The point is, there is no excuse for not having a go at home. I don't care if we have spent nothing on players for ten years, if you are paying players thousands a week to play in the premier league, the home fans should not be watching the opposition play all the football. Yesterday was beyond negative tactics, it was beyond the owner not spending money, and all the criticism should be on Rafa. He picked the players, he bought the players, and they produced one of the worst displays of football ever seen in the league. Defensively solid, but there was nothing else until Chelsea scored. I've sat and watched home games where the likes of City have us under the cost for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, but we counter and look at threat on the break. We didn't even show that to be honest. There was one moment in the first half where Murphy shot instead of playing Dummett in, and one moment in the second half where we scored. The rest of the time we seemed to actively shy away from countering. It was a dreadful and disgraceful display and Rafa should be fined by the league in my opinion. That is not what the premier league is about at all.
Maybe Rafa will read that ^^^ and have a right go at them, we’ll duly get ****ing raped 5-0 and our confidence will be shot to ****, but it’s ok cos it’s citeh and they’re gonna win the league so it’s to be expected! If they have 99% possession and we sneak a winner off joselu’s arse I’ll be well ****ing happy!
The point is that “having a go”’doesn’t mean gung ho attack. It means pressing and being in the opponents face. We sat back with 9 deep. Again.
We pressed in the important last third. We didn’t get dragged out to give Chelsea more space. We were very unlucky not to get a point which was down to bad refereeing (again) and an unlucky own goal. Football at this level isn’t just about “Entertainers” football. If you don’t have the better team/squad by the proverbial mile then don’t gift the other team the points. Our players may be being paid tens of thousands of pounds per week but some of Chelsea’s players are getting over a hundred thousand pounds per week and more. The players in old fashioned times are at least a division apart in terms of ability. The trouble today is that too many players are prepared to play bit parts, sit on a bench, claim it’s a squad game and still claim to have won the Cup, League or whatever having played 4 full games and 15 ten minute cameos which means the players who would have played for the 22 teams in the old First Division now play for just six or seven Clubs now. It wasn’t entertaining and it wasn’t pretty and Sky may cry on about it but we nearly succeeded in getting something out of the game. Of course you get nothing for “nearly” but is anyone seriously suggesting we would have got anything more than a drubbing if we had gone gung ho at Chelsea. That’s not defeatism it’s reality.
We didn't against tottenham at home Its called tactics We were a missed pen and a bad decision from 4 points so give it rest man
Some fans need to stop being an obnoxious Rafa-loving suck-up **** You have missed the point again and again and again. There is no excuse for sitting back the entire game, I haven't said anything about defensive tactics in general. It's a case of Sunday being too far. That is not what being part of the premier league. I would be and have been critical of another team for using the same tactics, and so It's quite right to hold the same view of my own club. I hope you have spent a lot of money on a season ticket, and I hope you enjoy every single second of the opposition playing all the football, as you claim to.
Having had the weekend to reflect it wasn't as abhorrent as I first thought, although I maintain I don't want to watch the football for a season (may have to put up with it over the next 2 games though vs Arsenal and City). I also think Rafa is trying to prove a point to Ashley that if you're given peanuts you can only afford monkeys. As others have said I soft pen (although I do think it was a pen - wildly reckless challenge because he was on the wrong side) and an unlucky Oggy we all that kept us from a point or 3. I'd have expected 3 points out of those first five games this year so if we can sneak a point vs Arsenal or City then 2 out of five won't be the end of the world. Our season really starts in game week 6 vs Palace - who are doing well ATM...
I also hate this “fact” that - had we tried to play or press higher - we’d have got ****ing thumped. Who says? We’ll never know, albeit either way. When SJP is jumping not a lot rival it. That’s what I miss. Blood and thunder. Not 9 defenders.
Newt up with missing it, I miss it too. I just dont think we're going to see exciting football that keeps us in the league under MA. You can change manager as much as you want but if you expect attacking football with a midfield of Ki and Diame, our 3 best players out, a strikeforce of Rondon or Joselu and a team that cost the collective amount of notes Abramovich wiped his arse with last year then you need to start praying for that billionaire investor now.
We a attacked a reasonable amount in the first half. 4 or 5 shots at goal I believe. There were tactics to attack but 2nd half in particular they couldn't string 2 passes together and kept turning the ball back over, partly due to Chelsea closing us down. I can't understand why you couldn't see this and try to make out like we didn't want to attack. And who said you get to decide what playing in the premier league is all about? These were legitimate tactics that were reasonably well carried out. FA should fine Rafa? Give yourself a shake, man.
this we were the first to have a shot on target, and had Murphy seen Dummet instead of shooting from distance, it could all be well different they were streets ahead of our team, the pace and off the ball movement by Chelsea players was frightening quite a bit of this you see at the ground whilst watching but you do not see on TV we couldn't pass to our players as they were closed down in advance at times it seemed like they had 15 players on very dissapointed with the very very soft free kick given to Hazard which led to the second goal
Not strickly true, the commentators were comparing the average Chelsea player's transfer fee to the average NUFC player's transfer fee, which is related to player value, but is not the same thing. Other than Manquillo, who would NUFC sell for £5m?
The premier league is a brand, and I'm not the only person suggesting that completely negative tactics are diminishing that brand. The whole draw of the premier league is an element of anyone can beat anyone, see Brighton vs Man Utd. Our match was akin to a La Liga match in which Barca or Real are playing a minnow. That is bringing the league into disrepute as far as I am concerned, especially when we fine managers for rotating in cups or challenge Spurs for not finishing a stadium, as if playing down the road is a terrible inconvenience. I don't know anybody on this forum we could go through the posting history of who has not had a go at dull football, and I highly suspect you would not have your tongue so far up Sam Allerdyce. Rafa should be held to the same standard. We haven't spent less than Brighton in the last 3 seasons, so what is the problem with an expectation of doing better than we did on Sunday? If Rafa wanted more attacking play, better passers if that was the problem, he has a bench of his players to choose from. He might not have spent a billion quid, but those are his players. That is a tactical failing and basically you are criticising him, but you are changing your opinion so you can continue deepthroating Rafa.
The premier league is a brand, and I'm not the only person suggesting that completely negative tactics are diminishing that brand I don't subscribe to sky so **** them I subscribe to the survival of my club
Alright chaps. Sorry but that was bullshit for me on Sunday. I like Rafa and think he’s done a good job under difficult constraints. There is a never an excuse for playing like that at home in my opinion. If it’s stamford bridge, Anfield or the Etihad then fair enough. Damage limitation at key times is a necessary evil in the PL now. This notion we’d have been humped is pure garbage to me and is not backed up by any known recent evidence. We had a ****ter team and squad last season, yet we won 3 lost 2 and drew 1 against the big 6. The defeats came in an overly negative set up against Man C, and a sending off against Spurs. Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea all got sent packing with high energy have a go performances. Liverpool and their swashbuckling side dropped 2 points in 1-1 draw. As we saw with Wolves with Man C, you are far better having a go. The ground just became like a morgue. Our crowd is massive if you get them going. The problem for me at home is you lose anyway. The pen was unlucky. However generally these sides always find a way when you concede 70% possession plus. People also talk like a tanking does massive damage to morale. Well **** me sideways, I’ve never been in any dressing which has enjoyed employing a park the bus mentality. It’s ****ing soul destroying. There is difference when you simply defend but with pressure. We were forced to defend against Man U last season but the performance was full of fight and effort. That was like an attack versus defence training drill. I can’t see how anything positive was achieved. He got it wrong for me but he often gets it right so I’ll happily allow him an off day.
