A few questions...

[toptoon]

Lack of pace as opposed to what?

We need someone to link up the play between midfield and defence, because as plain as day no one is doing that now.

Bruno has the vision and can play the pass, yeah, he does have a lack of pace but it is still a dedicated 6-like job he can do and have a great view of what is happening as captain.

Again, I can’t fathom why people are even suggesting swapping roles… the aren’t even getting 1 role right at the minute, wtf do you think will happen if we try and make it more complicated for them?

Er, lack of pace as opposed to….lots of pace?

These are professional footballers (not 10 year olds) - they should be able to handle different roles.

[Nufcian]

Er, lack of pace as opposed to….lots of pace?

These are professional footballers (not 10 year olds) - they should be able to handle different roles.

So he’s quick enough to play an attacking role then is he? Pace in defence isn’t the end all and be all, if it was then should we be playing Krafth instead of Burn?

If you think we will go from playing poorly to players swapping roles on the fly to confuse opposition teams then I have some magic beans to sell you 🤣

[toptoon]

Have you not seen how teams have played through the middle against us on the counter attack this season?
Your solution is to put our most creative (but slow) central midfielder protecting our, relatively slow, centre back pairing?

It might work in some situations/games - it wonÂ’t in others. I think you have quite a low opinion of our playersÂ’ quality if you feel they canÂ’t adapt to play different midfield roles and, if so, they have no place playing in the PL.

[Nufcian]

Have you not seen how teams have played through the middle against us on the counter attack this season?
Your solution is to put our most creative (but slow) central midfielder protecting our, relatively slow, centre back pairing?

It might work in some situations/games - it wonÂ’t in others. I think you have quite a low opinion of our playersÂ’ quality if you feel they canÂ’t adapt to play different midfield roles and, if so, they have no place playing in the PL.

Yes, teams are attacking us through the middle… so why wouldn’t we want someone playing a more dedicated role as a 6 to stop that… you’ve giving a reason to do that instead of arguing against it.

He’s not quick… you know who else isn’t quick… Busquets… but he’s does a ‘passable’ job 🤦*♂️

This isn’t Championship Manager, we’re struggling with whatever tactics Howe is trying to give the players, it’s not going to be a press of a button then they’ll not only play what they are being asked to do well, but be able to change on the fly.

Or… are you saying Howe is at fault? If the players can just swap between roles on the fly is this down to him not being able to effectively coach and instruct the players? If they are that capable and it should be that easy, then you must be saying the manager isn’t good enough?

[toptoon]

[QUOTE=Nufcian;40590369]Yes, teams are attacking us through the middle… so why wouldn’t we want someone playing a more dedicated role as a 6 to stop that… you’ve giving a reason to do that instead of arguing against it.[\QUOTE]

Mate, I’m suggesting a 4-2-3-1.
[QUOTE]
He’s not quick… you know who else isn’t quick… Busquets… but he’s does a ‘passable’ job 🤦*♂️
[\QUOTE]

I believe Busquets played mainly in a 4-2-3-1 formation?

This isn’t Championship Manager, we’re struggling with whatever tactics Howe is trying to give the players, it’s not going to be a press of a button then they’ll not only play what they are being asked to do well, but be able to change on the fly.

Or… are you saying Howe is at fault? If the players can just swap between roles on the fly is this down to him not being able to effectively coach and instruct the players? If they are that capable and it should be that easy, then you must be saying the manager isn’t good enough?

Interesting to see comments about championship manager and changes ‘on the fly’ in the same paragraph.

A good team performance isn’t just down to the manager and the players have to hold their hands up too. The finishing, for example, was abysmal on Saturday and no amount of formation switching will remedy that.

[Nufcian]

[QUOTE=toptoon;40590460][QUOTE=Nufcian;40590369]Yes, teams are attacking us through the middle… so why wouldn’t we want someone playing a more dedicated role as a 6 to stop that… you’ve giving a reason to do that instead of arguing against it.[\QUOTE]

Mate, I’m suggesting a 4-2-3-1.

He’s not quick… you know who else isn’t quick… Busquets… but he’s does a ‘passable’ job 🤦*♂️
[\QUOTE]

I believe Busquets played mainly in a 4-2-3-1 formation?


Interesting to see comments about championship manager and changes ‘on the fly’ in the same paragraph.

A good team performance isn’t just down to the manager and the players have to hold their hands up too. The finishing, for example, was abysmal on Saturday and no amount of formation switching will remedy that.

I’d not ruled out not even suggested a new formation, and I’d not say no to a 4-2-3-1… I just think we need someone to play the No 6 role, and it’s not like I am suggesting Bruno never got forward, just would need to pick when to get forward (like Rice is evolving).

Earlier in this post, and others recently, I have said we need to look at our brand/style of football, because all I am seeing is a 4-3-3 with players not playing like a team and it being very slow from back to front, and no link between defence and midfield… 4-2-3-1 does the job.

Not even sure why mentioning Championship Manager and changes on the fly in the same sentence is “interesting”? Could be because I’ve never played it since the 90/91 version and this is something it either notoriously allows or doesn’t?

[Guybrush]

I think we’ve seen the drop off because of the change to our style of play.

IMHO I would think it’s EH doubting himself and feeling the pressure to deliver.

He had a fantastic brand coming here… true cavalier football!

Which is great when he can’t do any wrong and there’s no pressure on him to actually achieve anything other than create a bit of optimism… and a bit of space between ourselves and the drop zone.

So, first season… easy for EH… play how he knows, no pressure… we win some, we lose some.

Season 2… no pressure, what’s the expectation here? Top half finish and build from there… job done!

To well though, CL qualification and the pressure is now on… hope is replaced by expectation and it’s a different ball game.

We’ve gone from hoping to win a match, to expecting to take the points… we finished 4th… we know we can beat anyone… we’ve prove that.

With that expectation comes fear, fear to drop points… so we change tactics - instead of hung ho, nothing to lose football… going out to win, but doesn’t matter if we lose…

We start playing ‘must not lose’ football!

Those wins becomes draws, as we look to see out games defensively rather than on the front foot.

We change our style completely…

High press, quickly winning the ball back and attacking before they know what’s hit them…

To a defensive, let them at us… building an attack from our own box… a whole pitch in front of us now instead of their last defender and keeper.

Takes a few more passes to get the ball up the other end, opposition have time to regroup in to their defensive positions…

And that’s where we’re screwed!!!

We now have to find a way through 6/7/8 players rather than 2 or 3.

Shots become harder to come by and further away from the goal. It becomes more difficult to the ball to Isaks feet, or for Gordon to round half a team rather than just their number 1!

In essence, I think I’m saying that EH and the squad is feeling the pressure of expectation rather than the pleasure of hope.

And that’s where I think the team have been let down by the lack of summer investment.

Get EH the players he needs to play the football he is good at… it’s about improving the first team, not just improving the squad.

A couple of players a season and you’ll see the progress… the last window has set us back 2 or 3… because we didn’t strengthen the first team… our rivals did, so they get ahead, we didn’t so we fall further behind.

We see it in the teams like West Brom of old… they come up and up to between the leagues.

They had their front foot brand of football. They had the players to succeed in championship, but not in the prem…


There was no expectation - so they kept at it even against the better opposition, it was ok, they expected to go down - their business model was based on their parachute payments! A little investment could see them stay up, but they didn’t have owners that wanted that.

With Us!!! We had that style… we did well, but the players we had/have had their limitations - how many of that squad played championship football for us??

Yes, we had investment to take us to the next stage… but it stopped, hence the stagnation now… if the right signings could have been made, EH could have kept his style knowing we have 2/3 better players than last season to help lift his style of play.

Instead we are a poorer team (due to others improving) but with the same level of expectation on EHs shoulders!

So, my thoughts are, if you expect more, you
Need to give more. As it stands, the weight of expectation has been adversely affecting the style of football we want to see!

We want to / expect to win something soon! And that means not losing.

[Jammy89]

In essence, I think I’m saying that EH and the squad is feeling the pressure of expectation rather than the pleasure of hope.

That's a great way of putting it.