Dahnsouff

Ok, but it’s hard to say with Ricky, he has no doubt been one of our best players for quite a few years, but what has happened to him? We assume nothing as we like our favourites but Tranmere was an eye opener.

You started by saying he should know his starting XI by now, to which I said he has not the had the full squad up until recently, so it is more likely it won’t yet be possible. Then you said he should be playing Ricky, which is fair enough, but it is not the same topic was my response. Feels like another ‘Cooper is a bad guy’ type post was all.

Is that same topic then?

He did not have all those players for those 9 games though, this is what the next two weeks is for surely?

Obviously BDCR is clearly a very small typo for Bilal El Khannouss and Ayew for Buonanotte.....

This I agree with, its a sound plan but our defence is questionable as to if it is capable of carrying it out, the 3 games suggest not! Replacing Wilf with an AM from the off seems such an obvious thing to do. Mavididi on the left from the start I am unsure on, as he clearly had their RB on toast multiple times later in the game, and not sure this would have been quite the case early doors. (maybe he would )

Did I say the plan was too concede two goals? Keep it tight and then attack is not bad but he clearly needs to improve this plan further

....and within 2-3 months plenty of people were ready to chase him out of town for being boring, guess the practice has meant we can start early this time around.

Shhh. Ayew is decent and will be a good acquisition for us this season.

Seems clear he is trying to make us tight defensively and then attack later in the game, but this plan ain’t right right now, we are the defence in an attack v defence drill for ~ 60 minutes. He needs to change the ratio of attackers/defenders, start on AM from the off with intent to pin the back a bit more and then he needs to be brave when making subs imo, like even at half time.

You are just rearranging the same words in every post - we get it. Hope we see a more attacking evolution of his plan (first half) over the break, then let’s see how he does. Potter is a builder, he would not be an answer in this one shot season, but could have been a better longer term option imo.

Start Ricky at AM.

That makes no sense, as Ricky showed last season he is capable of playing beside Winks.

Stop already!!! No football game is played over 60 minutes! It’s as bad as just looking at the last 20-30 minutes in isolation and claiming something positive. A plan is 90 minutes, Cooper has not got it right(needs some attack at least in the first ‘period’ to prevent them attacking quite so much) but it looks like there is a plan for 90 minute’s, but as I say, he has not yet got it right. He now must get it right over the 2 weeks international break.

On this line, I see Finners state this as well, why do you think what worked late in the game would work early in the game? Isn’t the introduction of our attackers late on, just part of the plan (against more tired legs) ? I am curious as surely we would fully expect us to be less productive earlier in games, but maybe people see it different?

RIP Sol. Too young.

Picking out individual moments and declaring it as failure is flawed in isolation as the game, the plan if you like, is made for 90 minutes not 2 minutes here and there. There is some sense in what Cooper is trying to do, keep it tight, unleash the attackers on tired defenders, and get something from the game, but I am unconvinced it’s practical with the quality of defenders we have, and I also cannot see how starting one of our AM’s instead of Wilf would lose us much solidity either. But now it is time to get the tactical plan solidified during the 2 week break now all transfers are in house and training together.

Watching MOTD and specifically there Brentford v Saints game, reckon this is what it would have been like for us if Enzo was still here? Hard to think otherwise tbh, and I was a big supporter of Enzo.

That’s because you are not looking as closely

Could he not just be unfit? Ricky just does not seem the sort to cause an issue worth leaving him out of the team. If Ricky is looking anything like last season then Cooper would be shooting himself in the foot in not picking him. A weird one.

Agree, that system would be very porous in midfield

Sorry was not trying to suggest that’s the only place this is where the dislike originates from. I realise we see different things, and tactically today we were clearly seeming to stifle them and then breaking when we have won possession, this only really likely to bear fruit when you move at pace and have a provider to thread the passes. We started without such a player and focused instead on damage prevention which is tedious, but I see the why. Then they scored. . For me he should have two weeks to work with the complete squad (excluding internationals) during the international break and then we should expect improvements from an attacking perspective as there is much scope to do so. On the flip side I have concerns that we will not improve much defensively from here.

You seem to have a massive bug up your ass about Cooper. Is it the Forest connection? He has not been great, but has been ….ok… Hopefully the litmus test after the 2 week break will show something conclusive too me.

It seems like he has the keep it tight mentality, then unleash the attacking creativity later in the game

He didn’t, he started 2 CDM’s and Wilf. I have no idea what Wilf is these days, beyond being a football repulsion device that is.