Knight B1 to C3 to take Bishop

[Rob1742]

Supported NP to the hilt over the last few seasons. To create a team to take us straight out of league one was massive, then to take a very expensive Sven team, cut the budget and take us up was a massive achievement. I think he has been an excellent manager for us so far.

I think at the moment though he is getting it horribly wrong.

As a new team to the league, the uncertainty that this gives, ensures we should pick up a number of wins as teams find it difficult to work us out.

However, instead of playing to our strengths, he is playing a game of chess, playing teams that he thinks will set up to nullify the opposition, but unfortunately these teams we play are more experienced than us and so turn us over.

The thing is, we have a decent squad, we have enough here to do well and maintain our status, but we are trying to fit in with the league rather than playing at our own strengths.

As an example, if we were playing WBA last season in the FA Cup, I think we would have won. We would have played Drinkwater and James in the middle, Mahrez and Knockaert to be creative, Nugent and Vardy to score the goals. No way would we have played a diamond, no way would we have played without the creativity.

This season we have better options, we now have Ulloah, we now have Powell, so if we had set up like we did last season and took the game to them, we would have had a better chance.

I understand most teams play 5 in midfield, I know at certain times we will need to nullify this, but against the likes of West Brom and Burnley where you need to win, then our side of last season with the added players should be winning these. At the very least, we should be playing with the rythmn that we did last season to at least put us on the front foot.

Early season we were lucky, we got battered at Stoke and I think pure energy got us through Everton and Arsenal. We didn't have rythmn in these games either.

It's not getting any better. Swansea his substitutions were to change like for like when we were going nowhere, rather than try something that may change the game.

Yesterday, no width or creativity, apart from Mahrez who was on the bench only.

As I said, I am a massive fan of his, but he seems to be worried about going at teams, and prefers to have done okay, not get embarrassed and lose 1-0 rather than try and make a feast of it.

I am sure this is not the case, but he appears to be showing the public that he can set up teams to play in the Premier League, when he should be looking at what he has and use it wisely.

There is enough in this team to stay up and stay up comfortably. But my fear is that to stay up playing the way we do, we need to buy some serious players to fit in with the system. We don't need them yet, we could comfortably take the likes of West Brom on with our old formation and players and win enough at home to see us through.

In summary, we are playing chess with people that are better chess players. They have been playing chess for years, are experienced and so we shouldn't play them at chess.

Been worried for weeks now. I knew Crystal Palace would be harder than the Man U game and said so beforehand, but since thn we have got it all horribly wrong.

[Guest ttfn]

For a minute I thought this was a post about swapping the Kop and the family stand.

[SystonFox]

For a minute I thought this was a post about swapping the Kop and the family stand.

Isn't it?

[Crinklyfox]

Supported NP to the hilt over the last few seasons. To create a team to take us straight out of league one was massive, then to take a very expensive Sven team, cut the budget and take us up was a massive achievement. I think he has been an excellent manager for us so far.

I think at the moment though he is getting it horribly wrong.

As a new team to the league, the uncertainty that this gives, ensures we should pick up a number of wins as teams find it difficult to work us out.

However, instead of playing to our strengths, he is playing a game of chess, playing teams that he thinks will set up to nullify the opposition, but unfortunately these teams we play are more experienced than us and so turn us over.

The thing is, we have a decent squad, we have enough here to do well and maintain our status, but we are trying to fit in with the league rather than playing at our own strengths.

As an example, if we were playing WBA last season in the FA Cup, I think we would have won. We would have played Drinkwater and James in the middle, Mahrez and Knockaert to be creative, Nugent and Vardy to score the goals. No way would we have played a diamond, no way would we have played without the creativity.

This season we have better options, we now have Ulloah, we now have Powell, so if we had set up like we did last season and took the game to them, we would have had a better chance.

I understand most teams play 5 in midfield, I know at certain times we will need to nullify this, but against the likes of West Brom and Burnley where you need to win, then our side of last season with the added players should be winning these. At the very least, we should be playing with the rythmn that we did last season to at least put us on the front foot.

Early season we were lucky, we got battered at Stoke and I think pure energy got us through Everton and Arsenal. We didn't have rythmn in these games either.

It's not getting any better. Swansea his substitutions were to change like for like when we were going nowhere, rather than try something that may change the game.

Yesterday, no width or creativity, apart from Mahrez who was on the bench only.

As I said, I am a massive fan of his, but he seems to be worried about going at teams, and prefers to have done okay, not get embarrassed and lose 1-0 rather than try and make a feast of it.

I am sure this is not the case, but he appears to be showing the public that he can set up teams to play in the Premier League, when he should be looking at what he has and use it wisely.

There is enough in this team to stay up and stay up comfortably. But my fear is that to stay up playing the way we do, we need to buy some serious players to fit in with the system. We don't need them yet, we could comfortably take the likes of West Brom on with our old formation and players and win enough at home to see us through.

In summary, we are playing chess with people that are better chess players. They have been playing chess for years, are experienced and so we shouldn't play them at chess.

Been worried for weeks now. I knew Crystal Palace would be harder than the Man U game and said so beforehand, but since thn we have got it all horribly wrong.

Good intelligent post.

 

Few teams in the PL play 4-4-2, the formation with which we were successful last year.  When they do they tend to lose out in midfield.  So I agree that NP has been changing the system, but if he hadn't there would most likely have been posts criticising him for a lack of understanding of how to set up for success in the PL.

 

Players have to adapt to the PL, so do managers, and as you rightly say we have been out-thought by some of the more experienced practitioners at this level.

 

Leaving out some of your best players in order to accommodate a system is a brave move, we'd love it if the opposition benched their best players against us.  If we are to use a different system then we need players who can exploit it.  It's not working well enough at present and I too am worried.

[Mark_w]

I think we should play Backgammon instead.

[shade]

i agree, impose don't presuppose.

[suffolk fox]

Were knight and Bishop left out too? Wtf Pearson out.

[Saxondale]

Yep, agree with most of that.

I don't think the players look happy playing how they've been asked to either.

[Kitchandro]

Totally agree, apart from one point. I've been saying so for a few weeks now.

 

The only thing I disagree with is your view of the Everton and Arsenal games. For me, that is the way we should be playing, we did have rhythm, we had tempo and we defended from the front. Sure we were under pressure at times, we're going to be, Everton and Arsenal are better than us. But we didn't let that bother us, we continued to play a positive game full of promise and attacking threat and got deserved points. I would argue had Ulloa scored that chance against Arsenal we would have got the 3 points we deserved.

 

I think the first 3 home games and Chelsea away were the way we ought to be playing. Whether we're playing 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. It's the way we played last season.

[fazzyfox]

Do I have any chess puns? I'll just check mate.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Having no experience at all, of Premiership management, it was always going to be a big ask of Pearson. He was always going to be on a learning curve, so it was never going to be easy. However I am beginning to question, as to whether or not he has taken anything on board at all, as his decision making has been derisively poor. Unless he gets his act together soon, we are destined for a very traumatic season.

[Rob1742]

One thing is certain, he has decided that we are going to take on our opponents playing the premiership way. He is sticking to it, believing we are only losing by tight margins and at some point we will get used to it and get better.

I think last week or the week before he said we will get better and with him mentioning tight margins he believes we will get a handle on how to win.

I would have preffered playing "our" way against the likes of Palace and West Brom.

if he pulls this off and we do improve, he certainly needs credit for holding his nerve. Personally I think we were good enough to take games to the opposition on certain games and I think we would gain enough points to stay up.

Only time will tell, but he will be one hell of a manager if he pulls it off.

[deep blue]

One thing is certain, he has decided that we are going to take on our opponents playing the premiership way. He is sticking to it, believing we are only losing by tight margins and at some point we will get used to it and get better.

I think last week or the week before he said we will get better and with him mentioning tight margins he believes we will get a handle on how to win.

I would have preffered playing "our" way against the likes of Palace and West Brom.

if he pulls this off and we do improve, he certainly needs credit for holding his nerve. Personally I think we were good enough to take games to the opposition on certain games and I think we would gain enough points to stay up.

Only time will tell, but he will be one hell of a manager if he pulls it off.

Some great comments on here. At the moment I would prefer us to go back to last season's formation and approach. But maybe Rob1742 is right. Maybe NP is trying to convert us into his perception of what a Prem team should be and, with Cambiasso's input, if he holds his nerve we may get there. It will be a hard road as they improve the understanding of our squad until they can play more effectively together in the various ways demanded.

It's a good long-term goal, especially as we have enough young players who should be ripe for learning and improvement. It would be a shame if the improvement came too late to save us from relegation, though, especially as I believe our players are good enough now to stay up if only a way could be found to get them playing well, and positively, as a team again.

[Stevosevic]

I want him out.