I KNEW IT.......

[Jusoda Kid 1]

How anyone can defend Allardyce's team selections is beyond me, basically Gemmil's and Sm's posts are doing that.

[geordieshandy 0]

Can you see the small contradiction in your last two posts? Do you not think that he might be making his decisions based on what he sees in training, which players are able to play in which positions and dropping the ones he doesn't think are up to the challenge or haven't impressed?

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Can you see the small contradiction in your last two posts? Do you not think that he might be making his decisions based on what he sees in training, which players are able to play in which positions and dropping the ones he doesn't think are up to the challenge or haven't impressed?

 

 

Sam's selection was based on one thing yesterday 'how can I accommodate Alan Smith' and the contradiction is that small I can't see it tbh

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Jesus reading this shite you'd think we were rock bottom of the premiership, scoring no goals, with no end in sight.

 

we've got over 2/3rds of the season to go, we've had our best start for I don't know how long and you fuckers STILL need to have a whine.

 

grow up and get some perspective.

 

I know today was disappointing but for the love of God we're not going to be relegated which was a genuine concern for the past two season, we've got a manager who is addressing the problems that plagued the back room staff, we've a chairman who says the right things and more often than not says nothing at all, which is a vast improvement and we've an owner who clearly will put the financial backing behind the manager.

 

Our keepers are sound, our defence certainly has the raw materials to be a very good outfit once they've grown accustomed to eachother and to the premiership, remember only Faye and Taylor have played in the premiership before this season, and neither one could be called "Experienced" at this level.

 

Our midfield hasn't yet been at full strength so no one, not even the tactical genius on here, can know what the best formation or selection will be. When it is full strength I have confidence in most positions, central midfield is combative, left wing is covered, creativity in the middle and cover or better for right wing is a concern, however. These concerns can be dealt with in the January window I feel.

 

Our strike force has changed almost weekly due to injury or necessity. When that is fully fit I think 2 from Owen Martins, Viduka and Smith would be a decent line up, certainly once we get a stable midfield able to create chances for them.

 

I think all of this hilarity is more about narrowly avoiding being beaten by our close friends the mackems, than anything else.

 

I've explained in another thread why Beye and Enrique were not played (imo) neither have the experience to play that sort of game at this sort of level whereas Taylor and Charlie have. Smith is probably the most versatile player on ours books and was deliberately used to snuff out the Jones worry, which he did to good effect also sweeping in front of the back four with some degree of command. Emre failed to provide the creativity that I think was expected of him (this maybe due to a lack of games or being a man short because Smith was dropped so far back.) and Barton was wasted out wide and still looks like he needs a couple more games before his confidence and drive return.

 

 

Owen and Viduka were left to scrap for anything that did finally manage to get through until they scored where upon we found (from somewhere) the guts to have a go.

 

Now Sam, in the post match interview, said that this was what he wanted from us from the start which indicates that perhaps the atmosphere and occasion got to a couple of players (Emre Barton and Milner iyam) only when we no longer had the fear of going one down (because we already had) did these players suddenly start playing as they had something to prove.

 

I think he experimented with experience today and got lucky, I personally would have played Enrique at left back and N'Zogbia further forward, I'd have player Barton and Smith in the centre with Milner out wide on the right. Owen and Viduka for 65 minutes, then brought on the fresh legs of Martins for Viduka or Owen depending on who looked the weaker and Emre for Smith or Barton depending on looked the weaker or more likely to be sent off!

 

but that's a 26 yr old bloke who's never played professionally, never mind managed at any level, who hasn't seen how any of the players have performed in training, who hasn't gone through hours of preparation for the game and who hasn't anything more than some ham-fisted logic to base those decisions upon.

Excellent post Fish

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Beye not experienced? How old is he?

[Gemmill 34442]

Poll or no poll, a bunch of spanners on an internet forum have less idea than Allardyce what the best starting 11 is tbf.

 

Absolute bollocks. Roeder was slated for making poor team decisions. Now that KING Sam is our manager we should just accept it....shit. Whats all this ass kissing with Allardyce? He did well with one club now he is God.... i despair sometimes.

 

So you genuinely think you know better then? That's amazing. Perhaps you'd like a crack at coaching them too?

 

So you're advocating blind faith then?

 

No. I've said that the bloke is making mistakes, with N'Zogbia and Milner on the wrong sides being the most glaring of these. But as I keep saying and it keeps sailing right over the top of people's heads, the bloke has sent a Newcastle United team out onto a pitch 12 times in the Premiership. You'd think he'd been making these mistakes (i.e. experimenting with his squad, tinkering with formations, getting it wrong sometimes....you know, the sort of stuff a new manager that joins a new club and adds 8 or 9 new players to the squad is likely to do in ohhhh say the first at-least 12 games) for years the way some of you fucking experts are carrying on.

 

You try things, they don't work, you learn from your mistakes. But you don't necessarily just try them once or twice. If you think something didn't work because of a particular thing in a game, and you have faith that it can still work, you might try it again....maybe a couple more times. It's called trial and error, and I still expect there to be a fair bit of trial and error going on 12 games into a new manager's reign because I'm rational and realistic. I appreciate that some don't have this in their mental make-up though.

[TheMoog 0]

I think the only reason people are complaining is to be honest we're dropping points which should be in the bag mainly down to the manager playing players out of position when he doesn't need to. I mean how hard is it to play a 4-4-2, Zoggy on the left, Milner on the right, Owen and Viduka up front, Enrique Left back, Beye Right back... christ, you've only got to fill in the gaps in the middle, it's not rocket science. There is no reason what-so-ever to play any players out of position, who is it supposed to help other than the opposition?

 

Big Sam was a good appointment in my eyes, I just wish he'd stop twatting about with tactics and settle on what we know will work - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Beye not experienced? How old is he?

Not experienced in the Premier League, same with Enrique. Especially so in a kick-and-rush local derby.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Beye not experienced? How old is he?

Not experienced in the Premier League, same with Enrique. Especially so in a kick-and-rush local derby.

 

How will they gain that experience?

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Beye not experienced? How old is he?

Not experienced in the Premier League, same with Enrique. Especially so in a kick-and-rush local derby.

 

How will they gain that experience?

By being given time to acclimatise and not being exposed to white-hot atmospheres like yesterday too early?

[snakehips 0]

Re: Allerdyce not knowing his best 11.

 

It was interesting to hear Sir Alex Ferguson stating today that he doesn't know what his best 11 is.

 

That is all.

[Noelie 103]

To be fair Noelie, most of your threads aren't worth opening, never mind writing.

 

 

Wow!, judging by the number of times you have posted in this topic(8) I started Mr. Gemmill it would seem this one has been worth opening, never mind writing.

Do I get a pat on the back?

[Jimbo 133]

Re: Allerdyce not knowing his best 11.

 

It was interesting to hear Sir Alex Ferguson stating today that he doesn't know what his best 11 is.

 

That is all.

 

Thats probably due to the incredible strength in depth of his squad rather than not knowing which wing to play N'Zogbia and Milner or if Beye is a better rightback than Taylor.

[Jusoda Kid 1]

Beye not experienced? How old is he?

Not experienced in the Premier League, same with Enrique. Especially so in a kick-and-rush local derby.

 

How will they gain that experience?

By being given time to acclimatise and not being exposed to white-hot atmospheres like yesterday too early?

 

I'm sure Beye could have handled that sort of game, surely he's played in derby games before in France, got to make more sense than asking a centre half to play right back

[acrossthepond 703]

GK: Given

RB: Beye

CB: Cacapa, Faye

LB: Jose Enrique

RW: Milner

CM: Butt, Emre or Barton

LW: N'Zogbia

ST: Martins or Owen, Viduka

 

Stick to this or some semblance thereof please Sam. It isn't rocket science, honestly. Play your men in their positions and their quality will be obvious for all to see.

Roeder was abused for playing people out of position, so why shouldn't Big Sam be questioned when he does it? I'm not up for this hero-worship business. He's done a good job of rebuilding this team, but buying the players and training them properly is only half of the game - the other half is out on the pitch where we have been subpar and I don't mind saying so. Sam can turn this club around, I am sure of it, but he's got to stay simple and do the obvious first. Enough tinkering.

[bassplayerjj 0]

I think it was a shame Enrique didn't play at left back as for me he has been our most consistent defensive performer along with Roz this season. Beye has looked pretty suspect for me and Taylor didn't do all that badly at RB, we needed his physical presence at times yesterday even though he didn't have the best of games.

 

Enrique at LB, Zog on the left wing, Milner on the right wing. It's plain for all to see and BS has to do this asap. The trouble he has is what we have had at CM for many many seasons, lots of average players to choose from in there and pairings that are either not physical enough or not creative enough. We need to find the right balance, under Roeder Butt and Emre worked well together at times especially in games where Emre had a lot of the ball. With Ashely's pet Smith and that thug Barton in there BS is going to find it hard not to keep upsetting them so is he just going to bow down to pressure and keep playing these mediocre 6-million pound players out of position?

 

Owen is a goalscorer that needs service and he is not getting it, plain for all to see. Viduka is not going to win every ball in the air in the Prem these days. He needs it to feet, has to have the freedom to play like Kanu has at Pompey because that's his game.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

I think the theory of playing the wingers on the "wrong sides" was that it allowed them to cut in and take a shot on their favoured foot rather than pump in a cross to a strike force that until Viduka returned weren't likely to win much in the air.

 

Presuming everyone was available, I think I'd go with:

Keeper: Given

RB: Beye

LB: Enrique

Game-reading Centrehalf: Rozenthal

Beast Centrehalf: Faye

RW: Milner

DM: Butt

AM: Barton

LW: N'Zogbia

Big man forward: Viduka

Little man forward: Owen

 

But it's hard to choose between Roz & Cacapa; Faye & Taylor; Owen & Martins.

Plus I realise Beye and Enrique need time to acclimatise not just to the game, but also a new country.

It's also understandable that Allardyce wants to have a look at everyone available and how they react under different conditions, and at how different player combinations work.

[Noelie 103]

....... the point is ,,,,,,, the bloke has sent the team out only 12 times, and yet people keep talking about these horrendous errors in team selection. 12 fucking times and everyone's an expert. It's a load of bollocks. He makes mistakes, I've said that, but I'm fucking sure that none of us know any better than him.

 

Only 12 times? for fucks sake Mr. Gemmill, if I tripped up over the doormat two or three times it wouldn't take it happening twelve times to know I should watch where I'm stepping, lift my feet higher, get rid of the doormat, or nail the fucker down so I wouldn't keep tripping over it.

Fact is, Enrique is a better left back than Zoggy, Zoggy plays best wide left. Milner plays best wide right. Beye is a better right back than Taylor, Taylor plays better in the middle.

How many times does Sam have to trip up before he fixes the fucking problem?

[Gemmill 34442]

....... the point is ,,,,,,, the bloke has sent the team out only 12 times, and yet people keep talking about these horrendous errors in team selection. 12 fucking times and everyone's an expert. It's a load of bollocks. He makes mistakes, I've said that, but I'm fucking sure that none of us know any better than him.

 

Only 12 times? for fucks sake Mr. Gemmill, if I tripped up over the doormat two or three times it wouldn't take it happening twelve times to know I should watch where I'm stepping, lift my feet higher, get rid of the doormat, or nail the fucker down so I wouldn't keep tripping over it.

Fact is, Enrique is a better left back than Zoggy, Zoggy plays best wide left. Milner plays best wide right. Beye is a better right back than Taylor, Taylor plays better in the middle.

How many times does Sam have to trip up before he fixes the fucking problem?

 

Nice analogy. Picking football teams is like avoiding tripping over doormats. If you can just avoid tripping, everything will be fine and you'll win.

[Dr Gloom 19822]

Where would we be now if we had adopted the "stop moaning, he probably knows better than us" philosophy with Souness and Roeder ?

 

I'm not advocating sacking Sam at all, but if you don't like the style of management, speak your mind !

 

quoted for truth. nowt wrong with telling it like you see it.

 

i don't see too many people calling for sam's head. more a case of a few raised eyebrows after the mananger consistently playing players out of position. and our results so far aren't that impressive when you consider we haven't played any of the big four.

[Noelie 103]

....... the point is ,,,,,,, the bloke has sent the team out only 12 times, and yet people keep talking about these horrendous errors in team selection. 12 fucking times and everyone's an expert. It's a load of bollocks. He makes mistakes, I've said that, but I'm fucking sure that none of us know any better than him.

 

Only 12 times? for fucks sake Mr. Gemmill, if I tripped up over the doormat two or three times it wouldn't take it happening twelve times to know I should watch where I'm stepping, lift my feet higher, get rid of the doormat, or nail the fucker down so I wouldn't keep tripping over it.

Fact is, Enrique is a better left back than Zoggy, Zoggy plays best wide left. Milner plays best wide right. Beye is a better right back than Taylor, Taylor plays better in the middle.

How many times does Sam have to trip up before he fixes the fucking problem?

 

Nice analogy. Picking football teams is like avoiding tripping over doormats. If you can just avoid tripping, everything will be fine and you'll win.

 

No no no Mr.Gemmill, picking football teams is not like avoiding tripping over doormats. It's like a question of how many times you commit the same error before you correct the error of your ways and get yourself into a winning way.

Sam brought in Enrique, Cacapa, Beye, Rozenhal, Faye, and possibly Geremi to strengthen our dismal defence yet he puts Zoggy in at left back. Goals against at home 8, goals against away 10, brilliant.

He needs to do something about that doormat before he falls flat on his face.

Edited November 11, 2007 by Noelie

[snakehips 0]

One thing about Zog at LB. How tall is he??? XXXL Sam is supposed to be against small full backs is he not? Zog can't be that tall, shirley ??

[trophyshy 6434]

One thing about Zog at LB. How tall is he??? XXXL Sam is supposed to be against small full backs is he not? Zog can't be that tall, shirley ??

 

5 foot 1 or 5 foot 8?

[snakehips 0]

One thing about Zog at LB. How tall is he??? XXXL Sam is supposed to be against small full backs is he not? Zog can't be that tall, shirley ??

 

5 foot 1 or 5 foot 8?

 

Surely that's Martins ??

[trophyshy 6434]

One thing about Zog at LB. How tall is he??? XXXL Sam is supposed to be against small full backs is he not? Zog can't be that tall, shirley ??

 

5 foot 1 or 5 foot 8?

 

Surely that's Martins ??

 

Shirley Martin's? Isn't she a singer? No idea how tall she was like.....