Pearson's on the Monday Mong Fest Tonight

[Profondo Rosso]

I am not picking on you, but this is typical of several messages on this board and, by implication, Nigel Pearson's views in the Mercury interview. NP picked the team on Saturday. Wellens can't train regularly, Dyer couldn't pass water and Steve Howard needs a step ladder to get up for crosses at his advanced age.

The team at Doncaster was the worst selection for many years and, despite poor performances, Pearson has failed to give other players a match. He must take some of the responsibility, rather than simply blaming the eleven he chose.

You've obviously erased the Holloway and Levein eras from your memory. It was nowhere near the worst team selection in years.

That team selection worked really well for NP's first 3 games and against Hull we held on well with 10 men. It didn't work against Peterborough, but he'd essentially be dropping players based on one of his first 5 games. NP hasn't been watching us for the past year, so he doesn't know that King and Wellens have been underperforming for about 12 months now as we all do.

Beckford was deservedly dropped, because he hasn't been performing and doesn't look like he can score to save his life, unfortunately Howard was the only option he had to bring in, which says more about needing another striker than anything and Dyer is simply there because he's our only wide player as again there are no other options.

Judging by NP's comments he will rightfully change it on boxing day, but he only had 5 games to go on leading up to this match, not months as we have had.

 

[The Old Fox]

NP hasn't been watching us for the past year, so he doesn't know that King and Wellens have been underperforming for about 12 months now as we all do.

Do you want to recant on this? Pearson has coaches who have been at the club for some time. They should be able to advise him and every match is videoed. I would expect him to have watched a sample of these and to have a reasonable knowledge of his squad by now.

Also, if he doesn't know that Wellens and King have underperformed, how does he know that Sven's signings are not far better?

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Do you want to recant on this? Pearson has coaches who have been at the club for some time. They should be able to advise him and every match is videoed. I would expect him to have watched a sample of these and to have a reasonable knowledge of his squad by now.

I don't want to recant on this at all, watching old videos back are not the same as watching the match live, you don't pick up on the same things as there is no emotion involved. Have you ever watched an old match on ESPN classic or something? After watching those I couldn't really tell you how each player played. I would imagine the best reason to watch old videos would be to get an overall view of the shape and general errors etc. And if his coaches advise him, that's exactly their opinion not NP's, how do you know Stowell and Rudkin etc. don't rate King or Wellens? They certainly played them when they were in caretaker charge. Fwiw, SGE also largely played King and Wellens ahead of his own signings in midfield.

 

[Babylon]

Do you want to recant on this? Pearson has coaches who have been at the club for some time. They should be able to advise him.

The first thing the coaches at the club did after Svens sacking was to bring in the old guard who had previously served us very well. So maybe they advised Pearson that the other signings since his departure have been no better than what we have. The fact Sven started three of them regularly over his signings also speaks volumes.

 

[Babylon]

You've obviously erased the Holloway and Levein eras from your memory. It was nowhere near the worst team selection in years.

That team selection worked really well for NP's first 3 games and against Hull we held on well with 10 men. It didn't work against Peterborough, but he'd essentially be dropping players based on one of his first 5 games. NP hasn't been watching us for the past year, so he doesn't know that King and Wellens have been underperforming for about 12 months now as we all do.

Beckford was deservedly dropped, because he hasn't been performing and doesn't look like he can score to save his life, unfortunately Howard was the only option he had to bring in, which says more about needing another striker than anything and Dyer is simply there because he's our only wide player as again there are no other options.

Judging by NP's comments he will rightfully change it on boxing day, but he only had 5 games to go on leading up to this match, not months as we have had.

Spot on.

 

[spionfox]

Spot on.

 

[alex]

Wondering if King warrants a place above Danns in the middle at the mo'....

 

[Redditch Fox]

Too many average at best midfielders. Doesn't make much odds which get selected tho' Wellens probably need 'resting' for a while. Lack of goal scoring capacity. I'm not a great fan of Yakubu but he got his quota of goals and we're missing that. I've got a bad feeling that Beckford doesn't want to play for us and won't be around for long - a costly resort to having to loan him out beckons. Pearson is the sort of manager who will probably sort it out...eventually.

 

[Micky]

I think we are suffering at the moment because of the vastly different footballing philosophies of Pearson and Eriksson. I am sure there will be a transition in the team over the next few weeks and the end result will be a more cautious, direct and gritty style. Perhaps not pleasing on the eye but tighter defensively and more productive in terms of results.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

I think we are suffering at the moment because of the vastly different footballing philosophies of Pearson and Eriksson. I am sure there will be a transition in the team over the next few weeks and the end result will be a more cautious, direct and gritty style. Perhaps not pleasing on the eye but tighter defensively and more productive in terms of results.

Not so sure I agree about vastly differing philosophies with regards to caution and directness.

SGE played some of the best football I've ever seen Leicester play last season, but I don't think he played anything of the sort this season. I always thought we were very cautious and one dimensional under SGE this season and probably used the high ball under SGE more than we have done since NP came back. Our whole game under SGE seemed to be to pass it out to Peltier and Konchesky and for them to lob high balls into the box, or alternatively pass it back to Schmeichel for him to lob a high ball forward.

I think the main difference is the width, which NP seems to want to come from wide midfielders and SGE seemed to want to come from full-backs.

 

[Matt_B]

Too many average at best midfielders. Doesn't make much odds which get selected tho' Wellens probably need 'resting' for a while. Lack of goal scoring capacity. I'm not a great fan of Yakubu but he got his quota of goals and we're missing that. I've got a bad feeling that Beckford doesn't want to play for us and won't be around for long - a costly resort to having to loan him out beckons. Pearson is the sort of manager who will probably sort it out...eventually.

I agree with most of that but I have no idea how you come to that conclusion with beckford.

 

[Hazzman]

how does he know that Sven's signings are not far better?

The place for it....err...training ground.

Wondering if King warrants a place above Danns in the middle at the mo'....

I think Danns is destined to join my catalogue of shite midfielders we've signed in my lifetime.

 

[Miles Away]

I don't want to recant on this at all,

Of course you don't.

 

[Matt_B]

The place for it....err...training ground.



I think Danns is destined to join my catalogue of shite midfielders we've signed in my lifetime.

He looks a lot better out wide than in the middle imo.

 

[alex]

Funny, he was magnificent fOr Palace for two seasons...

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Funny, he was magnificent fOr Palace for two seasons...

Palace fans hardly think he was "magnificent." The general opinion seems to be he was a hard working player in a side battling against relegation and that's about it.

http://www.cpfc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=225949&page=2

 

[Profondo Rosso]

On second thoughts, on reading that thread the whole way through opinion seems to be mixed on him, some saying he's a very good player, others saying far too inconsistent and overrated, but certainly doesn't seem like they thought he was magnificent.

Either way, they were a very poor, relegation battling team at the time. So doesn't necessarily mean he'd be a good player for us, a team supposedly after promotion.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

Palace fans hardly think he was "magnificent." The general opinion seems to be he was a hard working player in a side battling against relegation and that's about it.

http://www.cpfc.org/forums/showthread.php?t=225949&page=2

Bare in mind some of them are not likely to heap praise on him now he is gone. They wanted him to stay - that says it all. From what I have seen, he is hard working, his off the ball movement is decent and he is willing to get at people which is good to see - though seems to lack the ability to do it, as he regularly seems to lose the ball in his feet or just not be able to get around the last man. His all round game is decent.

Good squad player to have at this level I think but not sure he could make it in the Prem - not that that matters a great deal at the moment!

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Bare in mind some of them are not likely to heap praise on him now he is gone. They wanted him to stay - that says it all. From what I have seen, he is hard working, his off the ball movement is decent and he is willing to get at people which is good to see - though seems to lack the ability to do it, as he regularly seems to lose the ball in his feet or just not be able to get around the last man. His all round game is decent.

Good squad player to have at this level I think but not sure he could make it in the Prem - not that that matters a great deal at the moment!

I tend to agree. Good squad player, in fact I think he's been most effective for us as an impact player off the bench. Don't think he's really good enough to be starting in a side who want to be chasing promotion though. I think he's fine being used as an impact sub i.e. against Blackpool however.

 

[Hazzman]

He looks a lot better out wide than in the middle imo.

I am the opposite. I prefer him in a central free role. Looks like he enjoys it more there and after the game at Pompey, I am surprised Pearson has switched to a 4-3-3 yet with him in the middle.

His touch and decision making however winds me up rotten.