2022/23 Frank Lampard

[marmor]

I said to @matty1878 earlier on WhatsApp that we have strikers, but strikers need serving - they don’t do it on their own.
We have no creativity and what is clear to me is:

Mykolenko offers nothing going forward. If we are going defensive against the better teams I’m at peace with this. But we need better quality in front of him to be a creative spark. I’d happily give vinagre a go against weaker teams.

Coleman - see Mykolenko above. But worries me a little more defensively. Ok as a stand in as he’s playing now, but I’m counting the days Patterson returns.

The 2 supporting the striker, no matter the combination, are nowhere near good enough going forward. They should be making intelligent runs, more creative with the ball, and get better quality into the penalty area - be that a cross or shot. This is our biggest weakness imo.

We are completely reliant on iwobi being the best player on the pitch in order for us to do anything.

Lampard has done why he could this summer. Spine does look more solid than the last couple of seasons. If he can make similar improvements down the sides of the pitch we’ll be making a lot bigger strides forward than we are now. After being linked with kudus and mudryk in the summer, I believe he will address this area in time too. Due to the Tory rule (FFP) we can’t do it all in one window.

I’m still very much behind Lampard.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Get someone in who has coaching experience in the Premier league who is able to get the best out players as a unit.

A "realistic" name for me is Thomas Fronk.

Think he's done a great job at Brentford - I thought he was living off Eriksen having a worldie season last year but he's carried on from where they left off without him.

Toney aside few of their players get in our starting 11 yet look at the difference in what you see on the pitch.

Seems a proper coach.

 

[Drico]

Because we're never out of games. The last 3 games we've been in them and with some cutting edge we'd get a result. We had 7 draws last season. We're on 4 now.

Never anything like that under Benitez with one of the worst goals against in the league.

We should be looking at each game each week, seeing what's working what's not, what to improve with a young squad. Not "we're getting relegated"

We should be looking at the performances and realising that we are in big trouble because we don't keep clean sheets and we don't score goals. We most certainly need to be looking at what to improve. In fact, that's already pretty clear: we have no attacking coherence whatsoever.

Are we getting relegated? That remains to be seen. We are certainly on course for a relegation battle as things stand, though. That needs to be acknowledged because January is going to be critical in rectifying - or improving - the main issue we face.

 

[TheBigIguana]

You're right. We are currently 2 in 11.

I don't think we were clearly better in either win either. Close games we edged.

But we've been clearly worse in a bunch of defeats.

 

[jonnyboy316]

We need a reshuffle. We can’t get away with playing 2 fullbacks that contribute so little going forward. Until Patterson is back we need to revert to the back 3. Iwobi sadly needs to be moved to right wing back and either McNeil or Vinegar at LWB. Garner comes into midfield and we ditch the two unproductive wingers and go DCL and Maupay up top. Onana has complete license to venture forward.

 

[terryefc]

Disappointing to not even have an effort on target - but we were much better than last season.
Newcastle are a useful team - especially at home and I thought we were the better side in the 2nd half.
Lampard has put together a team that has a lot of potential but is very raw in certain areas plus we've also had some tough fixtures. Lampard's team needs a match fit DCL with a couple of games behind him and we'll start to see some goals.
I'm not panicking. I'm confident we'll start to see improvement and results. Give him another window with some cash to buy another forward and maybe full back & CH cover and then there will be no excuses. He's done the hard work in clearing out the dross that was draining our wage bill. He still has my support and can honestly see a lot of progress with some really exciting players who will get better with more experience.

 

[Drico]

I don't think we were clearly better in either win either. Close games we edged.

But we've been clearly worse in a bunch of defeats.

We're in big trouble. Statistically, we are currently worse off than at the same point last season. Now, given how disastrously last season panned out, you would think we could hardly do as badly again. But this currently has the feel of a mad spiral where the manager starts to lose control of the narrative simply because if you can't keep clean sheets - we have had as many as we have had wins - and if you can't score goals, then you are destined for the drop zone. The more forgiving of the fanbase have written off the last three defeats as "expected". Not a great advert for their "faith" in the manager. But let's be charitable and assume it is a clear-eyed reading of the limitations of the current squad. If we lose again on Saturday, then I think the scales will drop from a lot of eyes.

Frank needs a win and quick.

 

[Neiler]

Gave me bad vibes of games from last season.

Me too mate! Second to everything.

 

[BlueStevie35]

A "realistic" name for me is Thomas Fronk.

Think he's done a great job at Brentford - I thought he was living off Eriksen having a worldie season last year but he's carried on from where they left off without him.

Toney aside few of their players get in our starting 11 yet look at the difference in what you see on the pitch.

Seems a proper coach.

Stop doing that

 

[ronson444]

Well it's close to 250m, without losing any key players. It's a substantial sum. When Lampard spend that in a calendar year, I suppose we can make an apples to apples comparison.

Note, Howe has done a good job. Theres no denying that.

He took over from the relative stability of Bruce, not the case of Benitez though.

Lad they just beat a team with a £500m plus outlay, you’re carry-on here doesn’t sound too good..

 

[TheBigIguana]

We're in big trouble. Statistically, we are currently worse off than at the same point last season. Now, given how disastrously last season panned out, you would think we could hardly do as badly again. But this currently has the feel of a mad spiral where the manager starts to lose control of the narrative simply because if you can't keep clean sheets - we have had as many as we have had wins - and if you can't score goals, then you are destined for the drop zone. The more forgiving of the fanbase have written off the last three defeats as "expected". Not a great advert for their "faith" in the manager. But let's be charitable and assume it is a clear-eyed reading of the limitations of the current squad. If we lose again on Saturday, then I think the scales will drop from a lot of eyes.

Frank needs a win and quick.

It'd be one thing if we weren't winning but the performances were somewhat encouraging. We play crap and lose. It's bad.

 

[Welshy]

No doubt in my mind we are in a relegation battle again under this man.

 

[davek]

I said to @matty1878 earlier on WhatsApp that we have strikers, but strikers need serving - they don’t do it on their own.
We have no creativity and what is clear to me is:

Mykolenko offers nothing going forward. If we are going defensive against the better teams I’m at peace with this. But we need better quality in front of him to be a creative spark. I’d happily give vinagre a go against weaker teams.

Coleman - see Mykolenko above. But worries me a little more defensively. Ok as a stand in as he’s playing now, but I’m counting the days Patterson returns.

The 2 supporting the striker, no matter the combination, are nowhere near good enough going forward. They should be making intelligent runs, more creative with the ball, and get better quality into the penalty area - be that a cross or shot. This is our biggest weakness imo.

We are completely reliant on iwobi being the best player on the pitch in order for us to do anything.

Lampard has done why he could this summer. Spine does look more solid than the last couple of seasons. If he can make similar improvements down the sides of the pitch we’ll be making a lot bigger strides forward than we are now. After being linked with kudus and mudryk in the summer, I believe he will address this area in time too. Due to the Tory rule (FFP) we can’t do it all in one window.

I’m still very much behind Lampard.

No offence mate, but I cant believe anyone would think that. There were crosses played in across their 6 yard box tonight and there was no forward gambling to get on the end of them; and neither was there any aptitude by them to link up with players like Onana carrying the ball into the final third.

We need a playmaker maybe. But there is no way the two strikers we call on right now will get us out of this mess. They are dreadful.

 

[Neiler]

Lampard said: “The performance was OK, I thought it was a tightly contested game in general play. We weren’t clinical enough as we should have been considering how much we played through them.

“Against a good team, it was a close match in general play possession-wise. Disappointing that we didn’t have that more effect in the box as we could have drawn or won the game.

“The goal is sloppy from our point of view. It’s a transitional goal where we allow space on the edge of the box. It’s a quality goal but maybe there’s a decision that should have gone in our favour.”

 

[kenta]

Get someone in who has coaching experience in the Premier league who is able to get the best out players as a unit.

If there’s even a chance Pochettino is seriously considering the Villa job we should be trying to get him.