Some of our players have had a good old slagging on here since yesterday's game - and with good reason, but to me, there's simply a lack of confidence about them. I believe they've been infected by Bruce's negative attitude. (Just seeing him in his technical area was enough to depress anyone). And they must feel equally as baffled about the frankly bizarre formations and substitutions as we do. They looked like rabbits caught in the headlights every time they had a sniff of the goal. They were simply static around the box, with no-one running into the area. Rico's brilliant goal was the only time we showed some pace. Anyway, I believe O'Neill is the ideal man to turn this lot around. He'll get into their heads and instil some belief....but it'll take time
Confidence and fitness, some of them looked shot by the end... New regime could be all some of them need... There is no way Brown and O'Shea can be this poor, when in reality they are both damn good players.
Very true Commachio. Most of our players are decent, they just need someone to give them belief in themselves - and a few laps round the training ground!
Most of them need a good kick up the arse and told to work as hard as some of their team mates. Far too often under Bruce we have seen players passing the ball, saying to themselves well that's my job done and stand still with no further interest in the game. Just watch Barca all highly paid top class players. Now if some of their players did the above no one would even notice. But! They don't! Everyone of them grafts for each other for 90 minutes, passing and moving. It can't be too much to ask for our highly paid workmen to make an effort to make themselves available for a return ball?
Maybe mate, i agree they were surrounded each day by better players, but in order to get into a SAF team, there must be something about you.. When MoN sort this rabble out, we may just see a different ex Man U duo, the one's we know they could be...
Could be the same thing. i read a book by Jose Torres once (World middleweight champ for those too young). He said tiredness is often a myth - these guys train for months and in half an hour suddenly they're tired? How many times have you seen a fighter dead and buried, dog 'tired', just waiting to be knocked out? He throws one half-hearted punch and it connects. Suddenly, he's on fire, chasing his opponent all over the ring like crazy. Torres reckons that fighter wasn't tired, he just didn't believe he could win. The brain needs an excuse for the defeat, and invents tiredness. if MON can instill some belief, we might see an end to a lot of this tiredness. This poor form has been going on for far too long, and now I think there's no joy in walking onto the pitch. They expect a poor result.
I don't think its a world beating squad, but its a hell of a lot better than Bruce allowed them to be. Confidence is certainly the key, and as much as it pains me to say it, I'd imagine its something the effervescent O'Neill is pretty good at instilling. He's never been short of self belief (wonder who he got that from) and has often managed to extract the maximum from his players. He made Robbie Savage believe he belonged in the PL, enough said.
