danceoftheshamen

Sadly for me that defeat and shocking performance was on Gerrard.

As soon as we saw the line up me & my daughter said "Oh great, it's Newcastle & Watford all over again so no shots on target it is then" ..... Guess what! 

Why on Earth would you revert to a system which had brought zero points along with embarrassing & completely toothless performances against some of the worst teams in the division?

It seems SG is determined to play this 2 x no.10s but it is just awful in my opinion. If it didn't work against the bottom teams on what planet would it work against one pushing for top 4? It's a horrid, sterile formation. No wonder the players lack belief in it!

So lets just get the important stuff into focus amongst all this....

Apparently Abramovic has been barred from UK. I wonder if they'll freeze his assets which could impact Chelsea,

I see China is backing Putin too, does that mean Wolves owners may be impacted? 

I think most of us love John. He has a great bustling energy about his game and he can make things happen (Especially if further forward) however he kind of puts the game on the line with his style. It either makes something happen or he loses possession which is ok when further forward to a point but in a more defensive position it's actually quite costly as when he loses it the opposition are practically through onto our backline. At least that's how it looks to me. 

Another player not in the best position for his style in my eyes along with Luiz.

For me we are actually not that far off being a very good team indeed. I know we've had issues recently and the number of defeats this season is shocking already, however we have some splendid youngsters getting experience at the likes of Preston, Stoke etc. We also have several top players already like Martinez, The two strikers (Albeit they don't combine together well thus far and one is bang out of form possibly due to having sleepless nights with a newborn or something and most of us know how disruptive that can be!!!). I do like Mings still too, despite the odd game where admittedly he goes missing. I personally think when he's on it he's one of the best there is. Obviously Coutinho & Buendia are also top drawer, even if still settling in. Then we have Ramsey who is clearly gonna be some player and we still have the jury out on a few too (Digne, Bailey,) who may also come good.

It looks like Sanson will be off in the summer, even though he's barely had a chance to show what he can do over a run of games. I reckon McGinn may go too personally along with Dougie Luiz. I think Luiz is simply being played out of position personally which does him no favours at all, that seems to be the case with a few now as SG tries to shoehorn them into his preferred system.

So all in all I still think we have a much better squad than our position is indicating. The issue is 90% of them are Deano's squad and it's a bit like we are trying to make a jigsaw puzzle up into a certain picture when half the pieces are from a different jigsaw! Inevitably there are pieces not fitting in right and the results are showing that.

For me we need at least another option at LB to replace Targett & provide competition for Digne. Ditto for Cash & we need a strong CDM to compete with Nakamba as i think we all agree. We also need to sort out whats happening with the strikers which will surely see one replaced. I guess we will also sort out a back up keeper when the loan for Olson runs out.

For me the atmosphere is partially due to the high number of Season Ticket holders. This means most there are there week in week out and have witnessed the good start under SG but also seen how it's kind of gone off the boil. There was a lift when Coutinho came in (& how) but that was kind of ruined by the Mings error strewn performance which resulted in throwing away a 2 goal lead (again as per Wolves). Since then we have really been struggling to even create anything and just about every single VAR decision going has gone against us home & away. So for me it's like a realisation that the season has decended into  mediocrity at best but also with a tinge of fear that it could even end up in a real scrap for survival.... so the bubble has burst 100%. The atmosphere is the realisation of this in my view. It all feels a bit flat especially as when SG came it was all about a possible push for Europe etc.

It's a bit like getting excited that your getting a new car which you've been promised for years and then a second hand scrapper turns up.

22 hours ago, briny_ear said:

This is where I confess I am a bit hazy about this talk of systems. Hasn't it been 4-3-3 since he started?

I think he changed it in the winter break tbh, the exact formation escapes me but he did state we would use the winter break to change the system into the way he wants to set us up. Since then we've been worse. I understand it'll take a while to perfect any such change but surely that begs the question as to is it really a good idea to do that mid season? 

21 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

Probably would gently point out to your daughter and her coach that the "system" that was being played before Gerrard came on the scene had delivered us six straight defeats and sunk us to the edge of the drop zone. So the feeling that something needed to change was not entirely crazy.

Yeah i get that Briny, i think she was however referring to the change since the Winter break since when we have gotten 0 points from two of the worst sides in the division in Newcastle & Watford. Even worse we've looked pretty dire. We were at least getting a few points under Gerrard prior to the winter break but since that apparent Change in system he announced we have been worse.

For me having watched it close up it was because our play, although intricate and decent at times, was simply too slow! This meant we never truly opened up chances (The Ings post hit aside which was one of the few occasions we passed at pace and directly at the same time). Because it was too slow we never dagged them out of their defensive positions enough, or if we did there was plenty of time for someone to get in position to cover. We started the second half better i felt but then as the subs came on we reverted to slow predictable build up play as the players tried to re-work things out so to speak. 

It was like everytime we had chance to create a space or a clear scoring opportunity the player in possesion would take one turn too many or play the wrong pass or misshit the cross or something, then there were times they played a decent ball but nobody had made the right run, so in the end someone would try a shot from a difficult position as the golden opportunity to create a better chance had been missed. 

It was a bit like they were all on different wavelengths which for me is down to mainly the uncertainty created by the change in tactics Gerrard has imposed in the winter break as well as the constant changes of personel such as the new signings coming in (Coutinho & Digne), players not being fully fit (Bailey, Ings), and of course others being woefully down on confidence or out of form. 

So for me it's a combination of factors

Really b****dy frustrating to watch. 

They always had a goal in them as had been witnessed before this season so it was no surprise at all when they nicked it as we were never going to score in a month of Sundays.

On a positive note i do feel it will improve as the players get used to it,  the ones who've been out get match fit etc. We need a few wins of course but hopefully we have enough talent in the squad to get them at some point.

18 minutes ago, Icarium said:

The reason we lost today is simple

20 shots at goal

1 on target

Indeed, & 36 crosses to nobody!!!
 

Have just got back up out of bed as i simply can't sleep after watching that today. Trouble is i can't think of a way to improve it either. It was like SG has now played all of his hand & has realised it wasn't strong enough. Now the rest of the teams know he's got a weak hand and somehow he's got to bluff the rest of the games this season knowing they know his hand is weak else we go down. Almost looks impossible.

Nine points easily evaporates especially when you keep gifting those teams below you 3 points in 6 pointers! With 14 games to go, two obvious losses to Liverpool & Man City (a) on the last day that is effectively 12 games we now need around 13 points from but also we now must not lose to any more of the teams below us. 

Norwich (H)

Burnley (H)

Burnley (a) 

Leeds (a)

Typically we now play Burnley twice just as they are starting to get results. Beating Brighton 3-0 yesterday for example.  Lose those & we are in trouble. Problem is they'll know that,

So that leaves us needing points from Southampton (Now in form), Arsenal, Spurs & Liverpool (All pushing for top 4 etc) at home (struggle to see 1 point in that if any). Leicester, West Ham, Wolves, Man City & Brighton away (All pushing for Europe, title or top 4...Struggle to see more than a couple of points from those if any either. 

We literally need at least 3 wins from the 4 games against teams below us. On current form we'd struggle to win more than maybe 1 or two if any. We just got 1 point from Newcastle, Leeds & Watford two of which at home!!

Very very concerned.

So he gave Newcastle some tips on how to beat us. All the more reason as to why it was such a lame move letting him go there. 
Still staggered that the club sanctioned this on many levels.

We still look a bit of a mess to me at the Moment. There are patches in the team which show promise but also areas which look broken. A massive game on Saturday which will define the run in for me. 

10 hours ago, Kiwivillan said:

I thought we scored 3 goals in the first half the game before

Yes we did KV however I was at the game and for the large part we were not great. The attacking play (specifically Coutinho & Ramsey) for 30 mins was great but the defending, (in the main by Mings) was relegation level defending. We did ok to get the win at Everton (albeit backs against the wall) and the comeback against Man Utd was very uplifting (The 1st half again pretty shocking as a whole however). It's the fact we go missing for half games (or in the Newcastle debacle the whole game it appears) that appears to be a recurring theme. We also seem to have forgotten how to involve the striker. 

I have no doubt SG will sort it over time but i feel more new players are clearly needed as some we have don't appear to fit his style. I just hope the wheels don't come fully off in the run in else we could easily fall into trouble especially with us playing the likes of Watford Norwich, Burnley x 2 over the coming weeks. All teams who could be on our shirt tails should we lose a few of those.....Newcastle was one of those and we lost it without turning up for example!!! 

27 points is stil 4 to 5 wins off where we need to be to be able to relax about it and the final few games are tough. We have left games against Watford, now a must win in my view as we then have

Southampton (h) (Bang in form)

West Ham (a) (Pushing for top 4 and appear to be a bogey team currently)

Arsenal (h) (Pushing for Europe)

Wolves (a) (playing well and also in European slots)

Spurs (h) (Pushing for Champs League)

Liverpool (h) (Obviously really tough)

Norwich (h) MUST WIN

Burnley (a) (Could easily be a 6 pointer and we normally lost up there)

Then we have a home game against Burnley to rearrange somewhere followed by

Palace (h) & Man City (a) on the last day!!! 

The games we need wins from are clear.... the teams below us in the main. Any wins from the rest take pressure off but we simply cannot afford to lose against those teams below us as they will be on us fast. Newcastle & Leeds were two of those games...we got 1 point! 

I too am feeling pretty depressed after that dog awful "display". 

I personally feel it was a very inexperienced act from Gerrard when he tried to, as he (i think) said, "use the winter break as a mini pre-season to try to change the style to more like the one he wanted".  Sorry but i was of the thinking it was very dangerous to try to change fundamentals mid season? It clearly has not worked we are worse i feel. The strikers are totally anonymous & we have lost more than we have gained from what i've seen so far. 

I hope & pray it will get better fast as this (last 6) is currently relegation form. Can't get to 40 points soon enough as we have tough games to end the season after the supposed "easy run".

So yet again here we are. As stated a while back Newcastle would start to get a load of dodgy decisions via the corrupt FA and their game rigging VAR system. It was so obvious that they would not want the zillions of £££££’s the human rights abusers have dropping out of the Prem. 

We were dire, the match rigging was worse. 

I reckon Luiz will be off if we manage to sign a CDM, this is also how we'll fund that CDM i feel. I reckon he was going off to Arsenal had we done this in the Jan window & that was what all the noise was about. 

Glaringly there is still no new contract for Chuk, Luiz nor McGinn. Hope this changes soon.

I reckon it was a case of Luiz out if we had signed a CDM. The fact he's staying all but confirms to me that we are 100% not signing said CDM today.

Well 99.999999% at any rate. 

Yep looks like that's it. 

A fabulous window albeit slightly ruined by Mr Targetts last minute deal with the devil. I'm also slightly saddened by the clubs willingness to deal with those people in all honesty.

Generally a WOW window otherwise though! 

2 minutes ago, Peter Griffin said:

Does that not apply to Newcastle too?

And, in fairness, I know the numbers are different, is there any effective difference when it comes to buying players? 

For me no it doesn't. Our owners are respectful classy owners one of whom is very experienced in Sports. Newcastles are used to beheading any opposition so clearly are not indifferent to bullying their way forwards. They won't give a stuff about the rules in exactly the same way they didn't give a stuff about being told by all & sundry they were not welcome owners.... heck even the houses of parliament said it shouldn't happen didn;t they? .... Yet a year or so later and a now resigned dodgy FA official or two later and here they are! So what on Earth is the difference FFP is going to make? 

24 minutes ago, paul514 said:

I think something will happen with us today be it an in or an out.

Yes an "in" an "out" & a "Sheikh is all about" trying to get Targett over the line?

Sorry... I'll get my coat 

Really not bothered by this at all. Hadn't a clue who he was prior to the links and having read up on him i would prefer someone proven in the Premier League or with a bit better noise surrounding him really. Also he clearly didn't want to come here and wasn't interested in the exciting journey we are on now so his loss. Happy to wait until the summer.

For me Regards Ellis he saved us in his 1st owership i feel in the 60's but held us back to the point of wrecking the European Champions he took over in his 2nd spell. Sadly as he aged he held on for far too long (a couple of decades i'd say) by which time 2 generations of fans had seen nothing but mediocrity and that is how we are now viewed globally by most as a result of that. 

It is a long road back to the pinnacle which is practically a closed shop due to FFP etc but these owners are having a good crack at it at least which is a delight to see!

As for Bentancur, it does look more unlikely by the day to me but i have faith in our owners & SG to not get dragged into a stupid situation over the whole thing. I reckon it'll either be a last day thing or we'll move on.

Personally I’m more inclined to back our manager & scouting teams ability to identify a players suitability for how they want us to play than some random Juve fans opinions.