Yes that was the problem. I’ve seen quite a few performances like that since he came in (boro, hull, soton, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rotherham, Coventry and now Stoke today). Tbf seen a fair few under the last manager as well, including Norwich this season.
Yeah, we’ve had that performance about 7 times now, what is it, 6 times we’ve conceded 3 more on 13 games? Then there’s the Boro and Hill games where we conceded fewer but were abysmal
Yep, shocking. Don’t know where we go from here. Think we’ll get done by an improving Bristol City to.
missed Laird, Buchanan, Sunjic big time. we miss two top strikers and have done for 3/4 years. the defending was terrible. Sanderson again showing he is not up to the level of a team that supposedly wants to win promotion. Aiwu shocking. Midfield was weak as. It is not rocket science that most of these players are not up to it quality or mentality. Rooney has been asking stuff of them and they can't hack it. he needs to look at himself and be sensible and reign it in until we can buy top quality. at least he is coming out with a lot of home truths a lot of fans don't want to hear having been happy to wallow in dross and relegation battles for the last 8 to 10 years.
BriHughesymissed Laird, Buchanan, Sunjic big time. we miss two top strikers and have done for 3/4 years. the defending was terrible. Sanderson again showing he is not up to the level of a team that supposedly wants to win promotion. Aiwu shocking. Midfield was weak as. It is not rocket science that most of these players are not up to it quality or mentality. Rooney has been asking stuff of them and they can't hack it. he needs to look at himself and be sensible and reign it in until we can buy top quality. at least he is coming out with a lot of home truths a lot of fans don't want to hear having been happy to wallow in dross and relegation battles for the last 8 to 10 years.
The basics a footballer should be doing at any level, even Sunday league these players aren’t doing.
Sanderson for the second goal just jogs away from the ball and allows the player to go 1 on 1. It all comes from ruddy playing it long too so it’s not like Rooney is trying to play this crazy expansive football and we’re conceding because of it. He has a part to play of course but also the players can’t even get the most basic stuff right. For the 3rd goal Sunjic misplaces the most simple of passes to kill any attack.
Don't disagree with the comments above.
But I think a major issue is the lack of a Captain on the pitch.
The set up is madness, he wants the defenders to be aggressive and challenge for every ball, it’s creating gaps and a situation where every time we lose a challenge we are in danger of conceding
Take the 2nd goal, one header and flick and they’re 4 vs 2 from our own goal kick that’s been punted to the half way line
It’s bonkers, nobody else plays this way.
27 goals conceded in 13 games for a team who was defensively rock solid beforehand, and we’ve actually got worse statistically going forward.
The second goal is embarrassing to watch.
The fact that they were in 1 on 1 from a goal kick is one thing but the lack of urgency from Sanderson is a joke.
drpeterDon't disagree with the comments above.
But I think a major issue is the lack of a Captain on the pitch.
Captain wasn't an issue until after the Albion game though was it?
Nikola ZigicYes it was imo. There’s been issues for ages. And even at the start of this seasondrpeterDon't disagree with the comments above.
But I think a major issue is the lack of a Captain on the pitch.
Captain wasn't an issue until after the Albion game though was it?
Personally i think our problems are 90% players, 10% tactics/manager. Players like Sanderson, Aiwu and unfortunately now Ruddy will send us down or at best 17th regardless of who is in charge.
Given that I think Rooney is now seriously likely to be sacked we might all get to see if our theories of player v manager are correct.
The first goal is horrific, mainly due to how we're set up to 'defend' as a unit (we did the opposite of pressing for this goal - watching?). Their deepest defender plays a simple ball to a player out wide just beyond the halfway line, putting the ball behind our front four. The only one that gets back behind the ball from this four is Sunjic, but despite being closest to the player on the ball, he marks someone else and leaves the player to take all the time in the world to play a ball which somehow takes out all four of our defenders who for once are in a back four instead of a back two. Despite us having four defenders back in a proper back four position, they still somehow have two men unmarked in the box, one fluffs it and does an airshot, the other shoots and from the goalline clearance our five players in the way manage to deflect it past our own keeper. Sunjic bottles it and turns his back on the shot when he should have put his balls on the line instead.
For the next two goals our full backs are so far forward it's insane. Whoever believes that leaving a back two is a good idea needs a talking to. The opposition are doing what they're supposed to do - they watch our recent games and exploit the many weaknesses that we are advertising, then it becomes easy for them. They should use the video of this game as a training tool for kids entitled 'how not to defend'.
GBBluePersonally i think our problems are 90% players, 10% tactics/manager. Players like Sanderson, Aiwu and unfortunately now Ruddy will send us down or at best 17th regardless of who is in charge.
Given that I think Rooney is now seriously likely to be sacked we might all get to see if our theories of player v manager are correct.
Aiwu is crap, but we’ve been an abomination under Rooney with Laird and Drameh at right back too. No other team sets up this way, not Leicester, Ipswich or Leeds.
I don’t think Rooney will be going anywhere, anytime soon, Cook’s reputation is on the line and Gardner will do anything to keep his job, I think they’ll simply give him new players and hope he can do better with those ones