I've said it before, but anyone who tries to argue that the football has changed in the last week since Powell left and Riga came in either hasn't been to the games, is lying, or just doesn't know anything about football.
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
I've said it before, but anyone who tries to argue that the football has changed in the last week since Powell left and Riga came in either hasn't been to the games, is lying, or just doesn't know anything about football.
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
Plus the only goal in the last 3 games has come from a good old fashioned header from a corner, hardly evidence of a progressive new brand of football. Some promising signs but far too early to judge Jose's impact.
I've said it before, but anyone who tries to argue that the football has changed in the last week since Powell left and Riga came in either hasn't been to the games, is lying, or just doesn't know anything about football.
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
I wholeheartedly disagree that the football has not improved over the last 3 games. Admittedly it still isn't great, but the intention to play football is there...... an intention that we have not had since Kermorgant replaced Hayes.
Well done on another successful thread hijack when not only was there no mention of Powell, but you were the first one to post in it.
I'll say it again: if people stop jumping in with their pathetic comments (that seem just to be solely a form of bait for those who don't agree with them) then perhaps we could turn back to normality and get this whole tiresome affair over and done with.
If you're that happy hes gone then great, do something useful and get behind the team. If you're that pissed off that he was sacked then get behind G21.
Otherwise stop posting moronic attempts at baiting people in to having some form of argument, we've all read it here about 100 times in the last week.
I've said it before, but anyone who tries to argue that the football has changed in the last week since Powell left and Riga came in either hasn't been to the games, is lying, or just doesn't know anything about football.
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
I wholeheartedly disagree that the football has not improved over the last 3 games. Admittedly it still isn't great, but the intention to play football is there...... an intention that we have not had since Kermorgant replaced Hayes.
Well I guess it's just the "doesn't know anything about football" for you then. How you can argue that there's been a marked difference in performance in any of the last 3 games when compared to the QPR and Wednesday fixtures only two weeks before is beyond me.
Ok, so lets ignore the last 2 and a half years of lumping it toward Yann's head (which really and truly is a great tactic if its being 'lumped' to his head by a winger as opposed to a centre back - Hence his 3 goals recently....why didn't WE think of that?!)
I cannot comment on Sheff Wednesday as was not at game - (that puts me in the hasn't been to that particular game bracket) but using last night as an example... did you not find it refreshing to have 2 centre midfielders that WANTED the ball, came LOOKING for the ball and were CONFIDENT when looking to play with each other?
They're the same centre midfielders Powell was playing mate. They are doing exactly what they were doing under Powell. They were looking for the ball then. The problems we have had all season are not in CM, they are the same problem we had last night. I.e. we have crap / no wingers and appalling forwards, so once the centre mids pick the ball up or win possession. They have nowhere to go and no options other than to try and play it into the channel for Church or play it back across the defense who then do the same.
This is exactly what happened last night, when we were dire for the first 40 minutes and were just lumping it. Except with much less productivity than in the Yann days as Church can't even get close to winning a header.
If you found that jaded and blunt performance refreshing then you must be a masochist.
They're the same centre midfielders Powell was playing mate. They are doing exactly what they were doing under Powell. They were looking for the ball then. The problems we have had all season are not in CM, they are the same problem we had last night. I.e. we have crap / no wingers and appalling forwards, so once the centre mids pick the ball up or win possession. They have nowhere to go and no options other than to try and play it into the channel for Church or play it back across the defense who then do the same.
This is exactly what happened last night, when we were dire for the first 40 minutes and were just lumping it. Except with much less productivity than in the Yann days as Church can't even get close to winning a header.
If you found that jaded and blunt performance refreshing then you must be a masochist.
Apart from, of course, the 3(?) games Cousins played RM / Right of diamond? To see last night Poyet and Cousins passing the ball to each other deep inside the Bournemouth half - within 30 yards of their goal on a couple of occasions is a LOT more PROMISING than what we have seen previously which was Poyet looking for the ball, having noone other than the CBs to give it back to, and then the long ball (after 3 or 4 passes between back 4)
I am not claiming that in the last 3 games we have been the Championship's answer to Barcelona.
Notts Forest at home was light years ahead of anything we've done in the last three games. Doncaster, Leicester and Wigan other good examples from this season (can't comment on Brighton or QPR as wasn't there) plus played well for the last 10 or so games last season, so not fair to say we've always just lumped it forward. Let's just enjoy the current football, which on the whole has been good, whether or not it has been better than other recent games under the previous management.
So did "lumping it forward" earn us a record 101 points total or do I remember some decent football being played then? It baffles me some of the Powell hate from some of our fanbase. For everything he gave us as a player and a manager he deserves alot more respect than so called fans care to give.
So did "lumping it forward" earn us a record 101 points total or do I remember some decent football being played then? It baffles me some of the Powell hate from some of our fanbase. For everything he gave us as a player and a manager he deserves alot more respect than so called fans care to give.
The decent football ended when Hayes dropped out of the side, as long ball to Kermorgant became the easy option. We won a very poor league, with the cherry picked players. Lumping it forward to Yann in THAT league THAT season was not pleasing on the eye, but it was successful so I understand. THIS SEASON in THIS league it was both hard to watch and unsuccessful. I dont 'hate' Powell as you put it, but I did hate the football his team produced.
I've said it before, but anyone who tries to argue that the football has changed in the last week since Powell left and Riga came in either hasn't been to the games, is lying, or just doesn't know anything about football.
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
I agree. There is no appreciable difference in the football. The first twenty minutes v Huddersfield we played some nice stuff and having a lively striker come on v Bournemouth made a huge difference. We lack creativity but we don't concede too many either.
I think theres a marked difference when Adrevic is in the side and playing off the striker. He wants it to his feet all the time and is prepared to turn run at defenders and shoot. Harriott looks a far better player with astrit there as rather than just getting passes up the line he gets it switched cross field to him and can peel wide into space. We just need astrit fit and he can be one of the best in this division.
Riga isn't gonna change the style of football over night. However I do think we're trying to play it out from the back a lot more. Hamer and the two centre backs first look is always for a short ball
Riga isn't gonna change the style of football over night. However I do think we're trying to play it out from the back a lot more. Hamer and the two centre backs first look is always for a short ball
The roll-outs to the centre-backs is a major change, as is 4-2-3-1. It may be that soon Jackson will have to take a breather and Adjarevic will play just behind the striker with Harriot & Green/Reza outside him. Or, Harriot takes a breather and Jackson plays left in the 3. Obika will get some games up front on his own as will Sordell, so the whole squad will be utilised in the busy schedule.
generally this is my view of powell tactics, as a powell lover. first season, started off with some amazing football but fans were nto patient and i know this is a fact. anyone remember the exeter game, we were playing good stuff and fans were impatient. then we played worse football for a bit and eventually started playing better stuff. in the championship we seemed nervous and often i would see us knocking it round the defence and then lumping it. a few exceptions to this in games and the run at the end we generally looked like a top 5 side, it was incredible. this season we have often had a mini run of games where we are poor, then we have a standout performance and then we gradually decline again. towards the end of powell's reign we were actually playing pretty football, despite the loss, i was impressed by the birmingham performance. jose riga is technically good, we will stay up now, but the football was already improving under powell. that said i have seen some dire games in the last 2.5 years. i remember bury, trnamere, sheff wed, middlesborough, derby, bournemouth away
See I've always liked the idea of of a minaje with a harem of beautiful women. We would spend days on end living in one room, indulging in fine food, fine drink and other fine delights. It would be incredible.
However, like Riga, I ain't got the f'ckin' money and I ain't got the right people.
one thing you can't ague with is the fact that Jose Riga has made positive substitutions wherever possible & if CP had been in charge on Tuesday night we would have been defending for our lives towards the end and defenders would have been brought on for strikers/midfielders to defend out the last 10 mins.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
one thing you can't ague with is the fact that Jose Riga has made positive substitutions wherever possible & if CP had been in charge on Tuesday night we would have been defending for our lives towards the end and defenders would have been brought on for strikers/midfielders to defend out the last 10 mins.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
Well I'll argue it , in the QPR match SCP made two substitutes in the 64th min AA on for Danny Green and Tudgay on for Gooch and 89th minute Harriott on for Church So no defenders there #justsaying
one thing you can't ague with is the fact that Jose Riga has made positive substitutions wherever possible & if CP had been in charge on Tuesday night we would have been defending for our lives towards the end and defenders would have been brought on for strikers/midfielders to defend out the last 10 mins.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
Well I'll argue it , in the QPR match SCP made two substitutes in the 64th min AA on for Danny Green and Tudgay on for Gooch and 89th minute Harriott on for Church So no defenders there #justsaying
And in fairness to CP, Riga in some ways has less pressure on him anyway - no tension with the owner and if we do go down, he can just point to the position we were in when he came in. He's got nothing to lose by going for an attack instead of defending - CP did. (Which is not to say Powell was a tactical genius who never made mistakes - but they were slightly different circumstances.)
one thing you can't ague with is the fact that Jose Riga has made positive substitutions wherever possible & if CP had been in charge on Tuesday night we would have been defending for our lives towards the end and defenders would have been brought on for strikers/midfielders to defend out the last 10 mins.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
Well I'll argue it , in the QPR match SCP made two substitutes in the 64th min AA on for Danny Green and Tudgay on for Gooch and 89th minute Harriott on for Church So no defenders there #justsaying
You're both right imo.
However, I can't remember Powell making such early & positive substitutions before (he may have).
He did v QPR & we won the game.
Riga did v Bournemouth & we won the game.
Powell generally waited until 70 mins to make his first sub or he waited until we went behind.
He rarely seemed to make a sub to try & win the game. It was normally to try & retrieve a game or hang on to a lead.
It was I believe his biggest fault, amongst very many positives.
I still love Powell and always will, but it doesn't make him perfect in every way.
None of Riga's subs have resulted in wins though. Only one goal scored in three of the easier, on paper, games of the season and that was created and scored by players that started the match. A promising start but some aspects are being overplayed.
one thing you can't ague with is the fact that Jose Riga has made positive substitutions wherever possible & if CP had been in charge on Tuesday night we would have been defending for our lives towards the end and defenders would have been brought on for strikers/midfielders to defend out the last 10 mins.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
Sorry Golfie I'm not gonna let you have that. Cousins for Harriot (DM for AM), Pritchard for Reza (DM for AM/FWD), and Church for Sordell leaving us with an attacking five of Poyet (defensive midfielder), Cousins (defensive midfielder), Jackson (hardly a flying winger), Adjarevic (knackered attacking midfielder) and Church (not a professional footballer).
Against Huddersfield in a game we had dominated and really needed to go for the win in, they cannot be considered positive changes.
None of Riga's subs have resulted in wins though. Only one goal scored in three of the easier, on paper, games of the season and that was created and scored by players that started the match. A promising start but some aspects are being overplayed.
I disagree. I think Riga bringing on Obika in the 1st half, changed the whole complexion of the game.
Harriot may have been injured, but he was very poor from the off.
Sordell on for Green on about 60, also was a positive change & both subs gave us forward momentum, instead of bringing on a defender and defending deeper & deeper, until we often conceeded.
He's not afraid to read the game and make subsitutions before we conceed,where as before we only used subs once it was to late and we were losing and chasing the game?
Comments
Last night was an identical repeat of what we have seen for most of the season, gritty defence, no creativity, cutting edge or goal threat, Simon Church running round haplessly and hopelessly up front (do those words mean the same thing? They both seem very appropriate to describe Simon Church), and an overwhelming reliance on team spirit and determination.
I'll say it again: if people stop jumping in with their pathetic comments (that seem just to be solely a form of bait for those who don't agree with them) then perhaps we could turn back to normality and get this whole tiresome affair over and done with.
If you're that happy hes gone then great, do something useful and get behind the team. If you're that pissed off that he was sacked then get behind G21.
Otherwise stop posting moronic attempts at baiting people in to having some form of argument, we've all read it here about 100 times in the last week.
Just pathetic.
I cannot comment on Sheff Wednesday as was not at game - (that puts me in the hasn't been to that particular game bracket) but using last night as an example... did you not find it refreshing to have 2 centre midfielders that WANTED the ball, came LOOKING for the ball and were CONFIDENT when looking to play with each other?
This is exactly what happened last night, when we were dire for the first 40 minutes and were just lumping it. Except with much less productivity than in the Yann days as Church can't even get close to winning a header.
If you found that jaded and blunt performance refreshing then you must be a masochist.
I am not claiming that in the last 3 games we have been the Championship's answer to Barcelona.
See I've always liked the idea of of a minaje with a harem of beautiful women. We would spend days on end living in one room, indulging in fine food, fine drink and other fine delights. It would be incredible.
However, like Riga, I ain't got the f'ckin' money and I ain't got the right people.
I'm not saying we wouldn't have won it or even that we would have lost it, but simply it is refreshing to see a different mindset.
Well I'll argue it , in the QPR match SCP made two substitutes in the 64th min AA on for Danny Green and Tudgay on for Gooch and 89th minute Harriott on for Church
So no defenders there #justsaying
However, I can't remember Powell making such early & positive substitutions before (he may have).
He did v QPR & we won the game.
Riga did v Bournemouth & we won the game.
Powell generally waited until 70 mins to make his first sub or he waited until we went behind.
He rarely seemed to make a sub to try & win the game. It was normally to try & retrieve a game or hang on to a lead.
It was I believe his biggest fault, amongst very many positives.
I still love Powell and always will, but it doesn't make him perfect in every way.
Against Huddersfield in a game we had dominated and really needed to go for the win in, they cannot be considered positive changes.
Harriot may have been injured, but he was very poor from the off.
Sordell on for Green on about 60, also was a positive change & both subs gave us forward momentum, instead of bringing on a defender and defending deeper & deeper, until we often conceeded.