Yeah but Libby was saying he would continue with 5 at the back so would mean if Dibling comes in for Armstrong he’d be more an inside forward/striker than winger
I think it's both mate. I think the defence and midfield that started today are limited to a Championship level of ability. I also think that the manager needs to drill into them the importance of being 'brave' from the midfield passing into the opponents red zone ASAP. The safe pass back should be the last resort, not the first thought.
I'd go 3-4-2-1 with Dibling and Fernandes behind Archer or Diaz personally (would prefer the former). But yeah Sibling in Armstrong's position would be fine too, Armstrong shouldn't be starting. I don't actually know much about Lesley tbf I'm just not convinced by Aribo stil. The main thing for me is that Fernandes and Dibling start though as they seem our most creative players.
Yeah. I love THB but he has been atrocious so far. I think we need to develop him slowly this season. It’s a big step up
ABK is not going to play. I am a fan of him as a player but there seems like too much off field stuff. Stephens would be in that team ahead of him.
Yeah I agree. I just wrote what I think is our best 11. I think ABK has burnt his bridges. But he is one of our best defenders imo
I think he’s our best centre back based on the first half of the 22/23 season. If he’s shown that he will down tools when the going gets tough probably not what we need for this season though.
OK, it's decided. You can have the job when RM is binned. Rest assured though, you **** up even this >< much, and Os and I will start so many polls on here you won't know what hit you!
Ramsdale is class, Suga is class, dibbling is class, fernandes is class. I still think we will be ok this season. Absolute nonsense calling for RM to go. The same thing happened last season and some of you apparently learned nothing despite stuffing your faces with humble pie on the Martin out thread. I’m in favour of stability now. Build a team and a club that has some resilience built into not a bunch of spineless jerks who want everything changed at the first sniff of adversity. It’s going to be tough and there will be more losses than wins but there might just be enough heart and spine to get a run of form going. Playing out from the back is easy to fix he just needs to relax the rules. First and foremost, stop the up and back from CBs>DM>CB. It’s far more risky than taking it on the half turn. CB under pressure, plays a pass into the mid who gives it back to the under pressure CB. It’s disastrous and it is soooooo easy for three opponents to box the ball into the corner and we are fecked. He needs to free the players from this stupid concept of bravery. It’s not brave to give the ball away trying a 5yd pass on the edge of the box. It’s just bad decision making. Bravery is needed in the midfield and final third, sense is needed in our own.
Beat me to it.. almost.. Although I believe we need serious leadership atm & think we should start Lallana. He’s clearly having a huge impact so I’d say swap him for Cornet & have him on that classic role he used to rock for Saints when he’d scored curlers on the left wing and make Messi look ****e Dare I say it…… this team is screaming out for the tactics of Poch or Rabbit hutch high intensity press 4-3-3
Honestly, if RM wants to know what needs fixed in our tactical approach, its all right there in the first 2m30s of the game. We fail to win a 2nd ball in the midfield. We are narrow, allowing an unchallenged ball out wide to their attacker We allow him to dribble into the box and find a runner that we haven't picked up Ramsdale makes the save and we pass it to Aribo who finds KWP with a square 5 yard pass inside our box. KWP ignores the wide space behind him and plays a ball to Dowes INSIDE OUR BOX SURROUNDED BY 5 OPP PLAYERS Cue more panic defending and concede a corner. After the corner we push out as a unit, win the ball coming back but have nobody in midfield to challenge for the 2nd ball AGAIN. We get done out wide and another dangerous ball into the box gets won by us but Downes plays it back towards our own goal. After a lucky break we get the ball to Downes again who finally manages to play a switched pass to our right side where we have space and time and opportunity. Phew. Not. Stephen drives forwards, plays a pass to Smallbone who passes BACK TO THB who is pressured, who passes it to Bednarek, who passes it to the goalkeeper, who plays it to Downes who PLAYS IT BACK TO GOAL and now we are back on the touchline in our own box and we are forced to punt it into touch. 2 very long stressful minutes and a **** load of passes that achieve nothing but getting us into more trouble. CBs play it forward to midfielders who play it backwards who play it to midfielders who play it backwards...
The passing around with it at the back would actually be okay, if we just didn't do it EVERY SINGLE TIME. Just look at how Brentford (and Forest 2nd half) were setting up at our goal kicks. Four of their players waiting on the edge of our box, like greyhounds waiting for the toy hare to be released. So predictable. Our boys at the back look like they are getting fed up with being under constant pressure, particularly THB and KWP. But yeah I agree that this isn't even our biggest issue. The lightweight, Championship-standard midfield getting ripped apart and creating f*ck all is. We need to see big changes for the United game. In personnel and tactics.
It was very close though, he got us promoted by the skin of our teeth. What we’re seeing atm is exactly what we predicted, even during our undefeated run. I would love RM to make a success of this season and keep us up. But I don’t see us winning many games with this suicidal ****ing around at the back when PL teams have us under pressure.
Yeah we're far too predictable and it makes it easy to set up against us. A lot of people said last year we'd struggle against any decent pressing side in the PL as they'd have the quality to exploit it. What I find frustrating is that even we beat the press we don't tend to progress up the pitch quickly. In fact more often than not we recycle it back to the CB's and then we have to try and beat the press again.
I also agree that it seems the players are starting to get hacked off with being under constant pressure. This is one thing people don't consider when they say that Martin is here for the season no matter what; if we continue to put ourselves under needless pressure and lose matches they'll lose faith at some point and that'll be the beginning of the end.
The other thing about varying play is it keeps the opposition on their toes and seeds doubt too. If you occasionally hit it long into the channels and someone gets on the end of it to fashion a chance or win a corner or something, then all of a sudden the opposition is wary of that and may commit 90% to the press instead of 100%. That in itself makes it easier to beat the press and in turn might make the opposition drop back 10-20 yards which allows you to progress up the pitch.
Even in the championship, we were at our best when we mixed it up and played those long through balls for a runner, or hit it into Che who dropped into the space between the oppositions defence and midfield. We’re worst of both worlds at the moment because we are predictable and only being ‘brave’/stupid with the ball in the defence when our backs are against the wall and a mistake immediately gives the opposition a chance on our goal. Then if we ever do get possession higher up the pitch we move it too slowly to cause the opposition any issues. We are so easy to play against and will not win a single games in the PL playing as we are at the moment.
