Prufrock wrote:
CAPSLOCK wrote:
And still folk will defend him
Today was nothing to do with 'championship budgets'
It was all to do with a ridiculous substitution - oh aye, he picked the wrong team, too, but that's a given
Think that's a tad harsh CAPS. It isn't necessarily the team I'd have picked, but given it seems he had no option at fullback (I may have been tempted by Ricketts at left back, but I have no idea how fit he is) I'd probably only have made two changes, and I can't see how Wheater for Knight would have affected it much.
It wasn't as 'wrong' as it has been, shall we say. At least he recognised we needed some movement up top, and that Muamba and NCR had to play, though he then f*cked that up by taking Muamba off. My problem was he a)misjudged the whole mood of the place. After Tuesday, a hard fought point where we actually did some attacking (in that we were in their half, if not creating chances) would, finally, have created some momentum and good feeling before Wolves. The chance to put a run together. He threw that away moronically by b) making a dim change that opened up the middle of the park and created a desperate win or bust mentality in the team by taking away the central solidity we had.
Budgets are an excuse for not having good enough players. They are not an excuse for failing, consistently to get the best out of the players you do have.
IF Steinnson was unavailable, and that will hopefully come out when he writes his memoirs, the back 5 could - but admittedly, it's arguable - have been improved with Wheater in for Knight...other than that, he made the only choice he could
Its the front 6...wrong, wrong, wrong
He would have gone 4-2 whatever happened at Rovers but beating a shite defence made him think everything was about to turn rosy
It should have been the 5 man midfield I argued for on here
Did you notice, that once Muamba went off, Petrov didn't touch the ball again
5 in midfield is not less attacking than 4-4-2..not if its the only fcuking way you see the ball
I happen to believe Steinsson was genuinely injured, just coz when he has randomly dropped him before he has at least clod him on the bench. Though granted Ricketts being able to walk may have fixed that. I'd have had Wheater over Knight, and we'd have been better first half, but ultimately I don't think it'd have made that much difference. I actually think Coyle's devotion to 4-4-2 gave us a chance in this, given they rarely play an out and out front two away from home, but once they changed we had nothing. My point is, he has played properly special attempts at 4-4-2 from the start. Today wasn't one of those. We could have won the game from his start. We weren't going to with his subs.