Ronald Koeman discussion

[Pabbers]

No coincidence we play more long ball with no Ross in the team.

 

[ijjysmith]

There's nothing wrong with playing the long ball either.

We're just not very good at it. But we weren't very good at not playing it either. At least the manager tried to change it.

Maybe we're just not very good at any type of football because they can't do any of the basics.

 

[granter79]

No coincidence we play more long ball with no Ross in the team.

Same result as Soton game. Loose possession.

Id like to see Ross back in the weekend but whole balance of how we play needs to improve. When to play and when to go long.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

This thread is a car crash

 

[davek]

Yeah davek gueye and Williams are spot on mate remember who signed some of the rest yeah mate

All this team required was someone to sort out the defence. It's still a shambles, though. And the attacking side of our game has been obliterated.

These players can get on the ball and attack in numbers. They've proven it often enough in the past. Koeman has come in and adopted a scorched earth policy. Is it any wonder the players haven't got a clue what to do now - and that's the reason we've taken just 7 of the last 27 points on offer.

 

[Pabbers]

Same result as Soton game. Loose possession.

Id like to see Ross back in the weekend but whole balance of how we play needs to improve. When to play and when to go long.

Would be nice to have someone in the middle that can dictate play and pass now and again. I know Ross has got a lot of stick, but compare his creativity to Barry...!!!!

 

[mkrudden]

I have no idea what this comment is supposed to mean.

The point is that Koeman has to be pragmatic and given the current circumstances with a very poor, slow, devoid of invention midfield, erratic wingers and playing Lukaku up front alone is not working and has not worked for a couple of years.

In the absence of fresh players until the next window mixing it up a bit and playing longer, going to a 4-4-2 system is a decent response.

Don't get me wrong mate, I'm no PL manager but if the above is true in terms of his reasoning then I find it all the more baffling.

Because what he is saying is: None of the players I have fit the system that I want to play, in an attacking sense.

What is even more startling is his assertion that none of the kids are ready either, all of whom are at an age where he they are far more likely to readily take on new ideas with ease.

In the meantime, he is going to serve this up until little by little he dismantles the team. We aren't talking about a three year process imo, we are now talking about 5 years +. Easily.

Klopp, Pep, Jose, Pochettino... these guys came in and despite not having the players to play their system, made them play it anyway. I very much doubt Kolorov will be playing for City after this season, for example, but he's still having to play the Pep way. What is our way? Why aren't we writing off this season, if we have to, in order to set a standard/way of playing which we can adopt for the whole of his tenure. After all, anything higher than last season's finish is a success.

I genuinely wouldn't mind the inconsistency if I felt like I was watching something develop. A Koeman team (whatever that may be). Instead yesterday I watched us punt a ball to Lukaku who would sometimes win the duel, sometimes not, but in any event pass the ball to one of our wingers whilst he then had to sprint to get in the box.

Genuinely baffling.

 

[RobReid_EFC]

This is what our formation looks like:

*

* * * *

* *



* * * *
Imagine its central though

We leave a massive gap which Barkley should be filling but doesn't. Gueye and Barry cant move it forward... we just then get stuck in the midfield with no way to push back

 

[Donald Twain]

This thread is a car crash

I love a good car crash!

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

thought there would be loads of calls to get eddie howe in, what with them beating liverpool at the weekend....

Give it time

 

[granter79]

Would be nice to have someone in the middle that can dictate play and pass now and again. I know Ross has got a lot of stick, but compare his creativity to Barry...!!!!

agree. Id like to see us get Schderlin in Jan and have a midfield 3 of him, ross and gana. But the Ross we want in there has to finding a blue shirt each time and putting himself about which is reason he was sat on bench yest. Painful watching Barry and Cleverly yesterday when Gana can do both their jobs!!

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I think the football will get better, but he's got to get the basics down first

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

 

[ijjysmith]

I think the football will get better, but he's got to get the basics down first

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

Try living with a vegetarian.

 

[Tony Hibbert's 3rd leg]

I was watching the game yesterday and there were times where I thought that no manager in the world could make these players play any better.

It was shambolic, laughable even. I think it was a period mid way through the send half where the ball was just aimlessly bouncing of limbs with no intent or direction. I've lost count the times Koeman has mentioned starting games with intensity is what we needed to do, and whether the players can't or won't, the players aren't doing it.

There's a sense that everybody knows the players aren't good enough now. The manger knows it, the fans know it, the backroom staff know it, the players know it.

The one thing I can't understand is how Holgate and Davies haven't been given a run. Other than that, Koeman's hands are tied. What options did we really have yesterday, even with only one injury before the game?

The more this season progresses, the less ridiculous my opinion that only Gueye deserves a starting place next season seems.

The majority of these players have gone as far as they can go. Time to give the manager a chance to change things, because you'll be waiting forever if you think that these players are capable of that.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Did you enjoy the way we played yesterday? Would you, hypothetically, be happy to watch that for 3 years?

If we win f all and have to scrape into the top half? No

If we win stuff playing it and get into the Champions League? Yes

It's a results business at the end of the day

Right now, we're playing dull stuff and aren't winning

He needs to get us winning again, then we can care about the aesthetic pleasantness of the togger