Match Report and MOM v Sheff Utd

I can understand your point of view.

I guess the point that I’m getting at is that our success has its bedrock in team work and application, pulling in the same direction, which in certain areas I (personally) didn’t see yesterday for what ever reason (probably more than one) AND that’s not saying the team weren’t trying I’m sure they were.
I thought we looked more like individuals than a team and I think that when we play as a cohesive team we excel.

I would also put hard work and endeavour extremely high on my football skills list.;)
 
Agreed ! Let’s put the league 1 team playing above themselves to bed shall we and start judging the team by the millions that have been spent to build this next generation ...Steve Cook and Fraser were the only league one players on the pitch ( was Adam Smith a league 1 loan ?) ..... only the management and fans come from league 1 now .

This 100%.

We had a great coaching team for journey man players making the absolute best of ourselves in a 4-4-2 shape. We were beyond compare in the modern game with it.

When it comes to talented players needing different systems we are totally ill equipped to get the best out of them hence the lesser than the sum of their parts we have witnessed way too often since November. They don’t look energetic and they often look confused. That’s really poor at this level. Look how many wide front players we have nullified by trying to turn them into wide midfielders.

Time to stop the patronising excuses. We have spent over 500m in players and wages in the last few years. To still be trying to work out a system and to not look match ready on the opening day of the season is very worrying.
 
Just so I know I’ve made myself clear on this point .....

At no point have I been patronising as I see things. At no point have I tried to excuse performances saying that we’re league 1 players who only succeed by being a good team rather than skilful individuals.
If we’re in this league then we’re sure as hell good enough to be here.

The way we go about what we do and being a team who are cohesive on and off the pitch and add up to a total more than the sum of our parts I wear that as a badge of honour and see it as a great achievement and one that every team in any sport should try to aspire to IN MY EYES !...which I whole heartedly accept are indeed only my eyes !

Thankyou . peace and love y’all
 
When we went 1-0 up, I noticed Callum being given clear instructions NOT to push too far up the pitch. We sat back when we were on top.

That suggests to me that it was the major (but not the only) reason we drew rather than the constant hand-wringing about not having the right coaching set-up or formations. I thought our resident expert favoured a move away from 4-4-2 but now it seems that having 5 midfielders is the wrong thing to do.
 
When we went 1-0 up, I noticed Callum being given clear instructions NOT to push too far up the pitch. We sat back when we were on top.

That suggests to me that it was the major (but not the only) reason we drew rather than the constant hand-wringing about not having the right coaching set-up or formations. I thought our resident expert favoured a move away from 4-4-2 but now it seems that having 5 midfielders is the wrong thing to do.
Well we didn’t play 5 midfielders either on Saturday. From what I saw in preseason Callum was also not pushing too far up the pitch. You couldn’t really say the performance was any better or worse before or after our goal. It was just an all round poor performances from 11 players who didn’t play together in preseason. I think that’s the main reason for ‘only’ drawing rather than instructions and formations.
 
This 100%.

We had a great coaching team for journey man players making the absolute best of ourselves in a 4-4-2 shape. We were beyond compare in the modern game with it.

When it comes to talented players needing different systems we are totally ill equipped to get the best out of them hence the lesser than the sum of their parts we have witnessed way too often since November. They don’t look energetic and they often look confused. That’s really poor at this level. Look how many wide front players we have nullified by trying to turn them into wide midfielders.

Time to stop the patronising excuses. We have spent over 500m in players and wages in the last few years. To still be trying to work out a system and to not look match ready on the opening day of the season is very worrying.
:clap:
 
Agree with Hillviewred's agreement with Rob Trent's tangent. : )
There didn't seem to be as many clappers around us in the North Stand. Also had a job to hear "Sheet Caroline" pre kick off. : )
Somethings don't change much, same song pre match, same broken records when we don't win : )
 
I had a tourist next to me.

I was greeted by the boiled sock and ketchup scent of his match-day-experience-lips-and-hooves-burger...

...and once that was done repeated wafts of Lynx Africa took a turn at torturing my nostrils.

Add the intermittent photo taking and my match day experience didn't equal the week's build up.

As a result I was too distracted (read as: incandescent with unreasonable rage) to notice how full the seats were...

BUT I did register how the away side's fans sang their hearts out.
 
When we went 1-0 up, I noticed Callum being given clear instructions NOT to push too far up the pitch. We sat back when we were on top.

That suggests to me that it was the major (but not the only) reason we drew rather than the constant hand-wringing about not having the right coaching set-up or formations. I thought our resident expert favoured a move away from 4-4-2 but now it seems that having 5 midfielders is the wrong thing to do.

I’m assuming I’m the hand wringing resident expert....

All I have said Rob is that we need to get three central midfielders onto the pitch if we are going to be able to match teams again for possession and get control of games. Even DJ is normally with me on that one.

That means 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 or if we want to persist with the three centre backs 3-5-2

It doesn’t mean 4-4-2 or 3-4-3
 
I’m assuming I’m the hand wringing resident expert....

All I have said Rob is that we need to get three central midfielders onto the pitch if we are going to be able to match teams again for possession and get control of games. Even DJ is normally with me on that one.

That means 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 or if we want to persist with the three centre backs 3-5-2

It doesn’t mean 4-4-2 or 3-4-3

I’ve suggested a three man midfield for some games in every league and Howe has more often than not proved me wrong by sticking with a two man midfield. :)

For what it’s worth with Billing and Lerma. I think a two man midfield could work more often and I’d have preferred to have gone with 4-4-1-1 on Saturday.

But I guess the issue was injuries to Brooks, Stanislas and Danjuma. Meaning the only other option against Sheffield United would have been Jordon Ibe...
 
I’m assuming I’m the hand wringing resident expert....

All I have said Rob is that we need to get three central midfielders onto the pitch if we are going to be able to match teams again for possession and get control of games. Even DJ is normally with me on that one.

That means 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 or if we want to persist with the three centre backs 3-5-2

It doesn’t mean 4-4-2 or 3-4-3
The point was that whatever the formation you’ll still blame a non win on our coaching.
 
Or Kilkenny.... both of whom performed better in the friendlies than people who started.

It’s an option. I’d be wary of chucking such a young talent in the deep end and expect him to do the hard graft and defensive duties though.
 
The point was that whatever the formation you’ll still blame a non win on our coaching.

Coaches set and work on formations?

We have played well in many defeats in the premier league Rob. Not a problem with those. When you have had a pre-season but looked confused and tired and haven’t put right the wrongs of a previous system then it’s poor coaching. Were the players organised but made bad mistakes it would have been player issues.

As we have got better players the individual mistakes have lessened hugely. What hasn’t happened is the equivalent step up in coaching.

The players have changed. The coaches haven’t.
 

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