With a few wins under our belt and the pitchforks aimed at Pardew put away for safe keeping this week, I thought I’d take a quick look at one of our new recruits Daryl Janmaat. After a slightly protracted transfer due to the Debuchy move to the Gunners, Daryl Janmaat signed on for six years from Feyenoord.
Janmaat did come with some serious credentials as a world cup player for Holland and I think the general consensus amongst fans that he was potentially a very good signing. He did have some pretty big shoes to fill with the departure of Debuchy who really played well for us even when the side was struggling. To his credit, Janmaat has looked far from daunted by the crash and bash of the Premier League and has adapted quite well to the fast paced nature of the league. To me, he has looked better as each week has passed and has shown to be a good attacking outlet as well.
The thing I personally like about him the most is that he has a bit of mongrel in him. As far as I am concerned, every defender needs to have a bit of mongrel built into their DNA, without it opposition forwards would have nothing to fear and have an easy time of it. Take his tackle against Balotelli on the weekend. It was a no nonsense challenge that could have easily garnered a red card but it showed that he will not back down from a tough situation. I am pretty sure Balotelli didn’t touch the ball again from that moment on. I am not condoning bad tackles, don’t get me wrong, I am talking about tough mind sets and a bit of fire in the belly stuff. If he had gone in studs up and brought down another player, I would be all for him getting carded an suspended. Debuchy has a similar mindset but was a little more prone to cards. To his credit Janmaat has only 3 yellows from his 10 starts. Not too bad for a tough tackling defender. He has also popped up with a goal which shows he can mix it up in the forward half.
Like I stated earlier, I think Janmaat is improving with each game and he is going to be a key player as the season progresses. I just hope we can hang onto him a little longer than we did with Debuchy.
What are your thoughts?
@Troy. I’m sure you agreed only in September that Pardew had to go and a top manager should be appointed or we’d be doomed 😛 🙄
now youre saying hes decent? I thought you said he was average? 😯
mark(Quote)
anyway, great result. well done to Pardew and the lads. up in 7th… 😀
Janmaat with two assists. he’s looking the real deal. Dummett looking great too
mark(Quote)
Troy: I think my criticisms of Pardew were valid and he should have been sacked in the summer. Somehow he has turned things around and I am glad he has because I am much more pro-Newcastle than anti-Pardew. I have never ever said I want Newcastle to lose which is what you mistakenly accuse people of. I also remember you saying the squad are **** and he should have been sacked if we lost to Leicester. Also, you said we would be in the bottom three at Christmas. Go ahead and crow though. Everybody knows what you said but you will try and twist it.
You can’r deny the terrible form and hidings of the second half of last year so I and others had every right to call for Pardew to be sacked. He has bought some time with our recent incredible form and I applaud him for that. I thought we were very well balanced today and never really looked like losing at any stage.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
FFS down to 8th now! Pardew out!
Stuart79(Quote)
Just what I said earlier Stuart
Premandup(Quote)
I have said many times that Troy wants it both ways – if we win he will say he told us so about Pardew, if we lose it is the players are ****. Again, his prediction of bottom 3 at Christmas shows that he is just being his typical opportunistic self-congratulatory self without any regard for all of the contradictory posts he has made.
Well done Pardew and the team. I didn’t think he had it in him and I hope he keeps it up.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
MM still on holds mate,,I have learned there is no such thing as bad beer its just at times its bad to get 😉
icedog(Quote)
Cholo – Sammy is far from the finished article, but IMO he was a good option for Pardew last season. He could have went 4-4-2 with Sammy n Oba wide. He could have gone 4-3-3 with Gos in midfield with Tiote and Sissoko and Benny upfront with Remy or Shola and Goof.
I just don’t think he did enough. But he has this season and credit to him for that.
He gave a post match interview today when the interviewer asked if he felt like sticking 2 fingers up after the last few weeks – Pardew replied No I’m paid to do a job and there will be good times and bad times. I think he probably accepts that much of the critisism has been warranted. He was also grateful for the loyalty and support of his backroom staff and players
Sharpy17(Quote)
Howay Troy,
Get a grip mate!
The FOOL has stumbled across a formation due to injuries etc, this has nothing to do with his management or tactical nous.
Sissoko now playing in his rightful position
Williamson now consigned to the bench
Abeid now playing ahead of the midfield liability known as Tiote
Perez who was bought for the reserves now given his chance and scoring.
This is all despite of the terrible squad of players that the FOOL has at his disposal.
Who is the FOOL………IT IS YOU TROYSA!!!!!!
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
Abeid was outstanding today.
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
Well I’ve tried to give the Pardew haters a chance to redeem themselves but they simply aren’t humble or big enough to admit they are wrong.
Shame, shame, shame on you. 🙄
I will continue to hold the beacon of Pards. 😆
Eric do you feel ridiculous. 😛
Any quotes from Pards Eric 😆
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Mark@226, don’t go there mate, it’ll all end in tears 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
Troy: How about thumbs up to the fat man from Pardew? I am sure even you have said we will never get anywhere with him as owner?
Why don’t you read what I say instead of just tooting your own horn for saying Pardew was an average manager with a **** squad. That is high praise indeed for you to be crowing about 🙂
The change in personnel and formation have had a big effect and that has been down to injuries and Pardew being scared out of his usual pattern. Hell, we have seen some variety in set-pieces after 18 months of belting it to Williamson on the corner of the box.
Pardew knew he was a dead man walking and made some desperately needed changes including playing Sissoko in his proper position.
That discussion Ashley had outside the Soho Pub might have brought it home to Pardew that he had to change. I think Ashley was close to sacking him and Pardew knew it and made the necessary changes that we all had been calling for.
Even you Troy, would may have said change the formation, drop the same old free kick routine and be a bit more proactive – not just inviting the opposition onto us. It was obvious, but you are always more concerned with the woo hoos and trains most of the time to have much of a serious discussion with.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Well maybe I’m daft but isn’t Percy just doing what makes sense?. Players in right positions, quick wide men, drop the dross and give youth a chance, just what 99% of the fans have been crying out for. But credit that he’s finally seen the light, even a broken clock is right twice a day 😉
Percy for England 😆
kIMTOON(Quote)
@MM
its OK mate, I know Troy doesnt answer to posts he has no answer, he just ignores them 😛
mark(Quote)
kimtoon, its only a matter of time before Pardew ends up at a big club.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Before he came to Newcastle I did not rate Pardew as a premiership manager.
I still don’t.
I have previously stated that we have a poor manager in charge of a good squad and I have seen nothing to change my assessment.
According to Stuart , Pardew was out if we did not win the home game with Leicester.
I stand by my pre season prediction that not only would Pardew not be sacked this season , but that he would be here until his ridiculously long contract ran out.
I also predicted an eighth place finish on 60 points this season . With an ‘average’ manager I would have gone for an even better finish.
sidekick(Quote)
Sidekick – Fortunately you will never know if I was right… 😆
Stuart79(Quote)
Stuart – I knew it wasn’t going to happen , and we were desperate for those three points. 😀
sidekick(Quote)
But what do I know? I’m just an Ashley-loving member of the clueless crew who had the audacity to believe this squad was good enough to compete in the Premeir League
MDS(Quote)
Back Pardew.com
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Troy let’s hope Pardew keeps this winning streak up to may then you can really rub it in.
Terry(Quote)
To be fair, Pardew attempted the counter attacking style at times last season with Obertan. The differences this season is that there are TWO outlets on both sides for a counter attack so there is support. That and the fact that Obertan found the net this year 😉
But the evidence is strongly in favour of Pardew lucking into this formation due to injuries.
griff(Quote)
http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20141109/coloccini-that-goal-was-for-jonas_2281670_4286722?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Howay the lads !!!
Munich Mag(Quote)
Wow. Eric. 😛
I think you would be better off hiding lime Bootsy. 😆
Mark
I’ve aways maintained that you can’t stick with a manager no matter what. We were on such a bad roll I didn’t think we could leave it so long but I always emphasised that I didn’t blame Pards.
I’m pleased I was giving him one more game to turn it round. You and many others wanted him sacked this time last year and have never stopped crowing on about it. 😆
I’m just so pleased I saw the sense in keeping Pards as he could clearly see the young guns were better than I thought. He of course had the benefit of training with them every day but he was forced to play the likes Riviere, Cabella De Jong cos of the money they cost, which threw my calculations skew whiff.
Of course, Pards has seen they weren’t ready like I stated and the young guns have rallied round Pards because of his good man management skills.
I feel kinda proud that I stuck by him and fought his corner. Anyone want a ticket for the Reality Train. It’s filling up. 😀
Troy Stavers(Quote)
I still want rid of Pardew. I am not going to be a hypocrite who now tolerates him because we’ve hit a good run. We hit a run like this with him fairly often – it’s the rest of the time where we lose 85% of our games that follows it.
He has had about 9 runs worse than Hughton got sacked for. He’s had 9 runs worse than any other manager in the past 2 years has been sacked for. It’s crazy. If he continues this run and shows more of the tactical flexibility of this past month, I may change my mind and adapt to his growth.
Until then, he’s still broken about every record a club can have in a negative way.
funkyjesus(Quote)
Why does pardew spoil things,coming out and licking jabba backside again today,shut your hole ffs
icedog(Quote)
That’s why I respect Funky. He’s as thick as a whale omelette but sticks to his guns. 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
DJ I agree with you. He’s done well lately but I still don’t rate him
MDS(Quote)
actually Troy you said after the 4-0 defeat to S’ton..
Troy Stavers
September 14, 2014 at 13:57
“I say sack Pards and bring in a top coach otherwise we are doomed.
Mind, I’ve always said that
&
I see no way back for Pards because of this and they only way will be for Ashley to spend a fortune in January.
I can’t see this situation continuing and a change of manager is essential now. Pards needs to go and a top manager appointed. ”
We then played 4 games before we beat Leicester 1-0 😛
1 more game my **** 🙄 😛 😆
we all blame Ashley, but like you said, nobody wanted it to continue. I’m glad you were thinking like the rest of us middle of September 😉
mark(Quote)
Ice@252 spot on mate.
kIMTOON(Quote)
good grief. Tory calling someone thick 🙄
oh and I’m not hiding either, just had family problems one after the other.
some things are more important than football.
Anyhow, I know results are all important, but that was another **** match today.
I’m glad we won again and kept a 4th clean sheet. But it would be foolish to think this is a pardew master class.. It isn’t.
Pardew has stumbled on a winning formula, more by lack of options than design.
The sword of damacles hanging over his head may have convinced him to try something different.
There is no doubt in my mind though that he is way out of his depth in the premier league. The young guns have saved his bacon for now, but I doubt it will last.
I’ll say one thing for him tho, he has got his subs right recently for a change.
And then he has to open his mouth………………….****.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Give New deal for Ameobi and Raylor, we can sell Willo, Anita, Gouffran and probably Tioté. Cissé wont stay long term. My strongest with Santon and de Jong fit is this:
———————–Krul———————
-Janmaat-Coloccini-Dummett-Santon-
———————Abeid———————
———–Colback——-Sissoko———–
–Cabella—————————-Aarons-
——————–S. de Jong—————-
Bench: Elliott, Saylor, Haidara, Raylor, (Bigi? Vuckic?), Sammy, Ayoze
With Sammy and Ayoze as regular playing subs to have an impact off the bench. Steven Taylor as 3rd CB or to play if Dummett goes LB.
Cholo A. Sall(Quote)
Cholo: why do we have to sell anybody? The club is making a profit and any savings on wages just goes into Ashley’s pocket. The last week we have seen Obertan go out for 4 months, were told that Tiote’s slight knock that kept him out for 4 weeks will make him miss the internationals, saw Aarons and Steven Taylor scratched late today, and had Cisse only make the bench because he is having problems with the screws in a broken kneecap. That’s all in one week!
Gouffran, Anita and Williamson may not be the best we have but they can work as backups until and if we get replacements.
That was our problem on transfer deadline day, we let players go without adequate replacements just to save on wages and further line the fat man’s pockets. We have been very lucky that a couple of the signings, younsters and former backups (Taylor, Obertan) have worked out in the last few weeks. THERE WAS NO MASTERPLAN. We struck it very lucky and who is to say this is not temporary and that we will not face an even worse injury crisis.
Remember all those games that come thick and fast around Christmas. We will at least need to utilize the squad around then.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
And remember with everyone applauding Abeid that we tried to sell him as well.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Cholo: I don’t necessarily disagree with your team, I am just saying let’s keep the cover for now.
Hopefully though players like Armstrong and Riviere will force the issue and make the players you named expendable.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Colocini’s header was a classic. It was nice to see him get on the score sheet and nice to see him dedicate the goal to Jonas. I also have to applaud both team’s for not picking up any cards. It makes a change not seeing reckless tackles, diving and vaining injuries.
Stem(Quote)
Troy,
I’m 99% certain Pardew doesn’t have what it takes long term. It took him two years to turn this slump around. And I’ve not convinced it’ll last that long but hopefully it does.
Hopefully after two years of shocking decisions, playing people out of position and playing negative defensive football, he has realised his shortcomings.
That’s what I’ve seen in the last two games.
When I saw two attacking wide men and him keeping a form striker in the starting lineup I was positive we’d win for the first time in ages.
I was even impressed with him identifying Sissoko and Colback as the main reason we are doing so well. They have been outstanding. Who would have thought Sissoko would excel playing in his rightful position as a box to box midfielder 😛
Abied has been superb, pity we tried to flog him along with Obertan who has done well this season. When we stuck with Willo for two seasons knowing he was a major weak link for the last year and he finally made that change too.
Well thank goodness he finally started listening to us “arm chair” managers. Seems we were right all along! 😆
JJ(Quote)
Troy,
What I will admit, is that I didn’t believe he had it in him to turn it around. So yes. I have been pleasantly surprised.
I hope he proves me 100% wrong and goes on to finish top 8. That would be a great achievement.
The Spurs game was a bit of a lucky win. But I think since then, confidence has shot up. Pardew knows how to ride the highs and I hope this one lasts a long long time. We have and HE has been very good!
Isn’t it great that when results go well how we can all get along! 😯 😀
JJ(Quote)
Great result. Love this winning streak. So glad that Pardew listened to the fans 🙄
Pity the Brisbane Roar hierarchy didn’t (re MM @ 94) but then again, Ashley is positively spendthrift compared to those guys.
brisvegas(Quote)
Eric @259 says:
“That was our problem on transfer deadline day, we let players go without adequate replacements just to save on wages and further line the fat man’s pockets”
I don’t think that was the real reason – there are just too many things about that transfer window that don’t make sense to me, and the more I think about it the more convinced I become that there’s only one rational explanation – ie. that Charnley had miscalculated the number of players on the roster who were aged 21 and over, and didn’t realise his mistake until shortly before the end of the transfer window (probably while he was preparing the list of players which he would need to submit later to the Premier League).
Consider this:
Several weeks before the end of the transfer window, after sending Marveaux out on loan, we still had 27 over-age players in the squad, a fact which was pointed out to readers of this blog at the time:
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2014/07/22/this-is-why-well-see-more-departures-from-united-this-summer/
A week or so after that article was written they brought in Ferreyra, which meant that we should have expected to see at least 3 departures (either permanent or out on loan). But there weren’t any – at least not for the next 4 weeks – not until the last day of the transfer window. Even then they only managed to offload 2 players. That meant that they ended up with a roster of 26 and had to leave somebody out the 25 man squad. That somebody was Shane Ferguson, and you have to wonder why they failed to offload him when they had the chance if they weren’t going to name him in the squad.
The point is that they had had the whole summer to organise things properly but ended up frantically trying to move out 3 players at the very last minute, and then only succeeding in moving out 2. In the event it was too late to begin negotiating any new deals – the only player they were confident of being able to offload was MYM, because they had already reached an agreement with Roma. There was, as we were told, a replacement lined up, but they couldn’t complete that deal because there was no room in the squad. As things were, they were extremely fortunate to have been able to offload HBA as well, because Benny said later that there was “nothing on the cards” when he woke up in the morning of transfer deadline day. It was only on that last afternoon that Hull showed any interest, and the only reason they were able to complete the deal was because they were granted an extension to the transfer deadline. If it hadn’t been for that, the club would have had to leave a second player out of the squad, which would have made them look even more stupid.
You may think it’s a bit fanciful to suggest that Charnley ****** up the headcount, but it isn’t really. All he needed to do was to make the same mistake that everybody else makes – ie. he counted in the number of new players who arrived and counted out the number who left, but he forgot to add the number of existing players who had turned 21 during the last year. There were 4 of them – Abeid, Haidara, Vuckic and Sammy Ameobi, so instead of the 28 over-age players we had, he only counted 24. That would explain why all the transfer activity virtually stopped at the beginning of August. If you leave out those 4 players, this would have been the PL squad that he THOUGHT he had:
8 homegrown:
Krul, Elliot, Willo, R Taylor, S Taylor, Dummett, Colback, Ferguson
16 non homegrown:
Janmaat, Colo, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon, Sissoko, Anita, De Jong, Jonas, Cabella, Tiote, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Cisse, Gouffran, Ferreyra, Riviere
That would explain why there were no departures between 22nd July (when Marveaux was sent out on loan) and Ist September (because Charnley thought his work was virtually done, apart from the planned deal involving MYM and his intended replacement)
It would also explain why he failed to offload Ferguson, who was clearly surplus to requirements and not even taken on the New Zealand tour. The problem was that in Charnley’s “imagined” squad he only had 8 home grown players, so he thought he needed to keep Fergie to satisfy the home grown player quota. He didn’t realise that there were a couple of other home grown players (Vuckic and Sammy) that he’d forgotten to include.
It’s interesting to look back at this comment by Pardew, which was reported in the press on 13th August:
”I think we’ve been very much on the ball with transfers. I think if something comes along that we think is right for us, we have got scope to move. Whether we do or not will depend on the finances and whether it’s right.”
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/9418380/premier-league-newcastle-united-manager-alan-pardew-is-excited-by-new-summer-signings
It’s obvious from that quote that Pardew had no idea that they still had 28 players on the roster, otherwise he wouldn’t have said that they had ‘scope to move’. The reason he didn’t know was because Charnley hadn’t told him, because Charnley didn’t know either.
Compare that to what Pardew said a few weeks later, just a couple of days before the end of the transfer window:
“We still have our fingers very much on the button, on whether there is a transfer which works for us. What I would say is the roster is full at our club, which is a problem for us.
“We need to create some room, so there might be one or two that go. Whether there are one or two who arrive we will have to wait and see.”
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/ sport/football/transfer-news/newcastle-united-determined-deal-again-7692963
He’s now saying that the roster is full, although it’s exactly the same size as it was several weeks earlier when he said there was scope to bring a few more players in. Is this just another example of Pardew contradicting himself, or does it suggest that Charnley has finally realised his mistake and is now giving Pardew the correct information?
You decide
Chris G(Quote)
Chris – you have put alot of thought and work into that post mate – fair play. But I think you may be over thinking it a bit buddy. If you look at Marv and Benny in particular – they were big wage earners who rarely played but disturbed the harmony of the squad (Benny certainly did with the seniors). MYM simply hadn’t adapted to things the way they hoped and was also on big wages – he is the one that I think they should have worked with though and given more time.
I have no issue with Marv and Benny going at all.
As for Charnley miscounting, maybe JFK would make that kind of **** up, but Chanley knows what’s going on mate and I’m sure someone would have said ‘why we getting rid of him?’.
Sharpy17(Quote)
KIM that’s a problem pardew has,there is no fliter between his brain and his gob
icedog(Quote)
Excellent article Chris. As Sharpy says. There are other more damning ways of interpreting the data. Depends on who you want to blame really. But obviously something changed.
Premandup(Quote)
Good read, Chris.
Its about both squad depth and best eleven quality.
However well the younger players, especially Dummett and Perez are doing, the plan can’t have been that they’d be ‘purples’, and over the long season, I think we all know that we could do with a first choice CB and a first choice CF, especially if Cisse’s knees remain knackered. But there needs to be players moved out to be able to bring any such players in.
Squad depth, I think we’re seeing now, is a lot better than last season – a plausible second eleven reads Elliot, Haidara, Dummett, Willo, Raylor, Tiote, Anita, Ameobi, Aarons, Obertan, Perez – with the likes of Gouffran, Rivière, Ferreyra, Vuckic, Bigi, Guti (hope he gets a last bow) and Arma not even in the first 22. That’s a lot more depth than previous seasons, and some obvious names from those outside the 22 to look to move on. (Personally, I’d still take cash for Tiote as well).
GTE(Quote)
Interesting read there Chris, I seriously hope that our DoF wouldn’t be that daft – but it would hardly be the craziest thing to imagine in the world of NUFC 😆
Not sure I agree with people insisting these tactics are new, or that these players are only playing purely because of injury – this idea of favourites seems to be a bit of a myth and I pointed that out last year with the likes of Benny and Cisse etc. Sissoko started off in the centre with us but had plenty of disappointing performances, he worked on his game (particularly his touch and his dribbiling) while out wide, created a huge number of chances last season and is now utilizing those skills in the central role while we have other options out wide – great to see, long may it continue.
So glad Perez has hit the ground running – some were skeptical of him and didn’t think we’d see a lot of him but I said I hoped he’d be a lot more than an impact sub – and boy is he! He has some movement that we have been missing for years (bar Remy’s loan spell)
Newkie(Quote)
Prem – are you suggesting my interpretation is a damning one mate?.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Love the arguments after a win 😆
I don’t think much has changed – Pardew is an average manager who does well when the boat isn’t rocked however is also liable to crumbling when the **** starts to hit.
Squad talent is still average at best – I’d rate it possibly 9th in the league, but capable of putting decent runs together.
It’s going really well atm but Saylor missed the last game and Coloccini went off injured (precaution). If we go on a bad run the knives will inevitably be unfairly pointed at Pardew again despite having a CB pairing of Dummet & Williamson
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Not seeing enough credit for Aussies pre-emptive article!
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
I think those that said Ashley wouldn’t get better than Pardew and pointed to his record last year until Cabaye was sold, destroying the team ambitions, can probably feel justified. (that’ll include me then 😉 😆 )
But everyone on the blog is a liar if they thought that this run was possible:
Tiote/de Jong/ Cisse or Riviere/Gouffran would have been in most people’s first teams (hell, some were still claiming HBA was the lord, ruined by Pardew).
To have gone on this run without any of those injured players is a testament to Pardew and to the lads performing. Not one of us predicted anything like it after De Jong got injured.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)
Strange that Jonas was included in the ‘named’ squad, despite it being clear he won’t play before the next transfer window opens.
Or would he have to be named in the squad as a condition of his work permit or something?
.
Chris – It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if there was an administrative ****-up over the summer. Typical of this regime really.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Solano- think that’s a very good point there mate, I know people often wished injury on Shola, (probably the same ones who wished we’d lose more often to get Pardew sacked 😉 ) but the fact we’ve done better with De Jong and Cisse out especially is worth mentioning, nobody presumably wished injury on them?
Obertan and Abeid had been written off numerous times by fans, yet pardew gets blame for attempting(?) to sell them (presumably to get the first team players people wanted), then for failing to sell them, and then for getting the best out of them? 🙄 😀
Newkie(Quote)
Boots – it could have also been a PR thing with Jonas as well mate. Having shipped him out on loan last season, then telling him to find a new club – had we not give him a squad number after finding out about his cancer, we would have looked like a right set of bastards!!. I’m pleased he was given a squad number – despite knowing he wouldn’t play.
ST – you’re right mate, no one predict this turn in luck, particularly with the group of players being used. Pardew must be pinching himself that the likes of Obertan, Abeid, Saylor and Sammy are turning in performances for him – having actively been tried to be sold.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Newkie – come on mate!. These players have tried to be sold by the club!. Other than Perez, all the players performing well now were at the club last season – yet Pardew didn’t play them. That’s hardly down to the fans.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy – The Regime ARE a bunch of bastards tho 😆
.
Just wanted to say how good the away fans were on sunday.
Out sang and chanted the home fans for the full 90 mins.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Well I am all booked up for Spurs away. Should be cracker, although I wish we were playing them this Wednesday…
Stuart79(Quote)
Newkie – who are the ‘fans’ ” who wished we’d lose more often to get Pardew sacked” ? ❓
I can’t recall anyone saying that on this blog
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Sharpy mate – who haven’t we tried to sell? Cabaye was whored out, as was Ba, Cisse has been pushed around, along with Tiote. We obviously didn’t rule out selling Colo, just made it clear he’d have to pay us back. Tayls has been on the list before, and Pards has said Williamson was surplus to requirements. Benny too. Weren’t there rumours we slapped a price tag on Colback as soon as we signed him, to try and get some money off West Ham?
We played Dummett a fair amount last season actually – and he got slated a fair bit too, another one of Pardew’s donkey workhorses – people defo criticised him.Obviously we would have struggled to play Abeid and Colback seeing as they weren’t here, those three plus Sissoko (who always played) have been the bright lights this season, plus Ayoze.
BB-I’m pretty certain JJ has said that, both this season and the year or two before? I don’t think he’d have any qualms about disputing it either.
Newkie(Quote)
Pardew’s won 5 games in a row now 😛
Everybody wanted him sacked apart from me and Troy ❓
We our the smart ones on this blog 😎
I dare to think where the club would be now if you had your way 😥
Good on Pardew and the players and Mike Ashley 😆
Joe Kinnear(Quote)
Sharpy@279 – can you seriously say all the players playing well now were at the club last year? Jan and Colback have been great this season (Janmaat may have been finding his feet, but even when our side was playing total gash a few months ago they were never the worst of it). Their consistency is something we’ve been able to build on, those two plus Sissoko I would say, along with Aarrons probably giving us some confidence and Ayoze now have allowed the whole squad to relax and play with more confidence.
Newkie(Quote)
The only thing that makes Troy look stupid is that we our relegation candidates 😳
I predict Champion’s league football next year 😛
Beat that Troy 😎
Joe Kinnear(Quote)
Newbie,
He, I said I wish we’d lost the game against Morecombe in the league cup.
We were playing rubbish. Parses didn’t have a clue and we got knocked out the following round showing no ambition.
I still don’t think Pardew is the man for the job. But he’s done well the last three games. We’ve actually played decent football and he’s made good team selections and his tactics have been spot on.
Do I think he can ride momentum. Yes. Do I think it will last long. No…
But I hope he can prove me wrong. The biggest difference is be is making better decisions and we now have confidence.
JJ(Quote)
The biggest difference in our team is we are playing Sissoko in the middle and we are allowing our wide men to play with more attacking freedom.
Also we dropped Williamson and the youngsters have brought back some passion and pace.
Took Pardew forever to do what we were all begging for.
JJ(Quote)
Newkie – every player we have will have a price tag IMO, because there are some clubs that get away with spending millions of pounds they don’t have. I think it’s fair to say that the players that have been sold have been for good money.
As for the players there last season, obviously Colback wasn’t and Abeid was loaned out. But the likes of Obertan and Sammy were there.
Pardew deserves credit now, but the critisism he was receiving was justified – to an extent.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy@17: The criticism of Pardew was fully justified. He won 1 game in 15 before our current run and we got f@cking slaughtered every other week. They weren’t just defeats, they were embarrassments with it seeming like the players had never played together. Have people forgotten we scored once from a corner in two years? That is bad coaching. And I will harp on about the default free-kick to Williamson – if I could see it coming, you could see it coming, then every manager in the premier league could see it coming and prepare for it. That is bad coaching and in my opinion the only reason it has changed is that Williamson is out of the team 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Chris G that’s some good investigative work there. You have me convinced. I remember thinking at the time that Pards changing his tune regarding room in the squad was a bit strange
MDS(Quote)
It is fantastic that we are winning again but that does not mean Pardew and the coaches should be exonerated for 8 months of utter tripe, only interrupted by wins against the great Hull and Cardiff teams and including another humiliation at the hands of the Mackems.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
MDS: I think Chris has a good theory but I am not totally convinced. We could have easily left out Bigi and Vuckic in favour of Mbiwa and Ben Arfa. The main point about the latter two was that Pardew didn’t know what to do with them and fell out with them because they disagreed with his tactics (which any sane player would have done last year, including Coloccini, you might recall).
Remember Pardew didn’t play Mascherano and Tevez so he has a history of not knowing what to do with very talented players.
We can’t be rewriting the history books just because Pardew has had a good and lucky run. The players are behind him now because they are young and he got rid of anybody who disagreed. He is a bully and I bet you he will go on one of his death spiral runs again – that’s his nature, and you don’t change people’s nature.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Good piece on Abeid
http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2262191-why-newcastle-boss-alan-pardew-must-pin-his-faith-in-mehdi-abeid
MDS(Quote)
JJ – Mate I am not having a go for the sake of it, I remember this issue of hoping a team would lose etc raised it’s head a few years ago and whilst I did and still totally disagree, I did at least get what you meant. I’m not bringing it up now to rub your face in it or any of that lark or post some stupid “I told you so” remarks like some do on here, I just thought I would drop your name because BB asked me and I remember when it happened before you at least stuck to your guns, I’m sure there were more than you who didn’t but my memory isn’t that great.
Newkie(Quote)
MDS: from your link @294:
“In his last three showings, Abeid has demonstrated enough to indicate that Newcastle have been wise to keep faith with this long-term prospect. ”
They didn’t though. It is because there were no takers or lack of finances at other teams that we have him. Much more luck than judgement if he turns out to be a good player given he has only had two premier league starts and was loaned out. So, we obviously did NOT show faith in him.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
“Judge us after ten game” is what Pardew said at the start of the season.
Fair enough considering we have pretty much a new squad.
So here i am a little late Judging the team.
2 points of the top four, quarter final of the capital one cup and still to be drawn in the FA cup.
All of this after a poor start to the season and an absolute poisonous atmosphere created by our fans. They were hoping for losses just to get rid of AP, only for our owner to say a massive **** off to the fans and stick with our manager and my oh my haven’t things changed within a month.
As the injury crisis gets worse our results get better maybe that’s why the “excuse maker” hasn’t mentioned the amount of injuries we have had over the last few months.
Not a bad start for the relegation fodder that many said. We seem to be right on the money of my excellent prediction of 7th and i also predicted quarter final in both cups which we are still on for as well.
Strength in depth and a manager with nothing to lose. We could go on a run like we did 3 years ago. Who knows…
Santii(Quote)
Sharpy- I know every player has his price tag and I’m not outright criticising any sales (there is too much ground to cover in that debate alone)
My point is people are saying “Oh lol look how silly Pardew is trying to sell Obertan” when if you looked back to the season we actually bloody SIGNED Obertan most people had made their minds up after about fifteen games! The “trying to sell” a player means nothing, we were trying to sell Cabaye and it brought out his best form, we transfer listed Tayls and it brought out some decent performances and he dropped his wage demands. Ba was in crazy form when it was pretty clear he was going because the club didn’t renegotiate the offer.
People are now saying Pardew is doing what the fans have been crying out for – really? The fans cry out for different things each week, were people not crying out for two up top a few months ago? Well we’re scoring and winning now, and with a lightweight striker, not the muscle man you usually expect with one up top. Look don’t get me wrong I’m not saying people shouldn’t have a go at Pardew – of course they should, he made plenty of mistakes and I was arguing Sammy should have played more last season for one, but it just seems sometimes that even after a great result (maybe not a silky performance) some are like, clapping themselves on the back as if they’ve been calling for it all along, and seem only begrudgingly pleased.
I don’t know. I know everyone does it, but the mood still seems tense in a strange way. Pardew will always have the previous results looming over him, so maybe it’ll just stay this way until he finally goes.
Newkie(Quote)
Newkie people were crying out for two up top less than 3 weeks ago but now they are happy he has finally went with “4-3-3” what they wanted all along. Which isn’t even close to our actual formation….
Great post @298
Santii(Quote)
Eric – Pardew had a really stinking run, and I along with most was calling for him to be sacked. But I think when people call him a Championship manager or that’s he’s out of his depth in the PL – that’s going too far IMO.
I think Pardew lost his way and made some really bad decisions. Did he loose interest a little bit? – quite possibly. I think the sale of Cabaye probably brought home to Pardew that he worked for a man where business comes before football. That couldnt have been easy when things were going so well, instead of building on that the owner sells your centre piece. Did he do poorly enough to warrant the sack – certainly at alot of other clubs he did. But Ashley stuck with him, and so far that decision has been justified. Good for him, but will he now show ambition and back his manager in the transfer market as well? – by that I mean, spend the money to bring in some of Pardews first choice targets rather than 2nd or 3rd most of the time.
Sharpy17(Quote)