A good welcome to the new owners to see the state of things. We started well, but after that we could have easily lost by more goals. Our defence looks so vulnerable unless we're parking the bus. I wouldn't want the new owners to be greeted with a win, I want them to see the reasons why we haven't won a single game yet.
Yeah, they need to know they currently have a team that would be lucky to finish 17th right now. And also they witnessed the full Bruce **** show, which is only going to speed up the sacking.
I was saying this to my mate yesterday - a win or a loss were perfect results, win and we get points on the board, loss and I was hoping Bruce would be gone before he did the media duties at the end. Surely the owners will have Bruce gone today. - the players rode the emotion yesterday for the first 10-15 mins and then we reverted to type. First goal; dropping off deep for no reason, no pressure on the ball, so easy for them to play through us and get a shot off on the edge of the box with no defenders getting within 5 yards of the ball. Second goal; the defensive line was awful, both CB's ahead of both FB's? Kane made a great arching run but if we'd had a decent defensive line he's offside. Third goal; WTAF are Ritchie and Clark doing? Ritchie completely lost and Clark stepping out and getting no where near the ball twice. Schar and Fernandez back in ASAP - get Ritchie and Clark out of that team. Shelvey shouldn't play for the club again. 3421 (like chelseas formation) until January - where we desperately need reinforcements Dubravka Schar,Fernandez,Lascelles/Dummy Murphy,Hayden,Longstaff,Miggy Willock,ASM Wilson
At least the new owners can see the potential (even though it was only 10 minutes) of what the place would be like for if we had a successful team
I given up trying to juggle our **** hawks. The only thing I know for sure is Schar and Fernandez have to play. Ritchie and Manquillo took a bit of stick and were poor. But I challenge any full back to play well with Lascelles and Clark guiding them. Its been embarrassing this season. Clark spends more time not at centre back than he does playing there. Lascelles is just garbage. **** with the ball, terrible for Ndombele goal (close it quick, and at least chuck yourself you big useless ****), and he couldn't organise a shag in a whore house. The only place worse is midfield. Willock and Longstaff - just horrific. Willock comfortably the worst player on the pitch. I can only assume something is up because that is not the player who was here last season. Forget the goals, this version can't control a ball or pass! Hayden is just nowhere near good enough. I always excuse him however, because the one thing he does, even when he's **** like yesterday, is leaves it all on the pitch. He's just turd with the ball. Darlow is ****. What he was doing for Kanes goal I'll never understand. Look at that team you've put above man. Murphy, Hayden, Longstaff, Lascelles - all just plain not good enough. I can't wait to watch some decent footballers.
Can't change them until Jan so we have to figure something out between now and then. 4 at the back we are to open, 5 at the back and we aren't threatening enough going forwards and we sure as **** can't keep a clean sheet. I mean to be fair I don't think it matters who comes in before January they'd need to be god level to get this lot to 17th before Jan 1st.
That's just 5-3-2 really, but it might work. I don't see why Almiron couldn't play LWB with Manq RWB. Ritchie has been **** - I wouldn't go with Murphy above Manq, mind, Murphy's just far too poor at defending. Other than that, I think that's about as good as you can get. I'd rather Dummett than Lascelles and have fistbumps in the stands. This would be the formation to use against the better clubs. I'd prefer 4-3-3 in winnable fixtures, but for now we just need to get it tight. Bruce out.
Aye we've just got to accept what we have for now. Formations etc all still revolve around the bad players we have. To me the main thing is take out Lascelles and Clark (not in a Khassoggi type way). We appear to have stuck by them in the hope they get some sort of consistency. I mean I'm guessing thats the reason because can I **** think of another. If I was Fernandez and Schar, I'd be looking into Clark and Lascelles lineage. I can only assume they are part of the Bruce clan in terms of ancestry!
Ritchie is decent on the attack, I don't understand what more we could expect from ritchie. He's a hard worker, but not a defender. He shouldn't be playing LWB at all.
Him and Manquillo have the thankless task of trying to work out how to cover up Clark and Lascelles whose performance levels this season have been pathetic. This has been Bruces biggest error. His blind faith in those two is mad.
Manq played on Kane for their second. The CB's are ****, but they played him offside. Ritchie, yes, shouldn't even be there - I'd rather have Clark at LB than Ritchie, and Clark has as you rightly say been absolute ****e. He's there because we couldn't find £0 to get Willems. Or our scouts couldn't work out Lewis was ****.
He did play him onside. But did you see the 'line' his centre backs were holding? As full backs you have no hope of being positioned correctly when one of your centre backs stands round shouting and pointing while out of position, and the other has taken leave of his senses this season and spends less time at centre half than anywhere else on the field. Clark seems to have skirted under the radar because Lascelles is disliked. However to me Clark has been up there as one of our worst players this season by a country mile. He's been worse than Lascelles which is a remarkable effort. I don't know what's happened but I couldn't really blame the manager. He just keeps wandering off for some reason. I like Manquillo in the main but he has been poor of late. He's usually solid but as is normally the case, once a defences key components aren't functioning (centre backs), the rest fall to pieces. Their line has been like an angry snake all season
How would you set up until Jan? Assuming Jan means anything and the other PL clubs don't pass a motion blocking NUFC from being allowed to buy any players? Is it just personnel? Or is there something wrong in the setup? For me, attacking full backs are the things proper clubs do. To do that well, your midfield needs to be way better at covering the gaps (a lot points to midfield as the source and cause of all issues at the club). So I'd abandon the idea of attacking full backs and literally go with a defensive back four. Whether that's Krapth instead of Manq, Clark instead of Ritchie, I'd definitely go with Schar/Fede as the CB partnership and stick with four. I'd then have no choice but to stick Hayden as Dm - **** though he is, he tries. He just needs to really sit and focus on stopping attacks. Alongside him I'd put Almiron left, and Willock right. Willock is in last chance saloon, mind, and I'd be keeping Joe White on the bench as a replacement. **** Longstaff. Front three would then be Joe right, Max left and Wilson centre. Joe doesn't need to inverted because the ****er can't shoot, so he should stay on his favoured side, allowing Max a bit more freedom - this also puts Almiron, who covers a lot of ground, behind Max to allow for his laziness. 4-3-3. Drill it into them. Don't change it. Swap like for like in subs, or even the DM for an AM if you're chasing a goal.
I wouldn't over complicate it. Dubravka Manquillo Fernandez Schar Lewis Further forward than that I'm not really sure what we do. Hayden probably has to play as our only defensive minded midfielder and the only one giving 110%. In front of that I've be half tempted to give the likes of Almiron and even Jack Young a go in central midfield. That's how bad the likes of Longstaff and Willock have been. Willock I still have high hopes for but to be honest he's the worst of the lot at present. Joe has to play left hand side in my mind. He is in a great spell there at present, I can't see any reason to change. Him and Max can swap during the game. With Wilson fit, that's your front three.
