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Season 2011-12
The Mail Bag
Losing Patience
23 Comments: I don't have much to say about the state we are in just now, because more literate guys than I have said it all. However I did listen to 606 on the way back from our 'real' local footie game today and 2 things stood out.
First of all a Leicester fan complained that Mr Erricksson was useless, he has at least 3 good forwards on the books (one of which is Jermaine Beckford) but even at home he only ever plays 1 up front. (Sound familiar!)
They are also struggling in the Championship and it sounds like it's due to the Manager's reluctance to use the players he has (again, sound familiar). Jason Roberts then complained that 4-4-2 was hardly used anywhere nowadays and everyone was playing the same boring formation with 1 up front, ok if you have world class midfielders to back them up of course.
Secondly, I then heard the reports from the RS v Norwich game saying Norwich were a breath of fresh air because they had no fear playing at Anfield and took the game to the RS and fully deserved their point.
How is it that teams like Norwich can go there and have a go and yet we go to anyone and play for a draw, if we're lucky? Has Moyes totally lost the pelt, I think he has and I honestly think he's had his day, however I also can't see it changing any time soon.
Still depressed........
Russ Quinlan, Posted 22/10/2011 at 21:09:05
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But it's true, no-one plays the old school 4-4-2 system anymore. Everyone packs the midfield and, as you say, if you have the world class midfielders that Utd, City and Chelsea have, and, to a lesser extent (now), Arsenal, not excluding Spurs and the Shite, have, then they have the quality to back that up or whatever formation they play.
Even for the period last season when Beckford was with Saha in the starting 11 (for a period of 4 or 5 games before Saha's injury), it wasn't a traditional 4-4-2 formation. Saha was so deep and was almost and extra midfielder.
We went to City and Chelsea and just waited for them to break us down.
Norwich went to Anfield and attacked.
They did the same at OT and Chelsea,, BTW and were unlucky to be beaten in those games.
We just went to Stamford Bridge to get beaten.
Matt
So I am in the know - can you let me know all the teams that have won at OT, Chelsea, City and Anfield over the past ten years. Shouldn't take you too long.
"Not losing is far more important than winning"
Let's see, now, if you not lose every game over a season you would accrue a maximum 38 points, so we all know it is generally accepted 40 points is around the minimum for not being relegated.
It seems to me winning is far more important than "not losing".
We are playing to keep the score respectable in some games, that is unacceptable.
I heard Lambert saying whatever happens at the big grounds, his team will have a go. He made changes when they were 1-0 down at Anfield, changing to 4-4-2 and bringing on a striker, with 56 mins gone.
Now, I cannot recall Moyes ever doing this, proof of his total fear of a spanking in recent games.
I really do think that when we get beaten badly, such as 6-1 by Arsenal at home a couple of seasons ago, it puts Moyes back years in his team selections.
Mr. Moyes has always been cautious, but now it is getting beyond a joke against the bigger teams.
At no time did Norwich's players act inferior to the RS. They were sent out to try to win. I did not see any interview with Lambert before the game wherein he indicated that his team could not compete because of financial limitations.
The only Norwich player I had heard of was Ruddy, our ex-keeper, who played superbly, able to catch crosses, unlike you know who. According to the the commentators, who were obviously very RS (big 4/5) biased, Norwich were very unlucky to lose against Utd and Chelski.
So, Moyes "we are skint" defenders, why can't we make even a minimal attempt to win against anyone? Just wait for the team sheet against Fulham. If it's anything other than 4-5-1 then I'll eat my keyboard. I am so sick of Moyes miserable excuses. If he doesn't like it, then resign.
What's that? We did get him! Oh yes, I forgot about Mike Walker, or should that be I've erased him from my mind.
Norwich were very lucky to be still in the game never mind equalise.
Why cant we be happy that we won 3-1 today and Drenthe and Rodwell both had great games.
Now if we can just put pressure on the manager to play Ross Barkley instead of Ossie on the flanks... we might win a few more.
I find that result to be very worrying. It doesn't matter one jot to me that Utd got tonked by their noisy neighbours but the result goes a long way to dispelling the much mooted idea that you can't buy success without a very long period of 'football development' running parallel with spending loads of dosh. Three years ago City were shite yet they have scoured the world buying almost everybody they wanted and now, having won the cup last year, after 34 years of nowt, they are on the cusp of winning the league. I know they haven't won it yet but they are so far ahead of everybody else now that I think it is almost inevitable.
There have always been clubs that were richer than others but this didn't always mean that the poorer clubs won nothing. This was because the disparity was relatively small compared with today's yawning chasms between rich and poor. The way the game is going nowadays though, with the cost of players and wages making it certain that only a few clubs can afford the best and poorer clubs will have increasing difficulty keeping their better players, the game is being ushered down a cul-de-sac where only one or two clubs will ever be able to win anything.
Shame.
Only whining from the likes of Manu, Barca, Milan etc about financial unfairness (oh the fuckin' irony) will bring change.
Do you want us to play the type of gun ho attacking football like Blackpool who were also a 'breath of fresh air'? What happened to them?
Who's advocating going gung ho?
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