As you said in the middle of your post its way too early to compare! Right now we are looking more solid defensively, but seem to be creating fewer chances, have less rapid interplay on the deck, and are pumping more long aimless balls. But that is probably partly due to missing players - Adel, Ale and Traore in particular.
? We scored 3 goals last week and today we played a top team. After HH went off we had Maceda and Mackie (who were both very poor) as was SWP in the first half on the left but played better when on the right, so agree we did seem to pump long aimless balls. I think it all comes down to the quality of our players and what they can do. Mackie runs his heart out but i would rather him be slow and be able to control and pass a ball. We had too many ineffective players today and they came up against better players today and the class showed.
Chelscum are one of the top four teams in the country, we're not. What is more important is that we build on last weeks performance vs one of our immediate peers, namely Wigan, against Villa & Wolves. Four points from those two would be a good return. Who really cares about the FA Cup this year. Remaining in the prem is our No1 goal surely.
2 were dead balls last week. Buzacky played very well against Wigan but hardly saw him today. the chelsea guy I was with hadn't noticed he'd been on the pitch when he went off. He didn't take any free kicks that I remember either. Perhaps he wasn't fit?
I really don't understand how Barton gets the shout on Free-kicks and corners? there was at least 2 free kicks today that Buz could have had a go at, he'll at worst draw a save from the keeper and hopefully someones following in! mystery!
Agree Buz was quiet today but that maybe down to the quality opposition or because he had orders not to drift too far forward. I also thought Chelsea hassled and chased us down more than we did to them.
I cant understand why Barton took corners and free kicks when Buzz is clearly better. Its plain stupid as they are being wasted. But as has been said, perspective. We are much much harder to beat now which is a positive and have only lost by 1 goal to both Newcastle and Chelsea. I think today was always going to be a tough ask, even more so when the team was announced.
Was away all day, just logged on now, and Ellers, your 18.20 post made me feel like I had seen the game, which of course I hadn't. Of all your posts, my favourite one to read.
How does playing one of the "top four teams" or playing a team full of internationals mean that the players cannot pass the ball properly. We could have been facing Goldhawk Road Girls Under 10s and the free kicks and corners would not have produced a chance. Yes, let's sign a £100m striker, pay him £1m a week ... then let him stand in the box and watch as the ball either doesn't get past the first defender or flies well over the top. See how many goals he scores then. Goal scorers are only as good as the service they get. The strength of the opposition has absolutely NOTHING to do with the failure of players to perform the most basic skills. One could understand it if they were pressurised, but the number of crap balls when not under pressure was unacceptable. The players we have are much better than what they produced today.
Eamon I read your 1st post and thought i must add something to this and then read your 2nd and you've covered it perfectly. Surely be we league 1, Championship, or Prem they are professional footballers and passing is one of the basics, p*ss poor today.
Better play like this in a cup tie than in a league. Not that disappointed, I'm glad that's over and now we can focus on the main event. I'd be more worried if we played at a zillion miles per hour and still lost. We fielded a team consisting mostly of players from last season (minus the two best in Adel and Faurlin). You could even argue our team was weaker than last season. And what happened? A near full strength Chelsea needed a dodgy penalty decision to beat us. Their fans should be worried, not us. If it all goes to plan in the transfer market, most of the guys that played yesterday will be reserves in a week. Throw in Taiwo, Traore, Adel, Onuoha, that Malian dude plus another striker.....do you not see the difference? Go easy on the lads. There's more to come.
I seriously believe that MH wasnt that interested in winning yesterday with the game against Villa coming up on wednesday.With the size and quality of sqaud that he has to work with, the fewer games we play the better. Yesterday was a good example,Iceman now out with a groin strain.Maybe he didnt want to risk Onuah and Twit Twoo because if he lost one of them yesterday his plans for wednesday would have gone up in smoke.As many others have said on here the current sqaud are woefully short of ability and it doesnt matter how well MH trains them they are still the same bunch we have been watching for the last 18 months. Given time and money, I am sure MH will turn things around..
MH must still be assessing the strength of squad he has inherited, however, I am expecting more on wednesday night against Villa. Hulse played which shows how much we are lacking a striker, and I am hopefully that some of the ACON players will have returned. Although we lost, the decision to award sturridge a penalty was.......well, lets just say the Olympic Team and Tom Daley have been trying to get in touch with him as there is still a space available in the British Diving Team and that's all I am gonna say about that. Ref was weak......and we played.........not as well as we can. I ideally wanted a cup wn followed by league wins........but I am greedy so will settle for getting points on board. Roll on wednesday...and 3 points from a trip to Villa
