Steve McClaren

[Yorkie]

All fair points, personally I would bring Wijnaldum back deeper. What I meant was it's not McClaren holding us back.

 

Generally I agree. As far as managers go he's clearly nothing special, but I can respect some of the changes he's tried to implement. I think it's fair to assume that the changes are intended to be pretty wholesale, but as long as the stench of indifference lingers - in various forms - it was never going to be a case of flicking a switch.

 

The squad has enough talent to stay up imo. But there are gaping holes and a team mentality that's still fragile. He has the power to address both of those issues, A) by demanding investment in key areas and B) getting the existing squad properly motivated. Any inexcusable tactical brainfarts aside, I'm prepared to give him the majority of the season before making a judgement on the guy.

 

I don't think he's a bad manager.

[themanupstairs]

I didn't necessarily mean this season.

 

Players don't change their style completely by accident though, McClaren is clearly trying to improve the football we're playing.

 

Maybe right mate, personally I think the pace going forward etc, on the counter attack has happened ad hoc mid game.

Boro supporting mate of mine has been screaming that he is a negative coach at me for ages.

 

Maybe I am being harsh, just don't see him inspiring improvement at all.

f*** I just want us to use our current assets better...and invest...

 

Maybe he was negative at Boro, but that ended 10 years ago. Why is it unfathomable that a manager can learn and change his style with time or experience? I'm probably just being pedantic here, but just because he was that way with Boro 10 years ago doesn't mean he can't be trying to create an efficient attacking side here.

[Parsley]

How do McClaren's first 10 games compare with Keegan's in his second spell just out of interest?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm loath to get into a prolonged defence of a manager everyone hates mind.

[Mick]

A decent club wouldn't have appointed McClaren but we're not a decent club.  We're run by arseholes who are clueless and if they binned him they'd screw it up and appoint somebody worse.

 

The club is unlikely to push on with either Ashley or Charnley at the club and Bob Moncur isn't even worth talking about, he's the lowest of them all, regardless of what he did as a player.

[Guest NobbyOhNobby]

I genuinely think the football is improving. We were a horror show at the start of the season, but we played some great stuff yesterday, against Man City in the first half, against Chelsea in the first half and for the majority of the Norwich game.

 

We can't forget that McClaren is undoing years of Pardew's coaching and mindset. Our passing and movement is already lightyears ahead of where we were under Pardew, it's just going to take time, but the signs are good. A couple of wins out of the next four will make things look and feel better.

 

I can't deny that the defence look shoddy, but we look more cohesive as an attacking unit

[AyeDubbleYoo]

A decent club wouldn't have appointed McClaren but we're not a decent club.  We're run by arseholes who are clueless and if they binned him they'd screw it up and appoint somebody worse.

 

The club is unlikely to push on with either Ashley or Charnley at the club and Bob Moncur isn't even worth talking about, he's the lowest of them all, regardless of what he did as a player.

 

Not to be a pain in the arse, but many decent clubs have appointed McClaren.

[Mick]

 

 

Not to be a pain in the arse, but many decent clubs have appointed McClaren.

 

Who are these "many"?  Also, his stock is falling with every club he goes to and leaves with his tail between his legs. 

[Guest firetotheworks]

One thing he has over Pardew, so far anyway is the lack of 'why's he playing x?/why's he not playing y?' aside from the obvious one (Colback)

 

So far that's the most I can say about him, I haven't noticed enough about our play in general to spot any real patterns because results, performances, line ups etc haven't remained the same throughout.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

No chance we're sacking McClaren, man.

[George Bailey]

No chance we're sacking McClaren, man.

In your opinion obviously.

imo I think we will.

[sempuki]

No chance we're sacking McClaren, man.

In your opinion obviously.

imo I think we will.

Think Jabba will act if we look like getting cast adrift. He won't risk the wonga on offer at the end of the season.

[mrmojorisin75]

No chance we're sacking McClaren, man.

In your opinion obviously.

imo I think we will.

Think Jabba will act if we look like getting cast adrift. He won't risk the wonga on offer at the end of the season.

They won't sack him, not a chance, they'll spend in January to try and buy their way out of it.

 

Imperative we get 10-12 points between now and the start of January to give us a chance of getting out, not impossible imo.

 

Only thing a new manager could do at this point iyam would be to shut up shop completely and try to 0-0 and 1-0 us to January but I'm highly doubtful anyone is good enough to succeed at that with the shit in our midfield and defence.

[timeEd32]

Would be ridiculous to sack him unless we're lining up Ancelotti or someone equally ambitious. That's obviously not happening.

[Guest chopey]

The pressure was eased after the Norwich result but it's back on now, McLaren won't go but a few players will.

[themanupstairs]

I'm loath to get into a prolonged defence of a manager everyone hates mind.

 

Ian W don't roll like dat

[HawK]

I'm loath to get into a prolonged defence of a manager everyone hates mind.

 

Ian W don't roll like dat

 

[Nobody]

No chance we're sacking McClaren, man.

In your opinion obviously.

imo I think we will.

Think Jabba will act if we look like getting cast adrift. He won't risk the wonga on offer at the end of the season.

They won't sack him, not a chance, they'll spend in January to try and buy their way out of it.

 

Imperative we get 10-12 points between now and the start of January to give us a chance of getting out, not impossible imo.

 

Only thing a new manager could do at this point iyam would be to shut up shop completely and try to 0-0 and 1-0 us to January but I'm highly doubtful anyone is good enough to succeed at that with the shit in our midfield and defence.

Agree. While I didn't want him in the summer, I think it'd be a very bad idea to sack him now. He's starting to look like he might know how to get us to perform to a decent level. Think we'll pick up some points in the upcoming weeks.

It's such a shame that we took so fucking long to get our coaching staff sorted as well as having a pre season planned by a complete idiot so we more or less had to forfeit the first 6 games while McClaren and his coaching staff got to know his team.

[Andy]

I genuinely think the football is improving. We were a horror show at the start of the season, but we played some great stuff yesterday, against Man City in the first half, against Chelsea in the first half and for the majority of the Norwich game.

 

We can't forget that McClaren is undoing years of Pardew's coaching and mindset. Our passing and movement is already lightyears ahead of where we were under Pardew, it's just going to take time, but the signs are good. A couple of wins out of the next four will make things look and feel better.

 

I can't deny that the defence look shoddy, but we look more cohesive as an attacking unit

 

I pretty much agree with all of this. I'm not his biggest fan by any means and the results haven't been good enough so far, but there are definitely signs that we're playing with a bit more intent and at the very least that's encouraging. I feel more inclined to watch this Newcastle team than I did Pardew's and Carver's, we just need to start getting some points on the board.

[The College Dropout]

A part of me wants to see some more of that football we played in the first half. But a lot of me thinks we'll rarely face a worse side then Sunderland on the ball and even then we didn't really create much.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'm loath to get into a prolonged defence of a manager everyone hates mind.

 

Ian W don't roll like dat

 

 

[Dave]

I genuinely think the football is improving. We were a horror show at the start of the season, but we played some great stuff yesterday, against Man City in the first half, against Chelsea in the first half and for the majority of the Norwich game.

 

We can't forget that McClaren is undoing years of Pardew's coaching and mindset. Our passing and movement is already lightyears ahead of where we were under Pardew, it's just going to take time, but the signs are good. A couple of wins out of the next four will make things look and feel better.

 

I can't deny that the defence look shoddy, but we look more cohesive as an attacking unit

 

I pretty much agree with all of this. I'm not his biggest fan by any means and the results haven't been good enough so far, but there are definitely signs that we're playing with a bit more intent and at the very least that's encouraging. I feel more inclined to watch this Newcastle team than I did Pardew's and Carver's, we just need to start getting some points on the board.

 

[Kanji]

I don't disagree with many on here in regards to our playing style / positives and for one thing I respect McClaren the coach and man and I clearly see he's trying to bring in change, encourage the team to play, instill a level of professionalism etc. He's clearly giving his all to be successful here but I can't help but think he's still not the right man for this job and he's been let down by the lack of discipline in his players, gutless performances, weak spine and bottom line - on the wrong end of the PL table. Results have not been where we need them to be and for that - I'm still in the boat that he and many others on the board need to be sacked.

[Mattoon]

I don't disagree with many on here in regards to our playing style / positives and for one thing I respect McClaren the coach and man and I clearly see he's trying to bring in change, encourage the team to play, instill a level of professionalism etc. He's clearly giving his all to be successful here but I can't help but think he's still not the right man for this job and he's been let down by the lack of discipline in his players, gutless performances, weak spine and bottom line - on the wrong end of the PL table. Results have not been where we need them to be and for that - I'm still in the boat that he and many others on the board need to be sacked.

 

In an ideal world Kanji, yes mate 100% wholeheartedly agree with you, set fire to the fucker and start again. But this is Ashley's world and a change in management won't bring about change in the way the club is run, it'll be a like for like swap.

 

When calling for Pardew's head I saw a lot of people giving it the "no point, nothing will change" and "it'll just be some other knacker, who's probably worse.". We all knew that would be the case but with that slimy prick in charge I really didn't like anything about the club anymore bar some of the fans, mostly on here tbf. Now at least there is some connection back with the club, it's far away from being ideal but it's also far away from Pardew. So whilst I agree in theory, give me this over another Pardew any day, and no things probably wouldn't change if we binned him off and Charney and Co because we all know who the real problem is and he won't try it differently.

 

Fwiw if we're cut adrift by Christmas I reckon McClaren will walk anyway, at least he knows when he's up against it.

[Kanji]

Don't disagree with you mate.