I totally understand your point, but to counter it slightly, there was any number of occasions last night where we were at least *trying* that clever through ball (mostly from Happy Birthday Charly). Taking that risk much more than we have been doing. That was good to see, even if it didn’t quite work to plan this time.
Bringing too many players in at same time can create a problem. Steady transition & progress is the key.
And therein lies the issue. You expect us to beat most of the teams in this league; and expectations are disappointments waiting to happen. I started this season with no expectations, certainly not automatic promotion, which may be why I'm more than happy with our progress so far.
Yep appreciate that but SR won’t be investing in PL quality / ready players this coming window. Just my cynical view but also with my financial hat on. Don’t bite me now, leave it till the window closes.
Nope. You aren't getting me. On paper we should beat Bristol City. Even the Bristol City commentary team were drooling over our squad. Their manager has been in place for 2-3 games. On paper we should beat Bristol City at home. The bookies would agree. Neutral fans would agree. Statistics would agree. Squad values would agree. I am not even demanding we do beat them. I just want us to play better than turgid football. I just want two COMPETENT halves. It is perfectly legitimate to query our football when we play two consecutive halves as lacklustre as we produced - against teams with vastly different goals this season. It isn't arrogant to feel the favourites in a game should perform to a decent standard.
Agree with what RM says to Blackmore; it was poor finishing that made last night look like a struggle. (In fact I said this before RM, immediately after the game - does he read this forum?) The first half was frustrating, but if Sulemana puts away his chance, or Adarma his (the one he skied over the bar from a corner), then going in 1-0 suddenly makes things look a lot rosier. People will say Bristol C had two big chances too, but that was outstanding goalkeeping denying them, rather than poor finishing. RM needs to just give the players the freedom and backing to be more aggressive and opportunistic. Too many times a player is in a great shooting position, only to look for a pass instead. Makes you wonder why we bought a striker who's out for half the season.
True. That was probably a better chance than the other header actually. But Bristol City are bad at scoring generally. 5th lowest goal scorers in the division, lowest in top half.
Taking both this game and Huddersfield last week, I can understand starting a game slowly then improving in the 2nd half more than having a great first half followed by a terrible 2nd half. There really was no excuse for what happened at Huddersfield. We had that game in our hands then threw it away.
Football isn't played on paper though, is it? And as for what bookies expect, if favourites always won, and won easily, there wouldn't be any bookies. It's legitimate to be critical of our style, of course. Harsh imo, to be so begrudging of a team that has finally discovered how to win again, but legitimate.
As for teams not being successful by not winning games by more than one goal, well Arsenal won the league that way, their fans famously even had a song about it.. One- nil to the Arsenal. We are scoring goals, 29 in 18 games is not that bad and comparable to our direct rivals, of course it could be better and I think that when Ross Stewart comes in it will be.
You are still deliberately misreading me. The on paper responds to your comment that my ‘problem’ was feeling we should beat this team. It was my way of pointing out that - on the balance of probability- we should beat this team. We definitely should - on paper, statistically, on the balance of probability- beat this team. That is not disrespectful to anyone. It does not place a burden of winning as necessity on to the team. The criticism is clearly not of the result. It is really confusing to me you seem to think I am expecting to thrash this team on this occasion. What I am expecting is that - with better players and vastly better substitutions available - over the course of the season we would become more dominant and more imposing. The opposite is true. We are not dominating. We are holding the ball - but that is not domination. We are failing to construct good goal scoring chances while simultaneously looking weak at the back. Now clearly this is not a criticism that holds for whole matches, but it holds for whole halves. We lack the resolve and the nous to assert ourselves when we wobble. The first half yesterday was diabolical. Dull. Ineffective. Not enjoyable to watch. Not pleasant or endearing as spectacle. As a viewer of a spectator sport, the fact my own team is hard to watch is surely worth a critique. I presume you watched it and enjoyed it? For me, that is the only crazy thing in this thread.
Just listened to it. He is I think getting pissed off with the fact that we are 10 games unbeaten and still get criticised. I agree those 10 games (7 of them wins?) havent always been the best, but we are TEN games unbeaten. We find a way somehow to get something out of games. Huddersfield was annoying. We had the points in the bag, then seemed to give them away. However, some credit for the opposition. AND when all is said and done, it was a bit of a soft freak goal in the end. Nine times out of ten, that doesn't go in. We keep a clean sheet and get the win. Yesterday, a crap first half and they only had one shot on target. Our keeper did what a top for the division goalkeeper does. Stops it. If only we had a Lambert or an Ings, it would have been barely mentioned as we would have been 2-3 up. IMO, we are still learning (I know we are ⅓ of the season through), but we are not the end product. The big question we keep asking is it Martin's football or the undeniable talent in the squad that is getting the results. How about a bit of both. Football is a team sport, from those behind the scenes to those on the pitch. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Your example is from 1991. 1991. George Graham’s Arsenal won the league for the last time 32 years ago. Let me say again… your justification for ineffective attacking play… is based on the massively organised, superb defending Arsenal. Of 1991.
The point is that they were happy with it. Is it ineffective though when we have scored 29 goals in 18 games compared to Leicester's 32 and Leeds' 31? We all want to see more goals but he truth is that we haven't failed to score in the last ten matches. To put it into perspective, we scored 36 goals in the entirety of last season so in some ways we are being spoiled this season!
