What's The Problem? - Manager or Players

[Withdean11]

Just two wins in thirteen games, something is not right. But what is it?

Is SH just choosing very poor tactics, or are the players we have simply not good enough to get us up the league?

 

[Rookie]

Formation/style as chosen by the manager.
The players while maybe not as good as previous seasons are not bottom end of the championship players.

 

[Left Footer]

Not convinced Samii is the man for the job but think we need to give him more time.
We really miss Stephens, March to a lesser extent and now Crofts so with a fully fit squad we might be ok.
Can only see a relegation battle at the moment and Rotherham`s hardly going to be easy on Saturday.

 

[livewire11]

I blame the manager and his formation!

 

[el_ciddy]

No problem, all going to the club's plan. All the staff are the best in the world, how could it be going wrong? If anything it's the fans not buying enough pies or "limited edition" shirts.

 

[Icy Gull]

Not sure I am going to blame anyone, shit happens. The players are struggling with the system, the forwards are looking like they may not up to the required standard of this division and we are conceding soft goals. I think we have to give the manager time to turn it around. Play off contenders every season is not a given. We also need some luck imo.

No panic from me yet, last night was an OK result, from some of the posts on here you'd think we'd been hammered.

If I had to point a finger at anyone it would be at Bloom for not releasing more funds for players this summer, but that is a taboo discussion given how much money he has put into the club. I am put in mind of the old cliche "spoil the ship for a halfpenny worth of tar" this season.

 

[BobbySmith]

Think the formation is good, but not with the players we have, we need to change either formation of players, simple. I am sorry but Chicksen, Baldock, Calunga and what has Gardiner done, with all fit I would play straight 442 with the following:

Stockdale
Bruno
dunk
Greer
Bennett
LuA Lua
Ince
Holla
March
O'Grady
cms

Think that would do so much better

 

[Biscuit]

You've missed out an important option IMO.

 

[Julio]

It's the ridiculous predictability of how every game seems to pan out. Must be a dream for the commentators and journos as they can re-use their copy time after time after time..."after bright start with plenty of possession, but little real threat, the Albion have fallen behind to a breakaway goal..."

But, whose to blame? With the exception of a few games, including Boro, the players seem to be giving it a go. Some are struggling with the system, and some are either helplessly out of form, or just helpless - can't decide which category it is for our forwards. So, I don't pin the results on the players.

Sami's a rookie manager, never played or managed at this level, and doesn't seem to have the coaching staff capable of getting middling players to play a complex and risky system. Keep doing the same things and you'll keep getting the same result (either 1-1 or losing 2-1). Something has to change and that's down to the manager - whether it's the system, players or coaches is the big call he has to make. And he's running out of time to make it. If Bloom backs whatever move he makes then I think he could turn it around, but that's the optimist in me. His overall record so far suggests that he flatters to deceive. November will be the time to judge.

 

[British Bulldog]

Got to be the manager as it's up to him to find a way of playing that get's the best out of our squad rather than sticking with tactics that are not working, A decent manager needs to be flexible in his approach and if something is not working then change it.

 

[Stat Brother]

Just two wins in thirteen games.

I was getting caught up in this kind of rhetoric.

Sure the whole stat 2 wins, 6 draws and 5 defeats isn't good either.
But it does include good points at Watford and Forest.
Poor point(s) v Blackpool, Cardiff & Charlton.

The rest are fairly unsurprising results.

We're 10 points off the playoffs. (I know I know)
Only 6 from mid table.

We've got to believe the centre forward drought will break, at which point things could very quickly look a whole lot better.

 

[wardy wonder land]

one word Height height height

not just "target man" up front

think of the training, when we practice set peices, we do it as a squad, so the ball go into a box full of diddy men and it probably works well

but on a saturday when the JFC corner its the first man it hits a 6'8" lump from the oppo

Sami needs to get the worthing bears in for set peice & attacking crosses

 

[Bold Seagull]

It sounds like a broken record, but if we had a goal scorer, I think we'd be in a very different position. As it happens, the manager can only work with what he's got - and therein lies his skill to the team in adjusting the tactics to suit what we have.

It almost feels like the opposite of last season where we felt we had better attacking options, but always seemed to be defensive minded. This season, we appear to be lacking in attack, but instead of ensuring we're tighter at the back, we're attacking to no great purpose or end product. All our goals are coming from centre halves at set pieces.

So I'm a bit of both. With our current attack, no matter what tactics / formations / style of play, I can't see us challenging top 10, however the manager has to realise that and work out how to win matches when the goals aren't actually going to flow easily.

It almost feels like we got the appointments of Hyypia and Garcia the wrong way round - as dull as it was, I actually think we could do with Garcia's approach this season to add some steel and make us incredibly hard to beat and build up from there.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I was getting caught up in this kind of rhetoric.

Sure the whole stat 2 wins, 6 draws and 5 defeats isn't good either.
But it does include good points at Watford and Forest.
Poor point(s) v Blackpool, Cardiff & Charlton.

The rest are fairly unsurprising results.

We're 10 points off the playoffs. (I know I know)
Only 6 from mid table.

We've got to believe the centre forward drought will break, at which point things could very quickly look a whole lot better.

That is true Stat, and I believe in my post above I've sort of said the same. Sami needs to tighten us up though (fast) and he needs to get the players believing in what he is trying to do - from what I've seen recently, I don't think they are at the moment and that is a worry.

 

[Justice]

A back four playing at the back would be a start. Add a couple of wingers to the formation for example look at Wolves and we will start to be a threat and win a few games.

 

[Bob!]

It's the tactics with the players we have.

We don't have the full backs to play the way that SH wants to.

He either needs to change the tactics to suit the personnel, or buy the players to suit the tactics.

Short term it has to be change the tactics.

 

[Justice]

one word Height height height

not just "target man" up front

think of the training, when we practice set peices, we do it as a squad, so the ball go into a box full of diddy men and it probably works well

but on a saturday when the JFC corner its the first man it hits a 6'8" lump from the oppo

Sami needs to get the worthing bears in for set peice & attacking crosses

Ince surely should of played Saturday any half wit could see that.

 

[B.W.]

Both, and I would also include the Recruitment team for their abject failure this summer.

Manager - poor tactics. Players - lack of spirit and, in same cases, ability (see above).

 

[Thunder Bolt]

one word Height height height

not just "target man" up front

think of the training, when we practice set peices, we do it as a squad, so the ball go into a box full of diddy men and it probably works well

but on a saturday when the JFC corner its the first man it hits a 6'8" lump from the oppo

Sami needs to get the worthing bears in for set peice & attacking crosses

Set pieces are the only way that we're scoring at the moment. We need to be scoring from 'open play'

 

[British Bulldog]

The stupid thing is Hyypia found a winning formula when he put Bruno in midfield ( Leeds away & Bolton at home ) because he not only added a bit of attacking threat but he could also naturally get back and cover for Calderon, Then he changed it and we hav'nt won since.