Alan Pardew

[Mick]

 

 

He doesn't complain about it though.

 

He's full of shit, how can he complain that we are suffering because he is having to field two teams a week then complain that other teams have or use more players?

 

Also, how is playing Maritimo at home then Southampton away any harder than playing Real Madrid at home and then Chelsea away like Man City are doing?  Chelsea has played 21 competitive games so far this season if you include the charity shield, we've played 19, he should get somebody to read his script before he puts it into the public domain.

 

He's feeling the pressure and he's using any excuse he can think of to deflect any blame for results away from him, some will fall for it.

[oldtype]

I just think it's better if we're able to look for reasons why things have changed for the worse from last year rather than just saying "I hate him and he's always been shit." The former at least gives us some sort of clue as to how to begin to improve things while the latter just leads to morbid negativity.

 

Obviously it's his fault if the players aren't playing as well since he's the manager. Nobody's trying to deflect responsibility here. I just think the causes for his failure are a bit more complex as opposed to him just being a complete imbecile. Given that we're basically stuck with him, I don't think it would be good for my mental health to start believing in the latter.

 

This is a tough spot for him and he's definitely feeling the pressure. The last time he was under pressure at this club (his arrival) he came out with flying colors. Hoping the same can happen here.

[Mick]

I just think it's better if we're able to look for reasons why things have changed for the worse from last year rather than just saying "I hate him and he's always been s***." The former at least gives us some sort of clue as to how to begin to improve things while the latter just leads to morbid negativity.

 

Obviously it's his fault if the players aren't playing as well since he's the manager. Nobody's trying to deflect responsibility here. I just think the causes for his failure are a bit more complex as opposed to him just being a complete imbecile. Given that we're basically stuck with him, I don't think it would be good for my mental health to start believing in the latter.

 

This is a tough spot for him and he's definitely feeling the pressure. The last time he was under pressure at this club (his arrival) he came out with flying colors. Hoping the same can happen here.

 

I agree with most of that and really hope that he can turn things around because I don't want to see what a load of bollocks Llambias and Ashley can make of another appointment.

[merlin]

I think there's a bit of a "Chicken/Egg" problem with the whole "only plays long balls" thing.

 

I sincerely doubt that the players are specifically instructed to hoof it long. I think it's just that a lot of our less talented players end up reverting to that because overall movement off the ball is extremely poor so there's rarely an easy pass to pick out.

 

The fundamental problem is a lack of movement and understanding between the players, everything stems from that.

 

If that is the case then it's still down to the manager because it happens so often that he should do something about it.  Haven't we had quotes from Stone only this week about us hitting it long?

 

Anybody reading some posts on here would think a manager has no responsibilities because you can find an excuse for everything.

 

He’s the manager, he’s responsible for choosing incoming signings and he’s gone out of his way to tell us that he plays a part in this.  It’s tough if that’s not the case because he’s tied himself into our transfer activity through the claims that he’s made on the subject.

 

He’s responsible for coaching the players on a daily basis, the same players who hoof the ball as if it was a bomb ready to go off.  He decides to concentrate on defence for 4 out of 5 days so is it any wonder that we aren’t very good at playing the ball and opening up the opposition when we rarely practice it?

 

He’s responsible for picking the team, the same team that has looked like a middle to lower league side.  The same team that changes twice a week when we play in Europe so it’s no wonder we’re disjointed if we practice for part of the week with one team for one game then another team for another game a couple of days later.

 

Pardew is responsible for team morale, it’s up to him to get his players performing to the best of their ability, if he can’t then he’s not doing his job.

 

He chooses the tactics, it his responsibility to pick the best players available to play against the opposition using the most likely tactics to get the most from each game, it’s not working yet he still goes with the same s*** time after time.  He could have changed things around against Swansea because of Cisse not being available, it was the easy option but he didn’t make the most of it even though it had been recognised that we were being outnumbered in midfield.  Something has been said to him even though he thinks our two can outnumber 3, how does that work?  Why does it become a surprise that 3 people can walk the ball around 2?

 

Pardew is responsible for our substitutions and more often than not he leaves me scratching my head.  2 out of 3 changes on Saturday made no sense at all and he's lost the plot if he thinks taking one player off needs another 3 players to move to allow that 1 player to come on.

 

Pardew is the manager of the football club, he is responsible for managing the team and should be held to account when we are playing poorly and/or losing games.

 

We’ve got some very good players who are proven quality and have been used to winning, I refuse to believe that what we see now is the limit of the ability of the players that Pardew has at his disposal.

 

If people want to happily go along with thinking that what we have now is good enough, or as good as it can get with our current squad then that's up to them.  Personally, I think we're well below par and the reason for that is fairly easy to see.  It's coaching, tactics and players being unable to play a style of football which is both alien to them and shambolic.

 

I doubt for one minute that any professional footballer would want to play the way we play on a regular basis.  As a fan, I don’t want to have to see it.

 

The players are not blameless in all this but I don't see them as the major problem.

 

A really good post Mick - sums up my feelings about the whole thing entirely.

The lack of movement and obvious lack of thought being put into our game is down to coaching methods and the style dictated by the manager. When KK took over in 1992, it was clear, even from the first match against Bristol City, that the players were more motivated and trying to play a pass and move game.

 

The improvement didn't really become obvious until the following season when we started to take teams apart and won 11 games off the belt playing really good football.

Nobody could say KK spent a fortune in his first season or two - we spent comparatively little after getting promotion, with Kelly being sold and Beardsley coming back being the major moves before the season started and we eventually finished 3rd.

 

This is history, but it IS relevant - the manager dictates the style of play and he has to live or die by the results. We over-achieved last season, but we do have at least 7 players who are top half PL quality at least so should be playing the type of football which gets the best out of them.

 

The kick and rush stuff is also bad for our younger players as it instills bad habits into them, The ball should NEVER be given away as cheaply or as often as we do it and this is a direct result of playing the percentage game that Pardew seems to be wanting the side to play.

 

We have had injuries and suspensions, but all teams have those and some of our suspensions are a result of rash tackles which look suspiciously like frustration to me...

 

This can't go on, but its anyone's guess how it will all end....probably badly if history is any guide.

[Mick]

 

 

A really good post Mick - sums up my feelings about the whole thing entirely.

The lack of movement and obvious lack of thought being put into our game is down to coaching methods and the style dictated by the manager. When KK took over in 1992, it was clear, even from the first match against Bristol City, that the players were more motivated and trying to play a pass and move game.

 

The improvement didn't really become obvious until the following season when we started to take teams apart and won 11 games off the belt playing really good football.

Nobody could say KK spent a fortune in his first season or two - we spent comparatively little after getting promotion, with Kelly being sold and Beardsley coming back being the major moves before the season started and we eventually finished 3rd.

 

This is history, but it IS relevant - the manager dictates the style of play and he has to live or die by the results. We over-achieved last season, but we do have at least 7 players who are top half PL quality at least so should be playing the type of football which gets the best out of them.

 

The kick and rush stuff is also bad for our younger players as it instills bad habits into them, The ball should NEVER be given away as cheaply or as often as we do it and this is a direct result of playing the percentage game that Pardew seems to be wanting the side to play.

 

We have had injuries and suspensions, but all teams have those and some of our suspensions are a result of rash tackles which look suspiciously like frustration to me...

 

This can't go on, but its anyone's guess how it will all end....probably badly if history is any guide.

 

Keegan did no work with the defence, all of his work was with the forwards.  It's strange that a tactically naive manager (as many claimed) would spend all of his time on attack yet we only let in 41 goals the first season back in the league.  Last season we concentrated our training on defence for 4 days a week and let in 51 goals and played 4 league games less.

 

Attack is the best form of defence.

 

[Interpolic]

He's really kept up his can-do attitude from last season, fair play.

 

Nah seriously, take a step back here.  Start reading between the lines of what he's saying in almost every interview now.

 

This one: "they are stronger clubs than us financially", “I've heard in the press and even our fans talking about transfers in".

 

After Swansea: along the lines of "they had a more experienced side out than us", i.e. the board didn't back me so I'm forced to play kids (and tbf out of form players too as there is no competition for places).

 

He's taking subtle swipes at the board and if he's got any integrity or ambition about him (and I'm not saying this would be good for us) the public swipes will get more obvious and behind closed doors he'll be ranting and raving.  That will be his undoing and why he gets binned in the end, because it's not likely to be for playing matters unless we're really struggling.  That's unless he is actually willing to put up with it, the signs are he's getting pissed off with it.

 

Why is he taking subtle swipes at the board while signing an 8 year contract?

 

He isn't.  He's started doing it in recent weeks.

[Lush Vlad]

Moving on from all the gripes about his interviews and playing style.  He really needs to get rid of this 'never came from a goal down to win in the league' stat.

 

Apart from maybe the relegation season, I can't remember a time, where every time you go a goal down, you're thinking 'we now can't win the game, best we can hope for is a draw'.  It's fucking depressing TBH.

[Skirge]

Fact is he has done a great job with very little financial backing, MA got lucky when he gave him the job that it worked out, he sacks him just imagine who we could end up with next.

[AlanSkÃrare]

Sacking Pardew would be a disaster.

 

The players seem to like him and he can work with Ashley and Llambias - that doesn't go for many managers I'd imagine.

 

He needs to sort himself out and get through this.

 

Top half and a good EL run would be OK for me. We need to play a lot better to achieve that.

 

Him not learning from his mistakes is his main fault in my opinion.

[Guest neesy111]

Sounding more like Glenn Roeder by the week.  "I'm not going to complain about injuries BUT we've had a lot of injuries."

[Guest neesy111]

Fact is he has done a great job with very little financial backing, MA got lucky when he gave him the job that it worked out, he sacks him just imagine who we could end up with next.

 

He was good last season, he's doing shit this season.

[buzza]

Balance is the key word here...

Pardew needs to balance both defensive work and formation rigidity with movement and ball retention. If he is dedicating three quarters of training time to defending and stopping other teams then it is not rocket science to figure out why we cannot string more than three passes together and why we are so profligate in the opposition's half. He needs to find the combination of both pretty quickly or he will see fans opinion swinging against him.

 

[Disco]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastles-alan-pardew-says-the-europa-1448672

 

Mission Impossible: Europa is harder to win than Champions League claims Pardew

 

21 Nov 2012 22:29

The Newcastle manager says the event's format asks too much of clubs who don't have squads as big as those in UEFA's senior competition

 

 

Final countdown: Pardew's men could play SEVENTEEN Europa League games this season

Ian Horrocks

Alan Pardew has claimed the Europa League is tougher to win than its big brother the Champions League - and called for UEFA's second-tier competition to be changed to a straight knockout format.

 

Newcastle manager Pardew will have guided his squad through a gruelling 17 Europa games if they lift the trophy in Amsterdam in May, amid fears the demands will hamper their Premier League challenge.

 

Pardew has revealed that the statistics gathered on his players’ performances show they dip slightly when playing on a Sunday following a European game on a Thursday night - something he has urged his stars to address this week.

 

Newcastle face Portuguese visitors Maritimo on Thursday, looking for a win that will seal qualification to the last 32 - two-legged knockout ties that will also feature the third-placed teams from the Champions League groups.

 

Three points against Maritimo would mean a dead-rubber final group game against Bordeaux next month - and the chance to focus totally on Premier League form, which is currently poor.

 

How the group stands

 

                P  W D  L  GF GA  Pts

 

Newcastle  4  2  2  0  6    2    8

 

Bordeaux  4  2  1  1  6    4    7

 

Bruges      4  1  1  2  4    7    4

 

Maritimo    4  0  2  2  1    4    2

 

Following home defeats to West Ham and Swansea, Newcastle have trips to Southampton on Sunday and Stoke next Wednesday night to negotiate.

 

Pardew said: “I think it is harder for us. I genuinely do.

 

"The four Champions League teams have the finance to attack that with two squads really, whereas we are attacking a competition which has a heavier schedule, a more difficult night in Thursday night and a much reduced squad, so it is much more difficult for us.

 

“Of course we want to be in Europe. But you want to be in a competition which gives you some sort of fighting chance in your own league and this (format) is very difficult for Premier League teams.

 

"And we all kind of know that, as Premier League managers. It is whispered about all the time, 'Blimey. It is going to be tough for you next year' - that is all I heard during the summer and it has been.

 

“Should it be knockout all the way? Yes, probably.

 

“I do think that in the Premier League we play a heavier schedule than most European leagues and I do think, for Premier League teams, it is really difficult in this competition.

 

"And that is probably why we have not been that successful in it, to some degree.

 

"I do feel that perhaps it needs to be looked at a little bit. Whether Spanish clubs or German clubs have the same opinion, I am not sure.

 

“You only have to look at the other two [Premier League] clubs in the competition (Spurs and Liverpool). We’re all having very similar seasons at the moment, and they are stronger clubs than us financially.

 

"It just goes to show that it does make a big impact on your Premier League situation.”

 

Magpies midfielder Yohan Cabaye will have groin surgery on Friday and hopes to be back in action for the Christmas schedule.

 

Although Pardew is having to juggle his limited resources, Fabricio Coloccini and Papiss Cisse are likely to play against Maritimo on a night when there will be an emphasis on getting the job done.

 

Pardew has admitted qualifying for Europe next year could soon be out of Newcastle's reach.

 

He added: “You want to back it up with another. And that is something we are in danger of not being able to do if we not not actually win the competition. That is the pressure it puts on you.

 

“Sunday (against Southampton) is a very important game for us, but so is Thursday.

 

"When you look at our stats, how we perform from Thursday to Sunday, it is just slightly down and that can be enough at this level.

 

“I obviously want to win Thursday and I want to win again on Sunday. And I have got to come up with some sort of magical plan which makes me do that.

 

"But we have got enough quality in the squad to carry the two games and I hope we can.”

 

Defender Steven Taylor was bullish about United’s attack on the competition, saying: “We will take our frustration out on them.

 

"Hopefully, we will score goals and gain some confidence. I believe we can do that.

 

"We are waiting for that game where two or three goals will come. We are itching to get going.”

 

Probable team Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Taylor, Santon, Sammy Ameobi, Bigirimana, Anita, Ferguson, Shola Ameobi, Cisse

[loki679]

Team vs Brugge:  Krul; Tavernier, Colo, Williamson, Anita; Bigi, Marveaux, Tiote, Obertan, Sameobi; Shola.

 

Team vs West Ham:  Krul; Simpson, Williamson, S Taylor, Santon; Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Gutierrez ©, Ferguson; Cisse, Ba

 

Only two players played the full ninety minutes of both games and we were playing at home so no travelling.  Saylor played forty two minutes vs Brugge, Cabaye played eighteen minutes.  It just doesn't wash for me.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I would have thought the biggest problem was not having enough time to get on the training ground and the manager work with the squad. Not so much the actual players being tired.

[Hughesy]

People seem to be overlooking that fact, Ian.  Quite clearly with the Europa League you have a lot less time to prepare for PL matches.

[Hughesy]

 

 

He doesn't complain about it though.

 

He's full of s***, how can he complain that we are suffering because he is having to field two teams a week then complain that other teams have or use more players?

 

Also, how is playing Maritimo at home then Southampton away any harder than playing Real Madrid at home and then Chelsea away like Man City are doing?  Chelsea has played 21 competitive games so far this season if you include the charity shield, we've played 19, he should get somebody to read his script before he puts it into the public domain.

 

He's feeling the pressure and he's using any excuse he can think of to deflect any blame for results away from him, some will fall for it.

 

Might be worth comparing the relative strengths of our squad with Chelsea and Man City?  Chelsea's bench against WBA included Ivanovic, Cole, Ramires, Mata, Oscar and Marin.  Man City had Zabaleta, Lescott, Kolarov, Sinclair, Garcia and Dzeko.  Bit of a difference, given that we had such footballing luminaries as Tavernier, Abeid and Amalfitano on our bench against Swansea.  God knows who else didn't even make the squad for Chelsea and Man City in those matches.

 

[taxfree]

We don't prepare the way we should in any case. Hopefully we recognize we're the far superior team, and get some goals and confidence. Might be a good alternative to defensive training.

[Hughesy]

We don't prepare the way we should in any case. Hopefully we recognize we're the far superior team, and get some goals and confidence. Might be a good alternative to defensive training.

 

No doubt you are right, but I suspect Pardew saw what was achieved with the same methods last year and, up till now, had no reason to fix what wasn't broken.  I do agree though that Pardew should have been looking to evolve our style and his methods.

[loki679]

We don't prepare the way we should in any case. Hopefully we recognize we're the far superior team, and get some goals and confidence. Might be a good alternative to defensive training.

 

Exactly, it training was geared towards playing our game instead of how to stop whatever opposition we have then it wouldn't be a problem.

[Incognito]

My brother is a Wham fan and he says Pardew was harshly treated and didn't deserve the sack.

 

And the football wasn't long ball at all. Fwiw.

 

Always rated Michael but never saw what Ridgely contributed.

[Guest neesy111]

People seem to be overlooking that fact, Ian.  Quite clearly with the Europa League you have a lot less time to prepare for PL matches.

 

Didn't impact us in 2002/03 when we won every game after Europe.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We don't prepare the way we should in any case. Hopefully we recognize we're the far superior team, and get some goals and confidence. Might be a good alternative to defensive training.

 

Exactly, it training was geared towards playing our game instead of how to stop whatever opposition we have then it wouldn't be a problem.

 

Even if that's true, the lack of time between games is obviously going to make it much worse.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

People seem to be overlooking that fact, Ian.  Quite clearly with the Europa League you have a lot less time to prepare for PL matches.

 

Didn't impact us in 2002/03 when we won every game after Europe.

 

It's fine when you're confident and doing well I guess, the problem is when things are going against you there's not time to step back and work on things.

[Wullie]

If preparation time is a concern, what logic is there in playing two completely different systems across competitions? Completely counter productive.