No, on the whole I think they work hard and do care (unlike the team under McLaren for example). They just have very little quality. 70% 1st half pass completion ffs. It's probably been even worse this half. Just no guile in the team to create anything. Personally I think Rafa is working miracles with this bunch just to keep us in contention.
We're the same as Karanka's Boro. Trying to draw our way to 40 points. I said when we won the Championship what's the point in going up unless you give it a go? Who wants to see a team try to get to 0-0 against fckign Brighton? But it's everything about this side I loathe and I don't know how much is just the players or whether Rafa is part of the problem. The lethargy is familiar and so boring, we're never going to score playing possession football with ****ing Joselu and Gayle on the pitch. But it was everyone - the right side was as **** as I've ever seen, Atsu was pointless, Murphy needs to be sold back to Norwich. I could just go on and on and on about how bad each player is, how mystifying the tactical set up is, but I'm rapidly approaching apathy.
The thing for me is Brighton were pretty poor but played better football. They could pass out of spaces and find a man. They suffer hugely from a lack of money/quality, as every team from 8th down does, but at least there's an attempt to play the game. I don't know what our mob are doing but it's ****ing awful to watch and Benitez is soon going to find out that the patience isn't infinite.
For me Rafa has to take the blame today for his negative tactics. No ambition to go and score a goal today. Gayle and Joselu aren't good enough at this level. Regardless of his personal opinion on Mitro he needs to just ****ing pick him. Don't cite me work rate or and of that **** Gayle and Joselu were ****ing statues today! Also Rafa's subs were awful again today. To slow and if we are chasing a goal and are looking like we are going to have to go long - why not take off you striker who is more likely to win headers? Gayle was way worse than Joselu today, how he managed 90 I'll never know. Perez for Ritchie? Do me a flavour - saltiest sub of the season right there. Rafa may be the golden boy for most of you but I'm fed up with HIS team selections, HIS tactics, HIS substitutions. If it was anyone else he'd be being hounded out the door by now. Merino, Dummy, Lacselles the only ones to come out with any credit today, and fair play to Darlow, couple of ropey moments but dealt with the little he had to reasonably well apart from one missed punch.
I hate them all mate. One of the most contemptible displays of what might be called football. The whole team smells of the worse sort of ****.
A dismal and depressing result. We're in a relegation fight up to our neck. All of us need to pray for transfer window light to really shine.
if anyone thinks that there were 3 worse players than Atsu today they need their head seeing too how the hell did he manage to finish the game
I agree on this one, 100%. This 4-4-2 has everyone confused. Our strikers are absolutely ****ing woeful, they get worse every time, yet he plays two of them?? Our win %age with 4-4-2 is 0%. We have not won with that formation. Why oh why oh why is he playing it? What is the Joselu obsession? Not substituting before the 60th minute - can someone from the media please ask him WHAT THE **** THAT'S ABOUT?????? We have the personnel to go 3 at the back. Arguably it's the only way we should ever play. The only runners I've ever seen are on the wings, you might as well have Mitrovic up top on his own, probably DIame for his height/strength behind him. Just try something ****ing different, but something that makes a lick of ****ing sense. I feel for Rafa's position, but he's acting like a doddery auld ****a and I reckon he's got the Jan window before people start to point a finger.
