Bluenoses v our lads.

Jackflash

Midfield General
Staff member
The amount of corners we were conceding in that game maybe V D H should have played the second half with Woodman giving us close to heart failure with every one being a goal threat.
The substitution being him rather than Routs.
 

The Blobster

Prediction Champ
Blooperman only used 1 sub yesterday, has he no faith in those on the bench ? There will be some heavy legs against Leeds unless he makes wholesale changes (which he won't )
 

Borini

Key Player
Pep Clotet has relinquished his managerial position at B/ham City after their 1-3 defeat to the Swans. He was due to finish at the end of the season but chucked the towel in after the defeat.
Does anyone know how many managers have been sacked/resigned after a defeat by the Swans? Seems to have been quite a few!
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Pep Clotet has relinquished his managerial position at B/ham City after their 1-3 defeat to the Swans. He was due to finish at the end of the season but chucked the towel in after the defeat.
Seemed like there was a lot of discussion going on between him and his assistants during the game, not all of it looking collaborative.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Together with Routledge he was a defensive disaster waiting to happen against Wednesday. They didn't track back their men and it almost cost us points. Modern wing-backs and full-backs have to run all the time, and I'm afraid Roberts is not ready yet.

I still think we should try to play 4-1-4-1:

Naughton - Cabango - Guehi - Bidwell
------------------------Grimes-------------------------
Roberts - Ayew - Gallagher - Celina
-----------------------Brewster-----------------------
That setup is basically 3 at the back with Roberts and Bidwell as wing backs. Adding Celina to the mix is a problem as he is as big a liability defensively as Routs.

The setup against Brum gave us stability and numbers in midfield with two purposeful players in Brewster and Ayew up top. Whether by luck or judgement, Andy Pandy May have found the magic formula.
 

CroJack

Key Player
The setup against Brum gave us stability and numbers in midfield with two purposeful players in Brewster and Ayew up top. Whether by luck or judgement, Andy Pandy May have found the magic formula.
With that "stability and numbers in midfield" we conceded 20 shots. Just saying.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
With that "stability and numbers in midfield" we conceded 20 shots. Just saying.
Don't disagree with you. But what was the quality of those shots? We controlled over 60% possession and moved the ball more effectively - not Swanselona, but an uptick from previous performances.
 

Borini

Key Player
We passed the ball well in the first half, but we did not move the ball quick enough and first touches were not all they could be. Still watching the ball travel from yellow shirt to yellow shirt is one hell of an improvement!
 

KVetch

Key Player
Together with Routledge he was a defensive disaster g to happen against Wednesday. They didn't track back their men and it almost cost us points. Modern wing-backs and full-backs have to run all the time, and I'm afraid Roberts is not ready yet.

I still think we should try to play 4-1-4-1:

Naughton - Cabango - Guehi - Bidwell
------------------------Grimes-------------------------
Roberts - Ayew - Gallagher - Celina
-----------------------Brewster-----------------------
Worth a try. I would try Kalulu or Dhanda at least as subs and see what they can do. Neither being strong but they can be fast and cause the defenders to make mistakes.

And let's hope VdH is ready for Leeds. We will have an extr dat of rest on them as they're playing Stoke tonight.
 

CroJack

Key Player
Don't disagree with you. But what was the quality of those shots? We controlled over 60% possession and moved the ball more effectively - not Swanselona, but an uptick from previous performances.
We controlled possession, but also lost it numerous times. 147 times to be precise. And it's not so difficult to have 60 % possession against the Monk's disciple Pep Clotet whose team sat back and hoofed it all the time. Let's see how much possession we'll have when we play Leeds.

But I agree, we were a little bit better than against Wednesday who ripped us apart in the first half. Mind you, aside from Cardiff, we still haven't beaten a top ten team since August 31.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad we have won two games in a row. The last time it happened was in December, but this time the opposition have been poor. We play some wonderful football in short patches, but most of the time our football is crap.
 

KVetch

Key Player
The point is we look world class when we press the attack and keep possession. Very little passing back to the goal. As soon as we stop we are just waiting to concede.

Leeds will not look as easy on the eyes. I'm sure Leeds want to get revenge for that 1-0 we did them. I do fear Cooper using the same lineup and they won't be able to play a full 90.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
We're back to fitness issues with our patchy possession. I know from my time in football that fitness is absolutely KEY to performance, which I found to my cost as, when I grew older, business interfered with training and my performances went backwards at a rate of knots. When your lungs and legs are exhausted there's no way you can play this game properly.

Ivor was a fitness fanatic and I mean fanatic in every sense of the word. He was obsessed with it. The VERY FIRST thing he did when he came to the club was to install a brutal training regime. When I get time I'll post the type of things he had us doing. I say 'us' but by then I was only doing what I could in training just to maintain a semblance of general fitness rather than play football.

Thing is, what he did worked. From being a club that habitually struggled near the foot of the table we became one of the strongest teams in the league and this with more or less the same squad of players. Okay, Ivor coached other stuff as well but the lads were now fit enough to play football the way he wanted it. Without the required fitness levels there was no chance of them doing that.

A few years before Ivor, a former Swan by the name of Norman Lawson became our manager. He was the one who took me to the club in the first place. I didn't want to go as at that time I had lost a yard of pace and knew that I would struggle. I agreed for two reasons. Firstly, Norman and I had a business venture that we were involved in together and I didn't want to let him down as a friend. The second reason was that Norman promised me that that wouldn't be an issue as he would make sure I was fit enough to play. And he did. He introduced a professional standard of training that even worked on me and i was amazed by how sharp and full of running I felt in games.

So that's my personal take on fitness and I'm sure there are others on here with their own experiences.

PS: Norman, from the North East, was also an excellent cricketer (batsman) and he actually played for Wales as an amateur. Anyway, we eventually lost touch with each other, as sometimes happens, but by an incredible coincidence years later we met once more. I had moved to Spain and was double parked at Malaga airport waiting to pick up a friend. I was leaning back against my car glancing in all directions for the traffic wardens. About 20 yards away someone else was doing the same thing and you could have knocked me over with a feather - it was Norman!!

We said hello but had no time for a proper conversation as our people were filing out of the airport. Sadly that was the last time I saw him and was told that he had passed away a few years ago.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Let's hope they are knackered for Sunday.

Also, we're definitely playing 3 with 2 across the back line on Sunday. I'm just hoping Fulton is fit and ready to go as is Grimes.
 
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Victoria Swan

Key Player
Having just watched Leeds destroy Stoke I am very pessimistic about our chances of even getting a point on Sunday. They were unstoppable. Mind you, Stoke defense was crap but it will be hard to survive the incessant onslaught that is Leeds style - like @ivoralljack points out, fitness is the only hope to beat Leeds and we aint got it.
 

IanABS94

Guest
Yes, worrying, especially as Bielsa teams usually crashed the final month of the season due to his fitness regime; however with COVID-19 giving teams a good months break (more in some cases) they are definitely looking fresh and ready to push on.


But it's true that Stoke were utter rubbish today. I think a point would be a good result vs Leeds, the scum play Fulham and we can hope they lose which would put us above them. Then a huge game vs Forrest.

We kind of need 4 points from these next two games.
 

KVetch

Key Player
We're back to fitness issues with our patchy possession. I know from my time in football that fitness is absolutely KEY to performance, which I found to my cost as, when I grew older, business interfered with training and my performances went backwards at a rate of knots. When your lungs and legs are exhausted there's no way you can play this game properly.

Ivor was a fitness fanatic and I mean fanatic in every sense of the word. He was obsessed with it. The VERY FIRST thing he did when he came to the club was to install a brutal training regime. When I get time I'll post the type of things he had us doing. I say 'us' but by then I was only doing what I could in training just to maintain a semblance of general fitness rather than play football.

Thing is, what he did worked. From being a club that habitually struggled near the foot of the table we became one of the strongest teams in the league and this with more or less the same squad of players. Okay, Ivor coached other stuff as well but the lads were now fit enough to play football the way he wanted it. Without the required fitness levels there was no chance of them doing that.

A few years before Ivor, a former Swan by the name of Norman Lawson became our manager. He was the one who took me to the club in the first place. I didn't want to go as at that time I had lost a yard of pace and knew that I would struggle. I agreed for two reasons. Firstly, Norman and I had a business venture that we were involved in together and I didn't want to let him down as a friend. The second reason was that Norman promised me that that wouldn't be an issue as he would make sure I was fit enough to play. And he did. He introduced a professional standard of training that even worked on me and i was amazed by how sharp and full of running I felt in games.

So that's my personal take on fitness and I'm sure there are others on here with their own experiences.

PS: Norman, from the North East, was also an excellent cricketer (batsman) and he actually played for Wales as an amateur. Anyway, we eventually lost touch with each other, as sometimes happens, but by an incredible coincidence years later we met once more. I had moved to Spain and was double parked at Malaga airport waiting to pick up a friend. I was leaning back against my car glancing in all directions for the traffic wardens. About 20 yards away someone else was doing the same thing and you could have knocked me over with a feather - it was Norman!!

We said hello but had no time for a proper conversation as our people were filing out of the airport. Sadly that was the last time I saw him and was told that he had passed away a few years ago.
I'm interested in what was the training program like. Help Cooper out. Mostly lots of running I assume. Leg strength exercises. Running up stairs? Even with all the modern equipment it shouldn't be much different than what it needs to be today. The cryo freezers or whatever they use don't look fun. Andre Ayew knows I think he forgot to wear gloves inside and almost froze his fingers.

I watched the first 3 goals of the Leeds Stoke match. They look strong and every bit a promotion club. They kept only 1 defender or 2 back and kept Stoke trying to defend. Stoke weren't even trying to counter. We have got to give them a better effort than that. Time to throw VdH in there.
 
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