themanupstairs

Phil Dowd is a fat incompetent oaf. Shocking performance.

what a brilliant goal, from an excellent move. loving this formation so far. Cisse is fucking deadly.

if we play how we've lined up, we'll thrash these HOWAY NUFC!!

Get well big fella! Praying for you

Amen. He should start at least 75% of our sortees forward from the back

opposition right back? why would they? it's not like our midfield players will stand still in the center and let the other team attack a lonesome Jonas. The whole idea of that set up is the ability to be fluid both in defence and attack. It keeps us more compact, and doesn't leave gaps between our CB's and Tiote, or between midfield and attack. And for the midfielders especially, there is less ground to cover if they're having to run sideways to track an attacking winger, than having to run up and down the length of the general midfield area trying to cut the ball out.

I'm sure some smart forum expert will be along shortly to tell us that when Krul picks the ball up and wellies it down the field it's a pass not a hoof. There's no possible way that Pardew could ask him to throw it to a full back instead. All teams keepers do the same thing, Man U, Spurs etc. . According to some theories in this thread our back four don't have the skills to pass it to the midfield so there is no point anyway. Two (or 1.5 when Taylor is playing don't) of them don't tbf. Also both central midfielders are to keen to receive the ball with back to opposition goal rather than side on hence why we need a happy medium instead of forcing short play which is necessarily going to work unlike many seem to be insinuating. I would just like to see it similar to how we were doing it last season, it's the same defenders bar Enrique(big loss I know). We have in midfield, Jonas and Tiote, same as last season, Ben Arfa who is a superior footballer and Cabaye who is apparently one of the best playmaking midfielders in French football. Also the most clinical striker in the premiership(this might be s**** now but he's not far off it anyway). Not saying it should be short all the time either but I think to say they don't have the ability to find other players around with with a short pass is wrong. Coach it into them, tell them to do it. Give them the confidence to play that way and in turn that might just give the opportunity to the better players around them to play the football their skills deserve and before you know it you have a team full of confidence, mixing up the play. This is a good post. If anyone in our team is incapable of playing a ten yard pass they should be immediately replaced, by a youngster, by Carver, by a fan, anyone. The belief among some of our supporters that Simpson and Williamson CAN'T pass it into midfield when it's on is staggering, of course they can, we just have a manager that doesn't value passing and moving. I don't want to see them playing one twos or triangles on the edge of our box when we're penned in, but when we're in comfortable possession in our own half a bit of passing out from the back would mix things up nicely. We did do a bit of it earlier in the season, it is possible. This! And another thing. We don't need wingers! We need players who get into channels and crossing positions, but we do not need traditional up and at 'em wingers! I'd like to see Cabaye, HBA, Marveaux, and even Cisse and Ba work the channels, and put crosses in if need be. The fluidity and interchange in positions is absolutely vital to get the best out of these players imo, and would be so much harder to defend against. I would not be averse to taking this summer as an opportunity to "re-train" Jonas to play at LB. He certainly has been doing most of the defensive work on that side anyway. This would allow Santon to shift to his more comfortable RB position, and we could have some sort of balance going forward. Jonas has played on the left long enough now that, from a slightly more withdrawn left position, he would still do alright. Krul Santon Taylor Coloccini Jonas Tiote Cabaye Guthrie Ben Arfa Cisse Ba ...has got to be tried once this season (minus S Taylor of course). I reckon it makes a lot of sense, and would give us more options going forward and defending as a team.

That Liiiiiiiverpool Liiiiiverpool chant is even more nauseating than the clap clap clap clap Dalglish and you'll never wank alone shite

The most painful thing is that we've thrown away a potential 7 point haul from our last 3 games. 2-0 up at home to Wolves, a missed penalty in the derby, and the last minute defeat last night. I know "if" is a huge word in football, but to think we came so close, and crumbled, is the hardest thing to accept. Imagine if we'd been on 51 points last night!

Absolutely. How he didn't charge into that area to at least put their players off, having just come on, makes me furious. I'm not blaming him for the goal, as you say it was a chain of errors. But it is quite telling when we have such levels of concentration. We defended for our lives, but make no mistake, Arsenal would have punished us if it wasn't for their atrocious finishing on the night. There was panic throughout the side 2nd half bar Krul. Simpson wasn't as bad as usual last night, but if he were to stay at this club, he should be no more than backup at RB.

Our unbeaten start to the season was characterized by a certain fearlessness we had. We were a team confidently playing for each other. Our run of late has been characterized by fear and panic, from the way we set out, our shape, movement and passing. You can feel and hear that distinction in Pardew's interviews then and now.

Enqique has always had poor distribution, bar the odd ball over the top/down the line like he used to do for Martins. Actually if you had watched the last few Liverpool games you would have seen plenty examples of his poor passing. Aye, and Alan Smith's better than Scott Parker. Typical ex-Toon revisionism.

Petulant cunt. Hope someone does that to him in due time. Classless wankstain.

Robin van Pussy can fuck off. Was obviously on the rag today, and was completely dominated by our defence bar that lapse from which he scored. Utter utter wanker.

Well thank fuck for that

Obertan needs to come off for Cisse.... yesterday!!

Rosicky absolutely bossing Tiote and Cabaye on his own. Unreal tonight.

Stupid sub imo

Just seen our goal celebration mongtastic

Cabaye is having a horrible first half. Really needs to fucking pick it up in the second, or we will get battered! Arsenal first to every ball at the moment.

Santon ball watching Needs a proper rollicking at HT

Our shape is all over the place. Coloccini is doing the right thing coming out to occupy the dangerous space between midfield and the final third, but it's because we're not covering well enough from midfield. Dangerous game.

Reckon that Cisse will sneak under their radar tonight and bag a brace. Whether they win us the game or not I'm not sure.

Shame that all this interesting tactic and formation talk has gone in the transfer rumours thread instead of the designated thread(s).

Lionel Penissi? (I feel like I'm 12 now) Pissi surely?