The Argus

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

So Virgo defends him, Adams admits he shouldn't be on the pitch and STILL you claim he's wrong. Unbelievable.

As for the chasing back issue, it's down to the position he plays in. Glenn Murray, a half-fit striker, shouldn't have to chase from Leeds' corner flag to our penalty area without anyone helping him out. He's perfectly entitled to give up the chase once Delph moves into midfield. Fraser and El Abd would never give up the chase because they're defensive players so they HAVE to run all the way back.

To be fair, never even noticed Murray for the second goal. DID notice the entire defence standing off Delph by a couple of yards. Never once did they attempt a direct challenge on the player or steer him off to the side or do anything at all except back-peddle like clowns. The shot was a quality finish that I for one will look forward to seeing again on the telly, but the defending was a disgraceful piece of the kind of fuckwitedness that we've seen WAY too often this season. Make no mistake, these are seriously STUPID players.

 

[Forster's Armband]

The question now is how do you even START to sort out the mess we're in?

This isn't a problem that's going to be solved by signing a couple of players in my opinion. It goes deeper than that.

New Manager, allowed to bring his own staff in and have it done quickly so some new players can be signed ASAP

 

[Northstander]

I think its at management level the main problems exist!! Lets have a complete clear out FFS

 

[See-Goals]

I'm going to stick my neck out a little bit and say that I reckon the majority of albion fans would admit that whatever happened with Wilkins (Reid's interview in today's programme strengthens the well oiled rumour that Wilkins got the boot due to his man management rather than his coaching attributes) that MA was the WRONG solution and has now proved that.

We all know DK is a PR guru and in his business brain MA was the holy grail in terms of getting the fans back on side. The truth is MA has achieved very little since leaving us -the fact his last employment prior to us was scouting says it all really.

I genuinely feel that MA loves our club and that this is hurting him, and that perhaps walking away from us will be a self confession that he doesn't make the grade of a football manager, but that is something he has to deal with.

Walk Micky and let DK and the board take a good long look at what the club needs, maybe bring in someone who isn't surviving on popularity from a takeover 12 years ago and who has a non bias opinion of what we need.

I am feeling more and more disilllusioned with the decisions being made and that I only hear from the chairman or the board when there is a 'positive' news item like kicking a ball between a couple of diggers.

Sake.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

So Virgo defends him, Adams admits he shouldn't be on the pitch and STILL you claim he's wrong. Unbelievable.

As for the chasing back issue, it's down to the position he plays in. Glenn Murray, a half-fit striker, shouldn't have to chase from Leeds' corner flag to our penalty area without anyone helping him out. He's perfectly entitled to give up the chase once Delph moves into midfield. Fraser and El Abd would never give up the chase because they're defensive players so they HAVE to run all the way back.

1. Virgo's comments are plastic.
2. Adams doesn't specifically defend him for not chasing back, he refers to the decision of bringing Murray on in general, and in actual fact, Murray was poor when he came on.

But it's not down to the position he plays in is it? You obviously don't play a lot of football 'cause if one of my team mates was nearest to an opposition player breaking away on a counter attack from a corner with no one else near him I'd expect him to chase the player regardless of his position - that's your job in a team game - you work for your team mates. I'm not surprised Elphick and El-Abd reacted like they did, Fraser was probably over the top, but if that happened in my team I'd have a few choice words with the player.

Murray was moving fine, people near the incident in the North stand commented that he didn’t pull up through injury, he just gave up, there was no gesticulation of pain from Murray.

 

[pyi]

When players start to argue with each other that is bad news to say the least

 

[FalmerforAll!**]

I think a few people on here owe murray an apology

Why? Because Virgo said so?

 

[pyi]

He is not fit

 

[Acker79]

As for the chasing back issue, it's down to the position he plays in.

It comes down to this point for most people, myself included, as far as Glenn Murray's criticism is concerned.

For me, and apparently for others, football is a team game. While you are picked to play in a particular position, you have to put the team's needs ahead of yourself, and if your team is up for a corner and your opponents break and you're closest to the opponent who breaks with the ball you chase him down, you don't give up because they're out of your zone.

The only time it becomes acceptable to give up the chase, is when there is another player there to carry on in your stead. You harry the player, push him out wide, niggle him to slow him down allowing your team mates the chance to get back and cover. You down't run half the pitch and say "can't go any further, I'm a forward"

So he does need to take some responsibility as far as I and apparently a lot of others believe.

You seem to think a forward's job ends at the half way line, that's your opinion, so you don't think he did anything wrong. Doesn't mean that because you think that, the people who agree with me have to apologise.

Glenn Murray, a half-fit striker,

And this is where Micky Adams has to take some responsibility, which he has done, kudos to him. If a player is only half fit, he shouldn't play, unless he is something special, and something special doesn't exist out side the top four of the top division in this country.

Fraser and El Abd would never give up the chase because they're defensive players so they HAVE to run all the way back.

They're midfielders. a) They should never have gone up for the corner because it takes them out of midfield, b) they should give up as they reach the final third... Right? I mean, if a forward should give up because the player is out of his area of the pitch, midfield should, too



Having said that, some of the vitriol spat in Murray's direction was a little over the top and done so without full facts, but if you pick a player and play him, it's only natural people are going to assume he passed a fitness test and should be up for it.

 

[Acker79]

And the bit in bold is, in my opinion, the key bit. Of course if it was just 1v1 and our man was Murray then it would be unforgivable to give up, but he clearly stopped once Delph was in El Abd's territory. El Abd then ran all the way with Delph without putting any sort of challenge in. That, for me, is why that goal was more El Abd's fault than anyone else's.

There is a difference between "murray shouldn't have to run back, he's a striker" and "Murray ran back and only pulled up when there were other players to take over".

You seem to have mostly been saying the former, which is what I take issue with. If it's a case of poor communication between us and it's the latter as you now say, Fine.

I didn't see the pull up, so I'll leave it to others to argue whether El Abd was in a position to cover him, my only issue with your comments was a strong disagreement with the idea of forwards not having to chase back

Glad we've cleared that up, 'cause I'm now heading to bed.

 

[clapham_gull]

Defending should start at the front shouldn't it ?

Interestingly I been told by those in the know, that defenders hated playing against Virgo as a striker under Mcghee because he was so defensively minded.

The only criticism I have of Murray is that since he's been here, there are times where it seems he really can't be bothered.

It's quite plain to see and he's not quite good enough yet to get away with it without criticism. Zamora looked lazy at times, but Zamora was Zamora and banging them in for fun.

If he moves to a higher level, he'll get that knocked out of him in a similar fashion CKR had it knocked out of him when he moved to Sheffield United.

 

[dougdeep]

What good was Fraser hoping to achieve by barging into Murray? As fans I think we accept that disagreements happen between players but those should be aired in the privacy of the changing room and not the centre circle. Fraser has displayed both his idiocy and his immaturity today but to be honest I expected nothing less from him.

It showed he cared!

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Problem is once Delph sprinted away from Murray El Abd was actually in 2 v 1 situation. If you look closely at the clip in the other thread you can see Trundle peeling off at the beginning and is the person Fleetwood is actually chasing. In 2v1s if you go the person with the ball then all that player has to do is slot it inside to the other who then has a clean run on goal, if you back off a bit it may give other defenders time to get back but you then let the guy with the ball get into shooting range. What do you do?

 

[Basil Fawlty]

The end is nigh everybody. You can hear the fat lady singing.....

 

[westsussexseagulls]

Am i right in saying Micky Adams is based in the midlands still? must commute every day then? only a small thing i know but cant be ideal for him with family far away

obviously no excuse for our overall position!

 

[Da Man Clay]

I'd be amazed if Adams still lives in the midlands.

 

[One True BHA]

What good was Fraser hoping to achieve by barging into Murray? As fans I think we accept that disagreements happen between players but those should be aired in the privacy of the changing room and not the centre circle. Fraser has displayed both his idiocy and his immaturity today but to be honest I expected nothing less from him.

Why?