Alan Pardew

[The College Dropout]

The short corners are particularly baffling as they don't even fit with the rest of the play. If we're going to play this type of turgid football, wang it in the box and hope someone standing around in the middle gets a foot on it rather than expecting the two guys taking the corner to somehow magic the ball through a blind alley with no options, which ends up with us being torn apart on the break. Taking a short corner when we've got Krul in the opposition box sums that one up

 

Nothing is co-ordinated, nothing is planned. Stuff just happens.

[Shak]

As for Pardew, my main feeling towards him this year is disappointment tbh.

 

Think he's bottled it big time. Should have been looking to push on and try and build on what he did last year. Instead he's tried to just repeat the same things he did last year with nothing new added, been a huge let down IMO.

 

If he did add something new and it failed horribly, would you say he should have stuck with what he done last season?

 

If that thing was attempting to play good football then absolutely not.

 

Had we been going out and really trying to pass and move and were getting caught on the break a lot due to our players being out of position (which is what I suspect a lot of Pardew's tactics right now are aimed at preventing) then I'd certainly be a lot more forgiving than I am of what we've been seeing this year.

 

I'm not going to go on about it much because I think he's done a great job since he's been here and I really would love to see him succeed, but if I'm being 100% honest I don't see things going well for him from here on.

 

I think he's a very good tactician from a defensive point of view, generally we're a hard team to beat and we look well organised and committed. But it appears that he doesn't have a clue about how to get a team playing well when in possession. It's not that what we're trying to do doesn't work, it's that we don't seem to have the first idea what we should be trying to do. His strategy so far seems to be to talk about playing good football in the media and hope that that somehow that translates itself onto the pitch.

 

We'll continue to get plenty of scrappy points in games we don't play well in because of how well organised we are off the ball, but at the same time we'll keep dropping points at home to teams that we really should be beating because we have no idea how to attack them.

[Beren]

I went looking to see if anywhere had written about that particular game and found this from Michael Cox on Zonal Marking:

 

Against Newcastle it was more attacking. Newcastle were playing a 4-3-3 shape, so Wigan only had 3 v 3 at the back. Faced with either playing 5 v 3 with the wing-backs dropping deep, or 3 v 3 with them pushing on, they went for the brave option. With Alan Pardew’s side looking to play quite a reactive game and letting Wigan have the ball, Martinez instructed his wing-backs to get forward and create 2 v 1 situations with the wingers down the flanks – Newcastle were caught understaffed at the back, conceding two goals in the opening 15 minutes.

 

The most interesting feature of the play, and a small example that sums up the benefit of the 3-4-3 shape, was that Newcastle didn’t know how to press the 3-4-3 with their 4-3-3. The problem was this – Ali Al-Habsi would look to play the ball out to his three centre-backs, so Wigan could get the ball down and play. Newcastle wanted to stop them building from the back, so Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba in the wide positions looked to close down Wigan’s ‘outside’ centre-backs. But this then left the Wigan wing-backs free, and Al-Habsi could knock balls out to the flank, where the wing-backs would then move forward to create those 2 v 1 situations. If the Newcastle full-backs came out to the Wigan wing-backs, then the Wigan wingers would be free.

 

http://i1231.photobucket.com/albums/ee512/zonal_marking/wigan3.jpg

 

Newcastle’s spare man was in the centre of midfield, and they could have been cleverer with how the three shifted across the pitch to close down the Wigan wing-backs, but they still would have been vulnerable to quick balls out to the flanks anyway. In the end, Pardew decided the only way Newcastle could press Wigan (at 2-0 down, and needing the ball) was to switch to a 3-4-3 himself. Newcastle hadn’t played that way before, and haven’t played that way since. Martinez had forced the overachievers of the season to play in an alien way, and that in itself was a victory.

 

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/05/16/wigan-stay-up-after-a-switch-to-3-4-3

 

Such a shame that we were undone this way when using everyone's preferred formation and when Pardew chose the more attacking option (probably buoyed by our form going into that game). I do definitely think it's had a major effect on him since, but he should be a good enough manager to understand it was an anomaly due to the way Wigan set-up and due to the form they hit around that time. I think desperation will force him back to the 4-3-3 type setup sooner rather than later, and it will hopefully lead to us finding our feet again.

 

As suggested it's not a "cure all" but I do think it'll give us the best chance of getting back towards our peak as it tends to bring the best out of most of our key players.

 

As an addendum, I've got a lot of time for Roberto Martinez. Hope he ends up here some day and I can't quite believe Liverpool went for Rodgers over him, in a move that seemed principally based upon what Rodgers had done with Swansea - after all he did was continue a philosophy that Martinez pioneered there. Here's his comments on why he switched that 3-4-3 from the same article:

 

“When you play a 4-3-3, you rely a lot on the full-backs to get high up the pitch. You shouldn’t look at a system as away to win a football match, it is the players that play the system. Maynor [Figueroa], Gary [Caldwell] and Antolin [Alcaraz] have been so solid with a back three, and it allows [other] players to be high up the pitch, like the wing-backs. They aren’t full-backs that need to get deep and then forward to give us an extra man, they are in positions where they can do both a little bit better, and we can be a little bit more solid.

 

“The difference is the width that we get…before, we had to compromise a little bit, when you want to be very attack-minded, the full-backs have to push on, so you leave two players at the back. Now you’re still pushing the wing-backs on, but you’ve still got three players at the back, plus probably a midfielder. In the West Brom game, as Paul Scharner will tell you, we were attacking with seven, eight, nine players and they were surprised it, and that’s what the system gives you, without being weak at the back.

 

“It suits our players. When you’ve got a Jean Beausejour who is a specialist in that position, you take advantage of that. The back three gives you that. Then there’s the energy we’ve got in midfield, players who can play between lines like Shaun Maloney and Jordi Gomez. It’s so difficult to play against…there’s a few clubs playing it around Europe now, Napoli are one: they play it with Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi…this is the advantage of this system – it goes where the danger is…it’s not in defensive lines, it’s not working as a unit of four, it’s not man-marking.”

 

Gushing over.

 

Good read

 

 

 

4L4N PAR2EW: Yes, Roberto, 4-4-2...

 

[TRon]

As for Pardew, my main feeling towards him this year is disappointment tbh.

 

Think he's bottled it big time. Should have been looking to push on and try and build on what he did last year. Instead he's tried to just repeat the same things he did last year with nothing new added, been a huge let down IMO.

 

If he did add something new and it failed horribly, would you say he should have stuck with what he done last season?

 

If that thing was attempting to play good football then absolutely not.

 

Had we been going out and really trying to pass and move and were getting caught on the break a lot due to our players being out of position (which is what I suspect a lot of Pardew's tactics right now are aimed at preventing) then I'd certainly be a lot more forgiving than I am of what we've been seeing this year.

 

I'm not going to go on about it much because I think he's done a great job since he's been here and I really would love to see him succeed, but if I'm being 100% honest I don't see things going well for him from here on.

 

I think he's a very good tactician from a defensive point of view, generally we're a hard team to beat and we look well organised and committed. But it appears that he doesn't have a clue about how to get a team playing well when in possession. It's not that what we're trying to do doesn't work, it's that we don't seem to have the first idea what we should be trying to do. His strategy so far seems to be to talk about playing good football in the media and hope that that somehow that translates itself onto the pitch.

 

We'll continue to get plenty of scrappy points in games we don't play well in because of how well organised we are off the ball, but at the same time we'll keep dropping points at home to teams that we really should be beating because we have no idea how to attack them.

 

That's me in a nutshell right there. I really do like Pards, and he's got a lot of qualities. He's a natural leader, good man manager, generally great PR and a fine ambassador for the club. Unfortunately, on the football side he appears clueless. How to set up a team, how to coach and encourage fluid pass and move football...this is all basic stuff, and today's top teams just don't play the way we are doing, and have been for the last season and a half for the most part.

 

So while I don't want him sacked I just don't see where we are going to go under his stewardship. He might make a couple of changes in personnel and we'll click like we did second half of last season, but unless he changes his basic football philosophy we'll end up sliding back as soon as we get a setback.

[Mole_Toonfan]

4-3-3 isn't the magical cure to everything but it for damn sure suits our players better than other system. ( atleast when our best players are fit anyway)

 

There's more issues than just the mere system but it wouldn't hurt to actually find a system that everyone is comfortable with and stick with it which in turn will breed consistency and familiarity instead of chopping and changing every 5 mins in a never ending solution to our woes.

[TaylorJ_01]

Gonna take a week off work to read this page.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

What Shak said about the front 6 is the key I think. They all want to play inside, they all lack the ability to get to the byline generally.

 

For HBA it's fine to be on the wrong side because he roams everywhere, but for the others it creates a very static and compact formation. Even HBA himself is limited because the 4-4-2 requires him to do so much defending and pick up the ball very deep.

 

That is fine if Ba and Cisse still manage to find goals, but when they are struggling we look limited going forward.

[Superior Acuña]

Aside from Ashley which good managers would want to come here given our manager history and the fact one who finally did well got sacked after a bad run following almost qualifying for the champions league

[taxfree]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/the-newcastle-column-five-things-alan-1433769

 

A few minutes from the end of Newcastle's defeat to West Ham, a fan bellowed some advice to Alan Pardew.

 

It was something about sorting the tactics out, and an insult about how poor his team had been.

 

The Newcastle boss heard the message loud and clear. We know this because he turned around on the touchline and told the disgruntled bloke to shut his gob.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Aside from Ashley which good managers would want to come here given our manager history and the fact one who finally did well got sacked after a bad run following almost qualifying for the champions league

 

Come on man, managers would be battering down the door to work for Newcastle.

[Guest neesy111]

Aside from Ashley which good managers would want to come here given our manager history and the fact one who finally did well got sacked after a bad run following almost qualifying for the champions league

 

Come on man, managers would be battering down the door to work for Newcastle.

 

I highly doubt that.

[Hanshithispantz]

Aye, Swansea have just gotten Laudrop for example. We could get a top man in if we wanted, although I certainly wouldn't even begin to wish Pardew out the door yet.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Aside from Ashley which good managers would want to come here given our manager history and the fact one who finally did well got sacked after a bad run following almost qualifying for the champions league

 

Come on man, managers would be battering down the door to work for Newcastle.

 

I highly doubt that.

 

Not Mourinho or Guardiola et al, but nearly everyone else. I don't see why they wouldn't, unless they're transfer-hungry like Redknapp.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I think the environment that Pardew works under ( Ashley and Llambias etc etc) will be the biggest obstacle we would have to over come if we ever sacked him in looking for a replacement.

 

The actual lure of the club won't be an issue.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think the environment that Pardew works under ( Ashley and Llambias etc etc) will be the biggest obstacle we would have to over come if we ever sacked him in looking for a replacement.

 

The actual lure of the club won't be an issue.

 

True, but I think we overplay it at times. Many clubs have restrictions and shared responsibility for signings etc.

 

Anyway, Pards will be here for many years to come IMO.

[themanupstairs]

It's not about the 433 itself as a formation. It's about what gives our best attacking player, Ben Arfa, the best chance to hurt teams. I didn't mind him at all playing behind Ba for example as he did away to Man Utd last season. In fact I quite enjoyed watching him play more central, and I thought with a good run of games there he'd really flourish.

 

As things stand, HBA is shackled, badly, in his current role, and I applaud him for continuing to track back and cover his defensive duties despite his frustrations. It's easy for a footballer like him these days to shrivel up and hoy the toys out. It's what is expected of him of course, being a professional and all.

 

Something isn't going right somewhere, and I'm not sure Pardew can put his finger on it. The much famed "Team spirit" seems to have dissipated a bit compared to what we've seen in the last couple of seasons, and I believe it may have something to do with the transfer sagas of the summer (Agents, heads turned etc..) coupled with second season syndrome, injuries, suspensions, etc..

 

I hope this is just a phase, an exception, rather than the rule.

[Guest neesy111]

Both the Management and Players need to take responsibility over the shite performances, though I think Pardew is not good at taking criticism from his previous managerial positions.

[Guest BooBoo]

On the plus side at least Sundays game has sparked some very interesting debate. Best on N-O in a while.

[EthiGeordie]

I am not happy with the current situation. but to call for his head is ridicules. He made a big mistake in the summer on gambling with the current squad. We needed 3 or 4 more additional players. Carr also need to step it up. I wonder why why pay Anita 6 mil and the likes of Diame costs nothing?

[Kanj]

Diame probably took the best weekly wage offer on the table.

[Zero]

Well, he was not the one who gamble, his boss did.

 

I heard Diame has some kind of heart problem which may collapse fatally during a match? And Anita is not a bad signing as well.

[NEEJ]

Ethi striking gold there again.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I heard that about diame too none the less he's a different player to anita who i still think was signed because we thought tiote would leave.

 

Diame is more of a box to box midfielder plus the obvious wages issue.

[Guest malandro]

Both the Management and Players need to take responsibility over the s**** performances, though I think Pardew is not good at taking criticism from his previous managerial positions.

His record before becoming NUFC manager suggests there's a few things he wasn't very good at.

 

What he hasn't been at NUFC is shit and talk of getting shot of him is wildly premature but there's nothing in his managerial record to suggest he can turn things around once forward momentum has been lost, which is what he is going to have to do if he's here for another eight years.

 

The supporters will accept plodding along in an Ashley wonderland if the team are playing open attractive football, but grinding out results playing turgid defensive football won't be tolerated for long if theres no objective beyond saving money.

 

[Kanj]

Diame will fuck off to any team that pays him the money he wants. I'd rather not have a player like that. When the going gets tough, those players tend to just disappear.  See: relegation season.