Apart from the fact that having Rooney as manager brings in more revenue and "clicks than having JE as manager, Wagner and Cook dismissed JE because he realistically and very honestly said to them that moving to front-foot, possession football, where we play through the thirds and the goalkeeper is the deep defensive pivot ... "progressive football" ... wasn't possible at this stage with the players he had and they should embrace the fact that he was over-achieving (sixth) against the pre-season targets they set (about 10th - 12th)
So they sacked JE and got Rooney in to deliver the progressive style they wanted.
But Rooney couldn't deliver and has now gone back to transitional football - and lo and behold was instantly successful with it.... doing exactly what the overwhelming majority of fans have been telling him to do ..... "evolution not revolution"
So what are Wagner and Cook going to do now .... settle for a style of football that they said they didn't want ?
Please note : i was chuffed with the result and chuffed that we are now playing to the existing players' strengths
RagsApart from the fact that having Rooney as manager brings in more revenue and "clicks than having JE as manager, Wagner and Cook dismissed JE because he realistically and very honestly said to them that moving to front-foot, possession football, where we play through the thirds and the goalkeeper is the deep defensive pivot ... "progressive football" ... wasn't possible at this stage with the players he had and they should embrace the fact that he was over-achieving (sixth) against the pre-season targets they set (about 10th - 12th)
So they sacked JE and got Rooney in to deliver the progressive style they wanted.
But Rooney couldn't deliver and has now gone back to transitional football - and lo and behold was instantly successful with it.... doing exactly what the overwhelming majority of fans have been telling him to do ..... "evolution not revolution"
So what are Wagner and Cook going to do now .... settle for a style of football that they said they didn't want ?
Please note : i was chuffed with the result and chuffed that we are now playing to the existing players' strengths
Keep the goal. Adapt the strategy. Carry on.
We carry on doing what we’re doing now to climb the table. It buys us time because we can’t buy enough players to change the system in January anyway.
It’s a lesson learnt for the board which should I hope brings a little more patience.
I'd imagine ultimately they will be happier if we do what we were doing under JE with Rooney because, as you say, Rooney brings clicks, which brings revenue.
What we saw last night is what we should have seem 9 games ago. At least we've (possibly, hopefully) found something now. Then again, Leicester on Monday so all this joy will probably be over again. 😂
I'd imagine ultimately they will be happier if we do what we were doing under JE with Rooney because, as you say, Rooney brings clicks, which brings revenue.
What we saw last night is what we should have seem 9 games ago. At least we've (possibly, hopefully) found something now. Then again, Leicester on Monday so all this joy will probably be over again. 😂
Completely understand what you are saying - but i think we have to turn a bit of a blind eye to the Leicester game and just keep our fingers crossed. Not beating Leicester won't tell us anything really. Usually i'm gutted if we drop a single point in any game and sometimes take solace (reluctantly) if we play well. Yes, i get my head screwed on after a few hours and manage to judge things objectively between one match and the next but i'm actually going to have to admit pre-match that i;d be happy with a draw.
So new Rooney = old JE plus "clicks" ? .... makes him sound like a dolphin !!
No you're right. Though I would say it depends on the performance. If we play like last night and lose, we can't really complain.
It should always have been evolution all things considered. Hopefully both Cook and Rooney now understand this and adjust their plans accordingly. If we carry on playing like last night, I'd be happy to focus on just signing a striker in Jan and nothing else.
I'll happily wait several seasons to build a squad capable of promotion as I'd rather do it properly like Brentford than make a mess of it like Sheff Utd.
It should have always been evolution not revolution anyway playing wise……. Revolution off the pitch by all means
I thought we were a lot braver at the back last night, especially second half than under JE. Prepared to draw them in and pass around to allow transition
It should have always been evolution not revolution anyway playing wise……. Revolution off the pitch by all means
I thought we were a lot braver at the back last night, especially second half than under JE. Prepared to draw them in and pass around to allow transition
Considering the confidence must have been really low heading into the game i thought we played very well at times. Need consistency in terms of sticking with a plan now.
Consistency and confidence will make a huge difference
He didn’t play the Eustace way though? I don’t recall too many away wins in his time against teams in good form and in the higher reaches of the league
We pass the ball more productively and more frequently. Probably the reason why we commented on Beliks frequent misplaced passes were because he was trying to get the ball forward.
Also we didn’t stop trying for a 2nd. That was a massive step forward from numerous previous managers who shut up shop when we were defending a lead.
I hope Rooney realises now though that Sunjic & Belik need to be integral until the summer. Bacuna, Koji and Dembele all have their place but not starting all at once.
The transition will still happen, but much more gradually as Rooney brings in the players he wants and as everyone becomes more comfortable with that style.
No fear football hasn’t been abandoned, but it’ll be by evolution not revolution.
This.
Everybody said this is the way it should be. Let's just slow the effort down a bit and give the manager the right tools to execute the evolution in style of play that is desired.
It starts in January by possibly adding 2-3 players, then in the summer I think we're all expecting the cheque book to come out.
But for now, let's just relax a little bit eh?
He didn’t play the Eustace way though? I don’t recall too many away wins in his time against teams in good form and in the higher reaches of the league
We pass the ball more productively and more frequently. Probably the reason why we commented on Beliks frequent misplaced passes were because he was trying to get the ball forward.
Also we didn’t stop trying for a 2nd. That was a massive step forward from numerous previous managers who shut up shop when we were defending a lead.
I hope Rooney realises now though that Sunjic & Belik need to be integral until the summer. Bacuna, Koji and Dembele all have their place but not starting all at once.
He didn’t play the John 'DvB' Useless way though?
Ho hum ...
We played "transition football" and not "progressive possession football" .... just so happens the first was what we played under JE - second was what Rooney was supposed to introduce.
No-one is saying that it was completely the exact JE way - but it was a variation on the style that JE was playing
This is about styles - not personalities - move on
We’ve only won one game but the platform is there for all to see - I thought we looked assured on the ball and solid at the back. If we now build on this, add some sparkle in Jan and climb into mid table for the remainder of the season then Rooney will have done a good job.
BUT - it is just one game, I hope we don’t go the next 3 or 4 without a win. Need to build on this.