We've beaten West Ham - (conceded 2 goals) we won by one goal and if the game had lasted 5 more minutes, we could have lost. Bournemouth - (conceded 2 goals) Exactly the same as above Manchester United - (conceded 2 goals) We were dreadful and should have lost by more. Rotten. Burnley - (a clean sheet) No complaint on this one but they were truly appalling on the day. Wolves - (conceded 1 goal) We were torn apart but hung on and somehow, nicked it at the end. Chelsea - (conceded 2 goals) We were somehow worse than at United. Brighton (conceded 1 goal) Utterly outplayed in the first half and saved by a slightly lucky first goal and a fabulous piece of skill for the 2nd. Norwich - (conceded 2 goals) See Brighton but we just about got a point having played dreadfully again. In that run, the only team who have been 'on form' when we've played them, was Wolves. We've played a number of teams in poor form and been run close by nearly all of them. Burnley apart, every team has opened us up far too easily for spells of the game. We need 2 or 3 goals per game to get a point/points. The team isn't getting to rest in games as we're permanently on the verge of losing because we can't defend. That's costing us in yellow cards and will increase the number of suspensions and injuries we suffer. I'm going to hide behind the sofa when we play in the CL because we're going to get reamed, unless he packs in picking teams like he is at the moment. There are enough good players for us to have achieved at least those results and not looked like a bunch of amateurs in a pro league, whilst doing so.
We've played 3 of the clubs in that table in those 8 games. We lost to 2 of them. The other one completely outplayed us. We've beaten teams in the bottom 8 of that table - i.e. those who are in poor form. When we play the better sides, you may wish to revisit your view. I'm quite content with mine.
Prior to his arrival we were playing like a bunch of amateurs and not getting those results, though. We hadn't won an away game against an English team from January til November and got knocked out of the cup by 4th tier Colchester. Our performances and results were both dreadful. If we've only improved one of them, then at least that's a start.
You may be right (you often are) but it's still a little early. Mourinho may have agreed plans with Levy and we may yet get the tactical genius we saw at Chelsea rather than the stubborn idiot we saw at Man United.
The results have improved but the performances are still seriously sub-standard...and we've been playing teams who have been on bad runs themselves. When we start playing teams in better form, it won't last. I don't see any stable improvement in performance. We're getting results mostly through individual brilliance. The shape of the team's all over the place and changes are made from game to the next that make no sense to me. The team selection for this game was a complete joke and I don't know anyone who can support it. If you see good things in his work, then hats off to you. For me, the Emperor is naked.
I have tried to get behind him as manager but I can't lie to myself and for me, it's not working. I'll continue to support the team and club and hope to be proved wrong but Saturday's selection and particularly first half performance have really ****ed me off. I wish that was true...Mrs B knows that it isn't.
I could see the point in attempting five at the back, as it was something that I suggested that we might have to do with our current squad. Davies appears to be the only functioning fullback that we have and he's out injured. Attempting to cram Eriksen, Ndombele and Lo Celso into a three man midfield was excessive and it backfired. Changing too many things too quickly rarely works and it failed on this occasion, too. The second half changes lead to a dramatic improvement, in my opinion. They rarely created anything and only scored from an unfortunate defensive mix up. Had Lewis been correctly dismissed, then I think it would've been a fairly comfortable win. The problem is that we don't have a functional team on paper, let alone on the field. It appears to be impossible to select a side that has balance and ability with our current squad. We have too much baggage and too few options in several key areas, so our better players struggle. Fullback and central midfield are massive issues and any solution will take time.
Pretty much agree with all of this. These are not Mourinho’s players. He doesn’t know them, and in the maelstrom of the middle of the season, he’s had little chance to get to know them. We have no secure DM. Our fullbacks are not fit for purpose and playing Vertonghen there isn’t working as he gets skinned by any player with pace. Our CB’s are no longer the most reliable and both Toby and Sanchez are prone to stupid mistakes. Foyth may or may not come through. Mourinho can only work with what he has available. Re Sat’s game, my only real quibble would be I would have liked to see Skipp given his chance to shore up the midfield.
To be fair though, he's recognised that your strength is going forward. There has been a lot more attacking intent - epitomised by the return to top form of D.Alli. The main weakness is the inability to protect the back four in the middle third. Teams find it easy to play through midfield v Spurs. This needs to be addressed. But 16 points from 8 PL suggests that he's using ways and means to be effective even if it isn't always convincing.
We are playing teams in poor form and squeaking results. Think the early Ole days. On the back of a couple of months of decent looking results, he was given the job. Results can be misleading. That United team was systematically taken apart at Wembley ...but you won 1-0. We're getting points but not playing well. When we start to meet better teams, there will need to be a really huge upturn in performance. I'm not 'doing a Woodward' over these results. The games away are the main problem. Make no mistake, we've been consistently and predictably rubbish in all of them bar West Ham. These games scream out for a midfield 3 to cover our creaking defence and lack of 'all-rounders' in midfield (players who can perform 'the trinity' and run, pass and tackle). . The only time we've seen it...? At home against Bournemouth! WTF was that all about? I've not the slightest idea. The right line-up against the wrong opposition in the wrong location. We haven't seen it since. Genius! We go to Old Trafford, where he knows all too well, that they struggle against teams that lie deep and dig in a bit and......we play 4 forwards and vacate the centre of the park. Inspired!. It's ****ing rank amateur stuff from a bloke who has seen enough to know far, far better. I don't often pick a line-up in Match Day Threads, believing that the manager know best from what he's been seeing and working on in training but there's no sign that there's been any work towards anything lasting or sustainable. Mostly, we come out in the first half and look clueless and asleep. The second half is where we try and resurrect the disaster that preceded it. If we're that lacking in talent, the least I expect is that the manager works toward making us hard working and hard to score against. I'm ****ed if I can see that right now. We were as much a rabble against Norwich in that first half as we were against United. No improvement noticeable at all.
There's a number of issues. Players past their best, dissenting players, a team out of form and inconsistent. But 2 points per game from 8 games is the only stat that really matters. Jose is eyeing top four - that's his target for this season and a possible run in a knockout comp. If he achieves that, nobody remembers how you got there.
He could also stop picking players who are chronically out of form (Dier and Aurier have played far too often), pick a more balanced line-up making the best of the squad that we have and work on some defensive strategies that have a chance of working. It's just a few suggestions that seem to work for successful managers. We ain't making the CL unless something miraculous happens in January's transfer window. I can pretty much promise you that.
