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lake district canary

Confidence

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Confidence must be low at the moment.  The players are up against it.  Hughton is up against it.   We need a touch of inspiration from somewhere.  Whittaker did it against Everton in the first match.   He did it at Swansea too last season.   Howson on his day can do it.  Pilkington has a great free kick (remember the one against Aston Villa two years ago).    Hooper and RVW can both score great goals.  Fer a goal or two in him. 

Forgetting all the recriminations against managers and players, we need just one spark to get us back on track.   It can happen - and imo will happen - we have some very good players.    Confidence is the key.   A good performance on Saturday and a moment of inspiration from even just one of the players will change things.  Its time the players pulled their fingers out, stop feeling sorry for themselves, get out there and turn our season round.  If they do their job and perform like they did against Cardiff and get the all important goal(s), everyone will feel a little better.   One good game can restore confidence, relieve the pressure on the manager and the players and get our season on track.  

The buck stops with Hughton as he is the manager, but the players are the ones that have to do the business on the pitch.  Its time they delivered.

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It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!!

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Ok I will bite

The only way to get players confidence up is to let them play in a formation that plays to their strengths. Something as yet hapless has been unale to do

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Just get a bit pissed off when you reply to a post and the OP buggers off Morty! what do you say?

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I agree confidence is crucial and its something that even in the best teams can be brittle or fragile at times, particularly when a team takes some big knocks when the performances have been good. In the situation our team found themselves, it is not difficult to see that the confidence had a major attack over the last few games and it was clear for everyone to see that after conceeding the first two goals on Saturday it totally went. BUT, up to that point in The Premier league having started to improve and two very decent performances when they got nothing and probably deserved something, even one point from Chelsea or Arsenal and then playing Cardiff off the park and getting just the one point when three was fully deserved they were holding confidence pretty well. But by then they must have been thinking just what have we got to do to get a win. The Cup game with a weakened side didnt help and with the injuries to Snodgrass, which at the time would have been disturbing to watch and to Redmond before going to The Etihad, well even the best of teams confidence would have been very fragile by then. Now I am making no excuses, the performance against Citeh was not good enough, but once the second went in we were there for the taking, confidence shot and we got taken big time. I dont think that would have happened so dramatically had confidence been boosted with a win over Cardiff, the margins are thin and I feel that LDC is right......at the moment it will of course be about confidence and I think a little bit of luck too, as we have had very little to date this season. Our team, yes OUR team WERE improving and I think the majority will agree that things were looking more positive and it was built on gradual improvement and certainly confidence in everything the team were doing...........................it is not going to be easy, but "if" they can get back to where they were against Cardiff things will change just as long as the confidence holds. I know they are professional footballers, get paid well, CH is there to keep them confident etc etc      

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[quote user="Vanwink"]It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!![/quote]

A bit impatient VW?  I''m not permanently plugged in.......

I agree with all you say in the above post.  But sometimes that one spark, one moment of inspiration can be a season turner.  Take Holt''s header against Liverpool two years ago when we were beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult season.  That turned things around almost immediately and we didn''t really look back after that. That''s all I''m getting at.

Belief, hard work, tactics are all very well - and we certainly need those as well - but as Dubai Mark says -  things were a bit more optimistic recently, until those visits to Manchester.   Confidence can be a fragile thing, it''s why we need someone to show the way.  Holt has gone but we have other heroes in waiting, I''m sure of it.  We need at least one on Saturday. 

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[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Vanwink"]It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!![/quote]

A bit impatient VW?  I''m not permanently plugged in.......

I agree with all you say in the above post.  But sometimes that one spark, one moment of inspiration can be a season turner.  Take Holt''s header against Liverpool two years ago when we were beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult season.  That turned things around almost immediately and we didn''t really look back after that. That''s all I''m getting at.

Belief, hard work, tactics are all very well - and we certainly need those as well - but as Dubai Mark says -  things were a bit more optimistic recently, until those visits to Manchester.   Confidence can be a fragile thing, it''s why we need someone to show the way.  Holt has gone but we have other heroes in waiting, I''m sure of it.  We need at least one on Saturday. 

[/quote]
You mean like Nathan''s goal against the Saints? Or Howson''s goal against Stoke? They were moments of brilliance that should/could have changed our season. So why do you think the next time one pops up will mean we kick on?

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[quote user="SeattleCanary"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Vanwink"]It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!![/quote]I agree with all you say in the above post.  But sometimes that one spark, one moment of inspiration can be a season turner.  Take Holt''s header against Liverpool two years ago when we were beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult season.  That turned things around almost immediately and we didn''t really look back after that. That''s all I''m getting at. Belief, hard work, tactics are all very well - and we certainly need those as well - but as Dubai Mark says -  things were a bit more optimistic recently, until those visits to Manchester.   Confidence can be a fragile thing, it''s why we need someone to show the way.  Holt has gone but we have other heroes in waiting, I''m sure of it.  We need at least one on Saturday.  [/quote]
You mean like Nathan''s goal against the Saints? Or Howson''s goal against Stoke? They were moments of brilliance that should/could have changed our season. So why do you think the next time one pops up will mean we kick on?
[/quote]

Because we have to.  The alternative is that we will struggle on for the whole season and get relegated.   We have to kick on.   The alternative is upheaval, downward spiral and more for the doom and gloom merchants to "enjoy".

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"because we have to"

That sounds a bit despairing for you LDC, but unfortunately "because we have to" doesn''t really wash.

The alternative is not relegation, the alternative is a new management team that can inspire and get the best out of our pretty good squad. That should be more than enough to keep us up!

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Like so many of Lakey''s platitudes, it all sounds so easy and plausible in theory AND on paper, doesn''t it ?

In the immediate term, I''m not denying that a flash of brilliance to give us a narrow win on Saturday may be what is required, but to somehow suggest that all in the garden will be rosy, because this will magically imbue the entire team with confidence is fanciful in the extreme.

I''m in no doubt that a win v Wet Spam will buy CH at least another couple of games, and, yes there have been occasions in the past where fortune has turned on a knife-edge. But I''m afraid that I''ve been watching football too long now to believe that it happens anything but rarely. One swallow does not make a summer.

It needs a root and branch reform of attitudes, strategy, tactics and formation for confidence to return long-term. Despite the "official" player pronouncements, it''s obvious tha too many of the squad are unhappy and uncomfortable with the setup, so you either change the setup, or get some new players in who would be comfortable. Too late for the latter.

In another thread someone (I think, Keelan''s Glove) has made a point that within all the polarised backbiting and silly name calling, has perhaps not been aired often enough..... The real pity about our current plight is that at this club we DO have a very good squad, full of enterprise skill and enthusiasm. But it''s all going to waste by Hughton''s insistance on utilising this dull, negative approach. We have seen tantalising glimpses of what they are capable of.Now is the time to see more. THAT will be the way, over a period of weeks (not just one game) that the confidence will return.

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[quote user="SeattleCanary"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Vanwink"]It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!![/quote]

A bit impatient VW?  I''m not permanently plugged in.......

I agree with all you say in the above post.  But sometimes that one spark, one moment of inspiration can be a season turner.  Take Holt''s header against Liverpool two years ago when we were beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult season.  That turned things around almost immediately and we didn''t really look back after that. That''s all I''m getting at.

Belief, hard work, tactics are all very well - and we certainly need those as well - but as Dubai Mark says -  things were a bit more optimistic recently, until those visits to Manchester.   Confidence can be a fragile thing, it''s why we need someone to show the way.  Holt has gone but we have other heroes in waiting, I''m sure of it.  We need at least one on Saturday. 

[/quote]
You mean like Nathan''s goal against the Saints? Or Howson''s goal against Stoke? They were moments of brilliance that should/could have changed our season. So why do you think the next time one pops up will mean we kick on?

[/quote]

 

I would say that Howson''s goal has changed our season as it lead to confirmation of our best formation and some subsequent good performances.

 

There is plenty to criticise Hughton for so I really don''t understand why his critics are so reluctant to recognise the recent improvements.

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That''s pretty much what I was alluding to in my final paragraph, Cambs.

We have recently seen some all too brief glimpses of the kind of potential this squad has.

But it all seems to be one step forward and too steps back with Hughton in that he too easily reverts to type. He does not appear to have the courage of his convictions as regards this, and this must be doubly frustrating for the players.

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whatever gloss people put in the situation confidence must be fragile. winning is a habit so is losing. That said we are capable of getting 6 points from the next 3 fixtures if we do then we are up and running again, if not then major surgery at management level will be needed

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[quote user="CambridgeCanary"][quote user="SeattleCanary"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Vanwink"]It''s not one spark LDC and confidence is a fickle bedfellow, it comes from self belief, belief in the ability of your team mates, belief in your tactics and strategy, belief in the way you are trying to play.

It''s not about one player having confidence and doing something brilliant, it''s about the team playing with self assurance and confidence. That coms from leadership, understanding and a strategy that everyone buys into, it''s not there!!![/quote]I agree with all you say in the above post.  But sometimes that one spark, one moment of inspiration can be a season turner.  Take Holt''s header against Liverpool two years ago when we were beginning to think it was going to be a very difficult season.  That turned things around almost immediately and we didn''t really look back after that. That''s all I''m getting at. Belief, hard work, tactics are all very well - and we certainly need those as well - but as Dubai Mark says -  things were a bit more optimistic recently, until those visits to Manchester.   Confidence can be a fragile thing, it''s why we need someone to show the way.  Holt has gone but we have other heroes in waiting, I''m sure of it.  We need at least one on Saturday.  [/quote]
You mean like Nathan''s goal against the Saints? Or Howson''s goal against Stoke? They were moments of brilliance that should/could have changed our season. So why do you think the next time one pops up will mean we kick on?[/quote]

 

I would say that Howson''s goal has changed our season as it lead to confirmation of our best formation and some subsequent good performances. There is plenty to criticise Hughton for so I really don''t understand why his critics are so reluctant to recognise the recent improvements.[/quote]

This is the problem most reasonable people can''t understand - Hughton gets little or no credit for anything he does.   Up to the Cardiff game things looked on the up, even if goals are not yet going in but no credit there.  The Manchester games were just terrible and set us back - and he has justly been criticised. But the proof of the pudding is in the next few weeks.   Even the most pro-Hughton supporters are running out of patience.   He has to turn it round in the next two or three weeks.  But if he does have some good results, will that satisfy those that have been against Hughton all along?   No. It won''t.   Closed minds. 

Is it not conceivable that a manager can learn to improve his performance?   Hughton to my mind does a lot right.  If he is the person I think he is, he will be developing his ideas and will find the solutions that will enable us to progress.  Some just see him as a one dimensional figure who has dour defensive tactics.   Others see a man who is intelligent and capable and who will - given time - find the right way forward.  For whatever faults you see in him, we still finished 11th last season and brought in a raft of new good players - and we are still in touch with mid table.  

If he can get it right - and back on topic - if the players get it right - then we could look on this difficult period as just a transition on the way to better things.  Or we could just "get rid" and start again with an unknown quantity.   On balance, for better or worse, I think we have set our stall out.   Hughton and the players have to start winning - and soon.

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There are a hell of a lot of "ifs" in that piece Lakey. And rhetorical questions too.

Of course there are those who''ve been anti Hughton feom the start. But by the same token there are many for whom it''ll take more than a couple of games for him to win confidence back.

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[quote user="Reggie Strayshun"]There are a hell of a lot of "ifs" in that piece Lakey. And rhetorical questions too.

Of course there are those who''ve been anti Hughton feom the start. But by the same token there are many for whom it''ll take more than a couple of games for him to win confidence back.[/quote]

Ok, then.  Take the "ifs" one stage further.  If we get a new manager, who is to say he would be able to turn it around?  That''s the biggest "if" for me.

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Its pointless changing the manager unless McNally has someone lined up who is better.

I think everyone is of a mind that Hughton is in the last chance saloon over the next few weeks but there have been quite a few clubs over the last few years who have sacked the manager without a good idea of who they can get to replace him and they end up on a downward spiral to Championship or worse.

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I''m afraid that is a nonsensical and self-defeating argument, Lakey.

In any walk of life ( eg teacher, doctor, lawyer, plumber, cleaner) it''s not an cohesive argument to keep a failure in place just because there is no 100% guarantee that a replacement would immediately do better.

At some stage , unless things improve dramatically and consistently, there will have to be a line drawn in the sand somewhere. The big looming question is precisely where.

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[quote user="Reggie Strayshun"]I''m afraid that is a nonsensical and self-defeating argument, Lakey.

In any walk of life ( eg teacher, doctor, lawyer, plumber, cleaner) it''s not an cohesive argument to keep a failure in place just because there is no 100% guarantee that a replacement would immediately do better.

At some stage , unless things improve dramatically and consistently, there will have to be a line drawn in the sand somewhere. The big looming question is precisely where.[/quote]

Is Hughton a failure?  Or is he still working to achieve something?  I would argue he has not completely failed - yet.  The pressure is on and in three games I think we will have a definitive answer, but he is not down and out yet.

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To me, Lakey Hughton has failed. One of the hallmarks of a failure is not to see the writing on the wall,, and not to learn from past mistakes. And there''s evidence against Hughton in those regards by the bucket load . You will point to recent changes, no doubt, but they have been too little too late.

I''d probably agree that there is still time for an eleventh hour conversion, and certainly agree , at some point we will have the definitive answer over the next 3 weeks.

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