Steve McClaren

[Gottlob]

I don't think McClaren is a bad person, but in his own way he's just as much of a fraud as Pardew was, and he's getting worse results. This is after all a man whose first act upon becoming England manager was hiring Max Clifford and whitening his teeth, and whose last act was skulking under an umbrella as the side crashed out of the Euros; a man who has been sacked or pushed to resign from his last four jobs; a man who turned us down until he was tossed by Derby and managed to negotiate an unusually comfortable deal.

 

We have an awful squad, unbalanced, lacking in experience, and without a lot of quality in any position, but we are playing in a poor version of the Premier League, and the players don't seem to have conviction in anything they're doing. The formation doesn't work, we don't have a style of play, and against Leicester and Crystal Palace in particular we have conjured some of the most disgraceful performances that I've ever seen. And after two defeats and three shots on target over the last two games, with the team languishing in the relegation zone, he comes out and praises our performances as 'magnificent'. That's utterly contemptuous in my view.

 

There's nothing to praise McClaren for at this point, but while he's happy to boast Riviere as like a new signing, it's worth reiterating how he treated our younger players from the start of this campaign. Perez and Aarons were our only decent players in the pre-season, yet both started the season outside the first eleven, while he hastily got rid of Sammy Ameobi and Mehdi Abeid. With only two other active central midfielders in the squad, Abeid was an obvious keeper. And this might earn me the scorn of many posters, but while it wasn't hard and he wasn't very good, I still thought Sammy Ameobi was one of our better performers last season, at least maintaining his position down the left side, helping out the full back, and I reckon he'd be the best crosser and creative passer in our side: he can play a patient through ball, which is something nobody in our current squad can muster.

[Unbelievable]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

[Guest chopey]

I wonder if Derby thought in the summer "We better get rid of this muppet because Newcastle have their eye on Paul Clement"

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

 

Our overall squad is quite bad, but it includes some pretty good players. Just too many glaring weaknesses for the end result to be good.

[cp40]

just listening to him now on radio newcastle- he offers absolutely nothing in terms of inspiration.

[triggs]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

Pick a team from our players that you think would get midtable

[Unbelievable]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

 

Our overall squad is quite bad, but it includes some pretty good players. Just too many glaring weaknesses for the end result to be good.

 

Depends on what you would define as a good end result really. Very few people would have said this squad is so bad relegation is unavoidable. If we go down or finish no higher than last season there is no way anyone can convince me MClaren hasn't failed to get the best of the tools at his disposal.

[themanupstairs]

I don't think McClaren is a bad person, but in his own way he's just as much of a fraud as Pardew was, and he's getting worse results. This is after all a man whose first act upon becoming England manager was hiring Max Clifford and whitening his teeth, and whose last act was skulking under an umbrella as the side crashed out of the Euros; a man who has been sacked or pushed to resign from his last four jobs; a man who turned us down until he was tossed by Derby and managed to negotiate an unusually comfortable deal.

 

We have an awful squad, unbalanced, lacking in experience, and without a lot of quality in any position, but we are playing in a poor version of the Premier League, and the players don't seem to have conviction in anything they're doing. The formation doesn't work, we don't have a style of play, and against Leicester and Crystal Palace in particular we have conjured some of the most disgraceful performances that I've ever seen. And after two defeats and three shots on target over the last two games, with the team languishing in the relegation zone, he comes out and praises our performances as 'magnificent'. That's utterly contemptuous in my view.

 

There's nothing to praise McClaren for at this point, but while he's happy to boast Riviere as like a new signing, it's worth reiterating how he treated our younger players from the start of this campaign. Perez and Aarons were our only decent players in the pre-season, yet both started the season outside the first eleven, while he hastily got rid of Sammy Ameobi and Mehdi Abeid. With only two other active central midfielders in the squad, Abeid was an obvious keeper. And this might earn me the scorn of many posters, but while it wasn't hard and he wasn't very good, I still thought Sammy Ameobi was one of our better performers last season, at least maintaining his position down the left side, helping out the full back, and I reckon he'd be the best crosser and creative passer in our side: he can play a patient through ball, which is something nobody in our current squad can muster.

 

3 posts in nearly 7 years. Great post even if I don't personally agree with all of it.

[Dave]

I'm still pissed off about him saying he didn't play Perez because he knew more about Obertan and Cisse.

[Ronaldo]

Until we've seen our best players in a system that suits their qualities failing I will continue to believe these are good enough for midtable in this league. Evidently, no left hand side, two defensive midfielders, four central midfielders and no wingers does not get the best out of this squad. Why McClaren keeps at it begars belief really.

 

The shittest defence in the league and no proven goalscorer in the entire squad and you're still at it, man. Give over.

[BONTEMPI]

He's done nothing to improve us what so ever. The only thing he had going for him was an honest assessment after games, but that has now gone out of the window. Why on earth should we persist with him? 

[Unbelievable]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

Pick a team from our players that you think would get midtable

 

                      Krul

Janmaat Mbemba Colo Haidara

                    Tiote

            Sissoko Wijnaldum

  Thauvin                    Perez

                  Mitrovic

 

Bench: Elliot/Darlow, Lascelles, Dummett, Anita/Colback, Aarons, De Jong, Cisse

 

Look, it's not good enough for where I want NUFC to be and there are certainly huge weaknesses to the squad, but it should be adequate enough to compete for 10-12th alongside the likes of West Brom, West Ham and the likes.

[triggs]

I'd agree with all of that Gottlob, but I still don't accept that our squad is awful. The way we are playing is awful alright.

Pick a team from our players that you think would get midtable

 

                      Krul

Janmaat Mbemba Colo Haidara

                    Tiote

            Sissoko Wijnaldum

  Thauvin                    Perez

                  Mitrovic

 

Bench: Elliot/Darlow, Lascelles, Dummett, Anita/Colback, Aarons, De Jong, Cisse

 

Look, it's not good enough for where I want NUFC to be and there are certainly huge weaknesses to the squad, but it should be adequate enough to compete for 10-12th alongside the likes of West Brom, West Ham and the likes.

I massively disagree but I'll leave it there

[Dave]

It's completely pointless asking anyone to name a line-up, because the whole problem is we're not a good TEAM. It's the responsibility of the manager and the coaching staff to patch up the same holes in a playing squad that every club barring about three has to deal with.

[Unbelievable]

It's completely pointless asking anyone to name a line-up, because the whole problem is we're not a good TEAM.

 

Isn't that at least in part the manager's responsibility? I don't need convincing that there are a lot of other things wrong at the club, but the premise here is that this squad of players is apparently so awful that relegation is practically a foregone conclusion. Back in September most people on here felt that this squad was capable of midtable. I still believe it is. There's quite a few teams above us currently whose squad I wouldn't swap with ours (keeping managers in place).

 

Edit: just seen your edit. Agreed.

[The College Dropout]

Until we've seen our best players in a system that suits their qualities failing I will continue to believe these are good enough for midtable in this league. Evidently, no left hand side, two defensive midfielders, four central midfielders and no wingers does not get the best out of this squad. Why McClaren keeps at it begars belief really.

 

The shittest defence in the league and no proven goalscorer in the entire squad and you're still at it, man. Give over.

 

Aye - the game can be this simple. Solid defence + goals = decent team. Crap defence + no goals = crap team. This is us.

[TRon]

Until we've seen our best players in a system that suits their qualities failing I will continue to believe these are good enough for midtable in this league. Evidently, no left hand side, two defensive midfielders, four central midfielders and no wingers does not get the best out of this squad. Why McClaren keeps at it begars belief really.

 

The shittest defence in the league and no proven goalscorer in the entire squad and you're still at it, man. Give over.

 

Aye - the game can be this simple. Solid defence + goals = decent team. Crap defence + no goals = crap team. This is us.

 

Or we could try dropping a defensive midfielder and playing a more attacking formation considering we do have some assets in that department like De Jong, Wijnaldum, Perez, Sissoko etc.

[Ronaldo]

Yeah, that really doesn't address the issues mentioned, though.

[mrmojorisin75]

It's completely pointless asking anyone to name a line-up, because the whole problem is we're not a good TEAM. It's the responsibility of the manager and the coaching staff to patch up the same holes in a playing squad that every club barring about three has to deal with.

Yes! Someone listed the individual faults of each of our defenders earlier on, HTT I think, but that just misses the point as does pointing out deficiencies in our attackers like Mitrovic is young and unproven. A good manager could make them into a team imo, absolutely no doubt about it, whereas we're still basically just throwing 11 individuals out there and expecting it to work.

[The College Dropout]

Until we've seen our best players in a system that suits their qualities failing I will continue to believe these are good enough for midtable in this league. Evidently, no left hand side, two defensive midfielders, four central midfielders and no wingers does not get the best out of this squad. Why McClaren keeps at it begars belief really.

 

The shittest defence in the league and no proven goalscorer in the entire squad and you're still at it, man. Give over.

 

Aye - the game can be this simple. Solid defence + goals = decent team. Crap defence + no goals = crap team. This is us.

 

Or we could try dropping a defensive midfielder and playing a more attacking formation considering we do have some assets in that department like De Jong, Wijnaldum, Perez, Sissoko etc.

 

I agree we should try. But having more defensive responsibilities isn't likely to make the likes of Sissoko or Gini (i'm assuming you want us to try at least one if not both at CM) more dangerous or creative. And it won't help us defend better. We need to do something but nothing screams out as a good balance because the squad doesn't have it.

[The College Dropout]

It's completely pointless asking anyone to name a line-up, because the whole problem is we're not a good TEAM. It's the responsibility of the manager and the coaching staff to patch up the same holes in a playing squad that every club barring about three has to deal with.

Yes! Someone listed the individual faults of each of our defenders earlier on, HTT I think, but that just misses the point as does pointing out deficiencies in our attackers like Mitrovic is young and unproven. A good manager could make them into a team imo, absolutely no doubt about it, whereas we're still basically just throwing 11 individuals out there and expecting it to work.

 

How?

[Ronaldo]

A pretty shit team, he means.

[mrmojorisin75]

It's completely pointless asking anyone to name a line-up, because the whole problem is we're not a good TEAM. It's the responsibility of the manager and the coaching staff to patch up the same holes in a playing squad that every club barring about three has to deal with.

Yes! Someone listed the individual faults of each of our defenders earlier on, HTT I think, but that just misses the point as does pointing out deficiencies in our attackers like Mitrovic is young and unproven. A good manager could make them into a team imo, absolutely no doubt about it, whereas we're still basically just throwing 11 individuals out there and expecting it to work.

 

How?

How what?

[The College Dropout]

Can I good manager turn an unbalanced squad into a team worth a shit? I'm sure we could be better but the squad hasn't shown me anything in a long time that needs me to believe it could be a proper team as it stands.

[Heron]

I can't hate him. He's a decent guy probably doing his best.

 

He is a total f***ing pansy, though, and I've very little respect for him and zero faith he can turn this around.

 

I don't want to make a habit of agreeing with Ron but I totally agree with the above.

 

McClaren's not a bad person, he's just utterly useless.

Agreed