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Steve McClaren


Dave

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I really like the idea of Anita behind Wijnaldum and Sissoko. Dat fret and pace coming from the centre combined with Perez/Aarons and Thauvin out wide. Think Sissoko would be so well suited to this. Not distributing the ball from deep (Anita) and not forced to make the most difficult of final passes when almost alone up there, because there will be others who are fast enough to get up the pitch and fill in with more bodies. Also Having Mitrovic up there who will be a handful and can keep the ball up if needed when there's no breakthrough ball to play.

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Nice to see the attitudes in here based on watching his team play :thup:

 

Watching his team play may give you an emotional impression of our progress (or lack thereof), but for the purists who prefer not to get side tracked by games and instead drill down deep into statistical fact... One win in ten, dude.

 

One win in ten! That's almost three times as bad as relegation form.

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I don't understand people giving out about the tiote sub we clearly needed more legs in midfield and protection in front of the back four which he done a good job. We didn't exactly just shut up shop either..for the thauvin chance at the end of the game  we had more bodies going forward than we would have had last season

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SDJ can move backwards and Sissoko can move out right in formation two. Might not be as fluid and functioning but still a possibility. I feel once SDJ is fit and found form he will be a lynch pin just like Anita is.

 

Not sure SDJ has the legs for it. Haven't seen a tremendous amount of him so I might be wrong but I had him down as someone who's going to do well operating in the hole using his movement to create space for himself. Asking him to play as a real CM player would possibly negate that as he'd be asked to do a lot more work when we don't have the ball and have to start off from too deep a position when we gain possession.

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The highlights of SMC so far:

 

- Doesn't talk s**** at every opportunity

- Doesn't blame others

- Seems to have more than Plan A

- Doesn't have his players hoof it

- Isn't a massive c***

- Doesn't try and channel the dead

- Players seem to be responding

- Brought in an actual GK coach

- Has seen through many players not good enough

- Subs are better than previous managers

- Has identifiable long term goals

- Plays more attacking football than all our managers since KK

- Sent key youngsters out on loan instead of wasting their development

 

The lowlights of SMC so far:

 

- Hasn't sussed Obertan offers nothing but pace

- Didn't do enough to keep Cabella

- Hasn't pushed for another CB

- Over reliant on Colback

 

His faith in Colo would have been a lowlight until yesterday...i think we've got to see how that one pans out.

 

Of course its a results business, and it could quite easily be 2pts from 5 games which is more than relegation form , however it wouldn't tell the real storey and that is there's a much brighter future for the club under him if he continues to approach it like he has done. I didn't want him, thought he f***ed up Derby last season, found him embarrassing at NT level and with his stupid accents but he's already made me feel more interested this season than the previous 4, i cant work out if i should hate him for that or not.  :undecided:

 

Could just as possibly be 8 though

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Nice to see the attitudes in here based on watching his team play :thup:

 

Watching his team play may give you an emotional impression of our progress (or lack thereof), but for the purists who prefer not to get side tracked by games and instead drill down deep into statistical fact... One win in ten, dude.

 

One win in ten! That's almost three times as bad as relegation form.

We've only played three games...

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SDJ can move backwards and Sissoko can move out right in formation two. Might not be as fluid and functioning but still a possibility. I feel once SDJ is fit and found form he will be a lynch pin just like Anita is.

 

Not sure SDJ has the legs for it. Haven't seen a tremendous amount of him so I might be wrong but I had him down as someone who's going to do well operating in the hole using his movement to create space for himself. Asking him to play as a real CM player would possibly negate that as he'd be asked to do a lot more work when we don't have the ball and have to start off from too deep a position when we gain possession.

 

This is just a general point really but I'm getting more and more interested in this fabled position. In truth I don't think I have a clue how it works, which is probably because I don't watch enough football, but you see certain teams employ it with so much more efficiency that others.

 

There are times when you will literally see this during a passage of play (attacking team has the ball at this point):

 

Def ------------- Def -------------- Def -------------- Def

 

                                        X                                             

 

Mid ------------ Mid --------------- Mid -------------- Mid

 

(obviously it's not as totally rigid like that, but clearly with one attacker having a segment of the whole width of the pitch to himself).

 

I'm not sure what it takes or how it works, but I suspect it's a real team thing. It won't simply be a case of sticking one man, in the line-up, intended to be 'in the hole'.

 

Which leads me back to a more specific point about what McClaren's up to. He's playing the percentages at the moment and we're playing pretty functionally - in an attempt to blow out some of the cobwebs of the lingering Pardew era and get us doing the basics well again, and being difficult to beat (as he actually said at the very top of his interview on MotD last night).

 

Which means I don't think we'll see anything quite as 'cultured' as someone like De Jong or Perez playing in the hole for a while yet.

 

Really not sure where De Jong fits in atm. It's early, obviously, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave in Jan.

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The highlights of SMC so far:

 

- Doesn't talk shite at every opportunity

- Doesn't blame others

- Seems to have more than Plan A

- Doesn't have his players hoof it

- Isn't a massive cunt

- Doesn't try and channel the dead

- Players seem to be responding

- Brought in an actual GK coach

- Has seen through many players not good enough

- Subs are better than previous managers

- Has identifiable long term goals

- Plays more attacking football than all our managers since KK

- Sent key youngsters out on loan instead of wasting their development

 

The lowlights of SMC so far:

 

- Hasn't sussed Obertan offers nothing but pace

- Didn't do enough to keep Cabella

- Hasn't pushed for another CB

- Over reliant on Colback

 

His faith in Colo would have been a lowlight until yesterday...i think we've got to see how that one pans out.

 

Of course its a results business, and it could quite easily be 2pts from 5 games which is more than relegation form, however it wouldn't tell the real storey and that is there's a much brighter future for the club under him if he continues to approach it like he has done. I didn't want him, thought he fucked up Derby last season, found him embarrassing at NT level and with his stupid accents but he's already made me feel more interested this season than the previous 4, i cant work out if i should hate him for that or not.  :undecided:

 

Agree with virtually all this, good post.

 

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His barnet is starting to look like the smoke from a bush fire.  Get it sorted Steve for f***s sake

The ginger island is unnecessary. A Shearer cut is needed imo.

 

A trilby hat would be a less drastic option if he really wants to keep those tufts.

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Finding it hard to dislike him. Was gutted when we didn't get Garde/Vieira but we just seem a good fit.  :blush:

 

Far from perfect or the best manager we'd get but something came back to me tonight. Enjoyed watching us.

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Finding it hard to dislike him. Was gutted when we didn't get Garde/Vieira but we just seem a good fit.  :blush:

 

Far from perfect or the best manager we'd get but something came back to me tonight. Enjoyed watching us.

 

Agree entirely, think we'll be well suited, hope I'm right.

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His barnet is starting to look like the smoke from a bush fire.  Get it sorted Steve for f***s sake

The ginger island is unnecessary. A Shearer cut is needed imo.

 

A trilby hat would be a less drastic option if he really wants to keep those tufts.

He's too old school for a millennium combover

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