Did you expect brazilian football from BSA?

[Happy Face 29]

Well, that's one way of interpreting it I suppose.

 

 

How else could you take it? If he was talking after we'd played Arsenal I'd understand it.

 

It's already been pointed out that we have a squad of Internationals, and Allardyce is basically saying to them "you aren't good enough to match Reading in a game, so don't worry about going at them, just try and stop them plying their magic out there"If I were an experienced international player I imagine that would dishearten me.

You see, I don't agree with that being the only interpretation either. I find your downer on Allardyce almost as perplexing as I did your support for Roeder though.

 

I was reiterating the same interpretation. How do you take it?

"We need to become more determined to stop the opposition playing."

You can 'stop the opposition' by imposing your game on their's. Plus, whenever you go away from home in the Premier League, stopping the opposition from playing is the priority imo, because no matter who plays who the home team nearly always has a go. I think he wants to start with a solid backline and midfield and then take it from there. It's not a view I necessarily subscribe to against teams like Reading as I pointed out the other day, we don't look like keeping clean sheets so we might as well have a go. I'm guessing that long-term though Allardyce wants us to be more solid and concede less which is what is needed. I think it was a general comment too. I didn't really read that much into it though, I just thought you took one line out of context and put a very (and unnecessarily) negative spin on it.

 

So you're saying no matter who plays who you've got to stop the home team playing....though you yourself don't subscribe to it against Reading. I think we agree completely, which is why I said I'd understand it if we'd just played Arsenal.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Fish, I think I'm as patient as most and more sensible than a lot at the match etc. where it's feast or famine with a canny few of the supporters. I totally agree with your calls for patience. We certainly need two full seasons from Allardyce before we can expect to really reap the rewards of his changes. That doesn't mean you can't complain about Derby and Reading away though because those performances were unacceptable even under the circumstances. No one is saying anything drastic needs to be done, just that we should have played better and employed better and more ambitious tactics against those two teams.

 

There you go again

[Guest alex]

Well, that's one way of interpreting it I suppose.

 

 

How else could you take it? If he was talking after we'd played Arsenal I'd understand it.

 

It's already been pointed out that we have a squad of Internationals, and Allardyce is basically saying to them "you aren't good enough to match Reading in a game, so don't worry about going at them, just try and stop them plying their magic out there"If I were an experienced international player I imagine that would dishearten me.

You see, I don't agree with that being the only interpretation either. I find your downer on Allardyce almost as perplexing as I did your support for Roeder though.

 

I was reiterating the same interpretation. How do you take it?

"We need to become more determined to stop the opposition playing."

You can 'stop the opposition' by imposing your game on their's. Plus, whenever you go away from home in the Premier League, stopping the opposition from playing is the priority imo, because no matter who plays who the home team nearly always has a go. I think he wants to start with a solid backline and midfield and then take it from there. It's not a view I necessarily subscribe to against teams like Reading as I pointed out the other day, we don't look like keeping clean sheets so we might as well have a go. I'm guessing that long-term though Allardyce wants us to be more solid and concede less which is what is needed. I think it was a general comment too. I didn't really read that much into it though, I just thought you took one line out of context and put a very (and unnecessarily) negative spin on it.

 

So you're saying no matter who plays who you've got to stop the home team playing....though you yourself don't subscribe to it against Reading. I think we agree completely, which is why I said I'd understand it if we'd just played Arsenal.

You do have to stop the oppostion playing away from home though. You have to work hard and close them down. Even Man Utd do that. Then you can impose your game on their's. If you're too open and let them play even good footballing sides will struggle away from home. Arsenal have struggled in this regard in the last two previous seasons. What I don't 'necessarily subsrcibe to' is solidity being the priority for us, especially against teams like Reading. By this I mean we were set up wrong - playing with no wingers and all grafters in midfield. It would be ok if we looked like never conceding and snatching a goal, but that hasn't really been the case in our away games - quite the opposite. Therefore, I think we'd have been better off having a go as that seems to suit our current personnel best. Perhaps it's the long-term plan to be very solid away from home and, if we achieve that and play some football at home, I don't really think anyone can complain. I hope that makes more sense.

[Asprilla 96]

Well, that's one way of interpreting it I suppose.

 

 

How else could you take it? If he was talking after we'd played Arsenal I'd understand it.

 

It's already been pointed out that we have a squad of Internationals, and Allardyce is basically saying to them "you aren't good enough to match Reading in a game, so don't worry about going at them, just try and stop them plying their magic out there"

 

If I were an experienced international player I imagine that would dishearten me.

I agree with you. Trying to be MORE defensive away from home seems like the last thing we need to do, especially against the more "average" sides. If you don't score you can't win and as alex said yesterday, it's better to win/lose/win/lose than draw/draw/draw/draw.

[RlCO 0]

I think the Given / Cacapa fuck up shows we are probably still a long way from our 11 apparently stellar footballers playing as a cohesive team.

[Happy Face 29]

I think the Given / Cacapa fuck up shows we are probably still a long way from our 11 apparently stellar footballers playing as a cohesive team.

 

 

You're always going to get individual errors though. Didn't Bolton concede more than us last year (and Blackburn, Tottenham and Reading after a double check) and finish higher? Why is defense his top priority. Our main problem was scoring and i thought once Owen got back we'd be pushing to supply him rather than worrying about defensive frailties that are overblown by clownish errors that the BBC loved to entertain the nation with.

[Happy Face 29]

Well, that's one way of interpreting it I suppose.

 

 

How else could you take it? If he was talking after we'd played Arsenal I'd understand it.

 

It's already been pointed out that we have a squad of Internationals, and Allardyce is basically saying to them "you aren't good enough to match Reading in a game, so don't worry about going at them, just try and stop them plying their magic out there"If I were an experienced international player I imagine that would dishearten me.

You see, I don't agree with that being the only interpretation either. I find your downer on Allardyce almost as perplexing as I did your support for Roeder though.

 

I was reiterating the same interpretation. How do you take it?

"We need to become more determined to stop the opposition playing."

You can 'stop the opposition' by imposing your game on their's. Plus, whenever you go away from home in the Premier League, stopping the opposition from playing is the priority imo, because no matter who plays who the home team nearly always has a go. I think he wants to start with a solid backline and midfield and then take it from there. It's not a view I necessarily subscribe to against teams like Reading as I pointed out the other day, we don't look like keeping clean sheets so we might as well have a go. I'm guessing that long-term though Allardyce wants us to be more solid and concede less which is what is needed. I think it was a general comment too. I didn't really read that much into it though, I just thought you took one line out of context and put a very (and unnecessarily) negative spin on it.

 

So you're saying no matter who plays who you've got to stop the home team playing....though you yourself don't subscribe to it against Reading. I think we agree completely, which is why I said I'd understand it if we'd just played Arsenal.

You do have to stop the oppostion playing away from home though. You have to work hard and close them down. Even Man Utd do that. Then you can impose your game on their's. If you're too open and let them play even good footballing sides will struggle away from home. Arsenal have struggled in this regard in the last two previous seasons. What I don't 'necessarily subsrcibe to' is solidity being the priority for us, especially against teams like Reading. By this I mean we were set up wrong - playing with no wingers and all grafters in midfield. It would be ok if we looked like never conceding and snatching a goal, but that hasn't really been the case in our away games - quite the opposite. Therefore, I think we'd have been better off having a go as that seems to suit our current personnel best. Perhaps it's the long-term plan to be very solid away from home and, if we achieve that and play some football at home, I don't really think anyone can complain. I hope that makes more sense.

 

Wouldn't argue with any of that.

[Noelie 103]

No I didn't forget Taylor, he didn't feature in the Reading match.

 

But I believe it does matter Mr.Fish, I believe that players of this calibre, experience, and pedigree, shouldn't have any problem with performing as a team, after all they came from other teams therefore teamwork is not alien to them. In my opinion they have had more than enough time in games and daily practice sessions to get to know each other and perform a damned sight better as a team than they have been.

Draw with Boro feasable, loss to Man.City acceptable, loss to Derby inexcusable, loss to Reading incomprehensible.

 

So Noelie, with your wealth of experience and pedigree, what would you suggest? dissolution of the squad? retire Allardyce after 5 months in charge?

 

I think this team is still finding it's feet, I think this squad is young enough and determined enough to provide a platform on which we can build success. I don't think Newcastle United is capable of a achieving a rapid and long lasting answer to the problem that's been systemic for the past 15 years or so.

 

This is a time of rebuilding, but in modern society if the answer doesn't come now and wrapped in a lovely bow people aren't prepared to give it a chance.

 

All I'm asking for is patience.

 

NO Mr.Fish, even with my wealth of experience and pedigree I would not sugest a dissolution of the squad nor the retiring of Sam Allardyce but I would sugest that after 5 months combined with his years of managerial experience at Bolton Sam Allardyce should be capable of getting some sort of consistancy from his experienced players, especially the back 4 of Beye, Cacapa, Faye, and Enrique. He signed all four of them with Faye being one of his former players at Bolton and against Tottenham they were quite decent and hopes were raised even though they leaked one goal, but at Reading they were far from decent from the kick-off and leaked 2 goals, in fact they were abysmal from the kick-off.

 

How much patience are you asking for?

I've running out of patience and I'm running out of time, everyday above ground is a good day for me so I expect things to happen sooner rather than later.

[Happy Face 29]

Someone please get HF Siskel & Ebert's guide to Football for Christmas please.

 

Siskel died

 

It's Ebert and Roeper's Guide to Football on my wishlist.

[sammynb 2929]

I'm running out of time, everyday above ground is a good day for me so I expect things to happen sooner rather than later.

That one line says more about Noelie's posts that any tactical analysis will ever reveal.

[adios 717]

Siskel died

 

No wonder you're upset, have you been crossing books off your wish-list every time you find out the author is dead?

[Guest alex]

Can you still get The Hamlyn Book of Football Techniques and Tactics?

[Happy Face 29]

Siskel died

 

No wonder you're upset, have you been crossing books off your wish-list every time you find out the author is dead?

 

Just the ones the author hadn't got round to writing yet.

[adios 717]

Siskel died

 

No wonder you're upset, have you been crossing books off your wish-list every time you find out the author is dead?

 

Just the ones the author hadn't got round to writing yet.

 

Is this what your house looks like?

 

[Guest alex]

[sweetleftpeg 0]

It's been pretty much opposite to how I thought it might go. I thought we'd struggle at home yet be a pain in the arse to beat away from home. Still early days, only grumble I have is some of his team selections and occasional lack of balance within the side. Saying that though, I've always been a firm believer in playing width, so get a bit personally pissed off when we don't.