we played 20 premiership games...

 

and took just 18 pts...

 

with just three wins...

 

relegation fodder that spud head...relegation fodder...

what has been playing on my mind though, was if Alladyce had decided he wanted out and was biding his time, how much of the training, game planning, tactics etc was he involved in?

 

i.e. how long has Little Sam been running the show?

 

I've only seen 2 of the 3 games he has been in charge of and in both we were bummed senseless in the first 30 mins (West Ham and Newcastle)

 

this also happened on a other ocassions since Christmas - Boro, Utd, Spurs - the Reading capitualtion too was pretty lame

 

now I'm not normally so pessimistic but Saturday showed that at least we have continuity under Lee - and the reason why i was so disappointed was I was expecting different things, not necessarily a win, but something different - we only looked any good on sat once the game was out of sight and we appeared to play more like 4-3-3

 

guess my point is, where do we go from here with two tough away games coming up

what has been playing on my mind though, was if Alladyce had decided he wanted out and was biding his time, how much of the training, game planning, tactics etc was he involved in?

 

i.e. how long has Little Sam been running the show?

 

I've only seen 2 of the 3 games he has been in charge of and in both we were bummed senseless in the first 30 mins (West Ham and Newcastle)

 

this also happened on a other ocassions since Christmas - Boro, Utd, Spurs - the Reading capitualtion too was pretty lame

 

now I'm not normally so pessimistic but Saturday showed that at least we have continuity under Lee - and the reason why i was so disappointed was I was expecting different things, not necessarily a win, but something different - we only looked any good on sat once the game was out of sight and we appeared to play more like 4-3-3

 

guess my point is, where do we go from here with two tough away games coming up

 

 

i think the emphasis at Fulham is not to conceed early and go from there.

 

personally i wouldnt give a shit if we didnt have any shots and scored a pen and won 1 - 0 ala Allardyce.

we played 20 premiership games...

 

and took just 18 pts...

 

with just three wins...

 

relegation fodder that spud head...relegation fodder...

 

It shows me that because the board did not give sam big money in january, he basically threw his toys out of the pram and decided he could not be arsed, we have been shambolic since the liverpool game and he has done sammy lee no favours as he has to pick up the pieces, we are going to have a bumpy ride, what we need is the fans to rise to the challenge and support the team, Instead all I can see is slating off of players and managers, that Is not going to get us through this rough period, pulling together, we will get ut of this a lot quicker.

what has been playing on my mind though, was if Alladyce had decided he wanted out and was biding his time, how much of the training, game planning, tactics etc was he involved in?

 

i.e. how long has Little Sam been running the show?

 

I've only seen 2 of the 3 games he has been in charge of and in both we were bummed senseless in the first 30 mins (West Ham and Newcastle)

 

this also happened on a other ocassions since Christmas - Boro, Utd, Spurs - the Reading capitualtion too was pretty lame

 

now I'm not normally so pessimistic but Saturday showed that at least we have continuity under Lee - and the reason why i was so disappointed was I was expecting different things, not necessarily a win, but something different - we only looked any good on sat once the game was out of sight and we appeared to play more like 4-3-3

 

guess my point is, where do we go from here with two tough away games coming up

 

We've always been hammered a few times each season. It just seems to be the way we are. There are just some matches when the fight doesn't seem to be there. I doubt if LSL had much to do with selection or tactics. If you read the interviews, Big Sam did everythign himself and was totally and soley responsible for where the club is today.

 

Allardyce left us with problems. He didn't leave us in 'great shape' as he likes to say.

 

My guess is that we'll be up and down this season. Under Allardyce, we'd go and win 5 games, then not win for another four. I expect us to be a bit more inconsistent than that.

4-4-2, wingers, a rampant midfield and flair does not ensure premiership football. 3 points does.

 

I'd like to see both on Wednesday, but only the latter really matters.

guess my initial concern is that Lee has had all summer to get the lads ready for the first game under the new regime and by the sounds of pre season all was going according to plan (bar the only game I saw v Lyon which was a shocker) only to be v disappointed by what we saw.

 

there was a lot of talk from Lee and Gartside over the summer and by ourselves on how things were changing for the better, but for me it was no different - hopefully tomorrow we will play the system that suits the players whom are selected, as opposed to trying to fit the players into a system because we did that on saturday and it did not work. lee needs to make sure he makes changes for the right reasons and I see no reason why we can't play 4-3-3 tomorrow and keep it on the deck because changing to 4-4-2 for the sake of it so far hasn't inspired

 

I am not trying to be a doom merchant, I'll be backing them all the way through thick and thin, I just still feel somewhat let down by Saturday

the 433 on sat was much different to 433 of old. but maybe that was because we were 'chasing' the game.

 

formations alone do not win games, players performances and managers tactics do.

 

the old way won games, but plenty of other teams win games other ways.

 

we have changed our tactics, its not gonna have an immediate effect, it will take time.

 

we just have to be patient.

We were still aimlessly hoofing the ball upfield on Saturday - some things never change.

Early doors and too soon to shrowd the season with a black cloud but......... McCann, Samuel, O'Brien - these are Div 1 players IMO.

Early doors and too soon to shrowd the season with a black cloud but......... McCann, Samuel, O'Brien - these are Div 1 players IMO.

 

Have to agree. Good 1st div players though!

 

Thought McCann looked industrious, but....not quite there is it.

guess my initial concern is that Lee has had all summer to get the lads ready for the first game under the new regime and by the sounds of pre season all was going according to plan (bar the only game I saw v Lyon which was a shocker) only to be v disappointed by what we saw.

 

there was a lot of talk from Lee and Gartside over the summer and by ourselves on how things were changing for the better, but for me it was no different - hopefully tomorrow we will play the system that suits the players whom are selected, as opposed to trying to fit the players into a system because we did that on saturday and it did not work. lee needs to make sure he makes changes for the right reasons and I see no reason why we can't play 4-3-3 tomorrow and keep it on the deck because changing to 4-4-2 for the sake of it so far hasn't inspired

 

I am not trying to be a doom merchant, I'll be backing them all the way through thick and thin, I just still feel somewhat let down by Saturday

 

Spot on. At this moment i feel like we need to play the Allardyce's way until we are up and running with points. Our defence looks anything but solid. Back to basics, get Campo in front of Meite and Faye. We could be sunk before we know it.

It shows me that because the board did not give sam big money in january, he basically threw his toys out of the pram and decided he could not be arsed, we have been shambolic since the liverpool game and he has done sammy lee no favours as he has to pick up the pieces, we are going to have a bumpy ride, what we need is the fans to rise to the challenge and support the team, Instead all I can see is slating off of players and managers, that Is not going to get us through this rough period, pulling together, we will get ut of this a lot quicker.

 

I can tell you that in January the only names sam wanted in were....

 

Sibierski

 

Sorin....whose wage demands made Anelkas look like pennies

 

Fact!!

Early doors and too soon to shrowd the season with a black cloud but......... McCann, Samuel, O'Brien - these are Div 1 players IMO.

 

 

Glad that someone else has picked up on this.

 

 

After reading posts on WW over the weekend I thought I had seen a different game on Saturday. "...McCann outstanding" was one comment I read!!

 

We are in great danger of turning into a squad full of average players - many being other Prem teams cast offs. We all laughed at Wigan when they signed the likes of Titas Bramble - but O'Brien left Newcastle because he couldn't get a game!!

Early doors and too soon to shrowd the season with a black cloud but......... McCann, Samuel, O'Brien - these are Div 1 players IMO.

 

utter bollocks that smiley...

We are in great danger of turning into a squad full of average players

 

When have we been anything other. Apart from the odd exceptions, JayJay, Youri, Diouf, Anelka, have we really ever had a team of above average players?

 

What we have been able to do is make something where the sum is greater than the parts. Whether LSL is able to do that remains to be seen.

utter bollocks that smiley...

 

Thanks. But I slotted in IMO, as you can clearly read. My opinion.

These are squad "additions" and not "improvements".

 

I sincerely hope all three prove me very wrong.

McCann looked poor...

O Brien hasn't played for Redknapp since April...

Samuel was all over for the second...

 

i have to agree, we are signing players that although give strength in depth are not going to set the world alight...

 

although thought the swede looked ok....

 

for me he has to play a system that suites his players...

whether it's 4-5-1, 4-3-3, or 4-4-2....

 

and obviously our strongest team that suites the formation THEY can play...

 

and for me that is including diouf...NOT Vaz Te, who clearly lacks the confidence to play in the prem...and giving Anelka the free role to play how HE wants to play....

 

If we lose Faye and O'Brien IS his replacement....then....

 

I can see Paul Jewell here before xmas.

I can tell you that in January the only names sam wanted in were....

 

Sibierski

 

Sorin....whose wage demands made Anelkas look like pennies

 

Fact!!

 

you sure about that? thought we chased sorin last summer when he wanted 35k and we offered 25k, be surprised if we went after and that his demands went up after being contracted to Hamburg who'd have wanted a fee on top

I can see Paul Jewell here before xmas.

 

will that be a bad thing?

utter bollocks that smiley...

 

aren't you sure of yourself these days, you get laid or something recently?

Thanks. But I slotted in IMO, as you can clearly read. My opinion.

These are squad "additions" and not "improvements".

 

I sincerely hope all three prove me very wrong.

 

sorry mate, i'll add a next time

 

We were still aimlessly hoofing the ball upfield on Saturday - some things never change.

 

I think that's the interesting thing.

 

Allardyce always claimed he only played long-ball because we were playing to our strengths (i.e. our players aren't capable of doing much more intricate passing).

 

Now from watching Saturday I'm inclined to agree to an extent; I don't think we set out to play long ball, but for many lengthy periods it was literally the only ball that was on due to a lack of movement and ability etc. In other words it was a neccesity and much of that can be put down to Newcastle's excellent and tireless wotk in midfield and up-front in closing us down - something we've seen before somewhere.....

I think that's the interesting thing.

 

Allardyce always claimed he only played long-ball because we were playing to our strengths (i.e. our players aren't capable of doing much more intricate passing).

 

Now from watching Saturday I'm inclined to agree to an extent; I don't think we set out to play long ball, but for many lengthy periods it was literally the only ball that was on due to a lack of movement and ability etc. In other words it was a neccesity and much of that can be put down to Newcastle's excellent and tireless wotk in midfield and up-front in closing us down - something we've seen before somewhere.....

 

 

Not to mention that the 'out ball' in a 4-4-2 is often to a wide player...yet we didn't have one proper wide player on the pitch. Nolan will only ever get caught on the ball in that position, he has no threat of getting in behind or beating a man. And Vaz is better without the ball than with it !!!

 

Don't know how exactly LSL thought we were going to play saturday... but he was wrong

 

To me, there's nowt wrong with playing percentages, playing it safe, and then using your quality in the right areas of the pitch.

 

 

Anyway, lets not go overboard after one game. Time will tell.

 

 

Surprisingly enough Homer said something telling...there are lots of styles and ways to win games, LSL has his ideas and deserves the right to try them. We got stuffed under Allardyce enough times. It's not the end of the world....yet

how often did we see Viduka closing down our last man, and forcing us to pass back to Jussi? happened more than enough times. And Jussi reverted to kicking it long. Which pissed off Alonso who dropped deep to pick up the ball so he could try to spray some passes about.

 

if we are confused as to our formation and tactics - do you think they players are?

i dont believe sammy philosophy is to play with 2 wide men. yes its 442 but with a single winger.

 

many times, nolan would tuck in to make the usual 3 in the centre allowing vaz/diouf to get further forward.