derry

Yes it was well worked, however it was Lambert and Waigo both decent footballers, linking up the left and Lambert crossing for Antonio. If this was the way we played most of the time I would be delighted, however it's the preponderance of long balls, especially from Davis I don't like.

Maybe you should try spellcheck and a bit of punctuation to encourage people to think it might just be English. I thought this was a forum for people to put their opinions whatever they think. It doesn't require ridicule or sarcasm if the views are original, or different. However if it suits your ego, fil yur bots.

Sad. Pity you don't have anything to add to the discussion. Still sarcasm and abuse is your trade mark. I can't be bothered with you.

We aren't going to get to the premier and stay there with Pardew as the manager. His pragmatic approach leaves us well short of what we should be with this squad. I think that NC will pull the plug if he falls short of the play offs. The JPT euphoria will have worn off and be replaced by disappointment and I can't see NC allowing the time.

And at a lesser level, so did Swindon and Brighton amongst others at SMS. I would settle for us playing pass and move but I hate the incessant long ball.

For me the fact that Wotton is our No 1 back up midfielder pretty much sums up what I feel about Pardew. FFS Gillett played well in the CCC this year and can't even get a game but Wotton does.

I expect that NC knows a lot more about those available and if he does decide to make a change it will be for the better. As successful as Brian Clough was he only lasted 44 days at Leeds so there is no guarantee. If Pardew was a more positive and consistent manager in terms of his tactics and selections I'd be happy with him. I don't like the way we play and it's effect on the football or in our case, the lack of it, despite a talented squad.

Give him time, Duncan.

I don't like the way he plays but as his tactics aren't really working it's just a matter of time before somebody else gets the job. Unless of course he changes tactics and gets to the play offs, however it's a pretty long shot.

Your wasting your time. Give it time and eventually the penny will drop that what we have now with Pardew is all we are going to get, because that's the way he manages.

According to Merrington, although we had 5 in the middle, the wide men were tucked in as usual, leaving the space wide for Brighton to pass and move and crowding our midfield denying us the room to play.

Pretty much sums up the narrow crap that is played, which leads to the long ball game. Stewart Murdoch is the scout.

You can make all the excuses you like, we haven't won enough games and drawn far too many, despite scoring plenty of goals against some teams, we were unable to, when we really needed to win. 17 wins in 38 games isn't good enough.

Half way through the season with 23 matches left we were 7 points off the play offs, now we have to win our last 8 games and make up 11 points. We brought in Barnard, Puncheon, Seaborne and Otsemobor and despite the strength of the squad we underperformed most of the time. In the fullness of time I feel that it will be proven that Pardew is a 'don't lose, no risk' manager not 'a get out there and win manager'. I see this morning that Norwich have won 23 of the last 28 games under a manager that gives it a go. Until we have a manager that believes in going all out and is brave we aren't going to be successful. We have been tactically out manoeuvered on quite a few occasions this year and our compact formations have caused us to drop many points.

Carry on singing.

Short memory, Pardew set up for two big strikers but they turned with two little pacy strikers who tore us apart. Poyet did his homework and outwitted us.

I have tried to explain but continually get flak from the same posters who don't attempt to explain their view but resort to sarcasm etc rather than lay down a reasoned tactical alternative view.

If you had done any of that you wouldn't have to resort to being so bloody obnoxious.

Or maybe it's teams like Brighton doing their homework and turning over teams who think they only have to turn up.

I take it you don't believe that formal training courses teach anything you can't pick up as a fan. Of course it gives a different perspective. It is my view we play badly when we compact the midfield and the evidence supports that. And for those pontificating about the merits or otherwise of apparently the only systems they know 4-4-2/4-3-3/4-5-1/4-3-1-2 maybe reading 'Inverting The Pyramid' by Jonathon Wilson would be an education, but then standing in the Northam singing, is education enough.

Whatever!

It is indeed what you saw, but Swindon weren't intentionally marking with two or three, it was the tightness of the play that caused the Swindon players to be compacted and the traffic jam that meant our midfield was constantly under pressure from the sheer numbers of opponents in a small area, which we brought on ourselves by compacting the midfield, which we did again with a 4-3-1-2 even narrower formation on Tuesday until after the first goal. There is a point in time for the second wide midfielder to come inside. Too early and there is no switching alternative and it allows the fullback to tuck in and reinforce the central defenders, Too late and no threat, however it could keep the full back out, opening up the middle for a midfield runner. Ideally hold off and come in late on the 45 on the blindside arriving late with the ability to attack/recover the deep or over hit cross with the posibility of being a free man as the fullback will more than likely be drawn away to help the central defenders.

Ball and Peters plus lots of movement from Hurst and Hunt. Don't need wingers, just need to have players wide both touchlines when attacking. Chelsea do it with about six players, AV use two some use three or four to achieve the same thing with movement, but it is using the full width of the pitch which keeps the passing options open. We compact on purpose and restrict our movement by not using the full width of the pitch resulting in the lumping it up to Lambert. When we do on occasions open up such as Walsall and twenty minutes on Tuesday we are very positive so why do we need to restrict ourselves especially as we seem more secure defensively playing like that.

United play the simplest system in football albeit with very good players. It is break out quickly, get the ball out wide, keep the width on the blind side for the switch in case of being blocked off, the full back on the play side reinforces the wide player and the midfield runners get up quickly into the box to reinforce Rooney or Berbatov. All executed at pace on the break. Simple and devastating.

Width is not being on one touchline with the widest player on the other side tucked in beside the central midfielders, it is using the full width of the field not half of it. Puncheon is quick and often goes down the outside crossing from the byeline either side, Lallana never. Swindon didn't double and triple mark Lallana and Puncheon, they didn't have to, as they were tucked in tight to the central midfielder., the Swindon midfield and back four made a compact 8 denying them the room, It was a traffic jam with 14 players in a small space. Lallana and Puncheon were instructed to tuck in and we got what we deserved. Schneiderlin especially had no place to pass the ball because of the traffic jam. As soon as Swindon got the ball they spread out and moved the ball around from wing to wing keeping possession which we couldn't do.