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Guest Howaythetoon

We have shown we can soak up possession pressure and then be a threat on the break as the game opens up. But we cannot take the game to the opposition. That's mainly down to McClaren, but also because we lack the right players to get at teams from the off.

 

Our best results have came against teams who have lots of possession or more than us and who try to attack us.

 

We had lots of possession against the mackems and dominated them, but we were not much of a threat and we got beat.

 

We were expected to go at Villa and get the win, but we can't and in the end a draw was a fair result and a fair reflection of what kind of team we are, especially at home.

 

To get at teams from the off, to dominate and stamp your own authority on the game you need leaders and drive from the centre of the pitch. We have a very static midfield on the ball despite the pace and power of Sissoko and the technical skills and quick feet of Gini. We need a dominant midfielder who wants the ball to his feet, who can play the ball around and who can drive forward on and off the ball. Not on the cusp explosive and intuitive players all the time like Sissoko and Gini. Its no coincidence they go missing and only seem to perform when the game is open and stretched. They are not possession footballers, or footballers who command the ball and move it about. Colback and Anita are cowards are mice in that respect as well.

 

We lack a mobile forward too which we desperately need, someone that forces the opposition back-four back deeper and thus allow us to dominate midfield and get on top of games.

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I said against villa we should have put Gini into the middle (with tiote or Jack or Anita) and Thauvin down the wing... We need to change something as our play is stifled and comes in bursts and breaks without any dominance. If we want to pass the ball then put gini with anita, if we want to have some protection in front of the defence then tiote and gini. If we want to improve the defense against giants then put dummet in the middle...

It's plain to see for the fans but McClaren and company can't seem to see the wood for the trees!

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I can see the issues in our style of play, but he had options yet he played the same team that beat in-form Liverpool and Spurs sides against a deflated bottom-of-the-league Villa. It doesn't make sense however you put it. That game took the sting out of our momentum and put the rattlers back in us dragging us back down. So limited, can only hope that the right purchases are made in January and we can change it up a bit with confidence. We really need to blow the budget on a commanding, vocal, midfielder who can grab a game by the balls.

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Probably didn't realise how bad things had been when he first joined. I think he'd have done well with the team that started the 12/13 season. Before the likes of Mbiwa, Ben Arfa & Santon had been Pardewed, Remy in the squad, Tiote not horrendous just yet, etc.

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Probably didn't realise how bad things had been when he first joined. I think he'd have done well with the team that started the 12/13 season. Before the likes of Mbiwa, Ben Arfa & Santon had been Pardewed, Remy in the squad, Tiote not horrendous just yet, etc.

 

Aye maybe. Still, that top 8 came from Lee Charnley in official email communications. Not like Mike Ashley said it after a few pints and it was caught on camera

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He has no idea how to change the game, nice guy but not the right bloke for the job.

 

Two defensive midfielders agai and getting dominated in the middle of the park again - cruel winner but let's be honest only one team deserved to win that match. Sick and tried of seeing this joke of a manager making the same mistakes week after week.

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No idea what was up with Thauvin not coming on in the 65th minute when he was ready to go. Or why we only made 1 sub today. Dunno what it will take to get him to stop playing this line up.

Think he wasn't brought on then because Ayoze had just had that decent turn and shot as he was about to be taken off

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No idea what was up with Thauvin not coming on in the 65th minute when he was ready to go. Or why we only made 1 sub today. Dunno what it will take to get him to stop playing this line up.

Think he wasn't brought on then because Ayoze had just had that decent turn and shot as he was about to be taken off

 

If that's the case then it makes it even worse.

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Well, he started with mitro and Perez....

 

And fair enough it didn't work, whether that was because of us being too deep or whatever. But in that case it begs the question why he didn't change it?

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Don't get how De Jong can do enough to start and then keep his place and then go to being not necessary off the bench when we're evidently struggling. Weird how Thauvin was prepped to come on and then didn't for an age after.

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