Gallowgate Toon

"We started really, really well and got the goal, which is not something we do often at home, get an early goal, and everything looked happy. "We weren’t tight enough as a team today. We were really tight at Villa with the same formation but we were loose today, and Hull exploited those spaces. "I thought all three goals were poor from us - as I say, we defended really, really well in these last few weeks. "Today, it’s the inconsistency of performance that this team is searching for. The team that finished fifth, you see similarities with this team, but that team had a consistency about its performance, as a team, not as individuals. "The formation was the same today, the set-up was the same but we looked not the same. We looked too loose, and gifted goals and you can’t do that against any opposition. "I’ll be the first to pay tribute to Hull, they played very well. But for us, it’s a really disappointing day. It’s the commitment and the quality that you need in every game, that we showed at Villa. "Today, it’s not just the looseness of the team but the distance between our units and our selection of passing wasn’t as great as it has been in the last two or three games. "We weren’t as solid as we were at Villa, and you’ve got to do it home and away in this division.” "We had a day at the office that we would like to forget quite quickly, and move on.”

He clearly says that the team dropped their level after the goal and he comments on complacency. The tight comments are based around us being very poor when we had to defend, which we will have to do.

I don't think they changed too much after we scored, we just dropped our level. I don't often go along with the Premier League experience line but I thought it showed yesterday. A lot of those players haven't been in a winning Premier League team and they just didn't get what was needed to win after we went ahead.

I don't remember other occasions but I had my head in my hands for most of the game He's obviously got a big bit of blame to take for the first but it was just a comedy of errors overall. For a team that works on defending, we were shambolic. I'm thinking that Pardew might have over-complicated things from the off, we just didn't seem at all solid, it was the complete opposite of last week.

If you're talking about the first goal, Mole, then the midfield really needs to be asked what the hell they were doing. It was a completely preventable situation and you could also say Colo could have called it much better as well. Defences that communicate well don't operate like that.

That first goal is a complete horror show. We had 2 extra men in that situation but their man in the middle was left to roam free and then a complete breakdown in communication leads to two onrushing players leaving them with a man over. Really disappointing as we've shown ourselves to be much better than that in recent weeks. What was the deal with Remy and HBA defensively, as well? They both played very well last week while putting in a shift, we should be doing that against every team in the division at the moment (home and away) because we really aren't defensively good enough to be so blase.

He fucked up on the first, although massive questions need to be asked of the midfield as to what they were doing to protect the middle. As for the next 2, I really don't see how he's to blame. For the third, HBA will have to actually do some defensive stuff from time to time, he can't get a free pass. He's not being asked to do an awful lot for that goal but he neglects the most basic of tasks. And whoever is meant to be marking Aluko deserves to be shot with shit.

What did they do differently to what most teams do to Hatem? He usually has about 3 players on him.

I don't think we even had a shot after his team talk. Again, I wasn't at all happy with the second half and Pardew certainly played a huge part in that. I found the first half far more infuriating however, seeing a lack of professionalism. I know we went in at 2-1 but if the complacency hadn't been there, we could/should have been 2 or 3 up.

You were more disappointed with what happened in the first half when the score was 2-1 then you were in the 2nd when the score was 0-2, OK. Considering what I saw was poor attitude, yes. I'm not happy with a lack of ability (Pardew) but i find a lack of application and professionalism worse.

Yes I do realise there can be more than one person to blame. The players were a long way from playing to the best of there ability but pulling our midfield back wasn't the way to go about sorting that out. I've not seen those quotes but what I saw were shoddy tactical changes in the second half, I agree with that. What I saw in the first has me far more disappointed, however.

The players taking their foot off the pedal and Pardew ballsing stuff up in the second half are not excuses, Mick. You do realise there can be more than one person to blame, don't you?

Coincidence that this always happens? It's his instructions man, the players are doing as they're told. Nah, I don't think that happened today, like. There was a casual lethargy to our play, even at 1-1. Too few players thinking that they didn't need to play at their best. We attacked when we had a lead, late on in the game, away at Villa. You don't tell players to just stop caring. Fulham too. Took the lead and then kept on going. When did we score against Fulham? We played 8 minutes after that. Surely that's when your theory should be at its most prominent? If there's a time to keep it tight, it's when you're protecting a late lead.

Coincidence that this always happens? It's his instructions man, the players are doing as they're told. Nah, I don't think that happened today, like. There was a casual lethargy to our play, even at 1-1. Too few players thinking that they didn't need to play at their best. We attacked when we had a lead, late on in the game, away at Villa. You don't tell players to just stop caring. Fulham too. Took the lead and then kept on going.

We were winning 2-1 at half time when Pardew pulled our midfielders back, the gaps between midfield and the forwards were shocking and all down to him because he's admitted it. I've even said in other posts that he screwed us over in the second half. My point is, we should have been more than 1 goal up by half time and while many are happy to assume that's all down to Pardew, I don't think the definition of keeping it tight is to then go and dick about and play with absolutely no tempo, even when you've got the opportunity to break.

He's just said on the radio that he told the midfield to get closer to our defenders at half time. Half time being the point I'm not disputing. Did you not watch our lot after that first goal went in? Their desire to do anything at pace just wasn't there.

Mate I've been watching his team for nearly three years now and can almost count the number of times we've taken a 2-0 lead at home on one hand. That is his gameplan, always has been and always will be. Take a lead then try and hold it. Sick of reading about how wrong I am and how he's actually telling them before the game to get 2, 3, 4. He's not. I've watched the team sit off after half time plenty, but after 15 minutes? His quotes are pretty damning. I think the team got complacent, wandering about when Huddlestone was in yards of space inside the box, MYM trying to dribble out of defence etc. Pardew's not very good and deserves a lot of stick for the second half's changes but our lot got cocky.

Give over man.... he tracked back more than Debuchy did for that goal. Absolute bullshit. HBA's 'tracking' was pathetic. He jogged with his man until the 18 yard line, looked at him and then slowed down. I love the lad but he isn't immune from criticism, he fucked up badly for that goal. He also was looking straight at the bloke for the 1st and said and did nothing.

Doesn't really sound like he told the players to sit off after the first goal, they seemingly took their foot off the gas and didn't go for it. He meddled too much in the second though, knacked our shape.

HBA can do the basics of actually following his man. He doesn't have to tackle or anything, just actually be there, he simply didn't look arsed today.

He was appalling today, it wasn't so much that he was poor but his attitude was rubbish. Did nothing to up the tempo of the game and his attempts to track his man for the 3rd were abysmal, he looked at his man then just let him saunter ahead.

Too fucking slow to distribute.

The only one to come out with any proper credit. He was excellent.

Seething. Utterly pathetic performance. The arrogance on show when we went a goal up was unbelievable. We're a good side, but not that good. We should be going after teams when we go ahead, instead, we do the opposite. I'm not sure if it was the manager or the players but the desire to win just didn't seem there, proper small club mentality. Credit to Hull but we had them in those opening stages, we just didn't punish them. Pardew made some crap changes which didn't help in the second. I don't mind defeat but when it's in that manner, it's unforgivable.

I'm a bit nervous about this now, it will be an interesting test. They have pace on the wings and will probably come with a strategy to counter, shutting space down then hitting the wide men on the break. We struggle against teams that do that and even with the team in the shape we played vs. Villa, I don't think we've got the ideal personnel to really punish them. It will most likely be a massive test for Cabaye at AM, I don't think he'll do so well there when space has been shut down.