Is it just us?

[toptoon]

It often happens that you see your team’s performance differently to how neutrals or supporters of other teams see them. From what I can see, no other team in the PL plays with such lack of attacking ambition and park the bus tactics, consistently, as we do.
Even before looking at today’s game, I think it extraordinary (trying hard no to swear here) that we did not muster one shot on target in 90 minutes, at home against Brighton...yes, Brighton. That is an amazing statistic and an unacceptable one.
This is not something recent but seen time and time again since Bruce has been here. We have put in some good performances under him but, so few that you start to think he’s just stumbled across one of his ever changing tactics that happens to have worked on that particular day against that particular opposition.
Is it just us in the PL that do this? Even the relegated teams have a go more and put up better games than us, then you have Ston, Palace, etc who are usually good to watch.

Our insipid style of play means we’ve become an anti-football team and are beginning to stink out the league.

[Zippity]

Very good post, man, and spot on.

We've got pundits falling over themselves to compare Bruce's style of play favourably with Rafa's based on no evidence whatsoever but no-one ever says 'hang on, you're talking ****e. My new least-favourite pundit, Micah 'I'm just going to be loud and laugh at my own jokes raucously to cover the fact that I talk ****e' Richards was on last season saying how Bruce played attractive football and that we were good to watch and the others in the studio just nodded in agreement. Danny Murphy and Jermaine Jenas have said the same and we've had Souness saying we all love Bruce up here now.

But they're all talking out of their arses, basing it on, say 4 or 5 games out of all the games he's managed for us and I think you nailed it when you said that once in a blue moon, Bruce chances on a formula that works and we play well. But all he's doing is hoying 10 p in the fruit machine and hoping for three 7s. (yeah, I know it's more than that now but that's what it was when i played the fruitaz. :D )

Our football is, without doubt, the worst to watch in the PL.

[ex_pat_magpie]

Those pundits would be peeing themselves with extasy if we played the way we did under Sir Bobby and KK. B)

[Zippity]

Ahh...happy days.

[Zippity]

On the back of this, I've just been reading Bruce's comments about his gameplan...which was to stay in the game as long as we could.

What a small-time mentality. That's the sort of thing the manager of a lower league team says when they've drawn a big club in the Cup or, if you're talking about 2 Prem teams, what you might do if you find yourself a man down. But to have that as your aim before a ball has been kicked?

Pathetic.

[HughieG]

Say what you want about Rafa - he was very defensive-minded, yes - but for one, he had a system in place that ensured a solid defensive effort which allowed the attacking players to go forward. It wasn't always beautiful, but in a match like the one against Brighton the other day, we would have gotten chances and maybe even scored a goal.

Think of the team we had with Rondon - we actually played really well and the players knew what their roles were. Now they look like headless chickens; and that's my biggest problem with Bruce - everything seems so random under him. That's good when we win, but then you know it's a fluke.

We had one shot on target the whole game against Spurs. That's appalling for me. On the flipside, you can't feel bad for Spurs (ever) - they didn't take their chances and you need to do that at this level, even in order to beat a sh!t team like us...

[Zippity]

No, that's a good point, Hughie-I don't feel sorry for Spurs in the slightest.

What I do feel 'sorry' for is football in general. Whichever group of morons came up with the current handball legislation want shooting with ****. If it's not ball to hand then it shouldn't be handball, simple as that.

As for our one shot on target, even that is a misleading stat as it was from the penalty. 2 games, no shots on target from open play-embarrassing.

[toonlegend]

Say what you want about Rafa - he was very defensive-minded, yes - but for one, he had a system in place that ensured a solid defensive effort which allowed the attacking players to go forward. It wasn't always beautiful, but in a match like the one against Brighton the other day, we would have gotten chances and maybe even scored a goal.

Think of the team we had with Rondon - we actually played really well and the players knew what their roles were. Now they look like headless chickens; and that's my biggest problem with Bruce - everything seems so random under him. That's good when we win, but then you know it's a fluke.

We had one shot on target the whole game against Spurs. That's appalling for me. On the flipside, you can't feel bad for Spurs (ever) - they didn't take their chances and you need to do that at this level, even in order to beat a sh!t team like us...

totally agree with every word said here

[Jammy89]

Say what you want about Rafa - he was very defensive-minded, yes - but for one, he had a system in place that ensured a solid defensive effort which allowed the attacking players to go forward. It wasn't always beautiful, but in a match like the one against Brighton the other day, we would have gotten chances and maybe even scored a goal.

Think of the team we had with Rondon - we actually played really well and the players knew what their roles were. Now they look like headless chickens; and that's my biggest problem with Bruce - everything seems so random under him. That's good when we win, but then you know it's a fluke.

We had one shot on target the whole game against Spurs. That's appalling for me. On the flipside, you can't feel bad for Spurs (ever) - they didn't take their chances and you need to do that at this level, even in order to beat a sh!t team like us...

Well said.

I would feel sorry for another team but Spurs can go **** themselves after the way they got involved in our takeover.