I have nothing against protests. In my life I’ve been in involved with protest marches against Apartheid, marches in support of Gay Rights, Peace marches, Anti-war rallies, Nuclear Disarmament, and many local government issues.
Protests are good; they are cathartic; they get hate, anxiety, frustration, anger out of the system. And they make you feel as if you are doing something, giving voice to an opinion and showing your feelings in a public forum.Many say that protests have no effect, that they are useless, powerless. I disagree. The solidarity of people is an incredible force, and the raised voices of public opinion is a massive noise that those in power cannot easily dismiss.
Make no mistake, a unified protest of ordinary people is a powerful thing.
However, as usual, what may be good in a social sphere may not be good in football. Just as people say that rules of running a large corporation do not apply to the running of a football club, the same applies to protesting.
The reason is that there are separate entities at play. On the one hand, you have the football team, which we all want to win; on the other hand, there are the people we want out of the club. Unfortunately, acting against one rubs off on the other.
The only way that I can see of separating them is by protesting in two different places. The team is most important, and they play inside St Jams’ Park, therefore the lads need support inside the ground.
Any protest against those we want rid of should be outside the ground.
I can’t see how raging against the regime from the stands can fail to rub off on the performance of the team. If the players are on a knife edge due to anxiety in the crowd, there is little chance of them relaxing into a game, and believe me one of the main things thing that coaches call out to young players is ‘relax’ (those faces Pardew pulled for Cabella a couple of weeks back were about the same thing – relax).
I’ve even read some stuff about fans supporting Hull, Bruce, Ben Arfa. In my view, this is not protest; this is hysteria.
Protest is focused (or it should be); hysteria is unfocused emotional excess.
It must never be forgotten that we sing for Newcastle United, but we protest against a regime we dislike.
By Brisvegas
Did I already say that? Look how bad it’s getting mates. 😥
GeordieTwo(Quote)
I meant to say how would you like a blurry tat of the Queen across your chest BB mate? That’s the current situation as I see it. Very shaky. 😯
GeordieTwo(Quote)
QPR, Burnley and Blunderland will all get relegated before us.
Mash wins again.
He knows so much more about these things than us.
Its just a matter of holding ones nerve.
You’ll see
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
I’m writing to the Prime Minister next to demand action. Shouldn’t we declare Martial Law until Percy is gone? Or at least lower the flags to half mast?
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Stu – remind me of the question again mate. Was it how many goals I think Rivière is capable of scoring or was it how many goals Rivière will score in a team that Pardew openly acknowledges isn’t getting the service or support to the lad.
Sharpy17(Quote)
we need to keep filling the stadium every other week and roaring the Lads on to 17th.
That’s what makes us real fans.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
So you feel Percy will keep his promise to Ash and we’ll get a win this season then BB mate? Hmmm. It’s a stretch. I suppose we could infect one of the other teams with flu a few days before we play them. Or steal their kit? I’ll bet Percy is working on it now.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
We’re on the highway to hell!!!!
OOoooohhhh yeah baby!!! Mike loves it.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
G2 – you’re such a nagger 👿
Deary me.
Surely you can see that nothing will get better until we hit rock bottom, and the sooner we get there the better.
I think we are well on our way to that goal.
Parsnip will be adored like a God when he raises us up like a phoenix from the ashes to the lofty heights of 15th, or on a good season 12th.
Marvellous. 😛
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
nagger 😯
should be Negger.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Kim @65 cheers bonny lass!
GTE(Quote)
what the hell is going on at the bottom of this old thread 😕 ❓
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2012/10/09/st-james-park-again-thanks-to-a-lot-of-wonga/#comment-419331
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
BB…Just spam, or an outbreak of more sensible than normal comments on here 😆
richietoon(Quote)
Stu – Leicester started with 3 forwards at home against Man Utd today – Ulloa (spelling), Nugent and Vardy – none I would class as better than Rivière or above average CFs themselves. Yet all 3 got on the score sheet today and they put 5 passed Man Utd.
We played Cardiff at home and had Rivière isolated for much of the game.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – is that called attacking intent ❓
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
are you saying they wouldn’t have scored all them goals with just one up top.
Hmmmm
Food for thought for Percy maybe. Probably not.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
So Pardew has been told his job is safe for now. Wonder if Ashley will feel the same after the next two games? I really cannot see us getting anything against Stoke and Swansea away. Really don’t like the idea of being bottom after 7 games with only 3 pioints. That’s serious relegation scrap material.
Stuart79(Quote)
Boots – it’s about giving your forwards a fighting chance. Man Utd couldn’t cope with 3 forwards today. Pearson could have looked at RVP, Rooney, Falcao and Di Maria and thought ‘park the bus’ – an approach I think Pardew would have taken.
If we had a strong defence then I could understand Pardew wanting to play to our strengths – but we don’t.
So why not set up with the thought – I fully expect us to concede, but I will get service and support to the forwards in an attempt to out score the opposition.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Its strange that the 2 matches in which we have seen protests, have both ended with positive results.
It would seem that the answer would be to not protest, sit back and watch Percy get the sack by his own devices.
That would be:
Stoke 3 -0 NUFC
Swansea 4 -0 NUFC
NUFC 0-3 Leicester
etc etc
Mash will reap what he sows, without blaming the fans.
The clock is ticking for these fools
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Stu – I think that scenerio may also put some replacements off you know. If you’re a new manager coming in you want a fighting chance. With everything else going on at the club that may well be too daunting a challenge for some managers who would be looking to rebuild or build a reputation.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – was that not KK’s philosophy ❓
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Sharpy – Riviere has had chances in all our games but I’m not sure if he’***** the target yet has he? Clearly he’s not a lone striker but his finishing leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – I’m not and have never said that the kid is class – nor have I said he was the 15 goals a season replacement for Remy. I takes a certain type of forward to play up front alone – Costa does it well for Chelsea, but he has world class midfield players creating chances for him and supporting him. Costa is world class himself and will score with only 1-2 half chances a game.
Rivière is nowhere near as good as that and clearly he needs help up there – Pardew admits it himself.
Like all forwards, he plays better with confidence and I believe Pardew is striping him of that each game he plays him as a lone forward. Couple that with the fact he’s new to the club and still finding his feet – and that’s why I don’t think we are seeing the best of the lad.
Play him in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 where hes getting service and support and I reckon we’d see a more dangerous player.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Boots – KK was all out offence. I’m not suggesting Pardew has to be so gung ho. But he could certainly take a more attack minded approach to games. He did in the season we finished 5th and it worked. I know people will say we had Cabaye, Ba and Benny in that team and fair point. But we aren’t aiming for fifth, we are aiming for 7-10th according to Pardew on MOTD last night. I reckon 4-3-3 with this squad could certainly get 9-10th – even with Pardew.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Anyone who is satisfied with this mess must have low standards indeed. Three points from 5 games. Five wins in all of 2014 to date? You’ve got to be joking if you think that is satisfactory. Pardew has had his time. Ashley has had his time. Time for them both to go. Ashley will sack Pardew eventually this season but it may well be too late after they cocked up the summer window yet again. A fool and his money should be parted.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
And with this game week ended, almost all clubs have their wins except us and Burnley…
🙄 🙄
AngelOfDeath(Quote)
Sharpy @ 99
So why the determination to stick with the lone striker this season. ❓
I said before Kick Off this weekend, that if he starts 4-2-3-1 again, then I believe he must be playing for the pay off.
He talked all week about getting a formula to score more goals, and then sticks Riv up front on his own again.
Makes no sense.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
AoD – add Blunderland to that list aswell.
naturally 😉
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
It would appear Pardew does not players. He refers to a ‘transfer team’ but his role in it does not seem as central as it might. In the summer he wanted to sign Shane Long from Hull but was alone in his view.
The manager talks diplomatically about these issues but the upshot is that his team isn’t good enough.
Well I never. 🙄 yet Bootsy believes he has a major say.
🙄
FTSOTB 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Shane Long 😆 Maybe everyone at the club knows how bad Pardews decisions are as well!! Hence no say in transfers! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Carr – “So Alan, who are the attacking mids you want me to have a look at?”
Pardew ” Well I is looking for some real threat, so I reckon these players would be great. Caulker, Ferdinand, Terry and Shawcross are the top of my list!”………
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Boots – I have no idea why mate. Your right that he spent all week talking about the right formula to score goals – yet when Sat comes he sticks with the same formation and the only changes are at LB and DCM – hardly gonna get you more goals is it?!. But that is why I think Pardew needs replacing, he’ll flog plan A to death whether it works or not.
Troy – well thank Christ for democracy then I say. Shane Long for £12m?!. Maybe it’s best that Pardew doesn’t have the final say if that’s the case 😆
Sharpy17(Quote)
G’day Aussie 😉
Still see you are as negative as ever. 😆
Try and be positive. You know you criticised Stuart long enough for it, yet you are worse. 😉
I’m confident that Cisse will keep us in touch with 4th bottom til xmas and Ashley will reluctantly but have no choice to dip into the profits in January. 😉
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Sharpy
Long is better than Riviere. Riviere won’t score enough goals. Long would have a chance.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Troy, I am as positive as a Pardew! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Troy – Longs best goal scoring season in the PL was with WBA and he managed just 8 goals. Thereafter he has got 3 and the best he managed for Hull was 4. No wonder they were happy to let him go.
Long is better than Rivière – is that like a my dads bigger than your dad type of statement 😆
Long would also be sat on zero goals so far this season if he played in place of Rivière. He would have had the same **** service and lack of support.
Long is more suited to the role of lone striker and if that is the system we are playing then yes, he’d be better suited to it.
Rivière won’t score enough goals played in this formation, I agree. In fact the kid is going backwards in progress, because Pardew is striping him of confidence. Play him in a 4-4-2 with another forward, and wingers getting the ball in the box – or a 4-3-3 with other CFs creating space for him and midfielders getting forward and I believe he would score goals. As I have already said to Stu, he may not be the 15 goals we lost in Remy, but between him and Cisse, we could score enough.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Troy lets be honest..if Long had signed for us, you would lump him in with the rest of the **** players we have..Buuuuutttt seeing he didn’t sign him, he would be an improvement over what we have.. 😛
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Question: who believes that Pardew is getting the very best out of all our players?
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie he definitely isn’t and never will.
Geordie Deb(Quote)
Ime bloody sick the amount of times Pardew has said the word cabaye since he left ffs get on with what you have Ime sure it must leave the other players feel mint,I see there its came out that the clause in pardews contract is only 1.5 mil,please pay it and get him out,I also didn’t know pardew had his own PR man,he must not take any notice of him is all I can say but he is burning jabba ear like
icedog(Quote)
Aussie – absolutely not.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Deb and Sharpy. . Agree totally. Its sad to see that some cant see this small detail.. 😛
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Well that’s gotta be the biggest windup ever.
Shane Long is better than Riviere.
Woo hoo hoo.
Side splitting fun from Tory boy.
You probably think £12M was a bargain then.
Deary me.
Boots(Quote)
AMF – I’m not answering to point score against anyone else on this blog. I’m saying it because I believe it to be true.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Support your own team for a change.
FTSOTB
Boots(Quote)
To be honest, Aussie, I really believe that Pardew is suffering from a lack of authority within the squad. I am sure the players see Pardew as the owners man and see how he really has very little say on anything that goes on at the club. It is also a knocking bet that the players who were bought know that Pardew had nothing to do with them coming to NUFC. I’m not sure this is the best way to get the best out of the players.
Unfortunately any manager working under Jabba will suffer the same. The players will have no respect for the manager and certainly won’t be to delighted to find out the manager may not even have wanted them at the club, but the scout did so they were bought!
In conclusion, the way Jabba runs the club leaves any manager with an up hill struggle to gain respect and get maximum out of the players. A new manager will certainly have an initial bounce but long term, no manager will ever succeed under Jabba and the form book backs me up. 🙁
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – what a load of rubbish!.
If that were the case then the same players had the chance to toss Pardew to the lions on Saturday. They could have played with as little effort as the Saints game and at 0-2 down could have allowed us to loose the game.
That didnt happen and the players put a shift in for him on Saturday and Cisse even went over to celebrate his goal with a high five with Pardew.
You’ve said yourself in the past that 4-2-3-1 is a poor system to play. That’s our biggest problem at the moment. If Pardew changed his approach to games then we get more out of most of the players IMO.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, I knew you weren’t point scoring mate. .. didn’t stop me giving it a go tho! 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Sorry, Sharpy, its the players that just aren’t good enough. We have nobody who can score goals (One Swallow doesn’t make a summer with Cisse) and we cannot defend a fucking thing!
Would be interested to know how you would react if you didnt know whether your boss actually even wanted you and was just doing everything his boss told him to do, even if it was to the detriment of the company and results?
Plus please don’t get carried away with their performance on Saturday. They had no choice but to show some effort after the last game. They certainly didnt do that in the last game and I think you will find they will revert to type in the next three games.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart, they are all fair points mate but as Sharpy says, Pardew is stuck in a tactical rut ans seems reluctant to change any of his methodologies. .
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Sir Alex is the best example of a manager getting the best out of a decidedly average bunch of footballers. Managers can make better players out of average footballers purely with motivation and strong leadership… Pardew has either of these things and sets his teams up trying not to lose.. when we should be trying to win
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie – Maybe he is stuck in a tactical rut, but lets be honest who can he choose in defence who’s any better? he doesn’t tell Williamson and Colo to part like the Red Sea and not mark people. Who can he play up front with Riviere, Perez? He’s a young kid. Who can he ask to play wide instead of Gouffran, Sammi? Oh dear!
His hands are tight to a degree. I think he knows his defence is poor and needs to protect them and our attack is equally as poor but doesn’t have the players to creative or score. Its a pretty bad combination if you can defend and can’t score. 🙄
Stuart79(Quote)
Aussie don’t be so ungrateful. It’s either Pardew or Kinnear for me.
Terry(Quote)
I tell a lie possibly Dennis Wise.
Terry(Quote)
We are so lucky Mike can employ the best people in the world of football with out losing a tin of hienze beans.
Terry(Quote)
Stu – has Pardew came out and said these aren’t his players? – or is this the media attacking and unsettling the club again coz they have been banned?.
You have acknowledged on this site before that 4-2-3-1 gives neither defensive cover nor attacking support.
Our squad is as good – if not better than 6-7 others this season. That would put us 13th – that’s without knowing exactly what else De Jong and Aarons can add.
I don’t know why you are buying into this media bollocks when you have said in the past that the formation is ****!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Talking of poor defences the Toffees have shipped a fair few so far.
kIMTOON(Quote)
next up Stoke who have conceded 5 goals to date then Swansea who have let in 6 to date. We have conceded 11 same as QPR and then Palace 10. interestingly Everton have let in 13 ! to date but all these sit above us by virtue of a win each.
kIMTOON(Quote)
Stu – he doesn’t tell Williamson and Colo to part like the Red Sea and not mark people.
That stuff should be drilled on the training ground. Do you really believe Colo and Willo are as bad as they are playing at the moment?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – I don’t class Shearer as ‘Media Bollocks’ I’m afraid. Danny Murphy also confirmed it on Sunday. BBC have no beef with NUFC so I would rather believe them, than written press who maybe do have an agenda.
As for the formation, I still say its a poor formation. But he is clearly conscious of his defence and thats why he plays with 2 holding midfielders.
You didnt answer what his options are?
Stuart79(Quote)
I believe if we play with a more attacking formation we may scrape survival, we simply cannot rely on our defence in the way we are at present. If he continues with the lone forward I think we are doomed, unless Cisse has a blinder and stays fit all season.
kIMTOON(Quote)
SHARPY17
September 22, 2014 at 13:27
Yes I really believe they’re not good players. Williamson is not good enough and I have said that from the start and Colo is somewhere else. We should have let him go as it’s having a negative impact on the team.
But to answer your question; If you think Pardew doesn’t work on defending in training I believe you have such an agenda towards Pardew that nothing will change your view and it’s completing distorting your views. I find it incredible that Pardew actually seems to get the blame for poor decisions from the defenders.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – what are their sources?. It isn’t the BBC coz they didnt run the story. This was something Shearer said on MOTD and Murphy said on MOTD extra. But who are their sources?.
Why take their word over Pardew?, who has said himself that he has input into the transfers?!.
As for options, he absolutely has players that can play in a 4-3-3 formation, and players who could operate in a 4-4-2 formation.
4-3-3 could still protect the defence, but it would allow support to forwards.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – Why would Pardew come out and say he has very little input in transfers? But lets for a moment stop and think about what Pardew says. He said any player leaving would be replaced, what happened? He said JFK did a lot of good things at NUFC. Like what? So yes, I would much rather believe Alan Shearer than Pardew. As for his sources – I would bet he still has a hell of a lot of contacts at the club, if you don’t think so, I fear you will always be in the dark.
But please tell me who he could play in those formations you mentioned that would improve the team. You seem to be forgetting one very, very important point; The formations can change, but unfortunately the squad of players he has to work with doesn’t and they’re not very good.
Stuart79(Quote)
If you play 4-3-3 you still only have one up front but you leave the defence even more open as you can only play one holding midfielder. If you play 4-4-2, again its either one holding or none. Wide men will be the same players and where would the creativity come from? Cabella and thats it. Goals? Still the same defenders too which is the big problem.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – I have no agenda towards Pardew at all. I make no bones about the fact I think he should be replaced, but that isn’t because I have some sort of hatred towards him. It is because he simply hasn’t changed anything at all since Cabaye left. He’s made no adjustments to formation or personnel in the team at all – that’s my biggest problem with the bloke.
Burnley and Villa have conceded the fewest goals this season – they have conceded only 4 goals this season. I’m not buying that Burnleys Ben Mee and Jason Shackell are better than Colo and Willo.
I’m not saying Pardew spends no time on defensive drills, I’m wondering if enough time is spent on it. In fact, I would love to see what does go on on the training ground.
Sharpy17(Quote)
He had players to play a 3-5-2 before he shoehorned MYM out
4-2-3-1 with more attacking emphasis would suit our personel but while others have their wide players high up the pitch (IE Swansea) and a number ten close to the striker; We play them as Raylor/Jonas style auxillery full backs and an extra CM and leave the striker 30+ yards ahead of his team mates
If we get Sissoko, Cabella and Gouff in and around Cisse im certain theres goals in our team. With two sitting midfield players theres no reason not to let them play further forward imo
CC(Quote)
Stu – I’m sure Shearer has contacts at the club – who though and how much do they really know. You’re welcome to believe what you wish mate, I’m just not as ready to buy everything that is said about our club at the moment.
Stu – we finished 5th playing 4-3-3 man and other than Simpson it’s the same defence – we have Janmaat in his place so hardly weakened.
Sissoko/Tiote and Colback would make up that midfield. Sissoko and Colback are natural box to box midfielders. Cisse scored goals in that formation, Cabella could perform the Ben Arfa role in that formation. Rivière or Gouffran to be Ba – which I accept is a weakening.
But as I’ve said earlier, we aren’t going for 5th spot. We are hoping for 7th at best (according to Pardew). I think that may be out of our reach, but I believe that set up would be more successful than what we are doing now. The personnel would change when De Jong and Aarons were fit by the way.
The alternative is that we sit back and do nowt. Stick with the same manager and same formation and watch us get relegated.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Given that Ashley isn’t going to replace him any time soon – perhaps if we lost the next six games badly – better to get back to how / if its possible to get the current group of players to start turning draws into wins. Stoke, Swansea, Leicester, Spurs, dippers, Baggies. Not sure from which games, but if Cisse is fit, sure off the bench for the first few, I’d hope for 7 points from those games. Play with the indifference seen at St Mary’s an we’ll be lucky to get one, play like we played against Citeh and Villa, but with more cutting edge, and 7 seems realistic. That’s what get on my tits, the apparent lack of reliable commitment. If this new squad can use the last 25 minutes vs Hull to lift its intensity, we’ll be fine – not a great squad, but better than its start suggests. If they go back to sitting back and watching the game, they’ll never generate the momentum needed to move up the table.
GTE(Quote)
Well we had Santon at left back when we finished 5th, along with Cabaye in centre midfield running the midfield. Who can do that now, Colback? No chance. Cabella has a long way to go until I think he could be spoke about as a replacement for HBA and Gouffran for Ba? As for Cisse, he hasn’t got anywhere near the form he showed then.
So all in all, totally different personal where it matters, in the creative side and up front.
Stuart79(Quote)
Stu – you are comparing it with our 5th place team. I’m saying that these players played in 4-3-3 would do better than these players in a 4-2-3-1.
I watched Ulloa, Nugent and Vardy rip Man U apart yesterday. With respect to them, they are hardly top quality players, but they are being played in the right way. Leicester paid around £8m for Ulloa and are getting the most out of him coz they have the team playing to his strengths. Can the same be said for Newcastle about Rivière.
In our 5th place finish we had Simmo RB and Raylor LB to start with. Didnt we have the best defensive record after 10 games or something like that. You don’t need world class players to play well, it helps but it isn’t essential.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I’m not overly fussed about the formation but whatever he plays I agree with others that the wingers need to be used further up the pitch.
MDS(Quote)
Sharpy – where has this prolonged burst of optimism come from? The defence is still a shambles and according to Carver, Pardew works with them 4 days a week. Koeman must have been there watching.
Lots of defence of poor Riviere too. I’m not buying it. I’ve watched 6 games now and seen him do absolutely nothing worthwhile. Xisco was better.
Somehow, somehow we’ve got to do better than Sunderland, WBA, Hull and Swansea or we’ll go down with QPR and Burnley. 1 win in 13 leaves me devoid of confidence although I’ll concede we played better on Sat than all season.
georgio(Quote)
should be “better than one of”
georgio(Quote)
Sharpy – Youre missing my point. We don’t have quality players in the defence or attack.
Leicester are riding the crest of a wave at the moment. They’ve only just come up so are on a high. Let’s see how they preform in another few months. Also we shouldn’t really be comparing their players to ours as they bought experienced footballers. We do not do that. We buy young players who we hope will do ok in England. It takes young players more time to settle, there’s no doubt about that.
The players we have bought are young and will need time to adjust, but we are also short in major areas and that’s not good as we’re relying on them young players to help us through and it’s not going to happen.
Stuart79(Quote)