Alan Pardew

[Mole_Toonfan]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Liverpool have been challenging for it all year with one recognised striker, you put far too much emphasis on it.

 

The problem is how little players we have in the box when we go forward.

 

They scored 6 without him on Saturday.

 

So we are just going to ignore that their front 3 was Downing-Suarez-Sterling for 6 months then?

[Teasy]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Liverpool have been challenging for it all year with one recognised striker, you put far too much emphasis on it.

 

The problem is how little players we have in the box when we go forward.

 

They scored 6 without him on Saturday.

 

Not seeing how that backs up your argument like but whatever.

[TheHoob]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Eh? Our goals last season came from one person in the first half, and another in the second half of the season, and we were challenging for a champions league spot.

[Guest neesy111]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Liverpool have been challenging for it all year with one recognised striker, you put far too much emphasis on it.

 

The problem is how little players we have in the box when we go forward.

 

They scored 6 without him on Saturday.

 

So we are just going to ignore that their front 3 was Downing-Suarez-Sterling for 6 months then?

 

Liverpool have plenty of options with Suarez is out than are a million miles ahead of what we have.  Honestly Shola would be struggling to score goals in league 1 this season.

[Guest Dontooner]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

A good enough first XI but a bench of Shola, Williamson, Gosling, Obertan etc is a f***ing travesty.

 

We have no strength in depth, why is why we're deeply in the s*** when faced with injuries.

Disagree, some of the starting lineups and substitutions has lost us points this season, the mere fact of being too negative are steering us into relegation contention

[Guest neesy111]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Eh? Our goals last season came from one person in the first half, and another in the second half of the season, and we were challenging for a champions league spot.

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

[Mole_Toonfan]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Eh? Our goals last season came from one person in the first half, and another in the second half of the season, and we were challenging for a champions league spot.

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

 

That is hardly a surprise when the midfield is not allowed beyond the half way line

[Away Toon]

I think everyone is being a bit too kind to HBA. We know he's a good player, maybe even a great one, but he's never fit, hardly ever plays, gets out of shape every time he's injured, doesn't apparently train well, and has about half a dozen good games a season. Why the fuck the club let him fuck off back to France every time he's injured or Colo to Argentina I've no idea.

[Mick]

 

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

 

The job of our midfield is to defend for Christ sake. 

[Guest neesy111]

 

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

 

The job of our midfield is to defend for Christ sake. 

 

They can't even do that well.

[TRon]

I agree with TT and Gary Neville and have argued that point many times before. Talk of xenophobia is simply nonsense.

 

We don't need an English spine to the team at all, we need a manager who can get the best out of the players we have, that's all we're missing.

 

It's not coincidence that nearly every successful club has that national spine to them, in fact they're nearly always local too. This is particularly obvious in those clubs that sustain such success.

 

Arsenal? never been outside the top 4 during Wenger's time and they have hardly had a english spine the majority of the time.

 

Has f*ck all to do with it.

 

Last time they had the title was with Cole, Keown, Campbell, Parlour with Seaman leaving at the start of that season. The likes of Vieria, Bergkamp & Henry were instrumental but they'd all been their a minimum of 5 years, understood the league, settled and spoke very good english.

 

 

 

What a piss poor example. Arsenal were heading for oblivion under Bruce Rioch and their past it British backbone team until Wenger came in and introduced a whole string of foreigners who transformed them into title winners and a CL team every season since despite having less financial resources than their closest rivals. 

[Mole_Toonfan]

Liverpool have plenty of options with Suarez is out than are a million miles ahead of what we have.  Honestly Shola would be struggling to score goals in league 1 this season.

 

Since they signed Coutinho and Sturridge? sure but before then not a chance.

[ponsaelius]

I agree with TT and Gary Neville and have argued that point many times before. Talk of xenophobia is simply nonsense.

 

We don't need an English spine to the team at all, we need a manager who can get the best out of the players we have, that's all we're missing.

 

It's not coincidence that nearly every successful club has that national spine to them, in fact they're nearly always local too. This is particularly obvious in those clubs that sustain such success.

 

Arsenal? never been outside the top 4 during Wenger's time and they have hardly had a english spine the majority of the time.

 

Has f*ck all to do with it.

 

Last time they had the title was with Cole, Keown, Campbell, Parlour with Seaman leaving at the start of that season. The likes of Vieria, Bergkamp & Henry were instrumental but they'd all been their a minimum of 5 years, understood the league, settled and spoke very good english.

 

Called having a mix and balance, something we lack.

 

 

In the unbeaten season only Cole and Campbell were regulars.

 

They have never replaced the charisma, leadership and genuine top quality of Vieira, Campbell, Henry, Bergkamp, Pires etc as those players declined and/or left. Whether they'd replaced them with English blokes or foreign blokes it wouldn't matter, but they never have done for varying reasons.

[Guest Dontooner]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Eh? Our goals last season came from one person in the first half, and another in the second half of the season, and we were challenging for a champions league spot.

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

What you expect when lobbing the ball into the box is our number one tactic. Top of the league with long balls. Had you being watching our games , the midfielders are told to stay back.

[Wullie]

I agree with TT and Gary Neville and have argued that point many times before. Talk of xenophobia is simply nonsense.

 

We don't need an English spine to the team at all, we need a manager who can get the best out of the players we have, that's all we're missing.

 

It's not coincidence that nearly every successful club has that national spine to them, in fact they're nearly always local too. This is particularly obvious in those clubs that sustain such success.

 

Arsenal? never been outside the top 4 during Wenger's time and they have hardly had a english spine the majority of the time.

 

Has f*ck all to do with it.

 

Last time they had the title was with Cole, Keown, Campbell, Parlour with Seaman leaving at the start of that season. The likes of Vieria, Bergkamp & Henry were instrumental but they'd all been their a minimum of 5 years, understood the league, settled and spoke very good english.

 

Called having a mix and balance, something we lack.

 

 

Aye. It's funny how it's always the big fans of European football who will argue vehemently that having an entire team of foreigners makes no odds when the majority of huge European clubs go completely against that way of thinking and make damn sure that they have a squad with a high percentage of players from the same country.

 

Same people who will fawn endlessly over Barcelona's sometimes near Catalan XI will tell you that having no local spine makes no difference. Bizarre.

[Mick]

 

 

They can't even do that well.

 

I know, they're punch drunk.

[dcmk]

Best option is he keeps us up and then we replace him with someone good in the summer.

 

Sacking him now would inevitably mean a caretaker manager taking charge, if he keeps us up he will then get the permanent gig because he is unattached and cheap,  Roeder all over again.

[Pilko]

A clique of divisive French players are showing mental weakness or 'surrendering'?

 

It reads like a transcript from a Daily Mail editor's wet dream. By all accounts the player's have questioned the tactics on display, if this was a group of English player's they'd be commended for their rousing attitude as a player's committee. On a fundamental level Newcastle are tactically deficient. There is next to no cohesion amongst the squad, and the mixture of a melancholic looking squad (Ben Arfa in particular seems more interested in post-match chats than playing) suggests the playing staff aren't to enamoured with the man in charge.

 

For that they deserve criticism. Not being sectioned by nationality and then slapped with a giant trout of stereotype when applicable. All the talk of the French being mentally weak is somewhat defunct when you consider they won the world cup as recently as 98, and the Euro's 2 years later. Yet England still dine out on Sir Geoff Hurst and a questionable linesman.

 

Put simply, the club need a return to simplicity. Pressure in the right areas, operating as a unit defensively, mixed with movement in attack. A 4-3-3 in which player's like Sissoko and Cabaye are used in the spine of the side. A regression to the time when Cissé was given it into feet, facing the goal so that he could just shoot instead of having to adjust his iffy feet.

 

Instead we get a box to box midfielder on the right wing, and a once decent winger shunted round the pitch because he 'puts a shift in'. If there is but one mitigation, it's Coloccini's absence. His performance at Sunderland in the face of a baying crowd, showed the kind of composure and experience he brings to the back four. Losing that will always cost dearly, so having him return will be of some saving grace. 

 

Class post mate. Welcome back

[Dokko]

I agree with TT and Gary Neville and have argued that point many times before. Talk of xenophobia is simply nonsense.

 

We don't need an English spine to the team at all, we need a manager who can get the best out of the players we have, that's all we're missing.

 

It's not coincidence that nearly every successful club has that national spine to them, in fact they're nearly always local too. This is particularly obvious in those clubs that sustain such success.

 

Arsenal? never been outside the top 4 during Wenger's time and they have hardly had a english spine the majority of the time.

 

Has f*ck all to do with it.

 

Last time they had the title was with Cole, Keown, Campbell, Parlour with Seaman leaving at the start of that season. The likes of Vieria, Bergkamp & Henry were instrumental but they'd all been their a minimum of 5 years, understood the league, settled and spoke very good english.

 

Called having a mix and balance, something we lack.

 

 

Aye. It's funny how it's always the big fans of European football who will argue vehemently that having an entire team of foreigners makes no odds when the majority of huge European clubs go completely against that way of thinking and make damn sure that they have a squad with a high percentage of players from the same country.

 

Same people who will fawn endlessly over Barcelona's sometimes near Catalan XI will tell you that having no local spine makes no difference. Bizarre.

 

The same hypocritical morons who wank themselves silly over everything Dortmund have done under Klopp no doubt.

[Ketsbaia]

Nixon mate, you should write for a living

[ponsaelius]

It's nowt to do with the fact that the entirety of Barca's team are at worst full internationals and at best the greatest players of their generation or anything.

[TheHoob]

The way some people talk, they expect the squad to be challenging for Europe again, it's nowhere near that level.

 

We have a good enough squad to challenge for Europa League. No doubt.

 

 

So where are the goals going to come from for that?  One injury to Cisse and we are a team with the weakest striking line-up in the league.

 

Eh? Our goals last season came from one person in the first half, and another in the second half of the season, and we were challenging for a champions league spot.

 

We didn't score enough compared to the teams around us, it was never going to last.  The amount of goals in our midfield is criminal.

 

Aye like others have said this is largely due to our style of play, Sissoko, Yohan, Anita, HBA, Gouffran, Marv are all capable of chipping in with goals if they were given more freedom, even sorting out our set penises could let the defenders chip in with a goal or two. Not saying it's all down to set up but it largely is.

[Mick]

 

 

Aye. It's funny how it's always the big fans of European football who will argue vehemently that having an entire team of foreigners makes no odds when the majority of huge European clubs go completely against that way of thinking and make damn sure that they have a squad with a high percentage of players from the same country.

 

Same people who will fawn endlessly over Barcelona's sometimes near Catalan XI will tell you that having no local spine makes no difference. Bizarre.

 

That's not true. 

[TaylorJ_01]

Dat nixon

[Mole_Toonfan]

Aye because we can go out and buy English players with the quality of Lewandowski etc etc

 

You just are not being realistic.

 

Remember when we were pushing for a Champions League place in January then all these French guys came in & ruined it all?

 

Always have to look for someone to blame though.