[Albion] The masterstroke of dropping Potterball

[Billy the Fish]

He has been criticised amongst our support for tinkering and "not knowing his best XI" but this goes to show that if you tinker to good effect it can be a positive (and I don't think he even has a best XI anyway, it's very much a squad effort here).

Agree. I put on the Utd match thread that we have to accept this is Potter's management style. He got it completely wrong against Utd, he was obviously trying to achieved something that didn't work at all and we stank the place out.

However, Norwich and Leicester were spot on tactically. Arsenal was about right although we rode our luck a bit. He's getting it right more often than he gets it wrong, and even when he does get it wrong he'll change things mid game. I think this way is more enjoyable than having the same plan-A and nothing else every week, like some other managers.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Potter has had great media coverage for style of play but this went a long time ago. All very well at looking good but whatever his views it wasnt bringing in the points. I think about Wolverhampton away he must have said sod it we need to stop giving away goals and went to with great success a Hughton type game of keeping it tight and trying to nick a goal. Only difference is passing ball about in first third. Something he is forced to do with no Murray/Hemed/Androne up front.

While I know what you´re saying, it was a very different 0-0 this season at Wolves compared to last season. This season we had 57% possession, while the season before it was 31% possession.

 

[Stat Brother]

He has been criticised amongst our support for tinkering and "not knowing his best XI" but this goes to show that if you tinker to good effect it can be a positive (and I don't think he even has a best XI anyway, it's very much a squad effort here).

Not knowing his 'best XI' certainly alludes to a team with 11 or 12 players better than the others.

That's more palace, West Ham et al thinking, than how recent Albion squads have been built.


Despite the occasional bumps in the road I do enjoy spending the hour before kickoff thinking 'well where's he going to play'
It certainly beats the alternative.

 

[Simster]

Not knowing his 'best XI' certainly alludes to a team with 11 or 12 players better than the others.

That's more palace, West Ham et al thinking, than how recent Albion squads have been built.


Despite the occasional bumps in the road I do enjoy spending the hour before kickoff thinking 'well where's he going to play'
It certainly beats the alternative.

Yes, we don't have many players who are guaranteed to be in the starting XI (Dunk, Ryan, then after that we're debating) but that is by design. The thinking appears to have always been to build a squad of players happy to compete for a place, as opposed to having half a dozen players guaranteed to be in every week.

 

[vagabond]

Yeah this “Potter doesn’t know his best 11” is very old school thinking. He evidently likes to have a squad that he can play multiple systems with and is capable of switching mid game.

If I’m right I believe he is the only PL manager to use all 5 subs post lockdown. That’s telling I think.

Regards this topic, i don’t think Potterball has been dropped. I suspect we’ll see it in one of the remaining games, Newcastle for instance like to sit back so that may be a game where we can play our Spanish 70% possession football.

 

[studio150]

I think the big difference between Potterball defending with low possession and CH, is that under Potterball we still get out and pose a threat going forward. When we win the ball back under Potterball there isn't the hoof forward so it comes back again and again. Instead we either break or have a spell of possession giving the defence a breather.

Long may it continue.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Yeah this “Potter doesn’t know his best 11” is very old school thinking. He evidently likes to have a squad that he can play multiple systems with and is capable of switching mid game.

If I’m right I believe he is the only PL manager to use all 5 subs post lockdown. That’s telling I think.

Loads of managers have used all 5 subs

In our games both Solskjaer and Arteta have, for starters.

(unless maybe you meant he is the only manager to use ALL 5 subs, in ALL 5 games??)

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

He has been criticised amongst our support for tinkering and "not knowing his best XI" but this goes to show that if you tinker to good effect it can be a positive (and I don't think he even has a best XI anyway, it's very much a squad effort here).

He often doesn't seem to know his best STARTING XI. Fair enough, he does appear to know how to tinker with it to good effect in the second half, but the downside is its all too easy to then end up chasing the game following a pretty turgid first 45 minutes

 

[Simster]

He often doesn't seem to know his best STARTING XI. Fair enough, he does appear to know how to tinker with it to good effect in the second half, but the downside is its all too easy to then end up chasing the game following a pretty turgid first 45 minutes

I think it is more the case that he doesn't have a best starting XI. Horses for courses, primarily, and so far he has got things right far more often than wrong IMO. Even when we hadn't won all year, there were decent performances where we deserved more than we got.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

He often doesn't seem to know his best STARTING XI. Fair enough, he does appear to know how to tinker with it to good effect in the second half, but the downside is its all too easy to then end up chasing the game following a pretty turgid first 45 minutes

The Manchester United game is the ONLY time in the last seven, where we've been behind at half time

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The Manchester United game is the ONLY time in the last seven, where we've been behind at half time

I'm sure we got a statto somewhere with the, er, stats for the season as a whole

Might be my selective memory, been so long since went to football, but seem to recall very many half time chats with chums in the North that went along the lines of...

- Well that was shit
- Don't worry, we always score in the North (after making 2nd half changes)

 

[A1X]

We can now play a more counter-attacking game than we have previously because of the additional pace. The likes of Bissouma, Alexis, Lamptey and Connolly getting game time means we're a lot more dynamic and quick for that than trying to counter with Montoya, Gross and Murray.

 

[Wozza]

Loads of managers have used all 5 subs

In our games both Solskjaer and Arteta have, for starters.

(unless maybe you meant he is the only manager to use ALL 5 subs, in ALL 5 games??)

Solskjaer brought on all five subs together in one match. FLAIR.

 

[Weststander]

The day we have everyone behind the ball in and around our penalty area and keep hitting long balls to a lone striker on the halfway line is the day I’ll start to have doubts about GP.

I will not be averse to everyone behind the ball and relying on breaks for the next two games though. I am sure GP will have something more intricate than that planned though

The cringeworthy football of playing a 9-0-1, February to May 2019. Painful for those who went to games.

It’s been a rollercoaster under PL rookie Potter, but so much more enjoyable in overall terms.

 

[Nameless]

I think and hope it depends on the opposition, we now have pace in our midfield and wing positions so we effectively counter attack. I think he's looking for a hybrid of possesion based football when we have the ball and counter attacking based football when we don't. Either way it's still much more exciting to watch.

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm sure we got a statto somewhere with the, er, stats for the season as a whole

Might be my selective memory, been so long since went to football, but seem to recall very many half time chats with chums in the North that went along the lines of...

- Well that was shit
- Don't worry, we always score in the North (after making 2nd half changes)

The team are comfortably top 5 in 'late comebacks', possibly even top 3.

One of the Twitter statistic accounts went to great lengths to prove this is because of half a dozen impressive reasons.

I did feel compelled to mention the one fact they omitted:-

- 'They're always losing'.




They never got back to me!!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The cringeworthy football of playing a 9-0-1, February to May 2019. Painful for those who went to games.

Not least because something akin to civil war was breaking out in the North, between the early leavers (who were getting earlier and earlier) and the Get Behind The Team faction. Rarely seen fellow fans at each other's throats like that. Something had to change.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I'm sure we got a statto somewhere with the, er, stats for the season as a whole

Might be my selective memory, been so long since went to football, but seem to recall very many half time chats with chums in the North that went along the lines of...

- Well that was shit
- Don't worry, we always score in the North (after making 2nd half changes)

Half time scores, in HOME games, then:

West Ham 0-0
Southampton 0-0
Burnley 0-0
Spurs 2-0 UP
Everton 1-1
Norwich 0-0
Leicester 0-0
Wolves 2-2
Sheff Utd 0-1 DOWN
Bournemouth 1-0 UP
Chelsea 0-1 DOWN
Villa 1-0 UP
Watford 0-1 DOWN
Palace 0-0
Arsenal 0-0
United 0-2 DOWN

Behind in four, ahead in three, level in nine.

SEVEN of those half time 'draws' were nil-nil, so maybe your 'turgid' assessment is more accurate than your recollection of the scorelines!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Half time scores, in HOME games, then:

West Ham 0-0
Southampton 0-0
Burnley 0-0
Spurs 2-0 UP
Everton 1-1
Norwich 0-0
Leicester 0-0
Wolves 2-2
Sheff Utd 0-1 DOWN
Bournemouth 1-0 UP
Chelsea 0-1 DOWN
Villa 1-0 UP
Watford 0-1 DOWN
Palace 0-0
Arsenal 0-0
United 0-2 DOWN

Behind in four, ahead in three, level in nine.

SEVEN of those half time 'draws' were nil-nil, so maybe your 'turgid' assessment is more accurate than your recollection of the scorelines!

Top statting that man

 

[Stat Brother]