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Post by sufolkstokie on Apr 5, 2017 18:06:52 GMT
I was quite pleased when I saw that we were lining up 3-4-3...we've always looked threatening with that formation, and we did again. For the first hour we were much the better side and should have been at least a couple of goals to the good. Arnie somehow managed to shin the ball when through on goal and we had a few other decent chances. Berahino was linking the play nicely and we had a few moves that were genuinely impressive in a game where decent football was admittedly thin on the ground. However, as soon as they took the lead- against the run of play- it was like a switch was flicked and we did NOTHING but aimlessly hoof the ball forward. This wasn't a deliberate tactic because Crouch was on- we were doing it for a good 10 minutes before he came off the bench. Somehow though it got worse, even more aimless, when the big man was on. From 60 minutes onwards we might as well have just packed up and fucked off home as there was simply no way that the two Burnley centre backs were going to get outdone by a big brainless ball into the box. What the shitting fuck Hughes was doing with his subs, only he knows, because Adam was doing his usual trick of fouling everything that moved in that last half-an-hour. How he remained on the pitch I have no idea. Not sure why Ramadan wasn't on to start with- possibly being rested or some other reason we don't know about- but not even bringing him on when we were desperate for creativity in the final third...Mental. As unbelievable as it might sound after we've just watched that abomination of a last half-hour, I'm still quite encouraged by that first half. I'd like to see us try that 3-4-3 again, maybe not against Liverpool, but against Hull with Arnie and Ramadan behind Berahino. Adam would never get near a starting XI again for me- he's one of the biggest culprits of hoofing it forward looking for a Hollywood pass. I don't undertstand the Twitter clamour for Imbula either- the man has proven that he's not interested every time he's got near the field this season. Allen alongside Cameron for me, with Affelay and Whelan as stand-ins. I'm pissed off tonight, we're all pissed off, but I'm not going to get into a slanging match with the usual suspects regarding the manager's future. The issues still clear for me- we get to the end of the season and give him the summer to rebuild. Really? I thought no one deserved to be winning in the first 60 but I agree we then went to absolute clueless |
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Post by Pugsley on Apr 5, 2017 18:07:43 GMT
Lou was the last one that truly united the masses. Nah, Pulis did in his second spell, the promotion season and and few after. Trouble is his critics dug themselves in a hole and were proved wrong time and time again. They didn't like it and they got their way in the end. Strange isn't it that after nearly four seasons Hughes still has to pick players from the Pulis era and has to come to terms that his very expensive signings are not deemed good enough to get a game. Lol, what a fucking mard arse. |
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Post by Trouserdog on Apr 5, 2017 18:15:12 GMT
He just frustrates me so much. He can be a good player at times- driving forward and at the heart of everything we're doing creatively, but at others he's just a complete liability. I'm getting fed up of the constant silly fouls and him always looking to knock some spectacular ball in that rarely comes off. To me he's a big part of the 'hoof it to Crouch' approach that we need to move away from now. Unfortunately it's a mode we don't seem to be able to get out of, even when there's a 5 foot 10 bloke up front for us. Ain't that down to the manager though? It is and it isn't. That's been the gameplan in recent months (and it worked to an extent) but now we've got Berahino, we simply can't do it any more. If Hughes is still telling players to play it long to Saido the target man then he must be the thickest manager ever to grace the dugout. I don't think he is though really. I suspect what's going on is that some players just have trouble adapting their approach (like Charlie) and others aren't good enough to do much else (Pieters, Bardsley etc). Adam's played the same way for most of his career here, and at Blackpool before that. It's what he does, for better or worse- hit long passes. Why we started playing it long to Berahino on Tuesday (which we hadn't for the first half) I don't know. Probably a combination of panicking and tiredness. |
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Post by sufolkstokie on Apr 5, 2017 18:16:50 GMT
Ain't that down to the manager though? It is and it isn't. That's been the gameplan in recent months (and it worked to an extent) but now we've got Berahino, we simply can't do it any more. If Hughes is still telling players to play it long to Saido the target man then he must be the thickest manager ever to grace the dugout. I don't think he is though really. I suspect what's going on is that some players just have trouble adapting their approach (like Charlie) and others aren't good enough to do much else (Pieters, Bardsley etc). Adam's played the same way for most of his career here, and at Blackpool before that. It's what he does, for better or worse- hit long passes. Why we started playing it long to Berahino on Tuesday (which we hadn't for the first half) I don't know. Probably a combination of panicking and tiredness. He is a contender that is for sure because that is all he has done |
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Post by Trouserdog on Apr 5, 2017 18:18:45 GMT
It is and it isn't. That's been the gameplan in recent months (and it worked to an extent) but now we've got Berahino, we simply can't do it any more. If Hughes is still telling players to play it long to Saido the target man then he must be the thickest manager ever to grace the dugout. I don't think he is though really. I suspect what's going on is that some players just have trouble adapting their approach (like Charlie) and others aren't good enough to do much else (Pieters, Bardsley etc). Adam's played the same way for most of his career here, and at Blackpool before that. It's what he does, for better or worse- hit long passes. Why we started playing it long to Berahino on Tuesday (which we hadn't for the first half) I don't know. Probably a combination of panicking and tiredness. He is a contender that is for sure because that is all he has done Far too simplistic to say that. We weren't hitting it long for the first hour- how can you say we were? When we've been a bit more direct in other games, it's been when Berahino's been partnered with walters, who is pretty decent in the air. |
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Post by sufolkstokie on Apr 5, 2017 18:31:45 GMT
He is a contender that is for sure because that is all he has done Far too simplistic to say that. We weren't hitting it long for the first hour- how can you say we were? When we've been a bit more direct in other games, it's been when Berahino's been partnered with walters, who is pretty decent in the air. Disagree - thought we played hoofball all night - always looked to knock it up to Berahino - loads of groans in the first half Please don't advocate Walters as decent in the air - he ducks out of so many challenges |
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Post by Paul Spencer on Apr 5, 2017 20:11:13 GMT
He is a contender that is for sure because that is all he has done Far too simplistic to say that. We weren't hitting it long for the first hour- how can you say we were? When we've been a bit more direct in other games, it's been when Berahino's been partnered with walters, who is pretty decent in the air.
Ryan was knocking it long to Berahino all night Trousers ... it was utterly stupid and I'd like to know what they'd be doing in training in the days leading up to the match.
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