foxfan92

Now lets take off anyone creative and go ultra defensive to hold on to this against 10 men.

Can only assume - as I've said in previous posts - he's trying to distance himself from the way Enzo played - regardless of how much it is impacting our performances.

Imagine if we had a decent full back on the bench to replace JJ when he's having a bad game ...

We just scored - we've looked a bit better - far too creative for Steve

Are you mad? We're saving Ayew for the Forest game!

Wuhoo - finally caught up ... look what happens when we can attack down both flanks

5 at the back with Mav and Fatawu acting as wingbacks??

Wonder what the odds are that the first sub Cooper makes is Ayew on??? To be honest it'll be the same team back out there in the second half then around 70 mins it'll be Edouard for Vardy - and then no more subs until around the 90th min by which time we're 4 nil down.

As bad as JJ has been what are the chances Ricky P gets any time whatsoever to play in this game (or any other this season it seems ...)??? And even though we need to do something drastic to turn this game around I bet Fatawu only comes on for the last 5 to 10 mins - and in place of Mavididi when he does....

I can only assume you mean us with that comment? We've not managed a single shot on target and we're slightly fortunate not to be 3 down.

At least Cooper keeps us consistent - seem to very often have zero shots on goal in the first half - even against Walsall ....

You can't play attacking, exciting football against poor opposition - you might accidently win a game.

just happened on my stream - nice to be up to speed ...

Lol - I was writing exactly this! - Although I'd take N'didi off.

Still not sure it will though Interested to hear from those fans still defending Cooper after this first half showing We embarrassed them in both games last season - this is a direct comparison between the style of play under Enzo and Cooper - since both teams have come up together - and we're lucky it isn't worse than this. Oh great and our most exciting attack minded player looks injured too...

thanks ... although i am beginning to wish i hadn't bothered now ...

My stream isn't working. I clearly like to torture myself and watch this rubbish. Anyone got a working link please?

Some on here seem to be trolling by defending the indefensible!

Still no Ricky P either by the looks of it.

I'd argue we've been lucky and still losing, which is surely not a situation you'd like to be in. We're fortunate Mads hasn't only made the step up to the Premier league but has been exceptional, arguably our best player this season and keeping the scorelines respectable. Imagine if we'd played as we have this season but with Ward between the posts instead... Villa have shown what a team coming back up with a good keeper can do if managed correctly. What's the point of "being in a game" if we ultimately keep losing or only scraping draws anyway? At best we've managed a passable 45 mins in each game but each match we seen a woeful 45 mins of negativity too. We've played 7 games, and not once said that was a good 90 minutes, how long do we continue to put up with inconsistent performances throughout the game? If we can play well or competitively for 45 mins of a game why can't we sustain that? And why are we seeing continously negative tactics against opposition we should be beating, like Everton who'd been woeful and had such injury problems when we faced them...? If he thinks this is working I suggest he goes back and thinks again.

Whichever it is he needs to evolve as a manager and learn to adapt his thinking or kindly step aside so someone more able takes over please.

Couldn't agree more. I'd love Cooper to prove us all wrong and go on and succeed in the long term, helping guide us towards a team competing with best again, fighting for a European place, and comfortably finishing top half of the table most seasons, which seemed to be the direction we were heading in not too long ago .... (I'm not suggesting this season - I'm talking long term direction). I'm someone who normally defends the manager, and argues we should get behind him and the team. I think the difference between the normal first few months of a new manager coming in and this season is just the way we seem so negative right from the start. Think about Rodgers when he first arrived, and the victories we enjoyed (including funnily enough given our opposition today - the famous 9-0 drubbing of Southampton). I struggle to think of a manager who's come and not brought some optimism with their first few games. (Not including interim managers). Pearson won manager of the month in August the first time he took over (yes we had just gone down to the 3rd tier, but he started our recovery on the front foot). Eriksson drew his first game but won the second, Ranieri ... well we know how well his first season went, my old late friend Shakespear had an amazing first few games, we went on a fantastic run initially, Puel started brightly.... we can even go further back and managers who ultimately didn't work out like Peter Taylor still started fantastic. He too won manager of the month when he first started, taking us to top of the Premier league and even managing England for a game ... the less said of what followed the better. The only exception is Paulo Sousa, who was gone by this time when he was in charge. My point is the negative way Cooper sets us up has meant we've struggled to get the good start we historically get from new managers (at least in the last roughtly 20 years or so). We've not warned to him because we seem to be ignoring everything Enzo had us doing well last year, the more exciting players are getting no game time, and the replacements are uninsiping and not seemingly justifying their place in the team. And yet Cooper has stubbornly refused to even entertain the idea of trying what worked before. Yes, it's a harder league than last season, but it's almost like to escape Enzo's shadow, Cooper is just going to stubbornly, (yes I keep using this adjective but I think it fits him well), persist with a team that's struggling to create chances, because some of our more attack minded players aren't getting game time, in order to stamp his mark on our team, even if its detrimental to our progression in the short and long term. I worry today's lineup will see us playing a team Cooper will argue is more balanced, but in reality stunts our attacks, and is anything but. We need to allow ourselves to take the handbrake off, it'll ease up the pressure we have to endure for long periods if we're able to attack more. Free Ricardo - play Fofana and Mavididi in the same starting 11, and go for it. It's not too late to change people's mind - if Cooper has truly reflected on the start during the international break, and re-evalued his own philosophy to find one that better suits the players we have in our team, to play to our own strengths, but the ever growing pessimist in me fears he's too stubborn to do that.

This is exactly the lineup I'd like to see. (Possibly N'didi for Winks on current form...) Won't be happening though

But what about Ayew...???

Soumare playing for us in the Premier League before Ricardo. Can only assume Pereira ran over Cooper's dog or something just before the season started.