►►►►►► Match Ratings VS Queens Park Rangers ◄◄◄◄◄◄

Hard to chose a MOM for many reasons, but I went for VdV because he kept going, and didn't give up, didn't hide.

has to be gio, he was crap for the least amount of time.

I cant be bothered rating that

Not having Ade was a big loss, massive actually.

That being said the difference between this game and the Sunderland game is very simple mate....significance. Firstly Sunderland is a difficult place to go and although we were pretty flat it was a decent point...and we had Norwich to think about after.

Since then we've been embarrassed at home by Norwich and then there was the dumping out of the Cup.

Honestly Steve, I expected a lot more in terms of fight today. This is what Harry is getting at with his no leaders comments.

I was relatively happy after the Sunderland game, thinking we had a very good chance of collecting 3 points against Norwich.

After all this happening, today's performance was the best we could manage? Utterly weak IMO, and
its like a fecking cancer with us - it really is.

For all our possession, we created very little. Our movement isn't good enough and there is nobody looking to break beyond to drag their defense out of position - it was easy for them in all honesty.

That's what I mean, there wasn't any hunger to make something happen - everybody is waiting for something to happen. Not good enough that in a must win game - for me.

We can't even blame Jenas so we know we're in crisis.

Friedel - 1 Everything he did he fucked up. One free kick and awful distribution.

Walker - 6

King - 5

Gallas - 5

Assou-Ekotto - 5

Modric - 4

Parker - 6

Sandro - 6

Bale - 4 Where were you playing? I suspect it's not your fault, but play on the fucking left ffs.

Van Der Vaart - 7 At least he gives a shit. The only player with any professional pride at the moment

Defoe - 2

SUBS:

Lennon - 6 Now, maybe, when you bring on a right winger, because you realise we have width, you should PLAY HIM ON THE RIGHT FUCKING WING

Rose - 5 Tactical masterstroke

Dos Santos - Who is this guy?

Exactly. So we're not judging games on their merits. H got it masively wrong against Norwich probably with one eye on Chelsea and then heaped all the pressure onto this game, against a team unlike Sunderland who need the points more than we do - in a local derby with their fans going bonkers. And even then it was a shocking goal to give away. This season has gone to shit long before today. We lost games we shouldn't have through shocking mis-management. Now when it becomes shit or bust he picks the right team but has lost the only 2 players capable of holding the ball up...we must hope one or both of them are back next week...most likely they will be but H will play 442 again and throw it away....

our squad needs to spend an hour a week in teh classroom learning about football. tactics,strategies, metalities, etc etc. it is this lack of understanding tactical flexibility that has cost us this season, for example defoe seemingly only knowing how to play in a 442 etc. we have run out of steam and ideas, that is all.

I thought we dominated the game in the 1st half and had 70% possession.

The ref made a cock up for a freekick (that never was) and a poor attempt by Friedel saw us concede a poor goal.

Ekotto was shocking (and has been for a while now) looks like he has over dosed on sleeping pills and we should have replaced him earlier.
We went 4-4-2 by bringing on Lennon for Sandro and we barely created a thing, in fact they looked a lot more dangerous until they went down to 10 men.
Lennon did nothing and hadn't a clue where he was playing.
The big problem we had today was having to play Defoe up top on his own.
As usual his ability to hold the ball is useless and we would have been better off bringing Harry Kane back from loan and playing him.
VDV played some unbelievable balls in from set pieces but unfortunately we haven't anyone in our team who can attack them.

Sometimes you get beat even when doing the right things for the majority of the game and you just have to take it on the chin.

steve said:

Exactly. So we're not judging games on their merits. H got it masively wrong against Norwich probably with one eye on Chelsea and then heaped all the pressure onto this game, against a team unlike Sunderland who need the points more than we do - in a local derby with their fans going bonkers. And even then it was a shocking goal to give away. This season has gone to shit long before today. We lost games we shouldn't have through shocking mis-management. Now when it becomes shit or bust he picks the right team but has lost the only 2 players capable of holding the ball up...we must hope one or both of them are back next week...most likely they will be but H will play 442 again and throw it away....

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Steve judging games on their merits is fine obviously, but they've also got to be judged on circumstances as well I'm afraid.
When the chips are down etc....

There was a moment in the first half that typifies us off the ball...did anyone see Mackie just waltz past Bale and Ekotto? There was another incident were Parker and Modric just let somebody glide into the box unchallenged as well.

Mr Pink said:

Steve judging games on their merits is fine obviously, but they've also got to be judged on circumstances as well I'm afraid.
When the chips are down etc....

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But that doesn't mean anything unless you take into account every factor Pinky and no Ade/Saha today was huge. I understand people's emotional reaction to today's game because not only was it hugely frustrating but it was also the game that saw us drop out of the top 4 BUT we've performed worse than that at times and got better results. What's preceded this game was worse and the lack of confidence isn't helping obviously but without someone holding the ball up we struggled and were always going too...

So, at half time our genius manager replaces Sandro with Lennon. Was he thinking 'I know we need to score so I'll put a winger on to cross the ball in'. Dumb wit we had no one who could head the ball, we had Defoe upfront!

Mr Pink said:

There was a moment in the first half that typifies us off the ball...did anyone see Mackie just waltz past Bale and Ekotto? There was another incident were Parker and Modric just let somebody glide into the box unchallenged as well.

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Ekotto drives me crackers as does Bale. I'd replace Ekotto with Figueroa quite happily. He's technically very good but he's mentally a liability and his attitude at times just sucks...

steve said:

But that doesn't mean anything unless you take into account every factor Pinky and no Ade/Saha today was huge. I understand people's emotional reaction to today's game because not only was it hugely frustrating but it was also the game that saw us drop out of the top 4 BUT we've performed worse than that at times and got better results. What's preceded this game was worse and the lack of confidence isn't helping obviously but without someone holding the ball up we struggled and were always going too...

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Yes mate, its a very fair point.

All I'm saying is that given the circumstances I expected a bigger effort, some real fight. Also we didn't have a target man at Cit away and that was one hell of a comeback, we were inches away from winning it. That was fighting, that was giving a feck....

There just wasn't enough effort mate, and like you said in the match thread before the game kicked off only Zamora would get near our starting eleven.

Never mind recent results, today was a chance to show everybody we were back, that we meant business...we are just devoid of ideas, confidence and hunger to succeed - and its something Harry can't rectify.

The Path of Most Resistance

We have been discussing the way Swansea play a lot over in the Tactical Autopsy thread, one of the criticisms some have of Swansea is that they play too much football in their own half. "They invite you onto them" etc are frequently held up as criticisms of the total passing game.

But days like today, Sunderland, Stoke h, Wolves h, show the logic behind this ethos. How many times over the last few seasons have we watched almost identical games to this. They park, we go methodically forwards like robots.

It's not that we played badly, we didn't, it's not that we didn't put in effort, we did, it's that when you have an ethos that relies heavily on the individual, when those individuals don't pull off the exceptional moment, and you could really do with some tactical assistance from the coach we are a little short.

Minor grumble for me would be in the 3 why not stick Sandro central and have Parker right, Modric left. Seemed to me we had Parker central and Sandro right and Modric left. Or play 4231 and push Modric up in the attacking areas as a RM.

We were quite good first half and were hit by a sucker punch. Why panic - the same tactics failed miserably against Norwich and Chelsea. Lennon came on and decided he wanted to be VDV. Except he's not. And all that happened was again, a congested area just got more congested. Lennon managed to add fuck all to the melange. Except another body.

Games like this our full backs must contribute more. Walker, for the (how many games have we played this season) umpteenth time he delivered not a single quality ball or moment when he did get forward. He bombs forward and gets in good positions then his ideas and ability hit the rev limiter. Defensively he was ok but in a game where we have all the ball and territory that's less impressive. When we haven't he's been bad and we have been slabbed and he's been a major culprit.

Ekotto contributed even less today and defensively was back to his usual casual persona. He ambles towards players who are about to cross, perhaps he feels it would somehow fuck with his ch'i if he were to show tenacious intent ? Who fucking knows. Rose isn't an upgrade but Ekotto was pissing me off so I was non plussed at worst by the sub.

I've skimmed round the forum and there's the usual mass of lemmings chucking themselves off the cliff and then there's the angry "Modric should be dropped" bollocks (with the best suggestion as far as I can see that Livermore is in fact the new messiah), "the players look disinterested" or "Redknapp's a disgrace".

This isn't a case of players being stale or under rotated as far as I can see. The truth is we put in some performances worse than this earlier in the season; were they stale then ? We were gash at places like Blackburn, Fulham, West Brom, Liverpool ?

It is hard to rotate exceptional players for most teams, so much harder to rotate exceptional players when your ethos is biased toward the individual not the team ethos.

We have talented individuals, and our manager has contributed more than just picking the team on many occasions this season, but too often he hasn't or worse his tactical input has been detrimental. This game didn't need Lennon playing through the middle or on the left. We have Parker, Modric, VDV, Bale and (in name at least) Defoe all occupying the central ground. What we needed was to be patient, try to suck QPR out and then hit them with better movement. And if that didn't work we put Lennon on to run at tired legs down the right maybe.

Everyone will be pointing the usual accusing fingers, but just a little tactical craft might just have paid a dividend today, and on quite a few of the days in the last four months. And l must add, that for a club like us finding a tactical genius superior to Redknapp is no easy thing, if you look around the EPL I can't think of a single one who'd come here who be more tactically ingenious.

Which is why when he goes to England I hope we go after Rodgers, because at least if the individuals miss fire you have as a plan B what Arsenal have had for the last 15 years.

Ratings:

Friedel 4 - Is he Robinson's grandad ? The goal was lardy (not for the first time this season). but there was another moment when one of our defenders sliced a clearance high up in the six yard box, the ball stayed up there for about an hour, Friedel just stood there rooted, quivering like the fucking coward he is. Hasn't anyone else noticed how uneasy we look now whenever teams attack. I thought Friedel was supped to inspire confidence ?

Walker 6.5 - Run Forest, run.

Gallas 6 - ok

King 6 - it's horrible watching his decline.

Ekotto 4 - nonchalant fucker.

Sandro 6 - OK

Parker 7- Good-ish.

Modric 6.5 - Tried hard but once we brought Lennon on his job got harder and the area he was trying to operate in got more congested. He seems to take 15-20 minutes to settle away from home as well, and there is usually uncharacteristic ball wastage in this settling in period. I've noticed this often.

VDV 7 - Tried hard but second half had the same problem. Our managers decongested brain made for a congested pitch.

Bale 6.5 - He did try hard to get on the ball, but when everything is congested in front of you and faced with a double wall of opponent it's not always going to happen. He didn't do anything brilliant and he didn't do anything terrible either.

Defoe 4 - Seems harsh on Ekotto to give Defoe the same mark. When not scoring he is moribund.

Lennon 5 - Another brick in the Wall.


Redknapp's 6 - team selection was good - he had no choice but to play Defoe I guess. His first half tactics were OK. The half time sub was pointless and hurt more than it hindered.

Mr Pink said:

Yes mate, its a very fair point.

All I'm saying is that given the circumstances I expected a bigger effort, some real fight. Also we didn't have a target man at Cit away and that was one hell of a comeback, we were inches away from winning it. That was fighting, that was giving a feck....

There just wasn't enough effort mate, and like you said in the match thread before the game kicked off only Zamora would get near our starting eleven.

Never mind recent results, today was a chance to show everybody we were back, that we meant business...we are just devoid of ideas, confidence and hunger to succeed - and its something Harry can't rectify.

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I don't completely disagree Pinky. The City game was a strange one as they gifted us a goal to get back into it and then Bale scored a wonder goal, but City were always set up to give themselves the initiative (and thus us a chance), QPR were not.

The goal today was shocking I thought, badly defended all round. Apart from that they never troubled us again. But H shit it at HT and took off Sandro and the sending off didn't help us as they gave up all pretense of attacking and just camped around the box.

I disagree about hunger to succeed as well - I think the players were desperate to succeed typified by Bale jumping into the crowd to get the ball back, but without a target man, against a team prepared to sit everyone behind the ball on the edge of the box we struggled as we always were going too. I agree they ran out of ideas but it goes to show how important Ade is - our most important player in fact.

I think we'll win next week if Ade is fit and H plays the right team - problem is he's so reactive we just don't know what the line up will be from one week to the next...

steve said:

I don't completely disagree Pinky. The City game was a strange one as they gifted us a goal to get back into it and then Bale scored a wonder goal, but City were always set up to give themselves the initiative (and thus us a chance), QPR were not.

The goal today was shocking I thought, badly defended all round. Apart from that they never troubled us again. But H shit it at HT and took off Sandro and the sending off didn't help us as they gave up all pretense of attacking and just camped around the box.

I disagree about hunger to succeed as well - I think the players were desperate to succeed typified by Bale jumping into the crowd to get the ball back, but without a target man, against a team prepared to sit everyone behind the ball on the edge of the box we struggled as we always were going too. I agree they ran out of ideas but it goes to show how important Ade is - our most important player in fact.

I think we'll win next week if Ade is fit and H plays the right team - problem is he's so reactive we just don't know what the line up will be from one week to the next...

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That was funny when Bale went into the crowd, fair play to him for doing that actually.

I'm still not convinced though, perhaps the nervousness over powers the will to win but for me there isn't wasn't enough determination in the final third, and we lacked movement badly in those areas.

For me, whoever had the ball, we got to a certain area of the pitch and then checked and passed back - a real sign that the movement ahead of the ball carrier isn't good enough.

Collectively there wasn't that mentality to win at all costs - just my opinion though.

Its funny that our best chance came in the second half, they scored in the first...and we still had a similar level of possession in the second.

Bus-Conductor said:

The Path of Most Resistance


Friedel 4 - Is he Robinson's grandad ? The goal was lardy (not for the first time this season). but there was another moment when one of our defenders sliced a clearance high up in the six yard box, the ball stayed up there for about an hour, Friedel just stood there rooted, quivering like the fucking coward he is. Hasn't anyone else noticed how uneasy we look now whenever teams attack. I thought Friedel was supped to inspire confidence ?
.

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well i've defended the shit out of Gomes all last season and again this season saying he should be ahead of friedel who is so painfully average, but unfortunately people only remember the clangers he made, and how friedel inspires confidence and organises our defense so much better, bullshit! i will wait till the season is over to post the stats showing just how leaky we have been this season in comparrison to the previous 2 seasons with Gomes at the back, who comes for crosses and doesnt let every semi decent shot past him. for all his 'clangers' he saved much more than he let in unlike brad