Ronald Koeman discussion

[Lanolin]

he made the best of a bad situation. not sure what else he could have done

How is losing 2-0 making the best of the situation? He could have, I don't know, tried to score a goal? Revolutionary I know, but it might have been worth a try.

He might also have tried not picking (or buying) geriatrics if it's going to mean we have to write games off before a ball's been kicked.

 

[Thomasc]

he made the best of a bad situation. not sure what else he could have done

I agree the 3 games in 6 days would have been a task for any manager.

We have 3 days left to make the side more mobile and get some pace in there, no excuses should be made for anybody if we do not.

He is signing quality players, this ship is very steady now, but we need to push on if we are going to stand any chance of breaking into the top 4.

 

[Kev50]

How is losing 2-0 making the best of the situation? He could have, I don't know, tried to score a goal? Revolutionary I know, but it might have been worth a try.

He might also have tried not picking (or buying) geriatrics if it's going to mean we have to write games off before a ball's been kicked.

i'm not saying he set out to lose two nil. i'm saying that the tactic of five at the back with little going forward was forced on him by the peculiar circumstances of the week, long travel short recovery, injuries, and an ageing back line

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

I honestly think if we dont get in top 4, win a cup, he'll be sacked.

Ye that's not gonna happen in a million years. He's only got one year left once this season is finished. Only way he goes this season is if we're embroiled in a relegation dogfight.

 

[Lanolin]

i'm not saying he set out to lose two nil. i'm saying that the tactic of five at the back with little going forward was forced on him by the peculiar circumstances of the week, long travel short recovery, injuries, and an ageing back line

I wasn't really questioning the 5 at the back, I was questioning the tactics/gameplan rather than formation. The point was that it wasn't clear how we expected to get the 3 attacking players into the game, or what particular skills we thought they would use to cause Chelsea problems. Had we picked Lennon and Lookman for example, I would have looked at it and said we were clearly trying to hit them on the counter. Had DCL been up top then I might have assumed we were aiming to use him as a focal point and get players up in support. The 3 we chose just seemed like an odd combination to me, I couldn't see what the thinking was.

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

All it will take is a downturn in home form and the knives will be stuck in. Could be out by the end of the season, with Martinez style post game protests.

Make no mistake the fans will remember the amount of money he has spent on players who cannot run with the ball, particularly if the RS continue to tear it up.

Won't happen. Our match going fanbase is a lot less cringeworthy and reactionary then some of our online cyberwarrior fans. Martinez got a free pass during the whole of 2014/15 and most of 15/16. It's really gonna have to get bad for us to turn on Koeman to that level.

 

[Kev50]

I wasn't really questioning the 5 at the back, I was questioning the tactics/gameplan rather than formation. The point was that it wasn't clear how we expected to get the 3 attacking players into the game, or what particular skills we thought they would use to cause Chelsea problems. Had we picked Lennon and Lookman for example, I would have looked at it and said we were clearly trying to hit them on the counter. Had DCL been up top then I might have assumed we were aiming to use him as a focal point and get players up in support. The 3 we chose just seemed like an odd combination to me, I couldn't see what the thinking was.

Rooney and Gylfi pick themselves, and Sandro was in cos he in theory could run around alot more than the others

 

[Lanolin]

Rooney and Gylfi pick themselves, and Sandro was in cos he in theory could run around alot more than the others

Which brings us full circle back to the original point...

Why do Sigurdsson and Rooney pick themselves? Do they complement eachother's skillsets in games like the one on Sunday? I don't think they do. The discussion related to whether we are picking a balanced team which works as a unit, or just shoehorning players into the side. I think you've just backed up the argument that it's the latter.

 

[AsiaAsia82]

Ron said there was a meeting with the board today,

I hope he clearly articulates our need to spend on strikers urgently, I can't believe after 7 competitive games we still haven't replaced Rom in any way, plus the left sided defender, now that it's clear Baines needs back up.

Buying young talent is all well and good but the first team should be the priority.

I don't get this 'we've been trying hard' rubbish, others have bought, looking for some progress urgently.

 

[Khalekan]

Won't happen. Our match going fanbase is a lot less cringeworthy and reactionary then some of our online cyberwarrior fans. Martinez got a free pass during the whole of 2014/15 and most of 15/16. It's really gonna have to get bad for us to turn on Koeman to that level.

Spot on.

Bobby was still carrying the majority of matchgoers right up until the disastrous decision to throw on an extra attacker, Omar, when we were 2-0 up and playing with ten men against Hammers.

And even then, the following week against Chelsea had him back in favour again.

It was the shocking display versus Arsenal in late March 2016 which finally turned the tide against him.

But on here, there had been a virtual civil war raging for a year, with a new Poll after every game lol

 

[CerberusFX]

I'm very confused at what direction he is trying to go in, as it seems others are, we don't seem to have any identity as a team, it's just a little bit muddled.

We started like this last year and most Evertonians I know said give him time and some windows, let him get his guys in. Well he has done that and we appear to be going backwards. However, slow starts are not unusual so hopefully, they will click sooner rather than later.

 

[Thomasc]

I'm very confused at what direction he is trying to go in, as it seems others are, we don't seem to have any identity as a team, it's just a little bit muddled.

We started like this last year and most Evertonians I know said give him time and some windows, let him get his guys in. Well he has done that and we appear to be going backwards. However, slow starts are not unusual so hopefully, they will click sooner rather than later.

Eh?

 

[CerberusFX]

Eh?

In a sense that we have started worse than we finished last season, not in an overall sense, I'm sure it's down to recruiting so many and losing our top scorer

 

[Abraders]

Eh?

Basically, we don't set out to play in any particular way. We talk about pressing and attacking but we do neither.

We've signed a lot of players for the same position and in order to play them we'll be shoehorning them all over the pitch, and playing with 0 width.

 

[CerberusFX]

Don't think it was the loss that was the problem mate, it was the manner of the defeat, virtually a copy of when we played them last season with the 5-0 hammering, waved the white flag from the off.

I don't understand why some can't get this point. I don't think anyone is overly bothered about losing at the Bridge, it's the manner of it which grates on people, that's the way I see it anyway.Not criticising the start to the season at all, we are ok even if performances aren't great just yet.