Mark

Reckon be Iorfa at RB in a 4 -2-3-1

I shouldn't be, but I'm actually confident 🤫

Just now, mkowl said:

Not a chance - don't get me wrong there is a game plan but frankly the players are not good enough at the basics to execute it 

The players clearly are not good enough.  But I've see enough already that we need to keep faith with the manager if (when) we go down

.

It's plain 2 see we are so much better than before. But if you haven't got the tools...

4 hours ago, Boracic Lint said:

There was nothing radical at all.

It was basic football.

DMs football was radical. No other team in the football league played that slow mishmash of styles.

They can't play 4 at the back? Bollocks. 2 years ago everyone was kicking off saying these players could only play 4 at the back and not fit a 352. Not one of these players was signed to fit a 352. Not one. They were all signed to play 433/4231. That includes the last 3 managers.

As for playing from the back, that was the players, not Xisco. He never intended to play it from the back. They fell back into it when they decided not to do what he asked.

All preseason he was trying to implement a system where the ball went across the back for a bit, then the keeper hit it onto the flanks. Delgado and Pato were the only ones to actually implement it, which is probably why he moved Delgado left. The playing from the back is the same shit we've been doing for 2 years, but it's somehow a Xisco innovation? The only defenders playing it forward in Xiscos system were supposed to be the fullbacks playing over the opposition fullbacks to the wingers.

The fact is, the squad wasn't fit enough to press, so he had to sit deep and when they got tired or down the players reverted back to what they knew, what we've done for a lot of the last 2 seasons, which was play it from the back with a panic hoof when pressed.

Rohl is going to try all the same basic things that Xisco did, the only difference is that he has to rely less on the older players and they've actually played a bit together now.

I used a bad anology with the restaurant thing, but my point stands, even now.

You can't change anything if the people involved don't believe that anything needs to change or want to change.

Too many people don't want to let go of last season or last seasons tactics and players, because of loyalty, good memories, blue tinted glasses or whatever and until they do, every manager not called Darren Moore will fail.

If there was a manager called Darren Moore with these players he'd fail

13 hours ago, Gleadless Owl said:

What about if him and Gregory do it at the Bramall Lane end after we've knocked them out of the FA Cup? 

Now your talking 😁

1 hour ago, Reesh said:

Christ did that p*** me off that night.

Call me small minded, don't care, but not forgiving him ever 4 that regardless if he is on our coaching staff or not.

Bet he couldn't do it now....

12 hours ago, Tylluan said:

He's carried a lot of baggage for his age. First English player to join Barcelona's academy after being scouted from West Brom at 16. PSG also wanted him. League shut downs due to Covid saw him coming back to England with Villa. Scored against Liverpool on his debut and Klopp likened him to Vardy, then he disappeared. 

Unsuccessful loans at Ipswich and MK and so so loans at Salford and Swindon have seem some question if he was just good at his age level. 

Seems to be doing ok at Stockport and may be recalled to go higher in January but it's a big step up to the Championship. Plus we already have Cadamarteri and Phuthi to step up within the positions he plays. 

At a place like Stockport I could see Cadamarteri having the same effect with the way he's playing this season. 

Thanks 4 that. Tbh a lot I didn't know re his background.

To me he's a very different player to Cadamarteri but yes he might have a similar effect although Barry has more experience and he looks thetype of player we haven't got. I'd definitely take a chance with a loan for 6 months 

6 minutes ago, Reesh said:

Ha ha you only just heard about him? Been around a while, struggled at any level above where he is now.

Yes must admit just heard about him. First time seen him live.

Definitely potential there to go higher

@Tylluan

You need to get your contacts at Wednesday onto a lad at Stockport. Louie Barry. Only on loan there from Villa, this lad is going places. I reckon Villa will loan him out to maybe a championship club.

Only 20 but lookslike he's got the lot. Like a quick Fernando 

4 minutes ago, Reesh said:

https://www.swfc.co.uk/news/2023/october/owls-appoint-danny-rohl/

Well I think that could be a fantastic appointment. Let's hope all the DC haters appreciate the Chairman efforts in getting a bloke with this background. 

2 hours ago, Teddy Nickelarse said:

Not to some nobs, especially on the other site. Hate runs too deep.

Talk of Miroslav Klose coming in as assistant btw.

Can we stick him upfront.....

I remember him. Decent in midfield gor us I thought. All the very best 2 him

3 minutes ago, Boracic Lint said:

I suppose we could hire a proper nice guy.

One of the goodest blokes in football, who gets on with all the journos and pundits.

Proper gentleman.

Then when he gets relegated, give him another year.

Sign 17 players, all from higher divisions for a promotion push. When he fails again give him another contract.

Sign another 12, 10 from higher leagues. When he makes it at the last second, give him another contract.

Then, despite triggering a contract extension, the good bloke leaves you with 16 badly coached, aging and injury prone players 45 days before the next season because he wanted more money, effectively writing another year off.

Then probably irreparably damaging what was left of the relationship with the owner after he kicks off because you've told everyone you meet that he's lying about why you left before admitting it on a phone call to local journos who then hardly reported it.

We could do that.

We could waste 3 years and possibly fuck the club for good on a this manager, but at least he claps to Hi Ho and is a proper gentleman.

That's much better than signing a bloke on a short term contract to try and salvage the season, because he once managed a different club and made a mean joke.

Much, much, better.

Yeah it probably is tbf

I think we could play s 3 in there when Diaby is fit as I think  he gives us the legs in there we desperately need 

2 hours ago, Boracic Lint said:

He needs a ball to attack.

His touch has never been bad, the difference between him and Gregory is that he will always be looking to turn and advance play, whereas Gregory will 9/10 stay facing and move towards our own goal and pass it straight back.

So Smith, when he had runners round him looks great, when everyone is our side of him, he doesn't have the outlet he's looking for so gets caught on the ball more.

For a slow build up on the floor, playing against a team who sits back and lets you play in front, Gregory will get you through.

For what we're facing now, where teams are in our faces and we can't get the space to do that, Smith all the way.

A fit Windass or Wilks could possibly be the right partner for both of them, but they should never play together.

True. What I really meant was Smith isn't a "runner" as in ball played ahead of him.

I wouldn't want Wilks in front 2. His asset is coming in off flank onto his left and using thst bit of pace. Don't want him with back 2 goal.

Could work in front 3 with Smith in middle, Windass on other flank. Not sure our midfield could cope with that though!!

2 hours ago, EastCraigsOwl said:

Better than Liam Palmer's anyway!

Crikey yes. I thought he had a shocker

2 hours ago, Boracic Lint said:

We made very few of that type of chance, as we move the ball forward too slowly so there's usually plenty of time for defences to get set.

V Newcastle we played what we should be playing now, all in, ball forward at every opportunity, no pissing about.

That is where Smith plays best. Did it at Rotherham in a side of worse players than this.

We're not the big boys anymore who can tap it about for 20 minutes waiting for an opening.

Gregory is always an inch off, just misses it. So nobody remembers it as a chance, where Windass or Smith would get to it and be remembered as a miss.

It's a weird thing about our fanbase.

Doing well and getting into good positions is almost punished, rather than applauded.

Smith managed to get himself through, got blamed for not winning the league.

Wing, made a fantastic run in a game he was playing well in, missed, worst player we've ever seen.

Our entire team is judged on what they show in the short highlights, not what they actually do in the game. Pato being a prime example.

 

Anyways, as for Smith. Look at the difference in the performance v West Brom and Huddersfield. 

West Brom he was getting it high up the pitch and getting good layoffs all over, causing some real problems, as well as heading everything that came into our box.

Huddersfield, playing in the slower style, getting caught as the quick passes weren't there and nowhere near as effective. Admittedly the ref screwed him.

He needs to be high up the pitch or have the ball in front of him. He's not Lee Gregory, even though we tried to use him in the same way for much of last season. He's not going to come back into midfield, get the ball to feet, stick his arse out and lay it off. It's not his game.

Smith doesn't want the ball too far in front of him......

For what it's worth I thought (in a dreadful game) his touch and control was pretty good 

Tell u what that's one of the poorest halfs of football I've ever seen at this level 

2 hours ago, Hirstys 12th Pint said:

Think he means Manning.  

Good shout if we were more stable.

 

That's the fella

1 hour ago, Reesh said:

If you mean Karl Robinson he is at Leeds as assistant manager and is fucking wank!

Oh God no not him. If he could get any worse he went to eeds with Big Sam. 

No young blond lad. Did really well with MK got em to play offs b4 they sold better players. He went to Oxford but don't know if still there.

Left field suggestion

Want Smith (won't happen)/Robins

Would take Carlos, Warburton

Don't want Colin, Wilder

Left field Keane, or that lad at Notts County or the bloke at Oxford ex MK

6 minutes ago, Boracic Lint said:

Warnock should be a no brainer till the end of the season.

He knows exactly what to do, he'll get the players grafting and he'll keep them in line.

He also has the added motivation of proving Huddersfield wrong, so will do everything he can to finish above them, something which DC will wholeheartedly support as finishing above them will justify his decisions regarding DM.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing.

As for the fanbase splitting, who cares? They're already split. Whatever DC does will be wrong in the eyes of many, so why not use Warnock to take the heat for a bit?

Forget Warnock. Thankfully it will never happen under DC. Warnock is EXACTLY the type of character our charman would hate.

And we should be thankful for that

I'd rather go down than have Warnock. Yes that might be petty but we'd eventually come back but he'd always have been our manager. 

No

2 hours ago, mkowlthesexynewversion said:

We said that 25 years ago. The day I become immune to us being shit will be the day I stop. 

But there is only one way to stop this current rot. Clearly there is no guarantee that any next owner(s) would stop it, it could get worse. 

Until we adopt some semblance of a sustainable plan then this cycle of doom with the odd glimmer of hope is going to continue. 

And Chansiri is carrying that torch now, but everyone else failed in the 20 years proceeding. 

We all pass the burden to our kids, with hope exceeding expectations. 

Unfortunately last few games, that's exactly what I've become. Immune to defeat. The apathy in the ground is the most worrying thing. 

1 hour ago, mkowlthesexynewversion said:

I am not worried as I never watch pre season friendlies. I recommend not doing so 

I totally get that. They are usually dire. As these have been. They don't really give a true indication. The one thing that we can take from these however is he wants 2 play out from the back and at the moment we definitely haven't got the players to do that.

DC has brought in a man who wants to play out from back and a totally different formation. That's fine but it's slightly contradictory as he'll have to spend quite bit money to do that, and can we?