[Albion] What do you think our style of football is?

[Surf's Up]

Get the ball to Mitoma

 

[casbom]

Build up is too slow, the number of times the ball was passed between Dunk and Van Hecke was unbelievable! Not blaming them as there has to be positive movement ahead of them, which their wasn't. I love Baleba and Ayari, but two inexperienced (although very good in spells) central midfielders showed yesterday, Hughes and Lerma bossed the midfield. This is where we miss Gross or even Milner to get the team going a bit. As has been mentioned previously, not enough leaders on the pitch (Gross, Milner, Welbeck, Lallana all left or injured) but also, not enough players with enough top league experience to know how to get out of the rut on the pitch. It's a good job we got a good number of points in the first half of the season otherwise we would be alot closer to the bottom 3.

It's all very well having some of the best young talent on the pitch, but you need a good balance, and we are severely lacking that at the moment.

 

[Brian Fantana]

There were whispers from a few people that FH's assistant at St Pauli (who didn't come with him here) was the brains behind the operation. A bit like Hyypia at Leverkeusen. I sincerely hoped that wasn't true, but I'm now not so sure.

 

[TugWilson]

The style is built around the data model. Tony Bloom has obviously worked out a style that provides the most probability of maximising the chance of getting 1 or 3 points without losing a lot of games. Under Potter we drew a lot of games. The data also selects managers and players who fit the “system”, hence why in the last 5 years the play has always been similar across 3 managers. The problem is always the same, an inability to kill off dogged teams who sit deep and play on the counter. Maybe Bloom needs to look at slightly different styles as we seem to be a 1 trick pony team.

I don`t think that`s in Tony`s purview

 

[Titanic]

A bit like Man City at the moment.

 

[tigertim68]

No idea , apart from being slow and pretty tedious to watch
no pace , no aggression, no nothing , not many clear cut chances, slow defence, and no idea how to beat the so called poorer teams in the league

 

[AmexRuislip]

Didn't we all go through this period of going through an odd streak with Potter and RDZ.
Several fans bemoaning on replacing the manager and basically wet their knickers in the moment

It's all in the life of an Albion fan
Well be fine.

 

[TottonSeagull]

We don't have any style under the Boy Wonder. Under the last 3 managers we had a way to play but FH seems to have no idea what he wants from the players. We are yet to totally dominate any game. We have had a few very decent halfs but we have also looked very disjointed and mediocre in others. He has played some very strange formations (Adringa at wing back?) and the team simply can not defend. Not sure how he has managed to make Dunk look like such a cart horse, when in the Summer he was classed as one of the best English centre backs in the country.

Hate to say it but this fella reminds more of Hyppia than a De Zerbi!

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Non existent which is why I think FH is at more risk of getting the tin tack than we expect!

 

[portlock seagull]

Didn't we all go through this period of going through an odd streak with Potter and RDZ.
Several fans bemoaning on replacing the manager and basically wet their knickers in the moment

It's all in the life of an Albion fan
Well be fine.

Indeed. I think a lot of the rub currently however is the ‘but we’ve got the best / most talented squad ever’ tag. Have we? Definitely the most expensive. But maybe some are more miss than hit. Time will tell. But perhaps that ballon needs popping first to reset expectations amongst fans.

 

[TWOCHOICEStom]

Posted in another thread but I see very high risk and very low reward at the moment.

 

[zefarelly]

Random, in every respect.

 

[raymondo]

The Council are working hard for us to aim for the top!

 

[AmexRuislip]

Indeed. I think a lot of the rub currently however is the ‘but we’ve got the best / most talented squad ever’ tag. Have we? Definitely the most expensive. But maybe some are more miss than hit. Time will tell. But perhaps that ballon needs popping first to reset expectations amongst fans.

Once we have Welbeck and Veltman fit again, it'll calm a few nerves and bring a bit of calmness back to the team.
Even a fit Milner and March would be an asset.

 

[GT49er]

Aggravated by injuries at the back and not having the defenders to play his preferred 3 at the back system. Trying to integrate so many new players at once has not helped especially as many have been injured.
He’s going to have to make very tough decisions and the January transfer window needs to address the need for better and more mobile defenders. Hope he gets the right support.

Buy more players in the January window? We made a huge splash in the summer which hasn't improved the team, not yet anyway - and wasn't that splash meant to be pretty much a one-off because at the time and in the circumstances it represented an opportunity?

 

[GoldstoneVintage]

Extreme tactical fluidity and complexity (is the aim). However, we're a long way from achieving it yet. I guess if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

I think FH's ideas demand a lot of the players' ability to make decisions in the moment, depending on a whole range of variables. I'm not surprised they don't look comfortable yet.

 

[portlock seagull]

Once we have Welbeck and Veltman fit again, it'll calm a few nerves and bring a bit of calmness back to the team.
Even a fit Milner and March would be an asset.

Unfortunately that reliance is a big part of the problem.

 

[raymondo]

Once we have Welbeck and Veltman fit again, it'll calm a few nerves and bring a bit of calmness back to the team.
Even a fit Milner and March would be an asset.

Absolutely,we miss these guys on the pitch.

 

[Milano]

The style is built around the data model. Tony Bloom has obviously worked out a style that provides the most probability of maximising the chance of getting 1 or 3 points without losing a lot of games. Under Potter we drew a lot of games. The data also selects managers and players who fit the “system”, hence why in the last 5 years the play has always been similar across 3 managers. The problem is always the same, an inability to kill off dogged teams who sit deep and play on the counter. Maybe Bloom needs to look at slightly different styles as we seem to be a 1 trick pony team.

If that is indeed true, then FML, how f'ing BORING. That means TB is essentially the owner & manager, just virtually.

 

[UnhingedSeagull94]

It’s processy. Which we have to trust.

Same shit every year though? What is the actual end goal of the “process”? Find a way to put away teams that are below us and we will climb the table. Simples. These dogged teams must relish playing us.

If that is indeed true, then FML, how f'ing BORING. That means TB is essentially the owner & manager, just virtually.

That’s how the data model works? All business owners employ people that will work in a way to make their vision a reality? Whether it’s the Albion, Maccy D’s, Tesco or whatever. Companies are built by Owners and CEO’s who expect things to be done in a certain way.