by Masch79 » Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:18 pm
Last season when it seemed inevitable that Rafa would be soon be gone and people were talking about who they'd want as manager, I thought Roy was about the best man we would get. I knew Jose was out of the question, didn't want O'Neil and didn't expect we would get a manager as good as Rafa. I thought Roy would do well, on the basis he seemed to over achieve at Fulham although I must admit I did not look at his record elsewhere. I heard tales of how he failed at Blackburn but thought as it was so long ago he would have improved considerably since then.
I thought Roy's strengths would be playing square pegs in square holes, perhaps an arm round the shoulder of certain players to help bring the best out of them like Babel & Lucas, making us sound defensively and generally keeping things simple. As some have said, steady the ship.
I did have reservations about whether or not he would command the respect of top players and be able to bring them to the club, but with the commitment of Nando & Stevie, signing of Joe Cole and to an extent Meireles these reservations subsided. Come the start of the season I was optomistic that we were real top four contenders and an outside (very outside) bet for the title. Roy had been riding a wave in my eyes and things like throwing Pacheco on in European qualifiers only added to my feel good factor.
However, I am worried.
Having a shortage of funds to sign players and steadying a ship is one thing, but I do not think we are in such a sorry state that we stand off anyone at Anfield, least of all the Sunderlands & West Broms of the league. For them teams to be coming and having so much posession is simply wrong imo. One moment of class was all that separated us and West feckin Brom. Away at Birmingham which ok is not a place many teams win, we created sweet fa and were lucky to get a point. Away at Utd we were stood off so deep that they could pass the ball at will on the edge of our third. Against both Utd and Sunderland we have looked a lot better, and Nando has looked a different player, when we have switched to 4-4-2 and taken the shackles off a bit but both times we've waited til we're behind to do this. We can't counter attack when everyone is so far away from a lone striker.
As for square pegs in square holes, I don't know why you'd play a centre mid (Meireles) on right wing and move Kuyt inside when he's played right for so long?
Arms round shoulders - more like hang them out to dry in the case of Babel & Lucas. However low down the league they are Nothampton are a team, Roy threw out 11 lads who've hardly played together, did feck all during the game then castigated the lads publically afterwards. Early days I now but to date Poulsen is not an improvement on Lucas for me. He may be better with the ball but he is one paced, appears to lack energy and is not better without the ball than Lucas. As we are setting up to play mostly without the ball I don't see what Poulsen brings.
Although he later tried to make amends when Taggart accused Nando of cheating, to me it should be instinct for a manager to back his players in situations like that, especially when that player is yet to find top form. Similarly with the protest comments, a manager of LFC needs to feel the club and those comments last week show he doesn't get it, or is too weak to show that he does. Roy's 'dignified' approach is bordering on being plain wet and I don't like the idea of our manager chumming up with that red faced cu_nt.
Big Mick & Thommo, I've read lots of your posts pulling people's motives to bits & harping on about agendas but can either of you tell us some positives about how we are playin?
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