If I am honest, I am really not looking forward to this fixture! A Boxing Day away trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United is not the game I would have picked after a tough loss to Sunderland. I guess there are no easy games in the Premier League but it is a daunting task to pick up three away points against one of the premierships form sides.
United have won seven and drawn one of their last eight games at home so the likelihood of a victory is remote. I think most fans would like to see a battling display and for us to take it up to them for the full ninety minutes. We will be without Tiote who has picked up enough yellow cards to earn a weeks rest and Krul and Elliot are still out with injury.
Manchester United have a few injury concerns as well. Chris Smalling looks like he may return from a groin injury but Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojas are still nursing some wounds. Also missing are Fellani and Blind from their midfield ranks.
I personally think that Man U will be too strong for us but saying that we have performed really well against some of the so called ‘top’ teams this season. I can only hope that Man U come out expecting to win and we catch them sleeping.
One can only hope!
Ps: Have a merry and safe Christmas everyone! – Aussie.
@ToonDarnSarf didnt Pards say this squad could challenge for Europe?
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
@Eric, we don’t think youre a brat or a fool…. 😛 not so sure on the other one 😆
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
ERIC
Well if you watched us when we were **** in the 70s, why the hell do you think we’re doing so badly now? What we are is not one of the big 5 wealthy clubs, or even the next 2 well organised and very well established clubs (Spurs and Everton). We’re in the next level of big, well established clubs along with Villa and the Mackems. That puts us in the 8th to 10th range in my book.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Pardews Gash aka Mark
“Could”? Yeah…and we still could!
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
ERIC
Sorry for the insults. I’m angry because of all of the ignorant bullshit that I’m reading from fans who are posting it all over the place. And the other football fans who are astounded why fans of any club want a manager out who is doing ok.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Good to see that Saylor, Colo, Sissoko and the rest have been ‘Pardewed’ too…clearly he hasn’t had enough time to ruin Perez, Colback or Janmaat and Cisse’s revival has nothing to do with him either.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
But let’s blame him for not playing Aarons (despite him being injured), Cabella being poor (despite clearly needing time to adapt to the PL) and let’s blame him for the signings of Riviere and Chucky too. In fact, if it wasn’t for Pardew, we’d be in the CL right?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
That’s Ok then TDS, just wanted to keep it calm like. We can disagree and I doubt if I will change your mind on Pards and you certainly wont change my mind about Pards. A fast car for him to Palace is the best news I have heard all year. Happy 2015.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC
I don’t think he’s the best manager in the world, but other than SBR (who was truly world class and only joined us because he was a Geordie) and KK (who was an unproven maverick), we haven’t really had anyone else! Most of the other managers people wanted to replace him have done much worse!
Why on earth do you think things would improve if he goes? And what kind of manager would join us when he would know the **** he would get for finishing in 10th one season and then being in 9th?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Ali McCoist caretaker manager at the toon, alongside Carver and Beardsley…
Munich Mag(Quote)
ERIC
I have a question for you then…should Rodgers be sacked because Liverpool have done poorly without Suarez? Seems even worse than with Cabaye leaving because Rodgers had a whole window to get replacement players and drill in a different way to play.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
So Pardew was told that the only way a new striker will be bought is if Sissoko is sold! Dear oh dear! Where is all the money going!!!?
Stuart79(Quote)
MUNICH
That would be truly shocking…I hope that’s a joke and not a suggestion…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
STUART
And you believe that why exactly?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
You’ll see TDS.
Stuart79(Quote)
TDS, my McCoist suggestion was and is purely speculation. Divvent worry… 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
The fun has gone out of supporting this club when virtually every fan who wants to talk about the club just has doom & gloom to talk about…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Great craic on Talksport.
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
Shaven Bilic for me as an outsider but I know it will not happen.
TonyGreenSupreme(Quote)
MUNICH
Phew! I thought you’d gone completely loopy!
Frank de Boer is the only realistic manager I’d be happy with really…and he’d be no guarantee of success with no track record in the PL.
I’d get behind anyone, but I don’t think it’s right for Pardew to be hounded out when he’s making up for the crappy end of last season and we’re doing ok.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS- Alreet now lad, I did warn you when you turned up on here that most of the population was only mildly less depressive than the other blogs 😆
I see now those who swore that this would definitely wouldn’t happen are now attempting to backtrack at good speed. Kudos boys 😆
Like I said, you can see why Pardew would want it. Some of the abuse he’s got, starting prior to his appointment and continuing ever since has imo been unfair. But that is football and that is NUFC.
Newkie(Quote)
NEWKIE
Yeah…but it’s really really sad that it’s at our club too…this isn’t what makes our club great. What made me support NUFC and what made me think of NUFC as great was the fans. Sticking through thick and thin, watching dreadful football in the 70s but still proud to be part of the Toon Army. Not it appears, if we’re not pushing for Europe every year, the manager is **** and should be sacked, and if a player isn’t at the level of Shearer, Gazza, Beardo etc. then he’s **** and should be sold.
And it’s really really sad that we have been portraying ourselves as some of the worst fans in the PL at the moment, along with the idiots insulting Wenger.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS: if you read anything on here you will see everybody getting behind the team at every opportunity. Pardew is not the team and not NUFC. There might be arguments but there is no question about how much support there is for the team.
And TDS @686: I couldn’t give a monkeys about Rodgers as long as he plays Skertl, Mignolet, Henderson and Gerrard against us. Then we have a chance whoever our manager is.
And TDS said:
“I’d get behind anyone, but I don’t think it’s right for Pardew to be hounded out when he’s making up for the crappy end of last season and we’re doing ok.”
Who is hounding him out??? He seems like he is leaving of his own accord. He made **** up about his wife being harassed last year when she was in Surrey. And WHO WAS MANAGING US DURING THE CRAPPY END TO LAST SEASON? Seriously, if you call me a muppett… 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
TGS
Neither Collymore nor Saggers agree with you about Pardew. They are criticising the fans for wanting Pardew out.
The facts are, we have the 9th biggest wage bill and we sit 9th. We have the second youngest squad in the premier league. They are quite rightly admiring the job he’s done.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
At the end of the day it is Ashley’s problem.
Pardew let him off the hook far too many times.
I respect Pardew for finally growing a backbone and sticking it up him. A man can only be shafted so many times before he baulks at it once and for all.
Do I think Percy will save Crystal Palace ? Not a chance.
I could well believe he was told he has to sell sissoko to buy a striker.
I don’t blame Pardew for any of this.
I have only ever criticised his coaching.
Do I think we will get anyone better ? Not a chance.
My only hope is that Ashley has a buyer lined up.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
Newkie: I have a question for you, how could Pards get abus “prior to his appointment” when it was out of the blue? Did you know he was to replace Hughton. Mystic Meg didn’t even know.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
TROY
Eh? So you mean they agree with me? Some of my posts were heavily sarcastic mate…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
So now it looks like the Pardew knockers are getting their wish and everyone is looking vacant who they think k will be the next manager.
Talk about bring Clueless. There’s a crew of them on here.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
lets not forget, if this is actually true. Pardew has decided to leave us…for Palace.
Yes, he’s had pressure, that’s what you expect in the top division. The fans had every right to voice their concerns. he had some terrible runs / records.
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
ERIC
I’ve also seen people wanting us to lose to get Pardew the sack and even some idiots wanting us to get relegated to get Pardew the sack and/or Ashley to sell!
He’s been hounded out because of the ridiculous abuse he seems to get at every match. The insults he received earlier in the season before we had a good run really made that abuse embarrassing. Maybe he just wants to go on a high because he knows the banners will be out if he lost a couple of games…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
I might be doing Palace a disservice but looking at their fixtures, Its hard to see then picking up more than 12-15 point between now and the end of the season
Not sad to see him go by any stretch but it’s career suicide on his part…
CC(Quote)
Betsy wanted Pards out and points out that there’s not a chance we will get anyone better.
FTSOTBYCMIU 🙄
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Pardews Gash – This is the real point that everyone should be looking at. What has been said to Pardew to make him leave us for Palace… Doesn’t look good.
Stuart79(Quote)
aS i#VE SAID ALL ALONG; THE toon job was way too big for Pardew, and finally his nerve has gone and he’s bailed out.
At the same time, can see a new traumatic phase on the horizon.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Pardews Gash aka Mark
He’s had more than pressure. And he’s barely received any credit from the fans. Was he being asked to give a wave or having his name chanted when we have been winning?
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
A joyous day
Toby le Rhone(Quote)
TDS
The toon fans have made themselves look terrible over the Pardew hounding. Embarrassing.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
TDS: he did lose 4 games in a row before the Everton win. You have a short memory.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
MM
You make yourself look as daft as Betsy and Psychs with those comments.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Eric – It was known he was manager prior to the club officially confirming it so I guess that’s what I meant. I didn’t literally mean weeks before or w/e. Essentially what I’m saying is that some made it their mission to campaign against him from the off, as they made it their mission to knight St Hughton, who has since proven to also be a bang average, and I would say worse, manager.
I was angry when we got him as a replacement, but I certainly didn’t ***** and **** and moan every day afterwards.
Newkie(Quote)
TDS says about Pardew: “Maybe he just wants to go (out) on a high”. Maybe you and Troyston Junior the Third should have a pint together at the asylum.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
TDS – I don’t know mate, fortunately I’m too young and handesome to remember the ***** served up in the 70s, or anything pre Keegan actually. But I like to think I’m realistic because I grew up with the “glory” days but still have enough nous and a general understanding of the world to not expect it year on year 🙂
Newkie(Quote)
@Stu. I read somewhere Ashley was considering Alans position while on holiday.
He probably didnt have any funds available in Jan but neither will Palace, or they won’t have funds available after selling some players. we might… so I would rule that theory out.
Hes wanting to be off back home where he belongs. part of the cockney mafia 😉
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
CC
Career suicide? Depends what he wants from a career. Pulis has had a very good career working in the lower echelons of the PL and getting clubs promoted. I think NUFC are right at the very peak of Pardew’s skills. He’s not the manager to establish us in the top 6. So going to Palace, he’ll get paid well and he’ll get some success in my opinion. Success would be either keep them up this year or get them promoted in the next 2 seasons. And he’ll get credit for doing that too.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TROY
That’s exactly what I am saying. We have some wonderful fans but the vocal minority are behaving like idiots and making us all look bad. And it’s embarrassing…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Troy, Pardew may have pulled the wool over your eyes, but I’m not having any of it.
Munich Mag(Quote)
ERIC
Sure. But should every manager have rabid chanting and insulting banners made up for when they lose 4 games in a row? That’s a ridiculous idea.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Newkie: Hughton might have been average but he got us out of a mire and promoted with more than 100 points in the Championship. Not a Saint, but he did well. We weren’t in any danger when he was replaced.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stu – 😆 😆
So Pardew has apparantly grown a pair and stuck his fingers up to the bloke who has kept him in a job over the last 12 months 🙄
Aye billy big bollocks is so brave walking away coz Ashley won’t buy him a CF or coz he wants to sell Sissoko … oh hang on, there’s absolutely no proof of that at all!!.
What there is proof of is that Pardew has seemingly ‘found his balls’ at the same time that Palace want to give him a job – very ballsy!!.
IF Pardew does go, I wonder how ballsy Pardew would be then – ‘Alan, what was your reason for leave Newcastle ….’. ‘Alan, do you have a message for the Newcastle fans …’.
Sharpy17(Quote)
sums it up for me,
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/alan-pardew-talked-talk-rarely-8358873
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
NEWKIE
Well, we’re probably a similar age then. I started properly supporting this club when SJH and KK were in tandem and it was amazing! But I fell in love with the club because of the amazing energy from the fans.
I know where we are as a club and I don’t need European football to enjoy things at this club, but I do need that fan energy. I won’t be going to SJP again until that is back…if indeed it ever is…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
ERIC
We’re not in any danger now…
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
he’s been offered a way out by Palace paying up his contract. Theyre mad enough to do it and he’s happy enough to be going back for a new beginning, where it all started.
Perfect match, its the best get-out-clause imaginable for him. some including me said this y’day. it seems obvious.
What other club in the Prem would pay off his contract???
Pardews Gash aka Mark(Quote)
Gouffron will be Pardews first signing in the January transfer window. …
Munich Mag(Quote)
Eric – Aye lad, he did it with a fucking gigantic wage bill comparitvely and some international class players who were on 80k a week. He did alright yeah but it was hardly a challenge. Agree we weren’t in any danger, like I said I was angry when Hughton was sacked and replaced with someone who I felt was no better than him.
Newkie(Quote)
Pardew has never gotten any club promoted before, so if Palace go down, I fail to see how he will ever bring them back up again.
But time will tell.
Beardsleys Boots(Quote)
It makes perfect sense for Pardew to do this in my opinion. But what it does is reflect very badly on our fans in my opinion. I don’t believe he’s leaving because of January transfer budgets. Regardless of budgets, we have way more chance to do well in the PL than Palace and we have several injured players to come back.
If he goes, I reckon it’s because of us fans.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Troyston: I haven’t actually seen you refute anything I have said? You make a lot of noise but nothing to back it up.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
BB – You mean apart from West Ham?
Stuart79(Quote)
Newkie: he inherited the wage bill. He was coach when we went down.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
If Hughton hadn’t got us promoted with that squad, wage bill etc. then it would have been a joke! He did well and he was a gent, but he’s not really PL class, as has been proven in my opinion.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
Aye Stuart: the West Ham that he didn’t play Mascherano and Tevez at 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
MM
Stan Collymore and Mark Saggers on talksport now are bemused by anyone who believes anything other than Pards has done a decent job.
TDS
The vocal minority give the majority of toon fans a bad name.
Pards got the last laugh over them in the end though. I wish him the best. The abuse he got here was disgraceful.
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Eric
I’ve always refuted everything you’ve said. You talk nonsense in my opinion. But that’s what discussions are about. 😉
Troy Stavers(Quote)
TDS: Hughton was at Norwich, hardly a perennial PL team. Delia was probably more concerned about the latest cook book than Van Wolfswinkel.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Troyster: I agree, you talk nonsense too, but at least we can be civil about it 😉
Eric Sykes(Quote)
ERIC
Exactly…and Birmingham too. Hardly a top manager. But a decent bloke who did a decent job for us when we needed it.
ToonDarnSarf(Quote)
TDS – I think this is a good chance for the fans to start talking about something else and get a buzz about SJP again so maybe you’ll be back sooner than you think. There are always twats on the internet giving it large and giving us a bad name but that’s because there are, relatively, so many of us.
It’s a good chance for Ashley to at least get us someone who will play more entertaining, attacking football, even if it isn’t any more successful. But I have my doubts it will happen. Fingers crossed though eh!
Newkie(Quote)
Troy, the abuse that Pardew got here was no worse than the abuse that Souness and Allardyce got.
Pardew’s relationship to Ashley, and him having to taken one in the **** every time for Ashley is probably the main reason why Pardew left.
The manager is the focal point of the team, the criticism that the manager received at times hasn’t been totally undeserved imo.
It irks me that Pardew has bottled it whilst on the back of a great comeback against an albeit weak Everton side. Palace are welcome to him imo.
God knows who Ashley will hire to replace Pardew though…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Sorry Eric, what’s your point there? BB said Pardew had never got a team promoted but he did with WH. No mention of Tevez or the Mascharano.
Stuart79(Quote)
Betsy says;
Pardew has never gotten any club promoted before, so if Palace go down, I fail to see how he will ever bring them back up again.
But time will tell.
Wow! And here’s me thinking he got Reading promoted and West Ham promoted. Doh! Betsy has rewritten the history books. 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
And Troy: Pards deserved every bit of abuse he got for that second half of last season, the head ****, the tripe that came out of his mouth. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Stuart 79
We are banging our heads against brick walls here fella. 😉
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Stuart: just saying he is a bad manager that cannot recognize true talent like Tevez and Mascherano and plays Hayden Mullens instead.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
Eric- what’s your point mate? He inherited a squad that on ability should never have been relegated. He also oversaw several poor losses in that relegation season itself.
The squad was good enough to get us back up, if he’d failed it would have been a ****ing travesty. It also meant he didn’t have to work too hard on the transfer front although we still invested in January. I think he signed Williamson, Danny Simpson permanently and Routledge.
Newkie(Quote)