Chelsea 2 - 1 Newcastle United - 29/12/07 - post match reaction from page 28

[Mowen]

I quite like the tactic of playing two destroyers in the middle with two wide men away from home. Would have worked better had Smith played alongside Martins imo, and we all know Zog shouldn't be at left back, but promising from Allardyce until he brought Oba off.

 

As has been mentioned, Faye gave us a lot in midfield. Could be our Papa Bouba.

[garth]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a fucking obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

[jep]

No I wasn't, and I'm aware we controlled most of the second half. But we slowed it down, tried to pass it around, had very few notable chances then took the foot off the brake, made defensive changes (i.e. not looking for the win - Roz for Smith, Owen for Martins rather than possible Owen for Smith or Viduka for Smith) and Chelsea took over again. From then on we were lost as per.

 

 

I wouldn't say Roz on for Smith was a particularly defensive substitution. Roz went in at left back, freeing Zog up to go forward, which was our main threat in this game.

[Mowen]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a fucking obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

 

This is true. The substitutions reduced our chance of winning, but given that we didn't concede a legitimate goal, how anyone can blame them for losing us the match is beyond me.

[Yorkie]

We lost ourselves that game by doing what we always do, grab a goal then sit back and try to defend it. Reading, Blackburn, Chelsea, Man City. And what do all those away games have in common? We had a lead/result and ended up having lost all of them.

 

We aren't a good enough side to sit on a result, especially at Chelsea. Offside or not, the goal was inevitable - I was actually waiting for it to happen.

 

 

 

You were waiting for Chelsea to score a goal that was 5 yards offside?  Give over, man, any other team would have done the same. 

yeah, chelsea were extremely lucky to get their goal, but there was a period of time, around the 60 minute mark, where chelsea looked a mess.  Bring on Owen/Viduka and Emre and go out their and be proactive, get at them.  Yeah, there goal was fortunate, but thats what happens when we fail to go out and try and win the game.

 

I'm trying to think of reasons to back Sam up, desperately , but this is ultimately right. You could say that it would be the natural thing to sit back - you're away at one of the best sides in Europe and they could catch you on the counter at any time (basically, the reasoning for sitting back is understandable) - but we more than had the capability to peg them back for the rest of the game, and even get a draw that way.

[tmonkey]

Zoggy was great today, very hard to get forward and have a go from left back when your up against SWP, yes he got caught out of position a good few times butt he cannot do both jobs well when he is not a fullback, I would however like to see him get a shot at being out central creative midfielder, with Duff wide elft Milner wide right.

 

A few times is a massive understatement. SWP was basically unmarked today and had acres of room in which to manouvre. Tore us to shreds, luckily for us the rest of Chelsea's first teamers were out, resulting in players like Ballack and Kalou cocking up chance after chance created by SWP.

 

This is hopefully the end of Zog at left back. On another day, he could have cost us 3-4 goals easily, and although hes a pretty useful left back going forward, he cant be faulted for defensive errors since hes not a natural defender, and quite clearly hes capable of making a shedload of them.

[Wullie]

Honestly even if we play Enrique he will still be raped by SWP.

 

Faye should be our defensive midfielder from now on. He shows that he is capable to bring the ball forward by some neat short passes.

 

Have to say, I thought Faye was exceptional. Height and power in the midfield, something we've been crying out for a long time now. He was absolutely paggered by the 75th minute and looked knackered twice, but still managed to finish the game.

 

He was quality. Bolton fans often said he was their best midfielder as well as their best defender, which is a predicament for us too (not saying he's our best midfielder btw, but he clearly offers a lot there).

 

Cacapa was quality again, but Taylor is still too error-prone.

 

How can you say that when Cacapa let his marker slowly walk around him and score?

 

Eh? Taylor had the ball at his feet. What's Cacapa meant to do, kick him out the way in order to clear it?

[KaKa]

We've had to deal with so many problems over the past couple of weeks.

 

The last thing we needed was for the ugly Owen conundrum to rear it's repulsive head at such a crucial time.

 

Owen is absolutely worthless unless there is another striker who is mobile and/or aggressive beside him. I don't care what anyone says, the Owen substitution blatantly cost us today.

 

Owen's inclusion invited pressure onto us.

 

 

[Guest Geordiesned]

Honestly even if we play Enrique he will still be raped by SWP.

 

Faye should be our defensive midfielder from now on. He shows that he is capable to bring the ball forward by some neat short passes.

 

Have to say, I thought Faye was exceptional. Height and power in the midfield, something we've been crying out for a long time now. He was absolutely paggered by the 75th minute and looked knackered twice, but still managed to finish the game.

 

He was quality. Bolton fans often said he was their best midfielder as well as their best defender, which is a predicament for us too (not saying he's our best midfielder btw, but he clearly offers a lot there).

 

Cacapa was quality again, but Taylor is still too error-prone.

 

How can you say that when Cacapa let his marker slowly walk around him and score?

 

Eh? Taylor had the ball at his feet. What's Cacapa meant to do, kick him out the way in order to clear it?

 

Well that's what they practiced in training!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Yorkie]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a fucking obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

 

This is true. The substitutions reduced our chance of winning, but given that we didn't concede a legitimate goal, how anyone can blame them for losing us the match is beyond me.

 

You could be right. But the argument is, if we hadn't gone defensive, we wouldn't have been in that situation anyway.

 

If that's the biggest pile of bullshit i've written in a long time, i must have improved.

[Baggio]

Good second half and we didn't deserve to lose, it's alright playing like that away from home but we need more pace on the counter. Faye is a beast in that role, not sure why Owen came on as the game didn't suit him at all.

[Dinho lad]

I know we were robbed today and I'm absolutely furious about it. But I'm also sick and tried of watching Martins miss good chances nearly everytime he plays. (Not to mention his inconsistency)

 

Dave, why did you close CG's topic? 

[Guest JamesD]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a f****** obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

 

This is true. The substitutions reduced our chance of winning, but given that we didn't concede a legitimate goal, how anyone can blame them for losing us the match is beyond me.

We allowed ourselves to lose the game when we allowed them to get back into it after we had scored.  Yeah, their goal was fortunate, but a team with Essien, SWP, Kalou, Ballack, Obi Mikel  etc... can never be counted out, and for everytime they score a cheap goal, there will be a moment of quality which gets them the goal.

[chicago_shearer]

Martins wasn't exactly offering a lot was he?  It really doesn't matter which out of form midget you have running about like a headless chicken.  Viduka would have made more sense, but it isn't fair to say that was the decision that cost us. 

[johnnypd]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a fucking obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

 

as others have said, sam's substitutions lost us the initiative, from that point on it made a chelsea win much more likely. you make your own luck or in chelsea's case we make it for them.

[Golfmag]

So it sounds like when Roz and Owen came on, we tried to shut up shop (again), play for the draw (again) and got punished (again), albeit in a controversial manner. I'd have much more time for Allardyce if he showed he was learning from these things.

 

That's not how I saw it - yes they got pressed back in the last TEN minutes, but for the preceeding twenty minutes, they really attacked Chelsea and were rarely out of their half.

[Parky]

Zoggy was great today, very hard to get forward and have a go from left back when your up against SWP, yes he got caught out of position a good few times butt he cannot do both jobs well when he is not a fullback, I would however like to see him get a shot at being out central creative midfielder, with Duff wide elft Milner wide right.

 

A few times is a massive understatement. SWP was basically unmarked today and had acres of room in which to manouvre. Tore us to shreds, luckily for us the rest of Chelsea's first teamers were out, resulting in players like Ballack and Kalou cocking up chance after chance created by SWP.

 

This is hopefully the end of Zog at left back. On another day, he could have cost us 3-4 goals easily, and although hes a pretty useful left back going forward, he cant be faulted for defensive errors since hes not a natural defender, and quite clearly hes capable of making a shedload of them.

 

I think Zoggy just decided by himself he didn't want to play there anymore and who can blame him?

[Shak]

Owen's inclusion invited pressure onto us.

 

But if he scored the winner it's a tactical masterstroke!!

 

Hindsight is great [/quote- TheCoach]

[tmonkey]

We've had to deal with so many problems over the past couple of weeks.

 

The last thing we needed was for the ugly Owen conundrum to rear it's repulsive head at such a crucial time.

 

Owen is absolutely worthless unless there is another striker who is mobile and/or aggressive beside him. I don't care what anyone says, the Owen substitution blatantly cost us today.

 

Owen's inclusion invited pressure onto us.

 

When Chelsea started to win corners in the last 20 minutes, and we cleared them, there was noone within a mile of the lone Chelsea defender waiting on the half way line.

 

That sort of tactic, ie having no outlet at all, is just asking for it.

[Dave]

Dave, why did you close CG's topic? 

 

It was a wind-up, offered no opinion whatsoever, and could have been put in here.

 

Oh, and who said you could use my picture as your avatar?

[garth]

No I wasn't, and I'm aware we controlled most of the second half. But we slowed it down, tried to pass it around, had very few notable chances then took the foot off the brake, made defensive changes (i.e. not looking for the win - Roz for Smith, Owen for Martins rather than possible Owen for Smith or Viduka for Smith) and Chelsea took over again. From then on we were lost as per.

 

 

I wouldn't say Roz on for Smith was a particularly defensive substitution. Roz went in at left back, freeing Zog up to go forward, which was our main threat in this game.

 

It was only then did zogg stated looking good defensively he was shit, Wright Phillips was skinning him. Oba wasn't that good, it was correct for Sam to take him off but I would have put Viduka on though and brought on Owen on with 10 mins to go.

[Guest JamesD]

Owen's inclusion invited pressure onto us.

 

But if he scored the winner it's a tactical masterstroke!!

 

Hindsight is great [/quote- TheCoach]

Not as good as foresight though...

[Parky]

Gah it's excruciating. It was so improved and it looked like it was going right, and in some respects it looks like the manager is very unfortunate, but it was a poor line-up to start with and poor substitutions that arguably cost us the game - the guy's still f****** it up. I wish so much for him to get it right.

 

That's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen spouted from you in a long time. Sam's substitutions didn't cost us the game it was a fucking obvious offside cost us we played better than Chelsea in the second half and we looked like the ones that were going to score more than them.

 

as others have said, sam's substitutions lost us the initiative, from that point on it made a chelsea win much more likely. you make your own luck or in chelsea's case we make it for them.

 

 

It was really a sub not worth making. Good managers rarely make these changes when games are in the balance or they have the ascendancy.

[Yorkie]

Martins wasn't exactly offering a lot was he?  It really doesn't matter which out of form midget you have running about like a headless chicken.  Viduka would have made more sense, but it isn't fair to say that was the decision that cost us. 

 

As i've said, i only saw the last half hour, but he was actually doing one or two things. His pace was causing one or two problems and he slipped a good pass in for Duff at the end. The fact was, we needed two strikers on the pitch. It was a sub not worth making, like Parky said.

[Mowen]

Good second half and we didn't deserve to lose, it's alright playing like that away from home but we need more pace on the counter. Faye is a beast in that role, not sure why Owen came on as the game didn't suit him at all.

 

Nicely and succinctly summed up.