Ramsey needs to get his act together very quickly tactically. It is difficult for him with suspension and injuries, but to set up with such an open formation against two of the best passing sides in the league was naive in the extreme. I'm not saying that we could have tried to match their quality, but we could at least have denied them so much space. That's what the likes of Pulis do and even Dyches at Burnley. Redknapp set us up exactly the same way and most people were very critical of him for it. As soon as the lad and I heard the team our hearts sank. I'm honestly looking forward to the end of the season so that I don't have to sit through much more hoof ball. I think Ramsey could be the right bloke for us in the Championship, as he will bring youth through etc, but we could be down there for a few seasons whilst we rebuild. As for yesterday............... Yes, the referee was shocking. Two clear penalties. Isla was caught and the hand ball was clear cut. It doesn't matter how close to the defender the shot came from, he had his hands up in an unnatural position and blocked the ball. At least the useless Pawson didn't fall for Mason's dive! However, our play was very poor for the most part. The players just panicked in possession and lumped the ball out of play or straight back to a very good Spurs team. Any possession we did have was immediately hoofed forward to BZ. Austin should have scored, but it's hard to be too critical when he hit it so well with his left foot and it would have been a goal 1" lower! Phillips should have done better with his chance, although it was on the volley he should have at least hit the target. We had just about the slowest two forwards in the league up front, with no one running beyond them. A recipe for disaster imo. Rio Ferdinand was simply dreadful and I'm not sure I've ever seen such a good player fall apart so quickly. Caulker wasn't much better, but he did at least get a couple of blocks in. Sandro and particularly Henry did well considering they were, yet again, chasing shadows in an outnumbered central midfield area. People have been saying on here that the likes of Mourinho just send great players out and leave them to it. This is naive in the extreme. He and even coaches like Pulis always have a plan and all players know their role, both with and without the ball. We seem to have no plan other than to run around a lot and lump it long to Bobby (sound familiar?!!). Hopefully, playing away from home, Ramsey will play it a little differently; more like the way we set up away at Sunderland. Player ratings and comments: Green - 6 - A great save from Kane's header, but he is always likely to drop a bollock and he did for the first goal. Terrible kicking as usual. As always, a mixture of great shot stopping and poor decision making. Onuoha - 7 - Very strong and our best defender by a country mile. Looked like he ducked out for their first goal after receiving a call from the hapless Green. Ferdinand - 3 - I'd hoped that, even accepting his decline in form that he could do a decent job for us. I was wrong!! He was absolute garbage yesterday, making nothing headers and clearances and arguably at fault for both goals. Why he insisted on playing such a high line for their second goal is beyond me! Clint should always play ahead of him imo. Rio is a busted flush!! Caulker - 5 - Made a couple of decent blocks and won some headers, but he looks no more than a half decent Championship CB to me. again, for the second game running, he got caught in possession on the edge of our box, trying to dribble the ball out. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer I suspect. Yun - 5 - Given the run around by a very fluid Spurs attack and given very little help by Phillips. But Yun looks a little lightweight in possession and concedes that possession far too readily imo. Good potential though and one for the Championship next season. Isla - 5 - I rate Isla as a good football, but he is rarely played in his correct position imo. Wide right in the kind of open 4-4-2 that we employ is a million miles away from where he'd be most effective. In fact, orthodox right back with a licence to overlap in the modern way is nearer to his wing back position. He looked a little bemused yesterday as we pumped the ball forward monotonously and seemed to get drawn in field and didn't make the runs we needed out wide or in support of the forwards. Henry - 8 - Did everything asked of him as he and Sandro battled against Spurs' five men in the middle. Time and again Henry won the ball or made an interception. Nothing more could be asked of him imo. Sandro - 7 - Along with Henry, he battled very well in a tactically hopeless situation in the midfield. Took his goal brilliantly and if he stays fit, will be a big help till the end of the season. Gets caught in possession at times, but that could be down to him looking up and seeing absolutely no passing options whatsoever! Phillips - 6 - Was his recent run of good form a flash in the pan? He was back to his usual antics of being dozy out of possession, which just won't do when we are playing the old "pub team" style of game and he is playing in a wide midfield position. Should have done better with his first half chance. Although it was a volley, I think he should have at least hit the target. However, his lack of impact wasn't all his own fault. Ramsey decided to "do a Redknapp" and play Phillips on the wrong wing. More poor thinking from the new coach imo. Phillips would be far more effective as one of a three behind the forward as he was against Sunderland, his best game this season. Zamora - 6 - Won a few headers and knock downs and held the ball up well at times, despite being on the wrong end of some dreadful refereeing decisions. Hit a good volley from a very tight angle and completed two games in three days, which does beg the question as to whether his injury has been as debilitating as was previously reported? His lack of pace will always hinder us with no willing runners to get beyond him. A good lay off for Sandro's goal. Austin - 7 - Should have scored with his first half chance, but it's hard to be too critical when he hit it so well with his left foot; 1" lower and it was a goal! Worked tirelessly and somehow managed to find himself on the goal line to make a wonderful last-ditch clearance. Could have got closer to BZ at times to least to try and feed off our hoof ball tactics. A good run and cross to Zamora that led to the Sandro goal. Has been our best player all season and will be sadly missed when he leaves. Subs: Hoilett - 4 - Was booed when he came on.......how moronic is that? How will that ever help? His confidence looks shot (he does seem a very fragile individual). Tried, as usual, to at least take the attack to the opposition, but was sadly ineffective. Should have hit the target after cutting in well from the left. Grego-Cox - N/A - I don't really remember him touching the ball in his brief appearance. Another sign that Ramsey will bring through youngsters, but if either Zarate or Vargas (injured?) were actually available, it was ridiculous that they weren't in the squad! SWP - N/A - Brought on with 60 seconds left for Sandro in what can only have been a sentimental gesture by Ramsey to let his mate Sandro receive an ovation from the Spurs fans!! SWP sat in front of the back four where Sandro had been, conceded a free kick and the game ended. Pathetic! SWP was booed even louder than Hoilett when he came on. A little more understandable perhaps, given SWP's reluctance to leave his massive salary here. Overall, I can only see the bottom three as they are now, being the bottom three at the end of the season. Villa seem to have been energised by the loathsome Sherwood and they are our best chance of a team taking our place in the bottom three imo. Some big games to play, but I don't think we have good enough players or tactics to win them. I sincerely hope I'm wrong!
Disagree with almost all of that. We did okay with what we've got in the last two games. Trying to outplay both those sides would have been foolhardy in the extreme. And Phillips has done more in his few games this season than Toilet has in three years
As usual, you obviously haven't read it all. I said that we should have denied them space..........NOT tried to out play them. Mind you, having any conversation with you about football is completely impossible because all you do is troll and look for a reaction, instead of coming up with anything constructive.
You didn't read what I said yesterday about having a game plan. Even though I re-quoted it for you, you still went ahead with your Mourinho nonsense in the OP. You were trolling there for sure
I agree with most of that Col...I would probably give OBZ an extra point, because...it isn't his fault he has been asked to play knock down for Austin, and he actually did it really very well. I wrote somewhere, I wash he was 10 years younger. At the current time, we are seeing the "right sort" trying their best....and he is. Like it or lump it, he is doing his job well. I also think the two DM did very well too, but will they play together at Palace next week, and against Everton when Joey is back...I wonder. The whole crux of our problems is lack of creativity. We should have had a point yesterday (ref permitting)...we would be out of this mess with a creative midfielder in the team m
A bit hard on Yun, Col. I thought he did quite well in difficult circumstances. When I saw the team, I thought we might be playing 3-5-2 with Isla and Yun as wing-backs and Phillips behind the front two, but sadly it was the same old 4-4-2 with Isla out of position again and Phillips on the wrong side. The keeper on Isla was a definite penalty and could have been a sending off, and, having seen the handball on TV, I think that should have been given too. Mason's dive was also worth a booking. Referees blatantly favour the bigger clubs in the Premier League. After a promising start, Ramsey's selections are looking too much like Redknapp's. We desperately need some pace up front.
Usually fine margins in this league, a bit of luck and right referee we could have one 4-2 playing the same way and everyone would be happy so not too disheartened with the performance apart from two dreadful goals.........although we do not seem to get our fair share of decisions lately. We are being punished though from lack of cover and thats HRs fault not Ramseys.....e.g Burnley have had same team all year
You are all forgetting FER was coming good and big part of the team at the time of his injury....................and we havent replaced him!..
Part of the problem is playing two holding midfield players in a 4-4-2. It leaves a massive hole between the midfield and the two forwards and probably explains why Isla was pushing infield so much. We could at least have tried a 4-4-1-1 if we had no option other than to play those two holding players.
I think so many of our problems emanate from the original failed 3-5-2 system and the failure to address that problem in January. The squad is so imbalanced and lacking in key areas, the injuries have just compounded the problem to the point we can't field an effective 4-4-2...
Thanks for that, Col, it's a very interesting assessment. My one major disagreement would be over Yun who I thought was outstanding. Like everyone else, he worked tirelessly but he also made a string of excellent interceptions and, more noticeably, precision tackles. If I had to pick a MOTM, it would be Yun, narrowly beating Henry. I'd also be a bit more generous than you regarding Caulker's performance. It's a shame that Green had to mess up a string of wonderful saves with a c**k up for their first goal. Unlike you, I'd be tempted to vote for Green as POTY, although Austin is the easy choice. I've also been impressed by Austin's more comprehensive contribution in his last couple of games. He worked hard yesterday at a number of aspects of his game, although I was interested to see in the MoS today that he supposedly covered a total of 8,910 yards whereas Kane covered 11,580! I was amused that some QPR supporters joined in with the Spurs fans' "Rio, Rio, time to retire" chants. How right they were.
Thanks a lot Col. I agree with much of that but we are along way yet from Yun, CB, or anyone performing in the Championship next season FFS, and Austin is a QPR player. Absolutely no reason to stop believing. ComeonUR.
Yep, fair enough mate. On reflection, I was probably a little harsh on Yun who is a player I like a lot. Rio was terrible and I was definitley wrong about him. I knew he had gone downhill, but I've never seen a player deteriorate at such a rate. With regards to Kane and Austin and the yards covered. I would have thought that Kane's willingness to run the channels would give him the higher total of yards covered. Charlie doesn't have the pace to make those runs too often. I'm really not too impressed with Caulker though.
I haven't given up hope at all and I'll be there for the remaining home games supporting the team as usual. I just don't think we will stay up. If I'm proved wrong, I'll be the first to say so and be absolutely delighted.
Agreed, just because we're critical doesn't mean we don't care. In fact it hurts to state the obvious but games are running out fast...
I agree with you Col on Ramsey. He doesn't have the experience to carry out the job effectively. If (big IF), we have disagreements and dissent within our squad as reported by 999's last night, surely a good leader would sort that out behind the scenes and not relegate two good squad players out of the match day squad altogether. From a distance, it looks like we are leaderless. What is TF, Les and Ramsey doing about that situation? I think he only got the job based on one game and because he achieved what Harry couldn't all season, ie. get a win away. Would Ramsey have got the job if we had lost at Sunderland? I would love us to stay up but at the moment, it looks increasingly unlikely to me.
Don't think we should give unfounded gossip any value at all by even discussing it. with all respect to you Nines, it quite likely originates from some sh*te stirrer. Both CR and Adel have both said in live interviews very clearly he has a groin problem. Saw no reason on to disbelieve them then, and not now either.
that was obviously Fernandes doing though. Harry would have spent cash if he's been allowed. On another note...Apparently Zarate and Vargas hate each other…. has anyone heard this before??? Maybe it was partly the reason Zarate was nearly sent back to WH in the loan farce on deadline day.
