Protest

[Keckers]

First post in AGES.... And it's relatively long. Bear with me.

To be frank, I am not happy with some things. I don't believe AN is the man for a few reasons. But I will acknowledge the league position is fantastic and I love it.

My concerns about AN are quite simple really. Nothing to do with transfers as I don't know how much input he has into that. My concerns are to do with Fitness and tactics. The players just don't seem as fit as they were under Lambert (not rose-tinted specs). I listened with interest to Clive Woodward and Eddy Jones talk about the fitness concerns in the England rugby team and their argument that the best 15 players should be able to platy the full 80 mins and be running when the opposition are blowing rung true with me. 2003 World Cup winners had that. Rotation at 60 mins killed that. Similarly, under Lambert we were conditioned to go until the 96th minute if needed and outstrip the opposition on fitness. We closed down quicker, attacked (so much) quicker, played for each other and didn't run out of puff at the 70 minute mark like I've witnessed this team do a few times this season. I also don't see a plan B from AN when things are not working. Same problem as last year. Substitutions leave me and all around me confused too often (not just because we are sometimes easily confused...). And I am not sure the players are playing for him. I could be wrong but I detect a small amount of disharmony there. I don't like how quick he is to blame the players. I understand that they cross the line and play, but he picks the team, gives them their tasks and tactics, and should be able to change things when they are not working. To me (and it is a personal view) I feel we have had a number of individuals win us games, not team performances. If that continues, great, but I am still concerned that this will not be sustainable at which point all of the other things bite us on the arse.

My opinion for what it's worth. I wouldn't appoint just anyone, but you cannot tell me that there are not better options out there? I don't buy this "one of the best young managers out there" line the club are trying to sell. His record in decent level of football (England) is one promotion (with Neil Adam's team who played really good football for a long time under NA), one relegation (from PL with a lot of acknowledged mistakes), and this campaign (yet to play enough to be able to judge properly). 

I think we should be courting other options and monitor the situation very closely. He's not the man for me personally. I hope it works out for him (not for him personally but because I want the club to do well) and I hope we see a few more convincing team performances soon.

K

 

[Bill and ben]

Despite the league position I think a lot of people are unconvinced.  I wouldn't make any changes now though. However, things will go wrong eventualllyand it's in these moments that he should be judged, just like Adams

i could see the sense in doing a Watford though. MYbe Neil is at his level.

 

[Canaryboy]

Who would we have got if we'd sacked him this summer though. 

Nigel Pearson and Roberto Di Matteo seem to be doing a good job of messing things up for their respective clubs.

I think fans are frustrated that we aren't playing teams off the park for 90 minutes. But Newcastle have down that a couple of times (beat QPR 6-0?) and then lost the following week. So I'd take consistency at the moment.

I think that changing manager could have been a very bad idea this summer. The moment we'd have scapegoated the manager it would have let the players off the hook and I bet we'd have seen a few more of our better players leave this summer if they didn't feel like they owed us something as a collective.

 Also it can't be easy to go up a level through the play-offs after half a season with somebody else's squad. Lets try and get back up properly as Champions and see what Alex Neil can do then.