That's a direct quote from our dear leader in the pre match press conference. 3rd formation in 3 away games. The guys a ****ing tool and our successes are despite him not because of him. He adds no value Giroud gave us a chance but Harry put us at a disadvantage... again
Harry is clueless and has lost his mojo. I agree that we are battling well to stay out of the bottom three in spite of him and that he gets it so wrong away from home.
Very little imo. The crowd at Loftus Rd and the players' togetherness is getting us out of the **** at the moment.................just!
Very good Damage. Didn't see you on the MD thread offering an alternative system/formation/selection etc pre-game? Crowing with 20/20 hindsight is not an attractive sight mate.
Redknapp's negativity infects the players for away games. He doesn't think we can win, so the players don't.
Harry rightly gets the criticism because it's his team and tactics. As an example I fail to understand how Mutch deserves a starting place away to Arsenal. I can't think of a single performance of his where I've come away thinking "he had a decent game". So how does he justify a starting place? Likewise Traore. Anyone who watches us regularly knows he can't defend, he goes missing. he's much more effective as a left winger. To then play him as a wing back away to Arsenal is asking for trouble. And yes 20/20 hindsight is easy, but having gone 9 away games without a point surely deserves criticism. IMHO Harry is clueless tactically, but we are stuck with him for the foreseeable future so will just have to hope for the best, but what he's serving up away from home is a disgrace, in particular for the travelling fans.
That is spot on. Talk up the oppo and our players will feel inferior. It's really not rocket science.
I completely agree although Barton was injured and players had to be rested with another game in 2 days' time.
But Sussex, what do you do if you don't play Mutch or Traore? Play Clint Hill as a wing back? Play Joey "I can't pass a ball" Barton? Harry can only play with the hand he's dealt. Most of our players are bloody average. We've only just come up from the Championship yet folk are moaning that we didn't snatch a point away at Arsenal. I think a lot of our fans have gotten away ahead of themselves. We're a small little Club and have just pushed the Arsenal all the way at the Emirates. Had we have gone at them from the beginning they would have picked us off on the break. How many times have we seen little teams get destroyed by having a go at them? You can't blame Harry Redknapp because Junior Hoilett gets a panic attack every time he gets within ten yards of the opposition's penalty area!
Swords our problem isn't the fact that we lost, not too many expected anything else, but it is the ineptitude and lacklustre performance that grinds us caring supporters. We were given two significant opportunities to "wake up" but failed on both occasions. After 8 mins with the Sanchez penalty miss and with Giroud's red mist moment. Only after we got back to 2-1 with a bit of good fortune did we actually believe we could get something from the match. Too little too late I'm afraid. We were pretty awful and deserved to lose the ninth away game on the trot.
Swords, I can blame Harry because it's his squad and his players, and his tactics and game plan. He didn't have to play 3 5 2, he could have played 4 at the back and use Hill. The only reason we were still in with a shout on 75 minutes was because Giroud lost his head otherwise we would have been dead and buried. 1st half we were a shambles. I don't expect to win at Arsenal but I do expect an organised team with a plan. It seems that our plan is simply to sit back and hope for a 0-0, but with our defence that really isn't possible. Everyone knows that Arsenal are not good at the back so attack is the best form of defence. We only attack when we are behind. After 9 away defeats I think we should be doing something different. Like attack. Burnley away will be interesting as it's our first away game against teams in and around us. What will Harry do with that one? The really sad thing for me is that we could have snatched a point away to Arsenal, but our negative approach prevents it until it's too late. We are beaten before the away games kick off. I really don't think we should sack him (because of the fallout, it would relegate us anyway) but I have had enough of Harry's repeated failings. I also wouldn't give him any more money to spend in January, he needs to get by with what he's already chosen. He has proved to be a very poor recruiter of players, Mutch (£8m), Traore (contract extension), Phillips (£5m), even Caulker at £8m was wasteful of our clubs money. And our best young talent is loaned out season after season. We were always going to struggle this season, but our lack of ambition away from home is simply not acceptable. I'd rather loose 5-3 and have a go, than 2-1 having meekly rolled over for the first 75 minutes. My opinion is that I look forward to the day when Harry leaves, and we can then begin again with someone else whatever division we are in. This season we have a 50-50 chance of staying up, which is an improvement on the last time we tried, but I'm convinced that we could be comfortably just below mid table with the players we currently have, if played sensibly.
Excellent post. 4-2-3-1 tonight, with Vargas and Hoilett out wide and two holding midfield players would have given us a much better platform imo. 1st half we were totally clueless.
Hindsight again. I asked you early on the matchday thread to nail your colours to the mast but you wouldn't do it. Its easy slate the Coach after the game.
Credit where credit is due Swords. I slate the coach before, during and after the games, even on the vanishingly rare occasions he gets it right.
You're right Swords it is easy, but enough is enough. Harry cannot escapes criticism simply because it's after the game. The thing is we're not paid handsomely to make the decisions, he is. And he is continually getting it badly wrong away from home. Only an idiot continues to do the same things, when time after time it's been proved they don't work. We have enough paid coaches to be able to sort this out, questions should rightly be asked just what they are doing about it. The difference at home is stark, we attack with pace and get the ball in the box and the players look confident. Also with the crowd supporting like we do, it's a totally different situation. But away from home we are beaten before we kick off and play like strangers.
