FOOTBALL: Season 2006/07 Discussion Thread

Governmentyard · Post by **Governmentyard** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:11 am 0

Jamie wrote:McClaren out NOW please, before it's too late.

If he stays in the job then we have another Graham Taylor era to look forward to...

Whatever it takes to get rid of this conceit that we have a right to a good national team. And to stop the commentators going on about 1966.

aureole · Post by **aureole** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:22 am 0

McClaren is just trying to do whatever the tabloids tell him too. Going to 3-5-2 was the right PR move.

It's not entirely McClaren's fault anyway: I do subsribe to the idea that you can't bung players from 8 different clubs together and expect them to gel. The players are massively underperforming.

Governmentyard · Post by **Governmentyard** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:26 am 0

aureole wrote:McClaren is just trying to do whatever the tabloids tell him too. Going to 3-5-2 was the right PR move.

It's not entirely McClaren's fault anyway: I do subsribe to the idea that you can't bung players from 8 different clubs together and expect them to gel. The players are massively underperforming.

Ah, but in 1966....

merman · Post by **merman** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:11 am 0

aureole wrote:McClaren is just trying to do whatever the tabloids tell him too. Going to 3-5-2 was the right PR move.

It's not entirely McClaren's fault anyway: I do subsribe to the idea that you can't bung players from 8 different clubs together and expect them to gel. The players are massively underperforming.

You can if they are playing a formation they know. 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 would have been SO much better.

And then McClueless panicked, sent on three subs at once in the 70th minute and left Ashley Cole limping around the pitch for quarter of an hour.

Oh, and yet again, Defoe gets on ahead of Darren Bent.

Jamie · Post by **Jamie** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:12 am 0

aureole wrote:McClaren is just trying to do whatever the tabloids tell him too. Going to 3-5-2 was the right PR move.

It's not entirely McClaren's fault anyway: I do subsribe to the idea that you can't bung players from 8 different clubs together and expect them to gel. The players are massively underperforming.

True, but isn't that what McClaren's job is? To get them to play together properly?

In the last two games the players really don't look like they can be bothered to play for their country, and they certainly don't look like they care about winning, I think we've had maybe 3 shots on target in the last 180 mins of football.

Not only is it the manager's job to pick the team and the tactics (something that last night showed McClaren is totally clueless at) but also to give the players the drive and togetherness and team spirit that is needed to play as a team. Something that someone like Martin O'Neill seems to be very good at, if only...

aureole · Post by **aureole** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:23 am 0

C'mon, there isn't a cohesive unit of any players ready to be lifted from any club that I can think of. Seriously, can anyone name a decent quartet or even trio of players that play next to each other we could stick together?

The closest we have is the Cole-Lamps-Terry-cole edge of the left/center.

PaulEMoz · Post by **PaulEMoz** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 11:38 am 0

Today in The Sun:

Carrick - 5 out of 10, but:

"Played it safe with his passing"

Pass completion: 88%

Scott Parker - 6 out of 10, but:

"Has a dangerous habit of giving the ball away"

Pass completion - 96%.

Hmmm. Favourites, anyone?

fog · Post by **fog** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:36 pm 0

aureole wrote:C'mon, there isn't a cohesive unit of any players ready to be lifted from any club that I can think of. Seriously, can anyone name a decent quartet or even trio of players that play next to each other we could stick together?

The closest we have is the Cole-Lamps-Terry-cole edge of the left/center.

Isn't that what international football is all about though, getting the best players available to work together as a team? Isn't it exactly the same for every other international manager? And if they are so unfamilar with each other then didn't also resorting to an unfamiliar formation just compound the problem?

If there's one area you need to be strong at as an international manager to get the best out of players it's tactics. McClaren has never shown anything at any level to suggest he has what it takes. In contrast many of the players have shown they have what it takes to compete at the top level.

ShadowTail · Post by **ShadowTail** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:28 pm 0

In what sort of strange fantasy land was that formation called 3-5-2?

I'm fairly sure 3 centre-backs + 2 full backs = 5 defenders - Cole and especially Neville were not playing as wing backs - they were full backs that wandered out of position every now and again. Surely this is a 5-3-2??

So with a 5 man defence you'd have thought that would leave 5 men to run at the Croatian defence and cause some pressure - no, don't be silly. Parker and Carrick will both play holding positions! So we might as well have called the formation 7-1-2 and be done with it.

Not that I blame the formation - I blame who was chosen to play the positions and the players for being crap.

Mat T · Post by **Mat T** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 6:40 pm 0

You know your football club is in crisis when you lose 4-0 at home to Stoke City.

Leeds are in a dire situation at the moment. Gutted.

Col · Post by **Col** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:45 pm 0

Forest back on track and still on top! w00t!

aureole · Post by **aureole** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:06 pm 0

I think 'boro need to only play unbeaten teams. Points off Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton now.

merman · Post by **merman** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:44 pm 0

Mat T wrote:You know your football club is in crisis when you lose 4-0 at home to Stoke City.

Leeds are in a dire situation at the moment. Gutted.

Huh, we lost 5-1 AT HOME to managerless West Brom.

PaulEMoz · Post by **PaulEMoz** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 5:25 pm 0

Our defence can fuck right off. We could have been three up, and then they go and throw all the good work away.

As fucking usual.

Flabio · Post by **Flabio** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 7:16 pm 0

PaulEMoz wrote:Our defence can fuck right off

Watching that one in the pub as a neutral and it felt painful enough to watch then...

Buy some centrebacks in Jan, or you're foobed.