LucaAltieri

Fair point. But... last season he was decent. The football was decent too. I know this season has been awful but none of us know which way next season would go under Pardew. We can't know. Since we can't know what kind of football we'll have until we're playing it, the only stuff that matters are the external factors like stability and relationships in the club. Considering Pardew's history with clubs when they start going do i'd say we do.... Southampton, West Ham and Reading, once they went south he couldn't do anything to prevent the slide. Besides what makes you think things will magically change? we will still have technically gifted players suited to a passing game and we will still see a long ball game but without the organisation and set piece prowess of a Pulis or Allardyce team. What you are doing is basically just throwing another season away, nothing will change Pardew's history proves as much. I don't think we're doing too much differently as it is. Pardew has always favored keeping it tight and squeezing out the opposition. We're doing the same thing but we have a number of other issues to cope with that we didn't last season. Losing, and not replacing, Ba. Injuries, too thin a squad, and too many players still trying to settle in. They've all hampered us. Next season the new arrivals will be more settled, in the main. Having fewer games will mean less stress on our top players and a chance to recover physically and mentally. Pardew is talking about bringing in more strikers. We're not suddenly going to turn into Barcelona, Pardew is still going to keep it tight first and foremost, but with fit players, a less packed calendar, and the possibility of reinforcements up front, I'm optimistic of us proving more of a threat to teams and picking up wins. When you win you gain confidence, and players filled with confidence play better football. Pardew isn't dictating every kick. When a player beats his man and drives into the box instead of passing it square, that's not because Pardew coached him to do that, it's because the player had the confidence to do it. We just need a run of games to get it together. I'm confident.

The football was decent at times last season but he ditched what worked for us as soon as he could. The football was also shit at times last season. Agreed. But there were some pretty tasty high points.

Fair point. But... last season he was decent. The football was decent too. I know this season has been awful but none of us know which way next season would go under Pardew. We can't know. Since we can't know what kind of football we'll have until we're playing it, the only stuff that matters are the external factors like stability and relationships in the club.

Cabaye is battling depression, Colo has family issues and wants to be back in Argentina, and Ben Arfa is happy but crocked. Which of those things does a new manager change?

You're talking short term. I'm not.

The Shepherd solution. Great. I'd say sacking a manager that under performed without thought to stability was more the "Shepherd solution."

Totally the same thing and not at all offensive to anyone.

I remember having the same type of arguments with people on here when we got relegated. It wasn't about our manager so much as about how the club was being run. I argued that in principle Ashley was on the right path but the execution was flawed, but he was learning from his mistakes and getting better. Then too, I was shouted down about how obviously bad it was, how he was actively destroying the club, and that it was only going to get worse. We bounced back to the premier league, we've made some terrific signings under Ashley's transfer policy, we shot back into Europe again after having been out of those competitions for years, and for a brief moment there we were all happy again. He made another error in not recruiting well enough ahead of a longer season with European commitments, and mid-way through the season he appears to have learned his lesson again. All this applies to the Pardew situation too. It's easy to have a shit spell and start screaming to "get the fucker oot. Not good enough." But sometimes it takes a steady nerve to just stick with it, allow people to make their mistakes and learn from them, and improve in the long run. I don't think Pardew is a world beater or a tactical genius. But under our current setup our options are limited. Not many people want to work with Ashley and co. In terms of the harmony we've had recently between manager and board, I think Pardew has fit in well. At times we've played good football, at times we've played bad football. Sometimes it has been elegant, some times it has been shit. This last season, mostly shit. But they all know that too. Throwing it all out and starting again with unknown variables isn't the answer. The answer is to keep our heads again, keep on course, let's see where it takes us. We can always take action later if it all turns to shit.

Another manager wouldn't need a bag of cash, the squad is already there. Your point about there not "being a queue of top class managers" is simply silly hyperbole and not any sort of reasoned argument. It doesn't even mean anything. Of course it does. Sacking a manager with a so/so record is fine, but only if you've got someone better to replace him with. If you replace him with someone else with a so/so record you've gained nothing but you've disrupted the squad, and paid a bucket load of severance & agent fees. Nobody wins there.

I disagree. There are lots of moving parts to a club. While some good players may not fit in at one club and go on to be excellent elsewhere I think the same can be said for managers. I'm going to judge Pardew solely on his NUFC career because that's the only thing that's relevant. He seems to have a good working relationship with the club and the internal workings, including their transfer and development policies. Last season it all came together nicely and worked out well. This season it didn't. There's no guarantee that next season will be a calamity just as there are no guarantees he will turn it around again either. The one thing we do know for sure is that there isn't a long line of top class managers queuing up outside St. James waiting to take over. With fewer games this next season, and the chance for players to recover over the summer, as well as any reinforcements that come in, I'm optimistic. The one thing that's pure fantasy is that Pardew will be sacked, another top class manager will come in, and be given a bag of cash to turn it into his team. It's just not going to happen. I think Pardew deserves another crack at it. Even if you don't agree, it's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

When was this, sorry? 5th place finish. Did I dream it? No, but then I didn't dream Martin O'Neill and Sam Allardyce finishing in similar positions consistently. It's really not that much of an achievement to do it once and then collapse. And the football absolutely stank. Conversely, the new Man United manager has had some shitty seasons with Everton where they practically dropped off the map. There's no way of knowing which way Pardew will go unless he's given the chance of another season at least.

Based on? What makes you think the failure to perform comes from the players' relationship with Pardew and not any of the other possible reasons: adjusting to the Premier League, injuries, fatigue due to too small a squad, lack of confidence in general. I'm not suggesting Pardew shouldn't be dealing with those issues too, but curious what evidence you have to suggest that the players don't want to play for Pardew? Intuition. I can't prove it, I just think it and that it seeps through into every area of our game. Even if they haven't; and they're all blissfully happy under his tactics, coaching and general tutelage then I still think he should be sacked because our football is fucking pants. Fair enough.

When was this, sorry? 5th place finish. Did I dream it?

Based on? What makes you think the failure to perform comes from the players' relationship with Pardew and not any of the other possible reasons: adjusting to the Premier League, injuries, fatigue due to too small a squad, lack of confidence in general. I'm not suggesting Pardew shouldn't be dealing with those issues too, but curious what evidence you have to suggest that the players don't want to play for Pardew?

Pardew, and the players, have under performed. No question about it. But last season they also over achieved. Given the injuries, and the number of new players, and the extra games, it was going to throw us off our rhythm. Pardew has shown enough in the past to be worth another season. He earned it. IF he can't turn it around, maybe then think about a change, but right now it's a bad idea. We need to settle back into a winning rhythm again. We need a consistent, regular, back 4. We need the midfield and forward line to gel. Our "purple" players need time to recover from injuries and fatigue. We don't need any more disruptive factors. We need to regroup and rebuild confidence.

Fucking Oba Martins.

He picked the right league.

Super Big Mac?

Did Vorm just get a knock or is he quadrospazzed?

When fans believe their club is singled out by bias media and/or refs and treated in a harsher than everyone else. It's usually shite.

They'll get found out, eventually. Don't think many sides are used to playing against/exploiting a back 3.

GET THE FUCK IN! Now sink the cunts.

Carver sent off along with Wigan 1st team coach.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m298/europawpw/IMG_20130317_070300.jpg Noooooooooooooooo.

Yeah, it's pretty hard to build up a rivalry when the club has technically only existed for 4 years. The bad blood there must be after such a history.