Alan Pardew

[Unbelievable]

The reasons seem full of leaks to say the least. I'm still waiting to hear a reasonable one.  And I'll be likely waiting until the sun burns up its remaining hydrogen.

 

The 8 year contract they handed him with the explicit statement that for the sake of stability they would not chop and change after one disappointing period. Not saying I agree with their very likely reasoning, but that's what it will be. Who knows, if they back him in the summer, and we suffer a little less injuries to key players, without the additional pressure of playing in Europe, Pardew could well have us challenging for Europe again. There is no way of knowing how it will work out unless they try, and to prevent losing face after that stability guff try they almost certainly will.

 

To give a man with a relatively poor track record who had one good season (based largely on the individual brilliance of a few key players) something akin to carte blanche seems a bit unreasonable to me.

 

Yet that's exactly what they did, and I can't see them going back on that decision so soon, seeing as it will make them look like buffoons who say one thing one day, and then proceed  to do the opposite the next.

[Guest icemanblue]

That's just it.  Their arguments are flawed, misleading and severely limiting in context.  It's like arguing with a Creationist.

 

In your opinion. As Luca has pointed out, not one of us can call next season with any degree of absolute certainty. Even less so if we dispose of the current incumbent. Taking into account the ever so important personal histories of those involved only proves to cement that belief.

[Wullie]

I disagree.

 

There are lots of moving parts to a club. While some good players may not fit in at one club and go on to be excellent elsewhere I think the same can be said for managers. I'm going to judge Pardew solely on his NUFC career because that's the only thing that's relevant.

 

He seems to have a good working relationship with the club and the internal workings, including their transfer and development policies. Last season it all came together nicely and worked out well. This season it didn't.

 

There's no guarantee that next season will be a calamity just as there are no guarantees he will turn it around again either. The one thing we do know for sure is that there isn't a long line of top class managers queuing up outside St. James waiting to take over.

 

With fewer games this next season, and the chance for players to recover over the summer, as well as any reinforcements that come in, I'm optimistic.

 

The one thing that's pure fantasy is that Pardew will be sacked, another top class manager will come in, and be given a bag of cash to turn it into his team. It's just not going to happen.

 

I think Pardew deserves another crack at it. Even if you don't agree, it's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Another manager wouldn't need a bag of cash, the squad is already there.

 

Your point about there not "being a queue of top class managers" is simply silly hyperbole and not any sort of reasoned argument. It doesn't even mean anything.

[Vinny Green Balls]

It's more the yo-yo pattern that Pardew has followed throughout his managerial career.  My West Ham supporting mate was gutted for me when we appointed him, warning me that all hope abandon after a season or so.

 

Throw in his tactical rigidity, even when things are collapsing around him...

[LucaAltieri]

I disagree.

 

There are lots of moving parts to a club. While some good players may not fit in at one club and go on to be excellent elsewhere I think the same can be said for managers. I'm going to judge Pardew solely on his NUFC career because that's the only thing that's relevant.

 

He seems to have a good working relationship with the club and the internal workings, including their transfer and development policies. Last season it all came together nicely and worked out well. This season it didn't.

 

There's no guarantee that next season will be a calamity just as there are no guarantees he will turn it around again either. The one thing we do know for sure is that there isn't a long line of top class managers queuing up outside St. James waiting to take over.

 

With fewer games this next season, and the chance for players to recover over the summer, as well as any reinforcements that come in, I'm optimistic.

 

The one thing that's pure fantasy is that Pardew will be sacked, another top class manager will come in, and be given a bag of cash to turn it into his team. It's just not going to happen.

 

I think Pardew deserves another crack at it. Even if you don't agree, it's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Another manager wouldn't need a bag of cash, the squad is already there.

 

Your point about there not "being a queue of top class managers" is simply silly hyperbole and not any sort of reasoned argument. It doesn't even mean anything.

 

Of course it does. Sacking a manager with a so/so record is fine, but only if you've got someone better to replace him with. If you replace him with someone else with a so/so record you've gained nothing but you've disrupted the squad, and paid a bucket load of severance & agent fees. Nobody wins there.

[Spudil]

That's just it.  Their arguments are flawed, misleading and severely limiting in context.  It's like arguing with a Creationist.

 

In your opinion. As Luca has pointed out, not one of us can call next season with any degree of absolute certainty. Even less so if we dispose of the current incumbent. Taking into account the ever so important personal histories of those involved only proves to cement that belief.

 

[Away Toon]

Irrespective of whether people think Pardew is a good manager, or could become a good manager, the proof is in the football that we play, which is Stoke City style diabolical. Even after 2 plus seasons, I've no idea what style of football he wants to play, it's just a mess with players regularly out of position, tactically restricted, no movement and the worst passing team I think I've seen. Give me a Rodgers, Lambert, Laudrup, Martinez, Pochettino, or just about any young progressive manager out there. The idea of watching us play another season of hoofball football is extremely depressing.

[Guest icemanblue]

It's more the yo-yo pattern that Pardew has followed throughout his managerial career.  My West Ham supporting mate was gutted for me when we appointed him, warning me that all hope abandon after a season or so.

 

Throw in his tactical rigidity, even when things are collapsing around him...

 

And what of our owner's record throughout their time here? Can you genuinely picture them handing out a lucrative salary to the latest hip manager? There are flaws in everyone's arguments here.

[Guest Haris Vuckic]

It's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Disagree, there's countless managers on the continent that would take the job who are working under tighter constraints and would suit the players we have and the players we plan to recruit.

 

Because they are under the radar don't mean they don't exist.

 

 

Name one. if there's countless. just one.

[Vinny Green Balls]

It's like arguing with people about the fucking Iraq war all again.  You don't need to be Cassandra to see that Troy is fucked.

[Wullie]

I disagree.

 

There are lots of moving parts to a club. While some good players may not fit in at one club and go on to be excellent elsewhere I think the same can be said for managers. I'm going to judge Pardew solely on his NUFC career because that's the only thing that's relevant.

 

He seems to have a good working relationship with the club and the internal workings, including their transfer and development policies. Last season it all came together nicely and worked out well. This season it didn't.

 

There's no guarantee that next season will be a calamity just as there are no guarantees he will turn it around again either. The one thing we do know for sure is that there isn't a long line of top class managers queuing up outside St. James waiting to take over.

 

With fewer games this next season, and the chance for players to recover over the summer, as well as any reinforcements that come in, I'm optimistic.

 

The one thing that's pure fantasy is that Pardew will be sacked, another top class manager will come in, and be given a bag of cash to turn it into his team. It's just not going to happen.

 

I think Pardew deserves another crack at it. Even if you don't agree, it's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Another manager wouldn't need a bag of cash, the squad is already there.

 

Your point about there not "being a queue of top class managers" is simply silly hyperbole and not any sort of reasoned argument. It doesn't even mean anything.

 

Of course it does. Sacking a manager with a so/so record is fine, but only if you've got someone better to replace him with. If you replace him with someone else with a so/so record you've gained nothing but you've disrupted the squad, and paid a bucket load of severance & agent fees. Nobody wins there.

 

No it doesn't because no club has "a queue of top class managers" outside. In fact most Premier League clubs don't even hire these so-called top class managers - only Chelsea could be described as trying to do that, even Man Utd haven't done that.

[Vinny Green Balls]

Ashley's track record is pretty abysmal.  But to hold on to this one for fear of getting somebody worse seems even more counter productive.

[Spudil]

It's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Disagree, there's countless managers on the continent that would take the job who are working under tighter constraints and would suit the players we have and the players we plan to recruit.

 

Because they are under the radar don't mean they don't exist.

 

 

Name one. if there's countless. just one.

 

Rene Girard ( )

[Guest icemanblue]

Ashley's track record is pretty abysmal.  But to hold on to this one for fear of getting somebody worse seems even more counter productive.

 

To you it does. That's because you hold a lesser opinion of this one. He remains the most successful manager of our owner's tenure.

[Mole_Toonfan]

It's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

Disagree, there's countless managers on the continent that would take the job who are working under tighter constraints and would suit the players we have and the players we plan to recruit.

 

Because they are under the radar don't mean they don't exist.

Name one. if there's countless. just one.

 

Rene Girard.

 

Has worked with basically half our team, including Yanga-Mbiwa who was his captain last season in Montpellier's title winning season.

 

Is leaving Montpellier at the end of the season and has expressed a desire to manage in the Premier League and is learning English.

 

Also according to Le 10 Sport we are considering him for next season.

 

He won't be the only one we could attract either, if Swansea can attract Laudrup why can't we get someone of similar ilk?

 

Ashley is slowly but surely convincing fans that we are mediocre and accept mediocrity.

[Vinny Green Balls]

and hence why I said his track record was abysmal.  On the verge of the abyss with this squad...there is no decent excuse out there for that.  If we were comfortably mid-table, then maybe.  But we are on match 37.

[themanupstairs]

Irrespective of whether people think Pardew is a good manager, or could become a good manager, the proof is in the football that we play, which is Stoke City style diabolical. Even after 2 plus seasons, I've no idea what style of football he wants to play, it's just a mess with players regularly out of position, tactically restricted, no movement and the worst passing team I think I've seen. Give me a Rodgers, Lambert, Laudrup, Martinez, Pochettino, or just about any young progressive manager out there. The idea of watching us play another season of hoofball football is extremely depressing.

 

This

[ponsaelius]

Irrespective of whether people think Pardew is a good manager, or could become a good manager, the proof is in the football that we play, which is Stoke City style diabolical. Even after 2 plus seasons, I've no idea what style of football he wants to play, it's just a mess with players regularly out of position, tactically restricted, no movement and the worst passing team I think I've seen. Give me a Rodgers, Lambert, Laudrup, Martinez, Pochettino, or just about any young progressive manager out there. The idea of watching us play another season of hoofball football is extremely depressing.

 

This

 

Yup.

 

Ugly, disorganised, directionless, long ball shite.

[Guest icemanblue]

and hence why I said his track record was abysmal.  On the verge of the abyss with this squad...there is no decent excuse out there for that.  If we were comfortably mid-table, then maybe.  But we are on match 37.

 

There isn't. I'm not disputing it, either. The debate is over whether or not we'd make the right improvement to move forward, and some people's (including me) struggle to accept that this is what would absolutely happen.

[Vinny Green Balls]

Clearly, the cleverest man in the thread is bimpy for bowing out.

[LucaAltieri]

I remember having the same type of arguments with people on here when we got relegated. It wasn't about our manager so much as about how the club was being run. I argued that in principle Ashley was on the right path but the execution was flawed, but he was learning from his mistakes and getting better.

 

Then too, I was shouted down about how obviously bad it was, how he was actively destroying the club, and that it was only going to get worse.

 

We bounced back to the premier league, we've made some terrific signings under Ashley's transfer policy, we shot back into Europe again after having been out of those competitions for years, and for a brief moment there we were all happy again.

 

He made another error in not recruiting well enough ahead of a longer season with European commitments, and mid-way through the season he appears to have learned his lesson again.

 

All this applies to the Pardew situation too. It's easy to have a shit spell and start screaming to "get the fucker oot. Not good enough." But sometimes it takes a steady nerve to just stick with it, allow people to make their mistakes and learn from them, and improve in the long run.

 

I don't think Pardew is a world beater or a tactical genius. But under our current setup our options are limited. Not many people want to work with Ashley and co. In terms of the harmony we've had recently between manager and board, I think Pardew has fit in well. At times we've played good football, at times we've played bad football. Sometimes it has been elegant, some times it has been shit. This last season, mostly shit. But they all know that too.

 

Throwing it all out and starting again with unknown variables isn't the answer. The answer is to keep our heads again, keep on course, let's see where it takes us. We can always take action later if it all turns to shit.

[Vinny Green Balls]

and hence why I said his track record was abysmal.  On the verge of the abyss with this squad...there is no decent excuse out there for that.  If we were comfortably mid-table, then maybe.  But we are on match 37.

 

There isn't. I'm not disputing it, either. The debate is over whether or not we'd make the right improvement to move forward, and some people's (including me) struggle to accept that this is what would absolutely happen.

 

I can certainly see where you are coming from there, given that these fools employed JFK.

[LRD]

His admission of his failings may have just bought him some time next season. The interview has somehow put him in a better light. Some fans will buy into his sale pitch and there is a higher chance of Pardew being sacked by Ashley had he continued with blaming everything but himself. Need the crowd to turn against him during the Arsenal match but can't see it happening.

 

Some people are already advocating giving him more time ('it's a start') based on him holding his hands up. To me he's a tumor that shouldn't be given time of the day that we will do well to remove immediately. Hope I'm wrong but sadly I think he's here to stay now.

[ElDiablo]

I think Pardew deserves another crack at it. Even if you don't agree, it's still the most reasonable option in terms of our finances and our limited recruiting potential.

 

I think this just perfectly encapsulates the downgrade in expectation Ashley has sought to cultivate. We shouldn't be as accepting of this situation, it's the owner's responsibility to improve the club in every possible way, including making the money available for situations like this, even if it comes from his personal wealth. That's what comes with committing to buying a football club. Football clubs aren't traditional businesses.

[Vinny Green Balls]

stability is there to benefit the club.  But it doesn't necessarily mean sticking with a dreadful manager for 8 seasons.  That's the appearance of stability, a fucking phantasm.