2021/22 Frank Lampard

[FrenchDarrenBent]

Is that because Benitez lost to a lower league side?

The longer Benitez had with the team to implement his own ideas and methods, the worse the team became. Our defending became abysmal as he introduced new ideas, especially at set pieces. His tactics became more negative, passive, and reactionary. I saw nothing other than old fashioned and inept coaching.

I don't see it that way.

I saw a relatively rejuvenated squad starting the season in good spirits after what was an enjoyable offseason in Florida. Benitez already implemented his ideas during preseason, why wait until you're 10 games in?

Just like last season, we started pretty good. @Death even called the manager Rafael Unbeatez if memory serves. And just like last season, the players reverted back to type (not to mention the injury crisis), albeit a bit earlier & in a more emphatic way.

He just couldn't regroup & organize that defense. He failed & was rightly sacked.
Still strange how these players suddenly know how to play football when a new managers enters the room. The 3-0 against Leeds is a slap in the face of the fans: where did that effort/talent come from?

When analyzing long lasting car problems, you need to analyze the car & not blame the driver. Certainly not if it's the third driver in 2 years & if he's first name is Frank. Otherwise, you're three games away of hounding him out as well.

 

[MikeH72]

The taxi ran all right (best start ever for 30 or so years?) with Benitez until that strange Watford-game, conceding 4 goals in 15 minutes.
We never recovered, we never even found a modicum of defensive stability. That was the turning point, that's where things kicked off with Digne, that's where 'our brave lionhearts' decided to stop turning up.

Erm no mate.

 

[MACCA75]

Erm no mate.

Was the best start since.. the previous season.

 

[DanEFC92]

The taxi ran all right (best start ever for 30 or so years?) with Benitez until that strange Watford-game, conceding 4 goals in 15 minutes.
We never recovered, we never even found a modicum of defensive stability. That was the turning point, that's where things kicked off with Digne, that's where 'our brave lionhearts' decided to stop turning up.

I still can't believe that Watford game happened.

Single worst game I've been to.

Would happily see the back of anyone involved in that display.

 

[Nyhus]

Probably one of the worst analogies I've ever seen.

And you are the most hated poster Ive ever seen ?

 

[toffeeblue9]

If Rafael was still here, you wouldn't be happy to just stay in the Premier league.

Rafael hasn't been here for 4 league matches, we have lost 3 of those.

After Rafas last match, we were 6 points off 10th place, we are now 10 points away.

You're very strange.

Statistically, he was the worst manager we've ever had, barring perhaps Mike Walker, depending on how you cut the figures.

I'd like you to look at some facts (your mate was fond of them).

We finished last season in 10th position on 59 points - that's about 1.55 points per game.

Your mate sold James and was without Sigurdsson, but otherwise had access to the same group of players the previous manager did. He also brought in a few players on the cheap and sacked off one of the best left backs in the division.

At the point your mate was sacked, we were 16th on 19 points from 19 games. You don't need to be a genius to work out that's 1 point per game.

That's a dramatic 36% downturn in results.

There's no disputing the maths of it.

I'm sure he will blame injuries, staff, players, etc because, almost unbelievably, everywhere he has failed before never seems to be his fault from what he's said. He just seems to have remarkably bad luck.

Our current manager has had 3 games and is on the same PPG as your mate. He may end up, ultimately being no better than your mate, in which case we will most likely end up going down, but that isn't a defence of Benitez.

 

[Nymzee]

 

[Lanolin]

I think he's making a really good point here. For all the talk about them being cowards and all that, it does seem a little bit like a combination of the last couple of managers telling them they can't be trusted to play football and a prolonged run of poor results has left them not really having the belief in their own ability to win games, which in turn is leading to them making poor decisions and looking disjointed, because they're not doing the things they've been set up to do.

I've said for years, these things are a vicious circle, you don't have the confidence and belief that you can win big games/away games/against the best teams until you've actually done it, but then you don't do it because you don't have the belief that you can. It's promising that Lampard seems to recognise the issues and wants to work past them, i'm not sure the same has been true for some of our recent managers.

 

[Bluerover]

Confidence, belief, passion. These are vital to pull us out of this spiral.

I am not convinced that many of the squad give a toss, once they are getting their ridiculous salaries, and can spend 90% of their time between the treatment room, stupid fashion shops and luxury car showrooms.

Frank has a heck of a challenge.

 

[Death]

Believe. So refreshing to hear that.

 

[Carlito]

I had my reservations about him coming in, but he's here now, and I think he's already proved himself a good fit personality-wise.

I don't have a problem with him wanting to get on the front foot and play his way out of trouble - if nothing else, I don't think he knows how to shut up shop and nick odd goals - but it's always going to be a very risky strategy with Keane in the team.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Just like last season, we started pretty good. @Death even called the manager Rafael Unbeatez if memory serves. And just like last season, the players reverted back to type (not to mention the injury crisis), albeit a bit earlier & in a more emphatic way.

He just couldn't regroup & organize that defense. He failed & was rightly sacked.
Still strange how these players suddenly know how to play football when a new managers enters the room. The 3-0 against Leeds is a slap in the face of the fans: where did that effort/talent come from?

When analyzing long lasting car problems, you need to analyze the car & not blame the driver. Certainly not if it's the third driver in 2 years & if he's first name is Frank. Otherwise, you're three games away of hounding him out as well.

The main difference between Benitez and Ancelotti (other than the RS taint) was that Ancelotti found a way to navigate his injury crisis, and Benitez did not find a way to navigate his.

That's about as much of a natural experiment as we'll ever get, and it leads to pointing the finger squarely at the manager.

 

[Blue Parkender]

Frank says it like it is, love his honesty. Beginning to think we have finely found the manager we have been waiting years for.

 

[Gilbert..]

We've berated this squad for a few years so the likelihood he will get much from them is slim. Same with expectation. Cant have sat here and said how poor many of them are and then expect a new young coach to perform miracles.
This could well be, esp with the new backroom put in, a step back before stepping forward. If it is then so be it.

 

[NathDogg]

Can all the bootlickers of the previous manager [Poor language removed] somewhere else (preferably offline for good), instead of pontificating about how great their lying kopite Spanish hero was for us and how none of the absolute shambles we currently find ourselves in was his fault.

This is the Frank lampard thread - no place for tapastits here.