Alan Pardew

[Ketsbaia]

Our last defeat was April 30th. So if we get past Wigan, that will be SIX MONTHS unbeaten. Half a fucking year! That is extraordinary.

[eliassenfredrik]

3 months without football in there...

 

Still unbelievable though. Enjoying every minute of it.

[Rebellious]

Wading through some of the reams of negative stuff on the last few match threads has been painful as people judge Alan Pardew's substitutions harshly through the magic of hindsight and / or slag off Shola as if he's the worst player we've ever had.

 

Hopefully that's going to loosen off a little after both were great for this game...

 

Shola hasn`t changed in the past decade or more. He always has a knack of scoring important goals, its just sandwiched inbetween them is 100`s of minutes of slow dross, poor control and injuries. As for Pardews subs he has been a bit slow to react at times. Not that I have slated Pardew. I`m a very happy supporter at the moment, its been years since we all have something to really be proud of again.

[Guest ykmkmdd]

Been said before but people definately go over the top with slating players, the managers job is to hold faith in their ability and Pardews doing it very well.

 

Some were absolutely destroying Raylor & Pardew for starting him against QPR due to nothing but heinsight. Since then hes made a goalline block against wolves & got an assist against Tottenham (he should have had more than one) to help us to 4 points in 2 games along with keeping the wingers on his side quiet in the 4 games since QPR.

 

Yet again around we go with Simpson instead now. Because him being part of what has been the best defence in the country means nothing & hes obviously s****. Bit laughable.

 

Agree with that - seems to be a mood sometimes that players have to be either world class or turboshit, not room for much else inbetween. Every pre-match thread I've been reading about which winger is going to absolutely rape Ryan Taylor - still waiting for it to happen.

 

We're unbeaten, with the best defence in the league, none of our players are shit. I'm loving it, and Pardew is doing an absolutely fantastic job. 

 

 

[Dr Venkman]

Or it could be that some people think you should constantly improve on what you've got if that's possible? Not sure why anyone has a problem with upgrading a weak link in a good team like.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

Or it could be that some people think you should constantly improve on what you've got if that's possible? Not sure why anyone has a problem with upgrading a weak link in a good team like.

 

Nobody has, surely?

 

But having a strong football team that work well as a unit and complement each other's strengths isn't always just about picking the best 11 players on paper. Good teams are more than the sum of their parts.

 

Pardew, to his credit, hasn't injured Ben Arfa by rushing him back, hasn't thrown Santon in the deep end to sink or swim as with Colo's much malinged first season, hasn't destroyed any player's confidence (in what is a long hard season in the Premier League, which demands more than 11 useful players) by them playing their part but feeling that they're always going to be straight out the team when the better player is available, and hasn't unneccesarily changed a well functioning back 4 which we (and even Pardew last year!) are guilty of too many times over the years.

 

And he's done this by risking the undiluted wrath of all the naysayers who demand that Raylor (hero against the Mackems away) or Shola (hero against the best team we've kept our record against this year) or Loven (hero in the Cup run that reaches the dizzy heights of the quarter finals next week after our 2 away ties won) are never allowed anywhere near our team.

[Dr Venkman]

All good points and I think Pardew deserves credit,however,our unbeaten run has been brilliant but under considerable threat at times,particularly away at QPR and at home to Fulham with those two very clear chances gifted to them in the late stages.

 

Just because we haven't been punished for the mistakes it doesn't mean they aren't happening and pushing forward is always important.

[Keefaz]

We've been lucky, no doubt, and it's also been a massive help that we have a certain poodle-haired mega-defender at the back, but we're starting to develop a style now. Some good spells of possession in the Spurs game and the movement's better than it's been for ages. Pardew's still a bell-end, like.

[Dr Venkman]

I'm just pig sick of seeing Simpson jogging back while the opposition are pouring forward and him hoofing it up the line all the time. We're playing possession football now and we need more players who are comfortable on the ball.

 

Anyone remember when he kicked it directly out of play v spurs under little pressure? He then turned to Tiote and blamed him for not knocking it long,we've got a player on the bench who looks comfortable in possession and has looked good defensively at his previous club,give him 90 mins against Wigan.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

I'm just pig sick of seeing Simpson jogging back while the opposition are pouring forward and him hoofing it up the line all the time. We're playing possession football now and we need more players who are comfortable on the ball.

 

Anyone remember when he kicked it directly out of play v spurs under little pressure? He then turned to Tiote and blamed him for not knocking it long,we've got a player on the bench who looks comfortable in possession and has looked good defensively at his previous club,give him 90 mins against Wigan.

 

So who do you want to see at left back / right back if Santon comes in alongside Raylor, as they could be played either way?

[Dr Venkman]

personally i'd leave Raylor at LB and put Santon at RB, then bring in a LB asap. best way to improve the team short and long term imo.

 

edit - there's also an argument for playing Jonas on the right and bringing in Marveuax at LW but that's too much change for the short term.

[Newcastle Fan]

After his Ashley comments i expect him to win 6-0 against Wigan to make it up. 

 

 

Actually what i think i wanted to say since the Tottenham game is that its about time we see him use the really good players we have on the bench and change the formation a bit, i know it's been doing us good so far but the Tottenham game showed some already expected weak links (Obertan, Simpson, etc.) so starting the Wigan game i'll be hoping to see the like of Ben Arfa, Marveaux and Santon start.

[Lush Vlad]

You can tell he buzzes off the crowd and really loves managing us.  At the game I noticed him pumping the crowd up twice, he spent pretty much the entire 90 minutes prowling his technical area and was always shouting instructions.

 

Watched the match back for the first time on TV last night, is it just me or does he shout ridiculously loud?  I'm sure I never heard what Hughton was yelling to the players.  But a few times you could hear Pards:

 

"Besty, fucking superb  tight Demba, pressure him, brilliant work."  Then clapped and just generally encouraged everyone.

 

"Take him on Gab, open up, go past him" 

 

Were a few more times where you could hear him barking out orders, but can't remember what he said.  Not the first time I've noticed it, he seems a pretty vocal manager, really like that.

[aussiemag]

Pardew loves the term: " Fucking Superb " ... Thread Title Change to.. Alan " Fucking Superb " Pardew

[Taylor Swift]

I'm gradually beginning to trust him, which is a surprise. It's hard to develop trust for managers, especially when so many of them make bone-headed decisions. Souness always played shite players and changed tactics too late, Roeder fucked up badly by dropping N'Zogbia for Duff and Allardyce was pathetic with his team selection. I think the jury's still out on Pardew, but he's shown that he has the potential to be better than most of our previous managers in the past few years. I didn't trust him at first, and questioned (and still do) most of his substitutions, but it's becoming more obvious that he makes changes for certain reasons which sometimes we aren't privy to.

 

First of all, his decision to not start Ben Arfa for the past few matches - when most fans on this forum would have - has proven to be the right decision for two very good reasons: 1) we have gotten results with his team selection, and 2) Ben Arfa looks rusty, which was probably the more important decision when considering whether to start him. The same probably applies to Marveaux and Santon to an extent. His decision to drop Ba at the start of the season also makes much more sense now that we know that he was unfit, and his substitutions have, for the most part, worked out. The best example of that is probably the Shola sub on Sunday. His decision to start R Taylor has also been a good one in terms of results even if the performances haven't been sparkling, and I'm confident that if there's a better alternative that Pardew will choose it.

 

So yeah, I'm beginning to trust his team selection, his tactics and his substitutions. They've not been perfect (every time Lovenkrands gets sent on, basically), but he's recognized the times that he's made mistakes (tactics away to QPR for example), and hasn't repeated them yet, which is a very good sign.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I always thought he was a capable manager before he joined us, remember thinking he was very good at West Ham for the most part.

 

But I'm still surprised by just how easily and quickly he's adapted to managing Newcastle, a job that many other managers have found rattles and overawes them. And he joined at a particularly chaotic time as well, and calmed things down very well.

[LoveItIfWeBeatU]

This Thursday's edition of BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport show will devote an hour of airtime to a Q & A session with Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.

 

Questions can be submitted online here now and from the same link you'll find details of how to contact the show live on Thursday via telephone and text message.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/9391290.stm

 

Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew will be the special guest on BBC Newcastle's Total Sport programme this Thursday, 20 October from 1830 BST.

 

The Magpies boss will be joined by the station's Newcastle commentator Mick Lowes for an hour-long question and answer session.

 

To submit your question fill in the form on the right side of this page, leaving a contact number if you wish to be contacted by the programme.

 

On the night you can get in touch with the show by calling 0191 2326565, or by sending a text to 81333 starting your message with BBC.

 

Pardew has enjoyed an impressive start to the season as Newcastle boss, leading the club to fourth place in the Premier League this season, and maintained the club's unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Sunday.

 

His summer recruitment has also proved relatively successful, with France midfielder Yohan Cabaye and Senegal striker Demba Ba among the newcomers to have shone so far.

 

BBC Newcastle is the only place to hear every Newcastle United game, home or away, while Total Sport has interviews, reaction and fans' debate from St James' Park every weeknight from 1730-1930.

[Lush Vlad]

I quite enjoyed the last two Q & A's he did, came across pretty well I thought.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He's very good at these media things, definitely be tuning in.

[Christmas Tree]

Wasn't sure where to stick this. Lee Ryders latest blog.

 

Forget fourth place, forget unbeaten starts, the biggest success Alan Pardew has achieved is making Newcastle United fun to watch again.

For the first time since Kevin Keegan’s brief return as manager in 2008 – a largely unspectacular nine month reign that ended in an acrimonious departure and an explosion of supporter animosity to owner Mike Ashley – everyone is enjoying themselves at St James’s Park.

Before Keegan, you would have go to back to the Sir Bobby Robson years (1999-2004) – although even the end of those were soured by bitterness and resentment as an ageing support grew disillusioned by the constant near-misses under the grand old knight.

For the first time in years, Ashley and his right hand man Derek Llambias can come to games without hearing chants asking them to leave – although obviously in rather less polite terms – supporters can come to games with belief in their side and players can enjoy playing in an arena which has few rivals for atmosphere when it gets going.

Newcastle are never more dangerous than when their long suffering support sense they have something worth supporting again.

They are not unique in that, of course, but it had been forgotten for too long at St James’s Park. There are so many clichés that can be used, but I’ll go with the most simple. When Newcastle fans are at their partisan best, they really are like an extra man on the pitch. When they roar and they scream, sing and they shout.

Anyone who has played there knows how intimidating and intense it is, the only problem is that intensity has weighed too heavily on the shoulders of home, rather than visiting, players in recent times. Newcastle United were constantly in danger of becoming victims of friendly fire.

Things have changed this season. Even when Newcastle fell behind against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, there were no signs of disgruntlement in the stands, merely a desire to help lift the players.

By the end, after Shola Ameobi had pegged Spurs back for a second time, the stadium on the hill overlooking the city crackled with energy that fuelled Newcastle’s players as they went in search of a winner.

It is to Tottenham’s credit that they did not wilt because they were clinging on for a point and were mightily relieved to head home with one. That is what Newcastle’s support can do to you – just ask Arsenal.

That magnificent, memorable clash back in February was perhaps the moment those fans remembered how important they are.

At 4-0 at half-time, Arsenal were strutting peacocks, masters of all they surveyed, but they were shivering wrecks 45 minutes later.

I will never forget the confused faces on the Arsenal players as the home crowd cheered a corner and rose to urge the players on.

Once one goal went in, Arsenal’s cockiness was replaced by fear. The game ended in a 4-4 draw and earned instant acclaim as one of the Premier League’s best.

That sort of support in such an apparently hopeless position was alien to so many in the Arsenal ranks, as it had been to most Newcastle players in recent years. But on that day something changed for the better.

For the last few years, even during the successful promotion campaign from the Championship, opposition sides have known it does not take much to make the crowd turn on their own on Tyneside. Newcastle United were anything but.

If you could get Newcastle’s support to turn. If you could get them at each other’s throats, half the battle was won, but visitors to St James’s Park are once again more worried about getting their throats ripped out these days.

Few would have anticipated it in the summer, particularly once the window shut and Andy Carroll’s replacement still hadn’t been signed, but there is a feel good factor on Tyneside which has brought unity as well as momentum.

Results have been good, but more significantly in trying to explain the current mood, they have been unexpectedly so.

As well as being hard to beat, Newcastle have a threat going forward. They have natural width and pace and should Modibo Maiga, as expected, sign in January, they should have another player to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis alongside Demba Ba, who has notched five in his last three appearances.

The squad is small and unlikely to be able to handle injuries and suspensions, European qualification may well be beyond them because of it, but that cannot disguise the fact Pardew has built a team – with the help of chief scout Graham Carr – that plays with enterprise, spirit, speed and skill. That’s good enough for most who follow them.

There is a buzz around the city there has not been since Robson led them into the Champions League. You can feel it, sense it and I’m not even a Newcastle supporter (it will always be Leyton Orient for me).

Even during these times of financial uncertainty – the North East has the highest unemployment rate in the country – Newcastle United have done what they are supposed to do – they have made the city feel good about itself again.

Long may it continue, not just for Newcastle, but for the vibrancy and entertainment of the Premier League. In these days of billionaire owners, English football needs the rest to make the most of the strengths they have.

Newcastle United’s supporters are their gift and their curse. They can be too demanding, too expectant and they can crush those who do not provide them with what they want.

At the moment, they are a gift to Pardew and players who are thriving in the positive atmosphere they generate. The longer it lasts the longer Newcastle will maintain their challenge for Europe.

[Christmas Tree]

Another piece here from Mark Douglas (journal) on the great start at all levels.

 

AT pretty much every Press conference Alan Pardew gives, he will mention it.

 

It rarely makes the final cut but the fact that Newcastle’s reserve and youth teams are performing just as creditably as the first team clearly brings satisfaction to the United boss.

 

He mentioned it again last week, making the forcible point that a record of one defeat at all levels this season is not something to be sniffed at.

 

At youth and reserve level sound foundations are being laid but, with apologies to Pardew, it is the remarkable start that the first team have enjoyed that is building credit and infusing Mike Ashley’s leadership with credibility.

 

Quietly, this new generation United are closing in on the Entertainers’ record of 11 Premier League games without defeat. Having knocked down eight so far, they need to just avoid defeat against Wigan, Stoke and Everton to equal a run that few would have thought would be matched in their lifetimes.

 

What’s more, they’ve done it with a bit of swagger. Perhaps not quite as much as Kevin Keegan’s class of 1994-95 but these are different times – there were no Arab royals funneling cash into the division back then and upstarts like Newcastle could afford to play without fear.

 

 

That this lot are managing to do it says much for the foundations that Pardew has been building for the past 12 months. Work began on this blueprint almost immediately and, while in public the United boss continues to lament the loss of Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan, the truth is their departures have allowed the club to make a huge stylistic leap forward.

 

The current midfield is a lip-smacking combination of Yohan Cabaye’s craft and Cheick Tioté’s immense presence. Even when Cabaye’s performance levels dip, as they did on Sunday, team-mates have negated the damage by stepping up themselves.

 

Jonás Gutiérrez and Gabriel Obertan, for example, were both excellent against Spurs.

 

When quizzed on what the team could achieve this season Pardew demurred. “We would have 19 points if we won on Saturday and that is halfway to safety,” was his answer to questions that implied a European push might not be as unrealistic as we’d all assumed.

 

But there was a glint in his eye as he played it all down. The fact he’s even being asked with a straight face is proof that the club are heading in the right direction.

[OzzieMandias]

... a record of one defeat at all levels this season is not something to be sniffed at.

 

[NEEJ]

Obertan excellent against Spurs? Eh?

[HongKongMag]

Good set of articles there, I was actually about to post a link to Lee Ryders one myself as it's a very good article.

 

The positive vibes going on at the moment are not something I've seen or felt in a while - -people enjoying going to matches as well! Long may it continue

[Pilko]

I quite enjoyed the last two Q & A's he did, came across pretty well I thought.

 

The last one was brilliant just for the caller who opened with "Hellaw Pards, y'areet?"