The No. 10.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

He's obviously a good player on his day and we have seen glimpses of him this season with a goal and a couple of assists, but there's also the other side of him that goes missing for large periods in a game, gives the ball away trying to beat 3 men and doesn't fancy a 50/50. People are making out like he's the difference between us finishing top 6 or getting relegated. We managed to get to 2nd place after 11 games without him man.

 

And then we actually played a few decent teams.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Lake Bells tits

[Lake Bells tits 1]

We were expected to be relegated a year ago so as much as theres loads of areas we can still improve we do still have to try and retain an objective view of how the team is getting results.

 

No we werent, we were always too good for the championship, even when half the squad fucked off. And that Bolton-win had a draw/loss written all over it until HBA came on.

 

Pardew is stubborn and lucky both, anyone claiming with a straight face that we played well the first 11 games when we were "CL`ing" it up with the big boys and pretending to be billy big bucks needs to take their glasses off and have another pint. We have had 2-3 decent and perhaps 1-2 genuinely good games before the losing streak, rest of the points gathered were blatantly lucky.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Lake Bells tits

[Monroe Transfer 0]

No, they weren't.

[Gejon 2]

Yeah you tend to get lucky for that long

[Dr Gloom 21760]

Pardew deserves some stick if he doesn't start him next game. He's been picking players based on form and it was working until our recent sticky run. If you go on form, he had to start Ben arfa ahead of Best, whose been gash since early in the season.

Edited December 27, 2011 by Dr Gloom

[Guest CabayeAye]

Or we could sacrifice 2/11ths of our pressing to ensure that we aren't completely ineffectual in attack.

 

Ba needs to play right up on the shoulder of the last man to run on to through balls or sweep up chances in the box. Defences counteract this (as Bolton did) by dropping back to reduce the space behind the defence, forcing Ba deeper and stopping him from using his pace/utilising Cabaye's through balls. If Ben Arfa was playing, this would give him a big 'hole' to do his ball at his feet mastery, wheras Best just pushed up alongside Ba and got taken out of the game by the deep back 4.

 

I understand the physical pressing game, but we did it last season with the Barton-Carroll-Nolan route one stuff and TBH, the quick ball playing style of Cabaye-Ben Arfa-Ba seems much more effective, especially as our wide players aren't great ATM.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Yeah you tend to get lucky for that long

 

No, they weren't.

 

Ok then. We were playing flowing carpetball and controlling matches Liverpool-style were we

 

11 hoof-fests with villa and blackburn being honest exceptions. But i guess we have to agree to disagree.

 

Now, can Leon Best fuck off to the bench for eternity please.

[Gejon 2]

That's exactly what I said, you got me!

[Lake Bells tits 1]

 

Thing is though, I guess it depends where you are coming from. Whenever I watch liverpool, tottenham, City and United I think to myself " fuck me lovely fotball there" - and I desperately want to think that when I watch us play also, whatever small detail or pass-and move event. Cant really say I experienced that alot during our unbeaten run.

 

Was more of a relegation-fest with every match turning into a "war" rather than play some nice carpet fotball and slot a few ones past a lesser team. But Pardew seems to favor workrate ( perceived anyway as we have a little basket of headless chickens who are let out of their cages week in week out) over genuine talent.

 

People on here say Pardew sees these lads every day in training so he is obviously more suited to judge the players than we are - or is he..? Training performance ultimately means fuck all, its the games that matter. Maybe he cant see it, but we can.

 

The results speak for themselves, but our playing style will be found out soon enough ( if not already). Shut down Ba and exploit our weak wingers and we are proper fucked.

[manc-mag 1]

We were expected to be relegated a year ago so as much as theres loads of areas we can still improve we do still have to try and retain an objective view of how the team is getting results.

 

No we werent, we were always too good for the championship, even when half the squad fucked off. And that Bolton-win had a draw/loss written all over it until HBA came on.

 

Pardew is stubborn and lucky both, anyone claiming with a straight face that we played well the first 11 games when we were "CL`ing" it up with the big boys and pretending to be billy big bucks needs to take their glasses off and have another pint. We have had 2-3 decent and perhaps 1-2 genuinely good games before the losing streak, rest of the points gathered were blatantly lucky.

 

You make your own luck at the end of the day and without exception you get far luckier if you bust your balls for 90 minutes + every game. Nobody has ever claimed we were chalking up sweeping victories on a par with the CL/'billy big bucks' of the division (this is just a lie that gets perpetuated to suit certain agendas), we were playing to the best of our abilities and the added effort and determination was making the difference. The downturn when injuries hit was forecast by nearly everyone as it's a consensus on here that our squad is too thin. Peoples appraisals on here this season of personnel and performance could scarcely be more rational.

 

It is true to say the expectation was relegation when we came up. You're re-writing history now because all of a sudden 7th isnt good enough only a year on. Grow up, it's Newcastle United-we never win owt so don't mess yourself just because a team with relegation expectations doesn't make the CL this year. Personality is irrelevant, one of the absolute strengths this season has been the manager so to call him 'lucky' is a joke. He's had a positive impact on the whole so it's neither here nor there if his every team selection hasn't had you touching yourself 24/7.

[Gejon 2]

We were expected to be relegated a year ago so as much as theres loads of areas we can still improve we do still have to try and retain an objective view of how the team is getting results.

 

No we werent, we were always too good for the championship, even when half the squad fucked off. And that Bolton-win had a draw/loss written all over it until HBA came on.

 

Pardew is stubborn and lucky both, anyone claiming with a straight face that we played well the first 11 games when we were "CL`ing" it up with the big boys and pretending to be billy big bucks needs to take their glasses off and have another pint. We have had 2-3 decent and perhaps 1-2 genuinely good games before the losing streak, rest of the points gathered were blatantly lucky.

 

You make your own luck at the end of the day and without exception you get far luckier if you bust your balls for 90 minutes + every game. Nobody has ever claimed we were chalking up sweeping victories on a par with the CL/'billy big bucks' of the division (this is just a lie that gets perpetuated to suit certain agendas), we were playing to the best of our abilities and the added effort and determination was making the difference. The downturn when injuries hit was forecast by nearly everyone as it's a consensus on here that our squad is too thin. Peoples appraisals on here this season of personnel and performance could scarcely be more rational.

 

It is true to say the expectation was relegation when we came up. You're re-writing history now because all of a sudden 7th isnt good enough only a year on. Grow up, it's Newcastle United-we never win owt so don't mess yourself just because a team with relegation expectations doesn't make the CL this year. Personality is irrelevant, one of the absolute strengths this season has been the manager so to call him 'lucky' is a joke. He's had a positive impact on the whole so it's neither here nor there if his every team selection hasn't had you touching yourself 24/7.

 

Spot on.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Pardew is doing his best with the tools he has been given, ie nowt and a war-coffin reeking with moths.

The league position means fuck all, could well be 10th come may.

 

Are you saying the current league position makes him immune to every critizism. There are gaping flaws in our tactics and choice of players, and its costing us points. I also just want to add that our striker extraordinaire has been winning games for us on his own...

[Dr Gloom 21760]

Why does everyone keep saying weak wingers? Gutierez is a good player, it's only Obrertan that's been mainly rubbish this season

[Lake Bells tits 1]

I agree with you that Jonas is a good player. However he is not a good winger. Especially not in a 4-4-2 which Pardew seems OBSESSED with playing - with Cabaye playing too deep and no service from our wingers to our strikers. It creates a gaping hole which any decent midfield will profit from and start picking us apart.. in three words:

 

We get overrun

Edited December 27, 2011 by Lake Bells tits

[Gejon 2]

I agree with you that Jonas is a good player. However he is not a good winger. Especially not in a 4-4-2 which Pardew seems OBSESSED with playing - with Cabaye playing too deep and no service from our wingers to our strikers. It creates a gaping hole which any decent midfield will profit from and start picking us apart.. in three words:

 

We get overrun

 

We are doing pretty well getting overrun every game but still picking up the points. It's like you have some sort of agenda or something (that's not to say we have been perfected or haven't been dominated in some games but it's nothing like you seem desperate to suggest it is).

[The Fish 10674]

Admin, can we have an Avatar change for this knobhead?

[McFaul 35]

 

Ben Arfa is the most technically gifted player we've had since Ginola. The only reason we have is because of something the above illustrates perfectly. He's a mouthy little mug, but he's our mug and he should be the first name on the team sheet every week. Our present alternative Best doesn't even work hard even though he's shit. Unbelievable the negativity thrown at Benny on this thread though. This Norwegian kid does my tits in.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

My "desperate point" is that we are not trying to dominate games to a larger degree, tieing the midfield and attack together.

Winning games and picking up points is nice, but for how long? I would also like us to play somewhat attractive fotball.

Otherwise we end up like stoke, picking up points but with very few people impressed on the way there.

High hopes? You bet

Bit too demanding: probably

But this is Newcastle, and I am not content with simply winning. We should look somewhat stylish while doing it.

[Gejon 2]

Get a time machine then, we aren't the club we were back then and unless we get a wealthy owner that is prepared to spend big money we won't be playing the type of football Spurs, Man City, Man Utd and Liverpool* play whilst still winning games.

 

*Liverpool really don't play that great football tbh, certainly not compared to the other 3 you have lumped them in with.

[The Fish 10674]

[Park Life 71]

 

Ben Arfa is the most technically gifted player we've had since Ginola. The only reason we have is because of something the above illustrates perfectly. He's a mouthy little mug, but he's our mug and he should be the first name on the team sheet every week. Our present alternative Best doesn't even work hard even though he's shit. Unbelievable the negativity thrown at Benny on this thread though. This Norwegian kid does my tits in.

 

That's from the academy days...

 

Pretty brave fronting up Diaby (twice his size). Think Ben has won more medals hands down at the footie.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

They have a big club mentality playing-wise, but lack someone converting chances. IF they had Ba, they would have won every game 4-0.

Whenever they play someone outside the top-6, they just look the better team and they know it. Wish we did the same. Because on paper, we should be able to.

[Lake Bells tits 1]

Negativity on my part is coming from Ben arfa being a "cameon" player and appearently told to find fitness from the bench.

Ive patiently allowed us to trott along with best and obertan since we somehow managed to pick up points, but everyone has a breaking point.

[Park Life 71]

Don't need sugardaddies for the side to play decent passing football week in week out: Norwich and Swansea do a decent job of it. if not completely top end stuff.

[Gejon 2]

Don't need sugardaddies for the side to play decent passing football week in week out: Norwich and Swansea do a decent job of it. if not completely top end stuff.

 

But won't get as many points and will probably be in or around the scrap at the end of the season.

 

Pretty sure the Norwegian is a Liverpool fan, seems to have a proper hard on for them and sees something I doubt anyone else does in their play.