Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
McManaman got injured before the deadline so that knocked any deal on the head, Swansea came in for Chester but that was a loan deal which gave us no extra money to spend so not really worthwhile. Everyone else Saido aside little or no interest.
I'm not sure scouting is the problem. In the case of Lambert with virtually zero game time at Liverpool how would anyone really know that his legs had gone? Chester anyone watching him at Hull would have come back with a favorable report, but bringing him in as a right back that was just daft, a really good technical director might have headed that one off at the outset. McManaman fitness issues well documented scouting reports I am sure would have been available we watched him at Wigan but it has never happened for him and that's a real mystery.
The following from Michael Owen gives some insight into Pulis's methods and how the fringe players are worked during the week and I think it goes someway to explaining the way things look on the pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLUuQaBkXcs&app=desktop
I dont think he struggles to attract the names afterall he signed Crouch and Owen.
Re Pulis's signings.
It makes me think it is like a child in a sweet shop.
Buys everything he can lay his hands on.
Once the "sweeties" are home...The child discards those he doesn't really like.
Like a child....He was given too much money too soon.
I've defended and defended pulis but I'm sorry I can't defend one man up front on his own at home against the worst side in the league. People are quick to say Rondon is a flop but how is he supposed to do his job with very little support? It was poor poor tactics from the head coach and then to top it off he says the worst side in the league are a "good side" laughable.
If it's not Pulis' fault that his players can't pass then he really is a very unlucky manager, because after 10 years or so as the Stoke manager, none of our lot could pass either - and please make note of the timescales here. After many years of managing us, and after arguing that we just needed that bit more quality after spending the best part of £100m, he still had a team of Premier League players who were incapable of passing a ball.
The truth is, it's all about shape. The Pulis strategy is that your team must keep their shape at all times. This effectively cancels out any possibility of pass and move, because once you move, you lose your shape. So instead, what you have are statues which are easy to mark. So just how do you pass when no one's in any space. You can't, can you? So eventually, as a player, you're closed down. Then you pass to your nearest colleague. But he's got two men on him, so you lose the ball. That's because you're a Premier League player who can't pass, right? That's what the Pulisters would have you believe.
So, you've got players who can't pass, and a striker standing on his own, miles away from any of his colleagues who don't have the intelligence to make runs off the ball. Nothing to do with the Pulis cage that his midfield players are not allowed out of in case his defence is no longer protected by at least 4 more players.
Maybe you just need more quality. Maybe you need to spend another £8m on a centre half to play at full back (or on the bench), or another £30m to get you 3 points more than the derided Irvine got you at this point last year. Anyone who thinks that what's happening at your club is nothing to do with the tactics and way of operating that Pulis has lived by all his managerial career is not being honest with themselves.
It's what he does. Revel in the ugly mid-tableness he guarantees you. If that's what you enjoy, you're in for a treat. But if you want something more, don't let his acolytes convince you there's not a better way. Take it from this Stokie, there really is.
DK
Pulisball is one thing. I can just about accept it for this season if that's the price for staying up. But playing with ill players is just very poor management, and I include medical staff in that. If they are well enough to play, don't use it as an excuse. If they're not well enough, don't pick them. End of.
Before he had his dig at Klopp he should have checked the fixture to see who were playing next.We all sat there and watched that rubbish first half yesterday and the question is always going to be asked if Bournemouth are capable of passing the ball why can't we .
Bournemouth's starting XI cost less than a 20th of our starting XI or about a 18th of our bench or about the same as one of the players that got sent off (clue not Rondon). Yet the team that wanted to pass the ball to feet had the bulk of possession (even before their opponents were reduced to 10 men) and showed the bulk of the attacking intent was the one consisting of players that many of our supporters would dismiss as "Championship Players at Best"
Oddly enough I do not regard that as a great testament to the tactical wizardry or the footballing philosophy of our current Head Coach
As I have a friend who is very close to our best player, he has told him that tony pulis doesn't use attacking drills in training... He practises defensive drills for 3 quarters of the training session then the other quarter is spent on a 'match'.
This is evident to see... Man City midfielders aren't psychic.... They practise forward drills... That's how they know where their strikers are moving to, not because they're all Paul McKenna esq
I supported that point by adding that Palace's other key players were well-marshalled by West Brom. Gayle was completely anonymous. Puncheon had a couple of wild shots from long range but otherwise didn't threaten and Bolasie was kept reasonably quiet by first Dawson and then Chester.Go back and watch it again and look where McLean is when cabaye crosses the ball . McLean should be in a position to close him down and when the cross comes in Dawsons body position is all wrong compounded by ball watching . Myhill should also do better not commanding enough . I hope McLean does well for us but like many of our players he is just average and in my opinion average will eventually send us down .
When a team sets up
defensively and plays for a 0-0 and has less than 30% possession, the defensive ability/performance of a winger is far, far more important than his attacking ability. That's why I heaped praise on McClean. He's brilliant in that respect and thus perfect in Pulis's system.
Possibly, but I would argue that Pulis' strict defensive approach means that the players don't have the flexibility to move for the ball. Our defensive positioning is really well drilled, but that means players don't want to move too far away from those positions in case we lose the ball. For me, this is backed up by his insistence in playing the Gardners and Mcleans, and sticking with the midfield of Fletcher and Yacob, instead of playing some creative players.
He did of course try something different, but he did that against the champions, so is unlikely to do it again.
Why we don't go to 4231 I don't know, as that's when we look better.
Not one encouraging performance so far this season.