Jimbo 175 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Sam Allardyce was scathing of his players after this defeat and said he was not happy to have his future as Newcastle United manager in their hands. "It was a poor performance," he said. "We couldn't cope with Wigan being high-tempo and hard-working. Some of our players have not lived up to their reputation. The front players have not held the ball up and the creative players have not created. Today the appetite to beat the opposition was not there. I'm not happy to have my future in their hands. We can't shrivel up and die under pressure." United have wasted an easy run of fixtures with a home draw against Derby County and defeat yesterday. Even this season they can rarely have played as badly as this, devoid of passion and purpose. They handed Wigan a first clean sheet for 16 matches, a record that stretches back to mid-August and a 3-0 defeat of Sunderland. Steve Bruce, Wigan's manager, had been up half of Christmas night with a bug and a burst blood vessel in his eye. "I can't keep anything down," he said - but he might yet keep Wigan up. Bob the Builder was the winner of the Boxing Day half-time fancy dress competition and, on the evidence of the season so far, he would not particularly fancy either of these rebuilding jobs. Can we fix it? "More than my job's worth, mate." But Wigan's hopes of escaping relegation will be rekindled after Ryan Taylor's 65th-minute free-kick gave them only their second win in 16 games and lifted them out of the bottom three. Taylor's winner was a heart-warming Christmas tale of which Dickens would have approved. He broke a leg badly in a reserve game against Newcastle and, given a first-team chance in the final game of last season against Sheffield United, broke it again. Perhaps life is beginning to go his way. When he stroked the ball into Shay Given's top-right corner, it was the only decent shot from both sides in the game. "He has a great delivery of the ball," said Bruce, "as good as anyone you have seen. We won't go overboard but we look as if we have the stomach for the fight. We showed a lot of endeavour and for a couple of minutes we saw a bit of football." It was an execrable first half. Nothing of any consequence happened, no skill to stir the soul, no rumbustious physical confrontation to make the heart beat faster, no comic moment to give us all a laugh. It was 52 minutes before either goal was threatened. Mario Melchiot, his ponytail quivering, dallied in front of his own goalkeeper, Damien Duff challenged, Mark Viduka attempted an overhead kick but Paul Scharner raced back to hack off the Wigan line. Allardyce immediately resorted to 4-3-3, bringing on Obafemi Martins on the right of the attack and his enterprise made him comfortably the most dangerous of Newcastle's strikeforce. How any manager of a struggling side can stomach Viduka's immobility remains one of life's mysteries. Given went on to give Newcastle palpitations eight minutes from time when, under pressure from Steven Taylor's back pass and with Marcus Bent bearing down, he chipped up a volley and then contrived to back kick it wide of his own posts. This team will never perform for Allardyce and he knows it but his record suggests that Newcastle should entrust him with the rebuilding work. Bruce remains a fan. "Sam got the job because of his great record at Bolton," he said. "He can turn this round. He needs time to put his stamp on it." Man of the match Ryan Taylor Provided the one moment of skill in a match where Wigan showed endeavour and Newcastle revealed nothing Best moment The deft free-kick which earned Wigan a rare victory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 go fuck yourself fat boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7273 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 How any manager of a struggling side can stomach Viduka's immobility remains one of life's mysteries. Even worse when hes played as a lone striker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammynb 3621 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 The front players have not held the ball up and the creative players have not created. How many times have people stated Viduka isn't that type of player? He's no Berkamp but he's in that mould and how many times did you see Arsenal lump the ball long from defence at his head and them expect him to control it? It's so fucking mindless that the man doesn't even know what his players strengths are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 go fuck yourself fat boy. I'm sadly starting to agree. Can't stand these fuckin managers when they won't take responsibility for their own signings, team selections, tactics and strategy. Very close now to saying fuck off Sam. FA Cup defeat could swing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 175 Posted December 27, 2007 Author Share Posted December 27, 2007 Blaming players smacks of desperation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy 17 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 go fuck yourself fat boy. I'm sadly starting to agree. Can't stand these fuckin managers when they won't take responsibility for their own signings, team selections, tactics and strategy. Very close now to saying fuck off Sam. FA Cup defeat could swing it. fuck me!! i agree with leazes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyluke 2 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 The front players have not held the ball up and the creative players have not created. The what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 go fuck yourself fat boy. I'm sadly starting to agree. Can't stand these fuckin managers when they won't take responsibility for their own signings, team selections, tactics and strategy. Very close now to saying fuck off Sam. FA Cup defeat could swing it. fuck me!! i agree with leazes a good habit to get into Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wykikitoon 21221 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 Viduka is a lazy fat fucker, but he know what he was getting when he signed him. He should also know what he gets when you play players out of position. FUCK OF SAM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally 0 Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 I've been willing to give Allardyce time, but coming out with statements like this is ridiculous. I could understand if he'd inherited someone else's team halfway through a season, but on Boxing Day he signed 6 of the 11 and two of the subs brought on. Should he not look at himself first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaythesouthernmag 0 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Viduka as a lone striker Smith as a holding midfielder Continuing to pick Geremi Zoggy at left back Team creating bugger all Taking 1 point from games against Derby & Wigan Cant decide on what players he wants at C/B so he chops and changes all the time Then blames the players. The players play for the manager, it`s his job to make them play. If they dont perform its HIS fault TIME TO GET SHOT !!! There are new green shoots of recovery just more dross, piss poor tactics, odd team selections and zero football TA-TA fatty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noelie 103 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Let's see now, didn't he bring in; Barton. Smith. Faye. Cacapa. Beye. Rozenhal. Viduka. Enrique. Geremi. That's nine out of eleven players needed to field a team of his choosing. In addition to his buys he had on the existing rosta a number of players with Premier league experience such as, when not on the injury list; Martins. Ameobe. Emre. Butt. Taylor. Milner. N'Zogbia. Given. Harper. Edgar Duff. Owen. Carr. So with the majority of these players available where does the blame lie in not being able to put forth a half-way decent team that won't lose to teams in the bottom three like Derby & Wigan? So how much blame can be attached to the players selected and not the person doing the selection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Dynamite 7273 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Hopfully the lack of a vote of confidence from Mort speaks volumes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 how many people said they were happy with the signings made in the summer. Oh, and the "timing" ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusoda Kid 1 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 how many people said they were happy with the signings made in the summer. Oh, and the "timing" ........ I was happy with both and very optimistic may I add. Why you ask? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj 17 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 how many people said they were happy with the signings made in the summer. Oh, and the "timing" ........ Hindsight is a wonderful thing, don't you think Leazes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 how many people said they were happy with the signings made in the summer. Oh, and the "timing" ........ You'd think you'd have learnt your lesson over this sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 (edited) how many people said they were happy with the signings made in the summer. Oh, and the "timing" ........ Hindsight is a wonderful thing, don't you think Leazes? Not hindsight mate. Was never impressed with signing too many defenders, and always said "timing" is bollocks, its the personnel that count. I still actually think exactly as I did this time last year, there isn't much wrong with Newcastle that a couple of players wouldn't change dramatically. The trouble is I am not sure if the board have the ambition, and now I'm not sure if Allardyce can see it. Edited December 28, 2007 by LeazesMag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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