Doesn't sound like Joe has covered himself in glory on his return either. But it's early days for him and he has to get up to speed.
Starting with the fucking manager!!Same statistical story as on Saturday except we scored goals. Dominate possession, but don't do enough with it. Opposition equal to us with opportunity and production, end up winning the game going away.
Fitness - physical and for purpose sadly lacking. Season's over before it got started unless we make serious changes.
Possession is not and by definition can not be meaningless. It's like saying passing is meaningless, shooting is meaningless, crossing is meaningless...Martin's devotion to possession only proves how meaningless possession is.
There is no logic in what you are saying. Swansea's implementation of possession football, paired with lack of pace and aggression, on one side, and use of high back-line, on the other, is the reason Swans opponents create more and better chances, out-shoot and out-score us. Not possession, but our loss of possession gives our opponents all these chances and shots. Sloppy passes and players dispossessed in dangerous areas are killing us. Last season we scored 58 goals and finished 15th, in 2020/21 under Steve Cooper we scored 56 goals and finished 4th. But under Martin we conceded 68, and under Cooper 39 goals. I remember that Cooper didn't have the answer to high pressing but luckily for him not many Championship teams played high pressing football. He often parked the bus so we didn't concede goals from counter-attacks like we often do under Martin. We rarely got dispossessed under Cooper because we hoofed it. Under Martin we play high risk football from the back, which is stupid because our players are not so skillful and they don't have pace to use it when they need to regain possession.If Swansea's opponents can get near enough the same number of shots and scoring opportunities with half the possession Swansea have, then where's the value in possession?
Last Sunday I watched West Ham v Manchester City. A boring game and boring football played by Pep Guardiola. But Man City won 0:2 and I bet they will win the title again. Man City had 74% possession, 14 shots and 2 shots on target, West Ham 6 shots and 1 shot on target. Now we can ask how come Man City with all that possession had only two shots on target and West Ham 1?His statement that Swansea "wear the opposition out" is pure delusion - his Swans move at a snails pace, all ball-to-feet, no running, no aggression. The opposition barely have to move to contain it. His football doesn't exhaust the opposition, it exhausts the audience.
We were definitely poor against Blackburn, but against Rotherham we run into spaces to receive the ball. I made a video about our attacking actions and we actually created a lot of chances.Re fitness - practicing ball-to-feet passing will hardly build stamina will it? Where's the running into space to receive a ball played into that space? No wonder this team have no fitness.
If we play like we did against Rotherham, provided we score from chances we create, then we'll finish in the top six. But if we continue to play like we did against Blackburn, then we'll be relegated. It's up to Martin.I'm not trying to be wise after the fact, but I told @ivoralljack over the summer that I'd have fired Martin at the end of last season for finishing 15th while having a 2-man strikeforce that combined for something like 34 goals. I said elsewhere on this forum that I believe any other Championship manager would have finished higher than 15th with last season's squad and I stand by it. This squad is not perfect but there's enough talent here to finish in the playoffs, provided Piroe stays.
I reckon he'd come back if he was wanted. I'd want him for sure with all the top level experience he offers.On a hunch, my thoughts ventured to Angel Rangel as an assistant ... only to find out that he's now youth coach at Ponty.