7oaksgull
Well-known member
wise words
[Albion] What exactly would the next manager do that would make everything good?
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wise words
blue'n'white
Well-known member
The main problem is that we're so predictable.
Solly goes up the left wing up to around the penalty area, stops and passes it backwards where it then makes its way across to the other side of the park then gets passed back to the left then they pass back to the right and we lose possession (This isn't a dig at Solly by the way). Nobody has the balls to take a shot - we need to be so much quicker. We are so scared of making a mistake by trying to score the perfect goal - they need to be told that ALL goals are good - perfect goals, scruffy goals, whatever.
Solly goes up the left wing up to around the penalty area, stops and passes it backwards where it then makes its way across to the other side of the park then gets passed back to the left then they pass back to the right and we lose possession (This isn't a dig at Solly by the way). Nobody has the balls to take a shot - we need to be so much quicker. We are so scared of making a mistake by trying to score the perfect goal - they need to be told that ALL goals are good - perfect goals, scruffy goals, whatever.
7oaksgull
Well-known member
[SUB][/SUB]
and yet despite being so predictable we still created 4 great chances yesterday but could only score from one of them...
and yet despite being so predictable we still created 4 great chances yesterday but could only score from one of them...
I think, in general, "agree" is probably the last thing we're doing. Looking on the in/out thread it's around 52/48 so very similar to Bre....oh, you know what I mean. It's a divided fan base at the moment. Good for NSC traffic but, in some ways, bad for support. Can you imagine what it would be like on here if our 23K odd season ticket holders had just sat through an entire calendar year watching only one win? In some ways Potter is lucky it's been BCD.
There were similarly robust disagreement on one of my whatsapp groups post game. Some are very strongly Potter in, others (me included now) in the out camp.
Perhaps you are correct that many in the "out" camp would also agree we are creating chances and that many would not be in the out camp had those chances been taken. But the question on this thread isn't "in or out" - it's what would you do differently. And I managed to list six things. Six things I'd change.
Now, I'm a fan. I played pub league and I have a level one coaching badge. I'm not fit to lace Potter's boots. But if only half of what I've seen is correct then an opposing professional coach with a team of analysts is going to have a field day on us.
Yesterday, Wilder called the change correctly when he brought on Burke, who was an instant menace, and when they went down to 10 he called it correctly again by packing the middle of the park and forcing us wide, playing on the break on the second ball. The xG might show we deserved more but Sheffield United backed their centre backs and forced us out wide. Potter essentially out-thought by a man with two league points all season.
I'm stunned that's not ringing more alarm bells.
Barnet Seagull
Luxury Player
I think I'd change the time of year. For as long as I can remember supporting the Albion, we've been pretty shit in December and January. Let's tell all the players and Potter it's March.
whosthedaddy
striker256
As we all know and can see for our own eyes, Potter has changed our team and general passing skills for the better since he arrived, no denying it.
So where is the problem?
It is complex because of it being a combination of many things where the sum of all the parts don't make a whole, nothing like it in fact.
Ryan was reliable and had been very competent, but this season he's flopped badly, perhaps missing vital family connections, who knows?
The defence as a whole is still ok but lacks the ability to shut teams out like it once did, perhaps now Sanchez is in goal this will help their confidence.
Midfield is too slow and pedestrian in the transition from back to front, hence the forwards tend to face more players blocking their way than they should.
When we have throw-ins and free-kicks in and around the middle third of the pitch, why do we tend to throw or pass the ball backwards and give up valuable ground?
The forwards are not scoring which is vital to their confidence and also that of the teams. Reasons behind this are because most of them aren't competent enough at this level, pressure is growing on them and every game we have is only making it worse. The balls into them are fairly good on many occasions, but for whatever reason they miss fairly simple headers, screw the ball wide with the goal at their mercy, or make no attempt to shoot when the opportunity arises.
Dead ball situations are abysmal as we have all witnessed.
Corners that hit the first defender or overshoot the whole pack, and don't get me started on our short corner routines.
Free-kicks also lacking conviction or purpose.
Dan Burn should be a massive threat in the box at corners etc, but for some reason appears to only jump 2 inches higher than his actual height, WTF!!
One solution would see a growing number of fans sacking Potter, you can easily make a case for that at this moment in time.
The way forward as I see it is to buy, buy, buy.
Buy that bleeding forward or two that we have evidently needed for many years, like a Giroud or someone of a similar stature, plus maybe one other if funds allow.
Midfield is Bissouma's and Lallana's to run...and I mean RUN lads.
With a few tweaks and the right STRIKE FORCE this team can go upwards from here, but it needs money spent and decisive action by those at the helm.
If we don't turn this corner soon it'll be too late to return that vital player confidence
So where is the problem?
It is complex because of it being a combination of many things where the sum of all the parts don't make a whole, nothing like it in fact.
Ryan was reliable and had been very competent, but this season he's flopped badly, perhaps missing vital family connections, who knows?
The defence as a whole is still ok but lacks the ability to shut teams out like it once did, perhaps now Sanchez is in goal this will help their confidence.
Midfield is too slow and pedestrian in the transition from back to front, hence the forwards tend to face more players blocking their way than they should.
When we have throw-ins and free-kicks in and around the middle third of the pitch, why do we tend to throw or pass the ball backwards and give up valuable ground?
The forwards are not scoring which is vital to their confidence and also that of the teams. Reasons behind this are because most of them aren't competent enough at this level, pressure is growing on them and every game we have is only making it worse. The balls into them are fairly good on many occasions, but for whatever reason they miss fairly simple headers, screw the ball wide with the goal at their mercy, or make no attempt to shoot when the opportunity arises.
Dead ball situations are abysmal as we have all witnessed.
Corners that hit the first defender or overshoot the whole pack, and don't get me started on our short corner routines.
Free-kicks also lacking conviction or purpose.
Dan Burn should be a massive threat in the box at corners etc, but for some reason appears to only jump 2 inches higher than his actual height, WTF!!
One solution would see a growing number of fans sacking Potter, you can easily make a case for that at this moment in time.
The way forward as I see it is to buy, buy, buy.
Buy that bleeding forward or two that we have evidently needed for many years, like a Giroud or someone of a similar stature, plus maybe one other if funds allow.
Midfield is Bissouma's and Lallana's to run...and I mean RUN lads.
With a few tweaks and the right STRIKE FORCE this team can go upwards from here, but it needs money spent and decisive action by those at the helm.
If we don't turn this corner soon it'll be too late to return that vital player confidence
That'll be Potter, whose team could have beaten Liverpool AND Man Utd. I presume there are all sorts of alarm bells going off among the support of the league leaders and 3rd placed club?
I'm reminded of Liam Brady's comments about aunties and uncles.
This is also the Potter who could not beat West Brom or Burnley at home, threw a massive curveball away at Spurs and presided over a cowardly retreat at Leicester.
London Irish
Well-known member
Probably in order of priority:
1) Sort out the shitty defence
2) Give players confidence with consistency of selection rather than the weekly tombola
3) Concentrate on a style of play that creates chances rather than trying to turn our entire central defence into Beckenbauers
1) Sort out the shitty defence
2) Give players confidence with consistency of selection rather than the weekly tombola
3) Concentrate on a style of play that creates chances rather than trying to turn our entire central defence into Beckenbauers
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
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It’s all the negatives with you now isn’t it?
How many great performances have you see from the Albion against 10 men? I genuinely can’t remember that many
Newcastle, Villa, Liverpool, played United off the pitch is my counter argument that the ship is not sinking
Well you and Simster have both mentioned two of the same games. And, yes, we played well in both those games and also against Newcastle and Villa. But the bottom line is that if you play well against the big boys and get little or no reward and also fail to win against those teams around you, then you are doomed.
I'd love more Newcastle and Villas. I'd love you to be right. I really don't enjoy us struggling but the fact is we are, and our home record over the entire calendar year backs that up.
London Irish
Well-known member
It’s all the negatives with you now isn’t it?
How many great performances have you see from the Albion against 10 men? I genuinely can’t remember that many
Newcastle, Villa, Liverpool, played United off the pitch is my counter argument that the ship is not sinking
What's your bassline? Would you reassess if we fell into bottom 3?
Recent form: won 1, drawn 3, lost 2. Not world class, but not the end of the world either. And even the least generous among us would concede we deserved a lot more from those games against Villa, Soton, Leicester, Fulham, WBA and Sheff Utd.
To be clear, I'm not being happy clappy about him at all, but we need a striker and a bit of luck. I'll happily review my position on him at the end of January.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
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If we were being thrashed or totally outplayed I’d agree with you. Leicester apart we have been let down by shit finishing, so we are making the openings. We have also been let down by shit keeping and deflections. How is changing the manager going to change that. I am very happy that Potter seems to have potentially sorted the keeper problems, with a frankly brave decision. Lack of quality up front cannot be used as a stick to beat him with imo, although you and plenty seem to be doing it.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
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I’ll reassess when we are being out played, otherwise I’m team Potter even if we go down. TB may well feel differently so that may not happen
Kosh
'The' Yaztromo
I've reflected on it, attempted to calm down, (you know, there's more to worry about than football right now Kosh - YES I KNOW) looked at the stats and tried to find something positive re our current plight...
Yesterday was abysmal, an utter failure... on every level. To not only play poorly, but to fail miserably against ten men, vs a team (lest we forget) who had amassed 1 (one) point all god damn season... It was pathetic. We were very lucky not to lose 0-2, which would have been probably one of our worst results/performances in any division... ever...
Taken out of context we looked like a league 1 team at best - it was so ball crunchingly bad that I fail to see how people have maintained a dignified shoulder shrugging attitude towards it... I guess it's a reflection of the harsh realities we're all facing that this kind of form, and non-performance is... well... okay :/
For me, its not okay its beyond not okay it's utterly unforgivable... Someone has to accept some responsibility... and fast.
The saving grace? it's likely this season won't go the distance... BUT if it does, GP needs to prove he's not just a clever boy, but a coach (a head one at that) who can coach the basics of defending and attacking - because all the evidence points to an utter failure re those two fundamentals of the game.
It's horrific, when you actually analyse what a mess yesterday was... a total mess, an utter shambles... we got lucky and make no mistake.
It's not good enough, the home form, the performances, the messing about with lineups, the messy formations and out of position players - we look like a rock band with no rhythm section... it's out of time, tune and the crowd is growing thin... apathy... pure apathy in the face of this vision of football with zero end product. It is that shit.
I sincerely hope we all see an improvement on every level moving forwards.
Kosh
Yesterday was abysmal, an utter failure... on every level. To not only play poorly, but to fail miserably against ten men, vs a team (lest we forget) who had amassed 1 (one) point all god damn season... It was pathetic. We were very lucky not to lose 0-2, which would have been probably one of our worst results/performances in any division... ever...
Taken out of context we looked like a league 1 team at best - it was so ball crunchingly bad that I fail to see how people have maintained a dignified shoulder shrugging attitude towards it... I guess it's a reflection of the harsh realities we're all facing that this kind of form, and non-performance is... well... okay :/
For me, its not okay its beyond not okay it's utterly unforgivable... Someone has to accept some responsibility... and fast.
The saving grace? it's likely this season won't go the distance... BUT if it does, GP needs to prove he's not just a clever boy, but a coach (a head one at that) who can coach the basics of defending and attacking - because all the evidence points to an utter failure re those two fundamentals of the game.
It's horrific, when you actually analyse what a mess yesterday was... a total mess, an utter shambles... we got lucky and make no mistake.
It's not good enough, the home form, the performances, the messing about with lineups, the messy formations and out of position players - we look like a rock band with no rhythm section... it's out of time, tune and the crowd is growing thin... apathy... pure apathy in the face of this vision of football with zero end product. It is that shit.
I sincerely hope we all see an improvement on every level moving forwards.
Kosh
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
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7oaksgull
Well-known member
To get beat, by any team at home in the premier league, by two goals would not count as one our worst results, in any division, ever. It wouldn't even make the top 100. Sheffield United might only have two points but that doesn't mean they are going to turn up and roll over for us. Man Utd beat them by only a single goal last week.
We were not lucky to not lose 2 - 0. They had two good chances... we had 4....I've read nothing from anyone who thinks we were lucky not to lose by 2
All the evidence doesn't point to an utter failure in the basics of attacking and defending. We can defend to some extent and attack to some extent. In fact we create a hat full of chances very game. We just can't take them. Can we improve in both areas? Yes of course. As can most of the teams in this division. So not all the evidence..it's just your opinion.
If drawing at home in the premier league is utterly unforgivable then maybe supporting this team is not for you. There will be much worse days than yesterday and worse seasons than this...
Kosh
'The' Yaztromo
So your “I’ve had a rethink and am backing Potter” lasted a day?
Two days actually.
Gullzone
New member
I think tbf we see good football being played with good interchange of passing but its too slow and we never attack at pace. When we do get in and around the box nobody has the bottle to shoot (don't they have shooting practice). He plays two small guys together up front so that reduces the choice of any crosses being pinged into the box - it all seems too obvious but sometimes these coaches get too wrapped up in their beliefs!!
He changes the team far too often - He should have started with the same line up we had against Fulham
He doesn't have a plan B or C - sometimes the old route one can cause defences real problems
We are shite at corners yet concede when corners against us - again how do they train for this?
His use of substitutes is questionable I mean why oh why bring on Jahanbakhsh, I would have gone for McAllister myself
Thankfully he's seen the light to replace Ryan with an imposing goalkeeper who commands his box and will give the back four more confidence.
So in answer to 'Is it Potter's fault' not all of it but the players must be being told what he wants and expects, he picks the team and he makes the sub decisions.
He changes the team far too often - He should have started with the same line up we had against Fulham
He doesn't have a plan B or C - sometimes the old route one can cause defences real problems
We are shite at corners yet concede when corners against us - again how do they train for this?
His use of substitutes is questionable I mean why oh why bring on Jahanbakhsh, I would have gone for McAllister myself
Thankfully he's seen the light to replace Ryan with an imposing goalkeeper who commands his box and will give the back four more confidence.
So in answer to 'Is it Potter's fault' not all of it but the players must be being told what he wants and expects, he picks the team and he makes the sub decisions.