[Albion] We look such a poorly coached team

[WSU Dilettante]

I started the thread and will happily take a bit of stick for doing so.

Doesn’t change what I saw at half time however and coming off the back of the Chelsea performance I still have concerns that we looked lost in possession and we were too easy to play in behind. A crazy 15 minutes doesn’t change that.

Second half was much better and I am not sure I can pinpoint what it was though Estupinan helped.

I thought it was kind of obvious, we moved from a type of zonal marking in the midfield to a man to man system. Meaning Hinshelwood and Mitoma kept picking up the free man (Kulusevski) which nullified their attack.

As for Pervis, he was Pervis of old, physical, energetic, good on the ball. Ferdi will come good but he's too lightweight at the moment, he needs to get up to speed, that being said, alongside Mitoma he was putting in some great crosses towards the end of the first half.

They stopped pressing us so aggressively and our quick goal swung the momentum in our favour.

From their disallowed goal in the first half, we didn't really let them in in again.

 

[Mellotron]

We've lost ONE game in THIRTEEN you f***ing lunatics.

The first page of this thread is potentially NSC Gold - all the usual suspects are there.

 

[Hovegull]

The rapid slide down the table starts now. I don’t know what our style of play is at the moment.

I know we didn’t end the the weekend top, but 6 ain’t bad

 

[SeagullinExile]

I don’t think we were that bad in the first half. Spurs we’re just better, their press was immense.

 

[Weststander]

No one's saying you shouldn’t be able to express an opinion, but equally, if your opinion seems a bit wild and over-negative, expect to get something back. That’s the deal.

Nothing winds me up more than kneejerk whiney negativity among a fan base. That doesn’t mean we should be blindly positive in all circumstances but the role of supporters is, erm, to support. The problem is people are too short-termist. A defeat and a couple of poor performances means we’re hurtling towards relegation, and have to sack the coach. Despite having probably many years, perhaps even several decades of experience in how fortunes rise and fall over a season, we just never ever seem to learn.

Who among us really thought that Fab was already, aged 31, in his first Prem season, some sort of Guardiola-Klopp composite? No one. Allow him to develop over the season. If things are going wrong on the pitch, no one will be more aware and more concerned about that than Hürzeler. Have a bit of faith.

We are 6th in the Premier League.

There are a stack of things more agitating in the world, than the thoughts of emotive fans.

 

[trueblue]

I don't think we did drop the high line 2nd half. We continued to press very high but seemed to be more solid defensively until we got the third and then, last 25 we dropped VERY deep (with long goalkicks ) and did a great job of killing the game. Both halves of the 2nd half were impressive in completely different ways.

Maybe more solid defensively because Spurs naturally dropped off themselves with two goals in hand. By the time we were level (not long) couldn’t get going again. Great

 

[Oh_aye]

I've said it already but at half time there was nothing controversial in what you said. You didn't demand he was sacked, you didn't decide we were in a relegation battle. You just said it as you saw it, and you weren't wrong. I just resent the sanctimonious twats absolutely slaughtering you for daring to say it.

I have to say, as much as I was alarmed and adjusting my own expectations for the season at half time, I am equally impressed at the tweaks he made that turned the game around. It's worth mentioning that Ange had half-time to make the changes to protect his lead, and didn't. Even as our goals poured in, he did nothing and it took 10 minutes after the third goal before he decided to make any changes.

FH seems very switched on tactically and that pleases me. It's not that he hasn't made mistakes with our system, but when that has happened he has made the right cha

At half time yesterday I was genuinely thinking of just going home. I could see a massacre in the offing. I was feeling slightly unwell and was in a really bad mood. Shows what football can do though eh?

Floated home on a cloud. Watched the highlights loads of time and half a bottle of red wine accidentally opened and fell into my mouth.

 

[Professor Plum]

There are a stack of things more agitating in the world, than the thoughts of emotive fans.

Oh hang on, perhaps you're right. You mean like environmental calamity, the prospect of global military conflict. the election of Trump etc.? More important than whiney fans? Gosh, I'd never thought of it like that. On the other hand, is it possible I was using a well-known turn of phrase to express a depth of feeling about a more everyday concern? Might just be I wasn't being 100% literal at all. Like "I'm starving". "You'll freeze to death without a coat". "If we miss this bus I'm gonna kill you." Just something to consider.

As they say, context is everything. And in this current context -- a football forum where we're discussing having faith in the coach, I'd say it's actually pretty bang on for me personally. I can't think of many things in this area that's more annoying than kneejerk negativity. Pessimism can be contagious. On top of that, as someone who really likes this football club and head coach, I guess I feel quite protective.

 

[Professor Plum]

The thing I was tearing my hair out about, was the lack of intensity in the first half.
We are very poor in those moments and they seem to happen quite often.

I don't think this is a coaching issue, more an issue with the players not being fully up to speed with the tactics yet.

It is f***ing infuriating though.

I agree with you, though TBH I couldn't quite put my finger on it at half time. I just thought that Tottenham must be far better than us, and were likely to win. It was only really after listening to the post-match interviews when everyone mentioned the discussion in the dressing room at half time about the need to increase workrate and intensity that it twigged. As FH said, as soon as that greater determination started to result in winning the ball more in midfield, confidence increased, passing accuracy improved, and goals came. Seems obvious now but frankly I didn't see it in those terms when it was happening.

The mystery is why they went into that first half without that intensity. Professional players must know this is a vital ingredient. Who knows but anyway, I hope the lesson will be learnt, especially by the younger players. It was heartening to hear that it was the older heads, Milner and Steele, who essentially did the motivational half time talk!

 

[pigmanovich]

Oh hang on, perhaps you're right. You mean like environmental calamity, the prospect of global military conflict. the election of Trump etc.?

The rise of right-wing populism in Austria specifically

 

[Flounce]

This thread is so funny, and the exact conversations were playing out behind me.

First half: “He’s atrocious, this player is awful, we are awful, manager needs sacking etc”

Second Half: “he’s bloody brilliant, this player has been impressive today, what a game”

Having doubts about the manager at half time was OK, suggesting he needs sacking shouts “entitled or moronic fan”

 

[seagullwedgee]

I think I read that Milner is doing his badges part time. Would be interesting if he could morph into a Crofts type coaching role, he must have something valuable in him in this respect.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

We've lost ONE game in THIRTEEN you f***ing lunatics.

The first page of this thread is potentially NSC Gold - all the usual suspects are there.

Indeed ...

Whilst I agree that opinions are what make this site, some (first pager contributors on this thread) should heed the mantra of: better to be thought a fool than to post on NSC and remove all doubt.

 

[Dave Fishwick]

captain hindsight and all that but this thread is absolute gold. Hurzeler is doing the best he can with the tools at his disposal, he can't help the injuries we have in defence or elsewhere

We'll be fine

 

[Flounce]

Individual errors for most goals along with elite attacking play from Cole Palmer and facing two of the best attacking sides in world football?

Hard to believe that this needs explaining

 

[Flounce]

I don’t think we were that bad in the first half. Spurs we’re just better, their press was immense.

Indeed and pressing like that is not possible for 90 mins, as they found out

 

[el punal]

This is a thread of posters going from to to

Perhaps those on Page One should

 

[Reddleman]

This is a thread of posters going from to to

Perhaps those on Page One should

People on page one should kill themselves? Is that what you are advocating? Just for clarity?

 

[Flounce]

My Spurs friend said we are the worst team they've played so far

I hope you took the piss BIG TIME after 90 mins