The Blobster
Prediction Champ
Cullen heads one on target - our first effort on goal in the 90th minute
DUFF OUT
DUFF OUT
Late evening visit to Legoland
- Thread starter The Blobster
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The Blobster
Prediction Champ
Cooper coming on as Fulton nearly scores, and Big Mick who came late on bench as Allen pulled out
CroJack
Key Player
Ramsey is worth more than our whole team. He is a class player.
But Duff is too negative with his selections.
Ginnelly missed a sitter.
The Blobster
Prediction Champ
Not after that load of shite !
Are you serious?
Some observations: Terminate Joe Allen's contract asap. He's not fit enough and must have known that when he came to us for no more than a last payday. People been having a go at Naughton - why? Tymon was done, as was Pederson, for the goals in appalling fashion. Even, Ashby would have done better. Patino was pants tonight; I counted at least 3 ten yard passes that he failed to make which put us on the back foot. Budding genius my arse!! Yates was utter ineffectual crap and the rest of them little better.
We're in 22nd place with no league wins so far. @KVetch wants to give Duff four more matches. I don't. I think he should get his arse kicked out of the club on Monday before he does any more damage and it's too late to turn things around. He's got no idea of what makes us tick and he never will because it just isn't in him. I think Duff knows this. Anyone see his face when he was sitting on the bench? Complete and utter despair was written in every line because he KNOWS he doesn't have what it takes to get our team performing. HE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! Now GET OUT!!!
The Blobster
Prediction Champ
Fully agree , Duff is clueless, full of empty promises and hot air , the players are not delivering what he wants and he seems incapable of getting them to play and his substitutions are 2 little, 2 late and often incomprehensible !
The board must act now and Turf him out .
The board must act now and Turf him out .
First shot on target in the 89th minute. I think even if the Cardiff team literally turned into statues Swansea still wouldn't know what to do with the ball. They don't have a discernible shape or plan or intention. They seem to be thinking only one move ahead, and sometimes not even that. It's a constant string of missed passes, miscommunication, hesitation, indecision, and turnovers. Zero positive thrust, zero conviction, zero focus. Also, two attacking subs in the 93rd minute? Try the 53rd minute next time, when it might matter at all. I appreciate he did make some earlier subs, but they clearly weren't enough. If you're going to throw all the meat on the BBQ, get it all on when it still has enough time to cook. Rubbish game management.
Martin's football was conceited and pedestrian but at least he had a very clear identity, even if it was a fatally flawed one. I wouldn't want Martin back, but I'm no longer sure Duff deserves the 12 games I was prepared to give him at the start of the season. There's simply no progress here. Duff's Swans so far are God awful - boring, lost, and completely ineffective. They played tonight like the new guy at cards who just got the rules explained to him 5 mins before starting.
Martin's football was conceited and pedestrian but at least he had a very clear identity, even if it was a fatally flawed one. I wouldn't want Martin back, but I'm no longer sure Duff deserves the 12 games I was prepared to give him at the start of the season. There's simply no progress here. Duff's Swans so far are God awful - boring, lost, and completely ineffective. They played tonight like the new guy at cards who just got the rules explained to him 5 mins before starting.
Duff maintains that the lack of quality of the forward passes was what cost us. No shit!! Isn't that what he's supposed to coach? Ashley Williams agreed about the lack of overall quality; that he couldn't understand what style we were trying to play (he just repeated it!!); that we lacked intensity. His co-pundit just said that Swansea had no philosophy; he couldn't see how we were trying to play and that it was unusual because Swansea always HAD an identity and a style of playing (Note the tense). He also added that, if we don't get some decent points in the crunch games coming up, he can't see Duff staying at the club. All these things have been posted here. We can see it; journos can see it; pundits can see it. I hope the Liberty suits can see it and that Duff will shortly be history.
Thing is, a big part of the the reason the forward passes weren't working is some combination of:
the play being too slow allowing Cardiff to get defenders back to break up the play
or
not enough movement from Swansea players to open up decent passing lanes
or
not enough quality playmakers on the field to make those passes
Duff has to realise that for the most part all these issues are still his fault, arising either from a lack of tactical sophistication, a lack of belief or understanding in the system from the players, or a lack of quality in the starting XI. All managerial issues.
the play being too slow allowing Cardiff to get defenders back to break up the play
or
not enough movement from Swansea players to open up decent passing lanes
or
not enough quality playmakers on the field to make those passes
Duff has to realise that for the most part all these issues are still his fault, arising either from a lack of tactical sophistication, a lack of belief or understanding in the system from the players, or a lack of quality in the starting XI. All managerial issues.
CroJack
Key Player
Or even better, try an attacking line-up from the 1st minute next time.
CroJack
Key Player
I thought Tymon and Pedersen had a good game in defence in the first half, but those two defensive lapses cost us dearly. Having said that, we were completely outplayed in the second half until Paterson and Ginnelly came on.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
As I opined at team selection, Duffer was setting up not to lose. And by playing 3+2 with 3 naturally defensive midfield players we had no basis for attack. And it was all over the place. His substitutions defy logic.
Duffer needs to change up to a back 4, and put attacking players on the field. We can’t have the likes of Ginnelly and Cullen starting on the bench. Yates has had his chance and I see nothing that puts him ahead of Cullen. Please let’s play 433 or 4231 or whatever but let’s get Lowe-Cullen(Myk)-Ginnelly on the field and at least on paper pose a threat.
Duffer needs to change up to a back 4, and put attacking players on the field. We can’t have the likes of Ginnelly and Cullen starting on the bench. Yates has had his chance and I see nothing that puts him ahead of Cullen. Please let’s play 433 or 4231 or whatever but let’s get Lowe-Cullen(Myk)-Ginnelly on the field and at least on paper pose a threat.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
We are at a cross roads, and for better or worse the highly charged Cardiff result has shortened the runway of tolerance and forgiveness that was extended to Madness multiple times.
Duffer now has multiple matches of mediocrity and failure to analyze and inform and educate himself and his team of coaches. He no longer has an excuse to continue down a path of mediocrity and failure. What HE has been doing and trying to do is not working. It is time for intellectual honesty to win the day. It is time to recognize that the squad of professionals assembled are not capable, for whatever reasons (and who gives a fuck what they are … we don’t have the time and we don’t care at the moment), to execute the Duffer system and plan as it currently is. Duffer is now (or should be) under scrutiny for his ability to recognize, adapt, devise and apply a system synergistic with the squad on hand. Failure to do so mandates his removal. How many games should be permitted for assessment? One. One at a time provided positive changes are made that at the very least reflect an understanding of the situation and an effort to remediate. And it should always be one until the train is on the track and running.
When failure repeats for same circumstances, circumstances have to change.
Duffer now has multiple matches of mediocrity and failure to analyze and inform and educate himself and his team of coaches. He no longer has an excuse to continue down a path of mediocrity and failure. What HE has been doing and trying to do is not working. It is time for intellectual honesty to win the day. It is time to recognize that the squad of professionals assembled are not capable, for whatever reasons (and who gives a fuck what they are … we don’t have the time and we don’t care at the moment), to execute the Duffer system and plan as it currently is. Duffer is now (or should be) under scrutiny for his ability to recognize, adapt, devise and apply a system synergistic with the squad on hand. Failure to do so mandates his removal. How many games should be permitted for assessment? One. One at a time provided positive changes are made that at the very least reflect an understanding of the situation and an effort to remediate. And it should always be one until the train is on the track and running.
When failure repeats for same circumstances, circumstances have to change.
I can understand a wholesale system change taking time to implement. However, the derby was huge and Duff had the rare opportunity of an international break beforehand. The second the Bristol City game was over, his priority should have been to shelve whatever long-term makeover he had planned and concentrate instead solely on winning this one game, with two weeks to analyse, plan, and train for it. Never mind what the overall long-term tactical plan is meant to be - just figure out how to beat this one team this one time and do it. And of course, if he'd done that successfully, then whatever system he'd used would probably be good enough to stick with for the foreseeable future anyway.
I'd give him the next two games v QPR and Wednesday - games against weak teams in and around Swansea in the table - with the expectation to not lose either and preferably to win both. If this side can't beat the other strugglers at the foot of the table then they won't beat anybody, and that means relegation.
With all due respect to Duff, the fact Swansea had to go to a lower division to recruit a manager (again) makes me think the list of interested managers was thin to say the least. If they axe Duff, who's ready to step in?
I actually think it's a good job for someone. The squad has a good balance, there's enough talent for a top-half or better finish, and after 6 games of retrogressive horror-show wannabe hoofball pretty much any other tactical approach will be welcomed with enthusiasm.
I'd give him the next two games v QPR and Wednesday - games against weak teams in and around Swansea in the table - with the expectation to not lose either and preferably to win both. If this side can't beat the other strugglers at the foot of the table then they won't beat anybody, and that means relegation.
With all due respect to Duff, the fact Swansea had to go to a lower division to recruit a manager (again) makes me think the list of interested managers was thin to say the least. If they axe Duff, who's ready to step in?
I actually think it's a good job for someone. The squad has a good balance, there's enough talent for a top-half or better finish, and after 6 games of retrogressive horror-show wannabe hoofball pretty much any other tactical approach will be welcomed with enthusiasm.
CroJack
Key Player
Yes, one game and that's it.
CroJack
Key Player
When I think more about it I wouldn't give him any more games. He's had a full pre-season, and a mini pre-season during the international break. And still we don't know what he is trying to implement. He is talking all the time that it takes time to implement his ideas but I have no clue what these ideas should be. High pressing? No. Counter-attacking and quick transitions? No. Possession football and dominating the ball? No. Defensive football with a tight defence? No. it seems to me he picked up the worst parts of all these styles mentioned and made a stew out of them.