Bournemouth FC

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Whittaker had more shots on goal than Lowe and Ayew in the last few games. This kid needs to start and be persevered with.
Bennett is a mediocre CB at best, why he starts ahead of Cabango is nuts.
Hourihane starting with Fulton on the bench .... if we have to start Hourihane then stop that thought and start Dhanda ... at least that kid is willing to carry the ball, attack and disrupt defensive patterns.

well we were due to lose ... Watford will have their day soon
 

CroJack

Key Player
I'm also saying now that we won't go up in the top two and I don't believe we'll do it via the playoffs either; that's if we even make them.
I said earlier in this thread that the automatic promotion places are out of reach now. We have had the chance when we had 2-3 games in hand on both Watford and Brentford. That chance has gone, and now we have a so inferior goal difference that our one game in hand over Watford is worth nothing.

As for the play-off chances, I must say I am not an optimist. Can we beat Brentford, Watford or even Bournemoth over two games? Nope. No way. Not with this style of football and definitely not with these half-hearted performances we are showing game in game out.

I still think we played much better and more organised football prior to Hourihane's arrival. We had some sort of a concept, call it a style, but it worked. Now, we are all over the place. Before, it was difficult to score against us, and now opposition creates chances against us easily, and it's just a matter of how many we'll concede.

I repeat, it's not a coincidence Lowe hasn't scored a single goal since Hourihane signed for us. When Lowe was on a scoring streak we played through balls for him and we played a more direct football. And now? We are hoofing it, although we all know, and Cooper should know, that aerial duels are not Lowe's strength. Ayew has not done much better either. He has scored one goal from open play, all other goals have been from the penalty spot.

With other words, we shouldn't be scapegoating our players. It's Cooper who has abandoned a well-organised style of football and replaced it with who knows what. It's also Cooper who doesn't have balls to bench Woodman. And it's a madness not to play Cabango, who is excellent in the air, and who is our second-best rated player. And Bidwell, whose crosses we miss so much. What about Freeman? And Whittaker instead of Lowe, or even instead of Ayew? Why not try Fulton up front?

If Cooper can't make us dominate opposition, then why on earth we don't tighten it up at the back and try to play counter-attacking football? Or set piecrs football? He doesn't have a plan A, not to talk about a plan B or C. He is clueless and right now we are a mess.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
If Cooper can't make us dominate opposition, then why on earth we don't tighten it up at the back and try to play counter-attacking football? Or set piecrs football? He doesn't have a plan A, not to talk about a plan B or C. He is clueless and right now we are a mess.
Which is why I want him gone asap. It won't happen but it should because he's now being found out and his lucky streak has come to an end. I still maintain that a manager worth his salt and working with this squad would have seen us entrenched in the top two. Other managers have sussed how lucky we've been - note Woodgate's post match comments tonight, not to mention the managers of the teams we robbed recently. They know our position is built on sand and I don't think any team now fears playing us. If the powers at the club can't see that then they are bigger fools than I believe.
 

Jackflash

Midfield General
Staff member
Coopers side line attendance is a joke. why is he there? again last night there was a bit of lengthy injury time, instantly Woodgate had six players around him discussing tactics, even though they were two goals up.
Cooper stood there hands in pockets either staring at the East stand or the ground, not a player within 10 yards of him, for me that says it all, manager and players. one would think we were two goals up.
Would he ever admit he's made errors in team selection, no, why?, because he can see no errors in the selection, other than they had an off day. " Things didn't go according to plan". has anyone ever seen him attempt to rectify things that are not going to plan .It seems there is no longer a plan, just hoof the ball into their half.
He's becoming an embarrassment, Would anyone contemplate employing a schoolboy manager as a potential premiership manager as his next venture.? He had a big plus when he arrived the squad had a successful Potter system in place, which carried him through a great deal of his initial games. Then probably by his own misapprehension thought he was doing a great job ,and began introducing his unknown knowledge of professional football.
When questioned about the coming Cardiff game in the post match interview, his reply was " That game will look after itself." It would appear every game has to look after itself .
 

CroJack

Key Player
There are four main differences between good and clueless managers:

1. When a good manager takes over he needs a couple of months to implement his style of football, and immediately everybody can see what it's all about. And, no, he doesn't need top players in the squad. It's the style that beats his opponents, it's the style that creates chances, and the players are just the executioners. Many managers, and fans for that matter, don't understand one simple thing: it's easier for an average striker to score two goals from five chances, than for a top striker to score two goals from two chances. That's why many managers always complain, and always ask for new signings. And blame their own players for the inevitable defeats. I will never forget Francesco Guidolin and his "I have a good squad". He knew exactly what he was doing. Of course, you can always improve your squad with better and hungrier players, a process that should be a part of a natural flow, but never a solution. Tell me, what is better: a squad of top players who don't know what they are doing or a squad of average players who play a well-drilled style of play? Remember 5:0 thrashing of a QPR team 'worth" of at least £100m of new players?

When Graham Potter took over at Swansea, it took him a couple of months of pre-season, and we became a passing side whose goalkeepers and centre-backs regularly averaged 100% pass accuracy. When Bielsa took over at Leeds, it took him a couple of months to transform an average Leeds squad to a running and pressing monsters. I could go on and on with all the managers who have a recognisable style of play.

2. Good managers know what it takes to win football games in long term. They are not interested in short term gains and solutions. They stick to their style. No matter what. But all of them have a couple of things in common:

A) You have to outrun opposition
B) You have to press as a team to quickly regain possession
C) You have to outpass opposition both in terms of possession % and pass accuracy %.

With other words, you create a lot of chances, and you don't allow many chances against.

3. Good managers know how to actively manage a game during a game. This can be done in various ways.

A) By chosing field generals for the each line. A captain can't see everything and can't always correct things in each line. One has to be in charge for the defensive line, another one for the midfield line, and one for the attacking line.

B) By using analytical tools during the half time to improve things.

C) By using the hairdryer method during the half time to raise the energy levels and adrenalin.

D) By using subs at half time or as soon as necessary. A good manager has to be good at anticipating things. He has to prevent things, and not only react when it's too late. How many times we fans have said "We'll concede if we continue to play like this!"? And I'd argue that in 90% of time we concede.

E) @Jackflash pointed out that there was a break last night when Bournemouth manager was giving instructions to his players. Steve Cooper was walking around and doing nothing. I am normally against a constant shouting from the dugout, and I still think it can be counter-productive and confusing because the players need to focus during a game, but a manager can always use these numerous breaks during a game to put his message accross.

4. A good manager should be able to teach his players the most under-rated aspect of the game, and that's how to read the game. Anticipation. I call it "What if".
 
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Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Alan Curtis has now joined Kris O’Leary, and all members of this forum, in criticising Woodman’s distribution.
a significant step forward .... now we have to get them to criticize is keeping ability in general.

the club made a strategic decision when we got relegated: dump expensive experience and load up on cheap inexperience ... which then led to hiring a manager that could (supposedly) coach kids at the professional level. Potter took the job because he saw it as a way to return “home” and a stepping stone to the big league rewarded with his move to Brighton, the strategic plan then concluded with the hiring of Andy Pandy, who knew kids we could borrow, had only ever coached kids, felt comfortable with that age gap because kids won’t talk back to seniors, but in practice didn’t know how to motivate and organize kids in a professional league. Other possible hires listened to the strategic plan during the interview and either thought it was nuts or they were too expensive.

anyway here we are, potential but no possibilities, an overachieving manager and one who really doesn’t know what he is, what he wants nor how to do any of it, now sees it disintegrate before his eye.

you can see the hallmark straight from the kickoff. I don’t remember exactly when it started, but now straight from the kickoff the ball is rolled back to Bennet, players rush to the forward left side to chase the big boot into that area. L2 ball without a question. Football teams never gift possession back like that anymore and we sfopped that under Martínez. Doesn’t Bennett know any better, or are we so scared of possession that it’s the best we can come up with ... mindless and moronic ... it’s Andy Pandy ball.

like @Jackflash I expressed disgust at the hiring of Andy Pandy. The puppet has emerged in full force. There’s nobody to pull the strings and inevitably the puppet flops,
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
or are we so scared of possession
C) You have to outpass opposition both in terms of possession % and pass accuracy %.
Reading today that we are 11th and 12th in the league in terms of passing accuracy and possession. Also saw a piece about Woody's distribution where he's so bad at it, increasingly he has to launch it long. This being the case we badly need a #9 who can get on the end of the hoof and hold up the ball for support to arrive. No prizes for guessing who I want. No transfers allowed so it has to be a free agent. Wilf Bony is free, knows the club, loves the club, the club know him.

He holds the ball as well as anyone I've ever seen in this division. He's a natural striker able to score anywhere in and around the box. He heads the ball well both in defence and attack. There'd be NO HEFTY TRANSFER FEE involved (you paying attention, owners?) other than a reasonable signing fee and a wage structure heavily based on goal involvement. I think Wilf would go for this if for no other reason that it would put him back in the shop window at a decent level. In case anyone is remotely interested here are some stats from last night's capitulation:

POSSESSION: 49-51 SHOTS: 17-7 OT: 3-2 CORNERS: 8-7 FOULS: 12-13 GOALS: 3-0

Unless we considerably improve our game, Cardiff will have no problems beating us. Cooper HAS to start Whittaker and Hamer and pay CLOSE attention to the game to use his subs the moment players begin flagging. Cardiff play with more intensity than we do, so we have to match them. Right now it doesn't look like we've got a snowflakes's chance in hell of doing that. Oh, and Bennett has looked flaky of late so I'd use Cabango to try and counter Kiefer Moore who's capable of giving us all sorts of problems.
 

CroJack

Key Player
Reading today that we are 11th and 12th in the league in terms of passing accuracy and possession.
Wales On Line? That was me who posted that there. My nickname there is OldJack.

Wilf Bony is free, knows the club, loves the club, the club know him.
An obvious choice. And had we been a bit clever we would have signed Llorente from Udinese on loan in January. He sits on the bench there. Imagine Bony and Llorente up front for us in the Championship. And both of them love the club.

Cardiff will have no problems beating us.
Nope. I'll start the thread. :cool:
 
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