'Incredible' Tractor Boys

CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
According to our manager, all the other Championship teams apart from Swansea are incredible. If you ask me, none of them are incredible, just better or worse than us.

Ipswich aren't incredible either. They shoot more than we do, they hit the target more than we do, they create more chances than we do, they press better than we do, they don't allow as many shots and shots on target as we do and they don't concede as many goals as we do. Maybe Luke Williams should do an analysis of why they are 'incredible' and why we are rubbish. And then, in his pre-match and post-match interviews, talk about the real issues, not how we need to be brave and how the opposition teams are incredible. By the way, it is difficult for our players to be 'brave' when our manager constantly bigging up the opposition teams, describing them as incredible and unbelievable.

Here is Williams' pre-match interview 🤮🤮🤮:

 
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CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
If our players step up their game, if Williams does something about that high back line and if the referee is not biased, then I am sure we can and will win this game. The table lies, Ipswich are not as good as their league position suggests.
 
Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
I’m glad you picked apart his nonsensical prematch. I opined on his absurd use of the term “brave” in another thread. It's a meaningless concept in tactical and technical terms. It cannot be coached. We're now stuck with a lack of "bravery" as the excuse du jour. Bravery in football is putting various parts of your body where they ought not to be and risk injury. Nothing more. Williams has lost the plot as he is now increasingly relying on a lack of “bravery” as one of the key reasons why his delusion of football is failing. If I was a player there I would either be confused, or insulted or both; but I definitely wouldn’t be happy.

martin used the same term lack of bravery as one of his excuses. Another POS.
 
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CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
Yankee_Jack said:
I opined on his absurd use of the term “brave” in another thread.
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I have read it. Good you pointed out that nonsense.

However, I am more concerned about the potential psychological impact of his use of the phrase 'not brave enough' when referring to Swansea players, as well as his use of 'incredible and unbelievable' to describe opposing teams. A good military leader would never tell his soldiers they are cowards or describe the enemy as unbeatable.
 
jackodiamonds

jackodiamonds

Set-Piece Specialist
Staff member
This is just a question of semantics. When Williams says "brave", he just means he wants to the players to "step up their game". Back when I played in bands (as a guitarist and singer), our drummer would always take me aside before gigs - especially important ones - and say "give it some shit tonight". I am just as able as the Swansea players to phone in performances and idle in second gear, and our drummer knew that. He'd seen my best and my worst and when it mattered he'd remind me he wanted to see my best. At the moment, Swansea's players aren't giving it any shit. They aren't going full-bore, getting in the oppositions faces, striding around with swagger, or asserting themselves. I call this playing like a bunch of pussies. Williams calls it a lack of bravery. Same thing.

I also believe that when Williams talks about the opposition being incredible, he is simply trying to take the pressure off. If the players think they lost 4-0 to a team that isn't any better than them then the last of their confidence will evaporate. There is a point at which it becomes useful to play down the oppositions strength and make your players believe they can win, but Williams does not feel his squad are at that point yet. If he tried to tell this lot that the game is actually not that hard, not only will they lose trust in him because they can't believe it themselves, but if they lose again - especially heavily - that remaining confidence once again leaves the building.

None of us are in the Swansea dressing room. None of us know any of the players personally or have any real insight into the personalities in the squad. Williams does. I don't have an issue with the way he is talking in press conferences because - semantics aside - I don't think he's wrong. And I'm still reserving judgement on his tenure until he's played a good amount of games against weaker opposition. Leeds, Saints, Leicester and obviously Bournemouth are better teams. The rest of the Championship aren't. For the record I think Swansea can win today.
 
CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
When it comes to motivating people, I am a firm believer in positive messages. And William's choice of words could and should be better. It's enough to say that the other team is good. Personally, I am annoyed by his overuse of the words 'incredible' and 'unbelievable'. That's the way teenagers talk, young people with no common sense.
 
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Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
And none of us would have Cullen on the bench and start Yates. Williams not being brave.😜

I also dislike the misuse of brave if what is meant is intensity. We’ve had the discussion of Grimes as captain. If there’s a lack of intensity and players not getting stuck in and players not being where they should be and not making the effort to get there then that’s a lack of intensity. That’s Grimes’ job on the field and in the locker room to set the standard and hold players to account. And Williams job to establish the standard, back up the captain and take matters to hand as he sees it not happening. Playing word salad with the term brave is bull shit to the fans and the players if he is using that term to them. It serves no purpose.
 
Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
I though Placheya has been playing well for the most part. Don’t see the point of dropping him or keeping Pato on the field if it’s intensity you’re lacking. Cooper should be starting ahead of Pato.
 
jackodiamonds

jackodiamonds

Set-Piece Specialist
Staff member
Yankee_Jack said:
And none of us would have Cullen on the bench and start Yates. Williams not being brave.😜

I also dislike the misuse of brave if what is meant is intensity. We’ve had the discussion of Grimes as captain. If there’s a lack of intensity and players not getting stuck in and players not being where they should be and not making the effort to get there then that’s a lack of intensity. That’s Grimes’ job on the field and in the locker room to set the standard and hold players to account. And Williams job to establish the standard, back up the captain and take matters to hand as he sees it not happening. Playing word salad with the term brave is bull shit to the fans and the players if he is using that term to them. It serves no purpose.
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That drummer I was talking about - it's no coincidence that he was a hard nut Welsh valleys boy who I didn't want to disappoint, so when he said "give it some shit", I listened. Someone needs to set a culture of intensity among Swansea's players. It should be the captain, but as you pointed out intensity is not a Grimes characteristic.
 
ivoralljack

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Thinking back I believe that Martin used the adjective 'brave' in the context of wanting the ball and playing football with it. Too many players hide, not having the confidence to show for a pass and some even deliberately don't move into space from a defender so they can rule themselves out as an option. That's hiding and why we so often see lack of movement from our players. Lack of confidence? I don't know. It might be but I do know that confident players always want the ball, always want to be involved.

As for today's game I have no idea of how it will go. If we replicate the performance against Hull we could win. A repeat of the debacles against Soton and Leeds will certainly see us lose. I'd love 3 points but will hedge my bet and go for a draw,
 
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