Even today I thought I saw some decent play, Bacuna, Dembele, Stansfield, JJ, Miyoshita all looked comfortable with the style, and despite the overall shitness there were some lovely moves.
The really worrying thing is the defensive gaps. Is it really the trade off: some nice moves but we have to look like a schoolboy team in defence about 8 times a game? Sort that out WR!
We're the defensive gaps there 13 games ago, no they were not.
Since Rooney came in we have gone backwards in all departments.
I would say we’re slightly better going forwards, obviously didn’t see much of that today, but we’ve gone to pot defensively. 2nd best defence statistically under the previous bloke, now we can’t defend to save our lives.
The unfortunate truth is we don’t score or create enough to warrant being so terrible defensively. And rooneys had 13 games to sort the defence out, and he hasn’t managed it, so I remain to be convinced that he will manage it at all.
Bluenose27I would say we’re slightly better going forwards, obviously didn’t see much of that today, but we’ve gone to pot defensively. 2nd best defence statistically under the previous bloke, now we can’t defend to save our lives.
The unfortunate truth is we don’t score or create enough to warrant being so terrible defensively. And rooneys had 13 games to sort the defence out, and he hasn’t managed it, so I remain to be convinced that he will manage it at all.
I agree, he needs to stop playing such a high defensive line as a simple long ball cuts us apart
I think we scored 15 under JE in 11 games and 15 under WR in 13 games. Not much in it really, but a touch worse, if a little more pleasing on the eye sometimes
Defensively, we'd conceded 11 in 11 under JE and now 27 in 13 under WR.
From 1 goal a game to just over 2 a game conceded though. Obviously that's where the worry is - the trade off for more attacking football isn't working at the moment. Obviously, stating the bleedin' obvious here.
I didn't see that, just that Stoke could easily have scored 5 or 6. As well as looking shambolic defensively, we created nothing much offensively either.
One thing stuck in my head tonight, amongst all the other shit I had to watch.
In the last 10 minutes, 3-1 down at home, twice a very good ball (one fron Burke one from Donovan I think) went straight across Stokes 6 yard box and not 1 fecker was busting a gut to get on the end of it.
First time post for me. Some truly awful defending tonight. When I had a look at match stats after the game I was surprised; I was expecting worse (51/49 in favour of blues possession and similar shots on/off target - felt like Blues were much worse).
But, all of the debate of style of play, leaving the defenders exposed, Rooney not being able to understand he's asking some players to do stuff they're not capable of... it reminded me of the Stick to Football podcast with Jaap Stam. They had a conversation about the style under Fergie and often their centre backs were left 2 on 2, but as Stam said he felt comfortable playing that way cos he backed himself one on one. They debated changes in football that has more protection for centre backs now. An interesting debate.
Overall though it says to me we've got some players that will never be comfortable with this style of play. They will never hack it.
So, our polarised fan base is right. Those that say Rooney is insisting on playing a way the players aren't comfortable with are right. And those that say we've got some poor players that are making basic errors are also right.
Where does that leave us? Staring down the barrel of a relegation fight. So, revert to a good defensive shape, protect the centre backs and finish above relegation or try and get some better players in (during the Jan transfer window) suited to what Rooney wants (and the owners) and hope they pull us away from relegation.
As I'm a cautious person I'd fall back onto a shape that protects the centre backs, hope we can keep away from relegation and start a proper rebuild over the next two or three transfer windows.
But then again, I've never run a football club so what do I know! KRO.