Quote Originally Posted by HughieG View Post
Wrong. We finished 16th under Pardew the season after having finished 5th. For some reason people, such as the pundits, forget about that season, and tend to go on about how he almost took us into the top 4, and how we should worship him for that and how we gave him way too much stick and haunted him out of this club.

Now I do think that Pardew got more hate than he deserved because he worked under restrained conditions, but he certainly wasn't a god-send like the "experts" would have you believe.

Anyway, I think some of the points you're making are decent Ghost, but overall we disagree strongly and it's mainly the lack of patience that worries me with fans like yourself I have to say.
I'll tell you why I'm lacking patience, when normally I've been ultra patient in the past.
It's because I am starting to see some of the worst football I've seen for a long long time from players that are capable of offering much more. And that's down to the manager and coaches he instructs to set them up.

I also get bad vibes from Rafa and see him as a dummy spitting manager within the club, with players who maybe have questions for him. You know, stuff like " hey boss, I'm fit and working hard and biting at the bit, when do I get into team."
I think Rafa takes stuff like that as a personal dig rather than seeing a hungry player.
Ok I might have embellished that a little bit but I think you can see what I'm saying.

One manager I didn't like was McClaren. I accepted him because I hoped he would magically do something for us with the players he had. His smug smirks sealed his fate on top of his excuses for us not winning.

Rafa gives me the opposite feeling of dislike , because in Rafa I'm looking at him in a more cold sense. I don't get any real good vibes from him.
I feel like he's someone that's stood in his garden with his ball and telling all who wait outside to play, " you'll play how I want or I won't bring my ball out." Whilst the players are all thinking, " ahhh let's just get on with it, even though we hate playing like this."


I don't think it's just me that'll be losing patience. I honestly think that the players will start to revolt. I think you'll start to see the harmony become disharmony as it will show on that pitch.
No football player wants to be stifled or made to constantly play chicken chasing for most of a game. They want to show what they're capable off and Rafa is stifling that from just about all of them.


I don't see how fans can defend him on this. It's misery.
I'm just moaning on and on, I know that but all I can see from this point on is more misery and then everything will turn nasty because of it and he will be hounded out or he'll walk out when he realises he's lost the fans and his squad.

Over the top?
I hope I am, I really do, because I'd hate to say I told you so.
I'd much prefer getting to the end of the season after doing much better and people telling me that I'm a pratt for being so doubtful and impatient.
I just don't see it though.

Moan over.