Having had a chance to sleep on it, and to think really hard, I've managed to salvage some crumbs of comfort after yesterday's debacle. This is an exercise in positive thinking, so be gentle with me, I'm feeling a bit fragile this morning. It was only a friendly. Surely Monk must realize that formation can be consigned to the rubbish pile, and never (ever) consider using it in a real game. Fabianski looks good. Gomis looks good - fast, lively, engaged. Dyer and Routledge will be back next Saturday, surely they go straight into the team and we revert to a 451. Shelvey has probably done enough yesterday to earn a spot on the bench. Perhaps he'll watch the game on S4C today and count the number of 70 yard passes to anyone-not-wearing-a-white-shirt. Leon will be back soon. Please! Frederico Fernandez is coming. Please! Now that I've cheered myself up, I'm going to depress myself all over again. Yesterday was terrible. No shape. Sigurdsson wide right - no! Shelvey was disastrous. B & B up front won't work. Montera looks promising but he's too raw for a 1st-team berth. Neil Taylor looks quite solid but we're going to miss Ben Davies' surging runs. Bartley was completely hopeless - get rid. Ki was solid but dull - no go-forward - I think I'd rather JdG. Rangel looks slow. Bony looks slow and fed-up (will he be off now?). Time for another beer
For Utd I'd go Dyer Ki Gylfi Routs Gomis Bony Jonjo pissed me right off with his Hollywood balls yesterday. That's all he wanted to do. Agree about Fabianski, he looked good in the air dealing with balls coming into the box. Distribution didn't look too bad either on times and was cool under pressure on a couple of occasions when the ball was passed back to him.
Morw than any other season in the PL I truly fear for us. The last 3 seasons I've felt optimistic, but I just can't find any positivity at the moment. I feel that installing Monk as manager will be the decision that costs us our PL status - no matter which players we have in our team.
It's interesting to read the criticism of Jonjo and his Hollywood passes. For all the criticism of his tracking back JDG's variety of passing and link play is superior to Jonjo's and yet we are not going to sign him. I didn't see the game yesterday as I had a prior engagement so cannot comment on tactics etc. but was disappointed that with the potential firepower we had we didn't score a goal.
It's too early to say we told you so ..... but we have been telling you so for some time now. Campion .... thanks for the candor of the post. My recommendations .... either swig more cool-aid or if that is turning sour, welcome to the "sobriety" club. Beer is definitely better.
"It means nothing at all". Points wise,you are probably correct,since none were at stake. However,there is a bigger picture,and yesterday's performance has more than a few "Monkee's" worried,as is evidenced by the post match comments on this forum,and elsewhere. Some are asking,indirectly,whether the Monk bubble has already burst. Bit early to say,but next weekend has now taken on larger significance. The two home games immediately after could well be season defining.
I think we might struggle with that line up valley . Would feel a bit more comfortable if we played with a keeper and a back 4 but that's just me ;-)
Vetch, keep posts to football related topics I've had to remove two posts that are unrelated to football and thinly veiled swipes at those who disagree with you. Stumpy, same for you, if you see a post like that, please do not respond as it will be dealt with when seen.
Fully agree. The Utd game is not a win in my book. The next 2 should be, and we should target 15 points at least from our first 9 games. Home wins vs Burnley, West Brom, Southampton and Leicester, draws vs Sunderland, Newcastle and Stoke. Anything less and we could be heading to Dec in quite a dire position given the run of fixtures in Nov. This is perhaps the easiest opening set of fixtures we've had and we need to be ready to take advantage.....I fear that we are far from ready though.
I don't have a problem when someone disagrees with anything I post.,and resent the insinuation that i do.. The forum is for debating,right? Sometimes people disagree,Is it now against the house rules to have disagreements? I am inclined to react, and respond in kind, if gratuitous,snide comments are made in my direction. It's what I do - reaction,as in reactionary. However,you do have the opportunity to remove posts,so you must do what you feel is correct. It should be done with consistency though,and without any bias.
The forum is for debating football and other topics posted in the OP, not labelling posters as three year olds hence the removing of your posts
So remove PGF's comment "You're like a ****ing five year old" directed at Yankee @ post 7. Or is he somehow exempt? Consistency is a tricky concept it seems.
