Embarrassing- League 2 standard

[Grombleton]

Ha ha a one trick pony at best, done ok in league1, enough said
regards
DR

I think he's good enough for this league, but i agree that defenders work him out early on, which is why he's more effective off the bench when they are tiring and he can use his pace. If he starts, they work him out early on and close him out of the game, which is when he gets frustrated and sometimes petulant.

 

[c0lz]

I disagree that it was League 2 standard , League 1 would be more apt.

Agree and where our strikers should remain.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

Because of course he's had so many opportunities

He's basically the only person not allowed to have a bad game - Tex and Colunga were sub par today but no one will argue they are only impact players

So even thougn he's played three seasons under three different managers to try and prove himself worthy of a start he still hasn't had a chance to prove himself? Hmmmm not buying it I'm afraid. Poyet, Garcia and Hyypia all seem to be able to see that he is much better utilised as an impact sub. And to be honest it's not exactly hard to see why. Yes, he is an exciting player BUT he is only that exciting when he is up against tired defenders. He has consistently shown he is inafective from the start and often tires early because he tries to use his pace against defenders who are fresh. Both Tex and Colunga were poor today and I would go as far to say that from what I've seen of Colunga so far he wouldn't even make my match day squad if I was picking the team. Kaz would but he'd be on the bench.

 

[Albion 4ever]

25 shots maybe, but the Blackpool GK was comfortable throughout.
Against bang average/poor sides, we need to take the initiative, and that means playing KLL from the start, as well as getting more players into the box.

 

[Beach Hut]

If we had started with Lua Lua they would have had a maximum of nine players by the end of the game.

 

[Mayonaise]

Yes it wasn't great. Looking for positives though, I thought Stockdale look more assured and will take some confidence from his performance.

Also I thought we were devoid of any real creativity until Paddy McCourt came off the bench. For me he created more in the last 10 minutes than JFC managed all match.

Blackpool were poor and the ref was fussy which didn't help the quality of football but I don't think it was league 2.

 

[Monkey Man]

Seems to me that we have a squad of players that is struggling to adapt to Sami's football philosophy, or perhaps to understand what it is. It might be a quicker learning process with a more settled starting 11.

From my vantage point as a thicko fan who's never played the game at any respectable level, it also appears that we lack imagination as a team, just as we did last year. We know that teams like Blackpool will come to the Amex and defend/time waste/foul us (not necessarily all at the same time). So tactically we need to be set up to deal with that. Yes, 15 corners ... but how many of them caused any concern for the Blackpool defence?

 

[Don Quixote]

Blackpool were incredibly bad, so at least we are not worse than they are, just about equal.

 

[Stat Brother]

We weren't that bad. 25 shots, 15 corners says it all. Some nice football at times and Blackpool didn't have a proper chance on goal.

If we had a goalscorer (or Ulloa) we might have won 3-0.

It feels like 2012 again by saying this but, we really need to sign a striker.

We could have Ulloa Drogba and Van Persie up front, but we still wouldn't score any goals because:-

NOBODY CAN MAKE THE 'ASSIST' PASS.


And yes I feel like shouting.

 

[Monkey Man]

Yes it wasn't great. Looking for positives though, I thought Stockdale look more assured and will take some confidence from his performance.

Also I thought we were devoid of any real creativity until Paddy McCourt came off the bench. For me he created more in the last 10 minutes than JFC managed all match.

Blackpool were poor and the ref was fussy which didn't help the quality of football but I don't think it was league 2.

I liked the look of McCourt. In every sense. He has the appearance of a hungover bloke in Division 8 of the Lewes Sunday League, and was about as fast. But his skills on the ball, and his distribution, looked really promising.

 

[London Irish]

He has consistently shown he is inafective from the start

My last word about KLL on this thread, as it has been discussed many times and this thread maybe should talk about new stuff - but the above is simply not true and is where your argument falls down. To be consistently ineffective he would have needed a consistent series of starts, it's never happened. And you move the goalposts by saying "well, that's because the managers haven't fancied him" - stick to one explanation, not two mutually inconsistent ones.

 

[Pixelated Penguin]

People are saying we need time to gel, to get used to Sami's ways and style. Well they want to get up to speed quickly because with Forest, Cardiff, Watford and Boro our next four league games we are going to find ourselves losing touch with mid table and find ourselves in a relegation fight

 

[Grombleton]

People are saying we need time to gel, to get used to Sami's ways and style. Well they want to get up to speed quickly because with Forest, Cardiff, Watford and Boro our next four league games we are going to find ourselves losing touch with mid table and find ourselves in a relegation fight

Don't forget that we seem to be good against the decent sides and shite against the bad ones. I don't think the next 4 games means we'll get nothing from them.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

My last word about KLL on this thread, as it has been discussed many times and this thread maybe should talk about new stuff - but the above is simply not true and is where your argument falls down. To be consistently ineffective he would have needed a consistent series of starts, it's never happened. And you move the goalposts by saying "well, that's because the managers haven't fancied him" - stick to one explanation, not two mutually inconsistent ones.

Why are they mutually exclusive? Maybe none of them fancied him BECAUSE he is inconsistent. We obviously have very different views on how someone can be consistent. Failing to warrant a starting place in a team after three seasons with three different managers and instead always being used as an impact sub must tell you something. I'm not convinced by him when he starts and neither, it seems, is Sami.

 

[goldstone]

- Tex and Colunga were sub par today but no one will argue they are only impact players

Has Colunga yet had a game that was not sub-par? I have been seriously unimpressed with him so far.

 

[London Irish]

Why are they mutually exclusive? Maybe none of them fancied him BECAUSE he is inconsistent

Ok, promise this is my last Poyet didn't fancy him because he wanted total possession football, not KLL's bursts, that was fine when we had excellent players playing that system well. Oscar didn't fancy him because he was a boring chess-player of a manager. It's not clear what Sami's long term policy will be yet, so don't pretend you know - with us sitting 18th I'd imagine he'll be trying lots of different things in the coming months.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Bit dramatic. Agreed it wasn't a great display but for heavens sake. Get. A. Grip.

Get. a. grip.

Why? We haven't played anyone yet who will be challenging at the top. God help us.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

I disagree - time and time again he's shown that he just doesn't have the same level of effectiveness when he's played from the start.

From about game 40 last season KLL started 4 games running to lift us into the playoffs :
W
W
D
D

You, Garcia, Jones & Hyppia have poor memories

 

[dingodan]

I'm not one to start negative threads normally, but if we hadn't been in a shiny new stadium I would have thought that was a league 2 game. Both teams hoofing the ball aimlessly and completely devoid of any final ball, added to the fact none of our players seemed to know what position they are playing in and drifted about randomly. The only attacking players who looked threatening were LuaLua and McCourt off the bench, how Baldock got man of the match I don't know. Very worrying, I think we could be in for a season of real struggle if this continues.

It wasn't nearly as bad as you are saying. We did look for the direct option sometimes, but GGs balls to Bennett and Bruno were quality, and more often than not gave us a chance down the flanks.

It wasn't League 2 standard, but it was quite pedestrian at times. We were not quick enough or sharp enough, but for me it felt like most of that was because the players are not so certain where each other will be for a pass. We would wait and look around before making a pass far too often, but I guess we had to, to know who was where. These things will come in time, what we need is for more instinctive understanding between the players.

I also think that Blackpool being rubbish slowed the game down, it's important when that happens that you carry on at a high tempo and don't fall into the rhythm being set by the slower team.

It's still a work in progress and it showed today, but it was not that bad, it was not League 2, as fans we just need to have some patience.

 

[Grombleton]

From about game 40 last season KLL started 4 games running to lift us into the playoffs :
W
W
D
D

You, Garcia, Jones & Hyppia have poor memories

Ok, and what about the other occasions in his 3 years with us?