Sam Allardyce

[BlueToff]

First half against Swansea was appalling in that respect.

And Sam pointed out that that was poor and not how he wanted us to play

 

[BlueToff]

He has done it on numerous occasions in interviews that I have seen, counting the game as a clean sheet and win under him.

Not making a big thing of it at all, and delighted with how he is doing, but just think he could leave it out.

Think he's just said 'since he was appointed'.

I've not seen him directly claim responsibility for it.

He isn't wrong, strictly speaking.

 

[Stanley Parker]

But what is wrong with 'direct' football?

City play direct football. Getting the ball from front to back quickly is how to do it.

I'm not disagreeing on your second point, but I'd much rather see 'direct' football than the alternative - which has been proven to be utter tosh.

Leicester 1 City 1
Leicester 40% possession City 60% possession

City do not play direct football, quite the opposite. They play a deliberate possession game.

 

[MickA]

But we haven't - on the whole - been doing a lot of 'aimless' punting, the derby aside.

We're 18th in the league for long balls and 19th for inaccurate long balls. Play like we did against Swansea/Huddersfield/Newcastle and Chelsea will have the game won on the half hour.

 

[BlueToff]

I'm not sure what role our midfield plays at the moment. I don't think anyone's ever accused Sam of playing possession football.

I'd say Pickford has been playing long balls to a lone Calvert-Lewin marked by two centre halves. The ball soon comes back.

We played through the midfield loads on Monday - but in the first half we had two players who aren't comfortable bombing forward.

Davies came on and we changed entirely.

There's a time and place to be playing out from the back, and a time and place to simply get it upfield and build from there.

We need to be better on the ball and Sam has said that. He's not actively dismissing those concerns.

 

[BlueToff]

Leicester 1 City 1
Leicester 40% possession City 60% possession

City do not play direct football, quite the opposite. They play a deliberate possession game.

Did you watch the build up to Monday Night Football mate?

They discussed in depth how City's best chances in the Spurs came from goal kicks and how Ederson's ability on the ball has added a totally different dimension.

Yes, City are possession-based in that they want to control the ball and I am in now way saying Sam's style is comparable to Guardiola.

But just because City have the ball a lot doesn't mean they aren't direct with it.

City's best moves often involve 4-5 passes with players charging forward off the ball.

 

[davek]

Dave we thought with the last two managers that we were building something and in both cases it turned out we were not even getting by.

The last manager that left us in a better place than when he took over was Moyes. Since then we have signed a lot of players, spent an awful lot of money and still had to bring in Sam Allyrdyce to tidy up the mess made by the previous two.

I have seen a debate on here about if we were in a relegation scrap when Sam was appointed . It doesn't matter if we were or not what is not in doubt is that the season was turning into a train wreck just as it was when RM was sacked.

Vision, plan... unless it was to take us into the Championship I didn't see any plan.
Weirdly, I have more confidence in us digging out results under SA than the previous two managers.

Historically we are a big club, but our successful days are getting further and further into the past. We have an expectation that quite frankly our recent and not so recent history simply does not match.

Allardyce will get us into no trouble. Not with the resources we have here. The difference between more adventurous managers and him is that they can, when it clicks, offer a route to another level that Allardyce wouldn't concern himself to reach because that's not his remit and that's not within his capability either.

The question then becomes this: do you content yourself with ambling along mid-table playing percentage football, or do you use the greater resources the club apparently now has to find a new manager who can be more adventurous and trouble the elite ahead of us?

 

[BlueToff]

We're 18th in the league for long balls and 19th for inaccurate long balls. Play like we did against Swansea/Huddersfield/Newcastle and Chelsea will have the game won on the half hour.

You're stats are counting for Koeman and Unsworth as well though.

I'm not saying we don't go long - but our issue hasn't been going long recently. It's been our midfield been too sluggish in possession, and that was the issue in the first half on Monday night. An issue which Sam has said he wasn't happy about.

 

[Stanley Parker]

If we get 7th I expect his contract to be seen out fully or possibly extended. Koeman was celebrated for 7th and if Sam can equal it after a horrendous start I can see the board backing him. He wouldn't be my choice but there is no one out there available that excites me, so until someone is, and Allardyce starts to falter I can see him here for a while.

And what if Sam doesn't achieve seventh place? Do you expect him to go?

 

[matty1878]

Allardyce will get us into no trouble. Not with the resources we have here. The difference between more adventurous managers and him is that they can, when it clicks, offer a route to another level that Allardyce wouldn't concern himself to reach because that's not his remit and that's not within his capability either.

The question then becomes this: do you content yourself with ambling along mid-table playing percentage football, or do you use the greater resources the club apparently now has to find a new manager who can be more adventurous and trouble the elite ahead of us?

He is a glass ceiling manager. Bin at the end of the season

 

[davek]

And Sam pointed out that that was poor and not how he wanted us to play

Yes, but it was clearly a matter of keeping things safe in that first half. That would have been Allardyce's instruction. The daft goal conceded would have been the fly in the ointment.

But I'm not criticising SA for his method. It's what he does. We cant complain we've been sold a pup. He is what he is.

 

[cromofo]

If he does better than expected, he can manage us 10 years for all I care.

We'll see at the end of the season and take it from there. I hope we won't have the usual post-Sam shambles.

 

[Stanley Parker]

If he does better than expected, he can manage us 10 years for all I care.

What do you expect him to do? Take seventh place?

Luckily, there is no prospect of him doing better than that.

 

[cromofo]

What do you expect him to do? Take seventh place?

Luckily, there is no prospect of him doing better than that.

7th this season, yes.

 

[Kev50]

Yes, but it was clearly a matter of keeping things safe in that first half. That would have been Allardyce's instruction. The daft goal conceded would have been the fly in the ointment.

But I'm not criticising SA for his method. It's what he does. We cant complain we've been sold a pup. He is what he is.

very forbearing of you to put up with four wins and a draw in the last five games after the dross that went before. god help him when he loses a couple eh