This Week’s Manager Watch: Ryan Mason

[Impspur1]

Credit for dropping Dier and playing Emerson at RCB.

Something non of his esteemed pre predecessors had the foresight to do

 

[Impspur1]

Got to hand it to Mason.
Shows he isnt afraid to try new things and personnel.
Dier has been on borrowed time for a while now.
Would be surpised if he features much now in the last few games

Well you shouldn’t change a wining team and be very surprised if he does

 

[mil1lion]

Congrats on the win but it was another poor game and too passive. Definitely not the fight for your place performance from the players.
He's making some good decisions though and was happy to see him drop Dier which I wasn't sure he would do.
Not who I want in charge yet but he is showing potential to be our future manager.

 

[DJS]

Credit to him for the line-up and tweaking things a little.

Under Conte got so used to the rigid 3-4-3 and persistence with Dier in middl and attacking centre backs either side of him.

 

[Locotoro]

Second half has shown how limited he is IMO.

Needs a few more seasons under his belt, he isn't anywhere near a top 4 manager yet.

Can you elaborate on this?

I thought we were very comfortable in the second half and rarely looked in any trouble.

 

[Silky Skills]

Palace failed to create much but it was hardly a high octane swashbuckling performance from ourselves

 

[Locotoro]

One thing no one is mentioning...
I didn't see the inevitable dropping back on to the penalty box line that usually comes late in the game. That is entirely down to Mason's tactics. He said that he wanted to engage Palace further up the pitch and stop them entering the final third.

Not my first or second choice for manager but credit due.

 

[easley91]

Well you shouldn’t change a wining team and be very surprised if he does

Lenglet looked in a lot of pain. So we'll have to see how his shoulder is in a week.

 

[easley91]

Palace failed to create much but it was hardly a high octane swashbuckling performance from ourselves

After conceding 12 in 3 games I think it could be forgiven that we were more focused on the defensive side of things..

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

After conceding 12 in 3 games I think it could be forgiven that we were more focused on the defensive side of things..

Yep. First clean sheet in 9 games, new defensive approach that included extra help from the wider centre backs covering the wing backs, better dropping in from Hojbjerg or Skipp when this happened, higher line of engagement. There was even a clear plan for break always with Skipp as deep cover (since he offers no aerial threat at corners) and Sonny seemingly assigned to chase back as the quickest player we have.

Was so important to get some confidence in the defensive unit, particularly after the last few games. Can’t be swashbuckling every time.

No chance he’ll get the job but maybe it was a good audition for a team like Palace (assuming Hodgson doesn’t stay on long term)

 

[sparx100]

Can you elaborate on this?

I thought we were very comfortable in the second half and rarely looked in any trouble.

I am probably wrong but i thought they held onto the ball better in the second half than us. I think they had a good couple of chances with Kane clearing off the line, Zaha not being too far away with an effort and Dier getting his head onto the ball from a corner which was being lined up to reach 3 of their players.

Nothing major, but I just didn't feel we controlled the ball as we did first half.

 

[UncleBuck]

I don't disagree with too much of that. My issue with Mason getting it now is we all know we need a rebuild, be it an impact rebuild where we splash the cash, or over a number of windows. I'm just not sure Levy won't just ignore Ryan when he asks for specifics. Whatever you say about Mason the only thing on his CV that warrants him even getting a sniff of this are his ties to the club. I worry Levy would walk all over him because well quite frankly he'd have done him a favour giving him the job with no managerial CV to speak of. I think I'd be happier giving Mason the chance if we had a strong DOF that believed in him at the club to fight his corner. IMO he isn't ready yet to deal with all the bullshit, certainly not on his own anyway.

Totally agree, if Conte and Jose couldn’t sing from the same hymn sheet as DL then Mason would be eaten alive.

 

[Spurs4CL]

Congrats on the win but it was another poor game and too passive. Definitely not the fight for your place performance from the players.
He's making some good decisions though and was happy to see him drop Dier which I wasn't sure he would do.
Not who I want in charge yet but he is showing potential to be our future manager.

Disagree. Wholeheartedly. We dominated the ball, barely looked troubled defensively, and pressed reasonably however, it was a TEAM performance and that matters most to me right now. They wanted it today.

 

[mil1lion]

Disagree. Wholeheartedly. We dominated the ball, barely looked troubled defensively, and pressed reasonably however, it was a TEAM performance and that matters most to me right now. They wanted it today.

I wouldn't say we didn't look troubled. There were a few set pieces we looked shaky with and Andersen came close a few times, plus Zaha came very close with his effort towards the top corner. We also didn't do enough with the ball , were still very slow from the back and often not much play through midfield. Very slow tempo again but we did dig deep and dig out a win which given we went 5 without a win is good.

 

[Japhet]

What a blessed relief to have things changed up a bit and get away from the mind numbing predictability of the past couple of years. Mason puts Conte to shame for recognizing problems and trying to do something about it. He made some brave decisions yesterday with a back 4, Porro playing more in midfield, Emerson as a RCB, Lenglet back in, dropping Dier and having Richarlison doing the leg work up front. Yes, we could do with a bit more in midfield, but Bissouma was on the bench and will surely figure soon. At last I can retire my Groundhog Day gif which has been used repeatedly when the team/formation has been announced.

 

[jonnie83]

I don’t think Mason is the permanent answer but the decision to hand it to Stellini looks worse and worse after every game. Mason has at least got the effort back into the team, if he got the gig when Conte left top 4 might still be on

 

[Spursmatty87]

If he follows up dropping Dier with dropping Hojbjerg for Bissouma then I’m fully on board the Mason train.
Seriously though palace would be a good place to go even if was as assistant to Roy with the view to taking over the following summer.

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

I am probably wrong but i thought they held onto the ball better in the second half than us. I think they had a good couple of chances with Kane clearing off the line, Zaha not being too far away with an effort and Dier getting his head onto the ball from a corner which was being lined up to reach 3 of their players.

Nothing major, but I just didn't feel we controlled the ball as we did first half.

@Locotoro this pretty much nailed it but I’ll add that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves over a 1-0 victory at home to a Palace side that hasn’t won much in the past 5 fixtures.
Credit where it’s due for the change (Royal for Dier) and for the slightly more upbeat performance but we saw the same when JM left the club. It’s natural that the players will bounce a bit. We also have nothing to lose so Mason is more inclined to try new things.

It will take a lot more than yesterday’s game to convince me he’s anywhere near good enough to lead us full time, and I stand by what I said.

He needs more time in a managerial position for us to see his full potential and to know whether or not he’s good enough for a top 4 side.

I think a lot of people are getting ahead of themselves in here.

 

[Locotoro]

@Locotoro this pretty much nailed it but I’ll add that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves over a 1-0 victory at home to a Palace side that hasn’t won much in the past 5 fixtures.
Credit where it’s due for the change (Royal for Dier) and for the slightly more upbeat performance but we saw the same when JM left the club. It’s natural that the players will bounce a bit. We also have nothing to lose so Mason is more inclined to try new things.

It will take a lot more than yesterday’s game to convince me he’s anywhere near good enough to lead us full time, and I stand by what I said.

He needs more time in a managerial position for us to see his full potential and to know whether or not he’s good enough for a top 4 side.

I think a lot of people are getting ahead of themselves in here.

Oh I agree. I think he needs to do more to prove himself as being ready for the job. But I did think the performance was still very comfortable compared to many of the other performances we've seen over the last two months.

To your point, Mason is inexperienced and needs more time however if we're being linked with Alonso who in my view has still done very little then I don't see why Alonso is a better choice

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

Oh I agree. I think he needs to do more to prove himself as being ready for the job. But I did think the performance was still very comfortable compared to many of the other performances we've seen over the last two months.

To your point, Mason is inexperienced and needs more time however if we're being linked with Alonso who in my view has still done very little then I don't see why Alonso is a better choice

If it came down to Alonso vs Mason it’s a very different discussion IMO, both would represent a rebuilding period where we won’t be expected to perform straight away, and then arguably Mason would be the better option.

If we are going to rebuild but still try for top 4 and a trophy, we’re going to need experience and that’s where JN, Slot etc take preference for me.

Im very keen to see how we fair for the rest of the season though, and I hope Mason keeps the improvements coming.