Alan Pardew

[TRon]

 

 

First, the part in bold is completely untrue.

 

Second, the manger has access to more information than any of us will ever be privy to. When he makes selections that seem crazy to us it may just be because there are other reasons we're not aware of. Regardless of whether he's incompetent relative to others in his trade, Alan Pardew knows infinitely more about football, tactics, and the personality, form, and physical state of every single one of our players than all of us. So when doesn't do something that seems obvious perhaps it's not as obvious as you think.

 

(That said, the manager also has the weakness of being personally connected to the situation, which means he may make bad decisions based on things like personalities, friendships, or pride. I often find that it's much easier to explain puzzling tactical decisions in these terms rather than "he's an idiot.")

 

Can you think of some examples of what information Pardew has that we don't, which might suggest that any of the following is a good idea when everybody else can see it failing during an actual match:

 

Moving to 4-4-2 at the begining of this season.

Bypassing midfield.

Cisse is better on the wing than through the middle.

Shola up front is a good idea.

Cabaye is a better footballer when the ball is launched over his head.

Jonas is going to perform during a match when everybody can see that he's not doing it.

Williamson is good enough to play half the season in central defence.

Spending 4 out of 5 days a week on defence is improving performances.

We should restrict a Championship team for 70 minutes before trying to get something from the game.

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complaining that we have no continuity.

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complain that out players are tired.

 

I know I've cherry picked a few examples but the list could go on and on and on.  We are where we are for a reason and the main reason is that this season, Pardew hasn't been up to the job.

 

You've claimed that "Alan Pardew knows infinitely more about football, tactics, and the personality, form, and physical state of every single one of our players than all of us."

 

I've seen nothing at all to suggest that he knows any more about football, tactics, form and physical state of our players than your average fan.  Our game play and results suggest that he hasn't got a clue and I would think that most fans could have come up with a more effective plan than Pardew has, especially this season.

 

Basically, he is an idiot.

 

We can bring in new players and they will give Pardew more options but he's had options for most of the season and more often than not he's got them wrong.  As far as I'm concerned the biggest improvement we could get this season would be to get rid of him and bring in somebody with fresh ideas, somebody who can get the best out of the players he has at his disposal.

 

The only way Pardew will be a success here is if he stumbles across something that works and actually sticks to it because I have absolutely no faith in him devising a style of play of his own that works.

 

I don’t even think our transfer policy has held us back with him because he doesn’t know how to get the best out of what he’s got.

 

Brutal but pretty close to the mark.

[Guest tollemache]

I'll have a go then.

 

 

Moving to 4-4-2 at the begining of this season... Attempt to accommodate two proven, potent attacking threats

Bypassing midfield... Unfortunate result of not playing very well in the process

Cisse is better on the wing than through the middle... Better on the wing if he's struggling for form while Ba is banging them in, arguably.

Shola up front is a good idea... Hmmm yeah

Cabaye is a better footballer when the ball is launched over his head... See 'bypassing the midfield'

Jonas is going to perform during a match when everybody can see that he's not doing it... He did it before. Understandable you'd stick with him through a bad patch?

Williamson is good enough to play half the season in central defence... He was good enough to do it last year

Spending 4 out of 5 days a week on defence is improving performances....not sure where you get that so won't comment

We should restrict a Championship team for 70 minutes before trying to get something from the game... Think the idea was not to injure or ban any more first teamers. Many on here clearly agreed that was the priority

 

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complaining that we have no continuity

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complain that out players are tired... The real pisser with midweek games is lack of preparation time and being deprived of the ability to focus as a group on the upcoming league match. Rotating your side does little to assuage that

 

 

 

I'm playing Devil's advocate to a certain extent, motivated by what I see as hysterical, blinkered pessimism in some quarters. I think if your opinion is that Pardew (or pretty much any professional manager with very rare exceptions) is an absolutely hopeless numbskull incapable of basic footballing observations, the likelihood is that you're completely wrong and that there is a little more to the situation than you think.

[TaylorJ_01]

It's the constant mid-game formation changes that annoy me the most. I just don't understand it. The players have enough to concentrate on without switching positions/responsibilities around 3 times a game. Opposition players are constantly being left unmarked and we're getting destroyed, especially by the better teams. He has so little faith in anything other than lumping it at the moment

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I'll have a go then.

 

 

Moving to 4-4-2 at the begining of this season... Attempt to accommodate two proven, potent attacking threats

Bypassing midfield... Unfortunate result of not playing very well in the process

Cisse is better on the wing than through the middle... Better on the wing if he's struggling for form while Ba is banging them in, arguably.

Shola up front is a good idea... Hmmm yeah

Cabaye is a better footballer when the ball is launched over his head... See 'bypassing the midfield'

Jonas is going to perform during a match when everybody can see that he's not doing it... He did it before. Understandable you'd stick with him through a bad patch?

Williamson is good enough to play half the season in central defence... He was good enough to do it last year

Spending 4 out of 5 days a week on defence is improving performances....not sure where you get that so won't comment

We should restrict a Championship team for 70 minutes before trying to get something from the game... Think the idea was not to injure or ban any more first teamers. Many on here clearly agreed that was the priority

 

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complaining that we have no continuity

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complain that out players are tired... The real pisser with midweek games is lack of preparation time and being deprived of the ability to focus as a group on the upcoming league match. Rotating your side does little to assuage that

 

 

 

I'm playing Devil's advocate to a certain extent, motivated by what I see as hysterical, blinkered pessimism in some quarters. I think if your opinion is that Pardew (or pretty much any professional manager with very rare exceptions) is an absolutely hopeless numbskull incapable of basic footballing observations, the likelihood is that you're completely wrong and that there is a little more to the situation than you think.

 

This is basically what I've been trying to say for weeks. Ironically last season taught me that I maybe don't know as much as I thought about football management!

 

Some of the stuff we criticised, like the management of HBA, actually turned out to be pretty good. It could all have been luck obviously, and it's tempting to conclude that during tough times.

 

I'm hoping these next three games and a signing or two will give us a boost. I'm convinced a lot of our problems are down to shattered confidence and the general losing rut you get into.

[NG32]

I'll have a go then.

 

 

Moving to 4-4-2 at the begining of this season... Attempt to accommodate two proven, potent attacking threats

Bypassing midfield... Unfortunate result of not playing very well in the process

Cisse is better on the wing than through the middle... Better on the wing if he's struggling for form while Ba is banging them in, arguably.

Shola up front is a good idea... Hmmm yeah

Cabaye is a better footballer when the ball is launched over his head... See 'bypassing the midfield'

Jonas is going to perform during a match when everybody can see that he's not doing it... He did it before. Understandable you'd stick with him through a bad patch?

Williamson is good enough to play half the season in central defence... He was good enough to do it last year

Spending 4 out of 5 days a week on defence is improving performances....not sure where you get that so won't comment

We should restrict a Championship team for 70 minutes before trying to get something from the game... Think the idea was not to injure or ban any more first teamers. Many on here clearly agreed that was the priority

 

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complaining that we have no continuity

Virtually playing 2 teams a week then complain that out players are tired... The real pisser with midweek games is lack of preparation time and being deprived of the ability to focus as a group on the upcoming league match. Rotating your side does little to assuage that

 

 

 

I'm playing Devil's advocate to a certain extent, motivated by what I see as hysterical, blinkered pessimism in some quarters. I think if your opinion is that Pardew (or pretty much any professional manager with very rare exceptions) is an absolutely hopeless numbskull incapable of basic footballing observations, the likelihood is that you're completely wrong and that there is a little more to the situation than you think.

 

Whats the "more to it " situation Tolle?

[Guest tollemache]

Not being a footballing professional or someone closely involved with the team I, like you, can only guess.

[Guest tollemache]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We all know what it's like to turn up for a football match just knowing you're going to get beat. And how hard it is to get out of that mindset.

[Jack Flash]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

[Hanshithispantz]

It's the constant mid-game formation changes that annoy me the most. I just don't understand it. The players have enough to concentrate on without switching positions/responsibilities around 3 times a game. Opposition players are constantly being left unmarked and we're getting destroyed, especially by the better teams. He has so little faith in anything other than lumping it at the moment

It's been said many times, but it really is so weird how rigid he is in everything he does, even continuing to lump Cisse out on the wing just because that's where he's been training to play for the 3 days leading up to the Everton game, but anywhere between 25 - 60 minutes in every game he decides to throw caution to the wind and starts changing everything around.

 

I think he's displaying the early signs of dementia.

[Guest tollemache]

So I suppose I'd tend to back Ian W to an extent. Perhaps go a little further and speculate, to the possible agreement of Interpolic, that it is possible that all of this stems from something as trivial as a debate over whether or not to accommodate Demba Ba. I think a couple of injuries and a nagging issue or two like that really can be enough to tip a team over the edge. And when those couple of injuries include the two key creative reference points in your side... Problems.

 

As you'll possibly have noticed by now, I'm a lot more pro-Ashley and pro-Pardew than most because I see signs of what I think is exactly the right way to run a football club emerging after years of embarrassing Shepherd madness, and I'm loath to write that prospect off until the grim death because it is exactly what the club has been crying out for for a long, long time. I'll forgive a run of shitty form, a dud transfer window, a bit of hoofball, a baffling decision and even a slightly uninspirational manager quite happily if it means we end up a soundly-run, upwardly mobile outfit in a few years and I can see it happening. Look at the calibre of our best XI for Christ's sake. If we somehow get it wrong and go down I'll be heartbroken because it will most likely be ripped apart but I think if you can't see that this administration is our best chance for ages at being a proper club you need your head checking. Whatever they're doing wrong, they're doing a lot right. I'm waffling and my pint is getting warm so cheers

[ATB]

So I suppose I'd tend to back Ian W to an extent. Perhaps go a little further and speculate, to the possible agreement of Interpolic, that it is possible that all of this stems from something as trivial as a debate over whether or not to accommodate Demba Ba. I think a couple of injuries and a nagging issue or two like that really can be enough to tip a team over the edge. And when those couple of injuries include the two key creative reference points in your side... Problems.

 

As you'll possibly have noticed by now, I'm a lot more pro-Ashley and pro-Pardew than most because I see signs of what I think is exactly the right way to run a football club emerging after years of embarrassing Shepherd madness, and I'm loath to write that prospect off until the grim death because it is exactly what the club has been crying out for for a long, long time. I'll forgive a run of shitty form, a dud transfer window, a bit of hoofball, a baffling decision and even a slightly uninspirational manager quite happily if it means we end up a soundly-run, upwardly mobile outfit in a few years and I can see it happening. Look at the calibre of our best XI for Christ's sake. If we somehow get it wrong and go down I'll be heartbroken because it will most likely be ripped apart but I think if you can't see that this administration is our best chance for ages at being a proper club you need your head checking. Whatever they're doing wrong, they're doing a lot right. I'm waffling and my pint is getting warm so cheers

 

Yeah me too. But we have an owner that just don´t care about the success, and a manager that just isn´t good enough to take us to the top. That makes it all even more frustrating because I agree that in many ways we do have a good structure. We would just need a owner that would care a little bit more, and a manager that is a little bit better.

[quayside]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

 

The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game.  At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time.  In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

 

The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game.  At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time.  In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

 

These thin lines are so important. We genuinely looked the better side for a lot for he Everton game, then the non-freekick and Baines wonder goal swung it.

 

I think we're due for a couple of good results TBH, these next three games are insanely important.

[Alberto2005]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

 

The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game.  At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time.  In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

What were these 'several chances'? Apart from the Perch header I don't remember us troubling them.

 

I thought we lacked quality and looked like we had no idea how to break them down other than to hoof it to shola. We can't afford to play without cabaye and hba.

[Jack Flash]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

 

The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game.  At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time.  In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

What were these 'several chances'? Apart from the Perch header I don't remember us troubling them.

 

I thought we lacked quality and looked like we had no idea how to break them down other than to hoof it to shola. We can't afford to play without cabaye and hba.

 

Off the top of my head, Shola, Santon and Obertan should have done better with chances in the second half. Everton could have had 4 or 5 themselves, of course.

[Hanshithispantz]

I think playing Cisse upfront will see us create more chances tbf, obviously having Ben Arfa and Cabaye in the side will increase that, but Cisse's movement will be a massive plus for us.

[Guest tollemache]

So I suppose I'd tend to back Ian W to an extent. Perhaps go a little further and speculate, to the possible agreement of Interpolic, that it is possible that all of this stems from something as trivial as a debate over whether or not to accommodate Demba Ba. I think a couple of injuries and a nagging issue or two like that really can be enough to tip a team over the edge. And when those couple of injuries include the two key creative reference points in your side... Problems.

 

As you'll possibly have noticed by now, I'm a lot more pro-Ashley and pro-Pardew than most because I see signs of what I think is exactly the right way to run a football club emerging after years of embarrassing Shepherd madness, and I'm loath to write that prospect off until the grim death because it is exactly what the club has been crying out for for a long, long time. I'll forgive a run of shitty form, a dud transfer window, a bit of hoofball, a baffling decision and even a slightly uninspirational manager quite happily if it means we end up a soundly-run, upwardly mobile outfit in a few years and I can see it happening. Look at the calibre of our best XI for Christ's sake. If we somehow get it wrong and go down I'll be heartbroken because it will most likely be ripped apart but I think if you can't see that this administration is our best chance for ages at being a proper club you need your head checking. Whatever they're doing wrong, they're doing a lot right. I'm waffling and my pint is getting warm so cheers

 

Yeah me too. But we have an owner that just don´t care about the success, and a manager that just isn´t good enough to take us to the top. That makes it all even more frustrating because I agree that in many ways we do have a good structure. We would just need a owner that would care a little bit more, and a manager that is a little bit better.

 

Who put the structure in place? The owner. Why? Because he wants his club to do well as a business. What is the best way, and arguably the only way, to bring that about? If the club is successful.

 

What is good for him is good for us, because we want a club that runs properly and has money. Regardless of whether or not Ashley gives a flying f*** about the football (and reputedly he does), he's not only heavily incentivised to make us a successful club, he's taken all of the steps towards that that you say you appreciate. In this case, saying that the structure is great apart from the owner makes no sense.

[Alberto2005]

I've seen enough apparently useless football sides, enough bad patches, enough freak runs of form and enough players go from godlike talent to apparent Parkinson's though, to know that at the top level it can be a lot harder than it would seem to perform really well, and that confidence plays an enormous role.

 

This is definitely a big part of the problem. For all the talk of "just play 4-3-3!" and "just move Cisse inside!" it's just not that simple when the players are feeling like a dehydrated dog staring at an Arabian puddle.

 

The biggest problem I have with Pardew is that this has been going on for months and I have no faith at all in him turning the confidence/morale issue around. He couldn't at other clubs and it's looking like he can't here.

 

The confidence issue was summed up for me by the Everton game.  At 1-0 up we had several chances, hit the post and had an extremely good shout for a penalty turned down. You could almost smell what was going to happen next, Poor decision by Atkinson gives them a free kick followed by a wonder strike from Baines just before half time.  In the end they walk off with a win but there was nothing between the teams except that they are on a roll and full of confidence and er... we aren't. Almost a re-run of last season's game at SJP only then we had the confidence and won 2-1 with a "fortuitous" own goal from Heitinger and a worldy from Ryan Tayor. Momentum does that.

What were these 'several chances'? Apart from the Perch header I don't remember us troubling them.

 

I thought we lacked quality and looked like we had no idea how to break them down other than to hoof it to shola. We can't afford to play without cabaye and hba.

 

Off the top of my head, Shola, Santon and Obertan should have done better with chances in the second half. Everton could have had 4 or 5 themselves, of course.

That's second half, apparently we had several chances at 1-0.

[Jack Flash]

So I suppose I'd tend to back Ian W to an extent. Perhaps go a little further and speculate, to the possible agreement of Interpolic, that it is possible that all of this stems from something as trivial as a debate over whether or not to accommodate Demba Ba. I think a couple of injuries and a nagging issue or two like that really can be enough to tip a team over the edge. And when those couple of injuries include the two key creative reference points in your side... Problems.

 

As you'll possibly have noticed by now, I'm a lot more pro-Ashley and pro-Pardew than most because I see signs of what I think is exactly the right way to run a football club emerging after years of embarrassing Shepherd madness, and I'm loath to write that prospect off until the grim death because it is exactly what the club has been crying out for for a long, long time. I'll forgive a run of shitty form, a dud transfer window, a bit of hoofball, a baffling decision and even a slightly uninspirational manager quite happily if it means we end up a soundly-run, upwardly mobile outfit in a few years and I can see it happening. Look at the calibre of our best XI for Christ's sake. If we somehow get it wrong and go down I'll be heartbroken because it will most likely be ripped apart but I think if you can't see that this administration is our best chance for ages at being a proper club you need your head checking. Whatever they're doing wrong, they're doing a lot right. I'm waffling and my pint is getting warm so cheers

 

Yeah me too. But we have an owner that just don´t care about the success, and a manager that just isn´t good enough to take us to the top. That makes it all even more frustrating because I agree that in many ways we do have a good structure. We would just need a owner that would care a little bit more, and a manager that is a little bit better.

 

Who put the structure in place? The owner. Why? Because he wants his club to do well as a business. What is the best way, and arguably the only way, to bring that about? If the club is successful.

 

Regardless of whether or not Ashley gives a flying f*** about the football (and reputedly he does), he's not only heavily incentivised to make us a successful club, he's taken all of the steps towards that that you say you appreciate. In this case, saying that the structure is great apart from the owner makes no sense.

 

Ashley etc need to learn how to strike a balance between business sense and football sense. It's pointless having a well run business financially if it can't compete in the marketplace. It'd be a massive step forward for us if they could do that.

[Guest bimpy474]

Everything in the last page is sensible stuff, well thought out, and i might say very well put.

 

But, i know i can't stand Pardew now, i will not hide that. Someone needs to explain to me why after 18 months our set pieces are still absolutely embarrassing, even a Sunday League team could come up with something better. We are a Premier League team who have no idea how to take a corner or free kick, that is solely down to the manager, 100%. Now if that isn't a big enough worry, which i think is a major one. A manager who can't come with anything is a massive problem.

 

Now i hate Pardew for using long ball, as its my pet hate in football. Forget formations as 4-4-2/4-3-3 really aren't the issue, we play better using 4-3-3 but thats by the by. The lack of any cohesive passing or movement is just plain awful.

 

I noted that someone said that he's seen enough football to know a bad run when he sees one. Well my football watching has cost me two lovely ladies, Mrs Bimpy to her credit accepts that i will watch any football i can. Now i think i'm qualified a bit to note, that the goals we're giving away are usually the sign a manager has begun to lose his team. Confidence is low and that will reflect in results, of course it will. But we have a manager who as a limited ability, an ability that he thinks is far better that it is. Give him better players he will get better results, even i'm convinced of that. Long term though.

 

Set pieces !! if there was ever a reason for doubting the managers ability, its them. There is not an excuse in the world, not one minuscule excuse to explain the wretchedness of them after 18 months, of which i've had to watch 250 corners and god knows how many free kicks. We have threatened the opposition goal no more than 4 or 5 times. That is enough for me, Pardew is limited and always will be, despite having a fantastic chance not to be.

[Guest tollemache]

So I suppose I'd tend to back Ian W to an extent. Perhaps go a little further and speculate, to the possible agreement of Interpolic, that it is possible that all of this stems from something as trivial as a debate over whether or not to accommodate Demba Ba. I think a couple of injuries and a nagging issue or two like that really can be enough to tip a team over the edge. And when those couple of injuries include the two key creative reference points in your side... Problems.

 

As you'll possibly have noticed by now, I'm a lot more pro-Ashley and pro-Pardew than most because I see signs of what I think is exactly the right way to run a football club emerging after years of embarrassing Shepherd madness, and I'm loath to write that prospect off until the grim death because it is exactly what the club has been crying out for for a long, long time. I'll forgive a run of shitty form, a dud transfer window, a bit of hoofball, a baffling decision and even a slightly uninspirational manager quite happily if it means we end up a soundly-run, upwardly mobile outfit in a few years and I can see it happening. Look at the calibre of our best XI for Christ's sake. If we somehow get it wrong and go down I'll be heartbroken because it will most likely be ripped apart but I think if you can't see that this administration is our best chance for ages at being a proper club you need your head checking. Whatever they're doing wrong, they're doing a lot right. I'm waffling and my pint is getting warm so cheers

 

Yeah me too. But we have an owner that just don´t care about the success, and a manager that just isn´t good enough to take us to the top. That makes it all even more frustrating because I agree that in many ways we do have a good structure. We would just need a owner that would care a little bit more, and a manager that is a little bit better.

 

Who put the structure in place? The owner. Why? Because he wants his club to do well as a business. What is the best way, and arguably the only way, to bring that about? If the club is successful.

 

Regardless of whether or not Ashley gives a flying f*** about the football (and reputedly he does), he's not only heavily incentivised to make us a successful club, he's taken all of the steps towards that that you say you appreciate. In this case, saying that the structure is great apart from the owner makes no sense.

 

Ashley etc need to learn how to strike a balance between business sense and football sense. It's pointless having a well run business financially if it can't compete in the marketplace. It'd be a massive step forward for us if they could do that.

 

We just bought France's first choice right back? In what sense are we not competing in the marketplace? If you mean we're not splashing the same cash as clubs in stronger positions than us, not paying whatever it takes to get our targets, then you do not want the best for the club and you should consider lobbying for the return of effing Freddie Shepherd

[Dave]

So the only options are:

 

1. Run the club tight as fuck like Mike Ashley.

2. Run the club irresponsible as fuck like Freddy Shepherd.

 

Righto.

[Guest tollemache]

Totally agree about set pieces btw... I mean... Bring in a set piece coach if you need to. It's just weird how careless we are there

[Guest bimpy474]

So the only options are:

 

1. Run the club tight as fuck like Mike Ashley.

2. Run the club irresponsible as fuck like Freddy Shepherd.

 

Righto.

 

Internet Dave, only ever two options.

 

Yes/no

Black/White

Right/Wrong

 

Never any middle ground, you should know that by now.