Moussa Sissoko

[Guest firetotheworks]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

[KaKa]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

A high tempo team has to work hard by definition. Pardew's side frequently slows the pace of a game down.

[hakka]

Sissoko is very important to our team, I always want him starting. Only thing I was frustrated with by him was the shot he blazed over late in the game. It was a good moment, didn't need that much power to direct it in.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

 

I'm suggesting that those people with that sort of mentality towards football loved the graft in Keegan's team before the flair.

[The College Dropout]

Big difference between HBA& Siss with stuff coming off. HBA's general passing is good. Sissoko is liable to misplace simple balls time and time again. In one match he had a 66% pass completion rate.

[Hanshithispantz]

They both lose possession for different reasons but without them we're impotent. Pardew, thankfully, loves Sissoko though.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I think he struggles with some of the criticism HBA got/gets. When 90% of all of the chances we create involve him, it looks more obvious that he's "making bad choices" or whatever because he is failing more than succeeding. On the other side to that there is no one else in our team even close to offering what he does. He drives the team forward, he creates space for other players, he never stops running and I rarely see him slow.

 

So yes, he might miss chances, he might misplace a pass or get it stuck under his feet when he's singled out on his own. But the fact that he had more assists than anyone last year is not by luck. I think if we can see more of him in the centre we'll see more of what people like about him. FWIW he's the first name on the team sheet imo.

 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

 

I'm suggesting that those people with that sort of mentality towards football loved the graft in Keegan's team before the flair.

 

People will love attacking football as long as it is getting results as well, which it was.

[KaKa]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

 

I'm suggesting that those people with that sort of mentality towards football loved the graft in Keegan's team before the flair.

 

Ah, right! Of course. Never even thought of it like that. Precisely what it would have been, yes.

[Wullie]

English people fucking love passion.

[The College Dropout]

They both lose possession for different reasons but without them we're impotent. Pardew, thankfully, loves Sissoko though.

Oh I agree. Sissoko makes things happen. Might prefer him on the wing though. If HBA isn't to come back from the dead i'd have:

Sissoko CM1 + CM2 + Cabella

              De Jong

                ST

Ideally

 

HBA + Sissoko + Holder + Cabella

              De Jong

                ST

 

I would cream myself with the fret.

[Guest firetotheworks]

English people f***ing love passion.

 

I love passion like, I think we all do. Obviously the problem is when some people think that that means sliding tackles, getting stuck in and shouting 'come on'

[The College Dropout]

"nothing player" is absurd but I can understand why people would give him stick.

 

I was one of the first in this thread to point out he often struggles with the very basics of the game. Any player that often struggles to make simple passes is going to attract negative attention.

 

 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

 

I'm suggesting that those people with that sort of mentality towards football loved the graft in Keegan's team before the flair.

 

Ah, right! Of course. Never even thought of it like that. Precisely what it would have been, yes.

 

I'm not sure that's true, it was more that the team was playing well and winning at the same time. Also, it was generally a quite direct, pacey kind of flair rather than tricky and risky.

[Wullie]

English people f***ing love passion.

 

I love passion like, I think we all do. Obviously the problem is when some people think that that means sliding tackles, getting stuck in and shouting 'come on'

 

I've seen a few people say that nutting David Meyler showed great passion.

 

I think it's a really interesting discussion about football fans, what they like compared to what actually works. Unfortunately I never get past much more of a conclusion than most of them are idiots.

[Wullie]

Keegan's team grafted their arse off as well, it wasn't just the flair there to love about them.

 

Yeah, but Pardew's mentality is graft and defend, at the expense of everything else, which shouldn't be acceptable really.

 

I'm suggesting that those people with that sort of mentality towards football loved the graft in Keegan's team before the flair.

 

Ah, right! Of course. Never even thought of it like that. Precisely what it would have been, yes.

 

I'm not sure that's true, it was more that the team was playing well and winning at the same time. Also, it was generally a quite direct, pacey kind of flair rather than tricky and risky.

 

It was definitely flair done in a traditional English way, plenty of pace down the wings and crosses. Appealed to both camps really.

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

All good teams work hard.

[Foluwashola]

Was nothing but praise for Cabella around me yesterday. A couple of moaning simpletons isn't particularly representative of the general fanbase.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

All good teams work hard.

 

Yes indeed, but all hard working teams aren't good.

[Guest neesy111]

English people f***ing love passion.

 

I love passion like, I think we all do. Obviously the problem is when some people think that that means sliding tackles, getting stuck in and shouting 'come on'

 

I've seen a few people say that nutting David Meyler showed great passion.

 

I think it's a really interesting discussion about football fans, what they like compared to what actually works. Unfortunately I never get past much more of a conclusion than most of them are idiots.

 

Hugo Viana said English fans prefer a good tackle to a good pass.

[TRon]

English people f***ing love passion.

 

I love passion like, I think we all do. Obviously the problem is when some people think that that means sliding tackles, getting stuck in and shouting 'come on'

 

I've seen a few people say that nutting David Meyler showed great passion.

 

I think it's a really interesting discussion about football fans, what they like compared to what actually works. Unfortunately I never get past much more of a conclusion than most of them are idiots.

 

Hugo Viana said English fans prefer a good tackle to a good pass.

 

They like to see both. The premier league is watched all round the world for a reason, it's exciting and yes there is a lot of passion. But crucially the top 5 or 6 teams play some really attractive football and that's what we used to do under Keegan and SBR. Now we play defensive football and concede more than we ever did under those two managers. Because Pardew's a cunt.

[The College Dropout]

English people f***ing love passion.

 

I love passion like, I think we all do. Obviously the problem is when some people think that that means sliding tackles, getting stuck in and shouting 'come on'

 

I've seen a few people say that nutting David Meyler showed great passion.

 

I think it's a really interesting discussion about football fans, what they like compared to what actually works. Unfortunately I never get past much more of a conclusion than most of them are idiots.

 

Hugo Viana said English fans prefer a good tackle to a good pass.

 

They like to see both. The premier league is watched all round the world for a reason

Marketing.

[Hanshithispantz]

English fans just want to see their team win and play good football, that isn't the problem, it's when it's not working that the blame gets shifted onto the 'foreign cowards' and they hark back to the days footballers were men, and then naturally you come to cutting the flair, maintaining your shape and working hard, preferring a tackler over a passer and ultimately turn into Gary Birtles.

 

I prefer graft over skill to an extent, it's when the entire side is graft that it becomes a problem.

[ExiledGeordie]

 

He might be hampered by Pardews lack of tactics and our general poor play but I'm just starting to see this player as piss and wind. Gets a full head of steam up but doesn't really do anything with it, poor touch and doesn't stamp his authority on the game. For a bloke his size he doesn't get involved enough for me either and boss people about. Maybe he's just been Pardewed too but I'm not that impressed.