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New Owner, new Manager,


Noelie
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......what are the differences to last season?

It seems our defence is not really that much better, 5 goals against in the last two games is not too promising.

We still don't seem to be able to hold on to a lead.

The opponents still seem to always pose more of a threat going forward than we do.

The midfield don't seem to be able to control the game, lack any kind of creative flair, and don't seem to have good attacking qualities or even defensive ones.

What appeared to be a strength in strikers at the onset is already being decimated by injuries and the ones left to us are not imposing a consistant threat when they are getting the service.

The manager's choice of starting line-up is a bit questionable, and his timing and use of substitutes is definitely questionable.

So, in your opinion, what are the differences you see? Seven games into the season and we've already dropped 10 points out of a possible 21.

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......what are the differences to last season?

It seems our defence is not really that much better, 5 goals against in the last two games is not too promising.

We still don't seem to be able to hold on to a lead.

The opponents still seem to always pose more of a threat going forward than we do.

The midfield don't seem to be able to control the game, lack any kind of creative flair, and don't seem to have good attacking qualities or even defensive ones.

What appeared to be a strength in strikers at the onset is already being decimated by injuries and the ones left to us are not imposing a consistant threat when they are getting the service.

The manager's choice of starting line-up is a bit questionable, and his timing and use of substitutes is definitely questionable.

So, in your opinion, what are the differences you see? Seven games into the season and we've already dropped 10 points out of a possible 21.

 

I'm not going to answer....

 

1187039.jpg

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Some good points Noelie, hard to argue with anything you've said, the only comment you could make is that perhaps the team needs to learn to gel with eachother and Sam needs to learn about the likes of Taylor, Butt and Milner the hard way, but then you look at a team like Man City, they mirror us in many ways and have looked fantastic so far this season.

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Some good points Noelie, hard to argue with anything you've said, the only comment you could make is that perhaps the team needs to learn to gel with each other and Sam needs to learn about the likes of Taylor, Butt and Milner the hard way, but then you look at a team like Man City, they mirror us in many ways and have looked fantastic so far this season.

 

 

I was going to make that point about Man.City later Jimbo, they are indeed almost a mirror image with new manager, new players etc etc yet have done a lot better than we have so far.

And about the 'differences' I nearly mentioned that losing to a bottom of the league team like Derby wasn't much different from last season either, we lost to lower placed teams then too.

You are probably right about the gelling, I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.

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The difference is a whole load of new players.

 

We need time to gel, and this season I don't expect us to be challenging up high in the league, give the new lads time, give Big Sam time, he's proven to be a good manager, unlike Roeder and Souness.

 

It'll take a while to gel, it won't happen over a few weeks time.

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Some good points Noelie, hard to argue with anything you've said, the only comment you could make is that perhaps the team needs to learn to gel with eachother and Sam needs to learn about the likes of Taylor, Butt and Milner the hard way, but then you look at a team like Man City, they mirror us in many ways and have looked fantastic so far this season.

 

I always fancied Sven over big Sam. Wouldn't surprise me at all if City finish above us.

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Some good points Noelie, hard to argue with anything you've said, the only comment you could make is that perhaps the team needs to learn to gel with eachother and Sam needs to learn about the likes of Taylor, Butt and Milner the hard way, but then you look at a team like Man City, they mirror us in many ways and have looked fantastic so far this season.

 

i always fancied sven over big sam. wouldn't surprise me at all if city finish above us.

 

 

I would say thats an absolute bloody certainty.

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Hehe, who's going to be first to come out with "Big Sam Out!"? I've got to say I'm a little disappointed with how things are going as far as results and state of play's concerned but I don't want to be amongst those muppets who call for a manager's head a handful of games :icon_lol:

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Does it not occur that three seasons of mediocrity doesn't just vanish after five matches?

 

Sure it does Mr.Patrokles but 7 league games, 1 Carling Cup game, and at least 3 pre-season games adds up to ten(10) matches :icon_lol:

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This sort of negativity makes me despair. We've played seven fucking games of the new season, it's not even the end of September and yet some are writing off the new regime. I don't know if some of you have noticed, but there are nineteen other teams in this league all trying to win, all striving to improve, so at times it's going to be hard going. No one is just going to roll over for us. We have no divine right to a top six finish and no one in the entire world of sport wins every game and plays well every week. If that's what you're after, give up on football and go and see the Harlem Globetrotters.

 

Post-SBR we've had what, three seasons of fairly shite, mediocre football? To expect that to be changed into some sort of samba-football-playing, title-challenging side in one transfer window (in which we went through the upheaval of an ownership change don't forget) is more than a bit fanciful don't you think?

 

There has been a huge change in a relatively short period of time, and for that we should count ourselves lucky. Look how long it took the mackems to get rid of Murray, look how long Villa had to put up with Ellis. Now we have got the new guys putting in the work, building the structure to make us more successful. They'll have their own methods, want to get there own people on board, I think that's understandable. Some players they bring in might not work out but I reckon most will, Sam certainly seems to do his homework. Maybe some of the players aren't going to get us to the Champions League but hopefully they'll get us going in the right direction.

 

Don't you think they deserve more than a few short months to get the pieces in place and for things to bed down, to give us a foundation to build on? I do.

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It was only the 7th game of the season. We're still 8th, we are still top half of the table (even with a home game in hand, albeit against Arsenal). Actually one of the best start we had in recent years...

 

I'd hoped for a better start and better performances, but I think some people are really fickle. You actually get the feeling they rather want us to lose to be proven right about Allardyce.

 

The team has changed a lot, not only in terms of players who need time to gel, but also off the field with loads of changes taking place and the club actually getting more professional. I thought at the beginning that any sign of progress will make this season a succesful one, whatever the final league place will be. I still believe that we will see progress on the pitch as well in the long term and better performances. Other teams will go to Man City and lose, just as well as Man City are unlikely to keep their form until the end of the season. And as long as we don't run into a Souness/Roeder League scenario I don't think there is any need to assess the season until it has finished.

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Answer = the team we played today under a manager who everyone was laughing their cock off at!,infact he would have been my choice over the BSA as his club management has been spot fucking on,no denial on it,only time will tell but already i can see it

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Big sam is still the man for the job.

 

in the games weve played so far this season - how many different players have played in defence and in goal?

 

smith is a decent player but outt of neccessity he is being played in midfield.

 

if smith was never purchased, who would be playing in his place? faye? pattinson? would results be any different?

 

we still have barton, emre and duff to return, not to mention zoggy who is being played in defence. these are attacking options we dont really have at the moment.

 

theres also our permantly injured english show pony.

 

Whats changed?

 

The club has a chance of realising its potential - thats whats changed.

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I'd love someone to tell me when we developed a God given right to get a result in every game?

 

I'm beginning to think that what the Mackems say about us being very fickle may be true. Allardyce has barely been in the job five minutes and already he's under pressure :icon_lol:

 

It's not as if he's been talking himself up either, he said before this season that he thought he'd need three years to do what he wanted with this club and transform it. The performances may not have been amazing but we're doing something we wouldn't have done last season, get results in games in which we didn't play well. Against Derby we played very poorly, i'll give you that but today we went to one of the form sides in the league and lost. Granted, some aspects of the performances were disappointing but to get on BSA's back already would be daft. Where Citeh and ourselves differ is that they've got a crooked Thai throwing money at players like there is no tomorrow whereas we've been much more astute in our dealings. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing time will tell but we've made a very good start to the season compared to previous years.

 

If we're not looking much better come the end of the season then fair enough, Noelie et al may have a point but currently we're still finding our feet. The future is much brighter now than it has been over the past three or four years so doing anything less than getting behind the squad is ridiculous.

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I'd love someone to tell me when we developed a God given right to get a result in every game?

 

I'm beginning to think that what the Mackems say about us being very fickle may be true. Allardyce has barely been in the job five minutes and already he's under pressure :icon_lol:

 

It's not as if he's been talking himself up either, he said before this season that he thought he'd need three years to do what he wanted with this club and transform it. The performances may not have been amazing but we're doing something we wouldn't have done last season, get results in games in which we didn't play well. Against Derby we played very poorly, i'll give you that but today we went to one of the form sides in the league and lost. Granted, some aspects of the performances were disappointing but to get on BSA's back already would be daft. Where Citeh and ourselves differ is that they've got a crooked Thai throwing money at players like there is no tomorrow whereas we've been much more astute in our dealings. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing time will tell but we've made a very good start to the season compared to previous years.

 

If we're not looking much better come the end of the season then fair enough, Noelie et al may have a point but currently we're still finding our feet. The future is much brighter now than it has been over the past three or four years so doing anything less than getting behind the squad is ridiculous.

 

Skol shoots..

 

...

 

...

...

 

 

Skol Scores!!!

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I don't want people to misunderstand me, I'm not slagging Big Sam or anyone else for that matter as you can see in my opening comment, I'm merely pointing out that I don't think there is really much 'difference' in how we are faring now and how we fared last season.

I appreciate that some time may be needed for some players to gel as a team, but how much time? I don't agree with this two or three years down the line, we're not talking about apprentices or beginners being groomed for greatness, we're talking about seasoned veterans who have been around the block a few times with the possible exception of Taylor, Zoggy, Milner and perhaps Martins and Enrique.

Discounting Enrique, every player Big Sam has brought in since he joined us have years & years of experience in the top leagues in Europe so how long should it take these seasoned, high paid professional players to be moulded into a decent functioning team.

C'mon, it only takes a few weeks to make a well-drilled, well-disciplined, fighting soldier, out of an eighteen year old kid from down the street who's never held a gun in his hand never mind fired one.

Geremi, Rozy, Beye, Feye, Smith, Emre, Butt, Viduka, Owen, Carr, Babayaro, Given, Harper, are not apprentices learning the meaning of teamwork, and anyway some of them wont be around in one, two, or three years time so the time to gel and succeed is NOW!

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i reckon by the next transfer window we'll have a better idea of where we are going noelie, if you look at sams past signings he's often gambled on the short term to improve the team, in our case because the club was still being bought out by mike ashley and all the changes that incurs, he may have had his hands tied in terms of the personell he gets in.

 

i think its going to be a tricky few months ahead as teams have figured us out already. we aren't playing good football and ball retention is not a thing we do which leaves us prone to counter attacks.

 

another thing, elano and petrov cost not a lot and both were (and have been all season) outstanding... why werent we looking at them!

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Big sam is still the man for the job.

 

in the games weve played so far this season - how many different players have played in defence and in goal?

 

smith is a decent player but outt of neccessity he is being played in midfield.

 

if smith was never purchased, who would be playing in his place? faye? pattinson? would results be any different?

 

we still have barton, emre and duff to return, not to mention zoggy who is being played in defence. these are attacking options we dont really have at the moment.

 

theres also our permantly injured english show pony.

 

Whats changed?

 

The club has a chance of realising its potential - thats whats changed.

 

If Smith wasn't purchased we could have used the £6m on a player we actually needed.

 

As regard to N'Zogbia, it seems Sam prefers him as a left back over the £6M paniard adn would rather go with 3 cloggers in midfield instead of lining up with width.

 

The Sky pundits were spot on yesterday - if you play 4-3-3, you need one of your 3 central midfielders to support the front man. I imagined Smith might do that job but so far none of them are doing it

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Big sam is still the man for the job.

 

in the games weve played so far this season - how many different players have played in defence and in goal?

 

smith is a decent player but outt of neccessity he is being played in midfield.

 

if smith was never purchased, who would be playing in his place? faye? pattinson? would results be any different?

 

we still have barton, emre and duff to return, not to mention zoggy who is being played in defence. these are attacking options we dont really have at the moment.

 

theres also our permantly injured english show pony.

 

Whats changed?

 

The club has a chance of realising its potential - thats whats changed.

 

if smith wasn't purchased we could have used the £6m on a player we actually needed.

 

as regard to n'zogbia, it seems sam prefers him as a left back over the £6M spaniard adn would rather go with 3 cloggers in midfield instead of lining up with width.

 

the sky pundits were spot on yesterday - if you play 4-3-3, you need one of your 3 central midfielders to support the front man. i imagined smith might do that job but so far none of them are doing it

 

smith was needed - perhaps not specifically HIM, but we arguably needed a versatile forward capable of playing in several positions.

 

it would appear that enrique isnt settling in as quickly as some of our other buys so big sam is easing him in very gently and is having to play zoggy in that position - and zoggy has done very well considering.

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The big difference between Man City and us yesterday was the fact that we look like a team desperate to defend, and they look like a team desperate to attack.

 

We got rid of both Solano and Dyer, who arguably were our most creative players, and replaced them with defensive players. There isn't a single fit player in the squad (apart from N'Zogbia who I thought was useless yesterday) who could be seen as a midfielder who can "open the door". Barton and Duff should make a difference when they get back, but I still fear Sam will play 3 defensive midfielders.

 

The biggest disappointment for me yesterday was the fact that we changed absolutely nothing until the game was already lost. I know we had very little on the bench, and that's mainly down to the fact that Barton, Duff and Owen are all missing, but I would have hoped that Sam would have a few ideas on how to turn a game around.

 

It's still very early days, and I expect us to throw some money around in January to get us a playmaker. I see Man City are after Riquelme for a figure of around £6m. Sadly I think they'll be the more attractive option if we went in for him too.

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