Would it be fair to blame Oscar for that lacklustre performance?

[kevtherev]

Surely it's the manager's job to motivate the players, that's what good mangers do. It's what they get paid for. They make poor players average and average players good. Man management in the modern game is probably every bit as important as tactics and formations. I'm sorry, but you look at Oscar at just feel nothing positive at all. I suppose some people call it the Wenger way of managing, but even he loses his rag from time to time. I think Coppell was the last good man manager we had at this club. He even seemed to be able to keep Leon Knight in check and that's no mean feat.

 

[stss30]

Fourth last year was over-achieving.

Not making the play-offs this year would be under-achieving.

When a team under achieves, the buck stops with the manager.

Disagree completely, we have sold/got rid of some of our best players and they haven't been replaced. Crofts injury was a devastating blow too.

 

[Deadly Danson]

If that were the case I'd agree.

Well it is the case. Both points are simply fact.

 

[Rookie]

If that were the case I'd agree.

But it is the case.
Buckley, out for a large part
Bridcutt, gone
Orlandi, hardly played (missing him hugely)
Crofts, injured for large part
Barnes, gone

 

[Silk]

Hang on, he has got Keith Andrews though, the English Andrea Pirlo. Pulling the strings while everyone else struggles to live up to his sublimeness

By the way, Andrews is Irish. You do know we're talking about football I take it?

 

[Rookie]

What for? They were not the reason we didn't get 3 points it was or abject display yet again.

For getting the point they set out to get by setting up their side to counter act ours? There are two teams out there, granted we were poor, but some credit must be given to the opposition.

 

[One Love]

Stalker.

Last word on the subject

8.5

 

[Silk]

Last word on the subject

8.5

I stand by it. Impressive today.

 

[kevtherev]

I am not necessarily blaming Oscar, but there have been far too many half-hearted, slow, lacklustre, uninterested, going-through-the-motions performances this season for it to be a coincidence. We are within touching distance of a glorious opportunity yet you watch our players go out on the pitch and it's like they're doing us a favour by turning up. I've seen more fiery church services. There is something wrong when we are consistently outfought and outworked by so many teams. I don't know if it's motivation or simply fitness, which is an area I have felt we are struggling in for a few months now. Also, take a look at the body language of our players in a break of play and all you'll see are slumped shoulders and faces staring at the ground. Where are the guys who DEMAND their team-mates give their all and drag others up? It's all so meek. I swear any other team in our position with everything to play for and a crowd of 28,000 to entertain would at least go out all guns blazing, but with the exception of the Charlton game it's something we haven't done at home for months.

Agree with this....When was the last time you saw an Albion player, rallying the troops and throwing out a few bollockings on the pitch when things aren't going right. The closest thing we got to a player like that is Andrew Crofts.

 

[Icy Gull]

If Oscar sent that team out to attack from the off I would have expected him to have gone totally and uncharacteristicly apeshit mental from the touch line after about 10 mins. You'd have to be in a coma not to have realised that there was no intensity in our play. Hence the reason that I blame Oscar for the way we played. The players needed a bollocking from the touch line, all they got was a few head shakes. I was seriously disappointed in him today, especially as I have been so pro all season

 

[tigertim68]

I have been one of Oscar's staunchest supporters this season. He has had the Poyet fall out to deal with, the short time in charge before the season started, being a rookie in English football and the worst injury woes that I have ever known an Albion squad face.

BUT I have seen more urgency and ambition from an overweight elderly parent in a Father's Day race on a school sports day than I saw from that Albion side today.

It was more like an end of season performance than a game that we should have been champing at the bit to play. I was frustrated from the kick off at our apparently arrogant or maybe stupid lethargy and probable expectation that relegation threatened Blackpool would just roll over eventually. It seems either Oscar or the player, maybe both, have learnt absolutely nothing from very similar performances against lower and struggling teams this season. Barnsley, Millwall and Sheff Weds and today Blackpool.

We had virtually a full squad to choose from and IMO it was unforgiveable that we didn't really appear up for the game from the off AGAIN. A fast aggressive start would have created a decent and intimidating atmosphere but no we let Blackpool play themselves into the game.

Am I wrong?

no you are right , Oscar does not know how to motivate players , he is the boss so the buck stops with him

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Will we be forming a team around oscar next year, not sure I am looking forward with glee.

 

[Biscuit]

We will make the Premiership. If Oscar is the one to take us there then great, but I'd be surprised.

 

[One Love]

If Oscar sent that team out to attack from the off I would have expected him to have gone totally and uncharacteristicly apeshit mental from the touch line after about 10 mins. You'd have to be in a coma not to have realised that there was no intensity in our play. Hence the reason that I blame Oscar for the way we played. The players needed a bollocking from the touch line, all they got was a few head shakes. I was seriously disappointed in him today, especially as I have been so pro all season

I was thinking this. I remember looking at the clock at 22 mins and realising a team that had lost 12 of it's last 15 away games and would be about 20 points adrift at the bottom without their amazing start had looked more threatening than us and looked more likely to score.

Astonishing

 

[Jim in the West]

If Oscar sent that team out to attack from the off I would have expected him to have gone totally and uncharacteristicly apeshit mental from the touch line after about 10 mins. You'd have to be in a coma not to have realised that there was no intensity in our play. Hence the reason that I blame Oscar for the way we played. The players needed a bollocking from the touch line, all they got was a few head shakes. I was seriously disappointed in him today, especially as I have been so pro all season

Jones went mental several times in the first half. Oscar obviously showed his displeasure with the situation by putting Buckley on at half time.

However, we simply don't have the creativity in midfield to breakdown teams who come for a draw, and who start time wasting after about 10 mins.....which mot teams do nowadays when coming to thebAmex.

 

[Napper]

If you go for it from the first whistle against a team in Blackpool's form and score inside the first 15/20 minutes there is NO WAY they will come back. They would be shot to pieces mentally. But ponce around and fail to create a single chance in the first half and suddenly even the most dejected side comes alive and starts to believe they are our equals.

That's bollocks mate . As proved by getting goal right after half time

 

[kevtherev]

Also, when was the last time you saw the Albion really go for the jugular from the first whistle? At home to shit teams like Blackpool, Millwall, Barnsley etc the best tactic is always to start fast and look to get ahead early, forcing the opposition to change their game plan and open up. But instead we just seem to go through the motions week after week. How many home games this season have been 0-0 at half-time with barely any incident in the opening 45 minutes? It's unforgivable. These guys are paid a lot of money to be at their peak at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, yet so often they look like they can't really be bothered when that time comes. We sort of did it against Charlton because we actually were very good for ten minutes until we scored (although we then dropped off noticeably), but other than those few minutes I can barely think of a match all season that has seen us fly out of the traps and really take it to a team. It's a lot easier to get ahead against the relegation fodder early on than it is to let them get to half-time at 0-0, which only serves to give them confidence and belief that they will get a result.

But it's the slackers syndrome. How many people skive off work or go home early when the boss isn't around When the player's aren't putting in a shift or taking it easy, they look over and see their boss standing on the touchline with his hand in his pockets just strolling around looking puzzled....Hardly inspiring or motivational is it

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

I have been one of Oscar's staunchest supporters this season. He has had the Poyet fall out to deal with, the short time in charge before the season started, being a rookie in English football and the worst injury woes that I have ever known an Albion squad face.

BUT I have seen more urgency and ambition from an overweight elderly parent in a Father's Day race on a school sports day than I saw from that Albion side today.

It was more like an end of season performance than a game that we should have been champing at the bit to play. I was frustrated from the kick off at our apparently arrogant or maybe stupid lethargy and probable expectation that relegation threatened Blackpool would just roll over eventually. It seems either Oscar or the player, maybe both, have learnt absolutely nothing from very similar performances against lower and struggling teams this season. Barnsley, Millwall and Sheff Weds and today Blackpool.

We had virtually a full squad to choose from and IMO it was unforgiveable that we didn't really appear up for the game from the off AGAIN. A fast aggressive start would have created a decent and intimidating atmosphere but no we let Blackpool play themselves into the game.

Am I wrong?

I blame myself for being foolish enough to think we couldn't balls this game up - but somehow we managed it again.
If Andrews plays as dire on Friday look out for me launching myself off EAST UPPER.
BTW---the dads with their kids swore more than I did today-------that tells you something.