Sheaf Saint

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Like everyone else @Whitey Grandad I'm sending my warmest wishes to you and your family at this challenging time. Sport is just a meaningless distraction really when you put it in perspective.

So having watched us get carved open at will by both Sunderland and Leicester, and conceding 9 goals, do you honestly think it's just down to individual errors and there's nothing wrong with the tactics? Errors in possession can be got away with if you have an organised defensive shape giving sufficient cover. When they are being punished so frequently, and a misplaced pass from a corner can lead to a 3 on 1 against the keeper with not a single defender within 10 yards of them, then you cannot put that down to simply being sloppy on the ball.

We failed to keep the ball because they knew exactly where and when to press our players into making a mistake. The goal after 21 seconds highlights that. and if most formations would have been sufficient then it just shows even more that our tactics are shit and can be out overcome by anyone with basic competence.

Yeah that's basically the point I'm trying to make. Leicester's setup enabled them to absorb what we tried to do in attack and ruthlessly exploit our glaring weaknesses in midfield and defence. It highlights the difference between a competent manager who understands the basics of how to set up a team tactically, and a shite one who doesn't.

Quite. Like us they have a new manager and a largely new-look squad. But the difference yesterday was night and day. Their manager knew exactly how to set his team up to defend properly and to exploit our weaknesses.

I think you're largely banging this drum on your own mate. I'm not going to start calling for RM's head quite yet, but the two pastings we have just taken in our last two games are undeniably the result of tactical ineptitude on his part. Yes, there have been major issues with this club for a while now, and many of the players who have played a large part in our downfall are still here. But the squad we have now absolutely wouldn't be getting murdered on the break and conceding 4 or more goals game after game if they were coached and set up correctly. Martin needs to recognise that his whole system is fatally flawed and that we will lose more than we win the way he has us playing. But all the indications so far, and the testimony of the Swans fans who have come on here, point to him being completely inflexible and unable to learn from his mistakes. So the question is: how much longer do we give him before accepting that we have cocked up yet another managerial appointment?

He didn't. The most spectacular one was from Che's curling effort early in the first half, but I would still expect any competent keeper to save that. Other than that he had very little to do.

Unsurprising, given that he's only just returned from injury and missed all of pre-season.

Harsh to single him out. He was the only attacking player who looked like he was going to make something happen in the second half, he misplaced a pass in the attacking third that led to a goal because our entire defence was over-committed so you can't blame him for that, and the red card was a travesty.

I guess my previous negative comments could put me in that category, but I agree he did have a good game last night. Made a couple of decent saves and his long distance kicking (and throwing) was excellent. Very encouraging.

Yup. He reckons "we made it difficult". He must have been watching a totally different game from me because from what I saw, we basically just invited Leicester to attack us time and time again due to an incredibly naïve defensive shape. If he genuinely thinks we made it difficult for them then that's ringing some serious alarm bells.

I reckon we will successfully appeal that red card. Ridiculously harsh.

Fuck off is that worth a red.

Ienacho should have made it 5.

We've already conceded nearly half as many as Burnley did all last season. After SIX games.

They've made a few mistakes but they have kept a decent defensive shape to stop us getting through and been clinical on the counter. A perfect away performance really.

More possession and more shots doesn't mean shit if we're not even testing their keeper. Tapping it around in the final third and hitting tame long range shots straight at the keeper does not qualify as "outplaying them".

Yet again, completely undone from one of our own corners. This is unforgiveable. Starting to have some very serious doubts about RM now. He hasn't learned a damn thing from all the obvious lessons we have been taught so far this season. We need to go back to basics for out next game now. We've simply got to learn to defend competently before we start thinking about attacking.

I'll be amazed if we can keep it to 3 in the second half. Our defensive setup is just pathetic. So naive.

Well at least it's not going to be another 9-0.

Blatant offside - would have been ruled out by VAR. But let's not detract from how utterly fucking abysmal that defending was.

Fucking shambles. Utter fucking shambles.

That free kick 😳

Oh fuck the fuck off. Not learned a single lesson from the Sunderland debacle then. Gonna be a long night.