Just thinking of our options, maybe he could be more effective through the middle than wide, like a reverse Adarma if you will.
Options are not something we lack tbh. Think it could contribute to our downfall just as it did last PL season. Way too many players and combos we could try so we will keep changing game to game and end up never having a settled side I mean just in the front three we probably have something like 50 unique combos we could try that are all possible
The best thing to come out of today is that it's now clear to everyone (including Martin) that Dibling is ready for the PL. From playing the entire game in the 2nd round against Cardiff, he should now be left at home when we go to Everton on Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do against Ipswich. No more starting on the bench.
From the glimpses I saw of Diaz at Sheff Utd last season, he seemed to do his best when coming inside off the left. Similar to how he got his goal in pre-season. That is something which is easier to do when you've got a natural LB who can stay wide and overlap on the outside. But with KWP playing LB, he too wants to come inside. So if they both come inside, it means we lose width and allows the opposition to restrict the space. At least one of them needs to stay wide, pretty much at all times. The problem is, they both look uncomfortable when doing that - and that's fair enough, because neither is a natural LB or LW. I wasn't at all surprised that the Suga-Dibling partnership on the right was significantly more effective today. For all of Armstrong's faults (of which there are many), once Dibling ran out of gas, I do think he should have come on on the right, with Cornet used on the left. It would have hopefully given us a better balance on the left. Whereas what we got instead with the subs was a down-graded right side, with zero improvement on the left side.
FWIW I am very happy to stick with Russell Martin. Whatever happens through this season. I want to watch his style of football. We won’t win the league so let’s be a proper football team that we can be proud of. I don’t want Fat Sam, Dyche, Pulis or any of the “effective” managers anywhere near us. But I do want to see Martin being ruthless. His team yesterday and his interviews suggest he will be. KWP and BBD were excellent against Newcastle. Top drawer. But both were truly terrible yesterday. Martin has to manage that. Jack Stephens is an amazing person, but is a Championship player. ABK is clearly our premiership CB, so Martin needs to manage his attitude and dressing room popularity to get him in the team. Martin can’t change the players underlying ability. But I believe he can make them better people.
An alternative is to just play a left back at left back. I know why Martin wants KWP on the pitch and I do understand the logic. But it so rarely works to play someone out of position for the sake of getting your best players on the pitch. I said in the summer I sort of wanted to sell KWP. Clubs like Saints can't afford to have someone as good (valuable) as KWP or Sugawara on the bench. I think I'd like to see Taylor at LB and then either KWP or Sigawara at RB
Just seen on SW that apparently some people cheered the Diaz sub, is that right? Utterly pathetic if so.
Yeah - I think it was more a response to the booing when Dibling came off (everyone thought it was Diaz coming off for Cornet). Wasn't a good look either way.
For me the most disappointing thing about yesterday was the seemingly lack of energy (won't go as far as effort) in the second half. To not have a single shot in the second half after being two nil down at home at HT is terrible really. We can't let our heads drop THAT much as soon as something goes against us, as that's going to happen in most games this season due to our lack of quality in comparison to other teams. Martin desperately needs to try and instil some steel and self belief into this group as our very very slim chance becomes 0 if we don't have that.
Depressing. I've been critical of him on here but doing that in his second home game is awful and hardly likely to help.
Yeah agreed. Quite early in the second half I was saying to my mate that he needed to bring on some experience (like Lallana) because the mentality by then was all wrong. The trouble is, by that point United were in their stride, because we'd managed to give them the confidence that they lacked in the first half, whilst destroying what we had.
I don’t go as often ( changed circumstances) but we were in the Chapel next to the away support. At half time several of our fans were booing as the players went off. Dreadful response and cannot help the players at all.
I get why some boo after a bad performance- booing the performance itself. But directing it at individuals is unhelpful and unkind.
But yesterday the first half performance did not warrant booing at all. Absolutely ridiculous from our so called fans.
