Alan Pardew

[jdckelly]

Probably needs to shut up about it but I dare say theres many a manager who's been in it and generally agreed with his thoughts on it. Its not a terrible idea in theory but problems arise when things like the league cup or this week for example with midweek prem games come around.

[jdckelly]

also the other key difference between the CL and EL is the clubs in the CL get a hell of a lot more which enables them to have a much larger squad to cope with the fixture load compare to EL when the clubs getting into it are generally not as well resourced and theres not the finances from the thing to support a larger squad for the fixture load.

[alexf]

Whole thing is a bit of a mess really. I mean the money isn't enough to interest the Prem teams to really want to be in it.

 

Also when you grind it out and find yourself in a quarter final like we did, you end up playing Champions League drop outs like Benfica and Chelsea, who went on to win it that year.

 

 

[Mole_Toonfan]

Agree with HTT. Ben Arfa isn't needed, neither useful in the current Pardew formation.

 

What happens when we inevitably hit the brick wall and nothing is working? you know like what happened when we finished 5th.

 

We started dropping like a stone and then January came around.... Pardew changed the system, brought Ben Arfa in signed Cisse which allowed us to push on from the stagnation we found ourselves in and allowed us to finish 5th.

 

There's always a place for players like Ben Arfa, sure its working right now but being solid and hard working will not work every week its a limited way of playing for a 38 game season and you need more in your arsenal to be successful.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Should never have copied the CL and gone to a league format tbh.

 

Would be miles better if it just remained a two-legged knockout format.

[jdckelly]

Whole thing is a bit of a mess really. I mean the money isn't enough to interest the Prem teams to really want to be in it.

 

Also when you grind it out and find yourself in a quarter final like we did, you end up playing Champions League drop outs like Benfica and Chelsea, who went on to win it that year.

oh god how this annoys me whatever about the cl qualifier failures they can go in no issue there but the losers from the groups (who already have a nicely sized amount of prize money in their pockets already) 

[Jayson]

Agree with HTT. Ben Arfa isn't needed, neither useful in the current Pardew formation.

 

What happens when we inevitably hit the brick wall and nothing is working? you know like what happened when we finished 5th.

 

We started dropping like a stone and then January came around.... Pardew changed the system, brought Ben Arfa in signed Cisse which allowed us to push on from the stagnation we found ourselves in and allowed us to finish 5th.

 

There's always a place for players like Ben Arfa, sure its working right now but being solid and hard working will not work every week its a limited way of playing for a 38 game season and you need more in your arsenal to be successful.

 

The thing is, we've been playing better attacking football as a side without him. We're not battling it out, our football in the middle has improved & the players movement is better.

 

With Ben Arfa it often messes with the players sense of responsibility it seems, they dont work as hard & he feels to much pressure to unleash a special moment instead of playing it simply. It doesnt flow the same way & sometimes he holds it for to long. If hes not at his best, we have no other options.

[joeyt]

Is he saying that Champions League teams play on Sundays? As they don't

[alexf]

Agree with that. Been many times where the team has been out of form and just give it to Ben Arfa every time and don't move.

At the moment the midfield and strikers are interchanging quite well, they have to else it won't work in this system. Sissoko and Gouffran in particular.

 

I think where the frustration is coming from is I think some feel it would be nice to now drop Ben Arfa in to a team in-form and functioning well.

Problem is for who and in what position? From Pardews point of view he's obviously worried it would effect the balance of the team by putting him in.

 

I can accept him being on the bench at the moment because we have won 4 in a row!. But I'd like to see him introduced at some stage when Shola gets tired for example, instead of Cisse. Can't say I wasn't a little disappointed when he didn't get a single minute against West Brom but you can't really argue after 4 successive wins.

 

Feels eerily similar to 2 years ago when we were going strong but many still wanted him in the team. Difference was then that he has Ryan Taylor or Obertan playing ahead of him. Now he says Sissoko or Gouffran who are far better players.

I guess you can argue Shola if you want to play him as a striker but clearly Shola brings the better out of others in the team at the mo, despite not having the talent of Ben Arfa ofcourse.

[Mole_Toonfan]

Agree with HTT. Ben Arfa isn't needed, neither useful in the current Pardew formation.

 

What happens when we inevitably hit the brick wall and nothing is working? you know like what happened when we finished 5th.

 

We started dropping like a stone and then January came around.... Pardew changed the system, brought Ben Arfa in signed Cisse which allowed us to push on from the stagnation we found ourselves in and allowed us to finish 5th.

 

There's always a place for players like Ben Arfa, sure its working right now but being solid and hard working will not work every week its a limited way of playing for a 38 game season and you need more in your arsenal to be successful.

 

The thing is, we've been playing better attacking football as a side without him. We're not battling it out, our football in the middle has improved & the players movement is better.

 

With Ben Arfa it often messes with the players sense of responsibility it seems, they dont work as hard & he feels to much pressure to unleash a special moment instead of playing it simply. It doesnt flow the same way & sometimes he holds it for to long. If hes not at his best, we have no other options.

 

It will still eventually get found out, without creative or players with special talent to provide something different it will only take you so far.

 

Its a limited view point and as such the results it provides will be limited, it happened in 11/12 and it will happen again.

 

You can't just knick wins every week and expect nobody to figure you out.

 

[Dinho lad]

"The Europa League needs to change for clubs in the Premier League," he said. "League games need to go to Monday night. If they are going to insist we play Thursday, then we have to play the subsequent Premier League game on a Monday. That would be fair. If teams play in the Champions League on a Wednesday, they play on a Sunday. That's fair and gives you just enough time but Thursday to Sunday is not fair."

 

Thoughts?

 

He's shitting himself ahead of next season, isn't he?

[ponsaelius]

He's being a massive fucking fanny again.

 

He simply isn't fit for purpose if he can't both manage and embrace the potential of European football. Simple as that for me. Doesn't matter how well he does this season with a fully fit squad and 1 game a week if that success can't be continued when you then get rewarded with Europe and more competitions to play.

 

It's not just the practical side of it, its his entire mentality. Not just him but the 'hierarchy' (lets be honest, which is now solely Mike Ashley) too. The entire envisioning of European football as a negative for the club is anti-progressive and unambitious.

[Mick]

"The Europa League needs to change for clubs in the Premier League," he said. "League games need to go to Monday night. If they are going to insist we play Thursday, then we have to play the subsequent Premier League game on a Monday. That would be fair. If teams play in the Champions League on a Wednesday, they play on a Sunday. That's fair and gives you just enough time but Thursday to Sunday is not fair."

 

Thoughts?

 

He only said last week that we had enough players to field 2 teams.  Also, last season we did change most of the team between games more often than not so what difference would a day make.  Especially when he complained that players who were dropped for the UEFA were rusty for a league game.

 

Edit.

 

He's full of shit.

[Zero]

Mick is a fox in the box who wont miss any chance

[BottledDog]

"The Europa League needs to change for clubs in the Premier League," he said. "League games need to go to Monday night. If they are going to insist we play Thursday, then we have to play the subsequent Premier League game on a Monday. That would be fair. If teams play in the Champions League on a Wednesday, they play on a Sunday. That's fair and gives you just enough time but Thursday to Sunday is not fair."

 

Thoughts?

 

He only said last week that we had enough players to field 2 teams.  Also, last season we did change most of the team between games more often than not so what difference would a day make.  Especially when he complained that players who were dropped for the UEFA were rusty for a league game.

 

Edit.

 

He's full of shit.

 

Bollocks.

 

He has only had two arguements against the Euro league, otherwise he has taken it seriously and despite the toss spaffed on here would clearly be chuffed to see success enough to make it there again.

 

1. The extended league format is bullshit for the clubs who struggle hard to get there.

 

2. Our squad was clearly not strong enough to comfortably deal with the added games (hint hint Mr Ashley, though the rewards financially are admittedly fuck all incentive for a chairmal to gamble significantly).

 

Despite much gnashing of teeth, I still haven't found a reasonable argument against either point.

[merlin]

But if we won the league, why would it matter if he played negative football? (which we're not at the moment)

 

We WON'T win the league - either by playing negative football or like Brazil 70...we haven't got enough quality or, especially, strength in depth to do it and we won't ever have under this regime/manager.

[alexf]

Short term I don't think Europa League is an issue as realistically I can't see us finishing any higher than 8th.

Arsenal, Man C, Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool, Spurs, Everton will most likely finish above us.

But it would be nice to be the best of the rest and it would mean we would probably have had a very good season, and there is already a gap opening up between the top half and the bottom now. 

 

However I think if we can keep this run going and perhaps invest in January, then we can possibly rival Spurs, Everton and Liverpool for those Europa places, like we did Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea two years ago. Oh and not forgetting Southampton either, who are similar to us really.

 

That's about where I would expect us to be competing really. No one thinks we should be going for the title like the press sometimes like to pretend we think. But we should also be no where near the bottom like we were last year.

[Guest firetotheworks]

But if we won the league, why would it matter if he played negative football? (which we're not at the moment)

 

We WON'T win the league - either by playing negative football or like Brazil 70...we haven't got enough quality or, especially, strength in depth to do it and we won't ever have under this regime/manager.

 

The original point made was that they wouldn't care if we won every game for the rest of the season - doing that would mean Champions League and probably winning the league. O.N was replying to that scenario because obviously if we won the league who the fuck would care how we won it?

[Hanshithispantz]

No reason at all Everton should be finishing ahead of us mind. Liverpool and Spurs could be there for the taking too.

[Turnbull2000]

I kinda agree with him. The Europa League is largely a burden. You get f*cked over with a stupid league format. You get f*cked over with pittance money pot. Then you get royally bum-f*cked by the utter scandal that is Champs League drop-outs.

 

The last of those three is the real killer for me. The EL is a joke. How I missed the UEFA Cup.

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

If they are introducing automatic CL places for the winner, than the inclusion of CL winners makes much more sense. The tournament seems in something of a transistionary stage, imo. When the pots are increased and the lure of CL qualification sits at the end, the tournament should be more competitive and interesting.

[Guest]

Can see his point with the Monday-Thursday thing but it's a bit shite for fans. Imagine having about a 25-30% of games on a weeknight rather than even a Sunday?

[dilligaf]

What's the difference if its on a Sunday? its still 2 and 3 days between games

[Skirge]

Europa League has no prestige unlike the UEFA Cup had, they need to do away with allowing those that finish 3rd in their Champions league groups dropping down into it for starters.

Make both competitions the same, groups of four teams top two proceed bottom two go out.

[Skirge]

Alan Pardew: Good run traces back to home truth session at Goodison Park

2 Dec 2013 07:21

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew indicates United players have all pulled together since woeful first half on Merseyside

 

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Alan Pardew has revealed home truths in the visitors’ dressing room at Goodison Park are the real reason behind Newcastle United’s successful season so far.

 

Pardew was fuming that night after fans chanted: “We want our money back” and the moment could well be a major turning point in the season.

 

The Magpies’ boss still maintains his team did not play badly against Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby defeat on Wearside.

 

He feels the foundations were laid for his team’s four-game winning streak on Merseyside two months ago.

 

The victory over West Brom fired United up the Premier League table and put Pardew in the box seat for the November Manager of the Month Award, which he will pick up later this week if his 100% record is deemed good enough to win an honour he has claimed only his once before in his managerial career - at West Ham.

 

When asked what the secret of Uniteds success was this term, he said: “Since the second half against Everton we looked at ourselves and said: ‘come on this is not us’. We had difficulties last year with injuries and the Europa League. We are together this year and we are ready. We said: ‘Let’s go – come on, let’s not make the errors we are making.’

 

“We won the second half against Everton and since that moment we have been very strong.”

 

United are now in their best run of form since April 2012, when Pardew led his side to Europe and went on to pick up both the LMA and Premier League Manager of the Year awards.

 

After his latest triumph, he added: “I genuinely sensed in the dressing room they believed they were going to win.

 

“Of course, the effort you have to have to put in to win in the Premier League was there for everyone to see. Our two wide guys must have done 12 and half kilometres – no problem.

 

“They were outstanding and that shape and resilience is getting us results.”

 

United now take their winning streak to Swansea City on Wednesday night.

 

When asked how long the winning run could go on for, Pardew said: “I don’t know.

 

“We have a tough game on Wednesday against Swansea. They are a good side.”

 

“I think it is difficult to win, especially against teams you are expected to win against. They are the most difficult.”

 

Pardew’s best sequence of wins was six on the trot at the end of the 2011/12 season.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alan-pardew-good-run-traces-6360123