We are really missing the option of having a huge bully upfront.

[ARTY_FOX]

True if we're gonna just cross random balls into the box. I'm not sure what tactical genius decided playing crosses into mahrez was the way to beat stoke. 

[FOXYTALK]

Charlie Austin.

[Guest]

We could do with coming up with a plan A before we start thinking about a plan B. On Saturday we looked totally devoid of creativity, reliant on either Mahrez skinning their entire team and scoring or Vardy beating Zouma in the air. They've conceded the most goals in the division and we looked utterly toothless until Butland remembered he had a fiver on us scoring.

 

We know that Vardy and Iheanacho are more than capable of converting chances, so it'd be nice if we found a way of creating some for them. I'd personally be prioritising signing a genuine creative no.10, but for whatever reason one of them never seems to be on our shopping list.

[los dedos]

3 hours ago, KFS said:

Reckon Steve Howard would fancy it? Fvcking love that bloke 

15 goals in 106 championship appearances Steve Howard?Slap thigh and moan whilst missing most flick ons Steve Howard?

[Bryn]

18 minutes ago, los dedos said:

15 goals in 106 championship appearances Steve Howard?Slap thigh and moan whilst missing most flick ons Steve Howard?

 

If you didn't enjoy Steve Howard I question why you bother following football.

[murphy]

Maybe we should re sign Gary Taylor-Fletcher.

 

At least then we'd have a huge belly up front.

 

 

 

 

[RumbleFox]

Let's get big Dunky Ferg outta retirement and beat fvck out of everyone.  X 

 

I have no thoughts or opinions on this thread so am acting like a child starved of attention and just being a silly bugger.  X

Edited 26 February 2018 by RumbleFox

[Gazza M]

Let's not kid ourselves. Leo and Slim weren't pulling up any trees when here. Target man yes, but better than those two. Didn't really matter who was up there v Stoke. We were delivering crap in the box all match and getting the ball up there from back to front in slow motion. The Stoke defence had plenty of time to organise themselves. 

[fuchsntf]

9 hours ago, Collymore said:

I think the Stoke game really highlighted the need of having the option of  a huge bully upfront who we could bring on. Time after time we hit crosses into the area where the Stoke defenders were treated to lunch and dessert. I know Slimani is injured so wouldn't have been playing anyway but I think Ulloa would have been an option on Saturday. 

 

Seems odd that we didn't sort something out to replace them and it was really highlighted on Saturday. We have no big strikers in the development squad either, we're crying out for one so we at least have an option. 

Quite a few Teams,have that Type of  so called Bully,including ourselves in the past.

They also have problems

We never fed or have the accorded service to either Ulloa Nor Slimani.Their Type of

 Position screamed Out for.

 

I See someone,who plays in the lower Pl Teams,Like Rondon,to Play on  occasions  alongside,

Vardy. Or develope Nacho Into that irritating 10 Yard Box area Player...

But the Problem on Saturday,Nobody wanted to get in those areas.

I actually felt sorry for the crossers and Corner takers.

Plus Maguire was taken,Off far Post duties.

[kingfox]

What did I tell you, letting Slimani go was one of the most baffling decisions I've ever seen, even letting Ulloa leave seems baffling right now. We have no Plan B, we have no target man and to make matters worse we've always been a team who likes to get crosses into the box.

 

Its clear to see though the change that Puel is trying to make, turning us into a passing side, he has no interest in a target man. All you need to do is look throughout the league at the teams who prefer passing and possession football, they don't have any target men. Majority of teams though like to have that focal point, now though we don't have one.

 

Could always do a Steve Walsh/Matt Elliott and stick Maguire up front  

[SpacedX]

3 hours ago, MPH said:

 

 

 

Thats a bit of an odd comment to make.... do you understand what kangeroo court means?

 

 

 

Yeah, and I know how to spell "kangaroo" too, which is a bonus. A bid to try someone on the basis of guilt without sufficient evidence usually through group think or a mob rules mentality.  The phrase refers to injustice in the judicial system but can be used outside a legal context, such as the "kangaroo court of social media". Every week on FT players are singled out as scapegoats by the pitchfork wielding throng, usually on the post match thread or individual threads and frequently by members who don't attend the games), for examination by a panel of self appointed armchair experts - The accusations are read and the verdict invariably is that they are shite. 

 

You're right though - a more apposite term would be lynch mob. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rogstanley]

Deeney would have been a good signing. With the benefit of hindsight it's a shame we didn't give up a few more million to get him in.

[Beechey]

3 hours ago, UPinCarolina said:

Hasn't Iborra played up-front as a striker on occasion? If I recall he's not bad in the air, either...

Come on Claude, give it a go.

Nope, never as a striker, but he has played as an attacking midfielder. 24 games: 10 goals, 4 assists.

[Royston.]

ulloa and slimani not good enough. especially as we didnt play a style that suited them.

 

now we've loaned them out we realise we do need to change the style to suit them/huge bully type?

 

obviously our weaknesses as a team are pretty evident and puel is trying and struggling to find a successful style..

 

unbelievable we are in 8th place although that probably has more to do with other teams being shít and equally as shít as each other.

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

27 minutes ago, Rogstanley said:

Deeney would have been a good signing. With the benefit of hindsight it's a shame we didn't give up a few more million to get him in.

1 goal from open play this season.....I’m not so sure about Deeney.

[ARCHER]

[HoustonFox]

3 hours ago, UPinCarolina said:

Hasn't Iborra played up-front as a striker on occasion? If I recall he's not bad in the air, either...

Come on Claude, give it a go.

 

23 minutes ago, Beechey said:

Nope, never as a striker, but he has played as an attacking midfielder. 24 games: 10 goals, 4 assists.

I thought he was a plan B for Sevilla when they wanted some physical presence up front.

 

It would have been worth worth a go, but we made enough chances to have won that game on Saturday. It was very frustrating to watch, and I think it’s time for Gray to be on the bench for a bit. He’s not added anything for a while now 

[NotTheMarketLeader]

5 hours ago, Captain... said:

No, I'm saying that picking 2 defensive midfielders is not negative when you pack the rest of the team with pace and attacking threat. I'm not saying what is right or wrong, there is no right and wrong when picking a team, only in execution. Our execution was poor but not because of our midfield, they did their job, limit Stoke to very little and let our attacking players play in the opposition third.  We controlled the ball and largely controlled the game, but for one slip it should have easily been a victory. We were in control in our half at all times, apart from 2, the goal and Schmeichel's scramble across the line. Other than that Maguire, Morgan, Ndidi and James did their job.

 

Vardy, Mahrez, Gray, Albrighton, Chilwell are all attacking options, but they didn't do their job, not enough movement, not enough guile, too many poor decisions and wasteful balls. We also suffer from Simpson being so defensive minded. Playing 4231 with 2 defensive midfielders works well with attacking full backs, the DMs and CBs also cover the space left and the FBs give extra width. I said in a different thread that we were the better team against Chelsea with James and Ndidi, but they had Amartey giving width and Okazaki dropping deep.

 

In this formation the it is not the midfielders role to drive forwards with the ball, they provide the platform for the rest of the team to attack, the negative selection was Simpson and if anything we were too attacking up front and missed the link up play of Shinji.

Even if I go along with your view, which I don’t; who is employed to make things work, make the selections that do work and ensure we win football matches with what I consider is a pretty talented squad? 

 

Whichever spin you want to put on it we are regressing now the new manager bounce has been and gone.

 

The team are looking short of motivation, or playing poorly and not getting results, on the back of his decisions.

 

Namely far to cautious tactics,

and ludicrous team selections which fly in the face of his ideal of playing a passing game.

 

There is no way Morgan and Simpson can do the job that he allegedly wants by suddenly becoming comfortable passing the ball out of defence.

 

Simply awful management on Saturday.

 

Edited 26 February 2018 by NotTheMarketLeader

[splinterdream]

Rondon

[foxinsocks]

11 minutes ago, splinterdream said:

Rondon

I have been wanting us to hire rondon for years.... i remember in few seasons ago he got 1 chance in the whole game.  He got to the ball and shrugged huff aside and buried it as kasper came out. 

 

Nb did i just say ad kasper came out? My mind must be playng tricks

[Captain...]

44 minutes ago, NotTheMarketLeader said:

Even if I go along with your view, which I don’t; who is employed to make things work, make the selections that do work and ensure we win football matches with what I consider is a pretty talented squad? 

 

Whichever spin you want to put on it we are regressing now the new manager bounce has been and gone.

 

The team are looking short of motivation, or playing poorly and not getting results, on the back of his decisions.

 

Namely far to cautious tactics,

and ludicrous team selections which fly in the face of his ideal of playing a passing game.

 

There is no way Morgan and Simpson can do the job that he allegedly wants by suddenly becoming comfortable passing the ball out of defence.

 

Simply awful management on Saturday.

 

I’m not saying Puel is absolved from blame, just that having 2 DMs isn’t negative if you have lots of attacking players freed up to attack. Mahrez can’t defend neither can Gray to get the best out of our attacking players you need people to do their defensive work. The problem wasn’t that James and Ndidi were controlling the midfield the problem was when they won the ball back and gave it to our creative players they didn’t do enough with it.

[weller54]

12 hours ago, Everygamefox said:

I would take Rondon from WBA as a second option.

 

 

I'd put good money on that he'll be at Everton next season. 

[Guest Col city fan]

Quite some time ago, I think I wrote on here that I'd take Rondon as a target man.

And then somebody put up his stats, suggesting he's actually pretty crap.

They were right. Even though he's been played up front on his own for most of his time at West Brom (a difficult task in a shite team), he still ain't actually much good.

[Vardinio'sCat]

 

He brought on Nacho, which he was pretty much bound to do, if he wants to keep him interested, so I would question where this big man would have played.

 

I would have been interested to see Iborra playing a no10 role, given the wisdom of hindsight. But how is Nacho going to find momentum if we don't put him on, when we are chasing the game at home.

[Wymsey]

I think Slimani would still have had some value in the team, even if it was for a 20-minute cameo. Not sure if he'll be pivotal for Newcastle tbh.

Could see him doing well against last Saturday's opponent, for example.

Edited 26 February 2018 by Wymeswold fox