Ronald Koeman discussion

[Khalekan]

Fair enough.

The cups and timid derby displays are the only real disappointments for me.

Autumn was bad but that Watford game changed a lot. Whether you agree with it or not that's when Koeman decided he'd had enough time to assess the squad and knew that a big glut of them simply weren't up to scratch.

But yet, the vast improvement after Watford, the RS and Spurs aside, was achieved using mostly players already here when he arrived.

That was a splendid performance last night and only two of Ronald's signings started the game.

The change came about mainly through a rethink of tactics rather than any great turnover of players.

 

[blueblue]

I regard this as a very solid satisfactory first season.
We will probably finish seventh, which is about right. We have been unlucky with long term injuries this season missing Coleman, Besic, Bolasie, Funes Mori and James McCarthy for large portions of the season has scuppered any chance od doing better.

The manager has had a chance to assess his squad and the bloodbath of the January transfer window shows that he thought the squad was sadly lacking.

The silver ling in the injury cloud is that youngsters have seen first team action and now the management have a better idea of who can contribute next season. To see Davies, Holgate, Calvert-Lewin, Lookman, Pennington and maybe more getting first team experience in a top seven team is remarkable.

But, now it all boils down to the summer :
Who can we keep ?
Who do we buy ?
How much is available to spend?

 

[Eggsyblueskin]

While a lot of people list the lack of a cup run as a major disappointment I find I am less concerned. Going to final
and winning a cup is a absolutely magical day out I can attest to that , I have experienced it 3 times. But getting beat in the final or knocked out at the semi stage leaves a gut wrenching sense of failure, and I've experienced that far too many times.
Winning a cup does not denote a good side it's a lottery and poor sides can win, (witness Wigan recently),. or progress far as Lincoln did this season. So while I still want to win everything possible, I value a final high league position far more than a spawny cup run .
Hopefully we'll complete a quadruple next year anyway.

 

[Titus Bramble]

We had a game plan last night and it mostly worked. As I've said in the match thread, we were hitting them well on the counter, we were just missing that spark/bit of quality. Calvert lewin was brought on to help hold it up/win free kicks etc. He was fouled on several occasions but the ref gave us nothing and they maintained the pressure which ultimately led to the penalty.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and maybe he should have brought Valencia or lookman on up front for their pace, but I thought we were more than worthy of a result last night.

The future is still bright

 

[BlueToff]

It ultimately flows back to the manager, he can get them playing well in any game that doesn't matter but not ones that do? We'll know more next season when he has more of his own players in.

Every. Game. Matters.

 

[Tennessee Blue Mike]

We are 'right up there' though.

We're seventh - level on points with Arsenal and two behind Utd.

Had we held on for another 30 seconds last night we were in fifth.

@Tennessee Blue Mike Koeman got his gameplan and tactics spot on last night. The set-up was fine. We soaked up the United pressure and hit them on the counter. Two or three times either side of HT we had great opportunities to get into goal-scoring positions and the players made the wrong decision. It happens but you can't blame tactics for it. Koeman himself said we needed to kill the game.

In the end, he made an error in bringing on a young lad who had a bit of a shocker but even that wasn't the reason we didn't win. A slip-up from Williams not getting out quickly enough and a moment of indecision from him that led to a penalty.

It's a shame but not exactly the end of the world.

The more I think about it you are right. Just our outlets didn't hold the ball well enough to help out our defense. Poor Lewin he didn't a good showing being pushed off the ball and loosing footing. Three points here would have been a statement of intent going forward for next year. Oh Well!

 

[bicycleheader]

In fairness, Koeman was 30 seconds and a moment of panic away from being the first the first manager in Premier League history to win three consecutive away games at Old Trafford.

indeed Toff, but I can only go on what I see before me in his Everton team.

Anyways it wasnt a criticism of him. Like I said he is what he is. I just didnt agree with @banno on the sugestion that Koeman has to be cautious and the big games away from home should have turned out how they did because we have spent less and have less quality in our squad.

He chooses the approach, which is fine...but like many fans would hope we are braver next season in these games whether its felt we are lacking quality wise or not.

sorry @banno your post was in the middle of the post you quoted from me and too difficult to sort out on the phone to reply

 

[Tennessee Blue Mike]

They scored a last minute penalty?, how is that the tactics?

Because of this is why this happened just like the offside goal wasn't offside. The defense was hanging on for dear life which was a complement to our back four playing lights out for the last twenty minutes or so as constant waves of pressure and no release valves to give relief. Again the bough was bound to break and it did. Hoof ball up the pitch by Robles and losing possession was tough to watch. Lewin easily hustled off the ball as Valencia was by far the better option. United have been given too much admiration this year they can be beaten at home we just needed to believe it.

 

[Blue Cheese]

Thought the ref was terrible last night. Just a thought, he didn't do Koeman any favours like.

 

[Osamabindiesel]

My one problem with last night from Koeman apart from the subs; you don't sit on a lead with that much time left. You try to grab a second and sit on a two goal lead if anything. If you are going to bring another defender on for an attacker, do it at the very end of the game... maybe the last ten minutes or so.

 

[degsy]

Moshiri hasn't got a 'kin clue mate. He thinks a man who hasn't won a sausage for a decade is a "superstar manager".

I suggest he sticks to doing what he does best: concocting BS deals for stadiums where he leaves us to pay it off for 40 years and he pays f.a. and walks off with a massive profit.

You're getting a bit of a panning with 9 dislikes. But it's all about perspective. You see someone getting something 'extra'. The majority see what 'we' get.
But as is said; 'the workman is worthy of his hire'
(apart from the derby & untd) both sides are winners to some degree.
'Our' win is split between many, while he gets a big lump all to his self...so what.
If I got a couple of billion I'd spend some on beer and just waste the rest...doing what Moshiri is doing, but not as efficiently.
So yeah he makes a few Bob, like I've said before - shame on him for dragging you into the - like it or not and I don't like many aspects of it, I much prefered the old main stand for instance - modern 21st cent. football...but you still watch don't you, can't stop can you?

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Again I thought DCL was due to his size and physicality so can understand why he came on.

Personally I thought that was a bad shout. Valencia with his pace and better link up play with Rom would have been the call for me.

 

[Carlito]

The Pennington sub was the most Moyes moment of a very Moyes season.

You could see from Williams' gesticulating what a nightmare it is to be under the cosh away from home and have no out ball.

 

[BlueToff]

indeed Toff, but I can only go on what I see before me in his Everton team.

Anyways it wasnt a criticism of him. Like I said he is what he is. I just didnt agree with @banno on the sugestion that Koeman has to be cautious and the big games away from home should have turned out how they did because we have spent less and have less quality in our squad.

He chooses the approach, which is fine...but like many fans would hope we are braver next season in these games whether its felt we are lacking quality wise or not.

sorry @banno your post was in the middle of the post you quoted from me and too difficult to sort out on the phone to reply

True.

I have to say, I think he actually learned his lessons from the Spurs game - where he went too negative from the outset.

Against Liverpool he did try to be brave, but it backfired.

Yesterday was actually the ideal set-up and worked perfectly until United got lucky (which in the end, they did - even though we rode our luck as well). We had to frustrate them and it was more a case of being wasteful up front (even though the chances weren't gilt-edged) than slack in defence etc.

My point being, I think if we'd have had the four key players that have been injured available, we'd have seen different tacts. He was in a sense restricted by that, though the injuries aren't an excuse and they won't be used as such, they have definitely not helped!

Hopefully Schneiderlin is back come Saturday and we can start seeing some of the sexy togger we were playing a few weeks back.

 

[BlueToff]

Personally I thought that was a bad shout. Valencia with his pace and better link up play with Rom would have been the call for me.

Yeh definitely.