I feel I have to be patient but Pearson needs to be brave

[JG400]

I am prepared to give Pearson the time to shape his squad but I would like him to be brave;

 

Shackell , thought he was poor today , never seems to be looking up the left wing when there is space , and took to many touches , genuine question here can Pearce play on the left side of a back 4 ?

 

Midfield , I would stick my neck out and say to Johnson, the position is your's, play your way back into form (until Thorne or Hanson is fit ;-)  ) , I am afraid Bryson would be dropped which is unfair but Hughes is playing better

 

Russell - err Bye ! , I guess it would have to be Ince or (can Weimann play on the right ?)  or really Brave look in the Under 23's

Wilson looked lost today , could be rusty but Ince could play that role , again with a under 23 playing on right

 

 

 

[deanoakaram4life]

You should give him time! He's only been here for 6 games! Everyone slandering him should calm down and stay away from football for a while. 

[JaguarRam]

7 hours ago, deanoakaram4life said:

You should give him time! He's only been here for 6 games! Everyone slandering him should calm down and stay away from football for a while. 

No one is slandering him. He is being criticised for poor tactics and bad performances. I don't care if you have been here for 6 games or 600 you can still be criticised. 

[Van der MoodHoover]

8 hours ago, deanoakaram4life said:

You should give him time! He's only been here for 6 games! Everyone slandering him should calm down and stay away from football for a while. 

He's been working with the great majority of the squad for about what, 3 months?

Long enough I think to establish a direction of travel.

It's what this direction is that bothers me.

[G-Ram]

We all wanted clement out for less

[Cool As Custard]

Think I should have posted this here instead.....

5 minutes ago, Cool As Custard said:

Agreed - we aren't brave enough in possession when things are against us. We weren't too bad and seemed to try some new things at 0-0. The goal completely took the stuffing out of us and all the old bad habits returned. This is where many of our players lack of strong character shows through - even under previous managers playing 4-3-3 we have struggled to get results when things go against us and we haven't been on top in games. This is what Pearson is trying to change - it's not the formation but rather the ability to continue to play and grind out results when things aren't going our way.

Anya and Vydra both showed enough signs on debut to believe they are part of the solution but I'm still not sure about Wilson. I think he needs to be in a confident side playing well in order to see the best of him and we already have too many players like that and not what we need right now. Russell is a complete waste right now - it's like playing with 10 men constantly. This combined with being too lightweight in midfield means we are constantly being outgunned and struggle to establish consistent periods of pressure in games. 

The fix for me would be to drop Russell, move Hughes out wide and bring Johnson or Hanson back into the centre of midfield. Hughes out wide would link up better with Christie when attacking and be able to drop inside to make up a middle 3 when under pressure. He is intelligent enough to do this well and would contribute far more than Russell. Johnson or Hanson could sit more and allow Bryson more opportunity to bomb into the box and link up with Vydra as he did yesterday for his penalty shout. This would also be the perfect role for Thorne to play when he comes back hopefully before Xmas. Anya and Olsson also showed a few glimpses of a good partnership developing in the first half and think we should allow this more chance to develop.

The only other issue is who plays up front with Vydra? Martin would not have been the answer - his lack of mobility would never work in this system. For me - and I will probably get shot down in flames for this - I would give Blackman an extended run to rebuild the partnership he had with Vydra last season and use Wilson more from the bench. Blackman has a bit more physicality than Wilson but also has the option of dropping out wide right allowing Hughes to move inside to a 4-5-1 when we are under pressure.

This is all only papering over the cracks though. The issue remains the fundamental mental weakness of many of our players and more drastic surgery is required in January to put in place a team of winners who we can be proud of again ready to mount a serious promotion charge again in 2017-18. Nigel will get this right we just need to all get behind him, forget about promotion this season and give him the time he needs.

 

[Woodley Ram]

9 hours ago, JG400 said:

I am prepared to give Pearson the time to shape his squad but I would like him to be brave;

 

Shackell , thought he was poor today , never seems to be looking up the left wing when there is space , and took to many touches , genuine question here can Pearce play on the left side of a back 4 ?

 

Midfield , I would stick my neck out and say to Johnson, the position is your's, play your way back into form (until Thorne or Hanson is fit ;-)  ) , I am afraid Bryson would be dropped which is unfair but Hughes is playing better

 

Russell - err Bye ! , I guess it would have to be Ince or (can Weimann play on the right ?)  or really Brave look in the Under 23's

Wilson looked lost today , could be rusty but Ince could play that role , again with a under 23 playing on right

 

 

 

Shackell is a good defender but not a ball carrying one, Newcastle closed Keogh down today to force Shackell into having more position, his passing and running with the ball is not the best (although he did it once). He is our best defender. Christie played well but due to lack of creativity feels that he needs to over attack. Keogh was good, he should have come off after his injury but stayed on, I don't care what people say is is important to our side. Olson was ok but not strong enough, the weaker of the back 4.

we were not strong enough in midfield and that was our problem, we need 3 in there and I think you are right BJ will do that, I think he has a big part to play this year. Hughes was my MoM, he is excellent. Bryson was also good but our midfield is lite weight .

Anya is excellent and I put him second to Hughes as my MoM, I like him. Russell is running out of time, Vydra will come good, he played next to no football this year. Wilson did look lost but then started to come into the game and then was taken off. 

This was a better performance, we lost confidence with their goal but it was an improvement, I see green shots here. 

I would like us to sign Adebayor as we need a bit of beef up front, we lacked that as well yesterday. 2 positions to change a strong midfielder and a big strong forward step forward BJ and sign Adebayor 

 

[Van der MoodHoover]

9 minutes ago, Cool As Custard said:

Think I should have posted this here instead.....

Agreed - we aren't brave enough in possession when things are against us. We weren't too bad and seemed to try some new things at 0-0. The goal completely took the stuffing out of us and all the old bad habits returned. This is where many of our players lack of strong character shows through - even under previous managers playing 4-3-3 we have struggled to get results when things go against us and we haven't been on top in games. This is what Pearson is trying to change - it's not the formation but rather the ability to continue to play and grind out results when things aren't going our way.

Anya and Vydra both showed enough signs on debut to believe they are part of the solution but I'm still not sure about Wilson. I think he needs to be in a confident side playing well in order to see the best of him and we already have too many players like that and not what we need right now. Russell is a complete waste right now - it's like playing with 10 men constantly. This combined with being too lightweight in midfield means we are constantly being outgunned and struggle to establish consistent periods of pressure in games. 

The fix for me would be to drop Russell, move Hughes out wide and bring Johnson or Hanson back into the centre of midfield. Hughes out wide would link up better with Christie when attacking and be able to drop inside to make up a middle 3 when under pressure. He is intelligent enough to do this well and would contribute far more than Russell. Johnson or Hanson could sit more and allow Bryson more opportunity to bomb into the box and link up with Vydra as he did yesterday for his penalty shout. This would also be the perfect role for Thorne to play when he comes back hopefully before Xmas. Anya and Olsson also showed a few glimpses of a good partnership developing in the first half and think we should allow this more chance to develop.

The only other issue is who plays up front with Vydra? Martin would not have been the answer - his lack of mobility would never work in this system. For me - and I will probably get shot down in flames for this - I would give Blackman an extended run to rebuild the partnership he had with Vydra last season and use Wilson more from the bench. Blackman has a bit more physicality than Wilson but also has the option of dropping out wide right allowing Hughes to move inside to a 4-5-1 when we are under pressure.

This is all only papering over the cracks though. The issue remains the fundamental mental weakness of many of our players and more drastic surgery is required in January to put in place a team of winners who we can be proud of again ready to mount a serious promotion charge again in 2017-18. Nigel will get this right we just need to all get behind him, forget about promotion this season and give him the time he needs.

That's a good analysis. I do wonder about this "mental weakness" thing. Is it the case that it has become a self fulfilling prophecy and our players have heard so many people telling them they're mentally weak that eve n if they weren't before they have become so?

[Ramarena]

21 minutes ago, Woodley Ram said:

Shackell is a good defender but not a ball carrying one, Newcastle closed Keogh down today to force Shackell into having more position, his passing and running with the ball is not the best (although he did it once). He is our best defender. Christie played well but due to lack of creativity feels that he needs to over attack. Keogh was good, he should have come off after his injury but stayed on, I don't care what people say is is important to our side. Olson was ok but not strong enough, the weaker of the back 4.

we were not strong enough in midfield and that was our problem, we need 3 in there and I think you are right BJ will do that, I think he has a big part to play this year. Hughes was my MoM, he is excellent. Bryson was also good but our midfield is lite weight .

Anya is excellent and I put him second to Hughes as my MoM, I like him. Russell is running out of time, Vydra will come good, he played next to no football this year. Wilson did look lost but then started to come into the game and then was taken off. 

This was a better performance, we lost confidence with their goal but it was an improvement, I see green shots here. 

I would like us to sign Adebayor as we need a bit of beef up front, we lacked that as well yesterday. 2 positions to change a strong midfielder and a big strong forward step forward BJ and sign Adebayor 

 

I'd agree with that, apart from signing Adebayor I'd rather not sign anyone. I think central midfield is the key here, we have gone several season without a replacement for Eustace. 

We need a defensive midfielder available for when Thorne is out. 

[Cool As Custard]

3 minutes ago, HantsRam said:

That's a good analysis. I do wonder about this "mental weakness" thing. Is it the case that it has become a self fulfilling prophecy and our players have heard so many people telling them they're mentally weak that eve n if they weren't before they have become so?

Good challenge - but I look back to our last 3 promotion teams and look at the strength of leaders and winners we had in all 3 of them and compare them to what we have now....

Div 2 champions under Arthur Cox - Hindmarch, Gregory, Williams, Davison and MacClaren (Ross not Steve!)

Championship runners up under Jim Smith - Stimac, Van der Laan, Yates, Gabbiadini and Powell (Chris not Darryl!)

Championship Playoff winners under Billy Davies - Moore, Oakley, Edworthy, Howard and Johnson (Michael and Seth!)

Compare this to we have now and I would say we lack a serious number of battle hardened leaders and winners. That and a couple of players with the same surname which seems to be the obvious pre requisite to a promotion campaign!

[davenportram]

I am being patient, but like anything patience wears thin when you see nothing changing. The basics still are not there, no sign of improvement and the players appear to not know what they are doing.

 

[Cool As Custard]

1 minute ago, davenportram said:

I am being patient, but like anything patience wears thin when you see nothing changing. The basics still are not there, no sign of improvement and the players appear to not know what they are doing.

 

I disagree - if you couldn't see an improvement in yesterday's performance compared to Burton then you need your eyes testing! Forget about the result, performance was better but still nowhere where it needs to be.

Its not a quick fix and might take most of the season but if every game shows improvement then I'll be happy we are on the right track.

[Chester40]

37 minutes ago, Woodley Ram said:

Shackell is a good defender but not a ball carrying one, Newcastle closed Keogh down today to force Shackell into having more position, his passing and running with the ball is not the best (although he did it once). He is our best defender. Christie played well but due to lack of creativity feels that he needs to over attack. Keogh was good, he should have come off after his injury but stayed on, I don't care what people say is is important to our side. Olson was ok but not strong enough, the weaker of the back 4.

we were not strong enough in midfield and that was our problem, we need 3 in there and I think you are right BJ will do that, I think he has a big part to play this year. Hughes was my MoM, he is excellent. Bryson was also good but our midfield is lite weight .

Anya is excellent and I put him second to Hughes as my MoM, I like him. Russell is running out of time, Vydra will come good, he played next to no football this year. Wilson did look lost but then started to come into the game and then was taken off. 

This was a better performance, we lost confidence with their goal but it was an improvement, I see green shots here. 

I would like us to sign Adebayor as we need a bit of beef up front, we lacked that as well yesterday. 2 positions to change a strong midfielder and a big strong forward step forward BJ and sign Adebayor 

 

I thought you were making sense...but Adebayor??? No no no!! The man's worse for the dressing room than any player I can think of...err unless is Nasri still free?

[Ellafella]

10 hours ago, deanoakaram4life said:

You should give him time! He's only been here for 6 games! Everyone slandering him should calm down and stay away from football for a while. 

It's just that some of us can see:

1. He is a poor judge of which players to play in which positions...Eg1 he hasn't yet worked out the midfield. EG2 He thinks Blackman has great potential...(BTW anyone see his shot last night on the edge of the D that went out for a throw-in? )

2. No pattern or modus operandus on the field of play 

3. A rather vacuous stream of words post-match said in a rather menacing grimace as if he is about to head-but Colin Gibson (we live in hope)

4. That the team have gone backwards since he has been in charge.

5. Compare and contrast Newcastle Utd...how long has Benitez been in charge? 

6. Why does everybody think 10 games is the yardstick? What evidence is there for this? (Jim Smith aside).

I see no redeeming features. I see a crowd of names in the dugout (Idiakez, Phillips, et alia) and a team on the pitch that will not score many goals this season. I see a season of struggle already. I see a manager who seems bereft of any idea of what to do other than pretend he knows what he is going to do. The tyres are flat and the wheels are starting to wobble already...  

[davenportram]

27 minutes ago, Cool As Custard said:

I disagree - if you couldn't see an improvement in yesterday's performance compared to Burton then you need your eyes testing! Forget about the result, performance was better but still nowhere where it needs to be.

Its not a quick fix and might take most of the season but if every game shows improvement then I'll be happy we are on the right track.

The basics are still not being performed correctly. We were no more dangerous going forward than at Burton and created no more chances than we did against them either. 

[Curtains]

1 minute ago, davenportram said:

The basics are still not being performed correctly. We were no more dangerous going forward than at Burton and created no more chances than we did against them either. 

I think Newcastle are a better team than Burton. 

They will win this League with Rafa .

[LeedsCityRam]

Firmly believe there isn't that much tinkering to do before this side starts igniting. It would be unfair not to point out that yesterday's display was better than the Burton performance & before Gouffran's goal, we looked reasonably lively.

That said, the key problem is not so much the lack of goals but the fact we don't even look like scoring - not testing keepers, not getting in behind defences, no clear chances & being too easy to defend against. Part of this was addressed yesterday with Vydra & Wilson showing more movement in 90 mins than Martin ever managed - the second part of this is the midfield mix as Vydra/Wilson will not be scoring either if they have next to no service.

I have no idea what Johnny Russell is currently bringing to this team - his passing & general technique has been very poor this season & a lot of our counter attacks are breaking down with him losing possession. Secondly, much though I like Bryson's work ethic & his goal threat (when the formation suits him) - I don't believe he works particularly well in a 2 man midfield - particularly when his presence is inhibiting the ability of our most creative player (Hughes) to dictate play further up the pitch.

For me, we need a bedrock behind the creative players & those creative players need to be encouraged to pass & move, not simply pass sideways - it is this static play that forces the likes of Shackell to hoof the ball up to 2 smallish strikers, who have no chance of winning the ball or doing anything constructive with it. Many on here forget the contribution John Eustace made to the Steve McClaren teams - how he enabled others to play (before George Thorne arrived). In the continued absence of Thorne, we need to put Bradley Johnson in that role - use his strength, his ability to make simple passes & tenacity to break up play & get the ball quickly to Hughes & to Ince, who needs to replace Russell asap.

The mental fragility is overplayed by some on here. Put simply, we're fragile because confidence is low & the players look baffled & frustrated in trying to break down well drilled defensive units. I'm convinced a couple of positive results, playing with more pace & urgency would turn things around very quickly.

[davenportram]

2 minutes ago, curtains said:

I think Newcastle are a better team than Burton. 

They will win this League with Rafa .

Against any opposition you should be able to pass accurately more times than you don't, retain possession from throw ins and be able to at least look da heroes from corners and free kicks and be able to put decent crosses into the box when you have the opportunity. We didn't yesterday and haven't done all season.

[Ninos]

7 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

Firmly believe there isn't that much tinkering to do before this side starts igniting. It would be unfair not to point out that yesterday's display was better than the Burton performance & before Gouffran's goal, we looked reasonably lively.

That said, the key problem is not so much the lack of goals but the fact we don't even look like scoring - not testing keepers, not getting in behind defences, no clear chances & being too easy to defend against. Part of this was addressed yesterday with Vydra & Wilson showing more movement in 90 mins than Martin ever managed - the second part of this is the midfield mix as Vydra/Wilson will not be scoring either if they have next to no service.

I have no idea what Johnny Russell is currently bringing to this team - his passing & general technique has been very poor this season & a lot of our counter attacks are breaking down with him losing possession. Secondly, much though I like Bryson's work ethic & his goal threat (when the formation suits him) - I don't believe he works particularly well in a 2 man midfield - particularly when his presence is inhibiting the ability of our most creative player (Hughes) to dictate play further up the pitch.

For me, we need a bedrock behind the creative players & those creative players need to be encouraged to pass & move, not simply pass sideways - it is this static play that forces the likes of Shackell to hoof the ball up to 2 smallish strikers, who have no chance of winning the ball or doing anything constructive with it. Many on here forget the contribution John Eustace made to the Steve McClaren teams - how he enabled others to play (before George Thorne arrived). In the continued absence of Thorne, we need to put Bradley Johnson in that role - use his strength, his ability to make simple passes & tenacity to break up play & get the ball quickly to Hughes & to Ince, who needs to replace Russell asap.

The mental fragility is overplayed by some on here. Put simply, we're fragile because confidence is low & the players look baffled & frustrated in trying to break down well drilled defensive units. I'm convinced a couple of positive results, playing with more pace & urgency would turn things around very quickly.

Superb post.

[Curtains]

5 minutes ago, davenportram said:

Against any opposition you should be able to pass accurately more times than you don't, retain possession from throw ins and be able to at least look da heroes from corners and free kicks and be able to put decent crosses into the box when you have the opportunity. We didn't yesterday and haven't done all season.

We are in transition and still developing a pattern of play .

We have Thorne to come back and players like Johnson and Butterfield will now have to step up to get back in the team. 

Pearson won't take any player power from anyone. 

Hughes was brilliant yesterday his best game this season .