Mr Potato Heeds Lads v The Wilder the Better

[Anorthernsoul 1221]

It's his struggle with the basics that is worrying.

[Alex 35062]

1 hour ago, Ugly Mackems said:

Bruce better be careful....

 

God forbid he gets some credit. 

 

Great result. 

You and that Toonraider are basically this forum’s answer to Hale and Pace

[Noelie 103]

"The Meek will inherit the...........3 points"

Great win, but to watch lack of possession week after week can be pretty frustrating and nail-biting.

Had it not been for Dubravka's heroics none of us would be as chuffed as we are.

I have to admit it is depressing to see practically every game we've played so far as been %75 in our half.

Credit to all, they all put in a decent shift, but I would like to see us have more possession.

Maxi & Miggy were not as good as they were and I believe that lack of possession was the reason as they were not fed enough balls.

[trophyshy 7083]

Winter in a Walkers wonderland.  

[RobinRobin 11259]

4 hours ago, strawb said:

Is difficult to play as a lone front man when your nearest support is 30 yards away mind. I think there is a player in joelinton but he needs more support from midfield. He won’t get it in this system.

Perhaps that is why Rafa was not interested in him as a player, so who made the decision to buy an untried 40m player who would require a complete change to what has been a reasonably successful system?  Penfold?

[Ayatollah Hermione 13860]

Graham Carr and his extensive scouting network of deals he can get a backhander off.

[wykikitoon 20113]

Wilder

 

Quote

This game in a heartbeat has changed. This game now is completely different to what I experienced as a 16-year-old lad as an apprentice. I don’t know where it is going and it is sucking the life out of me and the supporters.

I was told at the start of the season that the linesman would not put his flag up and let it go. He put his flag up and the referee was about to blow his whistle. Everyone in the ground stopped. Jonjo Shelvey even nonchalantly went up and took an opportunity. His body language said to me he had seen the linesman had put the flag up and he was going to be offside.

I want to be talking about our first season back in the Premier League. I want to talk about trying to break down a team like Newcastle – to talk about football and not yet again VAR.

 

[ewerk 30561]

Aye but he didn't blow his whistle.  

[wykikitoon 20113]

He didnt even put his hand to his mouth.  If you watch the reply he acknowledges to the lino that he's put the flag up and carries play on.

This is why VAR was brought in, to allow perfectly fine goals like this.  The ref played with VAR how it should be played.  If this carries on game by game, week by week, VAR is good.

Of course the game has changed since he was 16.  But he doesnt say that shite players earning 50k a week whilst teams are going bust are sucking the life out eh.  Cock.

[t00nraider2 41]

Steve Nickson I believe. 

 

We don't have the players at the moment to get a higher percentage posession. This can be achieved over the next few windows providing we stay up.

 

I believe Joelinton will come good but will take time like some foreign players do.

 

For now though, I'd rather have a team that has less posession and win games than a lot of posession and loses!

[trooper 940]

Won the game got free points we we were frashed on the pitch.

[Ayatollah Hermione 13860]

2 hours ago, t00nraider2 said:

Steve Nickson I believe. 

 

We don't have the players at the moment to get a higher percentage posession. This can be achieved over the next few windows providing we stay up.

 

I believe Joelinton will come good but will take time like some foreign players do.

 

For now though, I'd rather have a team that has less posession and win games than a lot of posession and loses!

We have centre halves with a great ability to hold the ball and midfielders like Hayden and Longstaffx2 who are excellent at keeping the ball. More bollocks  

[Holden McGroin 6581]

Look at Brighton. They've gone from a similar approach to what we have had the past few years to a possession based system with ease.

 

[Dr Gloom 21912]

3 hours ago, t00nraider2 said:

Steve Nickson I believe. 

 

We don't have the players at the moment to get a higher percentage posession. This can be achieved over the next few windows providing we stay up.

 

I believe Joelinton will come good but will take time like some foreign players do.

 

For now though, I'd rather have a team that has less posession and win games than a lot of posession and loses!

[The Fish 10854]

I think there Almiron, Joelinton and ASM are good players, I'm just not sure all 3 fit into the same system and I'm not sure we're playing a system that any of them will shine in.

 

Joelinton needs support possibly as part of a front 3

ASM need plenty of opportunities to run at defenders, but we're sitting so deep he's having to beat 3 - 4 men each time.

Almiron similarly needs to be playing further up the pitch, receiving the ball to feet and enjoying quick 1-2s with the fullback and central midfield or striker.

[David Kelly 1244]

3 hours ago, Ayatollah Hermione said:

We have centre halves with a great ability to hold the ball and midfielders like Hayden and Longstaffx2 who are excellent at keeping the ball. More bollocks  

I can't say that I've seen any evidence of our midfield being able to keep the ball mind.  If they can why aren't they?  Have Rafa's and now Bruces tactics been to purposely give away possession?   Sean Longstaff maybe the one who could change this but not alongside Hayden.

[The Fish 10854]

Just now, David Kelly said:

I can't say that I've seen any evidence of our midfield being able to keep the ball mind.  If they can why aren't they?  Have Rafa's and now Bruces tactics been to purposely give away possession?   Sean Longstaff maybe the one who could change this but not alongside Hayden.

Partly because we've had to play Shelvey who has no interest in short passes, partly because that season we were aiming for Rondon as quickly as possible. In Schar, Lejeune and to a lesser extent Clark & Fernandez we've got centre back who're very comfortable on the ball. With a decent defensive midfielder we could definitely play a more patient game.

[David Kelly 1244]

5 hours ago, wykikitoon said:

Wilder

 

 

I actually agree with a lot of what Wilder said.  When he says it after his team didn't play to the whistle, something you're told to do at school let alone when you're a professional footballer, and they've thrown away a game, it just sounds like sour grapes.

VAR is still shite and will kill the game.

[David Kelly 1244]

4 minutes ago, The Fish said:

Partly because we've had to play Shelvey who has no interest in short passes, partly because that season we were aiming for Rondon as quickly as possible. In Schar, Lejeune and to a lesser extent Clark & Fernandez we've got centre back who're very comfortable on the ball. With a decent defensive midfielder we could definitely play a more patient game.

Yeah I agree Shelvey doesn't help, I actually think Ki keeps possession better when he's on his game, which unfortunately isn't regularly enough.  Getting the ball up to Rondon quickly might have made some sense but what are we doing now?  Shelvey doesn't play every game and you can probably look over the last 3 seasons and we'll barely have a game that we had the lions share of possession.  So if we have players capable keeping possession why don't we?  Like you I think we need a good defensive midfielder.

[sammynb 3355]

9 hours ago, David Kelly said:

Like you I think we need a good defensive midfielder.

 

If we are going to keep the current backline and/or include Lejeune into it, I'd like to see cabbage head move Schar up into defensive midfield. He's got a cool head, great range of passing and can make things happen.

Unfortunately I can see the home town hero leaving him on the bench.

[The Fish 10854]

10 hours ago, David Kelly said:

Yeah I agree Shelvey doesn't help, I actually think Ki keeps possession better when he's on his game, which unfortunately isn't regularly enough.  Getting the ball up to Rondon quickly might have made some sense but what are we doing now?  Shelvey doesn't play every game and you can probably look over the last 3 seasons and we'll barely have a game that we had the lions share of possession.  So if we have players capable keeping possession why don't we?  Like you I think we need a good defensive midfielder.

Benitez was more focussed/comfortable playing that pragmatic style with the squad he had, and Bruce hasn't the wherewithal to play differently with any degree of success. 

Had Benitez been in control of transfers I'm convinced he would have signed improvements for central midfield to permit more possession-based play.