Alan Pardew

[Flip]

Even if you take Everton as a comfortable win, which i'm not sure I would, we still created remarkably little, and scored through a ridiculous own goal which Howard was poised to claim and a real wonder goal. We had wonder goals to thank against Wolves and Villa recently too having created very little at home. This is a real worry to me, our lack of genuine chances.

 

Despite Man United, I still have Stoke down as our performance of the season, really thought we might have cracked it.

 

I dont think we were that good against Stoke. We werent playing brilliant stuff to be honest. I loved our performance against Spurs (at home obv.). We were better, although not creating much we were genuinely comfortable passing the ball around.

[Village Idiot]

I thought you were brilliant against Spurs in the second half. One of those games that despite being down you are sure you're getting something.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Stoke was a great demonstration of the tougher and more spirited approach, and winning a game would might previously had struggled in. It made me much more confident about our season.

[SUPERTOON]

The few occasions we have played football- Villa away, Blackburn home, Spurs home, we have been great to watch, and had some great results. Makes you wonder why Pardew is so against us playing that way when we are better doing it.

[Wullie]

That's the entire point, it doesn't have to be brilliant stuff, that's what the people saying "you just want us to play like Barcelona" don't seem to grasp. We dominated that game from start to finish.

 

I want us to dominate games, have most of the ball and most of the chances, whether that's direct or not i'm not bothered, I just think that particular style doesn't suit our players and won't have us dominate games. Ironically, Stoke do that nearly every week at home, completely boss it without "looking like Barcelona".

 

[madras]

Even if you take Everton as a comfortable win, which i'm not sure I would, we still created remarkably little, and scored through a ridiculous own goal which Howard was poised to claim and a real wonder goal. We had wonder goals to thank against Wolves and Villa recently too having created very little at home. This is a real worry to me, our lack of genuine chances.

 

Despite Man United, I still have Stoke down as our performance of the season, really thought we might have cracked it.

heres something else to throw into that mix. against everton, wolves (home and away), arguably fulham at home, we have went into two goal leads (against everton when we scored i'd seen it as only a matter of time before we scored, we were dominating) and then backed right off. strange given pardews recent words about 2-0 being a dangerous score and how vital the next goal is.

 

it's a bit silly to go on about comfortable wins, we don't have many points we didn't deserve (qpr away and wolves home maybe, balanced out with villa away, swansea home).if the league was decided on comfortable wins the top 4 places would be vacant given man utds early form and citeh's recent.

[eliassenfredrik]

The problem is, in general we aren't creating chances with our game plans. We aren't creating chances because our approach to games are mostly defensive minded, and we seem to have forgotten how to pass our way to goal scoring opportunities. The movement and speed in "build ups" are hardly frightening, and bar a few individual performances during each game, I fail to see where the goals are coming from, because we don't look a threat. We might be hard to beat, although I think that statement is gradually losing it's power, but the players don't seem to click going forward. I think it's a combination of instructions, self confidence and player's skills (we're obviously handicapped with Obertan out there etc).

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Even on Monday night we could have easily picked up a point. We should be looking at performances of course, but results and the league table also count for a lot.

 

I don't think we should be dismissing our points total like it's a fluke. We've played 2/3 of the season.

[gbandit]

I was there. We hung on.

 

We had that own goal and a rare wonder goal from Raylor. They created more throughout the game with Drenthe literally tearing into us at times. We were not comfortable winners

[Guest Deadmau5]

Spending 4 out of 5 weekdays drilling defense and utilising 4 fullbacks as well as 2 DMS, I`m not sure how much merit being hard to beat carry. Any team playing like that will be tough breaking down, and we still concede as many goals as last season with better players.

 

I still have faith in Pardew and I think he has done a great job getting us to sixth, but sooner or later we are going to have to work on forward movement. I hope it will happen in the next 10 matches.

 

It might just be me, but I often find Pardews interviews very strange. He speaks incorrect english and looks like someone in the street being interviewed on television.  He sounds strangely deranged for someone who has been a manager for 15 years, and frankly out of his depth. Like a lass trying to discuss cars, or a fat girl trying to join in on a diet and exercise conversation. Very little substance and alot of cliches and intangibles..

 

Just me then?

 

Anyway, as long as we can salvage 7th, I think that would allow us to let our shoulders down a bit and try improving the attacking bit over the summer.

 

Howay the lads 

[Dr Venkman]

The problem is, in general we aren't creating chances with our game plans. We aren't creating chances because our approach to games are mostly defensive minded, and we seem to have forgotten how to pass our way to goal scoring opportunities. The movement and speed in "build ups" are hardly frightening, and bar a few individual performances during each game, I fail to see where the goals are coming from, because we don't look a threat. We might be hard to beat, although I think that statement is gradually losing it's power, but the players don't seem to click going forward. I think it's a combination of instructions, self confidence and player's skills (we're obviously handicapped with Obertan out there etc).

 

This is it for me like, as i've said elsewhere. The players he actually puts on the pitch has a lot to do with it as well.

[TRon]

What if Pards has more of a longer-term plan for the team?

 

End of last season: try and find out what he's inherited, start to make the team difficult to beat

First full season: work on getting the team working in the right way off the ball and install the defensive ethos that he wants the team to adapt (built around Krul and Colo). Make sure that the team is difficult to beat and are capable of providing a solid platform for season two/three. League position is a bonus if it's above mid-table. Bring the 'flair' players to the fore towards the end of the season.

Second season: start to build upon the defensive platform, expand upon the passing, possession-retaining game and make the flair players a key part of the game plan.

Third season: by this stage, the core players (Krul - Colo - Cabaye) understand the philosophy and instructions and this is constantly repeated in the dressing room and on the pitch. This is where we win the league

 

I remember Sam Allardyce using this argument and insisting the players would have to learn to do it his way and we had the ridiculous situation where we were playing long ball football with Obafemi and Owen up front. Not that I'm against having a long term plan or a football philosophy but part of that for me should be to make the best use of the players you've got. Keegan and Allardyce had the same players available to them but who do you think made the best use of their resources? I have difficulty believing that launching the ball long from the back is going to get the best out of Cabaye, HBA, Cisse or Ba. People have argued that we don't play hoofball, but when Krul has the ball in his hands that's exactly what he does.

 

 

[Guest neesy111]

You play to the strengths of your squad, not to the strengths of the manager.

 

This direct/hoof football is nowhere near the strengths of our team.

[madras]

Neesy man, work backwards through the fixtures and say when we've played like that. You'll find its not nearly as much as you think.

 

Off to work now, I'll see your reply midnightish.

[Dr Venkman]

Getting boring now like, we don't have to play it every week for it to be a problem.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

I'm not sure that's the argument being made

[Tachikoma]

I think all we're really looking for is for Pardew to act like a sensible person, like not having shit players as favourites and playing to our own strengths. Its amazing how difficult common sense comes to modern football managers.

[stozo]

He's not a popular target of criticism on here but I honestly think some of our tactical problems start at the very back with Tim Krul. His kicking is very poor and that stats are there to back it up:

 

Goalkeepers - Pass Success (%)

Vorm – 68.5

Cech - 66.1

Szczesny – 65.6

Reina – 63.6

Friedel - 61.6

De Gea – 56.6

Hart – 52.2

Foster - 53.2

Howard – 50.1

Krul - 42

 

Krul averages 24 passes a game so in your average match Krul is going to give the ball away 14 times. It's not exactly tocket science that if you have a goalkeeper who consistently gives the ball away then were going to struggle to play passing fooball.

 

This obviously isn't helped by the fact Danny Simspon and Mike Williamson have the two lowest pass completion rates of our back 8 (midfield + defence) which probably makes it difficult to ask Krul to play a short passing game.

 

In contrast Colo and Santon are our two most successful passers so if we were to sign two players to play CB and RB who could pass a ball then we'd potentially significantly improve our side by giving us the option to play out from the back.

[Tachikoma]

There aren't many keepers who can kick it long and accurate as far as I know. Vorm has the highest pass completion rate simply because he takes the short pass more often than other keepers, and that's obviously down to their style of play.

 

Frankly I'd rather he passed it out to Williamson than to kick it long - it worked pretty well when he did it in the Arsenal game.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

For that stat to be meaningful you'd have to know how many were short passes and how many were punts.

 

Every keeper gives the ball away almost every time he's expected to hoof it long. That's why giving it back to the GK should be a last resort for defenders, and they should be heavily criticised for doing it too much.

[Yorkie]

One of my main issues with Krul's kicking, aside from the two or three per game that he's obviously played with his eyes closed, is that he kicks it so fucking high. Is there really any need? It gives the defenders more time to judge; they've already got it easier than the receiving strikers because they're attacking the ball - as opposed to Ba who's trying to hold it up. Having time to judge the trajectory just makes it all the more a simpler task to deal with for the CBs.

[Guest Dontooner]

I agree with some of that Jayson,some players just don't respond to coaching,obertan being one but when we have played this style of football most of the season against all types of opposition,Brighton included,it makes me conclude that Pardew is setting them up that way,with Keegan we'd be playing dominant,possession based football and pushing the other team about not lumping it and hoping Ba would save our asses because that's what happened a lot early season.watch back some of those early performances and we played like this a lot of the time.the difference was,we could say the team was gelling,we're getting points.thugs have changed andog term success is bred on good football,simple as that

 

TBH. we have been playing Hoofing and crossing as the primary tactic all season, its just whether you see it or you don't. Recently when the percentage football isnt working as much, more has came to see the type of football we play and can clearly see its demerits. I am sure many will hop back on the Pardew's Wagon when we start winning and finish high up the table irregardless of how we play. Well in reality the world has too many Muppets, so its not surprising.

 

Just for the sake of analyzing Pardews Tactics and why its not working as well as earlier in the season. He is missing Leon best, his formation and tactics works better with two strong,aggressive,robust and hardworking outlets looking for a cross or a hoof to shield the ball to play it back to midfield so it could push up. I dont rate Best as a long term striker in this team, but the honest answer is he suits this play much better than most of the players we have. Forcefully fitting the players into this set up probably would not work too well.

some see what isn't there though. 'primary tactic all season', what crap!

 

What is our primary tactic as you see it then Madras? If in fact there is one.

there hasn't been one. we've mixed it up. we have gone long more than i'd like but it's been no way the primary tactic. work your way back game by game and ask if hoofing it was our main tactic, you'll be surprised

Posted "Hoof and Cross Pardew" Many times, but somehow only the hoof is registered. Crossing is also a primary tactic of ours which yield the most goals for us this season. However we have very little goals coming from the middle or through balls hence we either got goals hoofing to the strikers for knock downs or cross and tried to put one on them. Why the displeasure in stating the truth astonishes me.

cross meaning aimless high ball into the middle, or pass from wide ?

 

have a look through a fixture list and remember the goals, see how many actually came from the way you describe.

Crossing come from the wide areas, Simpson,Obertan,jonas,Ba,Best rings bell, crossing means from one end of a intersection to another therefore it must come from wide areas. Hoof is long ball to strikers or medium high balls that bypass midfield. My complain is we have very very little short passes that led to goals or innovation to create more space. We often go long or put in crosses rather than try short passes to create, very once side mix passing imo. We only go short in our own half most pf the time.

all clubs cross it in (anyone got stats to hand on who crosses the most ?) and we do short pass it quite a bit possibly too much in their half where it often gets aimless and the buck gets passed.. what has lead recently to going long more than i'd like is getting to 30yds out and then tiote to cabaye to jonas to cabaye to tiote. no movement from the middle allowing the forwards to get wrapped up and limiting the options rather than a game plan of lumping it.

Well, i stated short passes to create or score, i believe we are terribly weak in that particular department. If you have a further look at it, you realize we play very little one two's as well , it being a decreasing basic tactic in our game....therefore the only type of forwarding play that are getting us dangerous or putting us on the score sheets are either long or crosses.

We concur our short passes gets us no where ..

ooh clever, trying to make i said something i didn't. thats been the case of late whereas for you it's been all season. have you been through the fixture lisyt yet and spotted out the games we went long as a primary tactic. my OP in the hooof ball done that for the recent games till that time, feel free to comment.

Sorry i dont record all the matches but have watched every match this season like many have. Well i will say this again, i register us as Hoofing the ball long And Crosses as a primary tactic to score goals. Not many goals or scoring opportunities have came through the middle of the park involving the centre midfield. Also said either you see it or you dont. Honestly, thats how i see us playing all season, you can have your own opinion certainly i am entitled to mine. It not like i started watching football recently, i have watched football for 8 euros and worldcups since i was 10. I think i can hold my own conversation when it comes to football.

[littlelunchbox]

very simple, or you would think it would be.

 

a manager looks at his current squad, see the strength,  play to their strength.

 

So we look, and quite clearly quality defenders is not what we got in abundance maybe just one.  We got good quality midfielders, good strikers.

 

what shall we do?

 

 

rocket science?

[Mr Logic]

Just got up on the last 10 pages. Incredible, now some people are saying Cabaye is mediocre when it's patently bloody obvious he's shackled by manager instruction, got to maintain team shape - that's what wins games you know, sorry, stops you losing. Only it doesn't as our last few losses show.

 

Pardew has got more and more scared of slipping away from the top the longer we stayed up at that end of the table. Ironically it is that very fear that looks like ultimately ensuring we don't stay there.

[stozo]

There aren't many keepers who can kick it long and accurate as far as I know. Vorm has the highest pass completion rate simply because he takes the short pass more often than other keepers, and that's obviously down to their style of play.

 

Frankly I'd rather he passed it out to Williamson than to kick it long - it worked pretty well when he did it in the Arsenal game.

Looking at the post I was a bit too critical on Krul himself. It is very much about the type of passing you play. However, the Stoke keepers who play a lot of long balls still manage to kick at over 52%.

 

The problem we've got (which the second bit of my post eluded to) is that Williamson and Simpson are actually very poor passers of the ball. Williamson on Monday was an anamoly (87% pass sucess). His season average is 76.1% and Simpson's is 76.3%. This stops us from playing a short passing game as teams are simply going to press harder on Simpson and Williamson to push for the mistake