Well,I'm bloody ticked off if you lot are not! We'd better win the PL or/and the CL or it will be another "could have been" season and some players will be looking elsewhere to win things! Ala Bale and Modric.
One minor gripe I have is that I still don't truly understand Poch's approach to the competition. I get and respect the fact that it is bottom of the 'to do' list, but surely if that is the case the likes of KWP and GKN should be getting 90 mins to show what they can do and build match fitness? There was no real need to play Trippier or Alli/Sissoko, so why did we? As far as I'm concerned, Vorm, Rose, Foyth, Davies (to acclimatise to a slightly different role) and Llorente were the only players who needed to be on the pitch this evening. Poch still confuses me with this half-baked approach. Either take the tournament seriously and play a full strength side, or use it much like Harry used the EL - to give as many peripheral players as possible the chance to shine.
Tonight that will not wash. That was not a threadbare line-up forced by an injury plague, or the manager with bizarre selections or formations. That was a team who at 2-0 up thought the opposition will was broken, that the MF pressing of the first 30 mins was too much of a chore for another 15-20 mins etc.
In slightly happier news, Tashan Oakley-Boothe has reached the U17's WC Final after England beat Brazil 3-1.
Just back and I feel mugged off by Poch and the club should give us our money back. The substitutions proved that Poch had no interest in winning. They were all planned. Dembele needed a run out so he came on and replaced a goal threat.If he wanted to win he could have strengthened the midfield when we were leading not when we need a goal. Similarly , our D.O.F needed 80 minutes and then he got subbed- all pre-planned and nothing to do with what was happening in the game.
Nothing to do with the MF. All 3 of their goals came from corners from the same end. And it was obvious that , that was their only way back.
The selection was not the issue though...s dog **** second half was the problem...the players on the pitch let themselves and us down. I ain't gonna slaughter them but they need to learn a valuable lesson from tonight and make sure they NEVER take a match or half a match for granted again.
I do it like losing any game but especially to them. I don’t blame Poch though., the players were comfortably on top in the first half and should have had the game wrapped up by halftime. All they had to do was keep playing that way,but they just seemed to coast through the first 35 minutes of the second half. At 3-2 Spam brought out the double decker and parked it. Llorente did not get the service he needs. He is not Kane and requires the team to play to his strengths but his touch leading to the first goal was exquisite. He is a class player but I think he is better when he plays alongside Kane. In the end I am glad we disnkt have the extra 30 minutes, because that is when tiredness causes injuries .
Well that was ****. First half was sweet, we were relaxed, we outplayed the pikeys and got two goals from it. Second half was as if the players thought the game was over. Shocking attitude and the goals we conceded were ones that really piss you off because they just shouldn't be happening, especially with our usually solid back line. Even though the game was a low priority one for Poch and the players due to the heavy fixture list, I can imagine them getting an absolute bollocking for that second half display.
I'm as ****ed off as the next fan about the manner of result but I fail to see how Poch has mugged us off. 45 minutes in and we were cruising at 2-0. Then a 15 minute spell in the second half in which our defence decided to get rid of their formidable reputation and behave like absolute amateurs cost us the game. All three goals were pathetic to concede, Poch can't really be blamed for that sort of stupidity (unless it was a regular occurrence, which thankfully it isn't). At worst you could say his subs didn't help but then Llorente (flick aside for first goal) was cack and Son had ran himself into the ground as he so often does, Rose was lagging which was natural after a long lay off and the likes of Dembele and GK (who was woeful in his short cameo) needed the minutes. Anyways, it was a **** night, no doubt about that but I don't think Poch is the one we need to be pointing fingers at, Toby and co were.
For me all competitions should be taken seriously because forsaking one doesn't mean to say you're going to win another does it? The FA cup is harder to win than this one and we really should have taken it more seriously. I felt after we struggled against Barnsley that things weren't quite right for us.
I let my 'likes' do the talking on that game tonight! We've had a good week and it's obvious from the way we strolled it after going 2 up that we needed a kick up the arse...we got it. Win at United and all is forgiven COYS!
If last night taught us anything it's how good Jan Vertongen is when it comes to defending set pieces and the benefit of having Kane getting back for set pieces to augment the defense. Fortunately both will be back for Saturday and the outcome is likely to be the opposite.
We hope but let's not get over confident like the team did last night. I would have been confident of a win had we won last night. Utd go into it on the back of a win and we go into it on the back of a defeat but that I suppose doesn't mean too much as Liverpool scored seven and conceded none then were thrashed by us. I hope the team put it behind them quickly and get straight back to winning ways. We can't go down the table this weekend but we can't afford to let City get too far in front either.
