WBA Post match

[reynard]

If I were the owners I would start to worry. The performance today had all the typical hallmarks of a side that will struggle to avoid relegation and frankly a manager that doesn't seem to know what to do.

At present we are not even a modest imitation of last season's team. Our recruitment since January appears to have not really improved the squad at all.

 

The first half was some of the poorest football I have seen from us for a few years.

[Argarath]

Sell. Amartey and Schlupp make king ambassadeur. Get 3 quality midfielders in. Case solved:P

[Guest ttfn]

1 hour ago, reynard said:

 

 

The first half was some of the poorest football I have seen from us for a few years.

This is what so many of the people saying "don't panic" or "we're not in a relegation battle" are missing. 

 

Even in the infamous diamond experiment under Pearson (which coincidentally hit its nadir in a home defeat to West Brom) we created more chances than that.

 

I hesitate to say it's the worst performance since the Barnsley match in 2013 because that was a totally different kind of game (and that game was more reminiscent of the Hull game earlier this season) but it's certainly the most clueless I can remember us looking in possession since the period just after Christmas 2011 when we couldn't put away Ipswich, Portsmouth or Barnsley at home despite having a wealth of attacking talent at our disposal.

 

We had 0 attempts in the first half yesterday. Not 0 on target - 0 total. We literally didn't try to score once until they went 1-0 up.

 

That would be embarrassing away at one of the world's top teams, let alone a home game against a poor West Brom side.

[Benjani]

A lot of people aren't giving west brom the credit they deserve. You all just think because it's little old west brom we should be beating them. 

 

They were sensational I thought, they reminded me of us last season. Quick passing and moving, pace up front with Phillips, hard to break down. You can see pulis is changing there style as they tried to sign schlupp too. 

[NeilLCFC]

Questions really need to be asked about CR before it's too late.

[Benjani]

1 minute ago, NeilLCFC said:

Questions really need to be asked about CR before it's too late.

Coincidence that after he signed a new long deal with probably a very high compensation package promised if he goes all this happens ? 

 

The first deal he signed it would have had a very low release clause

[HighPeakFox]

4 minutes ago, NeilLCFC said:

Questions really need to be asked about CR before it's too late.

Of course they do. How did he get us a draw at Spurs last week, and how has he managed the CL campaign so well thus far? And how did he do last season?

 

Are these the sort of questions you had in mind?

[Happy Fox]

We were too slow and timid with the ball, the players need to realise that every team we play in the league no matter how shit / good they are want to beat us as champions, and I don't believe the players have fully caught that on yet.

 

It's quite shocking to see how much we have regressed from last season, I wasn't expecting us to win the league this season, a top half finish would be fine by me, but we aren't playing anything near enough to what we are capable off and it's quite disheartening to be honest.

 

 

 

 

[weller54]

One year ago today this image was all over social media!. . 

What a difference 12 short months can make! 

[weller54]

7 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

Of course they do. How did he get us a draw at Spurs last week, and how has he managed the CL campaign so well thus far? And how did he do last season?

 

Are these the sort of questions you had in mind?

Let's be honest the teams in our CL group are ALL championship standard at best.. Bruges possibly League one?.. 

[foxinsocks]

There are lots of littke things we need to put right.

Mahrez often runs into traffic... the first time he put ab eatly ball in we scored

Musa offers speed threat and is pretty useful when defending..  he needs to run into the box so defenders are back tracking... he must pull the trigger 

Slimani should look at how ulloa wins the lobg balls

We looked a bigger threat with vardy on

Okazaki is key to avoiding the repetstive long ball...  musa and mahrez get on the ball more wirh shinji on

 

[filbertway]

2 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

Of course they do. How did he get us a draw at Spurs last week, and how has he managed the CL campaign so well thus far? And how did he do last season?

 

Are these the sort of questions you had in mind?

I imagine they'd be more along the lines of why have we have we looked so poor for large parts of this season and why didn't we recruit enough quality during the summer?

 

That's a bit like saying Sunderland are having a blinder of a season, it was a really good three points they got with 10 men against Bournemouth.

 

It's not just Ranieri for me though, the whole club, including a lot of fans have been disappointing. It's like the majoirty have just been drifting through life for the past 6 months not really bothered about the future because we won the league last year. Can't see too much changing before January for us so it's just going to be a case of hoping we churn in some good performances and keep ourselves around the top 10.

 

It's so annoying that we didn't do nearly enough in the summer. Poor pre season and terrible transfer business. On the plus side, i'd like to think the owners have learned from this and we won't make the same mistakes again in the future.

[Solihullfox]

A tired performance for me and probably mentally as well as physically. Everyone knows we are effectively playing with a one man centre midfield with Kingy reverting to type far too often (marking space, not tackling and no forward dynamic) and hardly any other choice as again we all know we are short of bodies in the middle. We must recruit in the January window even if Mendy and James are back. We were always due a lacklustre performance after a Champions League away game and that's what we got. Odd decision to start Slimani as the way to beat West Brom is pace through the middle and Vardy has ripped them to shreds, certainly at the last two games at The Hawthorns. Even when he came on and as has been most of the season there was nothing coming straight through the midfield to Vards for him to run at the defence which is another symptom of there being too much reliance and pressure on Drinky.

 

To put some perspective on it I got a call from my lifelong Baggies friend on my drive home. He is a WBA season ticket holder and goes to probably half their away games each season. He was absolutely delighted with West Brom yesterday and thought that was the most fluid and attacking they have been for a long time. His words "by far and way the best I have seen them play this season, in fact for ages, you may have had an off day but bear in mind we have to watch crap every week so for us today was great"

 

 

 

 

[Rob1742]

It is inevitable. The players we have had a world class season but are not world class.

 

The manager has tried to integrate some more quality into the group to try and keep it going, but that was a big ask and it has not happened.

 

Mahrez will be off to a top class team and we will be fighting to maintain our Premiership future as a team of our level should do.

 

£100k a week contracts will affect players like  Vardy as they have not been brought up in that environment. He had a minder at the player of the year awards, he is living a different life now and it's hard to replicate the hunger he had.

 

We have players in the team or on the bench that are Championsip standard. 

 

So just as mad mad as it was to think we could win the league, it's just as mad thinking that this group can coast being a top half premier league team. 

 

They raise their game for the Champions League, but you imagine how they feel as a group when that ends.

 

Always going to be difficult, but I am sure CR knows the difficulties, hence why he has tried to improve and integrate new players as he will know last season would not be replicated.

 

Our future is reliant on how everybody copes with the fall. The players, the fans and the club.

 

Some fans are falling away already. I know two who decided to watch it on the TV rather than go and it's clear we are not selling out home games. The club is holiding out for the new big money in the hospitality suites, they will have to adapt as the tourists disappear. Then how the players react will be essential to how this all goes.

 

Just remember it was only a year and a half ago we were bankers for relegation, and the squad wasn't massively different. 

 

It is going to be a tough ride and if we don't react in the right manner we could easily be fighting for survival again. We have enough quality to maintain our premiership status, but reacting to the fall could have a negative affect 

 

 

[Livid]

I don't know what the answer is. I'm looking at the players Ranieri was doing his nut in the first half, he obviously didn't send them out to play that way. 

 

The first half half was just nothing we were poor but we weren't 3-0 down either. Whatever was said at halftime apparently had no effect. They came out fired up and deservedly took the lead even then we didn't stir into life until Mahrez found Slimani. I thought  we then got it together but made a mistake which we know will get punished. 

 

I don't know what the answer is but it's frustrating as hell to win the league by 10 points, lose just one player, spend big (for us!) and be taking a step back not forward. I wasn't expecting us to win it but at least be having a go at top six

[GaelicFox]

1 hour ago, Argarath said:

Sell. Amartey and Schlupp make king ambassadeur. Get 3 quality midfielders in. Case solved:P

He is 22 amarty in his first year at a new club in a new league 

 

FFS is everyone on here a plastic ?  the lad needs time before we decide if he is going to make it ! 

 

Jeff should have went to West Brom 

[Argarath]

Just now, GaelicFox said:

He is 22 amarty in his first year at a new club in a new league 

 

FFS is everyone on here a plastic ?  the lad needs time before we decide if he is going to make it ! 

 

Jeff should have went to West Brom 

Ok Amartey for the reserve team

[GaelicFox]

11 minutes ago, Livid said:

I don't know what the answer is. I'm looking at the players Ranieri was doing his nut in the first half, he obviously didn't send them out to play that way. 

 

The first half half was just nothing we were poor but we weren't 3-0 down either. Whatever was said at halftime apparently had no effect. They came out fired up and deservedly took the lead even then we didn't stir into life until Mahrez found Slimani. I thought  we then got it together but made a mistake which we know will get punished. 

 

I don't know what the answer is but it's frustrating as hell to win the league by 10 points, lose just one player, spend big (for us!) and be taking a step back not forward. I wasn't expecting us to win it but at least be having a go at top six

It is frustrating that's a fairly honesty feeling for all of us 

[GaelicFox]

Just now, Argarath said:

Ok Amartey for the reserve team

Ya I don't think that's a bad shout we need a quality midfielder and use Daniel to fill in to allow him to grow and play in domestic cup games 

 

he is too exposed in that position at present and isnt consistent , it's tough for him  

[klrice]

Sorry to the say the foxes played like a club that's lost it will to play and could be heading to the championship, just like Blackburn when they won the Priemeirship, Time starting run out may be its time for a change ?

//

 

/

[Callabinho]

1 hour ago, Benjani said:

A lot of people aren't giving west brom the credit they deserve. You all just think because it's little old west brom we should be beating them. 

 

They were sensational I thought, they reminded me of us last season. Quick passing and moving, pace up front with Phillips, hard to break down. You can see pulis is changing there style as they tried to sign schlupp too. 

**** me lengthways....sensational hahahaha! They did **** all other than sit there and wait for us to try and break them down. They deserve little credit because it was a classic Pulis away set up.

 

We were beaten because we were absolutely appalling, and as many have said that's possibly the worst performance since Barnsley away. It was up to us being the home side to break them down and we just looked like a bunch of rabbits caught in headlights. West Brom will come away from that thanking the heavens......they were poor, but we were utter dog shit.

[Guest MattP]

It was pretty bad and a great shame to see the unbeaten record go to

 

What's worrying is we have gone from knowing our best team to not really having a clue, no one now knows the best wingers, centre midfield or striking partnership.

 

No idea what Albrighton has done wrong.

[suffolk fox]

A general poor performance and too many players underperformed, started by another strange team selection by Claudio who for the first time this season got many things wrong.

 

Team selection.  Why play Slimani when he has missed the last two with a groin strain when Vardy in the last two has begun to look like the Vardy of old with his decisive runs and pulling defenders away.  He put in two good shifts at Spurs and Copenhagen so it was baffling to see him being dropped.  Okazaki and Slimani have never played together as a pair befor and in the first half it showed.

 

tactics.  Any premier league manager can now see how we are trying to play this season.  Get the ball to Drinkwater who then looks up for Mahrez in order to then ping a hopeful ball out to him in order perhaps he can then try to do something.  We tried it all game it rarely worked.  Opposition manager category of Pulis double up defenders on Mahrez we are then clueless what to do.  Mahrez holds onto the ball far too long always try's that cutback onto his other foot.  Defenders have worked it out we are nullified from that point.

 

We play Slimani up front but apart from the goal, which looked offside, how many times did we put a decent cross into the box?  Not once in the first half.  Too much passing sideways and backwards especially in our own half.  Defence and Andy bloody King being culpable here.  King, what does he do?  Passes sideways and backwards the whole game.  Never takes on a man always gets beat in any 50/50 challenge.  Poor player especially at Premier league level.

 

Zieler, I thought Schmichels kicking is poor but Zielers was worse.  Lumped it up in the air with backspin invariably went straight to a six foot plus West Brom defender he did it all game.

 

Our throw ins.  No. Movement whatsoever by any of our players they just standstill.  Hence Fuchs always throws it down the line straight onto opposition heads hence we lose possession straightaway.

 

Musa.  Where was he first half?  Second half he starts to beat his man for pace and it looks as though he may create something his reward, Ranieri substitutes him.  Mistake.

 

We are trying to accommodate too many of our new signings it's not working.

 

Go back to the tried and tested.  Vardy and Okazaki up front Albrighton one side Mahrez the other.  Give the lad Kapustka a chance in midfield drop King.  Tell Drinkwater to stop playing it long he was the main culprit.  If you are playing Slimani up front put some decent crosses into the box.  Mahrez stop trying to beat everyone and deliver the ball quicker we will be ok.

 

We are a decent top half premier league team but we need to start showing it.

[RonnieTodger]

Losing our home record to West Brom is hard to take, but the first half was the worst 45 minutes of football I've watched for a long long time. Were it not for Morrison's goal, the second half was going the same way too. I was almost hoping they'd score to wake us up a bit. After that, we had a good 20 minutes or so, but still clueless in the middle.

Our only chances come from crosses into the box now.

 

As Col said, this result was far more concerning than any drubbing we've had. We've beaten Swansea, Burnley and Palace so far. That's it.

 

I never thought we'd be in another title race, but every game we're horrendous to watch. We definitely deserve to be where we are and I can't think of any immediate solutions.

Watford will have a point to prove and if we lose that, we could be in the bottom 3.

[GingerrrFox]

Too despondent about that shower of shit yesterday to go into detail however I will say a few things.

 

1) Zieler was not at fault for either goal yesterday, Andy King did his best disappearing act against James Morrison for their first goal. The second goal you would expect a premier league player to score 9/10 when they have a free run 1 on 1 with the keeper.

 

2) Claudio has to give the squad players not getting regular game time a chance. The likes of Kapustka, Gray, Benaloaune and Hernandez at centre back need a chance to prove they can serve up better than we have seen so far. Morgan and Huth have looked cumbersome and error prone so far. 

 

3) You best believe we are in a relegation scrap. With eyes on Europe, the league can easily slip away from the players, who clearly aren't putting it in for the bread and butter games such as yesterday.