Roberto Di Matteo

[markavfc40]

35 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

48 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

Then he buys himself more time. 

Is he always on borrowed time then?

I'd say way over 50% of managers are half a dozen poor results away from being under huge pressure/getting the sack so could in theory be described as being on borrowed time.

If we win the next two, which our squad if set up correctly by our manger are easily capable of doing, then I'd say he buys himself another half a dozen games. If we fail to win either of the next two then with a two week break after Preston I'd imagine Xia's trigger finger could well be used.

Averaging a point a game is one thing when you deserve far more. Getting a point from games when that is all you deserve, as has been the case for the last three games is another. We played well for thirty minutes yesterday but I am under no illusions that due to the negative tactics employed by the manager in the first half, that Newcastle could have been 3 up long before we started having a real go.

We all know that to get the best out of this squad we need to set up in a positive formation and go out with a positive mentality and have a real go at teams. Especially at home. There is zero to fear in this league for us. I have actually been pleasantly surprised how poor the standard is. We have a squad capable of finishing in the promotion places and fair play to RDM for assembling it. It will mean f all though if he continues to set up in such a way that he fails to get the best out of it and we continue to struggle.

He needs to get the bollocks back that he started the season with and be brave sending us out all guns blazing, playing to our strengths and we will start blowing teams away. If he has lost his nerve this early and continues to question himself and keeps chopping and changing the way we play, as he appears to be doing, then if that continues and results continue to suffer he will have to go.

Edited September 25, 2016 by markavfc40

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Just now, markavfc40 said:

He needs to get the bollocks back that he started the season with and be brave sending us out all guns blazing, playing to our strengths and we will start blowing teams away. If he has lost his nerve this early and continues to question himself and keeps chopping and changing the way we play, as he appears to be doing, then if that continues and results continue to suffer he will have to go.

Yep and if he hasn't learned that by now then I will give up on him too. The team he picks for Tuesday will tell us a great deal. 

Like I said to you at the end of the game Mark, I've been waiting for a spirited fightback like that for years. Should have won in the end. Then I remembered, they came back against Forest.

I agree with Tony Xia. The mentality is sound and RDM deserves credit for that as well as the good performances preceding Brentford, just as he deserves pelters for the negative framework over the last 2 and a half games. 

[wazzap24]

I do feel that he's not getting any credit at all for the good things, yet all the blame for the bad.  

 

[Dr_Pangloss]

1 minute ago, wazzap24 said:

I do feel that he's not getting any credit at all for the good things, yet all the blame for the bad.  

 

I'm really not being facetious here but there aren't many good things to point to so far this season. 

[markavfc40]

10 minutes ago, wazzap24 said:

I do feel that he's not getting any credit at all for the good things, yet all the blame for the bad.  

 

I think he has had plenty of praise. I think a lot of fans were pleased with our business over the summer and were pleased with how we started the season not in terms of results but performances. I think had we have continued to approach games as we did the Forest game then the tide would have turned and we would be getting the points from games we deserved. RDM has gone the other way though and started approaching games way too negative and now instead of a point being the least we have deserved in the last three games it has been all we have deserved.

The power is in the managers hands. He can quickly turn this around by again playing to our strengths and setting us up in a positive formation and really going at teams. Had he have continued to do so I don't think we'd be even having this discussion as I think we'd have 4 or 5 more points on the board.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

9 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

I'm really not being facetious here but there aren't many good things to point to so far this season. 

I'm not being rude either but have you been going to games?

We've played some good football and have been very unlucky not to have won more than we have done. 

Edited September 25, 2016 by dont_do_it_doug.

[TrentVilla]

37 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

We just need a win. Look at leeds, they looked awful at the start of the season and now have won 3 in a row. It will all change once we get those 3 points 

No it won't if he persists with woeful tactics.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

16 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

No it won't if he persists with woeful tactics.

I don't think he will, but at the moment that is just a hunch. 

[bobzy]

16 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

No it won't if he persists with woeful tactics.

Genuinely don't see what was so woeful about the tactics and the substitutions made yesterday changed the game completely. 

I should imagine most fans would pick pretty much the same team that tends to play - but are calling the tactics, for example, woeful. 

[TrentVilla]

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I don't think he will, but at the moment that is just a hunch. 

I see no reason to think it will improve.

[TrentVilla]

Just now, bobzy said:

Genuinely don't see what was so woeful about the tactics and the substitutions made yesterday changed the game completely. 

I should imagine most fans would pick pretty much the same team that tends to play - but are calling the tactics, for example, woeful. 

the first half was utterly predictable based on his starting tactics.

I doubt anyone would have picked his starting 11 and formation yesterday, plenty including me predicted how the 1st half would go when we saw it.

You are entitled to your view but I'm baffled how you arrive at the above.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Just now, bobzy said:

Genuinely don't see what was so woeful about the tactics and the substitutions made yesterday changed the game completely. 

I should imagine most fans would pick pretty much the same team that tends to play - but are calling the tactics, for example, woeful. 

I wouldn't. I certainly wouldn't line them up in a wonky 5-4-1, especially with Adomah at wing back, Bacuna in some kind of free role and Ayew hidden away. Dreadful. I wouldn't have dropped Cissokho, I would be starting Gestede with Kodjia. Tishbola would have played from the start. 

It was horrid. 

Second half, he suddenly found his balls again. I hope it continues.

[bobzy]

2 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

the first half was utterly predictable based on his starting tactics.

I doubt anyone would have picked his starting 11 and formation yesterday, plenty including me predicted how the 1st half would go when we saw it.

You are entitled to your view but I'm baffled how you arrive at the above.

I forgot about the Bacuna role actually, so fair. I didn't mean we'd pick exactly the same, just roughly - and Newcastle were (meant to be) weak out wide with problems to their full backs so I understand using wing backs. It didn't work and the middle of the park in particular was awful.

 

[rodders0223]

5 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Genuinely don't see what was so woeful about the tactics and the substitutions made yesterday changed the game completely. 

I should imagine most fans would pick pretty much the same team that tends to play - but are calling the tactics, for example, woeful. 

Nobody on the pitch had any idea what we were trying to do, where they were playing, where to run, where to pass, when to press. We were totally disjointed and were utterly dominated in midfield and outnumered every time we had the ball. That first half was up there with anything over the past 5 years. It was a complete shit show.

He got it right at half time, finally, but we need to do that from the off and for me, we should pick up no less than 7 points over the next 3 games.

[TrentVilla]

3 minutes ago, bobzy said:

I forgot about the Bacuna role actually, so fair. I didn't mean we'd pick exactly the same, just roughly - and Newcastle were (meant to be) weak out wide with problems to their full backs so I understand using wing backs. It didn't work and the middle of the park in particular was awful.

 

It made no sense whatsoever.

It was a bottle job in my view. We were always going to be out numbered in the middle of the park which meant we wouldn't get the chance to get at them do men the flanks and so it proved.

Horrendous tactical approach to the game from Di Matteo and one countless people predicted.

I doubt a single fan would have suggested we should go with 3 CB's.

I'm not going to credit him with clearing up his own mess in the second half.

[TRO]

19 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I see no reason to think it will improve.

......I have my doubts too.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

20 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I see no reason to think it will improve.

I do. The first 6 games and the second half yesterday. If results had been just a little bit better over that time we wouldn't be having this conversation. 

[TRO]

15 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Nobody on the pitch had any idea what we were trying to do, where they were playing, where to run, where to pass, when to press. We were totally disjointed and were utterly dominated in midfield and outnumered every time we had the ball. That first half was up there with anything over the past 5 years. It was a complete shit show.

He got it right at half time, finally, but we need to do that from the off and for me, we should pick up no less than 7 points over the next 3 games.

Its all seems a bit too reliant on trial and error and not much else.

Edited September 25, 2016 by TRO

[dont_do_it_doug.]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

Its all seems a bit too reliant on trial and error and not much else.

In all fairness he's got a new squad here and he's trying to find the right framework in which they can succeed. 

That doesn't excuse the latest experiment, just saying. I still can't wrap my head around why he completely changed tact in the first place. We needed tweaking which is entirely acceptable this early on, but that was just bonkers. 

I had just started to enjoy going The Villa again. So cut the faffing and go back to that please. Thanks Robbie.

[The Fun Factory]

29 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

the first half was utterly predictable based on his starting tactics.

I doubt anyone would have picked his starting 11 and formation yesterday, plenty including me predicted how the 1st half would go when we saw it.

You are entitled to your view but I'm baffled how you arrive at the above.

Exactly. He could have changed it after about 20 minutes because it was obvious it was not working. That's the advantage of the 3 sub rule in modern football- it gives the manager/coach the chance to proactively change the team quickly and still have 1/2 subs left for tiredness or injuries.