5-4-1 - WTF???

[Malcolm Clarke]

Dear me, Dave, you're very good at making statements of speculation or opinion and presenting them as fact, and making assumptions which you are not in a position to know.

I don't see on what basis you can assert that no other manager would have chosen to do the same thing, or that the players didn't know what they were meant to be doing.

I very much doubt that he planned in advance to do it, so I suppose that I am therefore excused from responding to the rather bizarre suggestion that I am a "a blinkered apologist who is unable to see a single thing wrong with anything that Pulis does in his infinite wisdom".

I don't know precisely why the manager did what he did. Neither do you. But that doesn't mean that he didn't have a good reason to do it. I think a manager with his experience and track record is highly unlikely to make any change of tactics or personnel without having a thought-out football reason for doing so (which doesn't of course mean that he gets all his decisions right).

In this case we won the game and scored an extra goal after those changes. We would almost certainly have also won the game if he hadn't made those changes - maybe by 2 goals, maybe 3, maybe even more - there is no way of knowing. It doesn't really matter does it ?

[davejohnno1]

It doesn't matter no but it was utterly bizarre all things considered, hence my opening comment "I can't let last nights game pass without comment on the abomination of a formation that we finished the game with".

Hence that it was I commented on.

As for the preparation side, that was in response to your own assertion that knowing Pulis as we do, you doubt very much that the players wouldn't have known what they were doing as if it is something that they would be familiar with.

Note also the comment about being an apologist for Pulis and accepting everything he does...starting with the words "If you believe...." doesn't insinuate that you are that type of person but merely suggests you would be if that is indeed what you believe to be true.

We are led to believe that TP is meticulous in his preparations yet there was nothing prepared about that abomination and the players clearly hadn't a clue what they were being asked to do.

Confusion reigned where there was absolutely no need hence I raised something which particularly irritated me.

[Deleted]

In johnno the best judged expert i believe.

[davejohnno1]

I have no idea what your point is "notabus" but will take it as a compliment, intended or otherwise!

[Deleted]

I was sat behind the dugout. Walters was the first to ask him, he was okay after instructions. Whitehead and Whelan followed. They too followed Walters in being okay with what to do. Cameron was the last and after a little chat he was alright with what to do.

The only player who wasn't was Jones. Typically, he always looks confused when he's asked to tuck back in. Probably because he doesn't like the extra work required and as such is doing the old pro's trick of looking confused, flinging his arms in the air and shaking his head.

He's been asked to do it at least ten times since he's come here so either he is a bone idle git who doesn't like the extra work, is a petulant sod who doesn't like being told to do any different or just plain old thick.

Take your pick.

[davejohnno1]

Little did I know that this night was a pre-cursor to what would soon follow!

I hate to say "I told you so" but I did "tell you so".

Dear or dear!