Dear Owen...ask Yourself Some Questions

[Garrp]

Posting this in the 1 in a trillion chance it is read.

 

I have been a big fan of yours the last 3 years. I think you have assembled a fantastic squad whilst reducing the wage bill at the same time. Your eye for a player is up there with the very best in the country in my opinion. I have supported you through thick and thin because of this and also because of the horrendous luck we have had with injuries.

 

I was with you 100% when we went down and thought the signings you made over the summer, once again were very good.

 

You openly said you had made mistake (we all do, no problem) and you said you would learn from them.

 

Some of the decisions you have made this season have been absolutely horrendous. I was thinking last night, I bet you wish you could start the season again and make the correct decisions, the problem is you have proved you don't learn from your mistakes and nothing would change.

 

I have no lost faith in you.

 

Not because of your signings in and out, not because of your training methods, not because of your ability to motivate players. The reason is your team selections.

 

Please answer the following questions.

 

1) Why have you played the following centre back pairings in our first four games of the season. Knight/Ream, Knight/Mills, Knight/Mills and yesterday Knight /Ream?

 

One of your biggest mistakes last season was chopping and changing the centre backs and not letting a partnership develop. Look at all the best defensive records in every single league, they all have a settled backed 4 that play every single game injuries and suspension permitting.

 

You started Knight/Mills in our final pre season game against Barcelona which should have been the two that started against Burnley. Instead you changed to Knight/Ream where Ream had a shocker and was dropped. It was back to Knight/Mills for the Derby game where we kept a clean sheet which meant Mills kept his place against Forest. We then concede two against Forest and Mills is dropped again for Ream against Hull where he then has a nightmare. For fucks sake, can you not see what you are doing? Pick your best two and fucking stick to them. I don't care who it is you pick, just decide on your best two and let them develop a partnership. Tough luck on the one who is left out, he gets in when theres an injury, suspension or a CONTINUED POOR RUN OF FORM, not one fecking game. I want to see the same pairing for the next 20 games and I don't care if we concede 50 in that time, just stick with it and let them gel.

 

2) Just before the season started, you did an interview with Wanderers World. Now I understand this is probably a pain in the arse and most managers just reel off any old answer. In your words you are always honest which I respect, so can you explain the following. You said in this interview a few days before the season started you had built a squad where we have two players for every position. You went through the squad one by one and named the players competing for each position. You said we had two right wingers (CYL & Eagles) and two left wingers (Petrov & Wylde). Again, impressive and made complete sense. Can you answer why after the FIRST game of the season this has been thrown out the window? You said we had two players for every position, not me, you. If you felt the need to drop Petrov after one game, why was Wydle not in? Im not debating that Eagles is the better player, im not debating hes been one of our better players since coming in, but you said we had two players for each position. You scrapped this after ONE game and we had CYL on the right, Eagles on the left and TWO left wingers on the bench. We also had Alonso on the bench. Eagles should not have been on the pitch unless you felt Chungy deserved to be dropped. It once against shows in imbalanced squad, when you spefically went out of your way to make the squad as balanced and as fully loaded for every position as you could.

 

3) The old formation debate. I actually feel sorry for you here as the fans are fucking idiots. The whole time Megson was here (and during Big Sams time) they moaned and moaned for 442 instead of the boring/negative 451/433. You went about and shaped your squad to suit the 442 system. We have 4 out and out wingers. We had the perfect midfield two in Holden and Muamba, with Mark Davies coming off the bench and having his influence on the game for 20 minutes against tired legs. Losing Holden was the beggining of the end, we knew he was good but we didnt realise how good he was. I won't going into detail about the formations and selections since losing Holden as its boring. You played 442 with Andrews and Mark Davies where we get overrun and then when you sign the missing piece (Spearing), you go to a 5 man midfield FFS The only good thing to come out of yesterday is it exposes the myth of the 451 and Mark Davies being a world beater if used properly. He isnt and never will be. Hes an impact player living off the good game he had against Arsenal.

 

4) Bringing on Afobe before Sordell yesterday - WHAT THE FUCK?

 

All of these are just minor things that contribute to one big old fuck up.

 

Anyway im running out of energy now as its a waste of time, you wont learn and will continue to make the same mistakes.

 

Without question, our best team and the one we should play is the following. Play it and we have a chance. You wont though.

 

442

 

----------Bogdan---------------

 

Mears--Mills--Knight--Ricketts

 

CYL--Andrews-Spearing-Petrov

 

-------Ngog------Sordell--------

[The Wanderer]

Coyle out.

 

Garrp in.

 

End of.

[gonzo]

spot on Garrpo.

[birch-chorley]

couldnt be arsed reading it all as I am rough as fuck

 

however the snippets I did read are bang on

 

our defence is picked by a tombola machine

 

ITK Fact

[Mounts Kipper]

Andrews is crap from what I have seen he is not fit to lace Mark Davies boots. Ricketts and Mears not upto speed yet after injury, neither is LCY, Mills not played since February it's no wonder we have not hit the ground running, all this should have been found out in pre-season and wasn't. Coyle does not seem to target the Oppositions weakness. It's Coyles faults he is completely out of his depth and should be sacked in the morning.

Edited September 2, 2012 by Mounts Kipper

[Ratwhite]

Fucking tremendous post Garp

 

[Bigtoe]

Your right, it is a one in a trillion chance.

 

Who else just scrolled down to the replies?

[ex_midlandwhite]

You've written pretty much exactly what i think there. He has 6 more games in my mind to address all those points and I hope he can!

[superjohnmcginlay]

You've written pretty much exactly what i think there. He has 6 more games in my mind to address all those points and I hope he can!

 

these are the same questions he had to answer last season though

[ex_midlandwhite]

I see the 442 v 451 as not the issue that everyone else makes it and its become a distraction. More of a right players thing.

 

Agreed that most questions remain from last season. I still think Coyle could do well but weaknesses remain. Transfer budget wise he has had it tough compared to predecessors and he has created a younger squad which i like. Continually changing the back 4 is annoying me though.

 

If after ten games in this league with this squad he hasn't found a steady team that is getting consistently good performances/results then that is definitely time up for me.

[Casino]

Transfer budget wise he has had it tough compared to predecessors

 

noted

 

however, his predecessors weren't competing in the league we are in

 

ours is, without doubt, an expensive squad in this league

[Matt Lofthouse]

You've written pretty much exactly what i think there. He has 6 more games in my mind to address all those points and I hope he can!

Or 18 more available points, no thanks the season will be over by then.

 

We need to get back up at the first time of asking what with the sky money going up again next season.

[Gumbo]

442

451

352

1-10

It isn't the be all and end all to a point.

Its how you know as a group of players how to play in that system what ever it is. Also a system that will change many times during the game but...

Do the the players know how to play in a particular system?

and adapt if the scenario on the pitch changes?

do they know how to work 'together'?

Thats where adaptation and tactical knowledge comes into a situation / situations.

 

ps, good post Garp, well thought out!

[Rembrandt]

Good post, Garrp, and we don't often agree.

 

Have to disagree about Mears & Ricketts (as a left-back), but then the alternatives aren't inspiring.

 

I never expected us to get into the Champs League, I didn't expect us to qualify for Europe except once in a blue moon, I didn't expect us to remain in the Prem for ever. But I do expect a manager & coaches who can make the best of what we can afford and make us a consistent Championship club with occasional seasons in the Prem playing some decent football ............ like Norwich, Swansea, Brum, Leicester and all the rest of our realistic competitors.

[beer_swiller]

I dissagree with one point though!!!

Your eye for a player is up there with the very best in the country in my opinion????? No now Garp you cannot be serious with that? Pratley and co

[paulhanley]

Agree with a lot of what is written.

There is validity in the complaints about 442 v 451 but the real point to make is the personnel.

 

(A) I don't rate our full backs (and the back up is unproven in Riley and pretty dodgy on the evidence available of Alonso)

( B ) Not enough physique and power in midfield. Spearing might help but if he gets injured or suspended that's us back to square one.

 

We've got four strikers, four wingers ........ and three centre backs. (OK I know Wheater is injured and Ricketts can play there but you get the point. The current squad simply does not have the correct balance.

Edited September 2, 2012 by paulhanley

[freds dad]

Why don't we try 4 3 3 when attacking and 4 5 1 when they have the ball. Quite a simple system to work and will win the league by a country mile.

 

Freds Dad manager extraordinaire

[Gumbo]

Fred- thats how it should work if the players understand their roles both when retaining the ball and winning it back.

[freds dad]

Fred- thats how it should work if the players understand their roles both when retaining the ball and winning it back.

 

Right so when or if the club sack OC I want everyone on here to write to PG putting me forward for the job and free half time pies for everyone who does if I get the job.

[little whitt]

Why don't we try 4 3 3 when attacking and 4 5 1 when they have the ball. Quite a simple system to work and will win the league by a country mile.

 

Freds Dad manager extraordinaire

thats what i was thinking we have the players to do that

 

good read that garrp woule take me a week to wright that

[Gumbo]

application often go in house first!

 

hard luck

[Mounts Kipper]

You've written pretty much exactly what i think there. He has 6 more games in my mind to address all those points and I hope he can!

 

Very generous, however spearing might just make the difference.

[athywhite]

I dissagree with one point though!!!

Your eye for a player is up there with the very best in the country in my opinion????? No now Garp you cannot be serious with that? Pratley and co

thought exactly the same, who has he brought in who is seriously any good? its all right ringing round the best teams in the premier and getting some of there best young players to come for a year or so, and saying he can spot a player, for me, mears eagles mills pratley alonso knight (resigned) andrews ngog, tell me otherwise. I will leave sordell and wylde out of it as seen little or nothing of them to judge, and blake kakuta boyata last season. probably some more can be added but thats enough for starters, only holden has been a good signing who we had on a two week trial before we took the plunge. yesterday five of our cast offs played for west ham in the premier league and beat a fulham team that had started well 3-0, so for me (eye for a player) he has not got.

[ex_midlandwhite]

 

Or 18 more available points, no thanks the season will be over by then.

 

We need to get back up at the first time of asking what with the sky money going up again next season.

 

Nothing decided in this league after ten games so would like to see the stable option given a chance

[enzo gambaro]

4-5-1 or 4-4-2, we need to keep the ball better and we need the wide players to tuck in and help out when we don't have it. Otherwise we'll continue to look stretched and get bummed when we lose possession. Especially if one or both of the full backs are nearer the opposition corner flag than ours. The centre backs need to start taking responsibility, too, instead off dropping off as deep as they can get away with and passing the buck to an already overworked midfield.