are we even playing badly?

[Guest Col city fan]

The argument isn't about who the best player out of the three were. It's about what we are missing from our squad and that is a Savage type player in my opinion. Take Arsenal for example, they have the most creative midfielders in their squad, but they are missing that player who can break up play and set up attacks. No one is saying we need to become violent, but definitely a little more aggression wouldn't do any harm.

You're wasting your breath. Many see a tough tackling midfielder as some dirty bar-steward that would disrupt our 'style of play'..

What style of play? What game are we really playing?

It's clear that this team need some grit and determination in the centre. A ball winner who doesn't have to be a great player, individually, but who absolutely knows his role and sticks to it. What our are current central midfielders? Are they prolific goal scorers? Are they there simply to defend? Do they make last ditch runs into the opposition box or into our own penalty area? Do they frequently give slide-rule passes to our on-running strikers? Are they great with a dead ball?

I don't really know what they do do. Their role isn't defined.

Those watching West Ham tomorrow will probably see a team with a clear cut game-plan and highly defined roles.

Song, will sit and stop our attacking play. Downing will run the ball and get crosses in to big Carroll. Valencia will sit off the last defender and try to get in behind.

Kevin Phillips was on Talk Sport this am and said that we have been practicing our game plan all week. We better hope it works because you can bet your bottom dollar West Ham will know exactly what they are doing.

[Babylon]

The argument isn't about who the best player out of the three were. It's about what we are missing from our squad and that is a Savage type player in my opinion. Take Arsenal for example, they have the most creative midfielders in their squad, but they are missing that player who can break up play and set up attacks. No one is saying we need to become violent, but definitely a little more aggression wouldn't do any harm. 

Breaking up play and setting up attacks... I'd rather have Lennon thanks.

[Jacnah]

Agree with that and yes we have problems at the back and up front for whatever reason.

But one player I wish we had right now is a Robbie Savage.

A get stuck in player that gave there midfield something to think about a terrier warrior sleeves rolled up and get stuck in player.

 

A player with bite that no one enjoys playing against.

We are a very soft side we need an animal in midfield as this is a war.

 

Apologies if that came across as suggesting you were 'demanding change and panic buys'...it was more a general point of view.

 

Not sure about Savage but then  the 'pundit' Robbie Savage with his very strange hair is not the same Robbie Savage whose 100% commiment used to get me out of my seat cheering

[MC Prussian]

You're wasting your breath. Many see a tough tackling midfielder as some dirty bar-steward that would disrupt our 'style of play'..

What style of play? What game are we really playing?

It's clear that this team need some grit and determination in the centre. A ball winner who doesn't have to be a great player, individually, but who absolutely knows his role and sticks to it. What our are current central midfielders? Are they prolific goal scorers? Are they there simply to defend? Do they make last ditch runs into the opposition box or into our own penalty area? Do they frequently give slide-rule passes to our on-running strikers? Are they great with a dead ball?

I don't really know what they do do. Their role isn't defined.

Those watching West Ham tomorrow will probably see a team with a clear cut game-plan and highly defined roles.

Song, will sit and stop our attacking play. Downing will run the ball and get crosses in to big Carroll. Valencia will sit off the last defender and try to get in behind.

Kevin Phillips was on Talk Sport this am and said that we have been practicing our game plan all week. We better hope it works because you can bet your bottom dollar West Ham will know exactly what they are doing.

So you're betting against Leicester again?

 

Nothing new on that front then.

[Guest Col city fan]

So you're betting against Leicester again?

Nothing new on that front then.

Wrong..nothing new on that front then..

At 19/4 I'm having a little punt on City.

[shailen]

You're wasting your breath. Many see a tough tackling midfielder as some dirty bar-steward that would disrupt our 'style of play'..

What style of play? What game are we really playing?

It's clear that this team need some grit and determination in the centre. A ball winner who doesn't have to be a great player, individually, but who absolutely knows his role and sticks to it. What our are current central midfielders? Are they prolific goal scorers? Are they there simply to defend? Do they make last ditch runs into the opposition box or into our own penalty area? Do they frequently give slide-rule passes to our on-running strikers? Are they great with a dead ball?

I don't really know what they do do. Their role isn't defined.

Those watching West Ham tomorrow will probably see a team with a clear cut game-plan and highly defined roles.

Song, will sit and stop our attacking play. Downing will run the ball and get crosses in to big Carroll. Valencia will sit off the last defender and try to get in behind.

Kevin Phillips was on Talk Sport this am and said that we have been practicing our game plan all week. We better hope it works because you can bet your bottom dollar West Ham will know exactly what they are doing.

 

Think some people still live in an era where a rigid 4-4-2 was the way to go. Now and especially in the premier league you have players in and around the no.10 positions like Silva, Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Sterling..etc who are the players that make the difference. Having another body in there would certainly limit how effective these players are.

[sylofox]

Apologies if that came across as suggesting you were 'demanding change and panic buys'...it was more a general point of view.

 

Not sure about Savage but then  the 'pundit' Robbie Savage with his very strange hair is not the same Robbie Savage whose 100% commiment used to get me out of my seat cheering

No need or did I miss something.

And no savage the pundit is an arse.

But savage the player for us I do think we need.

 

We really don't have steel in our side a savage type player now we would be a different team.

Yes we make mistakes back and front but we don't control scare or worry teams in the centre.

 

If we did it would not be so easy for teams, would love to see that battle type player in our midfield.

And I do think we would have had a few more points with that in our team.

[shailen]

same story again today. playing some decent stuff but individual mistakes and poor defending cost us the game

[Carl the Llama]

Yes we are.  The reason we don't ever seem to get thrashed is we're difficult enough to break down that there's no incentive for the other team not to sit back and let us rub impotently up against them.

[Sunbury Fox]

No need or did I miss something.

And no savage the pundit is an arse.

But savage the player for us I do think we need.

We really don't have steel in our side a savage type player now we would be a different team.

Yes we make mistakes back and front but we don't control scare or worry teams in the centre.

If we did it would not be so easy for teams, would love to see that battle type player in our midfield.

And I do think we would have had a few more points with that in our team.

The same Savage who was in our team when we got relegated without trace when all of our decent players had left? Savage type players have their place but they need quality around them as Savage had when we had Lennon, Izzet and Guppy.

[shailen]

I don't know who got MOTM for west ham on Saturday, but the player for me who deserved it is Alex Song. Broke up many of our attacks, drew fouls when we were attacking and was a playmaker in setting up attacks. Similarly throughout the season, Matic has done the same job for Chelsea and was MOTM yesterday. Clearly these players do have a role in teams, almost all the best teams have this sort of player.

[cjslcfc]

I don't know who got MOTM for west ham on Saturday, but the player for me who deserved it is Alex Song. Broke up many of our attacks, drew fouls when we were attacking and was a playmaker in setting up attacks. Similarly throughout the season, Matic has done the same job for Chelsea and was MOTM yesterday. Clearly these players do have a role in teams, almost all the best teams have this sort of player.

 

I didn't watch but listened on the radio in the car. There were so many times when Stringer would say "tackled by Song", "closed down by Song" etc...etc...

 

He sounded like he had a fantastic game and was a cut above most other players. 

 

The problem is that almost all the best teams have this player because they can afford to buy and find the right player. It's not about sticking any old soul at DM, that just won't work.

 

I'd like to see a realistic list of players like these for us (don't think Cattermole is realistic since he's very important to Sunderland and I doubt they would sell). I can't think of too many myself. Added to this, I will always maintain that a DM alone will not help us. We need other players. We desperately need a LB who can properly pass the ball and keep composed in possession under pressure. I'm sad we missed out on Cresswell because he has looked very good for W Ham so far this season. We can't really compete with them for players though. We also need a CB who can lead and dominate the defensive area. None of our defenders are taking charge of situations and it's causing so many problems (Upson was probably signed for this but after injury at his age I don't want to bank on him). I'd also get us a LW as I'd rather play Schlupp at LB. He is too much in and out of games for me. At LB at least he is forced to concentrate and looks a bit better as a player. I'd also get us another striker. I don't think Wood and Nugent are good enough. I also think Vardy and Ulloa are good options but we need at least one more, one who can be a bit more clinical. If Vardy was clinical he'd be a great player.

[shailen]

I didn't watch but listened on the radio in the car. There were so many times when Stringer would say "tackled by Song", "closed down by Song" etc...etc...

 

He sounded like he had a fantastic game and was a cut above most other players. 

 

The problem is that almost all the best teams have this player because they can afford to buy and find the right player. It's not about sticking any old soul at DM, that just won't work.

 

I'd like to see a realistic list of players like these for us (don't think Cattermole is realistic since he's very important to Sunderland and I doubt they would sell). I can't think of too many myself. Added to this, I will always maintain that a DM alone will not help us. We need other players. We desperately need a LB who can properly pass the ball and keep composed in possession under pressure. I'm sad we missed out on Cresswell because he has looked very good for W Ham so far this season. We can't really compete with them for players though. We also need a CB who can lead and dominate the defensive area. None of our defenders are taking charge of situations and it's causing so many problems (Upson was probably signed for this but after injury at his age I don't want to bank on him). I'd also get us a LW as I'd rather play Schlupp at LB. He is too much in and out of games for me. At LB at least he is forced to concentrate and looks a bit better as a player. I'd also get us another striker. I don't think Wood and Nugent are good enough. I also think Vardy and Ulloa are good options but we need at least one more, one who can be a bit more clinical. If Vardy was clinical he'd be a great player.

 

I completely agree that these players are hard to come by, but atm I would put Hammond in the midfield to do this job. Yes it isn't the only area we need to improve on but it's the most important for me considering we don't have that sort of player atm. 

[cjslcfc]

I completely agree that these players are hard to come by, but atm I would put Hammond in the midfield to do this job. Yes it isn't the only area we need to improve on but it's the most important for me considering we don't have that sort of player atm. 

 

To be honest, it can't go that much worse in terms of results so it would be worth a go for now. I wouldn't mind seeing Hammond at all. To be honest our best partnership has arguably been Hammond and King.

[Grewks]

it is a cliché, but we are simply not good enough in both boxes.

 

 

It is a combination of us being unable to defend properly, as well as being unable to even put a decent ball into our opposition's box.

[shailen]

it is a cliché, but we are simply not good enough in both boxes.

 

 

It is a combination of us being unable to defend properly, as well as being unable to even put a decent ball into our opposition's box.

yeah it is. However we are creating some decent chances in most games but haven't been clinical enough to take them. We are playing in straight lines, a very rigid 4-5-1 or 4-4-2. In the Championship this is fine but in the Premier league these are the players that have hurt us...ie/ Lampard, Gerrard, Downing, Silva....etc. We need someone to drop in between the lines otherwise Erikson will hurt us on Friday

[shailen]

The team i would like to see against Spurs

[Lcfc_1995]

Don't think we're playing that bad,but it's our defence lacks moments of intelligence which ends up costing us, as in they don't spot players making that run into the box, e.g the goal vs Man City, and Huttons winner against us for villa, and we are struggling to be clinical when we get that opportunity which shows the quality we are lacking up front.

[shailen]

Don't think we're playing that bad,but it's our defence lacks moments of intelligence which ends up costing us, as in they don't spot players making that run into the box, e.g the goal vs Man City, and Huttons winner against us for villa, and we are struggling to be clinical when we get that opportunity which shows the quality we are lacking up front.

 

Think you've summarised it nicely. We could easily be lower mid table, had we cut out mistakes and taken some of our chances. But our luck has to change at some point which is why I believe we could still survive

[chicagofox]

Yes we are playing badly. Bad defending, no clean sheets, a midfield that can't track back and doesn't create nor create not score goals, and an attack that doesn't score goals.

[BigMicky]

Yes we are playing badly. Bad defending, no clean sheets, a midfield that can't track back and doesn't create nor create not score goals, and an attack that doesn't score goals.

Been to many games this season?

[Mike Oxlong]

Anyone who thinks we haven't been playing badly needs the Braille edition of the programme

[shailen]

Anyone who thinks we haven't been playing badly needs the Braille edition of the programme

 

Results wise no, but we have competed in nearly every game, and in some of them they could have easily swung in our favour. I dont what people expected us to do this season. I thought at best we could finish 12/13 and we arent too far from there. 

[chicagofox]

Results wise no, but we have competed in nearly every game, and in some of them they could have easily swung in our favour. I dont what people expected us to do this season. I thought at best we could finish 12/13 and we arent too far from there.

In reality we are a million miles away from 12/13 place. We have been beaten by teams who haven't gotten out of 2nd gear.

[Gubbins]

The big point for me is that we haven't looked like winning any game during this run. There are a couple of games like wba at home where we didn't deserve to lose but none that we played well enough to win. If the absolute best we can manage is occaisionally being worth a point than clearly we are playing poorly and absolutely nailed on to go down.