Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Alan Pardew Makes It Up Yet Again ‘This Is Much Younger Squad Than 2009’ – The Truth?

9 years ago
Share

Alan Pardew has been up to his usual tricks, trying to throw out extra excuses for Newcastle’s results and basing them on statistics that just don’t add up.

The Newcastle manager has referred back to the last relegation squad being ‘bloody good’ and intimated that it is even harder for his current squad because they are ‘much younger’ than that ‘bloody good’ squad that got relegated in 2009.

This is what Alan Pardew has said;

“Fabricio Coloccini has been relegated here, he knows that can happen at this football club, that was a bloody good squad that went down in 2009. It is important that we step up to the plate now.

“This is a much younger squad than 2009 but we haven’t got time to wait for players to come through – they have to deliver now. We can’t hang around any more. “

“Remy Cabella has to start performing now.”

We all know that squad should never have got themselves relegated in 2009 but now Pardew is talking about the current lot’s relative experience being a potential excuse, what is the truth?

(To feature like Dean, send in your articles for our website to contribute@themag.co.uk)

In 2008/09, the eleven players with the most appearances that season were the following, each with their ages (in brackets) exactly six years ago (Michael Owen also played 21 times – the same as Martins and Guthrie);

Given (32), Beye (31), Bassong (22), Coloccini (26), Taylor (22), Enrique (22), Duff (29), Butt (33), Guthrie (21), Jonas (25), Martins (23). Add up the ages and you get 286 years.

The last two Premier League matches, Alan Pardew has played the following eleven players and so it is a fair assumption this is his first eleven:

Krul (26), Janmaat (25), Williamson (30), Coloccini (32), Dummett (23), Sissoko (25), Colback (24), Tiote (28), Gouffran (28), Cabella (24), Riviere (24). Add up their ages and you get 289 years.

The thing is, leaving aside Rolando Aarons who has never even started a Premier League match, the only injured players who would probably get in the team would be Santon who is the same age as Dummett, while De Jong (25) would probably replace either Colback who is a year younger, or Gouffran who is three years older.

Whatever, the fact remains that the players Alan Pardew chooses to use are exactly the same mix of ages as happened in that relegation season. Indeed it could be argued that the 2008/09 was more handicapped by youth/inexperience as four of that team were aged 22 or under six years ago, while Alan Pardew prefers not to play the likes of 21 year old Haidara.

Even when Newcastle couldn’t be relegated and had nothing to play for last season, Pardew steadfastly refused to give the young players such as Aarons, Armstrong and others any chance of experience in a low pressure environment.

When you look at the back up players Alan Pardew chooses to include, then with rare exceptions they are predominantly older – Elliot (28), Steven Taylor (28), Anita (25), Obertan (25) and so on (In 2008/09 players such as Viduka (6 games), Smith (4) and Barton (6) were in the squad but hardly played a match between them, due to injury, disinterest, prison…).

Only the quality of the coaching and of the players will be to blame if the ‘R’ word becomes reality, not that Alan Pardew was hamstrung by an inexperienced team/squad.

Quite ironic that Alan Pardew moans about a lack of experience possibly being a weakness, when he has forced out the likes of Ben Arfa, Marveaux (see his brilliant midweek goal [intlink id=”48312″ type=”post”]HERE[/intlink]) and Mapou.

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks