[Albion] Stop this false nine nonsense now

[Lethargic]

Doesn't really matter who we play if you don't shoot you don't score.


We are pedestrian in possession and no one wants to take anyone on with exception of Lamptey and Cucurella who provided some of the brighter moments ...

Nail ..Head!

 

[Wardy's twin]

Our good results were got with Maupay and Welbeck as a two. Now neither are playing and we’ve scored one penalty in 180 minutes of football against two awful teams.

I know DW is injured but surely if Connolly and DJ Strollabout are good enough they should be in? Otherwise one of them should have gone on loan and the other paid off, with Andone or Swiss Andi kept and a new signing.


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should have got Sarmiento on - test some of these youngsters. Would also not be adverse to playing Tolaj or Ferguson if he won't play Locadia, Connolly or Maupay although I would play teh latter as his contribution to play rather than goal scoring is greatly underrated.

 

[Guinness Boy]

should have got Sarmiento on - test some of these youngsters. Would also not be adverse to playing Tolaj or Ferguson if he won't play Locadia, Connolly or Maupay although I would play teh latter as his contribution to play rather than goal scoring is greatly underrated.

Yes, another separate rant I had on the train home. What's the point of taking Sarmiento out of doing really well in the U23s and knock his confidence down by sitting on the bench, watching? Involve him properly or keep him playing 90 mins at the level you think he's at.

I know this is "player development" and not as easy as I've just said, but having seen him play he looks a confidence player who is highly capable of being an impact player. He had as much impact on the game today as me.

 

[A1X]

Yes, another separate rant I had on the train home. What's the point of taking Sarmiento out of doing really well in the U23s and knock his confidence down by sitting on the bench, watching? Involve him properly or keep him playing 90 mins at the level you think he's at.

I know this is "player development" and not as easy as I've just said, but having seen him play he looks a confidence player who is highly capable of being an impact player. He had as much impact on the game today as me.

Especially when it’s not as if our regulars are doing well enough to say they’re keeping him out on merit

 

[Beach Hut]

Playing no forward is asking for trouble in my view.

We never once appeared to have any intent to win today and once we conceded we lost the plot big time.

Villa were not that good as well so it just shows the ineptness of the performance today.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

To be fair the currywurst and double pint was decent. The good day out stopped the second we picked that team though.


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Clearly we ballsed up leaving the market and only getting single beers. BUGGER

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[Luke93]

As a plan b / c it’s fine, as it won’t work for every game:

Today Villa sat back for most of the game whilst we had the ball. There are many ways to break a team down, but with a false 9 your options are more limited. When the ball went wide today the best we could hope for was winning a corner as we didn’t fill the box with any conviction. Our midfielders (particularly Gross and Lallana) rarely make headers on goal so what have we got to hit? Play is limited to cute pull backs or an unthreatening cross. But the players often can’t even cross first time as the players aren’t there yet. As soon as Lamptey went off and Trossard tired, we lost all pace too. No pace with a false 9 is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Milano]

PACE - we just don’t have enough, we must be the slowest team in this division.

I don’t want Gross anywhere the team anymore and maybe harsh but similar feelings about Duffy.

I was in the upper tier today and don’t normally have that viewpoint, we are so good in the first two thirds but we move the ball far too slowly, on the few occasions that we did move move it quicker we looked much more dangerous, but the lack of pace is shocking. I’d like to see a hungry youngster given a go, it can’t hurt.

 

[Simster]

Not going to argue that we need a striker - of course we all want that, but I'm not sure that's why we lost today. I don't think a false 9 is the problem either.

My biggest beef is that although comfortably the better side in the first half, we got the ball into wide areas and neither of our wing backs ever seemed to want to take on their full back. I mean don't try it every time but one in three or four times would have been worthwhile. At some point, you have to gamble on beating your man to get behind the defence rather than trying to pass through a compressed back nine.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

PACE - we just don’t have enough, we must be the slowest team in this division.

I don’t want Gross anywhere the team anymore and maybe harsh but similar feelings about Duffy.

I was in the upper tier today and don’t normally have that viewpoint, we are so good in the first two thirds but we move the ball far too slowly, on the few occasions that we did move move it quicker we looked much more dangerous, but the lack of pace is shocking. I’d like to see a hungry youngster given a go, it can’t hurt.

I've been saying this ever since we got promoted.

When you have a natural goalscorer like Glenn Murray you can mask a deficiency in pace. But when you haven't? No chance.

Lamptey is our only truly quick player, and he's usually too fast for the others to keep up.

But we also think and react too slowly, with a laborious build-up and an unwillingness to put the ball at risk when a quick break is on.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sorry to break the sad news but...the whole concept of 'False Number Nine' was always completely bolleaux. Too many dumbos completely over-thinking on this one. Bless

 

[Guinness Boy]

I've been saying this ever since we got promoted.

When you have a natural goalscorer like Glenn Murray you can mask a deficiency in pace. But when you haven't? No chance.

Lamptey is our only truly quick player, and he's usually too fast for the others to keep up.

But we also think and react too slowly, with a laborious build-up and an unwillingness to put the ball at risk when a quick break is on.

While I totally agree, Sarmiento looked like he had pace and tricks to burn when I saw him play in the flesh - admittedly against Swansea. Cucurella is nippy enough, ditto Connolly (who, it would appear, is totally out of favour for whatever reason). The rest? Painfully slow.

Yesterday reminded me of when Potter first started and often played Mooy and Gross together, which was like watching two old men wallow in treacle and nearly as insane as converting Dan Burn to a wingback and Trossard to a dribbling version of Firmino, but less good.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Potter's wants to one day manage a big club in the style of Pep Guardiola. So if he can't practise playing with a false nine now, when can he?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Potter's wants to one day manage a big club in the style of Pep Guardiola. So if he can't practise playing with a false nine now, when can he?

When he gets that job.


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[Swansman]

I give it two decent goal chances (known here as "sitters") missed by Maupay before the "we need to play with a false nine" thread.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

When he gets that job.

Obviously my comment was tongue in cheek, but it speaks to a wider truth. Potter has never been afraid to practise things, try different things out, all the while he's been with us. It doesn't always work, but I don't mind that. You don't progress without experimenting, working on new things. And part of that practise and experimentation is for us as a team, and part is for him as a manager. He's still quite raw.

Either something will click with this system and it becomes a key part of our armory, or it won't and it will get dropped. Right now my money is on the latter, but I couldn't say for sure. Either way Potter will become a better manager as a result.

 

[b.w.2.]

What did you think about the 11 that fought back against Liverpool

I think we were not playing Liverpool in the last 2 games, so not playing a striker is a massive mistake


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[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think we were not playing Liverpool in the last 2 games, so not playing a striker is a massive mistake


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That Liverpool game was a one-off (welcome) aberration. Really needs to now be ditched as some kind of YARDSTICK for all the other games in the season

 

[Wardy's twin]

I've been saying this ever since we got promoted.

When you have a natural goalscorer like Glenn Murray you can mask a deficiency in pace. But when you haven't? No chance.

Lamptey is our only truly quick player, and he's usually too fast for the others to keep up.

But we also think and react too slowly, with a laborious build-up and an unwillingness to put the ball at risk when a quick break is on.

I said it elsewhere I wouldn't play Lamptey as a wingback I would play him near the front to optimise the use of his pace put Veltman (who is a better defender) in his position.

 

[dazzer6666]

I said it elsewhere I wouldn't play Lamptey as a wingback I would play him near the front to optimise the use of his pace put Veltman (who is a better defender) in his position.

He’s got pace but as shown yesterday he’s got a long way to go on end product and decision-making.