Which is a nice little reminder to think about what I'm/you are posting. I've said specific things which if circulated around the internet would have probably blown both mine and the other persons anonymity, potentially getting him collared.
Yesterday's result was obviously not what we wanted, but we move on. It's going to be like this for a while with results. It's hard to get consistentcy at the moment when you're near the bottom and everything seems to be going against us. Maybe it's just my eyes, but why didn't the lad just head it in instead of putting his hand up. We have a manager now who will take us where we need to be. As always we will need a good window in January. I saw a comment earlier about Kone going to Everton.....hopefully Big Sam will take Khazri, too, and Coleman has some cash to play with...onward and upwards....KTF!
Agreed - but I thought that Saturday's performance was the worst at home this season, bar none. No pressing (unlike the Villa and Burton games) and generally poor. Gibson and Cattermole should never be allowed on the same field at the same time. Cattermole played some lovely passes in the first half, but as always, ran out of steam in the second. Gibson never looked like he had any steam to run out of and he sold players 4 or 5 times short with "hospital balls". If McManaman's handball was intentional (I have no idea whether or not it was and only he will know) he should be hauled over the coals. Oviedo and Matthews look promising. Grabban was awful until the penalty - he looked like he just wasn't interested - Asoro looked very good when he came on (good running with the ball and he can throw it miles!!!) McGeady again was poor, but, sadly, we don't have the depth to deal with the amount of injuries that we have. McNair would've made a big difference to that side IMO as he has the energy to get about the park, unlike Gibson and Cattermole and he's also a goal threat, unlike the aforementioned. Well they say that you learn more from a defeat than a victory so I guess that Coleman may have learned a lot on Saturday!
Does anyone have any info about McNair's injury? I'm hoping that it's something minor and not a recurrence of his long term problem. The sooner that we can line up with him and Ndong in CM the better. It's such an important area and we're absolutely ****e there without those two.
Grabban was awful until the penalty - he looked like he just wasn't interested This could be a sign that he's been given the nod that he is going to be recalled ?
Eddie Howe and Coleman both said that hasn't happened - but he has looked like that quite often this season and I've said it a number of times. A recall can only be beneficial if Bournemouth have a club ready to buy him (He's probably worth around £10m in today's market). I wonder how good he'd be if he did put the graft in like Vaughan - Vaughan has little quality but gives 100% every time - Grabban has loads of quality but will only try when it matters to him
I wish Grabban would at the very least get on the right side of the defender and show some basic level of willingness to show for the ball. It's a huge flaw in his game that shouldn't exist.
Probably the reason he's on loan with us thought really. Scores goals for fun at this level (11 this season!) big asset but his workrate is awful and he looks so CBA it's scary - my Dad said on Saturday "When the going gets tough, Grabban goes missing" I'd start Asoro on the right on Saturday personally with McManaman banned - Willingness to run at defenders and SHOOT!! Something we seemed incapable of doing on Saturday. Cattermole - not renowned for goalscoring mind, had an opportunity at 0-2 to take a shot from 20 yards - he passed it out of play! He played some nice passes in the first half on Saturday including a fantastic crossfield ball to Oviedo but the one time he should pull the trigger he passes to Honeyman (Who I thought was awful first half) Sick of moaning about it now and feel like I'm just adding stuff to my "post match" post!! Ah well - at least we have an easy one on Saturday!!!
I'd almost forgotten about N'Dong. Him and Paddy will be a very good CM pairing IMO - both full of running and proper workers for the cause. Catts can't play more than 45 minutes any more (Christ he's not even 30 yet FFS) Oh - we have Jack Rodwell as well who can play.... errrr..... erm.... OK I give up!
I do feel that N’Dong is likely to be sold as he will fetch the highest fee, and if he and Kone went we would have a decent pot to play with. As I said last week, after years of being a huge Catts fan I’d let him go, but let’s be honest will there be any takers? We are therefore reliant on McNair, who always looks sharp, getting for and bringing in one more, assuming that N’Dong leaves. Looking around the league there are a fair few decent looking CM/AM who would surely fancy the club. It’s worth remembering that although we were poor on Saturday, actually one of the worst shows at home all season, we still weren’t in trouble until the red, bar that they missed a sitter first half. I still say that we aren’t a million miles short, we are overloaded with similar players and short in other areas, so it’s balance that Coleman needs to find. Hopefully Asoro or Maja can step up. It’s impossible to argue about the flaws in Grabbans game, great scorer that he is he’s terrified of physicality.
As long as we are willing to accept just a couple of million, for Cattermole, I reckon that there'd be a handful of Championship clubs that would snap him up, he's always been a premier league player.
These contracts run out at the end of the season. We should offer Wilson a new deal, in January and let the rest run theirs down. John O'Shea Mika Billy Jones Darron Gibson Marc Wilson
Can I just say, nobody batterers an eye lid Defoe's lack of involvement in game. Want a goal scorer who gets deeply involved in build up and defensive duties maybe go watch someone else cause we can't really afford those types of forwards. The way we've been denied funds we were very lucky to have a Defoe and a Grabben. They don't get as involved but they score goals. Without him we'll look pretty ****ed.
At least Defoe shows for the ball and is always looking to get on it. He might not be as good at it as forwards who aren't tiny but the willingness is there. We are lucky to have Grabban's goals, but he's a frustrating figure at times whereas with Defoe the frustration was more our inability to get the ball up to him. He would never hide from it.
