Gallowgate Toon

Expecting the usual line up and a proper scrappy game as a result. 1-1.

Very, very good player but I think Scholes and Viera are/were better.

Would just do what we did last year but switch Cisse left and put Ba central. They can alternate during the match but the man who's in form should start in the middle. Either that or move HBA to CAM and keep the 2 Dembas up top but I think that would leave us very vulnerable at the other end even with our best defenders out.

I don't think it's Ba, I think Pards has shown with Ben Arfa that he's not afraid to do what's best for the team in terms of dropping or playing players out of position. I agree with Otter's post that since the Wigan game, AP's been afraid of taking a beating, I think that game and the Fulham one reinforced in his head that we're too vulnerable defensively like that.

I think we can all see that it's been proven not to work. That's what worries me. He knows the option's available and that is has its uses, we saw that yesterday but he just seems to flat out refuse to start with it for some reason. What makes it worse is that the whole set up of it is so rigid, archaic and unbalanced, from the players selected, to the style we choose to play and so on. We've gone from being on fire at the end of last season to looking worse than the likes of Norwich and Aston Villa in a footballing sense, how much longer can it go on?

Think he's going to persist with 4-4-2 until it's been proven to not work with our best XI available unfortunately. Completely nonsensical to abandon a system that worked so well for us last year, I just don't understand it.

Fucking hell just got back. Tactically done in that first 20, put up a decent fight for the next 25 or so but it was game over after that. Reminiscent of Wigan having the extra middle man last season, very, very poor.

Full backs on their natural side

We're either guna get hammered or take it to them, can see there being a lot of goals in this

It all goes hand in hand really, the correct formation allows players to play to their strengths and that should lead to good football in our case. If you look at the mess we played on Saturday, you'll find a dearth of problems. We had 2 strikers who've shown poor link up skills this season, backed up by 2 defensive midfielders that were playing ludicrously deep. We then had 4 wide players, only one of which was actually on his natural side and even then, it was James Perch, not a player that's going to bomb on and put in some good deliveries for 2 strikers that eat up good service. One of our main attacking outlets was Gutierrez who is a completely useless winger and simply not good enough for a team looking to get at the top 4. We just weren't set up to play to our strengths at all and it showed, we were neither effective nor 'attractive'. The way I see it, we have 3 viable options. A relatively balanced 4-4-2, which actually involves having at least one wide player on their natural foot for starters. Or we can go with last season's success story, the 4-3-3 which seems to suit the vast majority of our players except Ba. The last one is something a little different but involves moving Ben Arfa central with a 3 man midfield and the other 2 up top, it's a little more risky but could work and would allow our ball players some extra options. I think with the players we have available, it's actually harder to make them play poor football, the majority have played for teams that played some fantastic stuff and that has gotten them into Champions League spots and in some cases won trophies. It's quite ridiculous that such a collection look so clueless and directionless on the pitch.

As has been mentioned, he really needs to stop with the favouritism and overly negative tactics and just sort the balance of the team out, especially as he's so keen to keep 4-4-2. We don't need every single player on their natural foot but at least one on each side, yesterday should have seen Anita at RB with Ben Arfa ahead of him and Santon at LB with Ferguson ahead of him. There was literally no decent wide crossing outlet yesterday until Fergie came on, that's scandalous, especially when you're playing 2 strikers that are brilliant in the box against one of the league's crappest teams. I thought some of the tactical choices yesterday were pathetic, the line up we started out with was gutless.

Sick of him as a winger, he's done there, drop him or play him centrally.

Very, very poor at the minute. We're being carried by real quality right now and it's just not sustainable. He really needs to have a bit of a re-think here, first of all drop the favouritism he shows with Jonas, the lad's a central midfielder or nothing at all, he's not good enough as a winger. Secondly, play a right back that you've personally mentioned looks good going forward, Anita and just generally try and be more fucking positive. It's pathetic watching us at the minute, we look shambolic going forward in the main.

Paying the price for setting up like a bunch of fannies, sick of this negative bullshit.

Piss poor, change it round man Pards, so negative.

Very poor that no attempt to change things has happened, we've come out very flat.

I hope not as I'm fairly sure Pardew would put him straight back in. Hopefully he won't be starting for us again, been shown up by Anita this year for what he is, a poor footballer and average defender. Elliot Anita Taylor Colo? Santon Tiote Jonas Cabaye Ben Arfa Ba Cisse Don't think we'll line up like that but I'd love us to. Think we'll grind out a 2-0 win and go with the usual.

Disappointed Romain's not got a look in from the off.

Elliot Perch Williamson Colo Santon Bigiramana Tiote Obertan Amalfitano Marveaux Shola Is what I'd like to see.

You certainly are! I think he's called Gallowgate End.

Agreed. He's not the Ba type to get fired up after being dropped, things will come his way, it just requires patience. He should play in the cup games, but if he doesn't do it then, benched for the league games. No player deserves to start regardless of effort or form. Firstly, I'd say your comments on effort are a little harsh, I think he's generally putting in a shift. Secondly, this lad has a proven track record as a prolific goalscorer, his ability is too important to simply just leave out when the domestic campaign is only 5 games old. His reputation does precede him and rightfully so, he's earned that reputation and the right to have a bit of faith and patience shown in him. I'd agree with your opinion if he was playing the same way in another 5 league matches though.

Agreed. He's not the Ba type to get fired up after being dropped, things will come his way, it just requires patience.

Is that a polite way of saying he's as weak as p*ss in midfield?? We looked much better when him and perch swapped. Well, no, I think he'll flourish in a midfield 3 and that'll be where we see the best of him but a midfield 2 doesn't really suit his talents. It doesn't look like we're going in that direction though and I think he's a perfectly adequate RB until we buy someone else.

I don't think he's suited to a 'dynamic' midfield role at all, he doesn't have the physicality for it, not with just 1 other central player at least. He's either got to be sitting in front of the back 4 doing a pure defensive job or be part of a 3 where he can help control possession with his short passing game and cover defensively. He's our best right back though, no doubt. He's solid enough defensively but makes intelligent runs, is comfortable on the ball and puts in a good delivery.

Great half an hour spell in the first half but poor second, which I think was down to nerves.