There are 14 games played and we sit 14th on 14pts (weird ) we are 4 pts off relegation with the three teams below us each having a game in hand,its not looking rosy but its approx where most of us expected to be, the thing to recognise is that the first half of the prem season is where you harvest the easiest points,teams are not familiar with you and its easier to play with the exictment of playing against the best (FA cup syndrome i guess). I think the media spotlight on the swans has made it easier to highlight our problems,though other teams scouts will have done their homework on us anyway, the answers are to keep modifying our system, i think Rodgers knows this and the reason he was quoted as wanting 4-6 players was because he feels this is what is needed for survival. The alarming thing is how Brenden has back tracked and now stated that its "realistically " going to be about 2 players, that tells me where the club are at and where he is at, i dont blame either party but why blow a great chance of pushing the club,city and wales forward for the price of a few million quid?? People are not considering the way alot of football clubs operate at this level, that is by selling a player now and again to make up the short fall, if there is not enough in the playing budget for what we need to stay up then we must look to cash in on players, the ideal player to sell would be Dyer. we have a ready made replacement in Routledge and we could get £5 m quid plus, add that to the £2m we probably allocated for January then that brings a decent amount to either pay top loan players wages or sign a couple of fresh faces. The manager has spoken and said what he wants, im suprised more jacks never picked up on Brendens sudden change of heart RE new players, because as yesterday showed he was correct the first time !
I said in a post on another thread that Blackburn were dangerous and we might concede 2 or 3 goals to them. I was wrong. It was four! Easy to predict that we would ship goals to a team like Blackburn because they are physical. We can't handle that. They pressed our midfield. We can't handle that. They launched high balls at us. We can't handle that. This has been coming and other teams who do not have a passing ethic in their team will play the same way. We won't handle that. Why won't we handle it? Because we have been the same for a number of seasons and very little has been done about it. It is blindingly obvious that Monk is going to be a complete liability from now on in. He's too slow and can't compete, when it matters, in the air. Jazz, great potential, was shown up for the rookie he is. Out of position and out paced for the give and go on the first goal and conceded a needless corner for the second. As usual, our midfield looked good when they were allowed time to perform (wouldn't we all!!!!!) but as soon as the tackles and the muscle came in they disintegrated. And Dyer was particularly culpable during the build up for the first goal. He was all to easily nudged off the ball enabling Blackburn to break down the left and score the opener. Allen was unlucky for the second yellow but his first was a disgrace. Why on earth risk a card for something like that? It was unprofessional, didn't help our cause and we lose him for the Fulham game. Great thinking, Joe!! If you absolutely HAVE to vent your frustration, do it by kicking one of them and slowing them up. Aston Kicka were an object lesson in how to do it without getting sent off. I know that's cynical and not in accord with our "footballing" principles but that's football, where nice guys come last and get nothing but a kick up the arse for being nice. Pre season fears about our lightweight midfield are now beginning to take root. Early on, I don't think that teams believed that we could out-pass them, so we got away with it while they were still figuring us out. Now the whole world knows and are set up to stop us doing it - and it will get tougher because we are not able to play any other way. No plan B. Nothing to turn to if things aren't going our way. That's not necessarily a bad thing if we can address certain basic and obvious problems. We have to get height and speed at the back (Caulker). We can't out-muscle teams but we can chase, harry and close down better than we do. (Fitness levels which have concerned me before). We need more penetrative guile and goal threat in midfield. (Dobbie?) For some games we need more muscle in midfield (Kemy). The trouble is, Dobbie in particular, these players will need game time to get up to speed - bit part cameos will in no way bring them up to their best level. Have we the time to struggle until they find their form? Finally we need new players. Even if we have the 5 or 6 which has been mooted, they can't be shunted en bloc into the team, they have to learn to gel with our style of play. We need a couple of quality players and some experienced back up. The problem is, the lower we fall, the more trouble we will have in recruiting decent quality. Who wants to join a team fighting relegation? Such players might even prefer a drop to a team in the NPC who are likely to go up. I am only expressing my opinions of course and doubtless there are those who disagree. But one thing we all seem to agree on is that we MUST start turning possession into strikes at goal, if not goals - and at the back we have to sort out the set piece debacle which time after time has cost us dearly.
Both Taylor and Jazz got caught out with the simple give and go yesterday, Jazz is raw and you expect it a little more than from Taylor, I couldnt beleive it when i saw Lita marking Samba, forget what system we were playing an easy swap should have taken place, i know we lack height but the 2 serious arial threats were coming from yakubo and samba so why didnt we put our best defenders on them at set piece. Im not sure if players are beleiving their own hype but there did seem to be a lack of closing down when we lost the ball, almost as if they beleived Blackburn couldnt hurt us with the ball, of course that proved to be wrong and shipping 4 goals to the bottom team has shown everyone else the way to go, im suprised its taken this long but to be honest the warning was there when we played Norwich .
There are a lot of good points being made ... Ivor et al ... But a couple of things. The second goal was a fluke. Yakubu' s position at the near post on corners was his set play position and if he hadn't been "in the way" the shot from the Rover's payer would have gone for a throw-in. So getting on Jazz for giving up a corner is a tad unfair on him - could he have done better probably but for most of the game he handled their left wing/forward ok. On the first goal Yakubu had all day to place the "give" down the wing and when he "went" nobody went with him, which is our problem. "We" back off too much and are too slow to react to the forwards in one key position - and it's not Jazz and Taylor. Our defensive assignments at corners really were found lacking yesterday. This is not a player but a coaching issue - assignmnts are determined in practice not on the fly in games, but adjustments should have been made after the first ten minutes or so. Taylor marking Yakubu at corners is a mismatch and Monk apparently in a zone on the center edge of six yard box does nothing when the threat all game is far post. Lita may not be our tallest player but consistently challenges well in the air because of his jump - and he scored a lovely headed goal against the Samba defense. As for the 4 to 6 player need - I am sure BR has that many targets in mind, but realistically closing one to two deals would be a good days shopping. I wonder - is Moras really not any better than Monk.
Yankee- for a full back to not ttrack his man is a basic error, if you watch taylor in the game he just reacts too late,same with jazz though i can forgive him because its not his natural position and he is taking a big step up in class. They Are small points but the bigger picture was the making of their danger men,Lita should not have been making samba ! You dont have to out jump players to defend,There is a craft involved where you use your body to lever the attacking player off the header, centre halfs know how to do it better than centre forwards! We blod so hot and Coldplay at set piece play, we go from average to appaling sometimes. The games come thick and fast now so plenty of practice for the boys thats for sure !
On paper Moras is way more experienced than Monk but something is hindering his progress. Let's reflect. He played 104 games for Bologna and 15 times for Greece. He is 6ft5", fairly mobile and two years younger. Surely there should be no contest? However, there must be issues. I don't know if Buck expected him to come in and start pulling up trees immediately but that rarely happens to a player at a new club unless he's very lucky. I guess language and organisational ability will come into it somewhere but Monk has hardly impressed at the latter of late. Despite this, if Caulker isn't fit for the Fulham game, I would be tempted to play Moras to try and nullify the aerial threat of Zamora and Dempsey. Monk may or may not play well against them (as he did against the Stoke lampposts) but Fulham have a lot more football about them than Stoke and I suspect that Monk will be dragged all over the shop until his tired legs give in. It's a huge game for us. Lose it and I suspect that it might be the start of a slide from which we will not recover - a draw will almost be equally useless. Thanks to Joe's petulance, we now have to combat the likes of Murphy and Duff (both of whom deliver wicked crosses and clever passes for their strikers) with a midfield imbalance. Buck has got some hard thinking to do but, one thing I will not accept from him again, is his view that we were excellent, controlled the game but had just one shot on target as we did against Villa.
Yankee- i have,But not as much as i would have liked ! We all knew it was going to be hard, i just hate knowing that the swans Are going to be their normal nail biting selves this season, they give,then they take away !! its no suprised they drive us fans crazy sometimes!
I've said many times before, Monk is way out of his depth at this level, and we are now venerable at the back with him in there and Rangel out, there is urgent need for Caulker to play against Fulham, and what of Besson, he had a great last season with us, before going to Leeds, as far as Joe Allen goes, he got frustrated with the ref, who was very one eyed on times, I'm not concerned he's out, as Agustien was on the bench yesterday, and should now be available for the Fulham game. What concerns me though, is the lack of harmony up front with our wingers and forwards, they don't seem to communicate well, and are being individualists instead of team players, I said yesterday they need to move the ball selflessly, does it matter who scores as long as we win, I'm fed up of this bloody selfishness up front, which is costing us goals, and the biggest offender is Sinclair, Lita can be the same too, Rodgers needs to sort this out so that the chances we create are maximised into goals, as at the moment, we are snatching at half chances, instead of passing the ball for a definite goal, I'm sick of this unprofessional approach up front, and time for our forward line to grow up, and get clinical!.................... please log in to view this image
Im not too concerned about the apparent selfishness of LIta and Sinclair, its how those boys Get the goals they do, the issue is highlighted more because we have so few chances in the first place! Bottom line is that our squad is not as strong as the bottom teams
Well you wouldn't expect it as we've been in the championship for years, but I don't think we are far off, to be honest Norway, I think that if we had Borini, and a fit Bodde, you would not be coming out with this, and that shows we are short by just a few quality players in my view. The point is this Norway, some thought that yesterday was a given, but I never thought it was, Blackburn have been unlucky in a few games I watched of theirs, but yesterday one player made the difference, and that was Yakubu, the old boot was not given the attention he should have, by our back four, we are struggling at the back with Monk in there, but with Rangel out too, we are very vulnerable, Jazz is not ready yet, and needs to be sent out on loan to Wrexham or some were to gain experience, anyway I hope that Caulker is in for the Fulham game, because I've had enough of old man Monk!............ please log in to view this image
I have constantly said that we Are a couple players short of being decent at this level,problem is those couple players seem to change postion from game to game! Bodde wont be back though dragon Will he, and borini Will be a Long shot in january. Though neither would have Made a difference yesterday, ferrie would be serving his suspension for getting sent off in the villa game(booked for retaliation on the bad tackles he received) and borini would have scored but been powerless to prevent the samba and yakubo show
No I was speaking metaphorically regarding Bodde and Borini, just saying that's all that is missing, with possibly a quality CB! By the way picked this comment up on Planetswans!.................... please log in to view this image
Norway, how is it in Stavanger. Cold and grey probably. You'll be pleased to know that I've now watched yesterday's game (Sky Match choice - 45 minute version). Seems to me we lost due to poor defending on all four goals. Scoring twice would normally earn you at least a point.
Watched an on-line stream and to me it was some poor defending. When we got it back to 3-2 Blackburn just sat back and panicked they were there for the taking. When young Joe got sent off that killed it for us, then to get a penalty a minute later that was it. Liked, Moore when he came on looked lively, played a couple of nice balls into Sinclair and Lita.
aswan- bit of snow here right now and my boat journey down from Bergen was fun tonight!! though ive seen the waves bigger !! i expect it to be dark,rainy and miserable here till about March !! Your thoughts on the game are similar to mine then, its not that we didnt win the game just that we seem so naive sometimes and when things dont go our way we seem to lose our heads a little bit, scoring 2 goals at Blackburn is ok but they are poor at the back you have to say, the fact we didnt put more pressure on that defence is even more gauling for me !! Onwards and upwards though and hopefully the players now know they arnt as good as they thought they are and will regain the concentration levels needed to be competetive at this level, something that i felt we lacked yesterday
Ive mentioned Moore a few times on here lately and ive maintained that he can play a part for us this season. The boy has a great touch and looks comfortable on the ball, we moan that doobie needs time to settle in the team but dont seem to say the same about Luke Moore. When he played up front on his own last season he found it hard but he was learning the job,Dobbie also struggled to play the lone roll, maybe playing Moore withdrawn with Lita up top may be worth a go ?? I must mention Sinclair also, he seems to be getting stick lately but he is responsible for most of our shots on goal!without him trying to score it would be even more grim! i beleive that he is trying a bit too hard to get a goal and we must not forget that he has a premier league monkey to get off his back as well, he was the reason we got promoted IMO and we should not forget that he chose to play prem football with us and not move when he had a chance, if others were chipping in with goals then scott probably wouldnt feel the pressure to score is on him ! which is what i think is going through his mind
Have to agree with you Norway, would like to see Moore play against Fulham, he impressed me for the time he had on the pitch. Dyer needs a rest, and I think Monk needs one as well. My team for Fulham would be: Vorm, Taylor, Williams, Caulker, Jazz, Sinclair, Gower, Britton, Routledge, Moore, Lita. If Augustin was fit than I might be tempted to put him in instead of Gower,
Is this a plastics thread? Anyone who thought an away trip to Blackburn was going to be easy knows jacksh*t about football.
