Mole_Toonfan

I know a wum when i see one

Quite frankly if Ba is to play on the left, the position he took up against Spurs is exactly the type of positions he should be taken up. Those little pockets of space between out wide and the middle of the pitch, basically the sort of positions Barcelona's wide players take up. He could do that and get goals doing so IMO but it seems he doesn't like the role unfortunately.

That is a concern.

6m euros and this 6m pounds apparently, fingers crossed it's enough.

Tbf Cisse was stopped due to our own inability to create chances for him more than fantastic play on Chelsea's behalf. Pretty sure if we created a few clear cut chances for him he would have stuck them away.

Penalty incident aside which was very naive i thought he had a good game.

Marv looked good when he came on, should provide something different to break down the smaller teams at home etc etc.

We did that in the second half tbf, not quite a 10 but he seemed to have freedom to move across the front line and Cabaye seemed to push forward a lot more. Play like that going forward and maybe Debuchy comes in ( i still hope) and i'm happy with that. The first half performance and way of playing i.e. Ben Arfa and Cabaye far too deep, is the type of style i want to see us stay away from if all possible.

if that happens then i'm perfectly fine with that, i just don't want to see Cabaye and Ben Arfa so bleeding deep.

All I can say to that is thank f*** you weren't around on here when we were managed by the likes of Souness and Fat Sam. If you call this constant bitching about his tactics trust and support I dread to think how you would hold up with a genuinely tactically clueless manager. It's just frustrating because of the football we played at the end of last season. It seems i'm coming across a lot definitely than what i'm trying to portray...... Fat Sam and Souness was different as i had lower expectations and it almost got to the stage where i just accepted what ever they did. I'm not really bitching, just showing concern about the long term success of what 4-4-2 can bring us. I said i support Pardew and i do but that doesn't mean i have to agree with every little thing he does, i believe in what he's trying to do but there's obviously a difference of opinion of what system is best for us. Or am i not allowed to express an opinion? does this show a lack of faith in the manager? There's more to this club than just systems and i believe in everything Pardew is doing from top to bottom i just feel we are using the wrong system. I don't see no reason to bottle this up inside of me, i personally feel he's using the wrong system for the players we have but this doesn't mean i don't support him.

I trust Pards more than any manager since Sir Bobby i would just like to see us use the system that i believe suits our players the best. It's just frustrating seeing Cabaye and Ben Arfa so deep but i do trust Pards and anything he thinks is right for this club i support.

Playing 2 strikers doesn't really mean "having a go" though, in the first half i wouldn't really call how we were playing "having a go" We did in the 2nd half sure, but the first half we looked like we came for a 0-0

Is there a way to imprison Moleman in the tactics thread? Kindly f*ck off i was just responding to a comment made up the page. It has served us well at times but we are evolving as a team and have the players that are better suited not to 4-4-2 but other formations, namely 4-3-3. Even Stevie Wonder would tell you we play better in a 4-3-3 or more importantly, our better players play better. Cabaye and Ben Arfa are almost wasted in a 4-4-2 where as Cisse and Demba get in each other's way. As for Villa last season, we were set up 4-4-2 but Cabaye's role was an advanced attacking one, and not the deep anchored role he was deployed in today or is often asked to play when at 4-4-2. Same against Man Utd at home, 4-4-2 set-up but due to the atmosphere, the way the game was set up etc. the formation went out of the window and the players were all, or mainly to a man, playing their own game, Cabaye and Tiote in particular. It was the same in the 2-2 draw with Spurs at home. People say well we beat Man Ut at home and Chelsea away at 4-4-2 but our best run of form and our best performances all came when we went 4-3-3 towards the end of last season, a formation that allowed Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Cisse in particular to perform really well. 4-4-2 restricts all their games and with it the team's ability to win and perform well. If we are to stick with 4-4-2 we should of kept Guthrie, Routledge and Best...

As far as the 3 and 2 argument goes..... he's had great performances in both but he's had more poor ones in a 2 but that's mainly due to the fact he's played more in a 2. I'm sure if he played constantly in a 3 he would have poor performances there too. I personally prefer him in a 3 because he has the license to get forward more and not worry about the defensive side as much.

He pretty much played as a lone striker today. Yeah but we didn't create many chances for him so it's hard to make a judgement on today alone.

Personally feel he's more comfortable as a lone striker than as a pairing but time well tell.

I know it'll really upset Mole but Santon consistently looks fantastic when he drives at the full back but is then consistently unable to deliver a final ball, either because his left is a swinger or because he cuts inside, is reluctant to shoot and ends up easily crowded out. I want Debuchy too but I'd also take a left back instead so we could switch him over. Why would it upset me? it's an opinion and for what its worth i think your right i just think he's still very good there and we should be getting the best fullback available to us. If that's a LB then switch him over and if it's a RB then leave him there i still think Santon would be great for us no matter if it's RB or LB. Things like this don't upset me, in fact nothing on here does i might disagree with some opinions and state why but upset nah. Also i thought Simpson was very good today.

Unless HBA is giving a more free role and Jonas plays a bit narrow i can only see this back-firing. Also begs the question why we bought Anita, seems a bit pointless if he's just going to be a back up.

I noticed that in the 2nd half yes and i'm in support of that. It's only flat 4-4-2 which im very much against. As for Cisse it's an opinion yes i but i honestly believe he is better upfront o his own where he has the freedom to exploit CB's with his movement. Ba and Cisse get in the way too much for me.

http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/uploads/gallery/1275187108/gallery_83989_34758_2696909634c01ed2254f3e.gif

Aye, about as silly as suggesting 4-4-2 doesn't allow movement or running into space. Ours doesn't( not every 4-4-2), i have seen us use it enough times using 4-4-2 and see the lack of movement and chance creating and just overall passing options to suggest this.

Of course not but it's obvious 4-3-3 suits our better players more, Cabaye and Ben Arfa are in their own half when they get the ball ffs. Not to mention Cisse isn't even half the player in 4-4-2 ( inb4 Chelsea 2-0).

The whole 4-3-3 can't be used against top teams or we will be raped is rather silly really. There's absolutely nothing to suggest that we would as we have never used it against a top team and in the majority matches we have used it we have kept a clean sheet. It's not just more fluid that 4-4-2, suit more players but it's also more solid as we control games better and have more options for a pass. The reason we are not using 4-3-3 is because Ba prefers to be a central striker and that concerns me. It should be about the team and not one player.