Steve McClaren

[Guest ElCid]

Our squad is s**** but 2 wins in 14 is squarely on he manager's shoulders.

 

You need to dig a bit deeper. It's 2 wins in 14 and something like 5 wins in 2015. 2014 was a hopeless year as well. Ok so Pardew, Carver and McClaren are never going to be managing a title winning side any time soon but the players need to take a massive share of the blame here. They've failed 3 managers now and for the vast majority of the past 3 years they've barely broken sweat. Some of them are being paid more than £250,000 a month and they aren't even trying.

 

Aye Ashley has picked some poor managers (and the blame for this mess ultimately is at his door) but those players are an absolute disgrace. No coincidence that once we go a goal down it's game over because the players just down tools yet a Pardew team went a goal down against us yesterday and then preceded to rattle in 5 in return.

 

We need to start signing proper players and proper men. Not cheap fannies from the Dutch and French League.

 

It's a combination of the two and that is why you will never succeed with Ashley here. Appoints a number 2 who know nothing about football and allows them to picks managers who cannot motivate players and are tactically inept. Then he appoints a chief scout who continuously goes for players who are blatantly not suited for the permiership and w ho are also in the main not really very good either. Until Ashley appoints people at the top level who are of the right standard for the job then there is not a hell in chance this club will every go forward - we all know that's never going to happen though. At any other club, not only would the likes of McClaren not be appointed (and Pardew and Carver also) but they would have been sacked by now also.

[TRon]

Sunderland have an easy gameplan because of their defence and midfield. They're a crap team of footballers, generally, but they have physicality and are passable backs-to-the-wall style players to be a typical Allardyce side - there's a theme there, at least. M'Vila is a good protector of the defence too and streets ahead of any of our CMs. Our lot are a completely different kettle of fish and, frankly, are more difficult to work out for a situation like this, IMO. We can't push up the pitch because we're slow and light in the middle, don't exactly have the warriors to do a lot of penalty box defending. We're a side with absolutely nowt going for it defensively.

 

No one was saying that about Sunderland a few weeks ago. We have forced out some of our players with a bit of fight like Abeid under McClaren's watch. He has to take some responsibility for it. He's made no effort to change the formation or personnel to get more out of what he has got available. He's got no game plan, even sides like Bournemouth who have a bunch of championship players know what they are about.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Sunderland have an easy gameplan because of their defence and midfield. They're a crap team of footballers, generally, but they have physicality and are passable backs-to-the-wall style players to be a typical Allardyce side - there's a theme there, at least. M'Vila is a good protector of the defence too and streets ahead of any of our CMs. Our lot are a completely different kettle of fish and, frankly, are more difficult to work out for a situation like this, IMO. We can't push up the pitch because we're slow and light in the middle, don't exactly have the warriors to do a lot of penalty box defending. We're a side with absolutely nowt going for it defensively.

 

No one was saying that about Sunderland a few weeks ago. We have forced out some of our players with a bit of fight like Abeid under McClaren's watch. He has to take some responsibility for it. He's made no effort to change the formation or personnel to get more out of what he has got available. He's got no game plan, even sides like Bournemouth who have a bunch of championship players know what they are about.

 

From what I've seen of the mackems, they looked more open under Advocaat and were sliced through with ease, Allardyce has just got them back to basics and is playing to their strengths at the back. What are our strengths? Abeid shouldn't have gone, that's a given and whoever took that decision is a moron. We've tried quite a few formations, 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and now 3 at the back and we never look any better, it's almost as if there's a common denominator there. Bournemouth have been built up well and Howe has a structure to the team that he's created over years - they're a tight bunch and he's got the personnel to do exactly what he wants. Quality is only a part of the situation, balance and mentality are equally as, if not more, important.

 

His biggest mistake has been not being radical enough with the man management of the squad. He's tried to come in and ease some of the tensions between players but it's not worked, he now must show authority as it's all he has left.

[The College Dropout]

Your comprehension skills are awful. SMC is a poor manager but the squad isn't significantly better. We should be doing better but we are long way (and yes, a spine of a team is a long way) from being in that bracket just below the top 6-7 with Everton or Soton.

 

This isn't 1972. The most important thing in modern football is money. Making the people who control it - the most important people. That's why you get Abramovic or Venky's.

 

TCD - Sam Allardyce says Hai.  He also says that without money there is no way a manager can influence a squad of utterly s***, abject players

 

You two should talk.

 

You're an absolute idiot. Sunderland have been a bottom half Premiership team and they'll continue to be.

 

I was dead set against SMC from the start. Got pelters for saying he would be no better than Pardew and that nothing had changed. Turns out on evidence thus far.... he's worse. We could do better but this is fundamentally a s*** team.

 

SMC is the new cog in the s*** system.

 

I think you are missing the point. Sunderland don't have any pretensions to be a top half team, Allardyce's remit was to keep them in the premier, something that looked impossible a few weeks ago under Advocaat. Fat Sam has already got them more organised at the back by switching formation to a back 3 with wing backs and they are fighting harder as well. That's not to say Allardyce has suddenly become a good manager, but he knows what he's about and makes no apologies for it.

 

What the f*** Steve McC is about I still haven't got a clue. He's changed nothing despite the same players and formations performing dismally every week. He's like a f***ing rabbit caught in headlights.

I'm not looking at Sunderland with any kind of jealousy.  I'd rather get relegated than get by with an Allardyce (or SMC). SMC is a crap manager as i've said all along. But the team is barely much better. I'd rather finish 18th than 14th.

 

I don't know if you are just deliberately missing the point or just can't read properly. Have I ever struck you as an Allardyce fan? What I'm saying is that a manager can make a difference assuming he's not an absolute f***ing lemon. Allardyce might build teams that play horrendous football, but his only job at a club like Sunderland is to keep them in the premier. You can keep skirting around this as long as you like but if you've been watching any of their games this season you can't fail to acknowledge that he's getting some fairly rubbish players to defend at least moderately effectively. It's a game plan and it's what managers are paid for. The reason we keep bringing it up in the McClaren thread is because there doesn't seem to be one as far as McClaren is concerned other than "we knew it was going to take time to turn it round and we have to play for 95 mins."

 

 

 

The bar is at least upper midtable. The team isn't good enough for that. We should be better than we are not but we are still a bottom 6-8 side. If we where 14th - i'd still be deeply unhappy, maybe even more so. The reason why we have a manager that isn't good enough, is the same reason we have a team that isn't good enough. Yes, with a better manager we could have 4-5 more points but that isn't good enough for me. The strategic direction of the club is wrong. And that comes from the top.  The reason we've been so bad for the last 3 years, isn't the managers (although yes they are shit). It's the people that have hired them.

 

Also - Sunderland have 3, 6'2+ CB's that can defend a 6 yard box. Look at their Palace game, they headed absolutely everything out. We can't do that. They have a CM that can run around and put challenges in. We don't.  Big Sam is the best manager they've had in donkeys and they are still going to be a woeful team.

[The College Dropout]

Our squad is s**** but 2 wins in 14 is squarely on he manager's shoulders.

 

You need to dig a bit deeper. It's 2 wins in 14 and something like 5 wins in 2015. 2014 was a hopeless year as well. Ok so Pardew, Carver and McClaren are never going to be managing a title winning side any time soon but the players need to take a massive share of the blame here. They've failed 3 managers now and for the vast majority of the past 3 years they've barely broken sweat. Some of them are being paid more than £250,000 a month and they aren't even trying.

 

Aye Ashley has picked some poor managers (and the blame for this mess ultimately is at his door) but those players are an absolute disgrace. No coincidence that once we go a goal down it's game over because the players just down tools yet a Pardew team went a goal down against us yesterday and then preceded to rattle in 5 in return.

 

We need to start signing proper players and proper men. Not cheap fannies from the Dutch and French League.

 

It's a combination of the two and that is why you will never succeed with Ashley here. Appoints a number 2 who know nothing about football and allows them to picks managers who cannot motivate players and are tactically inept. Then he appoints a chief scout who continuously goes for players who are blatantly not suited for the permiership and are also in the main are not really very good either. Until Ashley appoints people at the top level who are of the right for the job then there is not a hell in chance this club will every go forward - we all know that's never going to happen though. At any other club, not only would the likes of McClaren not be appointed (and Pardew and Carver also) but they would have been sacked by now also.

 

DING DING DING.

 

No balance in the squad. Losers mentality. Why is McClaren even here? He's a failure at any big club he's been at. Those people are primarily responsible for our predicament.

[huss9]

http://i.imgur.com/8FbLW8o.jpg

[sh74]

http://i.imgur.com/8FbLW8o.jpg

Farmer faced cunt.

[Dunedin]

McLaren should be sacked NOW. Bring in another manager and he has two or three games to assess the squad and have input as to who to buy in Jan. It may already be too late but if we don't act quickly it most definitely will be. I feel sorry for McLaren but his back room team are his choices and they are awful. Smith is a joke at motivating but what did we expect as he was at QPR last season and their motivation got them relegated. McLaren has either lost the dressing room, never actually ever had the dressing room or is ostrich like with his head buried not in sand but up his ar*e.

 

How have we come to such a low dreadful and appalling state ?

[cp40]

judge me after 10 games.

 

 

Ok you're fucking useless,now go away.

[Hhtoon]

The players we have are better than our position. Yeah we have some weak links but ant fans in the Prem will say the same thing about their own team.

 

I don't buy in to this club is rotten from a playing point if view. Yeah for us fans it's shocking but players live in a bubble and to them Ashley and Charnley are just a fat man and a bald man who sit in the stands. They couldn't give a sh1t...why else would players like Wijnaldum and Mitro join? These guys have been fighting to play football most of their lives and a club hierarchy doesn't touch them.

 

The manager/coach is the only one who has an impact and our current (and last few years) have been utter crap. A real one would have us mid table and with 2 upgrades in the obvious positions pushing 7th/8th.

[nemtizz]

Why are ants watching Premier League football anyway?

[Hhtoon]

I saw that typo when read back but couldn't be assed to change it.

 

Now I feel a fool 

[Guest chopey]

We look worse now than in August, how can this busy fool not get sacked, he even said yesterday that things are getting worse week by week

[Guest ElCid]

We look worse now than in August, how can this busy fool not get sacked, he even said yesterday that things are getting worse week by week

 

Any other club he would be well gone which totally sums up this owner and why I can't uderstand how people can still line his pockets.

[number9shirt]

Has he tried a different formation since he's been here?

 

We've played the 4-2-3-1 for ages now and it's s****. Seems that just because other managers use it and make it successful it seems our past 3 coaches look at it as some kind of holy grail.

 

Just a wild guess here, that is the formation Carr is scouting/recruiting players for. Considering our last 3 gaffers have been lucky to get the job 4-2-3-1 is what they're told to play.

[Ikon]

Where's Moncur these days? Oh i just saw an EC article that said "Newcastle United will not make a knee-jerk reaction and axe Steve McClaren"

As if it would be too early now, Jesus!

[Zero]

Players like Sissoko and Wijnaldum really don't give a shit.  They are earning decent money by paying little effort, and whats worse is, there are many clubs after them.  If we are relegated, they could easily move on and probably have their career back on track, nevermind a pay rise.

 

Relegation is a disaster to the club, but to those players, this could be a chance to leave the club shortly, instead of being forced to stay until ridiculous offer comes in.  See Cabaye.

[cp40]

he will get sacked in jan 17 if we are not looking like a promotion outfit.

[Wallsendmag]

I'm sorry but if people think McClaren's best hope of turning this around is to drop its best players and lead under 21's to the slaughter against a rejuvenated Liverpool side he may as wll give up there and then. How about he comes up with a gameplan that gives our brittle defence at least some protection and our forward(s) something to work with? And how about he and his team instill some discipline and belief in these players? They may not be world beaters, but they're a damn sight better than they're showing at the moment. In fact, pretty much every single one has done so before they joined us and even in their time with us? Is there one player you can say has showed something like their best form since the start of the year? McClaren is not to blame for our problems, but he certainly isn't the solution either.

f***ing exactly. Taking abuse from TCD in spades yesterday for saying this exact thing in a different way. He's a football manager/coach and he should be able to affect some kind a change to our predicament with alterations in tactics and personnel but he just picks more or less the same team every week.

 

Apparently him not doing any of those things that even fat f***ing Sam has started doing is all down to Ashley and Charnley.

 

It's mental, it's the same excuses Pardew used to trot out for himself but people are actually doing it for McClaren

 

You can only coach players who want to be coached. These players couldn't care less, hence the reason we go on these ridiculous losing streaks, get hammered on a regular basis, have been in a relegation fight the last 3 seasons and have allowed an awful Sunderland team to beat us 6 times in a row.

 

 

[huss9]

he needs to go but its a real shame.

 

its obvious he's been waiting for this chance for years and gets the north east fans. but its just too big for him and as always we have the shitest recruitment policy there is which managers better than him would struggle with.

 

give up on management, mate, and go back to coaching.

[TRon]

I'm sorry but if people think McClaren's best hope of turning this around is to drop its best players and lead under 21's to the slaughter against a rejuvenated Liverpool side he may as wll give up there and then. How about he comes up with a gameplan that gives our brittle defence at least some protection and our forward(s) something to work with? And how about he and his team instill some discipline and belief in these players? They may not be world beaters, but they're a damn sight better than they're showing at the moment. In fact, pretty much every single one has done so before they joined us and even in their time with us? Is there one player you can say has showed something like their best form since the start of the year? McClaren is not to blame for our problems, but he certainly isn't the solution either.

f***ing exactly. Taking abuse from TCD in spades yesterday for saying this exact thing in a different way. He's a football manager/coach and he should be able to affect some kind a change to our predicament with alterations in tactics and personnel but he just picks more or less the same team every week.

 

Apparently him not doing any of those things that even fat f***ing Sam has started doing is all down to Ashley and Charnley.

 

It's mental, it's the same excuses Pardew used to trot out for himself but people are actually doing it for McClaren

 

You can only coach players who want to be coached. These players couldn't care less, hence the reason we go on these ridiculous losing streaks, get hammered on a regular basis, have been in a relegation fight the last 3 seasons and have allowed an awful Sunderland team to beat us 6 times in a row.

 

 

 

A lot of these players are fighting for their places in the Euros, if they got dropped when they don't perform they might think twice about going through the motions. But if the manager is going to keep on picking them regardless of their lack of effort then it's not surprising they are going through the motions.

[Ally]

Would love McClaren to show some balls and drop shit like Coloccini, Sissoko, Anita etc and play some passionate young lads. Even if we do lose 5-1

[huss9]

he's sort of got a "pass" against Liverpool with everyone expecting us to get spanked.

best time to drop a couple of ego's including colo and try an alternative formation.

[Nobody]

The four central midfielders thing needs to fucking stop now. It (barely) worked once and has been atrocious since, why can't he see that? Obviously not the only problem I have with Schteve, but that one is really doing my head in.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

No manager will succeed here until the recruitment process changes. McClaren is doing himself no favours, however, with his team selections, nothing tactics and lack of leadership and authority. He simply has to go. He will not turn this around.