Wouldn't it be nice......

[can u sit down please 0]

If we turned up today and there were big changes in our approach.

We set up to implement our game plan, not to stifle the opposition. We set up to take the game to Sunderland.

There would be no need for plastic clappers as this would lift the place and show the fans that we are doing all that we can to get the 3pts.

I don''t doubt that we set up to get 3 points but after last weeks farce things need changing.

It''s Sunderland. Not man city or Chelsea an a win would nearly guarantee promotion. I really hope we take it to them.

Ho would you feel if we set up with a midfield diamond of :

Tettey.

Snod howson

Hoolahan

Hooper and the wolf up top?

If we set up like that would you be more forgiving if we lost and tried something different rather than doing what we always do?

It doesn''t have to be a diamond as there are a lot more alternatives but personally I think it would work against them and would go against there pre match prep

[can u sit down please 0]

*guarantee safety not promotion, apologies.

[4th floor 4]

I think it''s a bit late to be making wholesale changes or trying new formations. It will be confidence and attitude that will keep us from going down.That said, I feel the only thing worth the risk of trying would be putting Snodgrass in behind the striker. He''s too slow out wide and could cause defences more grief if he was going through the middle.

[i,coopius 0]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]*guarantee safety not promotion, apologies.[/quote]

Already planning for next year video, good lad ;-)

[iron_stan 0]

what would be nice is too see redmond on the right wing and olsson on the lefti dont care where or even if snodgrass startswhoever plays up front needs the service from the wide men, stick some crosses in the six yard box and let hooper muscle himself onto the end of themits not rocket surgery

[wcorkcanary 4,783]

its not rocket surgery....or brain science.

[Thirsty Lizard 3,215]

We did have a few games of Hooper and The Wolf playing together up front and it didn''t really work out. I wouldn''t be totally surprised to see Elmander and The Wolf playing together up front today - we haven''t really tried that very much so far this season.

[ZLF 335]

two up front has been a disaster for us. Going 442 also plays to their strengths - they are good at hitting on the break - something we are very poor at defending against.

We have to perserve with to be a version of 451 4141 4231 4321 so either johan starts up front on his own OR as one of the 5 midfielders - the link up player instead of howson or wessi behind hoops or rvw.

A 451 version pressing higher up the pitch and getting people around the striker when we attack instead of isolating him is a must

what we must not think is the subs changed last weeks game, for 20 of the last 30 mins we were as woeful as the first 65 - and went from 2-0 to 3-0 down.

What happened in the last 5 mins is we defended from the front with the midfield pressing higher and forced a lazy couple of mistakes from their centre backs - we still failed to play any creative football or put them on the back foot - that includes redmond, rvw & johan - one goal does not mean they are "in form"

[can u sit down please 0]

But that''s my point zipper. Let them worry about how we will set up rather than us with them. It''s Sunderland not man city.

442 is very different to the diamond, I think it would work

[TIL 1010 5,246]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]But that''s my point zipper. Let them worry about how we will set up rather than us with them. It''s Sunderland not man city. 442 is very different to the diamond, I think it would work[/quote]

[Y]

[can u sit down please 0]

That''s more like it. More pressing, better tempo, more fluidity and more bodies going forward.

Looking at Wes'' average position on the pitch, it wasn''t far off a diamond!

[ZLF 335]

and it was a completely different approach today, high pressing, movement from midfield and players who could actually pass to each other.

spot on cusdp.

[lake district canary 4,830]

[quote user="ZippersLeftFoot"]and it was a completely different approach today, high pressing, movement from midfield and players who could actually pass to each other.

spot on cusdp.[/quote]I don''t think so.  It is the way we always try and play - or have in recent weeks. A lot depends on the quality of the opposition. At Villa we started like that - but Villa were too good.  Against Stoke we started like that but circumstances in the match affected things.  We were like it against ManCity and Spurs. Southampton we were just overun.   Sunderland were c*rp today and we took full advantage of that, for which we deserve great credit. 

We can''t be Barcelona every week.

[can u sit down please 0]

We never press Ldc.

What was nice today is that we imposed our play on the oppo and didn''t set up to stifle.

If we pressed more often the forwards would look so isolated.

We need to be more aggressive in our play and today we were.

[can u sit down please 0]

What circumstances v stoke stopped us?

[Mr Jenkins 0]

We played to our strengths, the players looked much more comforable. Lets hope we keep it going and play like this more consistently.

[lake district canary 4,830]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]We never press Ldc.[/quote]That is just a false statement.   We press when we can - we defend when we have to - which against some teams is quite a lot.  Today we were able to press and make Sunderland look like the struggling team they are.

[kick it off 2,062]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]What circumstances v stoke stopped us?[/quote]

LMAO. LDC has just tried to whitewash Hughton''s beyond useless substitutions that cost us 2 points in that game as "circumstances". The only circumstance that prevented us winning that game was Hughton''s negative approach to football. Great performance and win today, don''t get me wrong, I''m not looking for an excuse to whinge/moan, but don''t try and re-write recent history in such a ridiculous way.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

That''s not really true though is it Lakey, compare today''s first half to the first half against Stoke.

Chalk and cheese.

[can u sit down please 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="can u sit down please"]We never press Ldc.[/quote]That is just a false statement.   We press when we can - we defend when we have to - which against some teams is quite a lot.  Today we were able to press and make Sunderland look like the struggling team they are.

[/quote]

That''s rubbish. We never impose our game on teams, we play to there ways.

Why do we sit so deep? Why do we give teams time on the ball? What circumstances v stoke? Why did we stop pressing and supporting the forward v villa? Why do we average such low possession? Why are we the 4th worst team at making interceptions? Why is the forward usually the only one closing down the full backs?

Us outers can happily say told you so today. The way we played is the way we believe we can play and it''s no coincidence we won and the place was rocking.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="can u sit down please"]We never press Ldc.[/quote]That is just a false statement.   We press when we can - we defend when we have to - which against some teams is quite a lot.  Today we were able to press and make Sunderland look like the struggling team they are.

[/quote]

We were clearly a better side today than recent weeks. Fully of energy, creativity and desire. That hasn''t been there at all for a long time. Stop trying to imply the team were no better then usual today. It was chalk and cheese difference.

[can u sit down please 0]

I can''t believe he''s trying to spin this

[lake district canary 4,830]

[quote user="lincoln canary"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="can u sit down please"]We never press Ldc.[/quote]That is just a false statement.   We press when we can - we defend when we have to - which against some teams is quite a lot.  Today we were able to press and make Sunderland look like the struggling team they are.

[/quote]

We were clearly a better side today than recent weeks. Fully of energy, creativity and desire. That hasn''t been there at all for a long time. Stop trying to imply the team were no better then usual today. It was chalk and cheese difference.[/quote]

It never ceases to amaze me how people ignore good things.   ManCity at home. Cardiff away. WestHam away.   Spurs at home.  Sunderland at home.   That''s five matches out of the last ten that we have shown energy, desire and creativity - even if we didn''t always get results in those matches. In  the remaining  matches of those ten where we weren''t at our best, we beat Hull and drew with Newcastle and Stoke.  Even in the two we lost we were looking good in one of them until Benteke took over.No one pretends things are perfect, but as usual, people try to plaint a bleaker picture than is actually the case.

[lincoln canary (& Golden Coppel) 0]

LDC you cannot use the Cardiff and West ham games as positive evidence. They were two very poor results. Cardiff created plenty of chances and were on balance the better side. West ham we''re shocking and we handed them three points.

[lake district canary 4,830]

[quote user="lincoln canary"]LDC you cannot use the Cardiff and West ham games as positive evidence. They were two very poor results. Cardiff created plenty of chances and were on balance the better side. West ham we''re shocking and we handed them three points.[/quote]

You can find plenty of positives from those two games, they are not difficult to find. Yes, we lost them, but we showed energy and creativity in those matches which was the point I was talking about - and on chances created we should have won both those matches.   Football is about more than just points - and it is about more than just performances too. It is about getting the balance right - and getting it right consistently.    We are not as bad as some paint - we have poor games but we have good games too.   Its still a work in progress and on the evidence of the last few weeks, it is still progressing. 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"]I don''t think so.  It is the way we always try and play - or have in recent weeks. A lot depends on the quality of the opposition. At Villa we started like that - but Villa were too good.  Against Stoke we started like that but circumstances in the match affected things.  Southampton we were just overun. [/quote]Not true... against Southampton we dropped our best passer of the football and still played our worst (who gave the ball away almost every other pass 45%).  We also set up with 4 across the middle and Tettey behind them.  Incredibly defensive. No wonder our single striker made only four passes, two of which were the kick offs. It was the same formation that lost the lead to stoke.We switched from a 4-4-1-1 to a 4-1-4-1 in the Stoke game and for some bizarre reason continued with that failed formation into the next game.Out of interest...  our record with 4-4-2 is now W4 D3 L3....  our record with 4-1-4-1 or (the defensive 4-5-1 style)  is W1 D2 L8.Obviously this doesn''t take into account quality of opposition, but whoever we are playing, the ultra defensive 4-1-4-1 isn''t getting results.

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="lake district canary"]

You can find plenty of positives from those two games, they are not difficult to find. Yes, we lost them, but we showed energy and creativity in those matches which was the point I was talking about - and on chances created we should have won both the Cardiff and West Ham matches.     [/quote]And what cost us in those games...  Sitting on a 1-0 against Cardiff, and settling for a 0-0 against West Ham.  We were in control and the management handed the impetus to the opposition on a platter as we sat back.  They didn''t have to work for it, we gave it to these sides.

[Tetteys Jig 851]

I don''t even know what formation that was and that was the beauty of it. It was a positive but not gung ho set up and it had Sunderland completely overwhelmed and baffled in equal measure. That fluid set up got us the points versus Spurs and did it again. Howson is back to full fitness now and he ran the show wonderfully. It allowed Hoolahan, Elmander and Snoddy to work their magic and even Tettey to get forward and help!

Spot on today, hope we trust our talents a bit more often in the future. It''s certainly there on todays evidence.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="can u sit down please"]the place was rocking.[/quote]The clappers did work then? [;)]

[nutty nigel 7,902]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="can u sit down please"]the place was rocking.[/quote]The clappers did work then? [;)][/quote]

 

Well it was either the clappers or Foggy and CUSDP doing the team talk. Nothing to do with the manager. If it wasn''t for these things that he doesn''t control we''d be bottom.