Midfield_General

1-1 Keeper will be disappointed with that

What do we want tonight then - who fancies Leeds coming into the playoffs with us (i.e. almost certainly what would happen if Ipswich win tonight), and who'd prefer that there was still a chance that Ipswich end up in the playoffs? (i.e. would prefer them to lose tonight)

Isn't the point though that we shouldn't have to overcome a goals against tally like the one we have? That goals against tally shouldn't be how it is, making it such an uphill struggle all the time, that's the point. All successful teams are built on having a solid defence and not conceding many goals. You have to get that right so that it opens up the possibility of still winning games 1-0 on days when you're under the cosh or the chances aren't going in. Being hard to beat and being able to grind out results when you need to, is built on being hard to score against. Going into matches or second halves thinking that you need to score at least 2 or 3 because you're incapable of keeping goals out at the other end just isn't a credible approach for a team with any ambition, and will never deliver proper success, ever. Also, when the opposition know that that's the case, it gives them the incentive and motivation to keep going even when they go behind, as we've seen time and time again. They know that they just need to keep plugging away and it will probably pay off, rather than thinking 'oh well that's that then' when we score against them, and their heads going down, like they would against a team who they know can defend. And as others have mentioned, with the apparent pedigree of the core of defensive players we've got at our disposal, we simply shouldn't be leaking goals at the rate we do. More than half the other teams in the division, all the way down to Stoke in 18th, have conceded fewer than we have, generally with apparently inferior players (goalkeeper not withstanding). That is simply not a foundation on which you can deliver success.

Look at that pattern of play for our equaliser. 89th minute, facing two banks of four sitting deep. We play out from the back. Receive the ball, turn and play it forward. Receive the ball, turn, look up, play it forward. Receive the ball, lay it off, drive into the box. Get a lucky ricochet, turn and bang one from 16 yards out. Goal. It's not route one hoofball, it's still playing football, but it's front to back in 10 seconds and so much more direct and effective. I know it's been done to death, but we simply don't score that goal under this manager. When the ball came into midfield we'd stop, look up, play it wide, stop look up, play it back, ad nauseum until they re-set, we lose the ball or the final whistle goes. Football can be such a simple game. Driving at people can cause them to make errors like that little touch in the penalty area that brought it to Rasiak for that great finish. We never seem to just try those simple things anymore and it's so, so frustrating.

To this day the most bizarre own goal I think I've ever seen. Try doing that deliberately - it's simply not possible.

Over on the Leeds forum they are bemoaning: Making the same mistakes again and again Sitting back and lack of pressing Possession for possession sake Having statistically the 4th worst performing goalkeeper in terms of goals prevented vs what he should have Sound familiar?

Yeah, don't you just hate it when people dish out personal abuse and call people names

Where did I say he was rubbish? Clue: I didn't. Kind of undermines your argument.

You sure do. Rusty's CV: "If you want to translate 70%+ possession into a 5-0 defeat, I'm your man!" "Other skills include picking Jack Stephens, not being able to coach a defence, not bothering to study the opposition and not responding to changes in a game."

Just so I’m clear, what does being a hipster actually mean in this context, according to the Saintsweb intelligentsia? I like the suggestion upthread that wearing jeans and/ or a suit, and owning a laptop, is at the dangerous cutting edge of innovation and should therefore be scorned and discarded as new-fangled witchcraft. Absolutely amazing

Oh and who was the genius responsible for appointing him? Jason Wilcox. So good luck to Man Utd if they think he's the man to sort out the absolute shit show they've got over there 🤣

I'm incredibly frustrated with him because any manager should be doing so much better than he is, given the comparative resources that he has available. But the real fault isn't with him, it's with the people who appointed him. When they appointed him, he had a single-minded approach that he said he would never change, which had some very clear weaknesses and which had delivered a very specific track record. And now - surprise! - he's playing exactly the same way, making exactly the same mistakes and displaying exactly the same weaknesses that he had in all his previous jobs, and it's delivering the same results. Maybe they thought he would learn and develop, and he hasn't. But the fact is that what he's doing here is exactly what he's done everywhere else, so if they are surprised by that, then that's on them. It's like getting a dog and then being stunned when it barks and sniffs other dogs' arseholes.

The question is - with Wilcox gone, who holds the inquest with Martin this morning about what the fuck that was and how he's going to fix it? Literally, who is managing the manager?

I now genuinely hope we don't somehow scrape our way to promotion through the playoffs. We are nowhere near ready, and with Martin in charge it would just be humiliating carnage, week in and week out. That was a complete capitulation tonight, and against better opposition that's how you lose by seven, eight, nine or worse, as we know all too well. We got into that horrible but familiar place where the opposition looked like they were going to score every single time they came forward. The players completely gave up - there was no fight, no running, no shape, no pride. And this from a team and manager who are meant to be playing for something. With that mentality from the players and that level of tactical ineptitude from the manager that we saw tonight, fuck getting into the Premier League to be cannon fodder. Fuck that good and proper.

Fabulous possession stats though Fucking wanker

Wow. What an absolute disgrace.

What this needs is five attackers being thrown on

They're bringing the semi-automated offside technology into the Prem next year. Although being the Premier League, rather than bringing it in at the beginning of a season, they're going to bring it in at some unspecified point once the season has already started, because of course they are.

Oh I know. I was there. I think that's why I'm feeling their pain. Always felt us and Cov were quite similar clubs, too.

That's one of the cruellest defeats I think I've ever seen

It's a tangential side point, and not a criticism in any way, but I can't help but read all your posts in the voice of Roger Mellie, The Man On The Telly.

Absolutely 100% nail on head. The other constantly recurring theme is being utterly incapable of responding to changes in approach from the other team/ manager. He can't read a game, at all. It's the same pattern pretty much every game. Plan A: Pass pass pass pass, take a slender lead. Plan B: Shit, the other manager has made a basic change at 65 mins, the shape of the game has changed and now we're not winning anymore. I know, I'll throw on five attackers! I know under-12s managers who'd be embarrassed at showing that level of 'thinking'.

Awful news for the lad. Sounds from Martin's comments like he was in a pretty dark place on discovering the extent of the injury. I'm sure the club will support him well in every respect. Hopefully the fans can live up to the word 'supporters' and send him good wishes too at what must be a horrible time for him. Wishing him all the best for a full and speedy recovery.

Great result and at last the dominant 90+ minute performance everyone had been waiting for. Took our chances brilliantly, and one silly defensive slip aside didn't really let them have a sniff all game. Gutted on a personal level for Baz, but personally think Macca (if indeed it turns out to be Macca who steps up) will be just fine as long as we don't ask him to play out too much. Still think it's going to turn out to be too little, too late in terms of the automatics, but keeps it interesting for sure and Leicester and Leeds in particular will be a little more uncomfortable tonight and will be feeling the pressure. Fair play to the team and manager on a great performance and turning what many thought would be a nerve-wracking night into a very comfortable win, and good on Che for finding his shooting boots - he took both his goals very well.

2/10