My memory might be failing but I’m sure we looked good going forward at times under Eustace. I’m sure Mowbray will find a middle way
Fat Buddha CBEIt does say that, which is fair enough given his position. It was hardly likely to have been the kit man.
Quite an annoying article reallly. What he says about shortlists and knock backs might be true, but how can he know. Also doesn’t really take into account the apparent professionalism of the new lot compared to the old lot.
Thr most interesting bit is where he says Gardner told Rooney the players were good enough to play more open, entertaining football but Rooney quickly realised he had been lied to.
Notable though, the the usual Athletic caveat that sources remained anonymous etc was missing, presumably because there are no sources and he’s made it all up.
If Rooney had bothered to watch any of our games, then he could've made his own mind up on it. As others have said it was arrogance and then cowardice to shift the blame. A total disaster all round.
Today is the dawning of a new era, so let's all get behind TM and hopefully the Rooney era will be one we simply laugh at as a mere bump in the road to where we're going.
Fat Buddha CBEMy memory might be failing but I’m sure we looked good going forward at times under Eustace. I’m sure Mowbray will find a middle way
We did at times to be fair.
I think Mowbray will get us playing good stuff, more often though. Eustace's downfall was the mentality that he would rather not lose games than try and win. I believe that is essentially the premise of 'no-fear football'.
We played well for the odd half under Rooney. They can clearly do it but it seemed like they only knew the very basics of what they should be doing. If it immediately worked, we gained a bit of confidence and played well. If the opposition adjusted their tactics to counter what we were doing, we were screwed and looked completely lost. Mowbray is more than capable of improving the shape and making sure we're a threat going forward without sacrificing any attempts to defend our own goal.
ye bit naff, although have liked Rob Tanners pieces on us recently.
Cooper is obviously holding out for a prem job, and suspect he'll be in one before August.
Carsley has turned down every club job he's been asked about, for non footballing reasons IIRC.
the line about Gardner being the architect feels like 2+2 = 5 as well
It also implies we offered the job to Cooper, which according to Dan, he was never ever a serious option for us because of the compensation we’d have to pay Forest.
Dan was 100% clear his source was extremely reliable.
Fat Buddha CBEMy memory might be failing but I’m sure we looked good going forward at times under Eustace. I’m sure Mowbray will find a middle way
Yep. The retrospective attempt to paint Eustace as another Rowett park-the-bus long ball type is just plain wrong. What he showed from the beginning is that he will build a team with the players he's got - last season was 3 at the back a lot of the time, this season was a 4-2-3-1. Who's to say he wouldn't have changed again with better players?
We were definitely more expansive this season - full backs higher, an attempt to play out from the back more. Home record of P6 W4 D2 was outstanding - we should have beat Millwall if Hogan hadn't missed the pen - the only drab game at home was the QPR one where we just lacked quality.
Away wasn't bad either - would have beaten Swansea if Laird hadn't gone off - more than deserved the win against Bristol, were brilliant at Preston only for a mad OG to turn the tide....the only crap performances were Watford & Norwich away where we set up not to lose - and Watford we would have done if it wasn't for the late red card.
Maybe JE wanted to play 4-3-3 but realised that neither Sunjic or Beilik could play the role, and the best set up was the 2 of them together to hide the others flaws.
Let's see how Mowbray does, but I think we will be much close to the Eustace way of playing than the Rooney madness against Boro, especially in the short term
Eustace’s problem was we were beaten before even getting on the pitch away to any team like Norwich, Watford etc.
Tbf to him he’s one of a long list who have made us turn up with an inferiority complex. There’s ways of losing games. I long for the day we aren’t scared of trying to win every game in this league and indeed any league
It’s the only way to build the fan base given we stopped selling out the last years in premiership.
People get sick of seeing meekness.
Absolutely. I'd rather us try to win every game.
Some games that would be draws we will lose, but I'd hope that would be outweighed by winning more.
A few of those extra 2 points from showing a bit of bite could be crucial.
The Norwich one was so annoying because they’d been pumped 6-2 the game before at Plymouth and ain’t all that anyway
It was, but stuff like "he played not to lose" I just don't agree with at all, people reference the 6-2 at Plymouth, they got absolutely roasted on the break that day, getting sucked up the pitch and picked off, so it seemed like the plan was to do the same, sit in, let them over commit, and pounce, we just didn't break with any conviction at all, though should have gone 0-1 up before they scored. He wasn't playing for 0-0, or scared imo, he thought that was the best way to exploit them, but it didn't work
I am saying my last piece on the Rooney saga and then moving on from it. There were three issues for me.
Timing - Done to death I know but quite why Cook and/or Gardner thought it was a good idea to make the change when they did astounds me. As well as sacking Eustace in a high league position after a win it gave detractors the almost scarily similar parallel's with Zola. For two Blues fans who know the history to do that just seemed really incredibly naïve.
They also knew those first 5-6 games were possibly the toughest run we would have all season. If they wanted to weaken JE position and have more support for airdropping Rooney into the post they only needed to wait a month.
If Rooney wasn't prepared to wait as the Saudi's wanted him then that says it all.
Tactics - It seemed to me that someone within the club thought their players were better technically than what JE had mustered and that was sold to Rooney. That felt to me like Craig Gardner over promising their skill set. Rooney I assume tinkered in those first few games trying to get some of the stuff on the training ground to stick. Problem then is when losses, criticism, self doubt in manager and players all creep in and the tactics just became confused hence the lack of cohesion anywhere.
Then it was almost as if Rooney had a Eureka moment, watched how we succeeded to a degree under Bowyer and Eustace and reverted to type. That terrible 0-0 against Bristol city was a like a full circle moment.
Luck - The guy was unlucky. Losing both full backs at times. No penalty or red card for the keeper at Southampton, no red card v Leicester, somehow going from 0-2 and coasting against Plymouth.
I am not saying he ever would have been or ever will be a good gaffer but I don't think he was helped by circumstance.
Tactics - It seemed to me that someone within the club thought their players were better technically than what JE had mustered and that was sold to Rooney. That felt to me like Craig Gardner over promising their skill set. Rooney I assume tinkered in those first few games trying to get some of the stuff on the training ground to stick. Problem then is when losses, criticism, self doubt in manager and players all creep in and the tactics just became confused hence the lack of cohesion anywhere.
Yep - Eustace clearly said to someone at the club "these players can't do what you want them to do" and they thought "bollocks"
Anyone with half a football brain would realise Eustace was right, which makes me think it was a non-footballing person like Cook who was pushing it, but as per that Athletic article, they are saying it was Gardner.