Back to basics?

[duo]

                      Elliot

Debuchy  Colo MYM  Haidara

 

                Tiote

                         

        Sissoko    Cabaye

               

                HBA

 

        Cisse            Gouffran

 

We have no wingers - so were are not playing people to their strengths when we stick them out wide.  Debuchy and Haidara are able to provide the width.  The players are technically gifted with the ball to the feet so play to their strengths and play through the middle.  Get Tiote to play it simple and just protect the back four and have Cabaye and HBA running the show in the middle of the park.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Has to be said, I think our problems are far worse than formations though. Something stinks and if that basic motivation/belief is missing, then it's pointless.

 

Oh I'm not saying for a second that this is any silver bullet. Pardew and his ideas need to go. I just think we look like a bunch of schoolkids at the moment, all running all over the place. If we're going to pick up some more points, it might be worth putting players where they normally play and just telling them to stay there.

 

The problem with that though, is that a lot of these players have spent the majority of their careers playing in a 4-3-3 of some type. If anything, 4-4-2 is as foreign as it gets for them. They're all quite specialised footballers in one way or another.

 

I don't think it's formation that causes that unorganised mess we saw today, it's simply a lack of clear instruction.

[Revolution]

Basics shouldn't be formation, it should be setting out what we actually do with the ball - that's the basics.

 

- Who are the defenders passing it to?

- Where are we looking to attack?

-- Are we a team that uses the flanks?

-- Are we a team that plays centrally?

-- Does our width come from wingers or overlapping fullbacks?

 

- Even getting the players to move and support each other would be the very first look at 'basics'.

-- At the moment when we attack we've got our defensive line standing 30 yards from our own goal.

-- Midfield line are standing on the half way line

-- While the lone forward is standing on the edge of the opposition box isolated and alone

-- Who is supporting from midfield?

-- How are the wide players supporting? Do they stay out wide and look to hit the ball in? Or are they coming off the line to link up with Cisse?

 

- Even defending needs basics

-- Cisse is putting pressure on up high

-- Yet midfield are standing on the half way line, there's no cover.

-- Defense are still standing 30 yards from own goal

 

That's all I can be bothered to type.

 

We have no tactical plan in any formation. It's no surprise when you look at our manager and coaching team (two coaches FFS). Pardew has failed to instill any identity or overrunning theme of play since his arrival - we're an ugly mish-mash of clashing styles, constantly adjusting and switching, damaging short-termism to 'see us over the line' for another week.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I think we all know by now its beyond formations.

 

Aye it is but going back to 4-4-2 is something he knows and will probably be more solid.

 

Its become abundantly clear that he doesn't know how to use a 4-2-3-1 properly, everyone is just all over the place.

[hoppaz]

Has to be said, I think our problems are far worse than formations though. Something stinks and if that basic motivation/belief is missing, then it's pointless.

 

Oh I'm not saying for a second that this is any silver bullet. Pardew and his ideas need to go. I just think we look like a bunch of schoolkids at the moment, all running all over the place. If we're going to pick up some more points, it might be worth putting players where they normally play and just telling them to stay there.

 

Totally agree with this let them worry about us not us about them.

 

Did anyone see our two full backs in the middle watch the players line up for a corner then realuse there was a liverpool player standing on the half way line onside?

[Guest bimpy474]

Our lack of intelligent movement all of the pitch but especially in forward positions, is killing us badly imo.

[Guest Armchair Pundit]

One of the first things Keegan done when he took over from Allardyce was getting a team that was so devoid of confidence and afraid of playing football to get back to the basics of passing and moving. Unfortunately we don't have the time for that to happen between now and the end of the season. Like with the rest of Pardew's reign we have to hope that somebody will pull something out of nothing.

 

Spot on Tooj, we're just living on a wing and a prayer until the end of the season now, hoping someone does worse than us to nab that final relegation slot. To be honest it's probably the only reason Pardew might be given a stay of execution in that nobody could change things now with so few games left, plus Ashley had his fingers burnt giving Shearer 8 games left last time we were in this position.

[Gallowgate Toon]

Our lack of intelligent movement all of the pitch but especially in forward positions, is killing us badly imo.

 

That was evident as fuck in the first half. What's the point in having a player like Cabaye in the hole when there's only one natural forward playing around him. We needed some attackers there, with the brain to move into spaces and to make runs.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Basics shouldn't be formation, it should be setting out what we actually do with the ball - that's the basics.

 

- Who are the defenders passing it to?

- Where are we looking to attack?

-- Are we a team that uses the flanks?

-- Are we a team that plays centrally?

-- Does our width come from wingers or overlapping fullbacks?

 

- Even getting the players to move and support each other would be the very first look at 'basics'.

-- At the moment when we attack we've got our defensive line standing 30 yards from our own goal.

-- Midfield line are standing on the half way line

-- While the lone forward is standing on the edge of the opposition box isolated and alone

-- Who is supporting from midfield?

-- How are the wide players supporting? Do they stay out wide and look to hit the ball in? Or are they coming off the line to link up with Cisse?

 

- Even defending needs basics

-- Cisse is putting pressure on up high

-- Yet midfield are standing on the half way line, there's no cover.

-- Defense are still standing 30 yards from own goal

 

That's all I can be bothered to type.

 

We have no tactical plan in any formation. It's no surprise when you look at our manager and coaching team (two coaches FFS). Pardew has failed to instill any identity or overrunning theme of play since his arrival - we're an ugly mish-mash of clashing styles, constantly adjusting and switching, damaging short-termism to 'see us over the line' for another week.

 

Well, that was the point.

 

Why bother discussing formations. There's such a hang up about formations, like they're something magical, when really 'basics' should be the actual use of the football when you have it. Formations will rarely change any of that.

[Ronaldo]

Love the fact Dave's advocated a 4-4-2 and a lot of people have responded with silly formations that will just cost us goals and width everytime.

[Keefaz]

Wish we had someone up front we could just hoof it to like in the old days.

[BONTEMPI]

Think we need to start here

 

See that bloke in the black and white striped shirt?  Pass to him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*** Ball goes into the crowd***

[Gallowgate Toon]

Think OCK's got it spot on, simply reviewing the team and assigning roles and simple tactics would be so helpful. It's such a clusterfuck right now, with players all over the shop, both going forward and back. The balance of the team is way off.

[Ashley17]

Fully expect 4-4-2 from here on in - mabye even 4-4-1-1, but I'd like to think it can't get any worse.

[biggs]

I would line up like this personally....

 

Elliot

Simpson Taylor Colo Haidara

Ben Arfa Sissoko Cabaye Jonas

Cisse Gouffran

 

More in line with what Pardew knows.

Take Jonas out and shoot him better with 10 men than that cunt starting

[TRon]

Think OCK's got it spot on, simply reviewing the team and assigning roles and simple tactics would be so helpful. It's such a clusterfuck right now, with players all over the shop, both going forward and back. The balance of the team is way off.

 

I agree with that. Look at today's defensive line up, yet not one player seemed to have a clue what their role was. Why would it be any different in a 4-4-2?

[GM]

Has to be said, I think our problems are far worse than formations though. Something stinks and if that basic motivation/belief is missing, then it's pointless.

 

Agreed. My own theory - completely unscientific and very probably flawed - is that there's been something rotting away in the dressing room for a while, evident in Coloccini's unhappiness, Demba Ba wanting and getting away, various other intra-team issues bubbling up, lacklustre performances. I've always subscribed to the theory that "the fish stinks from the head". That means Pardew, Ashley, Llambias for me. Something's very rotten, and to me it seems our situation is on the brink of turning into a Venky-like farce.

[Optimistic Nut]

Probably the most ideal team for us to play next week for us to do this tbh. Basic 4-4-2, Gouffran alongside Cisse.

[Guest H09]

Pardew has said he will read this thread at the end of the season.

[mrmojorisin75]

If this joker stays they need to work on an ultra-defensive 4-5-1 and go to draw every remaining game. Pardew is incapable of anything else IMO. One or two draws might just be enough. QPR will bury us if we try to play them.

[Optimistic Nut]

If this joker stays they need to work on an ultra-defensive 4-5-1 and go to draw every remaining game. Pardew is incapable of anything else IMO. One or two draws might just be enough. QPR will bury us if we try to play them.

 

Or go back to what he knows and got us results last season.

[mrmojorisin75]

If this joker stays they need to work on an ultra-defensive 4-5-1 and go to draw every remaining game. Pardew is incapable of anything else IMO. One or two draws might just be enough. QPR will bury us if we try to play them.

 

Or go back to what he knows and got us results last season.

 

he doesn't have ba to throw the ball at anymore, plus the players have clearly found him out like most other people now

 

if he could go back to last year don't you think he'd have done so by now?  it's not like we're losing 'cause he's sticking to some principle or trying to make a long-term change to the way we play...we're losing 'cause he's fucking terrible

[Raconteur]

Well, that was the point.

 

Why bother discussing formations. There's such a hang up about formations, like they're something magical, when really 'basics' should be the actual use of the football when you have it. Formations will rarely change any of that.

 

This x 1,000.

 

The formation isn't the problem, it's that the players either don't know what to do either with the ball or without it; or that the players have a conflict between the manager's tactics and what they think will work.

 

Either scenario is a disaster for us as fans but, until Mike Ashley decides to pull the trigger, it's going to happen again and again because Pardew simply doesn't have the ability to construct a plan suited to his players and ensure his players carry out his instructions.

 

[TRon]

If this joker stays they need to work on an ultra-defensive 4-5-1 and go to draw every remaining game. Pardew is incapable of anything else IMO. One or two draws might just be enough. QPR will bury us if we try to play them.

 

Or go back to what he knows and got us results last season.

 

Well Colo's back next week so he'll be there to plug the leaks. If he hadn't been there last season we'd have lost a lot of those games we won as well.

[TRon]

4-4-2. Cisse and Gouffran up front. Two central midfielders in the middle, two wide players out wide.

 

Is it time to go back to something where we at least can tell players just to stay where the fuck they are picked?

 

This is for the rest of the season I mean. Damage limitation.

 

Just going back to that line up, I would actually go for Shola up front alongside Cisse and stick Sissoko in the middle alongside Tiote. Fuck the football and just go long ball. I would leave out the Cabayes and tbh I would even consider playing Gosling instead of Sissoko to replicate Nolan's role. It goes against everything I believe in but the manager needs to stick to the game he knows and players who will be happy to execute it. That's if the twat's still here obviously.