Legod Second Coming

Not sure that professional football played anywhere now differs that much by virtue of the globalisation of football. But even assuming it does, it wouldn't take much research for JP to work out how football is played by some teams in this league - SKY is presumably installed somewhere at the training ground. Although, I personally still vehemently dispute this idea that the Championship boasts a large number of teams who are simply physical. It's not what I see played out in front of me week in and week out. Take Derby for example. When they beat us 1-0 at home two seasons ago, for all their supposed physical strength we ran rings around them and should have been 5-0 up inside twenty minutes, had we been able to finish!! Now, no-one is saying Darren Moore and Dan Sh!ttu are Rio Ferdinand or Carlos Alberto. But watching Sunderland/Man City, I would say that as much football was played on Saturday as in that game. The problem remains, we played the poorer of it overall!!!

Check the manager's comments. He clocked it...

You one side, me the other. If we STILL cannot win, we're doomed...

I'm sure he takes advice. He seems like he has his head screwed on.

Tell you what friend, you get my vote for persistence. As for Snowballs: Squad quality is all relative. JP is not required to beat Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, etc. He is required to beat Blackpool, Derby and Birmingham, etc... And I fail to see why not having seen them play until recently will be a stumbling block. Or can one of our Dutch friends tell me that: a) no one in Holland owns a television set b) everyone in Holland plays total football, which is why they dominate world club football, not... c) no Dutch team has ever played outside of Holland. Do you not think that JP might have played against a team who park the bus on the goal-line before?? Or at least seen one or two? No bruisers treadin the lower echelons of Dutch football?? Or is it specifically experience of Darren Moore that you're worried he's missing??

Did we have grace then?

And Avram Grant.

Oh and Benitez.

It's true. This held back Mourinho and Wenger. Oh and Ferguson.

Truth is, we're a club with 15000 supporters. Oh, and 23,900 messageboard addicts, who if they collectively cut back on broadband could buy the fecking club... Still, if we win a few games and sneak promotion, the 18000 Ronaldo fans will be back. Good times! (Chill, I'm just joshing before all you never go to game types tell me what wonderful fans you used to be before Lowe came back and we started playing football again...) irony alert...

What??? Since when did passing to a colleague go out of fashion??

Err, probably that new signing Jack someone...hmmm who was it now... oh yeah, Daniels..

Hmm, I'm not so sure. Six competitive games into the season we have only won three of them trying PLAN A. Let's assume B works half the time and we would have won every game. Of course, having started PLAN A only two months ago, we could give it a little time with a young team to work, but I think it best if we try and change now before it's too late and we start playing good football every week... I mean, at least three times yesterday we hit a ball 50 yards and it landed at Holmes' feet. That sort of thing should not be needed when it bypassed three players and the keeper who did not get a touch. I wonder whether this Dutch bloke has even seen total football?? I mean, statistically, he was the second youngest of the Dutch squad for the 78 World Cup - possibly the world's most beautiful football team ever. But that side had an average age of 28 and ours are mere youngsters. No, on reflection I think it would be better rather than concentrating on doing the basics well - like passing, moving, spreading play and working together as a team with confidence and comfortably on the ball - if we simply reverted to a variety of either 4-4-2 or 4-4-2 as the game necessitates. And if the team have a bad game, bad half even, then simply swap their positions around - that's bound to work. Works every week for other teams. Go behind, playing badly, swap formations and BINGO the team wins. Why can others not see this? Actually, you know what? 50% win ratio, let's just sack the fecker now and be done with it... save all the whining eh?

I think they'll be better than that. They'll learn a lot from yesterday about mental approach and the manager has that air of calm authority about him. Spot on with his analysis yesterday and no doubt working on it this morning. And this from a bloke who was insensed when we sacked NP!!!

Yep, but two of them created clear goal-scoring chances. How many chances should we need? Listen, the guy ain't the finished article, far from it. But if we have a young team, they will feck up. That's what apprentices do. We have to live with it, or stick another batch of journeymen in. Tell you what, ther's this bloke, Jermaine Wright...

Better keep them all there and win every game then eh? At what point do young players learn? And if the manager accepts that we will learn as much from mistakes as victories, isn't that what building a young side is about?? I like the fact that I can see improvements in players and it's a fact that we didn't concede a single goal down the right side against Birmingham at home (twice). Yesterday he didn't fail second half to my view either. But perhaps a spell on the bench will allow Thomas to prove he's a right back...????

What about the four/five raking 50 yard passes to Holmes?? You're right, we won't agree on this. All I will say is that he ain't gonna get more comfortable on the bench is he??

Wingback?

I don't disagree, but this was not the same team who played the previous three games. Against Birmingham (twice) there was real, proper link-up play between the back and midfield - that was gone yesterday.

Aye DD, I agree. While it was close it could have been 1-4, 2-3, 1-5... we were poor at the back.

Don't buy your logic here. Killer can't have a bad game but Gillett can?? With a two week break maybe they'll BOTH be back to their best? As for James I just flat disagree - I think he's young and learning fast. Every player in this league will struggle with an on-form Hammil. Find me a defender who is adept at defending a winger running at them with pace and the ball??

No running from midfield or the backs was there yesterday?? That's what looked so ugly. If the ball had been passed into space in front of the players more we could have injected the pace that was so badly needed. Too many times players looked up, and hit an easy ball but BEHIND the player. Slowed us down to walking pace and for a horrible moment reminded me of how we played under GB... sent shivers down me spine it did.

I think you give them too much credit. If I'm wearing a red and white shirt but pass the ball to you wearing an orange one, is that your game plan??

He had a really tough job yesterday. Much tougher than I think he's been given credit for. He still made a couple of outstanding tackles but was really exposed on a couple of occasions for pace - which was never his strong suit!! I kind of agree - 80% would be good enough and he won't have anywhere near the same physical battle against QPR as he had here! Yesterday's probably the first time this season he's been significantly shorter than the striker and it showed!!!! But he has a fortnight to work on fitness and recover. I bet he's suffering badly after four years out and then a month of almost solid football. Wouldn't like to be him waking up this morning...

James I disagree. Very little of Blackpool's second half attacking threat came down the right (although on reflection most of their first half did!!!). White I couldn't even tell you how he played which probably means you're right! But James has held is own in better company and second half he was up to the plate. I think also that our full backs are getting unfair hammer. Their role in this set-up is to get forward and be part of the play - that their colleagues sometimes fail to cover, or lose the ball when they shouldn't, means our full-backs look exposed or not quick enough to get back. Often, that's not their fault, but the covering midfielder's. If, however, you're basing selection on yesterday's game, you would drop Gillet in a heartbeat, wouldn't you? And, as above, is that fair? Are we looking at yesterday's result/performance in isolation? Or taking the view that we had made two great strides last week, and one step back?