NeoGeo7

god that team was truly awful. Anyone that complains about our team now best look at our squad for 14/15

He’ll certainly push Morelos for sitter of the season

I like Goss' range of passing I'm just not convinced he has the physicality (though Halliday had many, many powerpuff moments since that semi final). Its the decision of playing a holding midfielder with two in front (as we did in 2016 with Dom Ball as the DM) versus playing 2 central midfielders and a number 10. The latter gives Morelos support but would mean our midfield is overrun. The former would mean we are more solid but leave Morelos isolated and are really relying on quick breaks.

As I said its a big if. If he were able to do it would you say he's a better option than Docherty? Its not likely he would but sometimes squad players can have the game of their lives but its always a gamble.

Last week when he charged the absolutely shite ref because he didn't get a free kick for the foul on him. He was right to be pissed off but not to literally square go with him Next we'll see him getting sent off in the tunnel for violent conduct

I thought Halliday had a bigger positive impact on the game than Docherty but Halliday came on at a time when Dundee were starting to tire so its not quite as easy as a straight comparison. Players in a squad need to see that good performances are rewarded and poor ones are punished and that way you keep the competitive edge. If you simply keep playing the same starting XI regardless of performance then it breeds complacency in the starting XI and contempt in the rest of the squad and bewilderment as to how they get in the first team. I know I don't have the full picture and Docherty could be absolutely fantastic in training and Halliday not so much but given its the scum game next week and Halliday has some making amends to do it might be a good shout to start him. Remember just how well he played in the 2016 semi final when Brown was in his pocket. This is exactly what we need next weekend. We night to fuck them up from the first whistle to the last and if (and its a big if) Halliday can play the way he did 2 years ago along with McCrorie in midfield I think we could get the win.

I would have liked my numbers to come up last night but there's as much chance of that as the board saying anything. Spineless.

Free kick

So the ref's point of view he can see the keepers hands don't touch morelos as he goes past, but he doesn't see the keepers head hit because his body obscures the view however you see his head cock back and then straight after the keeper is holding his head. His actions after booking Morelos show that he is aware the keeper is injured and needs treatment. So there was contact so no dive so its either a) a penalty and b) booking Morelos for an onrushing goalkeeper getting injured when he collides with the striker???

It wasn’t a penalty.......he wasn’t wearing green and white hoops

Kenny fit in to the 4-2-3-1 Cummings does not. Its really that simple. All of Murty’s changes today were like for like changes, not once did I see our shape change. He’s only got one tactic to use.

Cool story. They’ll be brushing off any talk of people not renewing for what could be a very slippery situation.

In fairness there’s a bit of a difference between them. One had achieved next to nothing as a player and very little as a manager the other has over 100 caps for Holland, won the Dutch league 4 times in a row and the Dutch super cup once

I think the fact he’s of the mould where if your tactics aren’t working just keep believing and keep doing the same hoping for change rather than actually making any changes to shape, playing style, subs or anything he simply stands there chewing on his zip is the reason why I wouldn’t take him back at the U20s.

To improve the squad with limited funds it’s a case of first in first out. Players we signed in the championship, by in large, should be moved on if they are no longer good enough for the level we are a) at and b) aspiring to reach, that assumes that we managed to sign better players. Bates is probably the best we have just now. Does that mean he’ll be the best next season? Possibly not as we may sign better and Bates once again goes back to being a squad player until we have injuries, poor performances or Bates just gets better as he’s young and has potential. We couldn’t think of signing guys like Dorrans or Murphy in the championship so we had to go for Halliday and Forrester. Bates is just another player in this conveyor belt of players. He may make it in the long run he may not but he at least deserves a new deal in case we can’t get anyone else better in. As far as defence is concerned I would definitely try to punt Alves and Cardoso and not sign Martin. That means we need at least 3 centre backs in the summer. If Bates goes too then it’s 4. What are the chances (with our finances) of being able to get 4 defenders in one window?

I stopped listening early on, did he really say something along those lines? If he has then that explains a lot of what we’ve seen and absolutely rules him out of the manager position. I’d honestly put Nicholl in charge until the season end.

Pointless thread. Murty be like

Moult and Cummings as a front 2 or Morelos as the lone striker. Two very different front lines and gives us plenty of options......options that murty wouldn’t take anyway so not much point in debating it until a new manager is announced.

Only going to comment on the prospect of signing him not the content of that article from that shit rhag. I said he’d score goals for us but it’s clear he won’t as a lone striker or out wide. If we are getting a manager in that’s going to play 2 up top (at least some of the time or even knows of a formation with 2 up top) then fine. If we are going for FdB he’ll play 4-3-3 and again I think Cummings won’t be a good fit for our setup. From the training pictures and pre-match footage etc. He seems to have fit in well with the squad and I believe he is an excellent finisher if he actually gets chances in the box.

I really wish we’d adopt the approach we had at the start of 15/16 in the championship. The high tempo pressing game where we had holt and Halliday absolutely hounding the opposition midfield. It was really effective but we have just stopped doing it or if we do it we rarely keep it going for more than 5 minutes at a time. If we get in front then forget about seeing it, the players just switch off. The other issue we have with the 1 up top is their back line just pass across the line with Morelos the only one really closing down. A top 2 putting pressure on the centre backs has a much better chance of forcing an error. If not a front 2 then the wide players have to tuck in a bit and push up, try to force them to lump it up the park where our defence should be able to deal with it considering Alves, martin, Bates and McCrorie are all good in the air. Holt for me is vastly underrated for his input to a game. He’s not going to create goals but he has the right attitude and commitment that at present we are missing. I really thought docherty would be the replacement but so far I’ve not seen anything to suggest he’s any better. Holt was a big part of our pressing game and if you have a midfield of him and McCrorie sitting deeper allowing Dorrans to get forward then I think we have a better balance.

I don’t think we have regressed as the squad we have now is far better than what we had at the same stage last season. Before the last scum game there was a real sense of hope and optimism in pushing them to the end of the season but after that loss (at home to a 10 man side when we were twice in front) has absolutely crushed their morale and belief. Murty has had 2 games and an international break to get “it” back and has failed to do so. If we had a manager capable of tactical changes before and during a game and being able to motivate players correctly that is to say encourage them positively or put a rocket up their arses at the right moments, then we’d be challenging them. Instead 1 point out of the last 9 has left us thinking we are shite. We aren’t great but the players do possess the ability to play well and win games. We’ve also had horrendous luck with injuries to key players, players who could have made a difference in the games we’ve dropped points in. All in all if we get a manager appointed that is a real step up from our last 3 then we will be able to get a handful of players in and challenge. The worry is that the squad appear at rock bottom just now and second is going to be a real hard push. Beating Dundee with a clean sheet would certainly help stop the rot.

My thoughts exactly, Warburton made sure that all the coaches knew how to get the teams to play from the youngest youth team to the first team so Murty is doing what he knows which stems mainly from his time working with Warburton. The beauty of tactics is there are so many. Each with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. I would love a tactician in charge who knew how to change the shape before and during games to make a difference but it’s a pipe dream. Instead we have threads like this out of the frustration that our manager just won’t (or is incapable of) change. Its almost like he can’t say. Look Josh we need something different from this game as they are going to pack the midfield so you’ll be on the bench but as they tire and things open up you can do the damage later on. Or, Daniel we are going to go with a 4-4-2 diamond WB today so we won’t be playing wingers. You’ll be on the bench and we may well hit them on the wings later on so be ready. He’s too nice again and while nice is well.....nice, it’s not what we need as manager. Saying that Pedro’s bull in a china shop approach didn’t work either so the best man managers are somewhere in the middle and with the tactical nous to back it up. He’s got one formation in his locker, maybe two although I doubt the diamond was his own creation now, so we can wait for the game this weekend safe in the knowledge he will line up 4-2-3-1.

Reading a bit more about de Boer at palace and it’s eerily close to Pedro here: