Pearson Out

[Mawsley]

If anything is going to stop me keeping the faith it's being told to keep the faith. The same goes for quitting.

 

[fitz]

If anything is going to stop me keeping the faith it's being told to keep the faith. The same goes for quitting.

Have you tried redoubling your efforts?

 

[Brown Nose]

Firstly, many thanks for taking the time to write your reply to my question. I feel I learnt a lot. Much appreciated.

Also the Guardian article was very illuminating. I guess this quote sums up our current predicament quite nicely: 'A five-man midfield, however it is arrayed, brings its own problems, perhaps most obviously that it can be difficult, particularly for less technical teams, to get men forward to support the lone striker.'

Absolutely right. And this goes back to the point I was trying to make in my original post in this thread. As NP and his team are resolute 4-4-2 men, they've got a massive learning curve to adapt to a formation that can be effective for us at this level. We're in awful position whereby the players, coaches and manager haven't got a clue what to do game to game.

Cambiasso and Ulloa were not 4-4-2 signings. It was clear to me that they were recruited to enable us to adapt our way of playing. So there was clearly some acknowledgement of what was required. However, the bulk of our midfielders and forwards (Mahrez/Powell aside) are only really comfortable in a 4-4-2 formation. We've simply not prepared our squad for this season properly.

I've always been a critic of NP and this is one of the very few things that I've always found limited about him that led me this opinion. He's such a good manager is so many ways but he is primitive tactically. One solution that I advocated several months ago would be to recruit a technical first team coach. Someone to use pre-season to modernise our way of playing. Also, to radically evolve forward our way of managing attacking and defensive set pieces. We are utterly reliant on idiots like Shakespeare and Stowell for this and they're no good at it. Sadly, we were too complacent and it's now costing us dear.

Seriously, if NP has the guts to do it, he should pick up the phone to Tony Pulis (or someone equally qualified) and offer him £2m to come and spend the next six months teaching our players how to set up, press and hold our shape, how to manage set pieces, etc. I say Pulis because he is brilliant at it and exactly what we're missing. However, I'd doubt either party would find that working arrangement acceptable. I really don't buy the argument that our players aren't up to it. With the right direction, many of them are perfectly capable.

Ultimately, unless NP adapts dramatically fast, he is now holding back our clubs progression. I can only hope our owners get this message quickly in the same way the the ones at Southampton did about Adkins or the way Holloway (to his credit) acknowledged himself at Palace.

 

[camberwell fox]

Seriously, if NP has the guts to do it, he should pick up the phone to Tony Pulis (or someone equally qualified) and offer him £2m to come and spend the next six months teaching our players how to set up, press and hold our shape, how to manage set pieces, etc. I say Pulis because he is brilliant at it and exactly what we're missing.

I had this very thought a few days back. I was going to post it but thought people woudl laugh at it - so decided to keep quiet. It would solve a multitude of problems.

 

[Lako42]

I had this very thought a few days back. I was going to post it but thought people woudl laugh at it - so decided to keep quiet. It would solve a multitude of problems.

And create one big one.

 

[DesertFox]

I've enjoyed most of your recent posts, BN, as they were well thought out, and you obviously know your football more than most of our headless fans. But...

As NP and his team are resolute 4-4-2 men...

As far as self-perpetuating myths go, this one is right up there with "Big-spending Leicester". We mostly played 4-4-1-1 last season, with quite a few 4-2-3-1 thrown in and even 3-5-2. We finished the League 1 season playing 4-3-3. This season we've played all sorts of formations. How many times has he said in the past few weeks that we'll get hammered if we try to play 4-4-2 against teams that will easily dominate us? Does that really sound like a manager that can't or won't play another system? No, of course it doesn't.

Cambiasso and Ulloa were not 4-4-2 signings. It was clear to me that they were recruited to enable us to adapt our way of playing. So there was clearly some acknowledgement of what was required.

It has been even more clear to those that have listened to all of Nige's interviews since the end of last season, because he's said as much every other time he's opened his mouth!

One solution that I advocated several months ago would be to recruit a technical first team coach.

So we're assuming that none of the 43 (by my count) management, sports science, medical and academy staff is capable of this, or has even thought to mention it as a good idea? Good job you're here to make the suggestion!

As for the rest about Pulis/Pearson dream team, that's just too silly to bother commenting on.

Fecking hell, people! A couple of years of brilliance, and then five bad games (after five excellent ones) and we're all starting to lose our collective shit and panic like it's the end of the world. Get a fecking grip!

Pisspoor out!!!1!!1"!? Bollocks, more like.

 

[DesertFox]

Have you tried redoubling your efforts?

If we redouble our efforts, we will then be giving it 220%! Surely that can't fail.

 

[DesertFox]

We are utterly reliant on idiots like Shakespeare and Stowell for this and they're no good at it.

Oh, and it's heartening to see that, after four seasons at the club, our hitherto well-regarded assistant manager has joined Mike Stowell as being branded an idiot with no foundation whatsoever. Well done, everyone, good job.

 

[DesertFox]

Last moan for now... for those that genuinely want Pearson out and fancy chancing our arm with a new manager, here's a sobering list for you. Since MON left, our esteemed club has managed to appoint the following guvnors...

Peter Taylor
Dave Bassett
Micky Adams
Craig Levein
Rob Kelly
Martin Allen
Gary Megson
Ian Holloway
Nigel Pearson
Paulo Sousa
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Nigel Pearson again (greatest win ratio of any permanent manager in the club's 130-year history)

But feck it, let's give it a go! Maybe we can tempt Peter Reid from the Indian Super League. Or perhaps Phil Brown deserves another shot at the big time.

Jeez!

 

[Blue Maniac]

So you're saying you're sick of Pearson, Dessie?

 

[DesertFox]

Yeah, **** him, he's an idiot. He's gorra go, inni?

 

[DesertFox]

I do think it's telling, though, that we've only managed to make two decent appointments out of the last twelve, and both of those were called Nigel Pearson.

 

[DesertFox]

And, the only period of success during this time has, oddly enough, coincided with the only time we've had any sort of continuity or long-term plan.

OK, I'll shut up now. But I suspect you've got the gist of how I feel about it.

 

[homer]

Dessie and Peestain sitting in a tree..........

 

[Matt_B]

I've enjoyed most of your recent posts, BN, as they were well thought out, and you obviously know your football more than most of our headless fans. But...


As far as self-perpetuating myths go, this one is right up there with "Big-spending Leicester". We mostly played 4-4-1-1 last season, with quite a few 4-2-3-1 thrown in and even 3-5-2. We finished the League 1 season playing 4-3-3. This season we've played all sorts of formations. How many times has he said in the past few weeks that we'll get hammered if we try to play 4-4-2 against teams that will easily dominate us? Does that really sound like a manager that can't or won't play another system? No, of course it doesn't.


It has been even more clear to those that have listened to all of Nige's interviews since the end of last season, because he's said as much every other time he's opened his mouth!


So we're assuming that none of the 43 (by my count) management, sports science, medical and academy staff is capable of this, or has even thought to mention it as a good idea? Good job you're here to make the suggestion!

As for the rest about Pulis/Pearson dream team, that's just too silly to bother commenting on.

Fecking hell, people! A couple of years of brilliance, and then five bad games (after five excellent ones) and we're all starting to lose our collective shit and panic like it's the end of the world. Get a fecking grip!

Pisspoor out!!!1!!1"!? Bollocks, more like.

Dissected far better than I could have done.

 

[alex]

NP we trust


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brown Nose]

As far as self-perpetuating myths go, this one is right up there with "Big-spending Leicester". We mostly played 4-4-1-1 last season, with quite a few 4-2-3-1 thrown in and even 3-5-2. We finished the League 1 season playing 4-3-3. This season we've played all sorts of formations. How many times has he said in the past few weeks that we'll get hammered if we try to play 4-4-2 against teams that will easily dominate us? Does that really sound like a manager that can't or won't play another system? No, of course it doesn't.

Sorry old chap but this is totally incorrect. NP and Shakespeare in numerous interviews throughout last season, with a handful of exceptions mainly around the start of the season, said they wanted to play 4-4-2, they preferred 4-4-2, the players preferred 4-4-2 and so they played 4-4-2. I mean, I wasn't the only one listening to this repeated statement and watching those matches was I? It was as pure a 4-4-2 as you'll ever see. Occasionally, Nugent would drop a bit deeper but that was only during the course of some matches. Most of the time, he was up the front alongside Vardy.

 

[Brown Nose]

It has been even more clear to those that have listened to all of Nige's interviews since the end of last season, because he's said as much every other time he's opened his mouth!

Here you are hitting on a very interesting point. This season, out of nowhere for him, NP has decided to talk tactics. In previous seasons, he has reacted pretty obviously negatively to any tactical questions put to him. It's always been, "there is too much made of this", "it's the players that matter" and so on. When pressed however, he has always said that he prefers 4-4-2 and will play it as long as he has the personnel for it. There are loads of interviews from last season and before where both he and Shakespeare say this. In the pre-match interviews RL have with CS, he said it before practically every game.

Now all of a sudden, NP resolutely states that 4-4-2 cannot be effective so he won't play it. I actually completely agree with him but it is this switch that I'm trying to highlight as a cause of the current confusion and lack of clarity about what the feck we are trying to do.

 

[Brown Nose]

So we're assuming that none of the 43 (by my count) management, sports science, medical and academy staff is capable of this, or has even thought to mention it as a good idea?

Let's take the issue of set pieces. We've been dogshite at them throughout NPs tenure so they are a common theme. Who out of the 43 people you refer to do you hold responsible for this? We hit the same corners and free kicks every game with no innovation or indication that there has been any planning. Because these are specifically the responsibility of CS and MS (based on statements from NP and both of these people) I make the assumption that they're both crap at it. I have other reasons for thinking they are both weak links within the non-playing staff too but this one is quite obvious.

There are a number of reasons to believe that we have some highly skilled and capable staff amongst that 43 but they all have specific roles and not all of them are good at them. We are desperately short of tactical sophistication and anyone that watches us can see it. If NP truly is a quality manager, he would prioritise addressing our weaknesses as opposed to giving jobs to his pals.

 

[Brown Nose]

As for the rest about Pulis/Pearson dream team, that's just too silly to bother commenting on.

I did state that I didn't believe it could happen but it illustrated the point I was trying to make. If NP brought in TP or someone with equivalent skills to organise a team at this level, do you not think we'd have a better chance of survival?

There have been precedents for this sort of thing. Lambert bringing in Keane this season. Or Redknapp bringing in McClaren last. It's a smart move for a manager that knows there is a gap of some sort within their staff.