Stan made reference to balls the other day. Whilst I don't think he was talking about us needing to collectively grow a pair, it got me to thinking that that's exactly what we need to do now. Need for Solid Foundations For all Mark Hughes' alleged management innovations, one thing was clearly missing for much of his tenure: backbone, a solid base to work from. Thanks to the defiance of Hill, Derry, Cisse and Mackie against Liverpool last year, we eventually and inadvertently stumbled on 'fortress' LR for a handful of games. However, when he got the chance to consolidate that with a well balanced squad last summer, he failed miserably - and we immediately found ourselves all at sea again. The debacle that was Swansea at home in the opening game of this season, not only confirmed a distinct absence of plan but signalled our soul destroying demise thereafter. People often comment on how important it is to make LR an intimidating fortress that visitors find virtually impossible to break into. That suggests a lot about our role as fans but little about the consistent positive performances it takes to fuel the desired mania. Even if we manage that at home on 'Arry's watch, what about away where significant numbers of points are also desperately needed? How do we construct an equally impenetrable base camp at some of the imposing stadia on our travels? The answer's simple. Bricks and mortar: the deliberate construction of purpose designed base camps home and away. Ironically, we've yet to re-establish fortress LR again yet - but forward camp Stamford Bridge was there for all to see. Unashamed parking of the bus, disciplined simple pass and move, full focus and determination by all throughout the game - and patience in waiting for the moment to find the jugular. Whilst the bricks in our structure have to be the players (both starting AND bench) and formation(s) selected, the mortar is all the soft intangibles like energy and attitude, stuff that not only initially binds the bricks but hardens as both game and season goes on, and torques into a solid team confidence but stops short of brittle arrogance. Bricks Respect to our owners but one thing has to be accepted about them from the outset. Whilst they clearly have the means to do so, for reasons best known to themselves (and probably very good reason too) they choose not to follow the Abramovich / Mansour model of buying immediate success. So in this window, it looks like more of the cheap-ish buys, loans and exorbitant wage bills we've seen so far. (Shame, because buying into younger quality stock to be developed and sold profitably after a coupla three years would seem to be the more astute approach we'd expect from successful business folk.) However, we've got to accept that even with a bit of wage money available, not many capable players are going to be attracted to come to an underperforming rabble who, on the evidence of two seasons in the prem, have been anchored to the drop zone and are therefore destined for relegation. With the exception of talent from other leagues, busting for an opportunity to display their wares under the PL spotlight, loans of quality, currently out-of-favour pros (yes, like Micah Richards and/or Danny Rose for example... ) is our only other hope. So 'Arry's right to caution us against expecting much out of this window - and therefore the need to baton down the hatches and go with what we've got sets the mould for our bricks for the remainder of this season imo. The loan of a couple of strikers desperate to improve their stock is a must in this window. As for a solid CB, we won't need one if it turns out that Ben Haim's another, albeit younger, Ryan Nelsen. However, if we can find one... As far as formations go, unless we manage to find a couple of surefire, oven ready strikers, whereby 4231 might be a sort of park the bus option away from home, I'd favour a highly disciplined and mobile 433 approach in all games beyond those against top six sides. This would entail either M'bia or Derry holding, especially when the fullbacks (Young and Fabio probably) are winging-it. As for those playing either side of the deep laying CM, these to play tighter in towards the middle with no flank responsibilities. This would creat a five man attack going forward when the opportunity arises (to answer our need to get people in the box) - and a double wall of seven when the direction of play turns against us. Mortar It's probably a good thing that we won't be seeing many newbies coming in anyway. It's taken ages for our more recent acquisitions to find brotherhood through common cause. The central melting pot needs to be kept to maximum temperature, not cooled by accommodating more mercenary egos. Cup games aside, in using pretty much the same bricks, 'Arry quickly turned Hughes' record of P12..W0..D4..L8..F9..A23..Pts4 (GD.-14) into his own P8...W2..D3..L3..F7..A10..Pts9 (GD...-3). In so doing, 'Arry clearly understands that bricks are only as good as the mortar (or his man-management skills) that binds them - and his cement is not only of a far better quality than Hughes', it's that much more likely to see us home than simply adding another six names to our wage bill. In short, he has to focus on and develop the ingredients he's used that, whilst not exactly 'done' yet, have provided green shoots on otherwise barren fields. This is all about team and individual outlook, fitness and absolute commitment to the cause. It's clear we have it there if we want it enough. A couple of able strikers to take the pressure off our own defence is all he really needs to find on his current travels really. Then it's back to the weekly drawing board and the continuous assessment of which players are most up for giving it everything they've got this week. This is what I think 'Arry will be doing for us for the next few months. If it pans out as it should, then neither he nor Kevin Bond will need to ask for our support. It'll be there in droves, loud and proud as it was from those heroes at base camp Stamford Bridge the other night. Get the foundations right with backbone in place and we'll be there to raise the roof, no doubt about it! URRRssss!!!
Cojones! Palle! Goalscorer(s); class CB (loan or buy, don't care); and for Christ's sake a PLAN will do it. I hope.
Another good post Brix. Good points raised and hard to disagree with any of that. Was playing FIFA 2010 with my son before Christmas and had to look twice at some of the players we had in the team then. We have come such a long long way in such a short time. Twenty plus players have now arrived in the last three transfer windows. They were either going to gel quickly or fail disastrously. We now know which one happened. To use your analogy, we bought the bricks but failed to apply the mortar. While MH deserves to be criticised for his inept tactics, I refuse to blame him solely for the performances of the players. Don't anybody tell me that he was not hurting as much as us. The players just did not respond to him and then went missing when we needed them most. Even if Harry waves his magic wand and pulls off an unlikely miracle, I have to admit that I will never warm to several of these players. I know there are many on here who will say 'support the team no matter what' and of course I will but I am slow to forgive and want to see several of these mercenaries gone as quickly as possible. Love the post. Harry is of course our Mortar.
Great post brix, very eloquently put! For me in the window we need minimum: CB, FB, ST, ST That adds competition across the park. And if I was being greedy and if Nelsen leaves imo we will need another CB. I would imagine the likes of Johnson, Ephraim, Bosingwa will be dropped from the 25 leaving space for three more new signings.
Football fans are not as one-eyed as many think. The shirkers or 'mercenaries' are fairly obvious, once we either survive and move on in the summer, or go down and have a cull of the wasters we will then almost certainly have a team that will put the effort in that is required. As NUTS says, there are some we'll never accept, I don't think too many of them will be with us very long whatever happens...
I wished Hughes's Rangers were as solid as your post Brix. I also enjoyed you analogy of where and how we need to develop from here on in. I would just like to add that by now Harry should of ascertained our spirit level in order to plaster the opposition and cement our place in the prem. If he can stick his head above the parapet and sign Heitinga, Scneidjer and Van der Vaart he can build a Dutch bond and form a solid wall in defence. Of course, with Mackie chase-in and winning a few headers causing the away team a few shiners so that they need a stretcher we may well end up out of stucco. If this happens then staying up should be a breeze.Block R need to raise their voices of course and build a wall of sound. URsss
Interesting read Brix. This transfer window represents more than just our last chance, it's also going to be used as a mark of the managers performance by fickle non-believers in years to come. Harry will be all to aware that if, as I suspect all his targets say piss off no thanks, he won't panic as others have done to their cost. If we keep missing our targets then maybe the owners will sort the youth setup as what we had was ruined by the prat Hughes. I was about to launch into one about the importance of a youth setup but just remember what we got for Raheem Sterling and I can't be arsed. Bloody game.
Cheers Stan, dull and awkwardly put in some places I know. But, has to be said, we do need to man up for that couple of hours a week and force what we need. Yeah, a couple of quality bricks would be helpful but in our position wonders won't come easy in this window. If 'Arry happens to strike gold then it's a bonus - but I'm envisaging him sharpening DJ and Zamora down the line. We've got others who can score too. Obviously shouldn't rule Dyer out of the equation either (see that goal though?!!).
