Alan Pardew

[Guest hobshobs]

"They need to understand on Thursday that if we think we can go gung-ho against Benfica they'll just pick us off and we'll be chasing shadows. We need to be very intelligent on Thursday, play our way into the game and try and get a goal in that first half.

 

If we can get a goal ahead with twenty minutes to go I think we can do it and that's the position we've got to try and get to. We've got to do that in the right way and we could have one of the greatest weeks in the club's current history if we can do that."

 

Sorry if these have been mentioned. He loves that 70 minute mark.

 

 

He sure does, unfortunately he's only done it about half a dozen times in over a decade. Still, you never know.

[Yorkie]

"They need to understand on Thursday that if we think we can go gung-ho against Benfica they'll just pick us off and we'll be chasing shadows. We need to be very intelligent on Thursday, play our way into the game and try and get a goal in that first half.

 

If we can get a goal ahead with twenty minutes to go I think we can do it and that's the position we've got to try and get to. We've got to do that in the right way and we could have one of the greatest weeks in the club's current history if we can do that."

 

Sorry if these have been mentioned. He loves that 70 minute mark.

 

He's right. We need to take the shackles off a bit and take the game to them - but we're not far enough out of the tie to go a 100% gung-ho. We could make promising strides, be careless, then get picked off by their very efficient attackers.

 

Approach the game with the intention of attacking and we can do it, for sure. But it'd be pointless going at a million miles an hour for the whole first half, scoring, but then conceding a couple and killing the tie.

 

The 70 minutes thing I read as: "if we're in the lead by that point," not... "hopefully we can keep it at 0-0 till the 70th minute, then take it to them."

[Guest hobshobs]

Sounds like we're going to come out shaking like a shitting dog.

 

The only way we can pull it off is to score fairly early on, keep it tight and cagey and go for it late on with a late second so they can't respond. One daft mistake and we need 4 which isn't happening. If we score the 2 goals with 30 minutes to go then that leaves plenty of time for them to get their away goal to kill the tie.

 

In some respects his hands are tied on Thursday night. 

 

He managed four against Arsenal in 45 second half minutes?

[Skeletor]

We shouldn't go gung ho but I want to see us play at a high tempo and intensity for the first 10 minutes in an attempt to get the early goal we need and give us as much time as possible to get the all important second goal. Dare I say it...the way Liverpool would start a home European game.

[TheHoob]

FWIW I thought he had us set up very well for the game last week so i've got faith he can do it again. Imagine if its 6 home wins on the bounce come Sunday 

[Yorkie]

We shouldn't go gung ho but I want to see us play at a high tempo and intensity for the first 10 minutes in an attempt to get the early goal we need and give us as much time as possible to get the all important second goal. Dare I say it...the way Liverpool would start a home European game.

 

If we've kept it to a tight, cagey 0-0 at HT - I can see the usual suspects lamenting his typically negative philosophy. But, having reviewed my FUCK IT LETS JUST GO FOR IT mentality after the whistle on Thursday - I think we probably will need to play it slightly cautiously as Benfica have the players capable of exploiting a wide-open set-up.

[Skeletor]

FWIW I thought he had us set up very well for the game last week so i've got faith he can do it again. Imagine if its 6 home wins on the bounce come Sunday 

 

That kinda start would be ideal.

[Mick]

 

 

He's right. We need to take the shackles off a bit and take the game to them - but we're not far enough out of the tie to go a 100% gung-ho. We could make promising strides, be careless, then get picked off by their very efficient attackers.

 

Approach the game with the intention of attacking and we can do it, for sure. But it'd be pointless going at a million miles an hour for the whole first half, scoring, but then conceding a couple and killing the tie.

 

The 70 minutes thing I read as: "if we're in the lead by that point," not... "hopefully we can keep it at 0-0 till the 70th minute, then take it to them."

 

As it stands we need 2 goals to go through, if they score 1 we'll need 3.  We might as well go for as many as possible to make it difficult for them instead of going for an early goal and hoping that we can get another when we want, without them scoring.

 

If we press them back we're less likely to let them get anything and if we make a mistake in the opposition half we've got more of a chance to recover then we do in our own half.

[Yorkie]

I'd hope for something like:

 

0-10 minutes: Press high, pass the ball with clear attacking intent, high tempo, try and force as many chances as possible.

10-45 minutes (if still 0-0 after that): Keep it tight and hope to break them down.

[Mick]

I'd hope for something like:

 

0-10 minutes: Press high, pass the ball with clear attacking intent, high tempo, try and force as many chances as possible.

10-45 minutes (if still 0-0 after that): Keep it tight and hope to break them down.

 

Where do you think we should keep it tight?

[Yorkie]

I'd hope for something like:

 

0-10 minutes: Press high, pass the ball with clear attacking intent, high tempo, try and force as many chances as possible.

10-45 minutes (if still 0-0 after that): Keep it tight and hope to break them down.

 

Where do you think we should keep it tight?

 

I mean I hope we come out 'gung-ho', but don't maintain that intensity if we haven't scored. Benfica have players to hit us on the break, and failing that, they could exploit tired legs late on if we've gone hell-for-leather for the whole game.

 

Start the game pumped, but be sensible and rein it in when the situation requires it. There needs to be an element of caution because the opposition are so dangerous going forward.

 

Patience has bore fruit in the Chelsea, Anzhi, Stoke and Wigan home games.

[Dave]

We never go gung-ho under Pardew so I don't really know why he needs to clarify that.

 

He's not wrong, but we need to take the game to them. You can score at any time of a match, not just the end.

[Hanshithispantz]

It depends how cautious we are tbh, our main weapon could be the atmosphere which will only get flatter and flatter the longer we go without some serious pressure.

[Mick]

 

 

I mean I hope we come out 'gung-ho', but don't maintain that intensity if we haven't scored. Benfica have players to hit us on the break, and failing that, they could exploit tired legs late on if we've gone hell-for-leather for the whole game.

 

Start the game pumped, but be sensible and rein it in when the situation requires it. There needs to be an element of caution because the opposition are so dangerous going forward.

 

Patience has bore fruit in the Chelsea, Anzhi, Stoke and Wigan home games.

 

I think we've had too much football lately to go too daft, I just hope we're going to put them under pressure from the off and not try to sit back at any time.

[Interpolic]

"They need to understand on Thursday that if we think we can go gung-ho against Benfica they'll just pick us off and we'll be chasing shadows. We need to be very intelligent on Thursday, play our way into the game and try and get a goal in that first half.

 

If we can get a goal ahead with twenty minutes to go I think we can do it and that's the position we've got to try and get to. We've got to do that in the right way and we could have one of the greatest weeks in the club's current history if we can do that."

 

Sorry if these have been mentioned. He loves that 70 minute mark.

 

Fucking hell, he really knows how to suck the life out of any situation.

 

Fair enough, he's in charge and I hope to God whatever we try on Thursday works but he doesn't half make it sound like we're petrified in the run-up to games.

[tmonkey]

Benfica's defense was s***. They're there for the taking, and either they had a relatively bad day in front of goal despite the 3-1 scoreline, or they are actually lacking in terms of being clinical (we gifted them two very easy goals, whilst they wasted about a dozen half-chances or promising situations), which hopefully means they'll not be as big a threat on the counter. I think we can do this, as long as we go at them from the start.

 

As for Pardew....meh. Limited manager who is having us play more like a lower league side in a televised FA Cup tie at home to a Premiership side than a slick, cohesive team littered with some very talented individuals. Even the type of "attacking" football is similar to what you'd see at the top ends of the lower leagues in terms of being very basic in the approach play, albeit with far better players [being wasted in the process].

 

In a way, Pardew is like the managerial equivalent of Kevin "can't sell him, 11 Premiership goals" Nolan - he has some good traits, has served us well for a specific period of time, but now the team has moved on and his deficiencies are holding us back. We'd really do well to go out and get an upgrade more suited to this squad - the equivalent of replacing Nolan with Cabaye, which in managerial terms would be getting someone in who is good at coaching, or overseeing the coaching of, the squad into passing, moving, and attacking better as a unit. Or if we don't get rid of Pardew, at the very least we need to bring someone in to genuinely help him and give him an earful when he decides to do something stupid (like last season when for no reason we switched away from a super successful 4-3-3). Maybe Pardew is just a Brian Clough who hasn't found his Peter Taylor yet?

 

On that note, maybe it's John Carver who isn't doing his job well?

[Darth Crooks]

Cliche bingo in here following those Pardew quotes

[Dr Venkman]

"They need to understand on Thursday that if we think we can go gung-ho against Benfica they'll just pick us off and we'll be chasing shadows. We need to be very intelligent on Thursday, play our way into the game and try and get a goal in that first half.

 

If we can get a goal ahead with twenty minutes to go I think we can do it and that's the position we've got to try and get to. We've got to do that in the right way and we could have one of the greatest weeks in the club's current history if we can do that."

 

Sorry if these have been mentioned. He loves that 70 minute mark.

 

Ahh ok nice one, let's 'play our way into' it Alan. They only need one goal for fucks sake, they'll have it before we've played our way in and there'll be no way back. If we score first I'd fancy us to go through, that should be the priority.

[Interpolic]

Cliche bingo in here following those Pardew quotes

 

Be more specific.

[jimmymag]

Good point about Carver. Definitely think he's a weak link. Either not a very good coach and/or too much of a yes man to work effectively with Pardew.

 

You definitely shouldn't be given an 8 year contract if you're part of the backroom staff. I'm sure Pardew would agree, as it limits his options as well. Things will, if they haven't already, become stale long before those contracts are up.

[NG32]

"They need to understand on Thursday that if we think we can go gung-ho against Benfica they'll just pick us off and we'll be chasing shadows. We need to be very intelligent on Thursday, play our way into the game and try and get a goal in that first half.

 

If we can get a goal ahead with twenty minutes to go I think we can do it and that's the position we've got to try and get to. We've got to do that in the right way and we could have one of the greatest weeks in the club's current history if we can do that."

 

Sorry if these have been mentioned. He loves that 70 minute mark.

 

f***ing hell, he really knows how to suck the life out of any situation.

 

Fair enough, he's in charge and I hope to God whatever we try on Thursday works but he doesn't half make it sound like we're petrified in the run-up to games.

 

Its every game.

 

 

[Guest bimpy474]

Good point about Carver. Definitely think he's a weak link. Either not a very good coach and/or too much of a yes man to work effectively with Pardew.

 

You definitely shouldn't be given an 8 year contract if you're part of the backroom staff. I'm sure Pardew would agree, as it limits his options as well. Things will, if they haven't already, become stale long before those contracts are up.

 

Yet Carver was our assistant manager under Sir Bobby......admittedly Sir Bobby was vastly superior manager but i would have thought if Carver was a weak link, Sir Bobby wouldn't have had him as his numer two.

 

Fwiw.

[Ronaldo]

Good point about Carver. Definitely think he's a weak link. Either not a very good coach and/or too much of a yes man to work effectively with Pardew.

 

You definitely shouldn't be given an 8 year contract if you're part of the backroom staff. I'm sure Pardew would agree, as it limits his options as well. Things will, if they haven't already, become stale long before those contracts are up.

 

Yet Carver was our assistant manager under Sir Bobby......admittedly Sir Bobby was vastly superior manager but i would have thought if Carver was a weak link, Sir Bobby wouldn't have had him as his numer two.

 

Fwiw.

 

Whoever's responsible for the attacking play in training is very obviously a weak link, tbh. Carver's a Terry Mac type you'd think. We need an attacking coach, no doubt.

[Guest bimpy474]

Good point about Carver. Definitely think he's a weak link. Either not a very good coach and/or too much of a yes man to work effectively with Pardew.

 

You definitely shouldn't be given an 8 year contract if you're part of the backroom staff. I'm sure Pardew would agree, as it limits his options as well. Things will, if they haven't already, become stale long before those contracts are up.

 

Yet Carver was our assistant manager under Sir Bobby......admittedly Sir Bobby was vastly superior manager but i would have thought if Carver was a weak link, Sir Bobby wouldn't have had him as his numer two.

 

Fwiw.

 

Whoever's responsible for the attacking play in training is very obviously a weak link, tbh. Carver's a Terry Mac type you'd think. We need an attacking coach, no doubt.

 

Oh yeah, but do you think Sir Bobby had zero input to our attacking play if that was say Carvers job under Sir Bobby, we were great going forward then.

 

I think it's more down to all of them, not just Carver, not just Pardew, who should shoulder most of the blame as he is our manager. And if he has given the task of our attacking play to Carver as we seem to think, then christ why hasn't he taken that job off him. Collective responsibility with Pardew at the fore as manager for me.

[Ronaldo]

Oh absolutely. I just meant that if Pardew is to stay we badly need someone to fill that massive void that exists, mainly due to his inability to set us up to attack teams. That's before we even go into the problem with set-pieces.