DeepDish Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 ... but we desperately need to purchase some drive and creativity for our midfield in January. Oh yes. 12 goals in the 16 first matches if far from acceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roonst83 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Special mention to 'The Goose' Guzan today - I thought his handling was excellent. Such a presence in his area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Guzan 7: No shots to save dealt with crosses well and good distribution Lowton 7: Composed Baker 7: Solid ClarK 7: Solid Lichaj 5 : weakest link Herd 7: Strong Westwood 8: mom Holmann 7: dogged Bannan 6: average today Gabby 6: Lacklustre Benteke 5: poor today missed great chance (again) Subs Bent 5: Did he touch it Ireland 6: ok Delph 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrytini Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Good point against one of the in form sides - 2nd in the Form table - and an appalling side to watch. Laughable to hear those who seem to love to criticise almost relishing the fact we didn't win. Can't a draw be a good result ? And only 3 teams in the table are on a longer unbeaten run, short at 4 games though it is, it isn't actually a bad thing is it ? Westwood MOM good solid display, defence coming on a bundle. Really like Baker. I think the first and most important part of PL's ideas is really starting to show through, a really good Team spirit and no prima donnas. On that note I will not mind much when Bent and Ireland go - they contribute little overall and a team like ours cant afford the luxury. Ireland in particular has had so many opportunities since he arrived, and has done little with various Managers deciding he isn't up to it. Bannan, who gets a fair bit of stick, is for me the beter and more controlled player, and is showing signs of learning well under PL - although he was hit and miss today we were better with him on the pitch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeepDish Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Seeing what Lambert managed to buy this summer, I can't wait to see what he does in January. And if he frees up cash by selling Bent and Ireland, it will be interesting to see what we can get with ca 120 000 pounds a week in wage budget on new players and some decent transfer money to spend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 We have so little creativity. He must invest in some creative players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidp Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Seeing what Lambert managed to buy this summer, I can't wait to see what he does in January. And if he frees up cash by selling Bent and Ireland, it will be interesting to see what we can get with ca 120 000 pounds a week in wage budget on new players and some decent transfer money to spend. I love Bent as a player and have been thrilled having him at the club, but in the current system and without wingers of the calibre of Young and Downing just don't see how it works. His contribution this season has been minimal and I don't blame him in any way for it, we just don't play in a way that accommodates his massive talent. Without a supply line, he's a very expensive block to someone else being in the side. What we do need to do is figure out how to create more chances as that's where we are really lacking at the moment. Bent could be a great piece of the puzzle but only if we had the players that enabled us to switch from the narrow "through the middle" approach we have to stretched wing play and I don't think with our resources we can accommodate two systems of play with the squad we can afford to assemble. So, I think with great reluctance I agree and look forward to what we do with the Bent transfer money and wages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Stoke are a horrible team. I couldn't watch them every week. Westwood MOTM, so good again. He and Benteke link up really well. Lowton and Baker were great today too. Will be difficult to leave Baker out when Vlaar is back. Decent performance, good point against a tough side in form, the goals will come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 God Bannan is turd. Westwood on the other hand looks a real player. Can't fault us on the whole today, Stoke were the epitome of anti-football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Decent performance and I liked how we tried to play football. I was worried we'd just hoof it up to Benteke all game which thankfully we didn't do. Stoke are an awful team though. They came here today with the sole intention of stifling the life out of the game and getting a draw. They do that week in week out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 God Bannan is turd. Westwood on the other hand looks a real player. Can't fault us on the whole today, Stoke were the epitome of anti-football. Yeah the 6% better pass rate makes all the difference. Westwood had another great game and was one of our best players but Bannan still had a good, solid game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Think Bannan did well tbh against the brutality of Stoke's Orc midfield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wedge Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 We have so little creativity. He must invest in some creative players. Stop the presses I agree with something CI has said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BkkVilla Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Bullied Stoke all game, and they didn't like the taste of their own medicine. We also played some good football, the work rate was outstanding and the movement of the ball was also great. we went immediately flat with the double substitution. I think we should carry on with the 3-5-2 formation but replace Gabby with Bent as there were a few occasions when the ball went into the box and no one was attacking it. Bent would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switters Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Bullied Stoke all game, and they didn't like the taste of their own medicine. We also played some good football, the work rate was outstanding and the movement of the ball was also great. we went immediately flat with the double substitution. I think we should carry on with the 3-5-2 formation but replace Gabby with Bent as there were a few occasions when the ball went into the box and no one was attacking it. Bent would have. I see the point and I was thinking the same thing at times, but we have to bear in mind that on several of those occasions when the ball went into the box and no-one was attacking it, the player putting the ball in was Gabby. Gain in one area might be a loss elsewhere. tough to get the balance right. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted December 9, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 9, 2012 From Pro Soccer Talk: But with any match (particularly at the professional level), there is the expectation that teams will do basic things, like be able to show they’re capable of win the game. We assume teams actually are trying to win, but sometimes, on some very rare occasions, teams aren’t able to show it. Saturday turned out to be one of those days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Exactly. Westwood may well be good in a more attacking role, but he's great as he is. Just because he's playing well and the more advanced midfielders aren't delivering the same level of performance, doesn't mean that Westwood should be making up for what they aren't doing. I know what you are saying, but the fact is that he finds himself in space at the head of the square quite a few times in a match and the opportunities are there for him to drive forward with the ball or to have a shot from a distance, rather than pass it wide to the wing-backs as he generally does. Scoring goals is certainly not his job, but by keeping defenders in two minds about what he is going to do helps stretch the defence and create space for our attackers. Petrov was very good at this - even NRC had a pop from time to time. It's not a criticism of the kid - I think he's fantastic - but I feel it's the next step for him, to add a few attacking weapons to his arsenal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butler50 Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 A point was fair today and the young lads handled stoke well on crosses etc. However we have to start scoring and start winning our home games. We lack creativity and sometimes Benteke is totally isolated. If Lambo carries on playing 3 behind Benteke then they have to start doing more. We pose little threat going forward vs both Reading and Stoke at HOME. But they may be down to stoke sitting 8 men on their own box, shocking tactics. Major creativity needed or Lambo needs to get gabby further forward as 1 goal in 34 prem games to me does not justify him a starting place. Bent may not work like some others but he may get that goal that wins us some games against average opposition. Plus he has barely played so dont no how fans can kncok him just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyBM Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 ive just watched the highlights on motd and what a shocking display that way, and by that i mean the way we acted just like stoke, we should of had a couple of sending offs ourselfs, lichaj being one of them, im not sure that using power againsst power is the right tactics, it clearly isnt as we didnt win cant fault the team however, we just couldnt seem to break them down, which is what the lads need to improve on doing, if we was against most other teams in the league we would of won, bentekes shots were all abit soft though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Good to have another point on the board but a dire match from 2 poor teams. What is most worrying is we did not really trouble their keeper once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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