Good I thought for the opening 20 mins and for a large part of the 2nd half we dominated the game. Graham and Fletcher looked like they could play off each other but need games now. But for a few great saves and the post we would have opened them up. NDiaye looks a good footballer to me. Comfortable on the ball and always involved and puts some cracking crosses in. If only he could shoot. Johnson showed far more trickery and should have won up a penalty but for ****e referee decision. Sessegnon was a revalation out wide and a menace all game. He had more influence in one game than the previous dozen as a striker. Mignolet again pulled off 2 or 3 cracking saves. Bad Bramble or Shambles as he should be known could have easily gone into the terrible part as he cost us the game with that back pass imo. What the **** was he thinking. Row ****ing Z was the obvious only option. Time for Mangane to be unleashed as whatever he is like, he certainly won't be any worse than Bramble and may even be a huge improvement. Colback isn't a left back. Never will be and he isn't good enough to play central midfield role either. I like Jack but he is a bench player at best for me. The terrible Gardener is getting exposed as a very poor full back week on week but never more so than yesterday. WBA sussed out he was our weak link very quickly and tortured him for 60 mins. The penalty was a 100% correct one and why did he raise his hand. Terrible performance and hand ball but in many ways I blame Mon for playing 2 central midfielders as full backs. Larsson. Best I say nothing more. 1 out of 10 for making the plane and turning up. However, I will say, he has never been and never will be a central midfielder and it showed totally yesterday. Mcclean. Headless 3rd rate footballer. Will never be a top flight player imo and why Mon would take off Johnson to play this tit is beyond me. We are still 5 or 6 players away from having the side Mon wants and this summer will hopefully see at least 4 of them brought in. A right back, Danny Rose, a pacy goal scoring midfielder and a central defender with pace to play alongside JOS.
Agree with your post C'est and although we are not where I expected the team is getting there. We have Fletch, good forward. Sess, good winger, N'diaye will get there, the big lad at CB will hopefully be a revelation and give us a greater physical presence. MON likes pace in the team and hopefully Rose, a RB (the Fulham lad looks canny) another younger faster CB plus a pacy attacking midfielder would be very welcome.
Whole defence was exposed by the little bit of pace West Brom had mate not just Gardener. Midfield was poor but, agree NDiaye is looking better. Not sure Graham and Fletcher can play together they seem too similar to me. As another thread says on here yet another rebuild required in the Summer.
If we play deep mate, we are always going to be exposed at some time or another. Barcelona pass the ball out of defence. Are you able to visualise O'Shea, Bramble, Colback, Bardsley and Gardner passing the ball out of defence? N'Daiye is looking a bit better however I still don't see him becoming the brilliant player that we all hoped he would be. I see another average player with some good qualities and some poor qualities that will be yet another indifferent squad member that does well one week and poor the next. Meanwhile, we are losing games and slipping closer to a possible relegation whilst we wait for N'Daiye to improve. I think MON is playing to this squads weakness, not it's strength, even if it is a bottom half squad.
