probably right, we did it once with Bobby and it was a shocking decision. Not really thinking straight about it after that performance. On the one hand I really do think finishing 5th and signing the players he has deserves to give him more time. On the other, given how we've played for the majority of the season (even taking injuries and not really replacing Ba into account) I wish we had a manager who could get us playing in a more entertaining fashion. Basically what I'd like is a real life Football Manager holiday scenario where we could holiday for half of next season and if the players have gelled and we're doing great keep him, if it's this same old clueless nonsense, get rid and start the season again He deserves no credit at all for signing the players. That's Carr and the board. He deserves some credit for 5th, but that was largely due to the players being new and un-Pardewed. This season, he's coached all the life and movement out of them and we're getting worse, not better, under his tenure. It's visible for all to see.

Clueless man, absolutely clueless. Attacking approach? No shape to this tactics. Sissoko falls down deep to pick up the ball why Cabaye and Tiote act like f***ing quarterbacks. Are you kidding me? This isn't football. Never been and never will be. This. 100% this.

That's it for me. I've had enough. Sick of being outplayed by shit teams when we've got plenty of more than competent players. Out please.