The old adage of having a glass half-full or a glass half-empty is constantly applied to the footballing world. After his team has been defeated, Joe Manager faces the cameras and reporters to give a summary of the game; to let the fans know what went wrong, and how he intends to put it right. The attitude and insight given at this point can often tell a tale. Does he choose to blame the failings of his team on external factors beyond his control – the referee, the linesman, the pitch, the crowd, the fixture list, being unlucky – or does he draw upon the positives that he saw from the game, defend and praise his players and blame himself before all else? In manager Alan Pardew, Newcastle United have a man who, refreshingly, prefers to concentrate on what went right over what went wrong.
Alan Pardew’s optimistic approach is very welcome at Newcastle United
The power of positive thinking does extend beyond the post-match interview. It may well be a cliche spouted by executives or motivational speakers doing a corporate gig, but it is entirely true. The visit of Aston Villa to St. James Park last season provides an excellent example of how this theory can take effect; two suited and booted managers were prowling the touchline, right on the edge of their technical areas, urging their respective teams on. The game ebbed and flowed; Villa had the edge in the opening 25 minutes and tested opposing goalkeeper Tim Krul on two occasions, after some great passing football in and around the box. Krul had kept Newcastle in it. And yet, the cameras panned to the touchline, where Villains manager Alex McLeish was hopping about like a frog on heat, his face twisted into a ball of irate anger, his lips flecked with spittle, seemingly apoplectic about something or other. Meanwhile, Pardew was doing the complete opposite. He stood, more or less in the same spot of his technical area for most of the half, and encouraged his team. “Well done James, good ball,” and “Brilliant there, Demba,” as Newcastle gradually came back into the contest. Soon after Villa’s spell of pressure, Demba Ba gave Newcastle the lead. Despite McLeish constantly raging at former Magpies winger Charles N’Zogbia for most of the half (“Take him on, take him on Charlie for f*ck’s sake!”), the Frenchman finally got beyond his man and crossed for Robbie Keane to equalise on the stroke of half time.
So, with the game in this delicate position, what happened next? How did each manager approach the second half? For anyone wondering, it was absolutely baffling on McLeish’s part, and it would cost his side the game.
Villa’s passing game was placed firmly down the toilet, as they began to batter long balls to Darren Bent – something which Sunderland manager Steve Bruce had tried and failed to execute – and their grip on the game visibly weakened. All the more, McLeish was visibly still not happy, despite his team having followed his half-time instructions. Meanwhile, Pardew calmly praised and urged his troops forwards. His expression was one of neutrality, with the occasional glimmer of excitement or happiness. McLeish then compounded his negative attitude and negative tactics by making an incredibly backwards substitution; he removed N’Zogbia just as he was coming to the boil, replacing him with lumbering target-man Emile Heskey, who himself then became the target of Villa’s frequent hit-and-hopes. This gave Newcastle the ball more and more, and on 71 minutes, they scored the winner – debutant Papiss Cisse lashing a Jonas Gutierrez cross into the top corner of the Villa net. Pardew looked delighted; McLeish already looked a beaten man, even with 19 minutes plus stoppage time to go.
Alex McLeish is Pardew’s polar opposite
And what of the fabled post-match interviews?
Alex McLeish grumbled about injuries, the fact that he ‘had to’ play so many inexperienced players, and argued with a reporter who told him that Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland had told him to ‘eff-off’ as he was shouting at him from the touchline. He then went on to blame the clearly injured Ireland for failing to stop the cross for Newcastle’s opening goal, and made a few further points about being unfortunate and unlucky.
Pardew, on the other hand, did not bemoan the absence of his preferred central midfield pairing of Cheik Tiote and Yohan Cabaye, preferring to enthuse about the performance of understudy James Perch, goalscorers Ba and Cisse, and make statements about how well the entire team had done to get three points, before underlining that the team had to continue to train and work hard in order to finish the season strongly.
Chalk and cheese. The telling thing is, McLeish even summed up in his post-match speech that “players don’t like to hear the manager screaming at them from the touchline,” – and yet he had just spent the best part of 90 minutes doing so – and lost. He was sacked as Aston Villa manager a mere three-and-a-half months later, as they finished in a woeful 16th place. Alan Pardew’s method of positive reinforcement was part of the reason why he didn’t have to give a loser’s interview, and to look at the bigger picture, a key catalyst for a successful season and Newcastle United’s subsequent European qualification.
Enn You Eff See 