Gallowgate Toon

Taylor man!

MYM is looking a different player today.

Perch's positioning at DM is often crap.

I disagree with that to a point. I think we'd naturally look a more dangerous side with Cabaye playing further up and Moussa running from deep and be more stable in the middle as well. We're never going to have an attacking game plan under Pardew but some managers just believe in going out and letting players do what they want when they go forward, like Redknapp, so it's not the end of the world. But for a team like that to be successful, players need to be played in positions that bring out their natural talents.

Well, that and our brain dead lot don't fill Moussa's position when he goes out wide.

Although his work out wide is negated by the fact we only ever have one player to aim at!

I bloody hope he swaps Sissoko and Cabaye at the very least, it's becoming more and more obvious that the former just isn't suited to the role he's playing. If he's genuinely going to stick to 4-2-3-1 then that link man is key, he needs to to be a player that makes the right decision the majority of the time.

I thought he said he was told he'd be the man to control possession and dictate the game? Even so, you're right about the long ball stuff, he and Tiote are doing exactly the same job in the team, it's a shambles in terms of organisation.

It doesn't really look as if his fitness is up to scratch to be honest, he jumped straight back in to the action after being out and hasn't been able to handle the run in.

I bet the vast, vast majority would prefer PEA (massively unlikely) but he most likely wouldn't fit in here.

I'd give up hope with that formation, if Carroll comes, it will most likely be: HBA Sissoko Cabaye Jonas Cisse Carroll

Llambias spelled it out when he said everyone's allowed a bad season. Pardew's going nowhere any time soon.

Anyone think he'll do an end of season phone-in this year?

Sissoko and Cabaye sounds like a suicidal partnership to me. Sissoko and Tiote would complement each other much more IMO, both athletic enough to compete against that extra man too.

8 million is about his true value. I've said since he left that I wouldn't want him back but with our current manager he'd be a useful player.

There's no point in him being here, we employ him to chase players around and hang around our centre backs so he can take it off them and play a 10 yard pass. Pardew's going nowhere, we might as well move Sissoko alongside Tiote, bring Carroll back and go 4-4-2. Get it over with and sell Cabaye while he's in demand, as much as it pains me to say it.

Hopefully the comments on shape mean he's jigging the formation around.

Anita's practically never been used in his actual position since he got here. The only 2 times I can think of, where he's been a genuine defensive midfielder playing in front of the defence, are Liverpool away after Perch went off and Reading at home until Marveaux got subbed. He performed well in both. I don't buy the physicality argument either, there's far more to being a DM than being strong, such a backward mentality.

Me too. Expectations have been significantly lowered since I've come to the realisation that that the man just can't work with a team like this. He did better when Best and Lovenkrands were at his disposal.

We'll see but I think he'll learn how to handle himself over a relatively short period of time. This is a completely different style to France, he's used to being able to nick the ball off opposition and consequently having time to decide what he wants to do for seconds after, he's probably seldom had to use his strength in such an aggressive way. He's a good build, certainly strong enough to handle Danny Graham and others like that, but as you say, he's a kid who's now having to adopt new ways of defending that won't he won't have been taught before. There's a chance Colo will be here come September, it would be equally as stupid to say it's a completely foregone conclusion. I currently rate it as 70/30 he'll be gone, but there are a lot of details to iron out first before he can leave, and we know that those in charge can be extremely stubborn in negotiating.

Not now but perhaps next year, if Colo's here of course. I wouldn't write off MYM's physicality yet, he'll most likely put a bit of muscle on in the summer and he'll improve against more physical opponents once he adapts. There's no way he can't compete with the likes of Graham on a physical level now, he dealt with taller, stronger and quicker opposition in France and Europe, it's more a matter of style and aggression. For example he often tries to nick the ball from the opponent when it's in the air, like he could in France, this is something that will change.

I think if any centre half is going to have to play, it's MYM. I know he's been shaky of late but this would be the wrong time to put Colo and Taylor back together, they've been shown up at times by strikers with pace.

Based on what? Volatile personality, limited resources, fascist views, lack of experience, there are loads. What I was responding to was the hint in bimpy's post that it doesn't matter that Di Canio was a lower league manager, but it does matter that Pardew was. I think Di Canio will probably start to get bored after a while so I don't think he'll do so well long term, but I would expect the next 12 months to be infinitely better for Sunderland than they ever would under O'Neill. We'll see, but I'm not convinced. They seemed to be the early O'Neill team to me on Sunday, it took 3 long range strikes to get that result and they never looked particularly creative despite breaking in numbers. They will most likely endure a honeymoon period until the end of the season but come next year, I think he'll be found out. Once things settle I think they'll be picked off with such gung-ho counter attacking and they'll sink back to the style that they were playing under O'Neill.

Good article by Douglas, hopefully the journalists will start asking him relevant and challenging questions about his style of play etc. They'll probably get the usual load of guff back but it might at least put the pressure on him a bit more to know that his methods are being questioned. I'm still fuming at that Shola sub, as if that useless gimp still plays in virtually every game for us.

Just anyone that wants to take it to the opposition. We're such a chore, even with these players we're not going to slice teams open all the time, or dominate many games from start to finish, but we could be doing so much better.