Carver on Pardew and the way Newcastle run their week

Posted on November 18th, 2011 | 26 Comments |

Carver talks about the way Newcastle United plan their week.
Responsible for attack
John Carver offer some insight into how Newcastle United run the dressing room on a weekly basis and talks about how he’s now convinced that Alan Pardew is the man for the job.

In a recent interview, John Carver told of how he and Alan Pardew split the workload at Newcastle, with Pardew concentrating mainly on the defensive side of things and Carver concentrating on attack. Carver said:

“Every Monday he [Pardew] comes into work having compiled a defensive report on the opposition. That’s his project, working with our video analysts to provide players with the best information.

“This week, for example, he will talk about Manchester City’s angles of attack, their set-pieces, their movement, as well as focussing on individuals. The lads will be made aware of Dzeko’s strengths and weaknesses, the best way to nullify Silva, Milner’s incredible work-rate, everything.

“That takes care of Monday to Thursday. On Friday it’s my turn when we look at ways to get at opponents. Put simply, Alan concentrates on how not to lose and I then find ways to win.”

It’s interesting that we spend the largest portion of the week on defence and goes some way to explaining why we have the best defensive record in the Premier League. I don’t know if that’s the typical way a Premier League manager does things but I can only imagine that it’s totally different to the way Keegan ran things in the 90’s, where it seemed that Darren Peacock and Philippe Albert were only vaguely aware they were defenders.

Presumably, the way a manager sets this sort of thing up has a lot to do with the team he has at his disposal and clearly – judging by our third position – what Pardew does works well for our current team.

Carver admits that he couldn’t understand why Chris Hughton was sacked in favour of Alan Pardew:

“For a start, I was angry that Chris had been sacked just a few weeks after the 5-1 win over Sunderland.

“When I heard Alan was taking over, I thought it was a strange decision.

“Newcastle are a club that have traditionally had big-name managers and I couldn’t understand why the club thought he was the right man.”

But when offered the job at Newcastle, Carver was soon convinced:

“It took only five minutes to realise this fella’s got something.

“Alan’s plans for Newcastle really excited me and I needed no convincing to return to the club I love.

“I signed a four-month contract in case things didn’t work out, but both of us soon knew it would be a more permanent arrangement.”

So far so good for Pardew and Carver.

I think there are a lot of people waiting for this horrendous three game run we have so that they can say “I knew Newcastle didn’t have what it takes”, but in fairness few teams will pick up points at either Eastlands or Old Trafford and I reckon we’re good for a point against Chelsea anyway. I think if we can make life difficult for the League’s top 2 and not be complete pushovers we’ll have proved that we’re worthy of our position and – who knows – we might surprise a few people yet.

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

26 Responses

  1. If you have to prove you’re good team by win at Old Trafford and Etihad. Less than 10 teams around Europe are that good.

  3. Fikri you have it right, keep them out, nick a goal at the end, City and Utd will be tough but Chelsea should fall apart (they don’t like it up ’em) – even if we lose the next three its not the end of the world – I just hope fan protests about the Stadium name don’t take anyone’s eyes off the ball

  4. It does appear that Pardew is very hands-on and works closely with the team, especially the defence, possibly more so than previous managers we have had.

    Totally agree Ginkohro. The success of a club in the premiership is not determined by how well it does at ManC or ManU.

    I find it strange and irritating that quite a few pundits refrain from wholesome praise for us and have to come up with lame excuses like they haven’t played the top three yet. I don’t see the same comments said against Spurs or Liverpool.

    If we loose against ManC we would have faired no better than ManU but I hope we put in a more spirited performance than ManU who rolled over and went belly-up. Similarly against ManU I hope we give a more spirited performance than Arsenal.

    There is no shame in losing to these two teams on their home grounds. However, it’s the way you lose that’s important. Don’t want any wimpish displays from our brave and determined lads.

  5. They’re doing a sterling job whatever happens over next 3 games, personally think we’ll get at least 3 points out of them – pity the good work they’re doing on the pitch is undermined by the ham fisted way Ash and Llambias fook around with the clubs heritage

  7. Looks like Guthrie and Cabaye in the centre of midfield who have played well together so far but who plays on the vacant right?

  10. Hugh & Tattyhead

    I would think it’s a toss-up between Gosling, Ben Arfa and Santon. I hadn’t considered Lovenkrands before.

    I wonder whether it would be too much of a painful memory for Ben Arfa to play. Although I would imagine that he might be fired up to show City what he was, and hopefully still is, capable of before he was hacked down by that City player last year.

  11. mancityblues blog suggest they will line up 4-5-1

    ———————–Hart————————-
    Richards——-Savic——–Lescott———–Clichy

    ——–De Jong——————–Barry————-
    ———————-Yaya————————–
    Silva—————————————-Aguero
    ———————Balotelli———————-

    If we play a patched up 4-4-2 against it they won’t allow us an inch in mid-field!
    I have a bad feeling that a hammering awaits us! Our only real hope is an 8 man defence holding on for a nail biteing 0-0.

  12. Supermac says:

    November 18, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    “mancityblues blog suggest they will line up 4-5-1”

    There could be three formations there Supermac. 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 or even 4-3-3. Silva and Aguerro are more attacking mids / forwards than they are old fashioned wide men and will come forward and cut in. Yaya Toure is a flexible player who can either drop back and be defensive with De Jong and Barry or come forward and join in the attack. It’s ridiculous and shouldn’t be allowed.

  13. what about gosling on the right?

    ba and best up top? hba on the bench?

    my heart is overuling my head but im very excited for the game!!!!

  14. I hope that Lovenkrands is not part of the picture, and certainly not the starting eleven. He’s on the way out, not the way up.

  15. Appears job security is top of Carvers list.
    Why ?
    In case you did’nt get it, the inference that Peacock and Albert (they were vaguely aware, they were defenders) was an obvious knock at KK, the bosses would like that.
    Lets see if he Carver and Pardew are anywhere close to producing a side as successful and entertaining as KK’s sides.
    As for the comment “it only took five minutes to realize this fella ‘s got something” really John, your that astute eh?
    And for a guy who has worked for a number of different managers, he appears not to know how others run things, what was he? not paying attention or something ?
    Hey! used to respect this guy, ah well !

  16. As for projected lineups, does it matter who Citeh start, they have the ability to field two equally good sides, it’s known as Quality in depth.
    Meanwhile we have a couple of injuries and who are we suggesting, Lovenkrands, Gosling, Guthrie.
    I can just see it with Ba and Best wasted, hanging around up front, possibly our best forward HBA on the bench and of course without Tiote to break up attack’s, a tremendous task for our defenders.
    Hope as Carver mentioned, Pardew has done his homework as far as defense is concerned, question is with the talent available to Citeh, who will they field and how does one plan against all combinations?
    At this stage in the season, without doubt, our best game was against Stoke.
    Where we harried the Stoke players, with a terrier like
    defense, never giving them time on the ball.
    Sure it took a tremendous physical effort and if we can reproduce that effort, we could possibly get a point or more from the game.
    Having watched the recent Citeh vs. QPR game, i believe it could have gone either way, but like going to any of the big clubs grounds, we have to believe we are capable of taking the points there.
    Well hopefully we can do well and looking forward to watching a good game of football.

  17. In another recent interview, John Carver told of how he and Alan Pardew split the workload at Newcastle, with Pardew concentrating mainly on the defensive side of things and Carver concentrating on attack. Carver said:

    “Every Monday he [Pardew] comes into work having and gives me grief. Whether we lose or win he whinges on about the re-named stadium, Michael Owen’s racehorse, and Ben Arfa’s big toe. It does my bleedin’ head in, really it does. Short of shooting him I don’t know what Lameass has to do to gain respeck due to an erstwhile fat bloke.

    See, me and him, that’s me and Pardonwho, we have a relationship. He calls me a nob, and I kiss his ar5e. I get paid stupidly large amounts of money for not appearing on the TV telling NU fans that they should go with the flow. He gets paid stupidly large amounts for being a nob.

    Still, we’re third in the table.

    Which is what matters.

  18. Just learned Clarkie at Uddersfield, has reached forty odd games without defeat.
    An acceptable genuine Georgie lad, who will undoubtedly be poached by some PL club, before long.
    Watch your ass Al !

  19. Killmore Trout

    Yo wassup? sound almost lucid!
    Guess you have either taken your medication? or not? difficult to tell ?

  21. Chuck, I thought I was crazy, I thought I was in the blog mental corner, but not only has stole my thunder, my straight jacket and my padded cell. But if he hasn’t been taking his medication ill will send him my stockpile

  22. Is it me or is anyone getting the feeling of our first red card and some dodgey ref decisions tomorrow?

  24. Stephen C,
    If as you say, you have enough drugs to create a stockpile to distribute with largesse one can only conclude that:-

    a/ You have a doctor that, like Wacko Jacko’s, regularly prescribes Class A drugs in quantities that would kill an elephant on the pretext that it would be alright on the night.

    b/ You have a doctor who provides you with unfeasibly large amounts of drugs but who you cunningly fool by not taking them, possibly hiding them under your tongue whilst muttering “Whatever you say, Nurse Ratchett”.

    c/ You are the biggest pimp on the block, probably with a recording contract under the name of Biggee Stevie C, more bling than Hugh de Payen has seen since he last saw Flog It, and severally more gold milk tops than a Blue Peter charidee barometer.

    Eitherwayanyroadup, we’re third in the table.

    Which is what matters.

  25. last year city beat us 2-1 – so any size defeat will not affect our progress this year (Hugh’s “work of beauty” table) so while I hope for a result I won’t worry about getting beat.
    Last year’s team was –

    Krul,
    Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Enrique,
    Nolan, Tioté, Barton, Gutiérrez,
    Ben Arfa, Ameobi.
    Subs: Soderberg, Campbell, Carroll, Routledge, Lovenkrands, Ryan Taylor, Smith

    I think it fair to say that we have a better team now!

    However, City have also added a couple of players –
    Jérôme Boateng for £10.5m, Edin Dzeko for £27m, David Silva for £26m, Yaya Touré for £24m, Aleksandar Kolarov for £19m, Mario Balotelli for £24m and James Milner for £26m, totalling £156.5m

    I think the whole damn country will cheer if we stuff them the morra!

    HWTL