I also find myself still questioning if Martin is a good manager, or if our squad quality is bailing him out. I really like him as a bloke… but it’s very difficult to know. I feel like today we made such hard work of a very poor makeshift team, and his stubbornness is a big part of it. I just cant comprehend why he’s moved THB to full back. It’s an absolute nonsense EDIT: just seen his post match interviews and he clearly feels the same as we do. Fair enough
I think we’re all a bit confused. Today we got away with it again. It was in the end an excellent result but not all teams we will be playing against will let us off so lightly. 2-0 up we should just put the foot down and finish the game off. Let’s hope that the break will provide time for a real rethink about the RM way and see if maybe there’s an RM ‘b’ plan? Still so much to play for, we’re still in it even for the auto spot!!
To be clear, he’s not blaming his team selection, formation, substitutions or tactics for the loss, but the execution He has said many times that this is how he wants the team to play, but they don’t always execute it as he wishes He changed the formation when we were struggling and he brought Bree and Rothwell on and moved THB to CB. That was Plan B and it worked. We won COYS
If by chance we get promotion I think we will definitely need a different coach. Unless we want to lose 9 nil on a more regular basis. So many good defenders at the current level, so many goals conceded equals poor coaching. We can't close a game out.
Thing is the strategy is justified in most of our results this season, but sometimes the players clearly either go into autopilot or don’t engage brain and go for a pass that is very obviously not there, they should be able to see what’s unfolding in front of them and know whether or not a pass is on rather than just ‘boss said pass there, I must pass there, no man free? I must pass’. Bazunu is particularly bad for that, which is frustrating because his long distribution is absolutely excellent.
I have to say that Jo Tessum's comment aboit us being our own worse enemy is very true and I just feel that the business of playing out from the back creates problems. We seemed worse when Stuart Armstrong and Will Smallbone went off even though it is fair to say that we should have ha the game buttoned up by half time. Sunderland were unlucky. Amrstrong allegely touche the ball twice before the penalty and there was a hand ball in the first half in fornt of the Chaoel End which was missed- I am assuming it was ball to hand or the arm was in a naturla position. The Sunderland management team will feel hard done by as 2 errors cost them a point. They were the better team in the second half although we playe much too deep and made it easy for them. I feel that the play off will be an excellent achievement for us this season and think there is no guarantee of even getting to the final. I feel Leeds will go up as champions . If we do get promoted, we will need to replace Martin as the kind of football that involves us playing out from Bazunu will result in us getting slaughtered in the Prem. All in all, it was a great result which masked a shaky performance. With ten games left including 3 of the top sides, I feel our poor start to the season will catch up with us.
What really stood out for me is the difference in officiating quality from the PL to the Championship. Today we had a PL referee and I do think it showed, particularly in letting the game flow. I thought it was well refereed today.
We got the win and a couple of other results went our way so happy days! Didn’t think it was a good performance from us at all though. We did enough to win it comfortably, fluffed our lines so many times, looked a bit off it and disjointed, acted like we thought the game was over at 2-0, panicked and let Sunderland back into the game before stepping it up and winning it fairly comfortably again. Play a better team, without an injury crisis and not in a dreadful run of form and that could have been a different result. A lot to work on over this break. I hope the stark contrast in what Rothwell brings to the table based on playing him in his position vs not is the wake up call that that also goes for the rest of our players too. Edit: Also thought Martin made the first double sub way too early, and Smallbone was having a good game. Wouldn’t have taken Brooks off then either tbh but we got away with it in the end.
****, watching the highlights it looked like the referee flashed a yellow card at Bednarek. That would be number 10 but I can't find anything to back that up.
We need to remember that until RM went bonkers and started playing without a DM/playing THB at RB/a combination of both, we weren't conceding many at all.
They really weren't the better team in the second half. They had a really good ten minute spell, and that was it. Agree we didn't play well though.
Yeah, I think the problem with a PL ref is that they are used to not making decisions as they rely on VAR if they get it wrong.
