Match Report and MOM v Naarwich

Just a quick reminder for all those eulogising how good we were (and yes we were ultimately) when we won the Championship.
That season our first 10 league games our record was

Won 3
Drawn 3
Lost 4
F 14 A 13
Pts 12

Definitely a case of Howe OUT.
And look where it ended up..........................
I suggest all of us so called experts give Tindall (and no I didn't want him) and the team/formation etc time to settle down.

https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=359&teamTabs=results

To be fair, that run included games where we absolutely annihilated teams but somehow contrived to lose. Like the Forest one where Pearce was their manager who admitted a fair result would have been 5-0 to AFCB. So the signs of domination were there even in defeat.
 
I selected Palace away as I was one of the eight or nine hundred who witnessed that sorry show. There can't be anyone who left the away section anywhere remotely satisfied that night.

The pointy being that possession in itself, does not guarantee a good performance or a result (that's why I earlier posted about West Ham and Leicester yesterday).

By all means, let's keep hold of the ball. But that is only the half of it. We have to do something creative with it.
So you picked a game where the other team had a player sent off and largely gave up attacking as a typical game of football?
 
If you read my verdict that’s basically what I say with regards to your comment on the Team. Solanke I stand by that score and it wasn’t prejudged. His continual losing of the ball and lack of game intelligence was poor
Didnt see that. Thought he played well. He was there to head clear and help out the defence too at several corners.
 
I’ve not been critical if you read the report you will see that. What I said was they are all getting to know each other and I’m hoping they are working out how to not have 37% possession at home. Hardly a damming critique! That team should be dominating games not being dominated.

The argument the ‘our Jason’ crowd had was that we needed continuity and had to hit the ground running. A new manager would be change and we couldn’t afford that time. Now the same people are saying it needs time?

We have a better squad than Norwich so I’d have expected us to dominate the game not them dominate us but it’s early days.

Your damming critique is on other threads: likening us in entertainment terms to stoke, not playing attractive football, don’t want to watch my team if they play like this etc if that isn’t criticism what are you like on full throttle?

think Jason has had a really tough baptism to management. Little time in pre season, two tough pre season friendlies and a hard opening trio of games. Plenty of positives and yes some negatives to work on. But I am happy. In my book, in the key games better to get the points than win friends
 
More often than not the teams that dominate possession finish higher in the table. Remember back to your playing days and you should remember how much harder you had to work if your team was not dominating possession. Tired legs and a slip of concentration can allow an opponent to escape. Think what happened when Ibe or Harry Wilson failed to track their man. Possession is the best form of defence. The key is how well you use that possession. Movement off the ball and quick passing is essential.
 
More often than not the teams that dominate possession finish higher in the table. Remember back to your playing days and you should remember how much harder you had to work if your team was not dominating possession. Tired legs and a slip of concentration can allow an opponent to escape. Think what happened when Ibe or Harry Wilson failed to track their man. Possession is the best form of defence. The key is how well you use that possession. Movement off the ball and quick passing is essential.
100%. Tired teams get more injuries too :loser:
 
Good or expensive players do not always a good team make.

This season is fascinating. Step one, arrest the decline, sell those that are going to leave and build confidence. The results so far have achieved that. (Brooks and King may still go, but we have a settled ish team without them)
Step 2. Bring in 2 or 3 players to strengthen the depth in squad. Pending. I'd count Daniels as a new player.
Step 3. Build a spirit and resilience, hopefully with pace and a rhythm, so that players perform to the best of their ability and for each other. The latter being the priority.
Step 4. Acknowledge and understand that the football we saw under Eddie in the promotion season was a one off. The result of unique circumstances. A combination of players that grew together. Same principle as Ferguson with Beckham et al.

It's been a bit scrappy so far. But the determination and resilience has been pretty good. There are some positives, danjuma the biggest. But we have a core of players that would get into probably every team in this division and many in the one above. We have conceded possession and have made mistakes, but they don't lead to conceding a goal so often in this division.

5 games, 3 wins and one defeat at City and their finishing 11 would have beaten most teams in the country.

We have a strong squad for this division. Many expect us to go up. I'd love us to be up their buy don't relish a return.
When we went to the championship before I didn't think we'd stay up, I certainly didn't think we were good enough to go up the following season.

As I said, this is a fascinating season. I have one aim, to get to see a game. I don't care if it's the worst game ever. I'd take that over watching us be brilliant on the telly.
 
I'd be interested on your thoughts of Watfords squad Neil,its huge and player for player ,I believe way better and more expensive than ours.
 
I'd be interested on your thoughts of Watfords squad Neil,its huge and player for player ,I believe way better and more expensive than ours.
Wash your mouth out!......half of their squad has gone on strike anyway......not that's it is comparable to ours.....Neil is right in one thing.....we do have by far the classiest.....most exciting squad in the league.
 
from the BBC (again)

Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa
It should be three and Villa should put the game to bed but Ollie Watkins gets his header from six yards all wrong and nods it wide of target.
You'd expect better from a £28m striker.
It even happens to £28m strikers Neil.
I’ve sat in the Bernabeu and seen Ronaldo miss from three yards and nearly break his toe kicking the post in frustration and he is worth hundreds of millions.

Anyone can do it... it’s how often you do it that counts and maybe Watkins will turn out not to have it in him. Never seen him play so have no clue.
 
Anyone comparing anything we've done this season or last to Tony Pulis reign at this club is laughable.

I rate Watford and Norwich's squads as better than ours this season. The first 11s are fairly even but the depth of squads for them is stronger.
 

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