useless Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Yes but as we've seen with ourselves form doesn't last forever, West Ham will go through a period where they drop off just like we have done, and we'll improve, and it will go up and down like that. And come the end of the season there probably won't be much difference between the two sides' final points total. Only the very best teams, or the very worst show consistent form, everyone else has ups and downs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Just now, useless said: Yes but as we've seen with ourselves form doesn't last forever, West Ham will go through a period where they drop off just like we have done, and we'll improve, and it will go up and down like that. And come the end of the season there probably won't be much difference between the two sides' final points total. Only the very best teams, or the very worst show consistent form, everyone else has ups and downs. West Ham have been pretty consistent all season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) Well if they've been pretty consistent all season, then so have we considering we're only six points behind them with a game in hand. And no offence - your posts so often get my golden seal of approval, but just last night you were criticizing us for playing defensively and on the break, well that's pretty much how West Ham play. Edited March 4, 2021 by useless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QldVilla Posted March 4, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 4, 2021 25 minutes ago, villalad21 said: Is he learning or is the improvement mainly down to him having better players at his disposal? The fact that we've never won a game this season after being a goal behind does not suggest he is actually learning. When his pre match tactics are working it's all good but he's always really been like that. It's when the plan A isn't working that he doesn't seem to have a clue what to do and how to change it. I can't really recall him making a sub or a change that's changed a game for us this season. It's pretty much like if the plan a is working we win. If it doesn't and we get behind we lose and no subs or changes he makes can change that. Your making the assumption that the squad is the finished article and that we aren’t short players in key areas. A manager is only as good as his cattle, the club is a work in progress. When your squad is limited, so are your options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyvilla Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 I happen to think he has done a cracking job , he has made us a solid mid table team , and we are doing what mid table teams do win games that weren't really expected and then lose games we should win. The biggest disapointment is that we will likely have our best finish in many years and many people still aren't happy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 minutes ago, QldVilla said: Your making the assumption that the squad is the finished article and that we aren’t short players in key areas. A manager is only as good as his cattle, the club is a work in progress. When your squad is limited, so are your options. You need the perfect squad to be able to change it against teams like Brighton and Sheffield United? I thought our bench looked fairly strong against Sheffield United. Changes should have been made much earlier. I'd even sub off Nakamba at half time. There is literally no point with him when we are chasing a goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 To add an accompaniment to my earlier point before the covid outbreak we were averaging 1.73 points per game after 15 played, if we'd have kept that from up all season we'd finish on 66 points, which would have been enough for top four last season, and top six most seasons. Or in other words to criticize us for not keeping up our early season form is to criticize us for not showing the kind of form that's needed to finish in top six and is sometimes good enough to qualify for the champions league. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QldVilla Posted March 4, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 4, 2021 17 minutes ago, villalad21 said: You need the perfect squad to be able to change it against teams like Brighton and Sheffield United? I thought our bench looked fairly strong against Sheffield United. Changes should have been made much earlier. I'd even sub off Nakamba at half time. There is literally no point with him when we are chasing a goal. Or, the squad is starting to look tired from a long season as they are a mostly young squad, with a season and a half of PL experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 20 hours ago, lexicon said: Anything that isn't relegation battle is acceptable. 12th-14th would be a little underwhelming but would be OK. Not for me if only for how we've played for 3/4 of the season. Even now without looking at the tiresome xG metric we must still be comfortably top half for the stats that matter like goals scored and conceded. Finishing 12-14th would mean a very very disappointing run in as have to factor in the teams in those places like Palace don't actually win much so I'm hoping we're past that stage and I don't think it will happen as disappointing as last night was. Important to remember we do tend to win every other game we play since the start of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 18 minutes ago, VillaChris said: Not for me if only for how we've played for 3/4 of the season. Even now without looking at the tiresome xG metric we must still be comfortably top half for the stats that matter like goals scored and conceded. Finishing 12-14th would mean a very very disappointing run in as have to factor in the teams in those places like Palace don't actually win much so I'm hoping we're past that stage and I don't think it will happen as disappointing as last night was. Important to remember we do tend to win every other game we play since the start of the year. win one loose one we have become Leeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) It's weird, we are doing well if you compare us against the dreadful struggles of last season. We have shown in some performances we can hang with the top 6 teams in the league, but since the Covid break our performances have been incredibly erratic and utterly unpredictable. Maybe at the start teams didn't really know how to defend against us, as suddenly we were more than a one man team. That seems to have changed. But even so I can't remember a time when we had a better squad than we have now focusing on the Ron Atkinson and MON phases which in my lifetime we were arguably at our best. Obviously losing week in week out is horrid, but every game I literally have no idea what to expect. Usually when we have less possession and less shots on goal we win. we also seem to hate drawing games... Edited March 4, 2021 by VillanousOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A'Villan Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, TRO said: I am not saying any of that, because I agree with your points. I think the point is being missed, maybe I never presented it well enough. I am saying if instructions ar not being followed or a catalogue of errors are on display....its hard not to be animated, if you disapprove of it....when the camera's settle on our coaches they look shtum....no gesticulations, no finger pointing, no dicussions....just seems strange to me. Personally I find patience and a considered temperament to be equally as powerful in expressing one's POV, as being visibly and verbally present with animated language. Passionate antics may be appropriate and useful in the heat of the moment to relay urgency, however it is fleeting and momentary in its use, and if it is not received and implemented as intended, then it's not much use. Whereas a measured and thoughtful addressing of any issues so that what is instilled in the players is absorbed allowing for the importance of the message to be received and understood to the point where it's applied as it should be, well I'll take that each and every time over the urgency and immediacy that comes with the 'Pep' style of coaching during play. Even if it means waiting until the game has run its course to relay the message, if the message is thorough and apt then lessons will be learnt. Not sure if I'm making the sense I hope to, but I'm quite familiar with the two styles from my own experiences in sport, as well as spectating it. Edited March 4, 2021 by A'Villan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 9 minutes ago, VillanousOne said: But even so I can't remember a time when we had a better squad than we have now That the problem....our squad isn’t strong at all. Our first XI plus a few others are great but we are poor after that. As I said the other day, our outfield back four and our striker have very poor back ups...that’s half our team. Our midfield and wide forward have options but out of them only Jack is a real creator of chances. Traore hasn’t shown to create things for others yet really but has other attributes, El Ghazi and Trez are just direct players, Ross if off the boil and the rest are regularly midfielders. So no quality back up for our back four or striker and then no other real creative options. Out of our 25 man squad we can only really say we have probably 16 (at top 18) players that we would consider potential starters. So it’s not a strong squad in my opinion at the moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 1 hour ago, villalad21 said: He strikes me more of a good coach rather than a great tactical manager. This is why i rank Guardiola as number one. He is both of those things. A true genius of the game. outsmarted your boy Bielsa the other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 1 minute ago, Zatman said: outsmarted your boy Bielsa the other day Bielsa is another example of a good coach, mediocre manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 minutes ago, nick76 said: That the problem....our squad isn’t strong at all. Our first XI plus a few others are great but we are poor after that. As I said the other day, our outfield back four and our striker have very poor back ups...that’s half our team. Our midfield and wide forward have options but out of them only Jack is a real creator of chances. Traore hasn’t shown to create things for others yet really but has other attributes, El Ghazi and Trez are just direct players, Ross if off the boil and the rest are regularly midfielders. So no quality back up for our back four or striker and then no other real creative options. Out of our 25 man squad we can only really say we have probably 16 (at top 18) players that we would consider potential starters. So it’s not a strong squad in my opinion at the moment. In this day and age, probably not, as the Premier League has gone up several levels since the Ron Atkinson and even MON days. But even the squads where we have finished 2nd or won cup finals, we never really had much strength in depth. Not sure many teams in this league really have 2 good players in every position other than the top 3 or 4 clubs who spend the most every season. I agree Taylor and Elmo are not good deputies at all. Davis is not a good deputy to Watkins, I would like to see him get more game time and maybe get on the pitch at the same time as Watkins but Dean is so dogged and one dimensional when it comes to tactics and formations/substitutions, this will never happen. Even if Wes was fit I doubt he would get any game time unless Ollie got injured. Other than that I think we are decently stocked in most positions, had we kept Guilbert instead of bombing him out I think he would be a hell of a lot better deputy than Elmo. I genuinely think our squad depth is above average, not great, not good, but not as bad as people moan on about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 4 minutes ago, VillanousOne said: In this day and age, probably not, as the Premier League has gone up several levels since the Ron Atkinson and even MON days. But even the squads where we have finished 2nd or won cup finals, we never really had much strength in depth. Not sure many teams in this league really have 2 good players in every position other than the top 3 or 4 clubs who spend the most every season. I agree Taylor and Elmo are not good deputies at all. Davis is not a good deputy to Watkins, I would like to see him get more game time and maybe get on the pitch at the same time as Watkins but Dean is so dogged and one dimensional when it comes to tactics and formations/substitutions, this will never happen. Even if Wes was fit I doubt he would get any game time unless Ollie got injured. Other than that I think we are decently stocked in most positions, had we kept Guilbert instead of bombing him out I think he would be a hell of a lot better deputy than Elmo. I genuinely think our squad depth is above average, not great, not good, but not as bad as people moan on about. I think we are below average squad depth wise and that’s only due to this being our second year back and will improve through more transfer windows. You missed out centre defence where our back up are Hause and Engels. Hause should be best our fourth choice and for certain type of games. Engels... No! As for Ollie deputy, while you they wouldn’t get any game time, I think they would. When chasing a game, when Ollie’s having an off day, when we want to throw on a second striker to just to name a few examples. Guilbert, either Dean doesn’t agree or Guilbert isn’t accepting being back up to Cash and forced a loan move. When you look at our rivals like Spurs, Everton, Arsenal and West Ham they have far more options in more positions than us when you look through their 25 man squads. That because they are established. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulberto21 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 After the Chelsea game Dean Smith said that 3/4 more windows are needed for him to mould the squad to how he wants it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughable Chimp Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Don't know where to mention this so I'll mention this here. Just found out we have the youngest squad on average in the league. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QldVilla Posted March 4, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted March 4, 2021 If people realistically rated every current player, how many are truly up to compete at the level of a top 6 club? I come up with 7. IMO our GK, current back 4, Luiz and Grealish. I’m not convinced yet Watkins is a main striker, be better playing off a main striker or inverted LW. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts