Yohan Cabaye (now sporting coordinator at Paris Saint-Germain)

[Varadi]

Can we still sing his song if he comes back?

 

Might have cause to doubt the sincerity this time mind.

[Ronaldo]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time, sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

[mrmojorisin75]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time. sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

ron is a relentless bellend but he's generally right, none more so than with this

[r0cafella]

Nice theoretical discussion going on here.

[Ronaldo]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time. sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

ron is a relentless bellend but he's generally right, none more so than with this

 

Fuck, Mojo. I thought we were alright. Still that NHS thing?

[mrmojorisin75]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time. sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

ron is a relentless bellend but he's generally right, none more so than with this

 

Fuck, Mojo. I thought we were alright. Still that NHS thing?

 

not at all man, you're sound and i like you but you have a habit of rubbing 'certain people' up the wrong way....some things i disagree with you know?

[maze]

Great player. Would have him back. On the other hand, if he rejects, I would not blame him. Even I would turn down Newcastle, and I'm not even a footballer.

[Guest]

What's the odds we make a bid that gets accepted deliberately, once we know he's all but agreed to sign elsewhere, just so "we tried".

[Unbelievable]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time, sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

The Tiote-Cabaye partnership played a key part in keeping it tight at the back though. They were fantastic together, often against a midfield 3 too. Since when does "controlling the midfield" only refer to the offensive side of the game?

[David Icke - Son of God]

I remember the consensus for large parts of that season was that Tiote was pretty fucking naff. He only really began to excel when we went 433.

[Guest]

I reckon if we'd had Debuchy and Sissoko 12 months earlier (in place of Simpson at RB and Jonas), we might have even finished higher.

[Marmoset]

So glad we didn't finish 4th that year mind.

 

Was living with a Spurs season ticket holder at the time and I've never seen such despair as when Chelsea won that CL

[Ronaldo]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time, sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

The Tiote-Cabaye partnership played a key part in keeping it tight at the back though. They were fantastic together, often against a midfield 3 too. Since when does "controlling the midfield" only refer to the offensive side of the game?

 

It doesn't and nobody said it did. We weren't in 'control' of games. We were purely reactive the vast majority of the time and if we conceded the first goal we were fucking done for because of our reliance on nicking a goal against the run of play.

[The College Dropout]

You can be in control of a game and be on the back foot ala Mayweather. 

 

In the 5th season I would say we controlled a number of games but without the ball. We had teams where we wanted them. Not looking like they would score. For example, I would say we controlled the Swansea away game for large periods. Up until Tiote got injured they never looked dangerous but had plenty of the ball. we didn't have the ball but we had them where we wanted.

 

In a few of Carver's early games we had plenty of possession but we where never in control of games.

[mrmojorisin75]

You can be in control of a game and be on the back foot ala Mayweather. 

 

In the 5th season I would say we controlled a number of games but without the ball. We had teams where we wanted them. Not looking like they would score. For example, I would say we controlled the Swansea away game for large periods. Up until Tiote got injured they never looked dangerous but had plenty of the ball. we didn't have the ball but we had them where we wanted.

 

In a few of Carver's early games we had plenty of possession but we where never in control of games.

Think you're wrong there like.

 

We were solid in that Swansea game and they never looked like scoring but I can't for the life of me see how you'd say we controlled it.

 

I'm with Ronaldo, we were fucking awful for the most part and even when we won were invariably the poorer team. It's how we knew at the time the wheels were destined to come off.

[The College Dropout]

Control = power and influence over events. Swansea had no power or influence over the score line and never looked like it.

 

Let's take Pardew's idol - Mourinho. All those times he's beat Wenger's Arsenal.  They are in control over the proceedings without the ball. That 2-0 last season they where in control from start to finish. IMO whenever a top team does the rope-a-dope on Arsenal they are in control. Not Arsenal. In the 5th season we won games in the exact fashion Pardew set them out to do. 

 

I would say games like QPR, Blackburn away when we finished 5th. Spurs away last season. Or when Inter beat Barcelona are genuinely lucky.  Those results relied on poor finishing, luck.

[Tiresias]

I think you can control a game without possession on the counter. If you know they aren't going to breach your defense and you know that you will get chances on the break that's you in control imo. I think we did control games on the counter that season, and central to that was Cabaye not wasting passes but getting the right ball to Cisse up top.

 

We haven't really controlled games like that since even if that was often the plan as our defense was so shaky you couldn't say we weren't playing a high risk strategy.

[Guest]

You can be in control of a game and be on the back foot ala Mayweather. 

 

In the 5th season I would say we controlled a number of games but without the ball. We had teams where we wanted them. Not looking like they would score. For example, I would say we controlled the Swansea away game for large periods. Up until Tiote got injured they never looked dangerous but had plenty of the ball. we didn't have the ball but we had them where we wanted.

 

In a few of Carver's early games we had plenty of possession but we where never in control of games.

Think you're wrong there like.

 

We were solid in that Swansea game and they never looked like scoring but I can't for the life of me see how you'd say we controlled it.

 

I'm with Ronaldo, we were f***ing awful for the most part and even when we won were invariably the poorer team. It's how we knew at the time the wheels were destined to come off.

 

I agree with him on the Swansea game tbf. We just let them pass themselves to death between their box and about 30 yards from our goal. They dominated possession stats but I hardly remember us being under threat or danger the whole match.

[mrmojorisin75]

You can be in control of a game and be on the back foot ala Mayweather. 

 

In the 5th season I would say we controlled a number of games but without the ball. We had teams where we wanted them. Not looking like they would score. For example, I would say we controlled the Swansea away game for large periods. Up until Tiote got injured they never looked dangerous but had plenty of the ball. we didn't have the ball but we had them where we wanted.

 

In a few of Carver's early games we had plenty of possession but we where never in control of games.

Think you're wrong there like.

 

We were solid in that Swansea game and they never looked like scoring but I can't for the life of me see how you'd say we controlled it.

 

I'm with Ronaldo, we were f***ing awful for the most part and even when we won were invariably the poorer team. It's how we knew at the time the wheels were destined to come off.

 

I agree with him on the Swansea game tbf. We just let them pass themselves to death between their box and about 30 yards from our goal. They dominated possession stats but I hardly remember us being under threat or danger the whole match.

I agreed too, I just don't think you can say we controlled it.

[Mole_Toonfan]

That Swansea game i think we did, i have seen Mourinho teams do it many times over the years ( as in have hardly any of the ball but in complete control) I don't think there was many other times that season where it was the case though.

[mrmojorisin75]

That Swansea game i think we did, i have seen Mourinho teams do it many times over the years ( as in have hardly any of the ball but in complete control) I don't think there was many other times that season where it was the case though.

They're two different things though; 'controlling a game' to me requires control through the midfield, whereas being solid defensively to the point where the other team know they can't break you down just isn't the same thing.

[mrmojorisin75]

Actually let's put it this way: with the ball you can control a game, if you're not in control of the ball then you're containing the other team. That's what we did against Swansea, we contained them to the point both teams knew there was only one outcome.

[TRon]

He was ace together with Tiote the season we ended 5th. They definitely controlled games, Manure at home springs to mind.

 

It's amazing how much this gets said. It just isn't true. We didn't control games that season at all. We just scored goals at the right time, sat deep and kept it tight at the back.

 

The Tiote-Cabaye partnership played a key part in keeping it tight at the back though. They were fantastic together, often against a midfield 3 too. Since when does "controlling the midfield" only refer to the offensive side of the game?

 

It doesn't and nobody said it did. We weren't in 'control' of games. We were purely reactive the vast majority of the time and if we conceded the first goal we were fucking done for because of our reliance on nicking a goal against the run of play.

 

I'm going to agree with this, While we won a few games with Tiote and Cabaye together in midfield, they never really gelled together, if anything Tiote ended up playing further forward which he just isn't cut out for. Cabaye for me is only really effective when he's played further forward as part of a midfield 3. This means that you have to sacrifice a forward, and unless you have a really effective target man, that can leave you short of goals.

[STM]

Without looking, for a fair chunk of that season I'm pretty sure both players had their spells on the side lines too. Guthrie played in Cabaye's absence and did alright.

[Mole_Toonfan]

That Swansea game i think we did, i have seen Mourinho teams do it many times over the years ( as in have hardly any of the ball but in complete control) I don't think there was many other times that season where it was the case though.

They're two different things though; 'controlling a game' to me requires control through the midfield, whereas being solid defensively to the point where the other team know they can't break you down just isn't the same thing.

 

Disagree tbh, you can have control in a number of different ways it's not just about the Barca way of dominating possession. Quite frankly every good manager wants control of the game there's just different ways of going about it.