Gerrard has some serious thinking to do

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,943]

1 hour ago, Lord Lockin said:

Gerrard claimed he spoke to McGregor and he said he couldn't play two games every week 

We have a big decision to make then because we play two games most weeks and chopping and changing isn’t good for the team.

[Lord Lockin 3,913]

Just now, DBBTB said:

We have a big decision to make then because we play two games most weeks and chopping and changing isn’t good for the team.

agree 100% 

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,609]

16 minutes ago, DBBTB said:

We have a big decision to make then because we play two games most weeks and chopping and changing isn’t good for the team.

If that's the case then he should have been resigned as backup keeper and mclaughlin promoted to number 1

[GA1972 9,657]

2 hours ago, j1mgg said:

Why are we rotating keepers randomly, it isn't even in line with one does league, and the other does cups.

I thought it was because McLaughlin wasn’t registered for Europe so we didn’t want McGregor injured and McCrorie starting in Europe 

If Gerrard has said McGregor can’t play twice a week like another poster has said I find that very concerning considering he has next to fuck all to do in most domestic games 

[Hadron Collider 31,031]

2 hours ago, Lord Lockin said:

Gerrard claimed he spoke to McGregor and he said he couldn't play two games every week 

Wonder if his contract reflects that. 

[The Beast 9,230]

23 hours ago, DBBTB said:

It leaves you exposed and outnumbered in midfield though because most teams play with three in there now.

Unless you are a defensive team then 4-4-2 is basically a dead formation. Atletico Madrid have had success with it, but aside from them which top level sides play it these days? The only sides I can think of are Burnley, and they serve up a brand of football that would get football stopped, and Leicester when they won the league in 2015-16.

Tbh any dogmatic and rigid adherence to a formation shows a limited managerial and tactical ability imho.

By all means have a preferred formation or formations based on the players available on the day and the opposition but you have to have the ability to be flexible and dynamic both for a full game plan and reactively during games.

It's one thing that I've not seen any real evidence of from SG and his coaching team.

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,609]

15 minutes ago, The Beast said:

Tbh any dogmatic and rigid adherence to a formation shows a limited managerial and tactical ability imho.

By all means have a preferred formation or formations based on the players available on the day and the opposition but you have to have the ability to be flexible and dynamic both for a full game plan and reactively during games.

It's one thing that I've not seen any real evidence of from SG and his coaching team.

When have we ever seen gerrard make changes to either nullify an opponents threat or nullify an opponents change that has swung the game in their favour, 

[The Specky Forum Organiser 65,095]

When did he say that?

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,609]

2 hours ago, Lord Lockin said:

Gerrard claimed he spoke to McGregor and he said he couldn't play two games every week 

 

2 minutes ago, The Specky Liar said:

When did he say that?

Right there in that post 

[JuliusC 87]

 

32 minutes ago, The Beast said:

Tbh any dogmatic and rigid adherence to a formation shows a limited managerial and tactical ability imho.

By all means have a preferred formation or formations based on the players available on the day and the opposition but you have to have the ability to be flexible and dynamic both for a full game plan and reactively during games.

It's one thing that I've not seen any real evidence of from SG and his coaching team.

It does appear that way. We are certainly not dynamic. The formulae worked last season, but after recent results I'm not sure it will this season. It relies on completing passes and good movement and that's not happening so far.

I do find our persistence in this rather one dimensional ponderous possession game rather worrying. I ask, where are the defence splitting passes to our forwards that other teams seem to score from against us?!

From the keeper out, we take forever back to front as our default setting. Inevitably it goes to high balls from the wings which are no longer working, or on occasion, its trying to bulldoze our way through the middle after such a slow build up of square passing, and with 10 players camped in the oppo box its becoming a struggle to put the ball away. Our link up play and movement through the middle is amateur night. We are just limiting our opportunities in front of goal. Then stop our wing backs and its game over.

The gaffer needs to sort this and vary our plays and up the tempo, as we are just giving teams the time and space to stop us and they don't have to try very hard.

[mark1963 902]

The worry is we've seen this before after our Xmas in Dubai ,he couldn't arrest the slump then ,hopefully he's learned even if it means tough love on favourites.

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,943]

3 hours ago, JuliusC said:

 

It does appear that way. We are certainly not dynamic. The formulae worked last season, but after recent results I'm not sure it will this season. It relies on completing passes and good movement and that's not happening so far.

I do find our persistence in this rather one dimensional ponderous possession game rather worrying. I ask, where are the defence splitting passes to our forwards that other teams seem to score from against us?!

From the keeper out, we take forever back to front as our default setting. Inevitably it goes to high balls from the wings which are no longer working, or on occasion, its trying to bulldoze our way through the middle after such a slow build up of square passing, and with 10 players camped in the oppo box its becoming a struggle to put the ball away. Our link up play and movement through the middle is amateur night. We are just limiting our opportunities in front of goal. Then stop our wing backs and its game over.

The gaffer needs to sort this and vary our plays and up the tempo, as we are just giving teams the time and space to stop us and they don't have to try very hard.

This post is utterly ridiculous.

When we are at our best we are 100% a dynamic, exciting and direct team. We press high up the park, we move the ball quickly, players pop up all over the place and we score some brilliant, brilliant team goals because the movement and interplay between the players is unreal.

When we don’t play well we have a tendency to run out of ideas and resort to limping into into the box and overplaying but it’s absolutely ludicrous to suggest that we play like that as our default setting.

[Smile 26,610]

On 10/08/2021 at 23:23, sassaaaa said:

The time Morelos was away he came back looking leaner and fitter and he never even played a game. Something wrong in training to me........

Simply beacuse he has to impress the Columbian manager he doesnt here because every time he fucks up he still get a game. 

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,609]

1 hour ago, DBBTB said:

This post is utterly ridiculous.

When we are at our best we are 100% a dynamic, exciting and direct team. We press high up the park, we move the ball quickly, players pop up all over the place and we score some brilliant, brilliant team goals because the movement and interplay between the players is unreal.

When we don’t play well we have a tendency to run out of ideas and resort to limping into into the box and overplaying but it’s absolutely ludicrous to suggest that we play like that as our default setting.

The problem is that when we aren't at our best, our system is so poor, we go from either potentially battering teams by fuck tons of goals, to actually wondering if we'll even score one, theres no middle ground with our system 

Thats where gerrard needs to be dynamic himself, he has the players to alter the system mid game before the shit hits the fan, but he doesnt or he cant, either one is worrying

[Thermopylae 15,287]

I think this team has always struggled when asked to be front runners and that's why we managed to miss out on the 2 cups last season. I suspect the tics were just so poor that we were able to get on and play our football but it may be different this time round.

I think it's basically a confidence thing Gerard should have won more in his time here and I think the problem is clearly between the ears. Look at Tuesday we had everything in our favour at half time but instead of taking confidence from that we just stopped playing

[BridgeIsBlue 66,614]

1 hour ago, Smile said:

Simply beacuse he has to impress the Columbian manager he doesnt here because every time he fucks up he still get a game. 

[ForeverAndEver 71,669]

6 hours ago, GA1972 said:

I thought it was because McLaughlin wasn’t registered for Europe so we didn’t want McGregor injured and McCrorie starting in Europe 

If Gerrard has said McGregor can’t play twice a week like another poster has said I find that very concerning considering he has next to fuck all to do in most domestic games 

Then it should be McCrorie playing and not McLaughlin