I noticed today when moves broke down there didn't seem to be too much bitching between our players... contrast that with the on going arguing between Suarez and stirling and Gerrard having a go at Allen,( he's chosen his path but have to say he wasn't enjoying himself in my opinion ). Are we more settled? Happier? Thoughts please.
I think in general if we are going to play with more flair and adventure then you're going to lose more of the ball than we are used to in season's past. Under these circumstances you don't think about it ad just go about getting it back. Today seemed a little sloppier than usual though. Also Rogers has this stigma assigned to losing the ball that he keeps pushing in training or at least used to with us; this would tend to promote more peer pressure around poor passing etc .... No?
Think we've been a happy team ever since all the crap came out about the players and Laudrup. The players are 100% committed and a happy bunch.
Not sure, seeing monks and dyers articles in the papers tells me there is still a pining for brendens soft touch, i also think the likes of dyer,leon and maybe rangel are feeling a bit of pressure to perform at the top of their game, ash was suffering the same earlier in the season. Basically i think Laudrups new signings have upset the apple cart a little bit but as every one has been so well received by the fans its kind of forced the old gaurd and regulars to knuckle down and concentrate on their game, some of them need to be concentrating too!! The team spirit seems generally good but there is some friction there as well, not what i heard or rumour i must add!! just my own take on things! An example of this was Nathen getting sent off against Everton, the guy was totally out of control and acted badly IMO, i dont think he has been favourite since then either, this shows a ruthless streak by laudrup and rightly so. Im sure the boys get on well but there is a shift in the hero worship which has made a few realise they aint the darling they once thought they were! We have already seen tate leave and that didnt really cause a ripple amongst fans did it ?? Nathen IMO will be a target in January if he doesnt feature regular,the flip side is that he may not be wanted if he doesnt come on and perform when called upon, he has done this in the last few games but reading his interview today i see that he says he wants to be playing week in week out in the prem league for as long as possible. Competition for places is causing good problems and maybe bad problems, we wont know how things will go until at least half way through the season.
Any one else notice Michu trying to get the lads going during the second half , he was like a windmill going at full tilt
none of us fans will know, you will have to ask the players on that but i see no obvious signs of discontent...
Michu always looks up for it in fairness same with chico ,two top players there who are getting to grips with the prem league with ease
Obviously TennaLad(y) doesn't read or has stopped hearing Planet Swan whispers! Norway, I think your right there, Monks article spoke volumes, and the way Laudrup brooks no nonsense must have rankled a bit with the players you mentioned. It must be hard for them to come into work and not be asked how your golf swing is going or if you heard the latest boys aloud song. No some players acted like spoilt kids and it showed in their performances and maybe Tatey being farmed out just might give them pause for thought and wake them up to the fact we have a great coach and manager and they are lucky to be involved with a club that is on the up and up.
I think we have a happy camp overall, though it's clear Laudrup plays players on form, but having said that, I do feel that Dyer has a case for being disgruntled, I couldn't believe he was taken off in one game (Can't remember the game) recently at 70 minutes I think, he was arguable our best player that game on the pitch, then he comes on at Southampton on 60 minutes and saves the day, then he's back to start for Newcastle, and taken off at 60 minutes when he was having a good game, sits out the next game on the bench at Stamford Bridge, to come on at 65 minutes, out of our three wingers, Dyer is the best by a country mile in my view, he started to get some real form, and scoring goals but his form has been interrupted by this rotation, which he seems to be getting the thin end of the wedge. The last time that Dyer had a full game I think, was at Anfield in the cup, and we all know how well he played then, I don't want to see Dyer squeezed out, as he's a terrific talent, and arguably one of the best players at Swansea City, previous to the liverpool cup game, Dyer got just 13 minutes at Man City, and 18 Minutes at the Wigan game ! Please Mr Laudrup give him the respect he deserves, we don't want to lose one of our best...............
Fair point. He has been arguably our best player over the last couple of years. I am all for rotation of our three wingers, but Dyer is getting no chance at all at the moment. Thought he should have come on at half time for me, for Routledge. Basically it's unlucky for the pair of them that Pablo is starting to play so well. Good for the Swans though. But the thought of Dyer getting too frustrated and leaving is - NO.
I thought it was a desperate attempt to get the rest of the team further up the pitch to a) give him some support up front and b) we were sitting so far back towards the end that Liverpool just kept coming on to us.
Agree with that,its a bad habit of ours when the pressure comes on we drop deeper. Rangel always looks ****ed at around 80mins and hangs on! Chico though clearly looks twice as fit as any other player in defense! Watching him sprint up the field looking for a return then sprint back must be lung bursting!
Chico won all the fitness tests when he arrived, which doesn't say much for the then existing squad. Team fitness is one of my concerns to be honest. Southampton, on the other hand, really looked the part against both QPR and Toon and could have doubled their score on the weekend. They look like a really fit side with huge energy and pace. Compared to them we look quite pedestrian, too methodical and slow. When we counter with our fast guys, we look good but when we actually instigate attacks it is very slow and methodical. Ki is a great footballer but one paced; Leon's legs pumping away makes it seem as though he's really moving, until you look at the guy alongside him who's moving away with no trouble. Michu can move but his game isn't carrying the ball at pace. We have speed merchants in Dyer, Routs and Pablo but don't seem to overly utilise them in running at defenders to create panic. Speed of attack disrupts defenders more than anything and I think we still have much work to do in that aspect of our game.
Ivor , i Think laudrup wants us to move it quicker but is finding There Are limits to what we can do, we have seen it work in patches,sometimes its a bit ropey when we try to move it quicker, i honestly Think thats why dyer has been moved down the pecking order,laudrup knows a fast incisive pass Beats the man running with the ball,notice routs often looks for the quick pass out wide when he comes inside, and very often we Are hitting the man in the final 3rd running onto the ball with good options infield, pablo and rangel have done well doing this but IMO we dont do enough of it. Having said all that There Are 11 others on the field trying to stop us! If we progress well enough i Think the speed Will come.
Norway, we don't move quickly as a team. One man in isolation is easy to contain if he has no back up support - a bit like rugby where one player breaks, is tackled and because there is no one there in support, the ball is either turned over or the ref blows for a penalty. What I noticed with Soton was the way support players were sprinting up field to offer options to the man on the ball - and they looked good. If they continue to play like that, I can see them easily moving up the table. Our passing game is good, more incisive these days but I don't see the same progress with the movement of the team as a whole. No doubt ML is working on it.
Yeah i can understand that actually ivor,evidence of that was JDG on sunday,people bla ed him for being slow but a few times he took it up to the halfway line then had to wait for the support,shades of rodgers it was! It wasnt really his fault but There were a few grumbles!
If you want Pace Ivor, then tell your mate Laudrup to put Dyer on the pitch! Not rocket Science, he'll eat our other two wingers for breakfast!.....
Phil, it's not just about pace. As you know there are other considerations as well. We all know that Dyer's final ball is not as good as it should be and that might be in Laudrup's thinking. As it happens, I think that Dyer should play more because I really rate the guy and I think he's been unlucky. Pablo has started to fizz and has to play. Perhaps Routs' passing and delivery is a shade better than Dyer's but even that is arguable. I have all the time in the world for Nathan and would like to see him get more game time. What is certain is that we have three very good wide men who will pressure each other for a starting place. That can only be good and allows us to compensate when one of them has a dip in form.
Dyer is our second highest goal scorer! and we bench him???..Not good enough by a long chalk....................
3 or 4 players required in January and we will be complete, I think Danny and lita will be moved on so we will need at least 2 quality out and out strikers, Michu is not happy up front on his own and is better suited at no10 behind the main striker....
