Thanks to Swords, Oslo, Brix and Col for their responses to my earlier contribution. I agree with them regarding Zamora, which is why the fates had me typing "...somebody like Zamora". The thing is, if you had a highly mobile midfield and wing backs that could cross the ball with the accuracy that we so seldom see from (say) Traore, e.g. his pass to Mackie for the goal at Man. City last season, then you could afford one up front with pace. But we don't have that luxury, so need "somebody like Zamora" to hold the ball up until support arrive, or win the ball for Remy to run onto and score. Swords, trust you to highlight the one passage in my piece that corresponds to your oft-made criticism of Taarabt. You are, of course, right in this criticism... But I'm happy to be more charitable to Taarabt than you, given that he's not been exactly blessed with quality company in the final third.
As I said, it's all very well having someone up top with Remy in a 4-4-2, but that does beg the question...where to play Taarabt?
Brilliant post Uber. My take on it (and it's only just been sparked by your comments so isn't completely set in my mind) is slightly different (but by no means right). One thing that was said about Harry was that he got everyone playing football (ie the with the much fabled smile on their faces). Without doubt, I can see Taarabt, SWP and maybe Mbia doing this and it has shown in their performances (if SWP had played like he has recently for the whole of his time here then he'd be regarded a lot higher) but who else is really "playing" - everyone from Mackie back is defending like their lives depend on it but there is no real desire to play football. This suggests a possible reluctance to open up by Redknapp himself - the fear of losing and putting us out of contention of survival. This is a trait that was inherited from Hughes and perhaps suggests that the confidence is so far gone that it can't be remedied with a rousing team talk or two. Has anyone ever seen such a defensively set up Redknapp team in all his years? I certainly can't and, conversely, have more memories of West Ham upsetting United and his teams giving it a go than bus parking. If we had the time then I reckon it is something that could be worked on (especially with the unbeaten run to build on) but the balance of the gamble seems to be (at least in HR's mind) that it is easier to work with an unknown with proven quality in a lesser league than to try to exploit the quality that our team does possess but has forgotten. The risk in that is our demoralised footballers bringing the new guys down (especially if there's still 7-8 of them going out with the mindset or instruction not to lose with ball retention as a distant afterthought). We managed to hold on to the ball better last season with the same or a lesser team - OK we were hardly setting the world alight with our possession stats but it was held up better in better areas and we did have the ability to score 3 goals in some games too. Maybe our new gaffer (who has done exceptionally well - don't get me wrong) has underestimated the problem but he definitely doesn't seem to want to go for it. Maybe this is because there really aren't the tools to do it with, maybe because the manager simply doesn't have the faith in the playing abilities of the Graneros and Faurlins or maybe they are to gone/scared to be brought back from their dearth of self-belief while there's such pressure on. Just a thought...
Were only in there half for 20 mins,scored what more do u want,good pace, needs to judge his runs better through the middle,offside to much,but good debut
He's a kind of a striker that gets caught offside often and he'll always be like that, but when he gets some understanding with the teammates he'll cut those offsides in half
Harry says he is looking forward to Zamora and Remy up front with Adel playing off them in a diamond shape. Does this mean we will hoof the ball to Zamora and Remy and Adel are expected to run onto what ever he knocks on or knocks down? I'd hope that we could play the ball more on the floor and Zamora could actually use his feet rather than his head and chest all day long. Harry said that he loves Zamora so expect to see the big man back as soon as he is match fit, or sooner if Harry thinks he's worth the risk.
Of course he drifts wide it's his job to do that! Christ on a bike how do you think he can read the game as a forward! Has anyone on here very played the game? It's a fundamental. I thought he did his job well as well as expected as make no mistake we were under the bloody cosh ... West Ham are a very good side what Mr toad has done there has to be applauded IMO. I am betting that a few on here think a forward should stand on the half way line which a big centre half standing next to him? Remy played once scored once and as Col said made it look easy. There was no luck about that I like him and we have to think he can do a lot more when we break away after all that is a clear game plan we have at the moment Good lord
Zamora is very good at holding the ball up and that will be priceless IMO and that doesn't mean we knock it long at all. it means that when we have the ball we can keep it all flowing which I believe we are capable of doing well. Most teams i have seen so far in this league won't contain Tarrabt so i can see where Harold is thinking here. Zamora however will have to be fit for all this to happen and that will take three matches anyway. We are reliant at the moment on Adel Zamora will be able to bring all sorts of other options into play
Maybe our Gaffer has been chatting to Flyer.....about the games in Feb, March early April...that are so winnable. Perhaps Harry's plan, is to accrue as many points as we can at this point ....and 5 vs Spuds, Chelski and Spam are certainly 4 more than I thought we would get. Get past the City match, get Zamora back, a new midfield set up with a different mind-set and start playing a different game.... a game that involves playing further up the pitch and scoring goals. All a great plan... but it does depend on a lot of ifs.... Can M'Bia or/and someone else come in a be a great CB? Will we get a good defensive midfielder? Will Zamora be the stooge for Remy we/Harry hopes he will be? Can Remy start scoring? Too many ifs and buts...but still we hope
The diamond formation is a variation of 4-4-2, but usually means that the team employing it ends up being very narrow. Not sure it would work, but hey, in Harry we trust and all that.
My post probably sounded a bit negative Beth but it wasn't meant to be. I still think there's quality already here and just hope they get the chance to prove me right. In the meantime, I'm more than content with the points we're picking up. Just trying to put a different slant on the lack of possession that's all....
Thanks Matt, and good response. I believe there's room for both our perspectives here. I'm not sure Mr Redknapp is reluctant to open up, though. I think he's tried that, seen the Rs stuffed (e.g. home to Liverpool) and concluded that some back-to-basics is called for in terms of defensive tightness. Perhaps his strategy is initially to fix the goals conceded, get the team playing more as a unit, before expand this out to more adventurous football? I agree that this has not been how he's set sides up in the recent past, but he may argue that its horses for courses and you can only work with what you have at your disposal. Clearly the squad had lost confidence and certainly wasn't playing as a team, and what better way to address this than to have them fighting together in the defensive trenches, covering their teammates, throwing themselves in the way of strikes on goal, tracking back and making tackles? He's achieved this after tinkering with formations a bit over Christmas and finding that anything else was too early. Now he's looking at building forward and I wish him well.
Thanks Matt, and good response. I believe there's room for both our perspectives here. I'm not sure Mr Redknapp is reluctant to open up, though. I think he's tried that, seen the Rs stuffed (e.g. home to Liverpool) and concluded that some back-to-basics is called for in terms of defensive tightness. Perhaps his strategy is initially to fix the goals conceded, get the team playing more as a unit, before expand this out to more adventurous football? I agree that this has not been how he's set sides up in the recent past, but he may argue that its horses for courses and you can only work with what you have at your disposal. Clearly the squad had lost confidence and certainly wasn't playing as a team, and what better way to address this than to have them fighting together in the defensive trenches, covering their teammates, throwing themselves in the way of strikes on goal, tracking back and making tackles? He's achieved this after tinkering with formations a bit over Christmas and finding that anything else was too early. Now he's looking at building forward and I wish him well.
I asked my mate who works for the club to ask arry for a lift to games. Imagine if I got 2 hours with the manager before every game...
Whatever he did in the Liverpool game, Swords, I would argue that it wasn't what he did subsequently against Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham. Of course, there's another school of thought that says that whatever game plan was to be put into effect against 'Pool was shot to pieces the moment Suarez scored the first goal. Certainly, the team lost all discipline, substance and unity from that point forward to the extent that they were fortunate to keep it to 3-0, in my opinion at least.
Suarez was able to run freely at our back four because there wasn't a sitting midfielder in front of them. We fell apart because Mbia and Diakite were both positionally naive. Since then, Derry has sat there and we haven't lost a game. I agree that now we need to start attacking as we need to get 3 points, often, in order to stay up.
