Happy to settle for a decent performance. As long as we continue to improve game on game that'll do me for now.
Potters Seagulls V Martins Swans
- Thread starter The Blobster
- Start date
Potter quite complimentary about our performance, which was nice to read. We definitely gave them a good game and could easily have taken them to penalties had our players worn their shooting boots. Some stats:
POSSESSION: 57-43 SHOTS: 7-8 OT: 3-3 CORNERS: 3-4 FOULS: 8-13 GOALS: 0-2
We had one more shot than them and equalled their three on target. But they were more clinical. I feel we're not far away and the games against Huddersfield, Fulham and Derby will tell us a lot before the next international break.
POSSESSION: 57-43 SHOTS: 7-8 OT: 3-3 CORNERS: 3-4 FOULS: 8-13 GOALS: 0-2
We had one more shot than them and equalled their three on target. But they were more clinical. I feel we're not far away and the games against Huddersfield, Fulham and Derby will tell us a lot before the next international break.
CroJack
Key Player
We have to win some games soon. If we don't then the fans will lose patience and start asking questions like "If we play superior football then how come we lose game after game?" For many of them Monk is still the greatest ever Swansea manager (I am not kidding!), and Steve Cooper is up there among the best. But I most worry about our players. If they start questioning the whole project then we'll be in trouble.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Winning games requires players to step up and execute. We have players, new players, in the squad that are soft - players that are great when the goings good, by find a place to hide when they need to muscle up, take responsibility and show some leadership. Martin has a habit of playing soft players, while keeping players we know can execute sitting on the side lines.
It's pretty clear who would start in our strongest XI. Martin has tried to be too pretty and not cold and effective. Martin hasn't picked our strongest XI yet. He's still fucking around with his new toys.
It's pretty clear who would start in our strongest XI. Martin has tried to be too pretty and not cold and effective. Martin hasn't picked our strongest XI yet. He's still fucking around with his new toys.
CroJack
Key Player
@Yankee_Jack Are you aware that we have more problems at the back than in the midfield where the so called "soft players" play? Benda and Hammer, together with our centre-backs and wing-backs, have been unreliable. Too many sloppy passes, long balls going nowhere, getting dispossessed, not blocking crosses, too slow to track back when we lose possession, penalties given away, poor clearances...
We simply concede too many goals and too many chances.
We simply concede too many goals and too many chances.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
@CroJack … what I see in their two goals was weak 1v1 defending positionally and in terms of containment by our RCB (Williams). Our RWB (Lati) was too far up field to be of any use … and always too slow to get back to defend the break. What I think of as “soft” players are the likes of Williams, Walsh, Paterson, Downes. For all of his Prem experience from last season, Williams is not showing the poise and ability of Guehi or Cabango or even Cooper. Lati as a WB is a failing experiment - a nice novelty at first but not solidifying into anything like a Roberts … who was a goal scorer, assist leader, but solid defensively, knowing when to be home and the athleticism to get there.
In both goals Walsh in midfield was watching on the first when he should have been in the mix containing and challenging the Brighton player with the ball, and was not reading the play and a tad lazy on the second when he could have made an interception on a pass into space he should have been coming on to.
On watching the goals again and again Williams was awful and made terrible decisions. He was exposed on his side and failed to contain: diving into the situation on the first goal and gifting the scorer space to receive a pass and score, then on the second failed to contain and allowed the forward to cut inside.
williams was a weak link against Luton also. Can’t have this. Last season Guehi was an automatic pick. Williams is behind Bennett and I’m not a big fan of Bennett. It’s easy to see why ‘Pool shipped him out.
Is Cabango suffering long tail effects from the virus? He was fit enough last season to play game after game. Last night he only played 45.
In both goals Walsh in midfield was watching on the first when he should have been in the mix containing and challenging the Brighton player with the ball, and was not reading the play and a tad lazy on the second when he could have made an interception on a pass into space he should have been coming on to.
On watching the goals again and again Williams was awful and made terrible decisions. He was exposed on his side and failed to contain: diving into the situation on the first goal and gifting the scorer space to receive a pass and score, then on the second failed to contain and allowed the forward to cut inside.
williams was a weak link against Luton also. Can’t have this. Last season Guehi was an automatic pick. Williams is behind Bennett and I’m not a big fan of Bennett. It’s easy to see why ‘Pool shipped him out.
Is Cabango suffering long tail effects from the virus? He was fit enough last season to play game after game. Last night he only played 45.
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Yankee_Jack
Key Player
The highlights show a decent performance squandered by awful finishing and soft defending on the part of one player. We could/should have won that game if the highlights could be extrapolated to general play.
CroJack
Key Player
Not so much. Naughton and Hammer were our weakest links in the first half. And an awful and biased referee. I am going to upload video analysis today.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Williams was playing left side against Luton. Hamer wasn't the sharpest for sure and Naughton was exposed having to cover a gap left by Williams that led to the Ref's Penalty boost.
Have to be honest I was much encouraged by the overall display. We played some really good stuff and created decent chances. Okay, we didn't take them on the night but we will on another night if we continue to play like that.
It's frustrating to miss chances but the real concern is when we don't create any. We created lots last night and got nothing. But the old saying about strikers, is that they all miss a few before getting on the score sheet. Start to worry when we don't create or don't see strikers getting in good positions to score. Keep playing like that and the goals will come. Never forget that, when we get one, the other lot have to open up to reply. When they do that they leave gaps at the back for us to get more. Some time soon a team is going to get an almighty hammering from us.
It's frustrating to miss chances but the real concern is when we don't create any. We created lots last night and got nothing. But the old saying about strikers, is that they all miss a few before getting on the score sheet. Start to worry when we don't create or don't see strikers getting in good positions to score. Keep playing like that and the goals will come. Never forget that, when we get one, the other lot have to open up to reply. When they do that they leave gaps at the back for us to get more. Some time soon a team is going to get an almighty hammering from us.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Did anybody see the whole match? Any comments on Fulton, Cooper and Bidwell?
CroJack
Key Player
I watched again the first half, and you are right, Williams was poor, but I disagree about Naughton. He was dispossessed in the situation prior to the penalty and and his performance was overall poor in the first half.
As for the gap left on our left side that's one on Martin. When we had the ball we pushed our left and right centre-backs (Bennett and Williams) so high that they occupied wing-backs positions. No need to do that. It's suicidal.
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CroJack
Key Player
We scored one against Preston and then conceded three.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Martin was searching for his best players/formation and the team was disjointed trying to deliver. That's still the case but we're getting better (first 45 at Luton excepted) with every game. There's definite signs of improvement for me but it could still take until late in the year before the team will start to perform consistently well. That's my hope anyway.We scored one against Preston and then conceded three.
CroJack
Key Player
I am still not sure what our best XI is. Piroe, Ntcham and Laird have to play.
I would switch to 4-1-2-3 formation, identical to what Liverpool play.
Up front Obafemi - Piroe - Cullen or Whittaker
Left attacking midfielder Fulton or Paterson or Walsh.
Right attacking midfielder Ntcham.
Defensive anchor Fulton/ Grimes/Downes
Left full-back Bidwell/Naughton/Manning
Right full-back Laird.
Two centre-backs Cooper and Cabango
Goalkeeper Benda.
As you can see, in my opinion Fulton should be integral part of the starting XI, either in the attacking midfield, or as a defensive anchor.
I would switch to 4-1-2-3 formation, identical to what Liverpool play.
Up front Obafemi - Piroe - Cullen or Whittaker
Left attacking midfielder Fulton or Paterson or Walsh.
Right attacking midfielder Ntcham.
Defensive anchor Fulton/ Grimes/Downes
Left full-back Bidwell/Naughton/Manning
Right full-back Laird.
Two centre-backs Cooper and Cabango
Goalkeeper Benda.
As you can see, in my opinion Fulton should be integral part of the starting XI, either in the attacking midfield, or as a defensive anchor.
JackBarSteward
Key Player
Reading everything here, I've just realised that Martin is going through what any manager does in the 7 pre season friendlies. This is the result of a shit show in the director's office.