tommytenjobs

How is Bailey still on the pitch….23 possessions lost…..

McGinn is fu***ing woeful. Digne no better - how poor must Augustinian and sanson be???

I posted yesterday about my misgivings on going. however I have decided to make the trip from Essex! We’re not a bunch of fair weather plastic fans. It’s disrespectful to all those who travel every week home and away to not go. So I will be there. Watching between fingers and willing the lads on. Just please keep us from humiliation…….no lucky rituals although a greggs sausage roll might count!

First time in five years of being a season ticket holder where I am also considering not making the trip. The three hour drive there and back is one thing….but the sight of us holding on, scurrying left and right in two blocks of 5 and 4 just to keep the score respectable……is not one I can summon much enthusiasm for if I’m honest. At least under the old regime, I had faith and respect for the manager as a person and knew he was trying his level best to come up with something that might work, might counter the opposition, might play to our strengths. At least then I had Hope the night before. Even when that smacked 6 past us the other year, I didn’t leave early, I stayed because there was a collective sense of being in it together and they were getting the best effort and sense out of the squad. There was a togetherness in adversity or in good times that made the journey and the game fun. not feeling that in any way at all today

I assumed when I heard he wasn’t in the team this afternoon, that he was going to be sold before the window closes. Don’t quite know why, but my heart leapt to that rather unpleasant conclusion! any further news on the is or the prematch bust up mentioned previously?

Just seen the caption of what appears to be the average positions of players in todays game above in this thread. my 14 year old daughter at her first game in three years at half time said “why do they all seem to camp out on this wing, standing on each others toes. They never run with the ball or try to pass more than 5 feet before then smacking it as hard as they can up the side. Do you think that’s what they’re trying to do?” looking at that graphic and my feelings during and after the game, I think her critique of Gerrard and todays performance is pretty accurate. I just have no idea of what the coach is trying to do with this formation and system. There are no overloads of benefit that I can see. Without Ramsey, there is no one bringing the ball between the lines. No one willing to pass between the lines. (Apart from Tim I, in his brief cameo vrs Bolton) and no one willing ti take any risk until EMI comes on. I’m normally quite good at working out why a coach is employing an idea, even if I don’t agree, you can see what they are trying. But….asking McGinn, Digne and Countino to play countless triangle passes of 5 yards to each other before tossing one over the top into the left channel for one of Watkins or Ings to chase…..leaves me confused and bewildered. Whatever we are trying to do, the formation and instructions appears to be confusing and demoralising the players. I’ve never seen the ground and player body language so flat since some of Bruce dark days. QPR at home maybe? im normally one to give mangers time and not too sentimental but this week I got quite emotional describing how much time and respect I had for Dean Smith. My god I miss someone with a plan and personality in could get on board with. This is dire, depressing and such a waste of a fabulous set of talented players. Honestly, binning Traore off to the Turkish league and then playing cash as a right winger instead……

On loan to Kilmarnock according to BBC transfers page? Not seen anything from club on this? Odd given Chuckwemaka’s time at livingstone last year and Augustinian missing from bench recently??

Certain Polish centre forward seems to be available this summer. Any possibility he might want a final project with a team that have to fight for some points and a reunion with PC??

It’s not coaching in the sense of making them pass better or have urgency that I was talking about Tro. The point in transitions is about direction of roles and positioning in the moments when you win the ball or lose it. When we lose the ball we do not regroup or reposition ourselves correctly or quickly. So we stay open and invariably it leads to chances. Equally, we no longer have a set or clear plan for when we pick up the ball in transitions. Remember how we used to consistently get the ball to jack very very quickly after a turnover. It’s deliberately instructed. in both scenarios we don’t appear to be well coached at the moment. maybe it’s not coaching I’m talking about….maybe it’s leadership and instruction? Maybe it’s the player not listening? but…..which ever we need to sort it, because our midfield are going to keep giving it up cheaply and our forwards are going to keep getting it back quick too!

Thinking about this game again after the dust has settled. feel this is a really neat micro-representative game for the whole season. So nearly very good. Defensively sharp and strong. Never look like conceding…..until we do. Mistakes and lack of composure in midfield putting too much pressure on the defensive unit to always be on their a game take a toll across 90 mins and in enough games have led to letting in 1/2 too many. midfield, often looks really connected, driving with the ball, dangerous attacking players, but always, always vulnerable in transitions. Too often we’ve got caught in the press, panicked, lost the ball and in a flash the defence carved open as they never seem to see it coming. The defensive switch from in and then out of possession in a team containing Mginn, coutinho and Luiz (plus an inexperienced Ramsey); is currently too poor, to be consistently competitive. Luiz last night, Watford at home, just too obvious examples. up front, just not clinical enough all season. Not in form, not fit, not decisive. just think where we could have been this year with any of these issues half solved. Watford, wolves, Leeds and spurs at home. 1 point from those 12! I think that we really aren’t as far off as the table this year shows and sometimes how I feel. There’s a team there that could get in the top 7 next year and with an upgrade on nakamba and perhaps one of the centre backs….we could be even higher. sort out transitions from midfield losing the ball or stop them giving it away so cheaply……and that’s before any staff changes. That’s just descent coaching! Maybe that’s what gerrard and smith needed to sort more than anything else?

Digne much improved. Can see the benefits of him if he plays like this. Luiz transformed further forward. He’s not a holding player and should never play there again. Give Tim or Marv the mins there for the rest of the season. Chuck coming on was odd at the time, he looks a player though, the way he moves and finds space. Needs experience and time….but with 30 odd mins left, felt odd today. ings…..if he could finish consistently we would have won today and v spurs. It’s the difference between a 30m striker and the 60 million four strikers that they have. Swap out forwards with theirs and we win that by 3 or 4. starting to think we might need to break up mings/ Konsa. And not just replacing one. Both are great on their day but they both have too many off days or mistakes overall. The composure at the other end was a marked difference at times. moss…..words fail me….but there was no absolute clanger / cheating pen / ridiculous red etc. so only voted poor. I’m thinking with hindsight I was being generous! utv

Yup. Work rate. Composure. Resilience. All better…..on the one game I saw live he was a constant outlet and threat second half, when they were down to ten and just two banks of five. Harrison kept getting away and moving them up the field with the ball at his feet. Fighting for every moment that they could not defending. Raphina stropped around, nearly got sent off for dissent and was in tomiasos back pocket…..until being subbed off at 70 mins. As I said though , just one game not a full scouting report!

Went the Arsenal Leeds game today with my step dad who’s a gunner. Some thoughts… 1) Phillips is not the answer to our needs. Certainly not for the prices touted. All he had to do all game was sit on odeguard, and he couldn’t get near him. 2) Harrison would be an amazing addition if we decided to revert back to our previous strategies of playing with wingers and width. Huge upgrade on Bailey from what I’ve seen so far. 3) if arsenal are comfortably 4th….we can get there next year, they’re no great shakes!

Feels like a key summer. If gerrard is going to stay, he’ll need backing to bring in centre backs and midfield that blends together. However, I’m not convinced at all that our current transfer policy has a lot of input from the management on the football side. Tro’s analogy of shopping in the reduced section is pretty accurate. Not convinced that either smith or Gerard will have actual wanted sanson, digne fro example. the digne transfer is particularly baffling to me, certainly on current showing. Personally, I don’t feel that we are that far away from a top 7-9 side with the current squad but we look like we need to work out how our midfield is going to work as a unit and we desperately Need a top class partner for mings. Oh and another left back to balance the side and release Ramsey would be lovely too!

So frustrating. Always looks back, indecision in runs forward means no one knows if you put a through ball in or not, never picks out a cross just boots it in the box, no pace, no tricks, always injured, can’t move after 40 odd mins….great use of our jan transfer budget. oh… and we sack off our player of the season last year for the privilege…..

I think this is pretty accurate to where I am at the end of yesterday. The inability to dominate or when we do dominate possession, to have a plan or structure; is why we lost at Brentford, Newcastle and home to Watford. When the opposition back off and let us have the ball, we don’t really know what to do. When Ramsey plays well, we do have a plan - to dribble and drive through the lines, (like we did with Jack). When he’s not quite on it, like yesterday, there is no plan b of how to move the ball forward through the lines , against a defence. In broken play and transitioning- we are formidable and have a great front 4/5 for that type of a game. Just not a great middle for when teams let us have the ball yet!

For me, a Really odd game yesterday. We created loads of good chances, should have scored at least two, three more and yet….I didn’t think we were very good. The first half especially was disjointed, poor passing and in often it looked like our only plan to move the ball from back to front was the channel hump from mings, chambers or cash. It’s nice to win so comfortably and we look exciting going forward on the break and in broken transitions. But….I feel the inconsistency from game to game is borne from still not really having a plan in possession itself or of how to move the ball through the lines on a regular basis. As I said, feels churlish To be thinking about how to improve or the weaknesses when you come away from a game thinking we could have won by 7/8…..maybe I’m a glass half full kind of a guy?

Good game today. Dominant in their and pretty decent distribution too. I like when he plays as it means the ball can come out from the back on both sides. Tyrone seems a little more relaxed as he’s not under pressure to be the main passer out. was it his ball over for coutinho for the second goal too??

Ings and Watkins ….. no sanson…. mcginn and Luiz both selected again… Benched beundia…. im starting to worry about our Stevie. please prove my worries unfounded!!

So disappointed in what I saw today. First live game I’ve seen him play…..can’t see how he is in any way better than target. Doesn’t stop crosses coming in, can’t beat a man, won’t run into space with the ball, can’t cross, no pace, others seemingly have no confidence to give him the ball either…..if this is value for 25m…..please ship out the recruitment team asap! 40 caps for France?? Ffs. What have we done to him?

I'm worried if I'm honest. I really don't understand the system we're playing. It's very odd seeing McGinn and Ramsey level with the centre backs and the full backs both standing static in the other half. Digne looks like a very poor man's Matt target! Beundia spends all his time begging to be passed the ball from a yard away from the centre backs and chambers is a liability from what I've seen so far whenever he gets in a 1:1 situation. He’s much better on the ball and takes the pressure off Mings to be the only distributor….but then again, with the system today Mings had Ramsey stood on his own 10 yards away for most of the match, so he hardly needed help in this today from his centre back partner. I’m not normally one to react to many things in a knee jerk or extreme way. Quite placid really. But……... We need to show some significant changes soon or I think stevie may be on his way out pretty soon....

We are by no means the finished article and the squad is imbalanced and slightly bloated of a middling quality player, like Trez, still around. So as I don’t see any huge, swift switches to this, with lots of ins and outs this Jan. I suspect that we’ll stay roughly where we are for the remainder of the seasons. That said, think how positive this mediocre existence is, compared to 2 years ago…four years ago or any time before that until all the way back to the early 2000. I think some forget how far we’ve come and how rapidly this has been done in the past 3 years. I also think we’ve improved in a sustainable way, with significant work behind the scenes and in the youth. Our development is not going to be a flash in the pan. And that is why I’m so optimistic, even if this season perhaps hasn’t lived up to the hype of signing Bailey, ings and beundia. They’ve not really come off and yet we’ve still secured a mid table position for the turn of the year. That’s pretty positive place to be! UTV

Really impressive in all the games I’ve seen him play. Calm, quick, good feet, always in right place to intercept or make clearing up easy. He’ll be a star… hopefully for us! #sirgarrycahillwasright

3:3 final score. poor last 30 mins. Really should have lost. Defence looked makeshift as it was. Mid stopped tracking back in wide areas and davis, Chuck kept dribbling and losing balls when an easy pass was on. Disappointing.

3:3. Tap in from Marshall save rebound. 8 mins left