Having now seen extended highlights, my observations are as follows: The team look like they're trying now. The defence looked better from set pieces with no uncontested headers against us. The midfield 3 of M'Bia, Diakite and Granero looked very solid, although I wouldn't mind seeing Faurlin instead of Granero. Traore looked like he had a stormer. Bosingwa looked a bit better(not hard I know!). Taarabt was superb first half, with a fantastic ball to Mackie who should have scored. Adel faded 2nd half and was rightly subbed. Cisse was unlucky with a couple of long range efforts, but his attitude will get up Harry's nose (not to mention Joe Jordan!). Mackie worked hard, but he'll never get the goals we need imo. Green was very good!! Fantastic save from Fletcher's header! Hope he keeps that up if Cesar is out for a while. We got a lot more players forward and in the box than under Hughes and we were away!! Overall I think we were by far the better side and Sunderland looked very poor. However, they remind me of us, with quite a few good players who are greatly under performing due to a lack of confidence. We need a win on Saturday to get our confidence up. If Adel can grab one, he could be the one to get a few for us, but we must get a striker in January. Table looks horrible and we must start to convert better performances into 3 points to get back in touch. As pleasing as a clean sheet was, draws simply won't be enough now. (Stating the bleedin' obvious there I know!)
Can't see it mate, but I'll be more than happy for him to prove me wrong. I like him and he'll get a few hopefully, but we need lots of goals and may have to wait till January for them eh?
good view on last night col, listened to it live & saw some highlights & my take on it was a bit more fight & togetherness about them, defence for once seemed like a defence, should have taken our chances & as you said desperate for a striker. all in all pleased that we got a point but still giving silly balls away but hopefully in Arry's time here he can address that.
A great summary with which I completely agree, Col. I watched the game on a stream, but I have to also agree with Merson on SSN when he said that we were "missing something". Sleeping on that thought overnight I woke up wondering whether Mr Redknapp is simply doing the sensible thing and fixing the defence as best he can and then working forward. Two games has been all that was required to show that Nelsen/Hill is our best combination in the centre of defence. Traore played very well and with a lot of confidence, I felt, and this had me all the more puzzled by his substitution at Old Fartford... was it a precautionary replacement, the fears proving unfounded, or did Bowen simply get it wrong? Right-back continues to be a problem. Bosingwa has as many tricks as he has eyebrows... one. Yeah, we need a new striker and, yes, we can't have one until (probably the arse-end of) January. What was Cisse doing playing out on the wing for most of the game, particularly when we were moving forward? How many times did we come forward and find that he was the guy out on the left with Traore and not the one hurtling into the 6-yard box to get on the end of something? Was that an instruction? So, yeah, probably a good thing to start fixing things from the back to the front, stop the silly defensive mistakes and learn to keep the ball more - some positive signs last night of that, but still giving it away too cheaply (Taarabt was guilty too often of this) - but how I yearn for a strong attacking display with pace, guile and purpose in the final third.
While I was encouraged by the attitude, some of the performances (Traore at last put in a full 90 minute shift!), and the shape of the team, we should not underestimate how woeful Sunderland are at the moment, especially going forward. Had a chat with a Mackem mate who was at the game who rated the whole experience as 'worse than dire'. Still a good point given our away record. Hopefully H will figure out a way for us to score some goals before Saturday; really looking forward to a positive atmosphere at LR.
Quite a few comments on the SunderlNd board saying that Mackie was steeped to remain on, that he had five or six bookable offences to his name BEFORE he was actually booked; any views on this?
My take is somewhat less rosier I'm afraid, the full extent of the Hughes era is only just now starting to unravel. Goalkeeper Both Cesar and Green can play at Prem level, Cesar moreso than Green, last night will not have done any harm to Green's confidence. Defence Yes, the defence looked better but let's face it, were up against a forward line as toothless as ours. Whenever faced with speedy runs from Rose we weren't comfortable at all. There is still a problem from set pieces. As much as I love Nelsen and Hill for attitude, anyone harbouring thoughts of an extended stay in the Prem would not have these 2 as their mainstays. Traore is far better going forward than defending but it appears few are able to keep up with him once he does get going. Bosingwa was poor, is poor and he had no more than a dead cat's bounce performance. Midfield Mbia shone as the true quality in this Dept., felt on the night he was the best player on the park along with Rose. He is Prem quality. Diakite is always an accident waiting to happen, posseses an engine and has undoubted strength, but rarely imposes as should. Final ball tends to be poor. Granero - That was in no way the performance of someone that wants to be with us. For a Spaniard, his passing was a disgrace. Taarabt - Everything is revolving around him and he slows attacks down, he's overweight and lacking in Prem fitness. Mackie - A real tryer, a great, great example but just not the quality required. Park - Great effort, no more Forward We have nothing. Cisse is trying but he'll need 3 solid chances to get a goal, this team will not provide that. SWP- Great effort, no more All in all, I'm thoroughly thankful that Harry is on board and have no doubts that he and his team will get it right. Unfortunately this year will have to be written off, we simply do not have a semblence of a team that can even cope with the Stokes and Fulhams of this World. The blame is to be placed thoroughly at Tony Fernandes' door, his naivety and arrogance borders on gross negligence. That he was willing to support the tenure of Hughes for so long and allowed a Club to become so divided is beyond belief. I for one will remain thoroughly onside and pray that Harry can provide a miracle, because with what he has been given and in the state they are in, that is exactly what it will take. Sorry, for not seeing or calling it differently, we simply didn't have a clue what to do with the ball in the final third.
It was ok nothing more nothing less to be honest. More solid midfield which never produced anything going forward. Sunderland were poor so little to judge from really, like some one already said they had few good players and couple of good chance but similar to us really, though i would fancy we are better equipped to take this forward. Traore played well but he was never really under pressure (Sessegnon was awful), but he did let Sessegnon get in front of him for one cross which is worrying (bet if you watch that back Traore didn't attack the ball and waited for it to come to him). I think people are jumping on Cisse a little too much, he make some good runs off the ball just nobody ever picks them up. We complain because he doesn't distribute the ball well yet he produces good chances for others. His first thought is to go for goal which may see blinkered and greedy to some but that's his job (we don't have better in the squad cut him some slack). Overall a deserved point and something to build on (good formation I wonder who thought we should play like that !)but also nothing to get too excited about no-one stood out for good or bad. Oh small mention for Green as I thought it was all over when he came on but he did ok.
I think this is very harsh. How many QPR fans REALLY wanted Hughes sacked before the Reading game? TF - Naive yes, arrogant, no - that's the Russian up the road. At the end of the day, TF only gave Hughes the cash, it was Huhges who chose the likes of Bosingwa, Zamora etc.
Bossed the midfield, no cutting edge ( don't think there's enough goals in us, to climb out of it). Clean sheet was welcome and it would be a good point under normal circs. This no win, is not a monkey on our backs, more like the planet of the apes.
I'm afraid this is unravelling before our very eyes. The PFA being called in to mediate on player's disputes is just coming out. Fernandes was the one who put creedence by his own Business credentials and track record. Blind men were calling this scenario months and months ago, not just after the Reading game. Yes he gave Hughes money, but he was and is duty bound to make sure the money is/was well spent. Hughes was allowed to take us back 2/3 years. That Hughes is inept, unable to motivate, clueless in fact was not his fault, it was the fault of his employer for employing him and then for not ensuring once given the job, that the utmost attention was given to what this guy was doing. At this moment in time, Tony Fernandes = Chris Wright, sorry if it seems harsh but we have spent a fortune and will continue to spend a fortune on players of no use to us. This seems despicable gross negligence straight after the Ageyman, Hulse, Vine episodes. He is going to pay one helluva price for this for which I am saddened, but repeat, he has brought it on himself.
Thanks Col! Agree with that. Agree with North too, we had no cutting edge, and I am not sure our defense would manage against a better team than weak Sunderland. But I do hope Arry will continue to play M'bia in front of the back 4 like last night, his contribution there seemed to protect them better, and with more games there he should only get better. Hope Ale is not out for a while, I'd like to see him play off M'bia back there.
It is ludicrous to 'blame' TF. When he came on board he gave us exactly what we all said was needed and let the manager run the football side of things. You can accuse him of not knowing enough about MH's limitations but lets face it, who did? The wisest commentators on the game were full of praise for Hughes and Fernadez gave us what looked to be one of the very best and most promising managers in the game. What chairman could do more? TF also did the other thing we all said was necessary and gave the manager a decent run rather than the chopping and changing that we all hated under Briatori. I think he was even willing to allow for a season in the Championship to allow time for the manager to rebuild properly if necessary. Whether or not MH could have delivered in the long term is irrelevant; TF was delivering on a strategy of stability that everyone said was vital. So if fingers are to be pointed let's look at ourselves first. TF's only sin was to have the money to actually do what we demanded.
Yes, Hughes failure to play Hill in central defense is something else I been going on about all season. He was our Player of the season last season, hard to see that he could have gone so downhill this, and when he has played CD we have always looked a lot better organised. It has taken until Hughes left for us to find a our best CB pairing in Hill and Nelsen (and with M'bia playing holding in front of them), while he used Ferdinand and chopped and changed it about all the time, a mistake that could relegate us. Traore was our MOM for me yesterday (with both Keepers), great both in defense and going forward. He won a lot of ball.
We played decent football, we were organised and difficult to break down etc etc etc but I remember reading similar feedback from one or two of our games under MH. We can play well, we can play poorly but unless we start scoring some goals, the result is the same. Harry needs to start working miracles because on the evidence last night, I just cannot see how we will score consistently to survive.
