yEp we all need to look at the bigger picture. Yesterday was very disappointing but most clubs would kill to be in our position.
In the PL, only the 4 below us I know what you mean though...in the PL, well run and with a future. We just have to do the hard part and stay up after a year of some turmoil. We know we are a good side, but good sides do go down. We are in a reasonable position and just need to find those few points needed. Mauricio says we have to put yesterday's result behind us and he is right. Learn from it, move on.
I don't know if Lambert was playing ****, more he was completely nullified by their excellent defense. I was at the game yesterday and it felt after 20 minutes that our tactics were all wrong. At half time it was 1 - 1 and I thought this would be a chance for MP to change things round; maybe get Lambert to drop deeper, channel more passes up the wing, but nothing changed. We still lofted balls into the box for Samba to head back our way. Very dissapointing.
Haven't watched the "highlights" yet but that was the worst performance I have witnessed at St Marys for a long while but the comment about QPR and Citeh ran through my head as well. It doesn't matter where the points come from. I had a further thought. If one team below us were to win, who would you rather it was? No damage done and we move on. And as for that brainless anti-Redknapp chanting, how is that supporting our team? Add it to the Pompey stuff and we sounded like we had forgotten who we there to cheer on.
CF - I wouldn't bother with the 'highlights' if I was you. The first booking they show is Fonte, which I think is a little misleading.
This is probably too simplistic, but the two 'If only' moments were Yoshida slipping when he attempted to tackle Park Ji-Sung, and Green's wonder save from Yoshida's header. On such small issues are games won or lost. So, as has probably already been said many, many times, "Don't get too high when we win, or too down when we lose" and let's do the business against Norwich next week. On a positive note, our goal difference of -12 is much better than most of the teams around us, apart from Sunderland, so if it comes down to the last game, either with us having to lose heavily, or other teams having to wide by a wide margin (A bit like the last game of last season against Coventry, where we could have been caught for second place, but only if there had been cricket scores), I'll be confident of surviving.
Probably the worst thing about this entire match and result is the smugly satisfied look on Lawrenson's face as he finally predicts a correct result for us.
Watched the game live and the full match highlights on sky. The problem for me is that we play a high pressing game and Ramirez does not contribute to pressing high and Puncheon and Lallana can't tackle. We play a very high line, so if our attacking players leave the pressing to Schneiderlin and Cork it leaves us massively exposed at the back. Especially as Fox has no positional sense. QPR stuck Remy on the right to play against Fox. That is called tactical nous from Harry. Something Poch has lacked somewhat in his few games. We are always under pressure from speculative long balls and counter attacks and unless our attacking players can score at will, we're always going to struggle. When we play Davis instead of Ramirez we look so much better because Davis rotates the pressing with Cork and Schneiderlin which keeps us on the ball and on the attack. That pressure forces opposition into mistakes which lead to goals. Just look at all the goals we have scored under Poch. Most were as a result of defensive mistakes and when Davis played. I'm not saying Gaston is to blame. He scored a beautiful goal after all but he is a luxury player that at this stage is not contributing what a Le Tissier could. He is still adapting. Last time I checked, we were not in the top 6 and facing a relegation battle so we need to play to win and that to me means dropping Ramirez for the time being. Perhaps bringing him on to go up against tiring defences where he could pop up with a match winner. We look a decent passing side and Poch definitely has the right philosophy. He just needs to anticipate what the opposition will do a bit more. With time that will come!
Archers, NA has gone. Time to move on mate. We have what we have. My post was just trying to put one game in perspective. Your post, to me, reads of a fan still unhappy at the changes made and living in the past.
I said this before thew game yesterday. Davis would have played for me and with him, Morgan and Jack, we can dominate a midfield.
But for me, Ramirez was the only attacking player likely to unlock the QPR defence. Lambert, Lallana and Puncheon were all crap. Rodriguez caused a few problems when he came on as well with his pace.
I didn't think Lallana was bad, but there's no doubting that Lambert and Puncheon had poor games, especially Lambert. I didn't think much of either full-back in an attacking sense either (ignoring the defensive side of things for one moment). For whatever reason, the Puncheon-Clyne partnership just really did not work.
Just a thought, but neither Lallana nor Ramirez contribute a huge amount defensively? They aren't what you would call 'luxury players', but where we are at the moment (having to battle for wevery single point), can we afford to play them both?
Just a thought, but neither Lallana nor Ramirez contribute a huge amount defensively? They aren't what you would call 'luxury players', but where we are at the moment (having to battle for wevery single point), can we afford to play them both? Sorry... duplicated this somehow but don't know how to delete!
I want MP to do well and achieve NC's remit of getting us to the next level. No one can argue MP has had an effect for the first 5 games with his style of play but hasn't displayed any tactical nous (needed yesterday) as yet. New manager impetus will wear off, if it hasn't already. MP's lack of credentials and experience at this level is what concerns me. Unhappy..No.......Concerned..Yes. Living in the past..No. I'm all for moving on and if NC can sweet talk Mourinho or his ilk in the summer lets run MP out of town.
I wondered yesterday whether Pochho's lack of knowledge of the league let us down. When we play against the top teams they are well known, which may explain how we were so effective against City. I wonder whether he underestimated QPR and regarded them as the bottom team- we seemed unprepared to Remy and Hoilet (who has had a crap season) and even Samba seemed to be more effective than I was expecting.
