Grand Designs

[Thespence]

There is a whole stack of stuff to chew the fat over from this article

 

WHATEVER ELSE one might say about Sam Allardyce, he is bound to change the way Newcastle do business. The newly-appointed St James' Park manager signed or took on loan no fewer than 49 players from the summer of 2002 to the present. In that same time, Newcastle United brought in just 29, despite the fact that they had three different managers - Sir Bobby Robson Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder - each of whom, presumably, was eager to bring in "his guys".

 

It's worth contemplating that number again: 49 players in five years, almost a full side every 12 months. By contrast, in the same period, Sir Alex Ferguson acquired 22 new faces, Arsene Wenger 32 and even a guy like Alan Curbishley, forced to make emergency buys to avoid relegation year after year, limited himself to 38.

 

Allardyce's buys span the gamut from hidden gems to guys who simply remained hidden. Imagine the following XI: Ian Walker; Ibrahim Ba, Cesar Martin, Zoltan Harsanyi, Blessing Kaku; Fabrice Fernandes, Bulent Akin, Dwight Pezzarossi; Javi Moreno, Chris Armstrong, Mario Jardel. All of them are players Allardyce signed for Bolton, between all 11 of them, they made just one Premiership start.

 

advertisementAnd that has pretty much been the Allardyce way: chuck as much as you can against the ceiling and see what sticks. Thus, for every Jay-Jay Okocha there are a handful of Delroy Faceys, Salva Ballesta and Steve Howey (three Premiership starts between them).

 

And for every Tal Ben Haim, there is a cluster of Les Ferdinands, Ali Al Habsis and Matt Jansens (a trio who started just four league matches).

 

This is not to denigrate Allardyce in any way. On the contrary, his approach took Bolton to four consecutive top-eight finishes. What's more, he did it without jeopardising the club's finances: rather than signing players to long-term deals, most of his arrivals were either on loan or one-year contracts which meant, even in the case of relegation, Bolton would not have been saddled with an unwieldy wage bill.

 

Of course, Newcastle is an entirely different proposition. The funds are there, fueled by the loyalty of the Toon supporters and the notion, repeated so often - and most recently by chairman Freddy Shepherd - that it must be true, they are "one of the twenty biggest clubs in the world".

 

The club's prospective new majority shareholder, the reclusive Mike Ashley is a very wealthy man and the Newcastle supporters expect him to pull, if not an Abramovich, then at least a Dave Whelan. On Friday, Ashley announced a full review and it remains to be seen what role, if any, Shepherd will play in the future: given that, under his stewardship, Newcastle's share price lost nearly 25% of its value, it may be wise to show him the door.

 

In any case, every indication is that Allardyce will rebuild the side top to bottom, which is good news for agents and intermediaries. One of his first moves as Newcastle manager was to axe in one fell swoop no fewer than six players (Oguchi Onyewu, Olivier Bernard, Craig Moore, Pavel Srnicek, Titus Bramble and Antoine Sibierski): a necessary move to clear space for the new faces. With Lee Clark moving into a full-time coaching position and Scott Parker shipped off to West Ham, his squad is left with just 15 senior professionals among the outfield players which is, no doubt, the way Allardyce likes it, because it leaves plenty of room for new signings.

 

And there will be lots of work to do, particularly if Allardyce is to replicate at St James' Park the style and formation which were so successful for him at Bolton. Simply put, he and Roeder have diametrically opposing views of the game, which is why something radical is about to happen: either an overhaul of the squad or an overhaul of Allardyce himself, which is rather unlikely.

 

Start with the forwards. At Bolton he like them brawny and strong in the air. At Newcastle, his two best strikers are Obafemi Martins and Michael Owen, both of whom are of the small and quick variety, which is why he secured the services of a bruiser like Mark Viduka on Thursday. Owen is still untouchable in England, which would suggest Martins is either headed for the bench or the wing or another club which is a bit of a shame for a striker who, at 22, was the clubs' top scorer last season.

 

Allardyce likes his wingers and in James Milner, Damien Duff and Kieron Dyer he has a ready-made trio, provided they stay healthy. Joey Barton, his top midfield target, looks to fill the role that was Kevin Nolan's at Bolton, but the rest of the middle of the park is up in the air. At the Reebok he could count on Gary Speed and Ivan Campo, big, slow veterans who were also exceptional in the air and dead-eye passers of the ball. Now, he's stuck with the pixieish Emre Belozoglu and the ageing Nicky Butt, neither of whom seems to fit the mold, which would suggest more signings.

 

But it's at the back where he'll have to do most of his wheeling and dealing. With the exception of Steven Taylor, who seems the prototypical Allardyce central defender, the rest is up for grabs. Ben Haim, who was so effective for him at Bolton, is already pencilled in as his next signing, not least because he, like Viduka, is on a Bosman.

 

Don't be surprised then if, when Newcastle kick off the 2007-08 season, goalkeeeper Shay Given is the only survivor from the XI that started in last year's opener. It's not just a function of Allardyce's penchant for wheeling and dealing, it's the necessity to rebuild a squad which has lacked an identity for too long. Reconstructing it will take time, especially if the goal is to rebuild it in Allardyce's image.

 

 

Link: http://www.sundayherald.com/sport/shfootball/display.var.1460541.0.grand_designs.php

 

If you go to the link check the mongs who have posted comments at the bottom

 

[Guest redmayne]

whoever reported that likes the sound ofn their own voice...

total shite "cluster of les ferdinands"  that'll do me upfront

 

[Guest Knightrider]

I think Allardyce would get rid of any of them if he could replace them with better players, so aye, I can see a big turnover in players, whether that's a good thing or not I don't know, didn't do him any harm at Bolton I suppose. Here at United though he's gonna have to keep things more settled. Mind a huge clearout would be in the long-run a good thing and I'd be all for that. Only players I'd personally like to stay at all costs is Shay, Taylor, Martins and N'Zogbia, unless they are unhappy or have done something bad off the pitch to warrant being peddled.

[Baggio]

whoever reported that likes the sound ofn their own voice...

total s**** "cluster of les ferdinands"  that'll do me upfront

 

 

A cluster of 37 years old Les Ferdinands?

[Cajun]

Would take Roeder about 20 years to get 49 players!

[Guest Geordiesned]

If you go to the link check the mong who have posted comments at the bottom

 

Posted by: steve, turd on 10:35pm Sat 9 Jun 07

 

cuntfart

 

[Thespence]

Newcastle United's recent history has been notable for delusions of grandeur followed by underachievement; three years ago when Freddy Shepherd described the manager's job as one of the top eight in world football, and they duly finished 14th that year.

 

In the same time, Bolton Wanderers became synonymous with Sam Allardyce and enjoyed the consistent overachievement that four successive top-eight finishes implies. Now he is at St James' Park, posing the question: who changes, Sam Allardyce or Newcastle United?

 

 

There will be one significant difference when Mike Ashley completes his takeover, removing Newcastle from the grasp of Shepherd and the Hall family.

 

 

Given the prospective owner's reclusiveness, it is hard to determine what that means for Newcastle but, as he is already a billionaire, it is unlikely to include lesser spending for a club noted for its generosity in the transfer market.

 

 

And Newcastle managers, still more so than their counterparts elsewhere, tend to be defined by their signings. It is especially brave, therefore, to make Joey Barton the first player purchased (after Mark Viduka's arrival on a free transfer) in a reign. It is also a show of confidence. Allardyce's success with diverse characters at the Reebok Stadium has equipped him with the belief that, despite Barton's self-destructive streak, he can harness the midfielder's dynamism and evident ability to Newcastle's benefit.

 

 

The commensurate loss of Scott Parker, both captain and Newcastle's most reliable outfield performer, created a vacuum that Barton fills in midfield. Allardyce's choice of skipper, however, will be instructive.

 

 

So, too, will the configuration of his attack. For critics of Allardyce's Bolton, the early addition of a target man scarcely counts as a shock, even if the delicacy of Viduka's touch and the precision of the finishing that brought him 19 goals last season means he counts as much more than just the stereotypical big bloke.

 

 

Nonetheless, he enables the option of direct football by adding stature to a side that, under Glenn Roeder, ranked among the Premiership's smallest. He also endangers either Obafemi Martins, inheritor of Alan Shearer's No. 9 shirt and top scorer in his first season, if Allardyce's persuasive powers ensure another year on Tyneside for Michael Owen.

 

 

And that is assuming he favours a two-man strike force. Allardyce's latter years at Bolton were characterised by the stifling rigidity of his 4-5-1 formation, though he proved admirably flexible in his approach in the immediate aftermath of promotion to the Premiership.

 

 

However, such is the affinity of the Newcastle public with their goalscorers that it would amount to a huge gamble to only field one in a place where defensiveness is deplored. Nor is making any of his main trio of strikers an ersatz right-wing target man, following the conversion of Kevin Davies, an option.

 

 

In this instance Allardyce, and not Newcastle, must change.

 

 

But a dislike of defensive intent is heightened by practical experience on Tyneside, where a succession of porous back fours have undermined their cause. The wholehearted Steven Taylor apart, they were predictably substandard last season. In contrast, Allardyce's first move - the release of a quintet including Titus Bramble, Craig Moore, Oguchi Onyewu and Olivier Bernard - was astute. It showed the scale of the problem as well as enabling wholescale rebuilding.

 

 

Given his fondness for both free transfers, who constitute many of his best buys, and all things Bolton, there was an inevitability that Allardyce targeted Tal Ben Haim as a possible conduit to improvement. The Israeli has speed and versatility but, above all, the reliability that Allardyce craves. The Czech international David Rozehnal has also been mooted while a left-back has long been required. On the opposite flank, there has been the leftfield suggestion that Allardyce is considering using Kieron Dyer as an attack-minded right-back (though given Nolberto Solano's high-class delivery from the flank, he has effectively answered that description for much of the season). It hints at the elusiveness of Dyer's best when, at 28, his finest position is still a subject for debate. It is also pertinent that he has often been denied a regular place by injury. That has been a constant at Newcastle. Both Graeme Souness and Roeder long pleaded misfortune; Allardyce is more likely to replace suggestions the club is jinxed with a more scientific approach, aided by the probable recruitment of two of his Bolton backroom staff, Mike Forde and Mark Taylor. It is hard to imagine that tai chi has been on the agenda for Dyer and Barton in the past. It may be now.

 

New-age methods transformed the fortunes of what appeared an old-school boss. However, man-management was another of Allardyce's strengths at Bolton; given the tradition of dissent at Newcastle, it will need to be.

 

Recent malcontents have included Emre, Charles N'Zogbia and Albert Luque, perhaps Newcastle's most disastrous signings since Marcelino. It would be little surprise if they left, yet Allardyce has long been tempted by players with talent and a renaissance is far from impossible. The ability that each possesses could enable Allardyce, after two years of increasingly sterile football, to entertain, always a demand on Tyneside.

 

A more expansive style of play, designed with a pair of strikers in mind, could be the concessions Allardyce makes in his methods to placate the Newcastle faithful and reflect the greater ambitions of a bigger club.

 

Yet if Newcastle's squad become noted for the infrequency of their spells on the treatment table, the dependability of defending characterised by regular clean sheets and their status as ever-presents in the upper half of the Premiership, the question will be answered.

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=438104&root=england&cc=5739

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I think these two articles underestimate both NUFC and Sam Allardyce.

 

Who changes, him or us? I think both can, and will. The club and fans are more than ready to change to a more serious, pragmatic approach to the game that sacrifices some of our historic attacking flair for more consistent results. The stereotypical Geordie fan, obsessed with attacking football, is largely a creation of the media based on the Keegan era. Witness how we relish players like the 'dirty' Joey Barton getting stuck in this year, as we loved Craig Bellamy before him (as long as they play for us).

 

Sam is an intelligent manager, who has generally turned Bolton into overachievers. I don't think there is any evidence that he is set in his ways and will simply try to recreate Bolton Wanderers on Tyneside. I'm a natural optomist, but I think that Sam is capable of adapting to the challenge of the Toon and making us really successful. He will certainly transform the culture of the club, which is probably the most important thing.