Greer. Is it just me, or is getting worse?

[Let's Have A Winner!]

for me he was our player of the season (so far) up until the last international break. Since booting Lewandowski up in the air and coming back a rock star his form has dipped, along with most others in the team, but I'd still have him as the first name on the team sheet without hesitation. His and a few others form will come back soon enough I'm sure, that elusive win would do wonders for confidence all round

 

[Bold Seagull]

This is all true. The other side to that coin, however, is that we have been creating chances with greater numbers in attack, even if we look a little slow at times. The stats show we are one of the best teams in the league at creating chances but extremely profligate and simply not putting enough away.

The way we are currently playing requires that (1) we take the chances and make sure we end up scoring more than we give away and (2) the full backs and defensive midfielders are capable at playing the role required of them. At the moment (1) is not happening and the team struggles to play the system to meet the demands of (2). The system is being exposed because our CBs are being required not just to defend as a pair but also score our goals. If our front men were scoring then I think the tone of the board would be alot different.

So... we just come back to the the perennial questions - is this the fault of Sami or the players? Is it recoverable? Should Sami go now and some of the players in 8 weeks?

It's the fault of the manager's. He has a squad in front of him, he has to assess how good they are and what they are capable of, and it his his job to get the best out of them both tactically and in motivating them. It is no good playing a system that requires much better players if we don't have those players. Right now, he needs to make us defensively sound and that starts with a reassessment of what he expects the full backs to do in a game. We scored 2 good goals away from home on Saturday, but we are not going to win any football matches defending like we do - right now that is down to the manager and his tactics.

Priority for me tomorrow night, first and foremost is a clean sheet. We need one desperately as even when we take a lead, it's not lasting long. I think that is only going to be achieved if he goes back to some of the basics we've had over the last few years.

 

[GT49er]

There is something to what you say, certainly he hasn't been quite his old assured self in the last few games. Having said that though, l still like him, l'm still a GG fan, he is our captain and normally a rock in the back four that we can rely on. I'm sure he will come good again.

That's the nub of it - normally a rock in the back four. Playing in a back two is proving less successful - I think as soon a we go back to having a proper back four, his (hopefully temporary) glitch in form will go away.

 

[Bozza]

The dislike shown by some, over the past few seasons, towards Greer both puzzles and annoys me.

I find it hard to believe that there has been any Albion defender who has enjoyed such a miserly goals against record over such a long period of games as GG, and that with the club playing at a level that we've rarely reached in our history. Additionally, he's been our captain throughout that period and led us into the Amex era.

I love that man.

 

[Stat Brother]

This is all true. The other side to that coin, however, is that we have been creating chances with greater numbers in attack, even if we look a little slow at times. The stats show we are one of the best teams in the league at creating chances but extremely profligate and simply not putting enough away.

The way we are currently playing requires that (1) we take the chances and make sure we end up scoring more than we give away and (2) the full backs and defensive midfielders are capable at playing the role required of them. At the moment (1) is not happening and the team struggles to play the system to meet the demands of (2). The system is being exposed because our CBs are being required not just to defend as a pair but also score our goals. If our front men were scoring then I think the tone of the board would be alot different.

So... we just come back to the the perennial questions - is this the fault of Sami or the players? Is it recoverable? Should Sami go now and some of the players in 8 weeks?

The stats show we are one of the best teams in the league at creating chances
But are we?

Shouldn't that read the stats show we are one of the best teams in the league at creating chances, from 18 to 30 yards out.

The amount of 'Hollywood' shots we've taken this season is ridiculous.
Made all the more stupid on Saturday by scoring from the first 2 passes, played all season, that our specifically designed attacking formation thrives on.

They didn't miss either chance.
One touch, back of the net, goal.

2 through balls, splitting the defence, into the path of the fleet footed striker and 2 goals.

It's freakin criminal that it's taken till November for the team to play to the strengths of the strikers.



With regard to Greer.
It says more about the level at which he has played this season, that he is now looking 'suspect'.
I think he now looks more at his level, where as, with the sun on his back, he was bordering on Premier League quality.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Don't forget he is playing in system that leaves him and Dunk exposed in any kind of counter attack. That just adds to the pressure that key players like him must be feeling at the moment.

Absolutely right. As l said in an earlier post, l'm probably GG's greatest fan, but is it any great surprise he is struggling a bit at the moment?, the system that the manager is playing defies belief, the two full backs have probably gone awol, caught upfield when attacking and can't get back quickly enough, and as for the midfield . . .

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

The dislike shown by some, over the past few seasons, towards Greer both puzzles and annoys me.

I find it hard to believe that there has been any Albion defender who has enjoyed such a miserly goals against record over such a long period of games as GG, and that with the club playing at a level that we've rarely reached in our history. Additionally, he's been our captain throughout that period and led us into the Amex era.

I love that man.

I love him morer!

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Yes, the change to wing backs has meant a change in centre back mentality and bigger reliances on the holding midfielder and keeper. So, he has a new system, new goalie and new holding midfielder to cope with. On top of this the defence are under greater pressure than they have been for a few seasons. No surpise it's affecting his form.
Although he's made a couple of ricks, I happier with him than without.

 

[BN9 BHA]

Decent defender and leader, let's not get on his back.
I'm also not a fan of the right and left backs disappearing and then not getting back to defend.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

He's not David Beckham though is he. He should have a simple pass on to Calde, or a more ambitious pass to a wide player making a forward run. Otherwise you are basically saying we're a long ball team hitting the channels (which is actually what we are right now, rather alarmingly…).

We watched the Greer-Calderon scenario throughout one game recently. Greer seemed to be blind in his right eye, as Calde was in space, not being marked, on the sideline just 10 yards ahead of Greer, and yet, Greer passed it to the players in the centre of the field with opposition players around then time & time again.
I don't know if Greer doesn't trust Calde or what it is, but it was obvious that he was ignoring him.
It hasn't been that one game, either, just that it was more pointed in that game.

 

[Rookie]

Being asked to cover the obvious holes that appear over the pitch is probably taking its toll.

 

[Rookie]

This is all true. The other side to that coin, however, is that we have been creating chances with greater numbers in attack, even if we look a little slow at times. The stats show we are one of the best teams in the league at creating chances but extremely profligate and simply not putting enough away.

The way we are currently playing requires that (1) we take the chances and make sure we end up scoring more than we give away and (2) the full backs and defensive midfielders are capable at playing the role required of them. At the moment (1) is not happening and the team struggles to play the system to meet the demands of (2). The system is being exposed because our CBs are being required not just to defend as a pair but also score our goals. If our front men were scoring then I think the tone of the board would be alot different.

So... we just come back to the the perennial questions - is this the fault of Sami or the players? Is it recoverable? Should Sami go now and some of the players in 8 weeks?

I have a problem with this stat. It does not say how or where the chances are created. How many absolute sitters have the forwards missed or failed to get on the end of compared to how many 20/30 yard shots have been taken because there is no other option?

 

[Mellotron]

Greer and Dunk CARRIED this team in the first couple of months of this season. He's being asked to do an incredibly hard job.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Greer will be 34 next month. He can't play 50 matches for the Albion plus represent Scotland as well, and I believe Hyypia has not managed him correctly. We've hardly seen Hughes when the right mix of starts this season would be c. 35-38 Greer and c. 15 Hughes. This fact is exacerbated by him having to do more legwork to cover for the advanced full-backs.

 

[pigbite]

I have a problem with this stat. It does not say how or where the chances are created. How many absolute sitters have the forwards missed or failed to get on the end of compared to how many 20/30 yard shots have been taken because there is no other option?

That's the point though isn't it? Profligate. Sitters have been missed. There have been 20-30 yard shots due to lack of options. There has also been plenty of play in the box that has come to nothing. That cross Paddy put in that went across the box....

I agree the stats do not tell the whole story and could be interpreted in many ways but the fact remains that we are simply not performing well enough up front to play two at the back. Even when those two are Greer and Dunk who both deserve heaps of praise overall.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

We watched the Greer-Calderon scenario throughout one game recently. Greer seemed to be blind in his right eye, as Calde was in space, not being marked, on the sideline just 10 yards ahead of Greer, and yet, Greer passed it to the players in the centre of the field with opposition players around then time & time again.
I don't know if Greer doesn't trust Calde or what it is, but it was obvious that he was ignoring him.
It hasn't been that one game, either, just that it was more pointed in that game.

Glad it's not just me that thinks that. Thought it would be obvious to a lot more people. He'll probably be at it again tomorrow night.

 

[HantsSeagull]

Incredibly harsh on Greer, he has been excellent in general this season bar the last couple of games

Don't forget he is playing in system that leaves him and Dunk exposed in any kind of counter attack. That just adds to the pressure that key players like him must be feeling at the moment.

this and this

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Maybe it is the system, Does Sammi recognize that Championship centre halves cannot do all that he used to do, as a top class central defender?

 

[narly101]

There's a massive love-in for Greer here. Whilst I appreciate that he "has been a rock" in the past, I'm not sure he's the man we need leading us from the back now. He's letting the team down in all the wrong places. At 33/34 he's not the same man we had playing for us in the last season at Withdean, or the first season at the Amex. I also don't see Dunk making the same mistakes. He doesn't hit wayward passes, and if anything his graft has been a lot harder than Greer's.

Time for you lot to wake up and take off the Greer blindfolds.

As for ignoring Calderon, I've witnessed it for the past two seasons, and I'm as flummoxed as the next man.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Glad it's not just me that thinks that. Thought it would be obvious to a lot more people. He'll probably be at it again tomorrow night.

This has been a source of comment for a number of years now. In fact this season Greer has been passing to Calde more than previous. There is something going on. It is really odd.