Like Bolton But Not Even Hard To Beat
Surely if Glenn Roeder can get another management job in football, Sam Allardyce can decide to change his football philosophy away from home.
Thanks to the readers of this column, I’ve been informed of some rather alarming comments made by Newcastle’s manager on Sky Sport’s Goals on Sunday programme last weekend. One of the first rules of journalism is to check something and then double check it, but I’m willing to take your word on this one.
Sam, apparently, was on the show alongside best pal and former Sunderland manager Peter Reid and, when asked what he could do to improve Newcastle’s away form, suggested sacrificing a striker for a five-man midfield. What!?
Hmm, that’s an imaginative one, pack the midfield, look to squeeze the space and stifle the opposition, perhaps nick a goal from a set piece or a quick break away..... fantastic.
Newcastle have a wonderful array of strikers, each with different strengths and weaknesses. In fact, it is probably the best set of strikers the club has had since the Kevin Keegan years. So why on earth would you want to sacrifice a striker to play five in midfield?
To be fair, I can perhaps see the sense if you were playing at Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United, but in every away game? Surely not. I’ve got to be honest, the thought, well, depresses me!
From what I can gather, Newcastle created virtually nothing at Reading - as they didn’t at Derby or Manchester City , while the two goals against Boro were individual moments of magic from Charles N’Zogbia (on the bench at the Madjeski) and Mark Viduka (get used to him being injured by the way).
And still a new-look defence with a defensive midfielder sat in front of them ( Nicky Butt) leaks goals away from home like a paper boat in a force ten gale in the middle of the Atlantic ocean!
So what’s the solution? Stick another defensive midfielder in front, leave the strikers on the bench, get men behind the ball, and see if that works! Maybe it will, but at the moment Newcastle are playing like Bolton away from home and they don’t even have the luxury of being hard to beat!
However, I refuse to get too despondent about things because Newcastle are still well-placed in the Premier League and, given that the first-team squad was completely over-hauled in the summer, it’s been a good start for Sam.
For me, the Magpies have a good chance of finishing in a Uefa Cup berth at the end of the season and, given the mood at the end of Roeder’s regime, that will be a big achievement in the circumstances. It’s early days and things are not suddenly going to improve with a wave from Big Sam’s magic wand (God forbid), but I have to admit, I cringed when I heard those comments. Hopefully it’s just a short-term means to an end.
Talking of wands and cringing, it’s Halloween tonight so keep a high-powered water pistol by the door and shoot any trick or treaters in the face when the little greedy so and sos come knocking on the door asking for sweets. Either that, or send an electric current through the garden gate or front door bell and watch them scream when they find out what a real shock is!
As for horror shows, poor old Norwich have got Roeder as their new manager. Some friends of mine have been asking me what they can expect from the former United boss. Well, there will be lots of talking about West Ham getting relegated with a record number of points, his conversations with Arsene Wenger and how he used to be coach with England under Glenn Hoddle.
Actually, Roeder has always had an instant impact on clubs when he takes over and so Norwich will almost certainly get out of relegation trouble. However, as fans of Gillingham, Watford, West Ham and Newcastle will testify, it’s the second season you have worry about with Glenn!
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
Excellent points Luke. I hope they'll form the basis of your questioning at Sam's next press conference.
Our away form - results and performances - has been worse than has actually been reported. Dross is too kind a word for it and I include Bolton in that where we won 3-1 with an only average performance.
Here is link to what Sam actually said, although it reads more like a threat about what he might need to do if things continue to be this bad away from home.
http://www.skysports.com/tv_show/story/0,20144,12384_2831545,00.html
Great points Luke. Because of our disgraceful away record, I appreciate arguments that we should play more conservatively. Our defence, all over the park, has to massively, and quickly, improve. Talk of clean sheets is great, but you've got to go out and actually get them!!!
But the chants of "attack, attack, attack" at Reading summed it up for me. Surely, we should have gone to Reading with the intention of attacking them! They had leaked more than twenty goals this season before we arrived! Milner or Charlie, or both, should have started. As you said, football philosophy should be open to change.
I live in New Zealand (though proudly born and raised in Newcastle) so I don't get to see and hear as much as you guys. For me, the biggest disappointment of the season so far has been the midfield, its lack of genuine creativity, and just as importantly, its lack of breaking down the opposition when we need to. A hard balance, but one that we MUST get right soon.
Would Faye be more consistently effective in midfield than Butt? I think a lot better than that, try Barton and Emre with two natural wingers! You'll probably not agree, but have Smith up front with Martins again or Owen. We need to come right SOON if we're going to have a serious chance of making Europe.
It is early days so maybe I'm asking a lot too soon. But it is not too much for us to demand better performances than at Derby and Reading. We can turn things around away from home. Still, I'm bloody worried about it. As well as improving at home, we better be ready to WIN away from home on November 10th!
Note From Luke
I think, certainly away from home, it makes sense to play with Owen/Martins alongside a Smith or Viduka because they have the ability to hold the ball up with their back to goal and allow midfield runners to threaten offensively. As you say, though, the lack of creativity, esp away from home, has been a major concern for me all season. I'd love to see Barton and Emre play together in the centre, with maybe a more solid defensive player coming in for tough away games.
Hi luke- I agree completely with your comments. I must say Sam is beginning to make me nervous on two points. 1] He keeps on mumbling about if Michael Owen wants to join up with Sven then he could not do much about it- seems to me he is not exactly trying very hard to keep him ,surely a statement like MO is contracted to this club and he is going no where would be more pleasing to the fans. 2} I am not sure how much he appreciates Steven Taylor- His treatment of the lad so far does not exude confidence that he wants to keep him. Sam was annoyed at the collapse of his defence at city and promptly changed the back four-well we got beat by the same score and produced the same inept defending at Reading -so will he change things again or will he stick to the players HE SIGNED { HE DID NOT SIGN MICHAEL OWEN OR STEVEN TAYLOR }. fRANLY i DONT BLAME THE TEAM FOR THE READING DEFEAT- IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ATTACK THEN YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO SCORE. i AM NOW HAVING SOME MISGIVINGS ABOUT HIS JUDGEMENT- WE WILL SEE HOW HE GOES ON . SURELY HE MUST BE AWARE ST WOULD BE SNAPPED UP BY CHELSEA OR LIVERPOOL AND IF THAT HAPPENS THE FANS WOULD NEVER FORGIVE HIM. ST WILL NO DOUBT CAPTAIN ENGLAND ONE DAY EVEN A BLIND MAN CAN SEE THIS LADS ABILITIES AND POTENTIAL.STOP SCARING US SAM OR WE WILL LET YOU KNOW IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.
Note From Luke
Good points, but I can't see Chelsea or Liverpool "snapping" up Taylor anytime soon!
Hi Luke Just read your response to my previous posting. Have to advise you as I live on Merseyside { hence make a round trip of some380 miles to every home game }That the Lverpool interest in ST is more positive than you seem to think--Take my word Luke -you saw it here first and it is known down here that Chelsea are just as interested. If Sam is the great man manager he is always telling us he is then he better do something pretty quick and keep ST on board. ST has publicly stated that Newcastle is his club and how he wants to stay and play for his home town team and he is also willing to fight for his shirt. It would be reassuring if Sam was to equally admit that he intends to keep him. I dont here that from our great man manager neither do I here him saying how he got it dreadfully wrong at Reading with his team selection and deployment- we will never win away when we cant even muster a decent attack- and unless he changes this philosophy of negative defensive football he will have few admirers left on Tyneside. His comments with Peter Reid on sky sports were depressing. We have a 17 million and 10 million attacking pair who could not get a kick because they were well and truly starved throughout the game . He would not play Milner or Zoggy from the outset so we had no width,no midfield craft and his revamped defence allowed a player from the Irish League to embarras them. If we continue to pack our central midfield like this away from home then I cant see us ever winning games away after all you cant win if you dont score. The Reading game was an embarassment and an insult to the fans- To think we used to be called the entertainers.
Note From Luke
It will certainly be interesting to see if Taylor is recalled to the side after the "one bad game" of the defence against Reading!
Couldn't agree with you more about the lack of creativity in midfield, I've been saying it all season and it's my biggest concern about Sam.
Last night, there was a very entertaining horror movie on T.V, No, not Halloween where Mike Myers comes back to murder his sister on Halloween night, but over on Sky, they were showing, horror of horrors, Sheffield United V Arsenal.
It actually gave me quite a fright, watching the Arsenal toddlers parade around with the ball, at one point two players were in a five foot squared space, tacking the ball off each other, at least Mike Myers had a knife!
Sam Allardyce has this philosophy of, if you don’t concede you won’t lose, but this doesn’t allow much margin for error does it? Arsene's infants showed last night that with pure footballing ability, you can overcome any brawn that a Championship side can dish out (Surely there isn’t much difference between Sheffield and Reading except geography)
Maybe one reason for Sam Allardyce’s way of playing is actually laziness, after all it’s probably far easier to get a side drilled into shape to be fairly sturdy, than it is to get one playing the sublime brand of Harlem Globetrotter football that Arsene’s embryo’s are displaying.
I’ve always likened Arsene Wenger to those darn terrorists Hans Gruber and Simon in Die Hard’s 1 and 3- you don’t like what they stand for, but they’re entertainingly amusing and a part of you even wants them to win- now where’s Bruce Willis when you need him.
Back on the subject or Halloween- Glenn Roeder, scary enough as he is in appearance, his management is probably better suited to a Championship side, I wouldn’t begrudge him work, but it’s criminal that he was ever put in full control of a Premiership football club.
We as Newcastle fans are not restricted to being scared on October 31st, it’s a whole years experience for us, so expect Mike Myers-esque situations between now and May.
Note From Luke
Yes i enjoyed Halloween (again), although I decided not to watch the football. I'd already seen Arsenal's "kids" scare me when Newcastle played them. I didn't need to see it again.
In Sam's defence, if I may offer one, everyone would like their teams to play like Arsene Wenger's, but very few manage it. In the short term, Sam has done a decent job, I just hope he becomes more expansive as time goes on and as he gets to know the players better. I don't want to watch the next few seasons watching Bolton play in black and white stripes, although I've always believed Sam played like that because he needed to with limited resources.
There was another manager called Kenny Dalglish who tried to make sure Newcastle were hard to beat first and worry about winning games after that. He didn't last long.
Paul.
there has been much talk of formations for home and away games. Sam says he went 442 for the Reading game. i only wish he had. 442 to him seems to be 4 central midfielders. 442 to me is 2 central midfielders and 2 wingers. it is the lack of wingers that caused our problem at Reading. i have made this point before so i apologise for repeating it,but most goals in football come from balls played into the box from wide positions. it is not only the most entertaining way to play it is also the most successful. there may be an argument for playing some games away without wingers (perhaps only the big 4 teams)even then i am not sure, but there can never be an argument for it against teams like reading. we play Portsmouth this weekend. i really hope THEY come to defend.
The thing with Big Sam is, no matter how much of a top man-manager or motivator he is, he will always rely on a direct approach to the game. He believes in it wholeheartedly and it served him magnificently well at Bolton. Problem is, fans really want more than this despite the fact it will get limited results.
Problem with Big Sam as that he will always prefer a more direct approach, despite the fact it may only get limited results because it served him so well at Bolton.
Bruce WILLIS as manager??? Would love to see that....LOL...
Moved away from Newcastle in 1973. Arrived in W.A the day sunderland beat leeds in the F.A Cup. Whilst now a ridgie didge Aussie, i still recognise my proud geordie roots.
For many years, british football has been limited to about 2 minutes on the sunday news and small snippets in the papers. i am also dissappointed with the current form but appreciate the opporunity to see the lads most weeks on foxtel. Players come and go. as do the managers. The manager is the scapegoat for each and every defeat. Not the eleven players that try their hardest but sometimes "it just aint their day" No-one goes out to play crap but somtimes it happens, I fully support ALLARDYCE as i have with the previous managers. I hope the results improve but will follow NUFC regardless if in Premier league or wallowing at the foot of the bottom divisions.