So your last comment about Bielsa undoes your entire post because you are saying changing the manager to Marsch changed the season. Now when we keep losing it’s because the coach can’t be blamed for individual errors. Not saying you’re wrong just wondering why that only applies now?
No, no, no you obviously didn't get the memo. It is clearly stated that side before self is only applicable when the team wins The default position of identifying a suitable patsy is to be used in the case of a loss or a draw.
I’m (trying) to say. If the team is still performing well there is no point in changing the manager as you risk making performances worse and have less chance of improving results. with bielsa, who I loved by the way, (and there were mitigating circumstances with injuries etc) we were getting hammered every week and the players looked lost. So a change of manager has nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain.
I believe that Maddison is suspended. He is their best player and has been utilised on the right hand side so with him missing I'm hoping Junior has a much easier ride. please log in to view this image
Sorry milkyboy but we had everything to lose by sacking Bielsa. Had we gone down it would have been carnage from the fans as there was no way of knowing that Marcelo would not have kept us up. Also, such is his honour he might have insisted on staying to bring us back up again. Massive gamble that paid off (just) in my view. My personal view is that Bielsa would also have kept us up.
Seems to me that Firpo gets judged to a different standard to everyone else. Tonight is his first start of the season and that's after missing all of pre season as well, so maybe cut the lad some slack and don't set the benchmark too high.
Agree with everything in this post. The Bielsa thing was different and he was sacked when we were 16th in the league in February. We are 17th and its only October and in reality we are outside the relegation zone on goal difference. That performance last week shows we have the players and Marsch can set the team up. Data shows we are creating chances and defending well its just the pointy end we cant do but law of averages says someone is going to get thumped soon. I too loved Bielsa but he came undone on his pedantic policies of small squad, repeat repeat plan A but he failed to factor in what happens if half your first team is out injured, what happens when your captain, your mercurial RB is injured, how do you perform without the QB the team was built around and how do you win without your striker. Marcelo should have factored injuries in and expected it being tougher in the prem and added a couple of top players even on loan
Bielsa, Jesse, Orta, Radz they all under estimate what is needed in the PL. I’ve defended Radz loads, but to go into this season with a serious issue at LB and just one recognised first team striker and to allow James out on loan to a rival, they’ve obviously learnt nothing from last season If Jesse gets injuries to Adams and Roca we’ll be in trouble as his game is built around the pair. Our bench isn’t much stronger than last season
There’s no way of knowing Fella just hunches. My view is he likely wouldn’t have kept us up but it’s just a gut. There was a Much easier run of fixtures for sure. But the team looked totally shot and the players psychologically busted. I genuinely don’t think a lot of fans appreciate what it must have been like in the dressing room at that time. Bielsa never took defeat well and his idea of something not working was to keep trying harder. I agree given bielsa’s standing there was a huge risk the fans would turn if the jm appointment didn’t keep us up… and it nearly didn’t. But from a football perspective the club felt there was nothing to lose. MB was going in the summer anyway. But yeh you could argue it was a gamble to keep him and a gamble to sack him. Back to the original point - more to lose sacking a manager when the team are still performing than when they’re not
don’t disagree here… in theory we have an extra holding midfielder in the squad but the fact we play with two means we actually have less cover. Roca and Adams have looked great as a pair. Adams doesn’t have a great injury record either so I feel we’re light here - it would mean klich or aaronson deeper - maybe even greenwood. Or it could be struijk or Koch which messes with the back line. think we’ve fine lb and striker to death but think we all know we’re short there. let’s hope the new improved firpo smashes it tonight and paddy finds his shooting boots
How do we know Firpo has improved? He hasn't played for 5 months and before that he was ****. I'm going out on a limb here and saying he will probably still be **** now. I'm just going on solid evidence.
A must win game for me but always seem to remember these being a bit of a bogey team for us. Maybe Aski has some stats to reassure me that’s not the case.
Hoping for more of the same tonight from the arsenal game except the finishing. The reality is one swallow doesn’t make a summer and team will have to repeat that in most games till end of season if were to pick up the guts of another 30points to stay up. That’s ten wins by the way, no easy task. As for cutting firpo or anyone else slack, sorry but they’ll have to be at their best collectively to beat Leicester or anyone else in this league. Someone ask ristac by the way did we win last night
This will be the first time Schmeichel wont be in goal and keeping us out, so hopefully the new guy will get back ache picking the ball out of the net
