I'm worried 1 goal scored in the last 5 home matches in our defeat to Spurs. Failed to score against Southampton ,WBA, Swansea and Leicester who on yesterdays performance must rank as one of the poorest teams to visit the KC in our Premier League era. Prior to this poor run we had goals aplenty and always looked capable of finding the back of the nets. Now the opposite ,slow , laborious build ups, needless passes allowing teams to pack defences to snuff out chances we create whilst breaking at speed and catching out our once solid defence who now seem extremely nervy whenever the ball arrives at our goal. How is this going to change ? We really need Diame,Dawson ,Huddlestone and especially Robertson back and playing well and keeping a settled side and playing a more attacking formation as our tendency to play safety first is not working.
The injured players no doubt play a part, but it's up front that's the biggest problem for me, and we haven't even got injuries, we just keep leaving our strikers on the bench. Hernandez being left out I can understand, cos he hasn't pulled up any trees, but Jelavic should be starting and finishing every game for us unless we're totally cruising or something. Before he got injured we were doing well, and scored in every game. He only missed about 3 games with his injury but since then he keeps being dropped, rested, rotated whatever and we can't score for **** now. When you see the lineup with Aluko and Ramirez as strikers you know we aren't gonna score. Surprise surprise we only look like scoring once the real strikers come on
I think the answer was produced in the final twenty minutes yesterday. Play a proper system, with strikers on the pitch and players in their correct positions, and they will start playing like we know they can. No more livermore at right back/Ramirez up front/Meyler on the wing nonsense.
We had enough chances to have stitched that game up yesterday. There was nothing wrong with our play in the last 25 mins. We should have won it. SB must play players in their correct positions. He must choose to play forwards and go for it for home games. We hadnt a clue how to unlock them in the first half but the subs changed that and with a bit more luck and better finishing we would have won.
It's quite astounding that a, so called, fan should know so little as to what is going on inside their club.
I'm tired of being positive. Tired of being negative. Tired of defending/criticising the team/manager. Tired of being ripped apart on here for having a logical and understandable opinion. Maybe I should just join the gamble brigade and stick everything on red (Bruce) not listen to facts, stats and reality and blindly gamble that we stay up. I wouldn't say I am apathetic but more then mentality of Que Sera Sera.
I find it quite astounding that anyone calling themselves a fan of a team can be all for the idea of changing it's name to another one, then question the validity of another's fandom. But anyway, I assume you're referring to Jelavic's illness. It doesn't seem to be affecting him much does it? He came on and scored against Sunderland and we were miles better in the second half yesterday when he came on. Do you think he's telling the manager he can't start cos he's too ill? He doesn't seem like that sort of person to me. Funny how he was ill for WBA at home, better again for the next two games and now ill again a few weeks later.
The single biggest reason for me is that we **** around in midfield for so long when counter attacking, the opposition has had the chance to have a break, set all 11 players back in position, then wait for our 400 pass 'attack' of passes strung across the half way line and then back to the keeper. I have seen no other team so lackadaisical in attack as ours. We lose the attacking momentum every single time, because we don't break with pace or urgency. When all fit, team for me is: McGregor Elmo Chester Dawson Davies Brady/Robbo Thudd Livermore Diame Jelavić Hernandez/Ramirez
No ill person could play 5 minutes of football at an amateur level, never mind 45 minutes of Premier League football.
We created enough chances to win 4 games yesterday. If Elmo and Abel had not missed from close range it would have been happy days. But that is football. As we get Chester back Livermore will move back into midfield and expect Abel and Jela to start against Everton. No Gaston it appears today for Everton. My team would be:- (subject to availablility) McGregor Chester Bruce Davies(c) Rosenoir Elmohamady Meyler Livermore Brady Jelavic Hernandez. subs:- Harper - McShane - Maguire - Aluko - Ince - Sagbo - Robertson(if fit) or Figs.
meyler said something interesting when quizzed by Burnsie about the crowd response. He said they are aware of the crowd wanting the team to push forwards all the time but that they work hard in training at ball retention and switching the play from one wing to another. So pretty much Meyer and Quinn are following orders with all this passing backwards/sidewards.
I played football half-cut (or used to) and its more or the less the same as playing when you are ill, you shouldn't do it
It's not a big mystery though is it. If there was no one in the way we'd obviously go straight for the goal. No footballer prefers to pass it sideways ahead of forwards. The problem is creating the space for a forward pass, and often you have to move people about to be able to do that. The forward brigade do my head in. There was a woman sat next to me in the first half against Leicester who kept screaming forward (as if the players hadn't thought of that ffs) then went mental on the occasions when we rushed to go forward and lost possession. She disappeared at half time which was nice.
