10 Problems Newcastle Need To Fix To Avoid Relegation

4. Stop Persisting With The Same System

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and even Louis Van Gaal - who would allegedly stick with his 3,5,2 no matter what - has changed his system to suit his personnel. Pardew meanwhile persists with a system that is fundamentally failing to score enough goals or defend well enough. Something needs to change, but Pardew's insistence in interviews that the team is "not functioning as we would like" suggests he doesn't see change as necessary. That is the definition of insanity again. Conversely though, trying to change formation mid-game is not always the answer. Pardew's problem for years has been ending the game with an entirely different formation to when it started, leaving players without any sense of stability. The answer then is to change the system from the start: try playing with two strikers, or three strikers, as worked so well at the tail-end of the season we came fifth. Anything other than the lone striker system would be preferable.