I will point out that I am not an elite standard coach...just a fan of 40 years that cares deeply about my club SAFC. I know this fact to be true...you can not win a football match, even against a poor team like Crystal Palace unless you have control or at least a say in midfield. Regardles of their individual talent Larsson and Vaughan are TOO SLOW and DO NOT have the pace to compete in the premier league as CM's. They were nearly our undoing last year and unless Di Canio gets a grip and plays people like Cabral and Ba we will continue to be uncompetitive and lose. We had no chance from the offset today...I am seriously worried for the first time today because PDC seemed to be oblivious to this.
That Mile Jedinak ran the show... We are weak in the middle and it's unusual that Cabral isn't 1st on the team sheet. Champions league experience sitting on the bench. It's going to be an interesting season.
Why isn't Cabral playing?? It's baffling. Di Canio seems to hold grudges with players and seems to have an issue with him at the minute. On the positive side Ji looked a broken man at half time and if PDC wants 5 forwards there could be one or two coming in still
I don't think its a grudge thing, I think PDC has already said it's a tactical selection for away games. A review of these tactics is clearly top of the agenda.
I'm usually a class half full type but I'm also a realist but that today was nothing more than relegation fodder. We had no shape,pace or passion. A good team would have put a bag full in against us today, and I know it's a little raw but that was awful. What has Cabral done? We're was Altidore? I'm seriously worried as that was awful and PDC has a lot of questions to answer. I know it is early but we looked that bad there seems to be something seriously wrong.
PDC needs to use Cattermole and Cabral. Vaughan and Larsson were piss poor today Cattermole is a much much better cm than both Vaughan and Larsson
Altidore is injured Our team aside from the cm isn't that bad. Ki will improve us but we need another cm. As well as Di Canio using Cattermole and Cabral
Vaughan should never play for us again,and Larsson should only be a squad player.As the OP stated,they are both too slow!!
Fair enough but I've never been this angry for a long time as that was one of the poorest sides we will ever meet. This just seems to be same old same old!
Seriously if I was John O'Shea I would be putting in a transfer request and leaving after those comments by Di Canio - he was left in that position because our two so called CM's couldn't deal with the faster runners breaking through midfield - it was Di Canio's selections that were to blame - albeit not the best tackle either!
Some good points well put lads and there are concerns already this season. We are piss poor at the minute and unless we see a huge change of performance and team selection then we are going to struggle for the majority of it There are those that will take exception to your fears and concerns though and just want to fight with you and from the comfort of their armchairs they will tell you all is well.
Very true blackcat It is now looking veryvery stupid that the Italian idiot sent N'Diaye to Turkey Jedinak made Larsson and Vaughan look like little boys!
no he isn't We need N'Diaye - some physical presence I remember Cattermole and Colback bieng destroyed in the middle plenty of times under O'Neill. We need a big athletic beast destroyer and then someone who can play a ball. N'Diaye was looking like this man and PDC ships him off. It's a joke! Watching match of the day all the teams have big athletes in the middle apart from us: Stoke - N'Zonzi West Ham - Diame Palace - Jedinak Scum - Sissoko Man City - Toure Hull - Huddlestone/Livermore Everton - Fellaini etc etc you get the picture a midfield of any of Larsson, Garnder, Colback, Vaughan, Catts are just little boys compared to the these lads and just don't have the pace, power or ability to match them. We need it sorted as currently we have a very nice motor without anything in the engine room!!!
It doesn't matter that Catts isn't tall. He is very strong and has plenty of energy. He'd have played Jedinak off the park yesterday Also Huddlestone and Livermore - what?! Huddlestone can't do owt but pass (which he is very good at) and Livermore hasn't got a speck on Cattermole as a defensive midfielder. We don't need a big midfielder. Yesterday what we needed was energy in midfield Cattermole would have provided that. Stick Ki with Catts or Cabral and our midfield will look much much better
I think Cattermole will have to return to that midfield very shortly and concur with those above who have said that. Whilst i'm not saying Cattermole is brilliant at least you always get 100% from the lad and he may have made a difference yesterday. The NDiaye situation really is puzzling. What is alarming is that not many of the new signings are playing. Has he bought them then decided they are not up too much?
To be fair Altidore was injured Roberge was never going to be a starter, Diakité was which is the right decision imo Ba, Mavrias & Karlsson are all young so obviously they won't be starting Mannone back up keeper Can't understand the Cabral situation but that's it in terms of new players who didn't start yesterday
If i remember correctly, Ba was bought for the development squad and more than likely was only on the bench against Fulham due to how light we are in squad depth. I cant see him getting near the first team any time soon.
