Parker Pen

Lee Congerton for torching all the money by recruiting bang average players and giving them ridiculous contracts! Fits in well now with all the crooks in Italian football. Top ultimately for sticking with Crudkin and allowing appointments like Congerton. A complete overhaul is required not the marking of your own homework that was carried out at the end of 22/23 season.

Callum Britain from Blackburn was decent against us last season.

Crudkin has without doubt become our equivalent of Grimer Wormtongue! However since the halycon days of Steve Walsh we were wobbling on the recruitment front before Lee Congerton came along lining his pockets and signing shite on extended contracts! He is a complete crook and Sunderland are now only now this season showing signs of recovering from his dealings there. It’s interesting from reading an earlier post that quoted a Brentford fan saying we were the worst team that they have played at this level! How we have fallen since being 2-0 at home in the summer sunshine of August 22 against them when TCR took Dewsbury Hall off. Like most people on here I feel we are all incandescent at the missed opportunities time after time since 15/16.

Tony Cottee, Muzzy, Alan Young and Bob Hazell!

He does a lot of pointing and moaning so would fit in well! At least he can head the ball and does actually read the game and covers quite well. Massive upgrade in what we have. I’d have him back just for that last minute Man U 2-2 equaliser!

Probably doesn’t like the finger being pointed at him and gives it back to the Manager! If he has pulled a sicky at half time then that’s spineless. Or is that RVN subbing him following a row?

Translate that win percentage to us this year moving forward with a handful of draws and we make 40 pts!

On reflection when Enzo was poached by Chelsea all the hard work of last season was undone as everything was set up for him, Vestergaard signing another 3 years, Vardy another one year, all the scouting. Along came Cooper who tried to copy his playing style having read about it or watched it back without the same tactical understanding or man management to implement it! The players are now a confused shambles.

I agree if you wind the clock back to the relegation season Kasper if he stayed gets us the extra points to keep us up as like Mads it’s the timing of the saves they make in the match that keeps you in a game and also inspires the back line and lifts the crowd!

Some observations from me; as well as the embarrassing performance from Ward, Anthony Taylor was poor first half as well and had eyes only for Wolves, he was conned too readily by the clutching of the shin and rolling around and awarding of cheap free kicks to them. You would hope that Vardy takes one of this two first half chances. I can’t believe we paid £25 million for Skipp either, games seem to pass him by and he adds nothing physically. Ayew is horribly off the pace when he starts a match and should only be used off the bench. Soumare did try his best but was at fault for not tracking Cunha. He even beat himself in the second half with a step over that set up a Wolves counter attack Vestergaard and a Coady weren’t physical enough for the first goal either from a straight chipped ball from their defence. I would expect Vestergaard to win that challenge and also Coady to get across and block the shot! Half arsed mediocrity on Hollywood wages!

Our fate was sealed when he was named in the starting lineup! I knew then we would lose. Poor positioning, no anticipation, can’t sort his feet and appears to dive too late every time!

I agree and it’s their Physicality that they have that makes them so competitive in that area. Guimaraes and Joelinton against Skipp and Hamza says it all really! With a fit Wilf and Soumare you have half a chance, but when Hamza can’t find a blue shirt and we kept losing possession no wonder they overran us as they need no encouragement to step onto you. Then add Danny ‘dad dive’ into the mix. That’s a massive difference, Mads and Kasper before him kept us in games with crucial saves at important times, and they both berate and organise the defence. He is a career back up keeper for a reason.

I think the most important thing on the back of three straight defeats is to not lose. So if that means sorting out the defensive shape in game1 of the Ruud era then so be it. We need to be looking at 6 or 7 points in the next 5 games if we are going to give ourselves a fighting chance of staying up!

I would have them in today if I was Ruud! He needs to find a good balance and get players who are good on the ball in the final third into the starting 11, as well a culling the likes of Soumare and Ayew (from starting).

I do like Steve Cooper but I have come to the decision as a result of our performances over the last 4 matches that he is not the right man for us. He is the sort of bloke you want coaching your under 18s or 21s not first team! He is not a leader and doesn’t inspire the team. A good example is how at last chance saloon the players took two quick free kicks in a state of panic rather than looking to the sidelines for inspiration where a good manager will be shouting instructions. No plan! We are too passive and beige plus I feel that in the final third we aren’t creating enough opportunities as the belief is/has drained away. Plus the best chances always seem to fall to Ndidi. Fair play to him for being in those positions but do we want a more capable player in there and Nidid further back!

Man U were poor and were definitely there for the taking! Unfortunately the team don’t have any belief in how they are being asked to play. A hybrid Enzo system without ‘Enzo’ telling the team exactly what he wants or when and how to attack, press etc. Its time to phone a friend Steve! At times we played some ok stuff in midfield but failed to either play the right final pass or convert the chance - Ndidi first half one on one. Another example was the shambles of a free kick in the second half. Just why? 5 corners to their one as well and we have a specialist set piece coach and nothing created. Add into the mix you never ever get anything other than a home refereeing performance at Old Trafford so you have to show up not gift wrap a home win for the tourists to film.

I still don’t know whether we are scoring and getting our points because of him or despite him! To go from Enzo to Cooper are to polar opposites in management style and approach, this is the problem for the squad!

He played well last night, full of running and energy, wanted to get on the ball and make things happen! Took his chance very well! Considering it was our reserves against pretty much their first 11 overall he didn’t look out of place at that level!

Dreadful last night, no first touch, weak in the challenge, can’t pass or dribble! He has always been poor though even remembering back to his Bristol City days and the amount of sitters he used to miss! Terrible signing for us up there with Bertrand and Dennis Wise.

Played well last night and was unlucky not to make it 5-3! He is like that kid at school who looks electric with the ball at his feet in the playground or in 5 aside but put him in an 11 aside game and he is lost!

Good analysis. I think Cooper is definitely caught between attacking with two wingers or utilising the full backs as he has been doing as you point out he is fearful of getting caught in transition and would explain his more cautious approach to matches. I think his cavalier approach when he was at Forest in their opening 10 or so games when newly promoted plays heavily on his current decision making. It was nice to see an improvement with the set play stats you provided as well. Overall though I hope he settles for the Enzo style two winger attacking system as the season continues as we definitely have the attacking personnel to hurt teams!

Great piece as always. One thing I disagree with though is that we did deserve to be back in the game at 2-2 as the players dug in second half. The balls into space behind their full backs were where we could and should have exploited them more with willing runners. It almost worked late on as you described as Ayew blew a great opportunity late on with a dreadful first touch. At best we score or get a corner but to give them a tame goal kick allowed them to build the pressure which saw them score from the corner was criminal. I felt the substitutions were again wrong and feel like keeping Wilf further up the pitch late in the game means we can keep their midfield and back line under pressure. When he dropped alongside Winks with Skipp going off I feel we drop even deeper and Wilf gets in the way. its the hope that kills you though.

Thanks Strider I really enjoy your tactical analysis and breakdown of the matches and it does make me wonder with all the staff and analysts as their disposal why Rodgers, Enzo and Cooper get their substitutions more often than not wrong. Especially changing to a back 5 without a successful outball plan!

Gutted we didn’t get something out of the game as I felt we battled away throughout but just lacked quality in the final third and felt Villa were bang average and full of shithousery. At home I don’t feel we need a midfield 3 of Winks, Ndiidi and Skipp and would rather see one of either Facundo or Bilal start instead moving forward . Mavadidi for me has to start as does Ricardo. We were punished for the first switching off and by a fine headed goal for the second. The standard of refereeing fell far below what we were experiencing last season and the decision for the free kick that led to their first goal poor especially as Skipp received a yellow card for it. Back to talking about refs and VAR decisions rather than football.

Very frustrating that he’s decided to sulk and walk away already. He potentially has good transfer resale as he’s an International and we can replace him with someone in the Walshy or Matt Elliot mould.