The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Thursday 12th May)

Trying desperately to add a sense of perspective to our current desperate position.

• We haven't really done anything that I wasn't expecting in the last five games in terms of who we beat - Watford, who we drew - Palace and who we lost to - City, Arse and now Chelsea. City have gone on to hammer better teams than us by bigger scores - some form of comfort.
• What I wasn't expecting was that we would contribute hugely to our own downfall by having two players sent off against top teams.
• The biggest fly in the ointment is that both Burnley and Everton have managed to get results whilst we have had to play top 4 teams.

Aaaagh WTF.....who am I kidding. Both Brighton and Brentford are miles ahead of us so Millwall here we come.

 

Pre-season optimism......what was I thinking!!!

 

I find it hard to see where a point is coming from in the last 2 matches. I never saw them as easy games, even with a fully fit squad.

I loved the football we played under Marcelo (even some of it we played in some of our heavier defeats). However I do think the man marking system flawed, once we were carrying injuries to Bamford/Phillips and Cooper. Marcelo wouldn’t change (unsurprising if you look at his coaching CV) and circumstances meant the club chose to get rid. I’m sad it ended that way, but felt it was inevitable. But I loved the Bielsa Leeds.

Like most wasn’t sure about Jesse, don’t particularly like his need to sound off but he’s American, and likes the sound of his own voice. Can’t say I’m impressed with what I’m seeing, not enjoying the football, and in truth feel disenchanted with next season, whatever happens this.

He’s not been helped by the form of many of the players, Kalvin’s been a shadow of the Bielsa player, and as someone has said previously the Bielsa system made him star. I think Rodrigo is a liability in midfield, gives the ball away constantly. Llorente the same at the back. I’d like to believe Firpo is better than he’s shown. I liked Alioski (despite his weaknesses) but don’t see Firpo as an upgrade. I could go on, but it just gets terribly depressing.

I’m getting used to the idea of the championship, though think a few will inevitably leave, and Jesse might be responsible for that, as I don’t believe they care for the new playing system. Its always been “side before self”, for those of us who watched throughout the Revie years, and I’ll always support the manager/players. Even when it’s this hard. Its a good job I don’t post regularly.

 

Afternoon all

Lots of good earlier posts covering what I feel or would have said.

I have us down as a draw against Brighton. I can see us travelling to Brentford 1 point ahead of Burnley.

If there is anything to salvage from this season, we will score the winner in the last minute against Brentford and Burnley will do the same sending Everton down.

I didn’t want it to come down to the Brentford result but I’d take that right now. A defeat to Brighton and it could be lights out before the last day

 

I agree with all this apart from the last line, you should post more often mate

 

Marcelo gave us three and a half years of fantastic football and has my respect forever.

The Championship is fun when you are competing. Last night wasn't fun.

Kids (like Kalvin did) get an honest chance to make a breakthrough in the Championship.

I can probably get tickets and maybe even season tickets again if we go down.

If Jesse is in charge, I won't buy season tickets!

Would rather go down than carry on watching this pap.

Makes no difference to me how much money the club makes as long as we are solvent - it isn't my cash.

It hurts in a kind of funny way when Exeter or Wycombe fans are singing that we are sh1t - it is not funny when it is Chelsea, Scum, Arsenal or Spurs.

Stay away from the razor blades guys, it isn't that terrible!

 

Afternoon all,

Some good points already made. At the moment my mind thinks we are down.


I want to talk about Marsch. Last night gave me a firmer oapinion on him. I had been giving him the benefit of the doubt.

I now think we will go down with him in charge and will go nowhere next season.

He is so negative with his tactics. Anyone who thinks playing your best attacking player at rw shouldn't be calling themselves a manager.

But the straw the broke the camels back for me was halfway through the first half. Phillips had the ball on the edge of our half.

Struijk was on the left touchline just in the Chelsea half unmarked and I think raph was on the right. Phillips is quite capable of picking out both but instead turned back to our goal and passed back to Llorente who went to Meslier. Something similar happened shortly later.

This is what Marsch has done. He plays a way which has neutered our best players abilities and is probably half the reason most of the players look like they don't care.

These awful tactics also, for me, have a big hand in the two sending offs. The players look confused and uninspired by the tactics and Marsch.

I think they are throwing themselves into these tackles because their only option is to be aggressive and take their feelings out on the opposition.

For me Marsch is as much to blame as the three amigos and Bielsa. At least with bielsa we would have gone down swinging. We are going down as the moment with a whimper, regardless of quality of opposition.

 

Sky sports commentator picked up on Jesse telling Phillips to calm down and noticed he was waving at Phillips to stay back in the second half

 

Afternoon all.
It was a depressing watch last night. The players are clueless. Whether they've downed tools or can't do what JM is asking if them I don't know but we're miles away from getting anything more this season.
As has been said, Phillips is looking backwards for every pass.
When a Chelsea player was in possession he had several options. Ours were chasing after the man in possession and leaving huge gaps that cut us open. Unless zonal marking means no marking we're not doing it because no one was picking up any runners going forward. They had acres of space.
I couldn't see any kind of plan from us at all, they weren't passing it, they were kicking it.
Both Brighton and Brentford are too good for us even if we had a full squad, we don't.
With everything that's happened this season we're destined to go down and I really fear for the future. The Championship is getting tougher every year so there is no guarantee we'll get out of it with the players we have.

 

Excellent post

 

And another brighter note we'll get Mighty, TC, MillwallSteve, Ringo, and GayMillwalllad back posting on our board regularly, not to mention six points from their team
not all bad eh

 

The fact is, if we lose to Brighton and Brentford that'll be five losses in a row. Just at a time when you most need to pick up points, your team falls apart. If that happens I cannot see how JM can keep his job. Having said that, I thought we battled well against Palace to pick up a point. If we can regain that spirit for our last 2 games we may scrape some points and stay up. Ever the optimist, it's not over until the fat lady sings (or someone else gets sent off).

 

The sign of a shoddy defence is the number of penalties we give away to top sides. Starting with Liverpool last season, and Salah scoring another couple this season, the pens Rudiger won from us the first Chelsea match. Struijk, Cooper, Llorente, Ayling, Koch, Klich, Dallas all guilty. How can an out of form Lukaku walk past 3 CBs who were surrounding him…….

 

tonight i am going to be a cockerel and roar on spurs v arsenal, if spurs do the business it will put them only 1 point behind the gunners in the fight for fourth spot which will mean on sunday against the thugs they will be very much on the ball....lose to the gunners and 4th spot is gone and they might not be so keen on sunday.....then it's just a small matter of us actually looking like we are at least up for fight and paying back the magnificent support that they have been given whilst serving up mostly dross all season....all this motivational,tactical,systems etc should now be binned they should just have to look at the table to find from somewhere some fight,determination,nous,desire and skill from deep within themselves to keep us in this division...it is the very least they owe and if they do it and we survive,then the powers that be will have to take a very long hard look at this squad going forward and even a good look at themselves to boot

 

Sadly it’d be a very Leeds thing, get relegated in front of a packed crowd, having got promoted in front of an empty stadium (yep I know there were a few thousand outside - but that doesn’t fit the narrative )

 

For someone who tries to portray himself as a positive person Marsch’s tactics are the exact opposite - negative in the extreme.

Our only hope of survival is for the players to do their own thing on the pitch, ignore all the crap that’s spouted at them by Lasso, disregard his inspirational quotes psycho babble, throw back at him the pathetic handwritten notes he hands them during the game, and just go for it.

Otherwise he’ll take us down for sure.

 

Complete rethink needed by Marsch now as we have no James, Harrison a doubt and Raphinha could be out, and with already losing Summerville we go from loads of wingers to zero. He will now have to start with Joffy and hopefully have Bamford ready to come on. Lets hope Raphinha is available.

As we have a lack of wingers Marsch gets his wish of half wingers with Rodrigo and ?

We are now down to bare bones again as we have Forshaw, Roberts, Dallas, Summerville, Harrison, Ayling and James missing and maybe Bamford too

We do have 4 CBs a keeper plus Phillips, Klich and kids available. Not really what we need to take all the points though is it

 

could the kids do any worse????? ........if you are down to the bones you play the skeleton staff

 

Would happily take 2 draws, or maybe even only one right now as it would mean Burnley have to match that or win a game. Our chances of winning are very slim indeed given injuries and suspensions.

If we do lose the last two then for me Jesse has to admit he's failed and offer his resignation.