[Albion] Fab out?

[trueblue]

Terrific performance. Looks like Forest result galvanised the side rather than split it, which is great news. Fair play to Fab, who deserved the pelters for his tactics a fortnight ago but has got it right since. Hugely different approach last night first half, Forest-like ourselves with the deep and packed defence. I’m sure I read the experienced coach who came in has been sorting out the defending - it seems to be working. Actual cohesion up front too and all the players running themselves into the ground.
Two games in a row where we’ve been decent for the whole 90+ minutes is very promising.

If we’ve finally accepted that throwing too many attackers on at once is less effective than a clear shape on a solid base, happy days. No tinkering now. Need to show some consistency over the remainder of the season and reach the position a squad this good should be able to achieve.
.

 

[Hamilton]

This has to be one of the most asinine comments I have read for a long time.

Why?

I think the point being made is that at PL level, while coaches can improve (hey, we are all improving) this might not be the arena in which to move from novice to professional.

 

[boik]

But what areas are you developing in at Premier League level as a manager? Your tactical ideas? Your coaching methods? Your ability to develop players? Your ability to deal with the media?

If you’re still a ‘manager with potential’ surely you should be refining that ability further down the pyramid?

You can only learn how to play in the P/L when you're in the P/L.

 

[nickjhs]

Ah ok, so Pep isn’t learning anything as he’s the complete, finished article ?

It's a bit like saying ok here is a relatively new F1 team with a young driver in his first year. Why the f*** aren't they winning the championship

 

[SkirlieWirlie]

Ehhhhhmmm..... about that...

 

[Machiavelli]

I didn't mean to be patronising so apologies if it came across that way. I don't understand your insistence that we should be and are able to hire an established premier league manager and if he is still learning he isn't fit for the PL. I can't recall us ever having hired a manager like this in the PL era.

I don't think it's a case of just turning a corner. Pretty confident there will be more setbacks but the important thing is to be patient and give him time to learn and develop the team. PEACE

I'm also of the view that you weren't being remotely patronising.
As to last night, I'm in the let's not get carried away camp. Chelsea are on a poor run, in contrast to when we played them earlier this season. We're overdue a home win, but we tend to do much better when teams come at us, and that hasn't been the case since the City game.
It's telling that teams often win when they've got lower possession stats, Forest being a prime example for the season and us for last night. First goals are so important, it means that you can go into a defensive shape and play on the counter. That's what Forest do. Last night Palmer had two early opportunities that he'd have buried if he was on song, but he didn't and isn't, and that means that the narrative is markedly different in the stadium, on here, and on Chelsea forums.
Fab's next task is to work out how our players can break down the low block such that we can markedly improve our home record against teams in the lower half of the table. That's something that eluded Potter and RDZ, but if we want to look upwards, that's what we need to do.

 

[Bronto]

I was pro FH until I heard his comment about not changing anything following the mauling we got from Forest. That worried me, as for the first time I questioned his tactical nous. Last night was proof indeed that he can learn and switch it up. Letting Chelsea have possession and hitting them on the counter, was exactly what teams have been doing to us all season, so it was refreshing to change our play with impressive style.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but on the performance last night, I’m firmly IN!

 

[The Optimist]

I was pro FH until I heard his comment about not changing anything following the mauling we got from Forest. That worried me, as for the first time I questioned his tactical nous. Last night was proof indeed that he can learn and switch it up. Letting Chelsea have possession and hitting them on the counter, was exactly what teams have been doing to us all season, so it was refreshing to change our play with impressive style.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but on the performance last night, I’m firmly IN!

I think his comment about not changing anything was in reference to training during the week after Forest, rather than tactics, but I could be wrong.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Fab's next task is to work out how our players can break down the low block such that we can markedly improve our home record against teams in the lower half of the table. That's something that eluded Potter and RDZ, but if we want to look upwards, that's what we need to do.

Completely agree with this.

It's tough. We've seen how effective being deep and compact and countering can be.

But the next step for FH and for this massively talented group of players is being able to find that goal against those low block teams.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

But what areas are you developing in at Premier League level as a manager? Your tactical ideas? Your coaching methods? Your ability to develop players? Your ability to deal with the media?

If you’re still a ‘manager with potential’ surely you should be refining that ability further down the pyramid?

If you have the right candidate, as is being demonstrated, there’s no need.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

-The players clearly don't trust him
-Welbeck isn't playing so they must have had a falling out
-Teams like Chelsea just walk through our defence like they did at Stamford Bridge
-Players like Minteh aren't scoring



*Checks score*

Oh.

 

[Balders]

I find football mildly amusing at the moment - the most competitive the EPL has been for a while, maybe TB is ahead of the game in respect of PSR (as are others) and the "establishment" are struggling because they just can't spaf a load of dosh on any player they want these days. Maybe this Sponsorship rule becoming voidable is going to change that again, but that's for another day.

Interesting that the Chelsea forum (Shed End) is almost mirroring NSC after the Forest tonking - where have I seen comments like this before

 

[trueblue]

Fab's next task is to work out how our players can break down the low block such that we can markedly improve our home record against teams in the lower half of the table. That's something that eluded Potter and RDZ, but if we want to look upwards, that's what we need to do.

Agree that's it the next task but the idea that we've never been able to beat low block teams is a recurring myth. In 2023/24, Forest and Newcastle were pretty much the ONLY teams that sat back and got anything from us at The Amex.

We beat Leeds, smashed Leicester, Chelsea, Wolves and West Ham and saw off Bournemouth, Southampton and Palace among others.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

Terrific performance. Looks like Forest result galvanised the side rather than split it, which is great news. Fair play to Fab, who deserved the pelters for his tactics a fortnight ago but has got it right since. Hugely different approach last night first half, Forest-like ourselves with the deep and packed defence. I’m sure I read the experienced coach who came in has been sorting out the defending - it seems to be working. Actual cohesion up front too and all the players running themselves into the ground.
Two games in a row where we’ve been decent for the whole 90+ minutes is very promising.

If we’ve finally accepted that throwing too many attackers on at once is less effective than a clear shape on a solid base, happy days. No tinkering now. Need to show some consistency over the remainder of the season and reach the position a squad this good should be able to achieve.
.

This with bells on. I was leaning to out a couple of weeks ago, however, he's learning and I'm very happy to be proved wrong. In fact, I hadn't warmed to him all season, but his reaction to all of this has completely changed my feeling about him, really like how this has changed my view and that's purely down to his response from a shoddy couple of months and that result.

 

[Napper]

From fence to In (just)

Good reaction following forest

 

[Weststander]

I'm also of the view that you weren't being remotely patronising.
As to last night, I'm in the let's not get carried away camp. Chelsea are on a poor run, in contrast to when we played them earlier this season. We're overdue a home win, but we tend to do much better when teams come at us, and that hasn't been the case since the City game.
It's telling that teams often win when they've got lower possession stats, Forest being a prime example for the season and us for last night. First goals are so important, it means that you can go into a defensive shape and play on the counter. That's what Forest do. Last night Palmer had two early opportunities that he'd have buried if he was on song, but he didn't and isn't, and that means that the narrative is markedly different in the stadium, on here, and on Chelsea forums.
Fab's next task is to work out how our players can break down the low block such that we can markedly improve our home record against teams in the lower half of the table. That's something that eluded Potter and RDZ, but if we want to look upwards, that's what we need to do.

April 2022 to Sept 2024 …. we must’ve beaten a whole load of teams playing an 11 man low block?

Without checking.

During that wonderful period we found all different ways of winning. One key, you touch on it above is stoically not going a goal behind, patience. Or, score early!

 

[Machiavelli]

April 2022 to Sept 2024 …. we must’ve beaten a whole load of teams playing an 11 man low block?

Without checking.

During that wonderful period we found all different ways of winning. One key, you touch on it above is stoically not going a goal behind, patience. Or, score early!

Not according to my poor memory:
-- April and May 2022, that followed on from a run of poor results especially at home, when opponents were much more ambitious against us
-- 2022-23 season, we were baiting the press, they fell into the trap, we transitioned really quickly
-- 23-24 season, first few months we were just very good, thereafter not so much

 

[Weststander]

Not according to my poor memory:
-- April and May 2022, that followed on from a run of poor results especially at home, when opponents were much more ambitious against us
-- 2022-23 season, we were baiting the press, they fell into the trap, we transitioned really quickly
-- 23-24 season, first few months we were just very good, thereafter not so much

In that period against low block merchants:
3 wins over the Moyes WHU.
Won at Dyche’s Goodison.
4 points out of 6 against Hodgson, Sanchez throwing away 2.
Beating the Ruben Selles Southampton (packed defence and midfield, long ball counter attacks).

As good as it gets for a club of mid budget against low block coaches?

 

[GoldstoneVintage]

Ffs, we're down to 10th again in the league - Fab out!