Why we could go down, or will we

Creativity gone. Pace gone. Its hardly rocket science that you need players to play to their strengths if you want to succeed.

Since TCA [change of tack from me here] was kicked out of the club, our style of play has changed noticeably. Its the right way to play, but is it the right way to play ?

How can you play effective football if you don't have effective footballers ?

Think about it. Bolton were struggling early in the season, with their team trying to play "more football". Since Gary Megson came in they have - supposedly according to reports anyway - reverted to the style they used before which suited the players that were put together by Allardyce.

Result = better results and movement up the league.

The football we played was crap, but we had a team of predominantly scrappers, Allardyce was building a team to play his style of football.

Now, we are trying to play with flair but don't have it. Our results are not going well. True nobody expected to get anything against Arsenal twice, but the disastrous 2nd half at Villa has set the alarm bells ringing.

The glee among the southern manure supporting press at Keegan failing to recapture his old magic after 5 games is huge, probably heard all the way to Manchester.

Its not working. Or is it just that we have played good quality teams and lost accordingly.

We have home games against teams below us, its essential that we win those games, maybe not all 3 but certainly 2 and a draw are needed to keep daylight between us, and I'm not talking about the mackem derby game specifically, just a haul of at least 7 points out of these 9, with an away win thrown in for good measure.

Are we going to get these points by playing the way we are at the moment, or reverting to long ball and scrapping mode which is more in keeping with the limited ability of our midfield players.

Staying up, the only thing that matters now.

We made life very hard for ourselves with our team selection at Villa, we have to get it right against Man Utd, or we're in for a pasting. However I really think we've got a decent chance at home to Blackburn.

Allardyce's non-football was no better than what I've seen over the last few weeks. I'm encouraged that we move the ball around better but if there's one player we need an awful lot more from it's Mark Viduka. He is absolutely vital.

We don't have a team of effective cloggers either. I see signs of good stuff and it is not the fact that we cannot play well, merely a complete lack of confidence. If we were lucky enough to go two up in a game, I would expect to see that confidence flooding back. However, at the moment too many contentious decisions are affecting too many players collectively, resulting in a "here we go again" attitude.

Whether we can stay up is probably down to a considerable turn around in luck (a marginal offside going our way - or more relevantly a blatant offside not going the other team's way) and holding out for a win - just once - to remind them of how good they actually can be.

Oh, and picking the right team would help - playing to the strengths that most of them have in abundance

Not making excuses like but we haven't have had a lot of luck this season, you make your own though imo

The only thing that will keep us up is some quality finishing from Owen, Viduka and Martins. We are not good enough defensively to keep clean sheets, and we are not creative enough in midfield to make a lot of chances. Our only ray of hope is that those three mentioned are all capable of scoring top-notch Premiership goals.

Fuck off you bunch of lightweight supporters ....Derby have gone Fulham have all but gone....that leaves one more place, what makes you think it will be occupied by us?....The teams below us will be struggling with the pressure more than us man.

sunderland reading bolton wigan
are allll going have it tougher than us

Thats what I love about you heavyweights....... optimism, blind optimism. 3 points from the last 30 has relegation written all over it.

You may think others are struggling with the pressure but they are not struggling as much as you lot. Derby and Fulham may well be gone, but you lot are going to be sucked right into this if you don't put it right quickly.

Keegans appointment at Newcastle has the look of McCarthy's at Sunderland. Everyone full of optimism only to end up gutted.

Thats what I love about you heavyweights....... optimism, blind optimism. 3 points from the last 30 has relegation written all over it.

You may think others are struggling with the pressure but they are not struggling as much as you lot. Derby and Fulham may well be gone, but you lot are going to be sucked right into this if you don't put it right quickly.

Keegans appointment at Newcastle has the look of McCarthy's at Sunderland. Everyone full of optimism only to end up gutted.

like you, we need to beat the teams below us when we play them, we simply can't afford to lose to Reading and Fulham at home.

Or you lot.

2 wins at least from those 3. Especially Reading as Fulham are probably going to go

Thats what I love about you heavyweights....... optimism, blind optimism. 3 points from the last 30 has relegation written all over it.

You may think others are struggling with the pressure but they are not struggling as much as you lot. Derby and Fulham may well be gone, but you lot are going to be sucked right into this if you don't put it right quickly.

Keegans appointment at Newcastle has the look of McCarthy's at Sunderland. Everyone full of optimism only to end up gutted.

Fuck off man...Look at the teams we have played since KK came back...We are playing lesser teams by a long way now....Anyhoo we ARE above the ones below us so it's them that have to start winning just to catch us up...Daft lad.


£20 says we won't get relegated....Have you got the bottle to take it on if you believe the pish you type

Lesser teams eh?

Blackburn, Liverpool, Spurs, Portsmouth, Sunderland, West Ham, Chelsea, Everton.

Even Birmingham, Fulham and Reading are capable of taking points off you especially when they are scrapping to survive.

You can put money on Sunderland getting their first away win against your lot.

It's written!!

Never suggested you would be relegated but don't fall into the trap of thinking your too good to go down. 3 points from the last 30 IS relegation form whether you're big enough to admit it or not.

33 points to play for and you'll be lucky to scrape 6. Will 34 points be enough to stay up?

3rd worst defensive record in the league. Leaking goals like a ship hit by an iceberg. FFS even we have a better goal difference than you lot.

Keegan said it all. You need a win. The confidence in your squad is draining away and the prospect of being pulled right into the relegation mire frightens the shite out of you.

Lesser teams eh?

Blackburn, Liverpool, Spurs, Portsmouth, Sunderland, West Ham, Chelsea, Everton.

Even Birmingham, Fulham and Reading are capable of taking points off you especially when they are scrapping to survive.

You can put money on Sunderland getting their first away win against your lot.

It's written!!

Never suggested you would be relegated but don't fall into the trap of thinking your too good to go down. 3 points from the last 30 IS relegation form whether you're big enough to admit it or not.

33 points to play for and you'll be lucky to scrape 6. Will 34 points be enough to stay up?

3rd worst defensive record in the league. Leaking goals like a ship hit by an iceberg. FFS even we have a better goal difference than you lot.

Keegan said it all. You need a win. The confidence in your squad is draining away and the prospect of being pulled right into the relegation mire frightens the shite out of you.

Frightens the shite out of me?...aye right that's why I offered you the bet...Are you taking me on or not?

Typical mackem, fucking bottler


Saying that, £20 spent in Herons probably feeds his fat lass and six kids for a fortnight.

Keep it up lads. You are chomping like fuck.

Rapidly becoming the team everyone loves to hate. Keeping portraying the stereotypical image the nation has of you.

"It'll never happen to us"

Bunch of Ostriches.

There's only one person biting here

Lesser teams eh?

Blackburn, Liverpool, Spurs, Portsmouth, Sunderland, West Ham, Chelsea, Everton.

Even Birmingham, Fulham and Reading are capable of taking points off you especially when they are scrapping to survive.

You can put money on Sunderland getting their first away win against your lot.

It's written!!

Never suggested you would be relegated but don't fall into the trap of thinking your too good to go down. 3 points from the last 30 IS relegation form whether you're big enough to admit it or not.

33 points to play for and you'll be lucky to scrape 6. Will 34 points be enough to stay up?

3rd worst defensive record in the league. Leaking goals like a ship hit by an iceberg. FFS even we have a better goal difference than you lot.

Keegan said it all. You need a win. The confidence in your squad is draining away and the prospect of being pulled right into the relegation mire frightens the shite out of you.

Selective quoting by the resident mong there like...LOOK AT THE TEAMS WE HAVE PLAYED SINCE KK CAME BACK was the first line ...

He's only had 6 matches, 3 of them against the best 2 teams in the country and another against a team destined for the top 6...We will not be relegated....the players that went to the Africa cup of nations are also back now so when KK gets his team settled and playing with each other in the next couple of weeks it will all be water under the bridge, then the resident mong can concentrate on his own teams inadequecies........Obsessed half wit.

There's one of the "lesser" teams out of the way then.

Another one next week.

Birmingham on the up the week after.

Fulham who might spring a surprise after that

Spurs will have the beer out of their systems for the next one.

Reading after that and their win today will have bolstered them

Portsmouth after that, looking good....... for the bottom 3 by then.

Sunderland win first away game of the season.

Nobody left for you to play after that. West Ham, Chelsea, Man City.

Current form worse than Derby's

Still you have the God on the Tyne. I'm sure he'll conjure up a miracle for you.

20 quid...yes or no?

We played well yesterday, it was a real smash and grab

We won't go down if we keep playing like that but we do need some goals from somewhere, obviously like

Yesterday really was galling.

The general improvement should not mask the fact that Joey Barton is an absolute disgrace of a footballer and should be spending his Monday nights with the stiffs.

Yesterday really was galling.

The general improvement should not mask the fact that Joey Barton is an absolute disgrace of a footballer and should be spending his Monday nights with the stiffs.

Barton was absolutely shite yesterday.

If his head isn't right he shouldn't be playing but then again what alternatives does keegan have ?

We are truly paying the price for not replacing Solano and Dyer big style.

I think obvious answer is Geremi, who is moderately capable just sitting in the middle of the park and not running too much. However alongside Butt that means no real forward thrust from CM, something we clearly lacked. If only Emre was consistent and not a crock.

yep, I do wonder if zoggy could play there though, with a defensive steady anchorman next to him, as we've plenty of those ........

We just need 3 wins and it would be enough I would say.

He clearly thinks he can play there but every time I've seen him in the central role he's been found wanting, he just isn't able to really impose himself.

That said, he's be ten times better than Barton, so in he goes.

His pace and running at people is def something we could do with whether its his best position or not

Emre is a lazy little prick. Half the time when he's supposed to be injured I reckon he just can't be fucked playing. And when he's out there, he finds a little hole where he can stay out of the action. Won't get forward, won't get back. Watched him playing for Turkey a few weeks ago and he was just the same. Manager pulled him off in the end, middle of the second half, and I've no doubt called him a lazy little cunt, or the equivalent in Turkish, like...

Perhaps we should put Milner in the middle and put Duff and N'Zogbia on the wings - perhaps swapping from time to time as most decent clubs will do with their wingers. Not ideal to have a left footer on the right, but at least when Duff comes inside he can have a go with his left foot instead of scuffing with his right!

Agreed.

Milner in the middle is a fair shout. Probably suit him - holding midfielder like. He's never going to be a proper outside right. Is his tackling up to it?

I'm sure that Milner played in a central position when he was younger at Leeds ?