cardiffcherry
First Team
Brentford are unbeaten in 8, albeit that they’ve only won 2 of those. Saturday is certainly an intriguing game, given the fairly high chance that we will meet again in the play-offs.
As one of the people that make that point it was never lost on me. Having the most talented squad doesn’t automatically result in the best team. We weren’t the best squad in the year we ran away with this league, neither were Leicester when they won the PL. I’ve made this point many times. You need the correct manager to pull this all together.This is a point that is lost on some of those proclaiming we had 'the best squad in the league' before a ball was kicked this season. We all knew that we had some decent individual players but they were almost all inconsistent and mentally fragile. This is as relevant to the quality of a squad as anything else. The challenge for JT was to turn this around and initially he did but ultimately he failed.
Agree 100% with your final paragraph. Probably a combination of all of them.
Top team performance on and off the ball.
An excellent day at the office for the management and the players.
This was the most pleasing part for me, off the ball, higher press aids the higher tempo of play.
We also had pressing from all of the front four.
As one of the people that make that point it was never lost on me. Having the most talented squad doesn’t automatically result in the best team. We weren’t the best squad in the year we ran away with this league, neither were Leicester when they won the PL. I’ve made this point many times. You need the correct manager to pull this all together.
My issue was with the fact the club should have had a few replacements for Eddie in their mind not bumble two appointments. They certainly shouldn’t have given it to JT, if they’d spoke to the senior pros who were against the move (maybe they did as JT moved a lot of them out of the picture) they would have not made what could still be the costliest error in our history.
Woodgate is not a managerial genius, what he has done is stop the ridiculous over rotation to match other inferior teams styles, stopped the five at the back, played three forwards and asked them not to over play at the back and be more direct. Set up right the team started winning and with that all the other things we were worried about clicked into place. The squad is that talented that’s all it needed.
"I know there are only two options on tossing a coin, but it is highly unlikely you will spin 10 heads or tails in a row. However it is stil 50/50 that the next one will continue the streak. The odds dont change."Makes total sense, but it is the old adage of taking each game as it comes.
I know there are only two options on tossing a coin, but it is highly unlikely you will spin 10 heads or tails in a row. However it is stil 50/50 that the next one will continue the streak. The odds dont change.
So just because we have won 7, 8 ,9 etc, its only our knowledge and belief that winning runs will end at some point, that put in that concern.
I think Brentford themselves won 8 on the bounce last year, starting at exactly the same time as us. They then lost the last two at Stoke I think, and then at home to Barnsley, which cost them automatic.
They then spluttered in the play offs. Thats our fear, but there is no reason it should happen, just because it happened to them.
To be fair in the play offs, you can even afford to lose one game, (as Brentford actually did) in the semis, as long as you win on aggregate.
Nevertheless we wouldnt be a fan, without worrying about all the permutations!
Is your last game at home to Sheffield Wednesday?The thought of a Watford Wobble and you pipping us in the last minute of the last day is keeping me awake at night.
Lerma being the furthest forward to close down their defender resulted in Dans goal. Without the closing down that goal wouldnt have happened.
This was one of the things that was severely lacking in other games under Woodgate, which was why I was reserving judgment.
We were sitting too deep and we didn’t press until the opposition was 10 yards inside our half, even then it wasn't pressing in pairs etc, it wasn’t hounding the opposition and making them play quicker and forcing mistakes, it was half hearted.
It might sound odd to many after seven consecutive victories, but this was the bit that left me excited. It’s this work rate over a longer period that will bring success.
Of course there will be times when we should sit off a little and allow the opposition to dick about with it in their own half, I get that. Brentford could well be one of those games, but against many teams in this league we should be dictating the play with and without the ball.
The thought of a Watford Wobble and you pipping us in the last minute of the last day is keeping me awake at night.
This was one of the things that was severely lacking in other games under Woodgate, which was why I was reserving judgment.
We were sitting too deep and we didn’t press until the opposition was 10 yards inside our half, even then it wasn't pressing in pairs etc, it wasn’t hounding the opposition and making them play quicker and forcing mistakes, it was half hearted.
It might sound odd to many after seven consecutive victories, but this was the bit that left me excited. It’s this work rate over a longer period that will bring success.
Of course there will be times when we should sit off a little and allow the opposition to dick about with it in their own half, I get that. Brentford could well be one of those games, but against many teams in this league we should be dictating the play with and without the ball.
I didn’t disappear until he failed. I came back when he had gone so it didn’t look like I was gloating. He failed well before that. Damned if you do damned if you don’t!Perhaps it's semantics but "best squad in the league" doesn't half gloss over the fact that their confidence has been on it's **************** for 18 months and, frankly, a great many of these players had been rubbish for ages and there were clearly issues with factions in the squad who wanted away. That was our squad at the start if the season and we'd also lost key players moreso than the other equally talented squads that came down with us.
Brentford among others had proven they had greater team cohesion than us at this level yet apparently this doesn't count in your narrow definition of squad quality.
If JT was really our worst manager ever they wouldn't have turned around the poor form of the previous 18 months and started the season well and you wouldn't have had to go into hibernation until he eventually failed.
To suggest that all Woodgate had to do was turn up tinker with the formation and this current run of form was inevitable is ludicrous and quite disrespectful to him and the people he's brought in.
I didn’t disappear until he failed. I came back when he had gone so it didn’t look like I was gloating. He failed well before that. Damned if you do damned if you don’t!
My definition of squad quality is narrow, hence why I’ve always said it’s not enough on its own. It’s purely the quality of individuals available, never pretended it’s anything else and always said that doesn’t make a football team. However, it gives you a better chance than anyone if you have the right manager.
I really like Woodgate, who wouldn’t? I’m not belittling what he did, those three things i mentionned he did would have taken significant work in training. What I was saying is the quality of player he had means it didn’t take any form of management genius like Eddie had to do to get things moving.