Stuck between a rock and a hard place

[Consortium of one]

Can't say I am too surprised at how it has turned out, while I agree Keegan might have over-rated our players, I think given some patience he will address this in the summer. This is precisely WHY it a smart move to sack Allardyce swiftly and unceremoniously - so Keegan could use this wasted season to assess the squad. A lot of these players are not physical enough to play Sam's devolutionary football, and are too slow to play pass and move to Keegan's taste. Butt, Geremi, Emre, Smith should be sold and replaced with more technically gifted players with some pace if we want to follow the Arsenal blueprint. A forward with height and pace ala Adebeyor would make a massive difference as well.

 

I agree with this.  First off, Keegan has to see who can play his style of football.  He has a half season to seperate the wheat from the chaff.  I think the team will get a boost when the ANC players come back and the team will edge into the top half of the table and stay there rather than risk falling towards relegation.  Owen looks to be coming on and that can only help Martins by taking some pressure off him.  I think Martins is one of the key players for the balance of the season, he has to regain some confidence.

[Guest Edd]

Allardyce never really had the players he needed IMO. To play the long-ball/direct/however you want to wrap his s**** football up, he needed players like he had at Bolton for the system to work. The likes of Kevin Davies et al. Now he obviously had funds in the summer - he spent enough - but he simply couldn't get in the personnel to make it work. I think he got caught in two minds actually; he started off trying to adapt to a different style (for a 'big club', to appease expectations etc) and when it wouldn't work he reverted to type. Problem is the players couldn't do it, so even his bread and butter didn't work.

 

So Keegan has arrived, and now he wants to play football. Keep it on the deck, pass and move. But he has a similar problem to that which Allardyce had - these players are simply not good enough for it. We're full of cloggers like Butt, Smith and Carr. Players who will try their best, but it's just not enough. They have little or no actual technique or skill, of the level Keegan needs. At one point today Carr tried to bring a long ball from Boro down on his chest. Unsurprisingly, he failed woefully, and we nearly conceded as a result. I went mental, ranting 'You're not good enough to do that!' at the fool. Add a couple of sweary words of course... He needed to head that b****** clear, and ironically enough, under Allardyce he probably would have.

 

Now I've defended Keegan's right to take his time over signings, and his decision not to bring anyone in this January. But it's not looking great; I have much more sympathy with the arguments of those saying we f***** up badly by not making any signings after seeing us today. I'm worried Keegan has overrated our cloggers.

 

Put simply, a major clearout is needed in the summer. Again. Keegan and Ashley have to deliver this time.

 

 

Given

 

Beye Cacapa Taylor Enrique

 

Milner Barton Emre N'Zogbia

 

Owen Martins

 

That side could definitely play a bit of football. Outside of Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool half of that team would walk into any other team in the premiership. Owen, Martins, N'Zogbia, Beye and Given.

 

We have got good players, what we lack is confidence. The ability to play 'carpet football' is there.

No they wouldn't.

 

If you were picking a best XI from the likes of Everton, Blackburn and Villa you'd struggle to find a place for any of our players never mind half the team.

[Dave]

Bump. I hope Ashley fancies a spree.