Defence was shocking, John. Not sure what is happening in training, but confidence seems shot. I thought that protests became an option for them after the stress balls. Everyone jumped on the Queen visit but that was a red-herring; they saw that if they publicly asked for them to stop they gave themselves a moral edge - they also knew that with a few tweaks elsewhere in the supporter relationship they could indirectly incite more protest, but not be the cause (in their eyes and the very many uninformed out there). I've had no doubt, for some time now, that protests are playing their game, not ours.
It was disappointing to hear people being interviewed by David Burns before the game at New Ayresome Park last night who were chatting **** about the protests resulting in deducted points and abandonments. How many games this season have we lost when their have been no protests? I think the FA are well aware of the situation regarding the Allams and their confrontational half-baked 'ideas' and would bear these in mind when considering any situation that might result on Friday. Wakey-wakey, the Allams do not want to sell, they want to milk the parachute money, they ain't going nowhere any time soon. They hate this dissent and protest because they want the world to believe they're running an innovative and admirably lean football club, rather than sucking the life out of it to line their own pockets. They hate these protests for this reason only - it tells the truth to the wider world that they had by and large been managing to hoodwink. Carry On Protesting.
Let's calm the **** down. Did anyone seriously think we'd win at boro? A place we never do well. He's made a **** up. But that doesn't allow individuals to make mistakes. Like last night. But he's got to stop ****ing around now. As glp says, stick to a formation. Either 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-****ing-2. Drill drill and drill them some more. We've got our best midfielder back for Friday. Good news. Either drop hector or Dawson. Stop moving a young kid like Aina about. Ffs. Rb and leave him there. Play Clark and let Kingsley challenge him when he's fit. Decide who your main striker is and stick with him.
Regarding all the comments about Adkins changing formation. he had 2 options and either of them would have been moaned at if we lost. It was either play players out of position and put strikers or midfielders on the wings, or switch to 3 at the back and have the wingbacks providing the width. He went with the latter but I dont believe thats what cost us. Would the other way have got us 3 points? I highly doubt it. The fact is when we've got key players out we're a below average championship side.
As with any Pulis team, their attacking play is solely focussed on swinging fast crosses from out wide towards a big man. Quite why Adkins therefore thought this was the right time to ditch full backs, removing the tools to cut out those crosses, and play three centre halves beats me. As you say, this is one substantial cock up. Adkins can’t make any more now, we are on the brink with few winnable games left. Barnsley will be targeting next Tuesday as the start of their revival. We must be ready for them.
He didn't really have to play players out of position, he could have had Toral and Grosicki replacing Bowen and Wilson, stuck Stewart or Meyler in for Larsson and basically gone for the same team that beat Forest.
I go along with you to a point, but I don't think the Queens visit was a red herring, they didn't want any protests to spoil their day, and this promise of finding a middle ground was purely a delaying tactic until the visit had passed. However now I think Ehab realised that this can deflect the fact that he has made a right **** up of the job away from himself. Most of us know the real reason, but so he can come out in the media and blame the fans, in his head takes any criticism away from himself.
I think in fairness he has been unlucky with injuries. Obviously inherited some long term ones but then also had Grosicki out most of the time who for all his inconsistency is a match -winner. And having just got a good away win at Forest where he gambled by playing 2 young wide players, both of them get injured. But having said that, there should still be enough out there to be doing better.
I didn't expect to win Chazz , but it's the way you lose - should be scrapping for our lives but it's just flat , I don't expect us to hammering 25 shots at goal away from home , but you expect the basics done right , at least 4 times last night we attempted a 10 yard pass out wide and just kicked it out for a throw in , nobody seems to want to roll their sleeves up and fight for the cause , most fans turn up expecting to get beat and it seems most the players do too , too many of them know they will not be here next season for one reason or another and I'm afraid it showed , boro were playing in 2nd/3rd gear and I've lost count of how many times I've said that this year, teams don't have to try very hard to beat us and that's what hurts
We are a poor Championship side and a exceptionally poor one when we are missing our two best players. Dawson should not be the team going forward the pairing at Forest worked. Regarding Adkins **** we have got the Sheff Utd one that we all feared. On the brightside not long now till our game on Friday I can't wait.
It's what happens when you have the majority of the squad knowing they won't be here next season. No fight. Most of them don't give a ****. And that blame lies squarely with the owners and their short sighted, cost-cutting approach to contracts. Even the leader on the pitch doesn't want to be here. The only thing that can possibly save us are the other teams in this relegation scrap that don't seem to want to stay up !
There's a reason clubs who play a set formation at all age groups are successful. They bring players through the ranks that are already used to the systems and expectations within the first team should they get the nod. We seem to have a clusterfuck approach with perpetually signing players we don't need for a formation we can't accommodate them in.
I don't mind new formations getting tried if it has been worked on in training and well thought out for a game plan etc , last night very much appeared like it was decided on the coach and the players found out 20 minutes before kick off - I've slept on it and can only think Keane has a restraining order on Campbell and that's why they couldn't go within 50 yards of each other .
t Difficult to remain calm when the club is staring into the abyss. A defeatist attitude like 'we never do well ' which pervades everything associated with the club, didn't exist when Bruce was here or Silva for that matter, but they had players to work with. With them in charge I / we used to go to grounds thinking we'll do this lot today. Now it is more a case of how many we will ship and picking which oppo player hasn't scored for decades, being most likely to score a hat trick. I have a very small amount of sympathy for Adkins that he's trying to make a silk purse from a pigs ear with a totally lop sided, inexperienced, dysfunctional group of players. But he is Tinkerman mk 2. Earlier through necessity but probably now because he may be starting to panic and he's grasping at straws trying everything in the hope he hits some magical formula. Supporters have been saying stop ****ing around now, for several games, 'now' is down to 14 left. He won't change. It's looking more and more likely (to me anyway) that it will be us and Sunderland and one other (possibly Forest?? Wednesday??) that will drop. The insurance of the positive negative goal difference will count for nothing as the others have started to win games again. Everyone knows who is responsible for the above cALLAMity (anyone remember the original Calamity?), but now some folk are talking down protests because it might harm the team. FFS it didn't stop Frankfurt winning their interrupted home game.
