Hanshithispantz

I cannot remember a single moment of that game where our backs were against the wall like. EDIT: From what I've seen the only game we've won which we blatantly didn't deserve was Preston tbh (mainly because of their penalty shout and hitting the post 2 seconds later). Rotherham was sketchy but that was our own doing.

I think he's class tbh I hate most referees when they're in charge of our games like.

I think that's sensible enough like. This bit in particular rings true with me: "And its working here, albeit not to everyone's taste and I include myself in that. I don't like his tactics, his game plan or our style of play. I think we are making hard work of many a fixture and should not be losing the number of games we are. If only he would change things a bit... two up front maybe? Less holding midfielders maybe? Earlier changes maybe? More game time for Mitrovic maybe? Lots of maybes... Would we be any better off? Probably not and this is where we need to look at our manager and decide whether we trust him or not. Me personally I trust him 100%." I thought we were fairly poor yesterday despite the stats, and have thought that for a few games this season. He definitely could have done better in individual games if he was more flexible I imagine, but I just have to accept the rough with the smooth knowing that he has a reason for doing what he does and that doing what he does actually has us looking very good for promotion - in 2nd place. Looking back in hindsight we cannot ignore the wins he has us and only question why he didn't do X,Y or Z after defeats. I really want to win the league and I think we still will.

I wish I could find the video/gif of him running up the pitch on the counter before deliberately slowing down and then hiding behind a defender, it's absolutely hilarious. Cannot remember the game, but it was 'Shelvey letting play go by for Swansea' levels of bad.

Walking into a Semi-Final

I actually started to come round to him but yesterday was on another level. Obviously if I'm to be objective Shelvey not being in the side is the main reason for this, but then he goes and barges a player over on the edge of the box for no apparent reason. I hope he never plays again.

Post against Preston in the cup too was good play. He's obviously not a young Yaya Toure but I think he has a lot more to him than just playing the enforcer - just still nowhere near enough that we can afford to have him in a partnership with Colback.

Still got an 80% pass rate over the season too according to WhoScored, fairly decent. I really like him and actually thought he looked good yesterday, he just cannot replace Shelvey.

It's the 3rd or 4th time you've completely ignored an entire debate within a thread and posted purely to tell me I'm a cunt. Either I'm just incredibly unlucky, you hold some kind of grudge over something I've said (general ego centrism which flows through a lot of your posts and the back-peddling ones that often follow), or I am just a cunt. Whatever the reason I find it incredibly boring.

I deleted it because instead of editing because I cannot really be bothered. Your weird obsession with me is doing my head in though, please fuck off

You're completely missing the argument like. Rafa isn't a perfect manager, nobody is really. He probably made mistakes yesterday and not for the first time this season. The issue is with people claiming he hasn't got a plan - that going 4-4-2 or whatever is what he needs to do to turn games around. Like we lost yesterday because he just didn't spot that we needed to change things or that he chose not to change things out of stubbornness.

Surprised by that like, you're right though. Diame for Gouffran a few times. Diame's actually started more than I can remember.

To play 10 so Mo could drop into cm. ? Post was directed at Kasper. It was KI who brought that sub up. I think it's a sub he has done a numerous times though isnt it? And I personally haven't seen what it has brought to the table. Think he was onabout Perez coming off for Diame.

To play 10 so Mo could drop into cm. ? Post was directed at Kasper.

Perez came on for Colback, not Diame.

As much as Gouffran has 'surprised' at times he's clearly not the answer and there was a reason we were trying to offload him at the start of the season. What happened to the Alan Judge rumours? He still completely fucked?

Why is it then impossible to identify what that plan is? Or can you tell me what our plan is when opponent sits back and Gayle struggles to touch the ball? It's not rocket science. If we have a real plan for these situations then surely most of us would be able to watch the game and point the things he has changed in the way we play. I sure can't. You can't? So you've never seen a change in our football following half time? You've never seen any of our players change position, or new players come on to up the pace or to replace someone who's playing particularly poorly? Perez for Diame, Gouffran for Atsu etc etc? No, I don't see anything consistent enough that tells me there's a solid plan for these situation. If he's bringing on Perez for Diame what is he looking to achieve? How is he changing the way we play if what has been happening for the first 60 minutes clearly isn't working at all. If there is a plan, he needs a better one. What I'd do if Gayle keeps getting abused by two thug center halves is bring Mitro in there and move Gayle on the left where he'd enjoy more space and would be able to do what Gouffran isn't: make runs between the full back and the center back. Mitrovic isn't a great goal scorer but in some games its just so painfully obvious you need a physical presence there to give someone an extra second or a metre. This is the point though. It's not as simple as that. As fans we seem to look at a problem and think it's as easy as putting a big man up top and hitting him with crosses. Or bringing on some fresh legs and catching them on the break. This can and does work now and again, but it's not the only option. He didn't really use a 'Plan B' yesterday, he presumably hoped that our pressure would eventually pay off. When they scored his answer was to bring on Perez - who he obviously doesn't trust. Perez being a far more technically gifted player than Colback. A pretty clear change, but not one I think he's really comfortable with. He probably got it wrong, hence why we lost, but to suggest he doesn't know how to change a game on the back of this half season is pretty silly.

he's not hitting the level he did with Bournemouth the last time he was down here but he hasn't been bad by any measure. He has more to give but unfortunately he's starting to get the Cisse treatment, so every time he miscues a pass or over-hits a corner the groans come out in full force.

But anyway I'm going to bed, hopefully I've been talking shite and the debate is actually as pleasant and level headed as you've described. Look forward to reading it tomorrow.

You must have loads of people on mute like, because what you're saying sounds like something I've been saying myself and 100% agree with. In hindsight we probably haven't taken the best approach to a couple of games recently. Also in hindsight though we'd have probably played our 4-4-2 with Atsu and Ritchie on the wings and not went on a 9 game win streak. And as bad as we think we've been our recent record is still won 4 lost 2. A more flexible approach might not have been better after all? Who knows.

He's 100% about one formation and that worries me. For me the better managers have flexability and his only flexability seems to be which full back should push on more. FWIW I've never said play 2 up, it doesn't work that way, most teams have a 4-5-1 when out of possession and various ideas when in possession. A worrying thing for me is how often Gayle isn't the furthest forward.....it so rarely happens He is one of the better managers though. He's proven that. I think at the minute he looks inflexible because he's not happy with his bench. There's no chance he wants Perez, Mitrovic and Atsu to be 10 minute cameos every now and then. I just don't think he looks as them and expects them to change anything/do better than the players already on the pitch. Do you think he could get better out of the current squad if we wereent so 4-2-3-1 ? I think another manager could or would - losing 7 games obviously isn't our ceiling. I don't think he's done the best him or anyone else could in the circumstances but it's just the way it is. I'm not worried though and I'm pretty safe knowing he actually has a plan and is working hard to fix things - and will fix things.

That's not what he said Hans. But we all know You're fond of taking the piss out of people based on your own personal inability to rationalise. Does it make you feel good? cos it doesn't make you look good. Given the options available today, it would have been perfectly reasonable to play 442 with Hayden and Diame in the centre, Ritchie and Atsu on the wings and Gayle with Mitro up front. Nothing to say we would have battered them with that line up, but you can bet your arse they wouldn't have been prepared for it. I never said that's what he said did I? I wasn't being fucking literal And are you seriously pulling me up on my inability to rationalise in this thread? If you've read the forum the general gist is that Rafa just needs to make x sub and we win the game, or start with 2 up top and we'd score 4. If you cannot see that then I don't really know what to say like, it's definitely there and has been since the start of the season. I think that is what you think. Nobody has said two up top we will score 4. Although our one comback victory we scored 3. And waiting until the death to tweak a side thats losing well....... Waste of time discussing. You admit you prefer 442 but feel happy that Rafa knows what hes doing. The argument for this is your simply satisfied and hope because of his track record he knows what hes doing and theres nothing to be concerned about. I cannot argue with that bit like

He's 100% about one formation and that worries me. For me the better managers have flexability and his only flexability seems to be which full back should push on more. FWIW I've never said play 2 up, it doesn't work that way, most teams have a 4-5-1 when out of possession and various ideas when in possession. A worrying thing for me is how often Gayle isn't the furthest forward.....it so rarely happens He is one of the better managers though. He's proven that. I think at the minute he looks inflexible because he's not happy with his bench. There's no chance he wants Perez, Mitrovic and Atsu to be 10 minute cameos every now and then. I just don't think he looks as them and expects them to change anything/do better than the players already on the pitch.

That's not what he said Hans. But we all know You're fond of taking the piss out of people based on your own personal inability to rationalise. Does it make you feel good? cos it doesn't make you look good. Given the options available today, it would have been perfectly reasonable to play 442 with Hayden and Diame in the centre, Ritchie and Atsu on the wings and Gayle with Mitro up front. Nothing to say we would have battered them with that line up, but you can bet your arse they wouldn't have been prepared for it. I never said that's what he said did I? I wasn't being fucking literal And are you seriously pulling me up on my inability to rationalise in this thread? If you've read the forum the general gist is that Rafa just needs to make x sub and we win the game, or start with 2 up top and we'd score 4. If you cannot see that then I don't really know what to say like, it's definitely there and has been since the start of the season.

That's the point though, we look at the league and think "this is easy, just pay 2 up top and blow teams away" but in reality a lot more has to go on behind the scenes for that to happen. Same with just bringing on a sub I'd assume. Rafa isn't like Keegan, pretty much the opposite, he's 100% about tactics. Maybe sometimes that gets in the way and we'd have been better off in hindsight doing something else. But across the whole season we're 2nd and looking to bring in more suitable players this month. We're not doing bad, we're actually doing very well, and it's down to Rafa and his tactics.