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[JIMNNINA]

I don't need your theory to be proven. I don't think it's worthwhile to begin with.

We can debate about Fraser's form, Killkenny, Mings, Mousset, tactics, etc. because we can see these things and give a worthwhile opinion (or not). Debating about this "coaching staff" idea isn't worthwhile because it's like a lazy shorthand argument that is about as useful as "we need to be better" - no sh*t.

The funny thing is I don't really disagree about three in the middle or potentially playing different people ahead of off form players. These are informed opinions based on observable perfomances. Banging on in every post about a perceived problem that doesn't really add anything to the debate is not.

If you want to know I had no real issue with you personally until recently when you came on here gloating about our worst performance in years as soon as the final whistle went - making up something that I'd said in the process. I've no time for that type of thing and I'll not humour you next time you get upset when I accuse you of taking perverse joy when afcb put it terrible performances.

The role of afcb coaching staff is to get playyers to overachieve and improve.
Fraser has gone downhill, Solanke plays nowhere near the level of a pl striker, Billing and Cook havent run a midfield, Wilson cant score.

Brooks has improved as has Rico, Lerma is a different level

Need to get the underachievers performing better consistently asap.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Maybe it's semantics but I would lay the blame at the door of the "management team" without needing to be as specific as blaming the percieved inexperience of our coaches. You've pinned the blame for loads of things on this inexperience - it's like you've picked a problem and are looking to find something to blame on it.

I do lay the blame at the management team, de facto, because Eddie chooses who stays and who goes out of them. I also don’t think he will change them as long as he has got a hole in his ****************.

I don’t want him to go though. I do want an influx of new ideas. I have always believed, that this is a tough league that moves constantly and the majority of teams change their manager to gain impetus and new directions. For some it works for some it doesn’t. Brighton are a good example of a very dull team now trying to venture out with a brand new style and receiving more success.

We will never receive a new manager bounce which means we have to conjure up runs. We normally do, and I’m sure we will this year, but in previous years we have always had plenty of goals in us.

I have always thought that JT and Purchy who have the main impact on Eddie are all from a similar background and a new voice and ideas might give us the new manager bounce without the manager change we don’t want. Else we just become Arsenal under Wenger with worse players.

And all of this is just speculation of course I just don’t see any new ideas coming and am looking at the sources of ideas in a club.

I also think they developed average players better than decent players and there is surely a lot of evidence of that.

 

[The Flying Picket]

Hugo Faria was brought in as an English translator for Lerma and Rico for the team talks.

Callum Wilson's attitude has totally gone to pot this season. His stats and lack of goals show that something has totally gone amiss.

In the Premier League he is currently
10th position for aerial battles lost
5th position for number of fouls committed
2nd position for being caught offside


He is even being outscored by Harry Wilson

Eddie really needs to get a grip on Callum especially as we have so few stiking options.

 

[langham]

Time for Eddie to bring in a new man with new ideas I think.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Neil,do you think that since Hugo Faria came onto the coaching staff that we have switched to this more counter attacking style?
I am presuming he was brought in to give new ideas and maybe we are seeing the results of that now and not for the better.

I have it on very good authority that he has a peripheral role working predominantly in integration of Lerma and Rico with language and familiarity after lessons learned from Mousset. He does not impact first team tactics.

 

[davygravy]

Did anyone watch the video when Eddie was Mic'd up in pre season? Was very interesting to watch. There was one drill in particular, all based around full backs passing into forwards and midfielders, then overlapping to receive the return pass inside the 'opposition' full backs [ ie: getting to the byeline ] and getting the ball across the goal. This was mostly done low and hard and the strikers encouraged to make runs near and far post.
Yet we seem to be doing this kind of thing rarely in an actual match. Not sure why this would be.

 

[Tinpot Club]

Did anyone watch the video when Eddie was Mic'd up in pre season? Was very interesting to watch. There was one drill in particular, all based around full backs passing into forwards and midfielders, then overlapping to receive the return pass inside the 'opposition' full backs [ ie: getting to the byeline ] and getting the ball across the goal. This was mostly done low and hard and the strikers encouraged to make runs near and far post.
Yet we seem to be doing this kind of thing rarely in an actual match. Not sure why this would be.

How it looks to me is we play too robotically in the final third. We don’t have midfielders capable of positive passes through the middle so invariably we send the ball wide. However, the wide players look like they are under instruction to only cross if absolutely necessary. By the time we try to work an opening for a low and hard cross, the defence has got in position and eventually it ends up a half hearted swing into a crowded box.

I’ve always felt the best approach to crossing is to hit it early or not at all. But for not at all to happen we need someone able to pick a pass or just effing shoot!

 

[Norton Cherry]

How it looks to me is we play too robotically in the final third.

Maybe this is a big part of the issue? Perhaps our coaching too rigid and not allowing the players to unleash their abilities?

New recruits do often take a long time before getting any game time. I do wonder if we are trying to force a very dictatorial way of playing that stifles the natural flair.

 

[Tinpot Club]

Maybe this is a big part of the issue? Perhaps our coaching too rigid and not allowing the players to unleash their abilities?

New recruits do often take a long time before getting any game time. I do wonder if we are trying to force a very dictatorial way of playing that stifles the natural flair.

It’s something Wee Man hinted at recently with his “I’m a winger but not allowed to cross” complaint.

 

[red_house]

Ive answered this a number of times. This whole forum depends on unprovable stuff to keep going. Everything any of us write is unprovable. !

I guess that's where some of us differ. We can all see Fraser and Callum are off form (our most potent partnership last season) and we know we are plagued by Injuries to our creative players, something you admitted in your match report. To me that's proof as to why we aren't playing well, not a theory about coaching staff. The same coaching staff who've kept the team in the PL for the last five years? The same coaching staff who worked on a patched up team that turned over Chelsea last week? The same Chelsea team who ripped Spurs apart today...

To me its form, Injuries and consistency not some kind of specific failure of the coaching team. They can only work with what they have and they've been dealt a raw hand due to Injuries.
Forget all this stuff about Eddie bringing someone else in. He'd want Brooks back, the Wee man to sign a new contract and Callum to find his scoring boots.

There are loads of positives, Rico , Stacey, Lerma. We have Stan , Harry Wilson and Brooks to come back . Even Franno, hats off to the bloke and Gosling have stepped up. More than anything we have team spirit.

 

[RobTrent]

I guess that's where some of us differ. We can all see Fraser and Callum are off form (our most potent partnership last season) and we know we are plagued by Injuries to our creative players, something you admitted in your match report. To me that's proof as to why we aren't playing well, not a theory about coaching staff. The same coaching staff who've kept the team in the PL for the last five years? The same coaching staff who worked on a patched up team that turned over Chelsea last week? The same Chelsea team who ripped Spurs apart today...

To me its form, Injuries and consistency not some kind of specific failure of the coaching team. They can only work with what they have and they've been dealt a raw hand due to Injuries.
Forget all this stuff about Eddie bringing someone else in. He'd want Brooks back, the Wee man to sign a new contract and Callum to find his scoring boots.

There are loads of positives, Rico , Stacey, Lerma. We have Stan , Harry Wilson and Brooks to come back . Even Franno, hats off to the bloke and Gosling have stepped up. More than anything we have team spirit.

You missed Ramsdale too. Our defence looks so much better this year.

 

[SlowDownDerek]

I do lay the blame at the management team, de facto, because Eddie chooses who stays and who goes out of them. I also don’t think he will change them as long as he has got a hole in his ****.
I don’t want him to go though. I do want an influx of new ideas. I have always believed, that this is a tough league that moves constantly and the majority of teams change their manager to gain impetus and new directions. For some it works for some it doesn’t. Brighton are a good example of a very dull team now trying to venture out with a brand new style and receiving more success.
We will never receive a new manager bounce which means we have to conjure up runs. We normally do, and I’m sure we will this year, but in previous years we have always had plenty of goals in us.
I have always thought that JT and Purchy who have the main impact on Eddie are all from a similar background and a new voice and ideas might give us the new manager bounce without the manager change we don’t want. Else we just become Arsenal under Wenger with worse players.
And all of this is just speculation of course I just don’t see any new ideas coming and am looking at the sources of ideas in a club.
I also think they developed average players better than decent players and there is surely a lot of evidence of that.

Ultimately Eddie is responsible and personally I don't see the point in trying to pinpoint exactly what the specific reason for his perceived failures are based on pure speculation. Say you were right... where exactly does that get us? At the end of the day he's got to come up with a solution whether that means getting other coaches in or not. Tbh I don't think it matters how he does it as long as he does. You appear to be one of the only people fixated on the idea that the "coaching staff" are to blame. For what reason I don't know. It appears to be more about proving yourself correct rather than wanting him to solve the problem. As others have also said I think you've got a history of talking up our issues and so some of your current criticism comes over like the boy who cried wolf.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Ultimately Eddie is responsible and personally I don't see the point in trying to pinpoint exactly what the specific reason for his perceived failures are based on pure speculation. Say you were right... where exactly does that get us? At the end of the day he's got to come up with a solution whether that means getting other coaches in or not. Tbh I don't think it matters how he does it as long as he does. You appear to be one of the only people fixated on the idea that the "coaching staff" are to blame. For what reason I don't know. It appears to be more about proving yourself correct rather than wanting him to solve the problem. As others have also said I think you've got a history of talking up our issues and so some of your current criticism comes over like the boy who cried wolf.

The reason I think the coaching staff (and that has always included Eddie) are to blame is because we don’t do simple defending of crosses and haven’t for years, we can only effectively play one system and our players aren’t regularly playing to their potential.

Im not fixated with it... it’s just what I think?

Im not trying to prove myself right because the only way that will happen is if Eddie comes out and says it. So it would be a fruitless wish!

The boy that cried wolf kept pretending he was in danger then when he really was nobody listened. If I’ve remembered that analogy right I’m not sure what it’s got to do with this debate!

 

[SlowDownDerek]

The reason I think the coaching staff (and that has always included Eddie) are to blame is because we don’t do simple defending of crosses and haven’t for years, we can only effectively play one system and our players aren’t regularly playing to their potential.

Im not fixated with it... it’s just what I think?

Im not trying to prove myself right because the only way that will happen is if Eddie comes out and says it. So it would be a fruitless wish!

The boy that cried wolf kept pretending he was in danger then when he really was nobody listened. If I’ve remembered that analogy right I’m not sure what it’s got to do with this debate!

Have we got a problem defending crosses? It seems to me we're much better than we were a few seasons ago. Sure we conceded one on Saturday but they were out of position as the centre halves were up the pitch trying to win the game immediately prior - I don't remember many other crosses troubling us much and there were lots. In fact, perhaps ironically it was only a couple of weeks back when I was reading an article about how Burnley have the worst record of defending crosses this season.

I would say that mentioning the same thing in every comment on our playing style for years counts as an obsession personally.

Yes the boy who cried wolf banged on about something that was demonstrably false to the extent that when it finally had some truth to it it was difficult for anyone to take him seriously. If you prefer we could use the stopped clock analogy, sure one day we'll go down and you'll think you've been proven right despite being wrong for years.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Have we got a problem defending crosses? It seems to me we're much better than we were a few seasons ago. Sure we conceded one on Saturday but they were out of position as the centre halves were up the pitch trying to win the game immediately prior - I don't remember many other crosses troubling us much and there were lots. In fact, perhaps ironically it was only a couple of weeks back when I was reading an article about how Burnley have the worst record of defending crosses this season.

I would say that mentioning the same thing in every comment on our playing style for years counts as an obsession personally.

Yes the boy who cried wolf banged on about something that was demonstrably false to the extent that when it finally had some truth to it it was difficult for anyone to take him seriously. If you prefer we could use the stopped clock analogy, sure one day we'll go down and you'll think you've been proven right despite being wrong for years.

It depends how you define right or wrong I suppose. I guess as someone who needs absolute proof you are also someone who likes things clean... right or wrong. Personally I don’t think football breaks like that.

I have never once said on here we will go down. Always said the contrary. So if we go down what will it prove me to be exactly? I’ve also said i don’t care if we get relegated, I don’t see it as the be all and end all to be in this league. There were many reasons I preferred the championship.

This is what I mean about being misrepresented. Everything to me is about maximising potential whatever league we are in. We used to, I don’t think we do now. I don’t care about results or what league we are in. Being entertained and playing to our potential is all I want from my football team, whether 8th in the Pl or fighting relegation in league two.

I think right now we need new ideas to improve but i don’t want it to come in the form of a new manager

 

[SlowDownDerek]

It depends how you define right or wrong I suppose. I guess as someone who needs absolute proof you are also someone who likes things clean... right or wrong. Personally I don’t think football breaks like that.

I have never once said on here we will go down. Always said the contrary. So if we go down what will it prove me to be exactly? I’ve also said i don’t care if we get relegated, I don’t see it as the be all and end all to be in this league. There were many reasons I preferred the championship.

This is what I mean about being misrepresented. Everything to me is about maximising potential whatever league we are in. We used to, I don’t think we do now. I don’t care about results or what league we are in. Being entertained and playing to our potential is all I want from my football team, whether 8th in the Pl or fighting relegation in league two.

I think right now we need new ideas to improve but i don’t want it to come in the form of a new manager

Well I guess we're both guilty of misrepresenting one another as I've clearly stated that I don't need any proof of your argument, I think it has no merit whether you're right or wrong. It's not important to know whether your extremely specific obsession with the coaching staff is accurate because it makes no odds to me as a supporter. The team needs to perform on Saturdays and Howe needs to do whatever it takes to make that happen. I've no need to know about the behind-the-scenes specifics as you appear to.

Personally I'm also not too bothered what league we are in although I think it is relevant to the extent that there is unfortunately a ceiling to what can be achieved by a non top 6 club in this league. Best case scenario is still pretty mundane at this level.

I would like us to start creating more chances though. As I've said, I couldn't care less whether that happens with or without changes to the backroom staff.

 

[billythekid]

At home this season after 9 games we have scored 9 and conceded 13.

After 19 games last season we had scored 30 and conceded 25.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Well I guess we're both guilty of misrepresenting one another as I've clearly stated that I don't need any proof of your argument, I think it has no merit whether you're right or wrong. It's not important to know whether your extremely specific obsession with the coaching staff is accurate because it makes no odds to me as a supporter. The team needs to perform on Saturdays and Howe needs to do whatever it takes to make that happen. I've no need to know about the behind-the-scenes specifics as you appear to.

Personally I'm also not too bothered what league we are in although I think it is relevant to the extent that there is unfortunately a ceiling to what can be achieved by a non top 6 club in this league. Best case scenario is still pretty mundane at this level.

I would like us to start creating more chances though. As I've said, I couldn't care less whether that happens with or without changes to the backroom staff.

If my opinion makes no odds to you and you couldn’t care less why do you always reply to it within 10 mins of me posting. I can never be arsed to pick up on the people speculating on Frasers mind because It genuinely makes no odds to me.

 

[SlowDownDerek]

If my opinion makes no odds to you and you couldn’t care less why do you always reply to it within 10 mins of me posting. I can never be arsed to pick up on the people speculating on Frasers mind because It genuinely makes no odds to me.

Because its a manufactured argument to act as the latest conduit for your constant negativity about Howe, something you've done in one form or another since we got promoted.

Sorry I'm five minutes late this time.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Because its a manufactured argument to act as the latest conduit for your constant negativity about Howe, something you've done in one form or another since we got promoted.

Sorry I'm five minutes late this time.

That’s your opinion of it. You talk as if your opinion is the worlds opinion.

I will carry on believing our coaching staff may have been correct for the team they brought up but they aren’t right for the current crop to reach full potential. I will carry on saying this until I change my mind.

You I am sure will carry on replying in whatever timescale suits!

Im not sure really what you want from me?