This is it. I just want to watch us play normal football like most of the league seem to. **** the experimental managers off and get someone in to do just that
When Acun first came in everyone said this strategy of pushing to the limit each summer was fine because we'd find someone to sell and everything would work out and it'd be easy. You buy 5 players for 5m each you only need one to become worth 30m and suddenly you've made a profit then you repeat with 5 players for 6m or whatever. Issue is when you have a manager like Walter who is making none of our players (other than perhaps Hughes) look worth the money we paid for them. Even Belloumi who started well has really regressed and gone into his shell in recent games. The concern for Acun is surely looking at the bank account for next summer when we're looking to make Zambrano and Puerta permanent signings, and wondering who the next gun to sell for 20m is.
We have played far better than this in this league without a quality striker before, Grant was able to get a song out of Grosicki and Bowen when we had Eaves up top and while Bowen was arguably a generational talent, it should be possible to get other players chipping in with goals to cover up for the fact the striker spot is a weakness. And in saying that, Pedro scored today but no one else managed it. We had Portsmouth on the back foot in that first half and even ignoring the Simons miss (Puerta's wasn't as easy as people are making out) there were times when Kamara would get the ball and run at them and then turn and pass back to Drameh who would pass to Jones who would stand on it then pass it to Coyle who would pass to Pandur who would pass to Coyle who would then spray a ball up for Belloumi.. which looked pretty but by then Portsmouth players were all back and set up.
I'm finding Walter "ball" impossible to explain to my dad, who doesn't go much these days but grew up in the 80s. "So we basically pass the ball around our box for five minutes then lose it"
We seem to play a very high risk low reward style. Late in the first half Hughes lost the ball and Portsmouth almost scored from it. If we're playing a style where a single mistake from a defender almost ends up in a goal, and the reason for playing this way is so that we can spray a ball up field which more often than not is put out of play or turned over, it's not worth it.
No, because it’s all our fault for venting our frustrations and not backing his **** style of football.
In the last couple of games, Hughes has played a couple of inch-perfect 50 yard diagonal balls to the wing, and the one he did yesterday led to our goal. I think the dicking around at the back is supposed to create those kind of opportunities further up the pitch, but it rarely seems to work. Walter knows how he wants us to play and he seems frustrated when a player turns back to goal rather than playing a ball forward. Maybe we just don't have the right kind of players to play his system well? If so, 2 questions: 1. Did Walter not have much of an input into the players that the "brain trust" were signing? 2. Why doesn't he realise that if we can't do it, then we need to adapt to play a style they can do?
It may well have worked better at hamburg, they were one of the best squads in that division Just like it may work better if walter was manager of leeds this season But alas hes not And an actual good manager would make changes and tweaks to benefit his actual squad surely
My mate at the club says the word is he's gone if the performance (not the result) is poor against Oxford. I asked if there was a replacement lined up or a shortlist... "nope." Joy of joys. FFS Tim, sort it.
I want it to work out because they put so much effort into building this squad to this manager's specifications and style (whatever it is). And yeah, like you said, if there's no plan in place to sort a new manager, then it'll be Daws in charge for the foreseeable and I just don't think he's ready for that. Whoever comes in next, please let it be a normal manager who doesn't have some novel way of playing that takes a billion years for the players to learn.
IMO, Daws started on the foundations of LR's tenure. I wouldn't be disappointed to see him take the hot seat again - he can't do any worse.
What's anyone expecting to change in 2 days? I hope I'm wrong but I can see Oxford being an end of the line ****show. Some players crying off with injury, others not bothering to implement the system and play as a team and a few simply being not good enough or out of position so they look not good enough. I'm not usually negative and I may be more upbeat by kick off time but the second half yesterday had a massive feel of Walter backed into a corner with nowhere to go about it.
It certainly doesn't feel like there's much in the way of confidence around the club at the moment. There needs to be a lift, but even Coyle in the last couple of games has looked exasperated and downhearted at full time, whereas earlier in the season we were losing but he was still standing tall. The captain's body language is always an insight into what the camp is like and it doesn't look good.
Agree about Coyle, I think he might need a rest, he can't be giving 120% indefinitely. In theory we should be able to put Drameh on the right, Giles on the left, except Giles seems to be out of favour.
Yep. Likely a recovery day today (or even a day off), then one day to work on things tomorrow. It's hard to see much changing. #concernedsupporter
