Gareth Taylor

[better dead than red]

I'd say almost all the time though, we've had a worse squad than Chelsea and a similar level to Arsenal. Not winning stuff is a bit understandable when Chelsea win everything, sometimes finishing behind Arsenal is understandable.

Being behind united is not. They're not a top side, there really is no excuse.

Will just be interested when it happens, if the pressure from above to keep a similar style throughout the club will make us appoint somebody internal. Hope not, if we want to challenge we need to get whoever may be the best available.

I think this is silly. If you want the men's team and the Academy players to play the same style, I suppose I can understand it. A few Academy kids may go on to play for the senior men's team eventually.

The women's team manager, and director of women's football should come up with something they feel would work well. There will be no crossover. It doesn't have to be the same as the men and boys teams.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I'd say almost all the time though, we've had a worse squad than Chelsea and a similar level to Arsenal. Not winning stuff is a bit understandable when Chelsea win everything, sometimes finishing behind Arsenal is understandable.

Being behind united is not. They're not a top side, there really is no excuse.

Will just be interested when it happens, if the pressure from above to keep a similar style throughout the club will make us appoint somebody internal. Hope not, if we want to challenge we need to get whoever may be the best available.

I think our squad is marginally inferior to the title winning team but not much. We have very good players and they are performing to a tune that doesn't bring out their best and maximise their strengths. We can play a high octane game as we did against Barcelona at the Joie. Why do we not operate like that every week. We have the players. Are they being instructed otherwise to operate a system that Taylor can understand.

The MDC is talking about a 'seven-goal thriller'! Who, apart from anyone connected with the Arse was thrilled with what they saw? It tried to put a spin on it by saying that this is the first defeat at the Joie! I think that's two losses out of the last three?

 

[Solatron]

Should've been sacked after that ridiculous fold against Arsenal at home last season, when he and the team shit their own bed with the league title in their grasp.

Arsenal at home again today, another abject showing - come out slow again & gift away a 2 goal head start to the oppo. Then with the game at 3-3 after a gift penalty for us he comes up with 2 bizarre subs when City were on top, and to be fair to him the subs did change the game completely - in Arsenals favour.

I don't understand why he's still there. Is our Women's Team not in the business of trying to win things? If as I assume they are then his record with the resources and players he has does not stand up to any scrutiny. If we were Brighton then what he's done and achieved would be fine - but we aren't and it isn't.

Yes listen to the women's CEO O'Neil and the new director of women's football a widely respective figure, Therese Sjogran talking how ambitious they are to make City one of europes top teams coupled with a multi million new state of art academy and training facilities solely for the development of the women's side. Recruited some youngsters with tremendous potential and put together a good quality set players many genuine world class. And then they pitch up at the Joie stadium and watch this clueless manager serve up this shite. I suspect common sense will prevail.
On a side note watching Chelsea women on sky they have put together a fantastic squad of players and could possibly do the quadruple this season but look at their manager, the ex Lyon lady, on the touchline delivering instructions to the players. She was available end of last season when Taylor should he gone after the last minute debacle against Arsenal.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Taylor has to go. you cant alienate this many players and also win nothing

And if the pattern of play, the tactics, the strategy are his domain then they just aren't capable of turning over teams we should beat, teams we struggle against nor catching CFC.

 

[Mon Autre]

Yesterday was an absolute mess. He's so married to playing out from the back even though we are giving goals away week in week out cos of it. He's asking the CBs to play that way but the fullbacks are nowhere near them to offer support.

I can't cope with Keatings suicidal decision making anymore either. Last season it was at least outweighed by some genuinely world class shot stopping and distribution. This season it's all of the bad with no learnings from last year and none of the good. I wanted us to give her a chance to play herself into form and rebuild her confidence but I'm running low on patience now. I think she needs some time out and some actual coaching to develop her a player. There's a Japanese international on the bench (who also doesn't look that comfortable with the ball at her feet but is at least a good shot stopper)

Roord is on a bad run but I think aside from one cup game she's been an ever present since coming back from an ACL and she needs a rest. We are.absolutely stacked in her position.

Park has been moved deeper to accommodate Roord and after being one of the standout players in the entire league last season she is now struggling to impact games. She's not getting to play close enough to goal at 8 and even though she's a tough little player I don't think she has the defensive mindset or nous to be adequate support for Yui.

Our manager has been massively backed in the transfer market these past 12 months and he's not getting the best out of them. They paid 250k for Blinkilde Brown which is a lot in WSL and it sounds like he wanted her but she's not getting a look in.

We're a mess.

 

[Mr HJ]

Yesterday was an absolute mess. He's so married to playing out from the back even though we are giving goals away week in week out cos of it. He's asking the CBs to play that way but the fullbacks are nowhere near them to offer support.

I can't cope with Keatings suicidal decision making anymore either. Last season it was at least outweighed by some genuinely world class shot stopping and distribution. This season it's all of the bad with no learnings from last year and none of the good. I wanted us to give her a chance to play herself into form and rebuild her confidence but I'm running low on patience now. I think she needs some time out and some actual coaching to develop her a player. There's a Japanese international on the bench (who also doesn't look that comfortable with the ball at her feet but is at least a good shot stopper)

Roord is on a bad run but I think aside from one cup game she's been an ever present since coming back from an ACL and she needs a rest. We are.absolutely stacked in her position.

Park has been moved deeper to accommodate Roord and after being one of the standout players in the entire league last season she is now struggling to impact games. She's not getting to play close enough to goal at 8 and even though she's a tough little player I don't think she has the defensive mindset or nous to be adequate support for Yui.

Our manager has been massively backed in the transfer market these past 12 months and he's not getting the best out of them. They paid 250k for Blinkilde Brown which is a lot in WSL and it sounds like he wanted her but she's not getting a look in.

We're a mess.

Spot on, apart from how well our two wide players are playing at the moment both defence and midfield are not balanced and all over the place - that is on coaching and tactics. Taylor cannot seem to get the best out of some very good players. Theresa has to see this and I feel a change will be made hopefully sooner than later.

 

[better dead than red]

Yesterday was an absolute mess. He's so married to playing out from the back even though we are giving goals away week in week out cos of it. He's asking the CBs to play that way but the fullbacks are nowhere near them to offer support.

I can't cope with Keatings suicidal decision making anymore either. Last season it was at least outweighed by some genuinely world class shot stopping and distribution. This season it's all of the bad with no learnings from last year and none of the good. I wanted us to give her a chance to play herself into form and rebuild her confidence but I'm running low on patience now. I think she needs some time out and some actual coaching to develop her a player. There's a Japanese international on the bench (who also doesn't look that comfortable with the ball at her feet but is at least a good shot stopper)

Roord is on a bad run but I think aside from one cup game she's been an ever present since coming back from an ACL and she needs a rest. We are.absolutely stacked in her position.

Park has been moved deeper to accommodate Roord and after being one of the standout players in the entire league last season she is now struggling to impact games. She's not getting to play close enough to goal at 8 and even though she's a tough little player I don't think she has the defensive mindset or nous to be adequate support for Yui.

Our manager has been massively backed in the transfer market these past 12 months and he's not getting the best out of them. They paid 250k for Blinkilde Brown which is a lot in WSL and it sounds like he wanted her but she's not getting a look in.

We're a mess.

Starting to move on from Gareth has done, "well enough "? :)

 

[mattcity5]

Starting to move on from Gareth has done, "well enough "? :)

Personally I've tried to give him time and the benefit of doubt, because finishing above Chelsea is difficult and we lost key players with injury last season.

In the WSL one or two unexpected defeats and the season is pretty much gone. I also feel like a manager can't do much about a player having a nightmare match like Keating did against united.

However, I'm done with that now. We've got two keepers, the other an experienced Japanese international. Keating messed up against united but then got picked again against Arsenal. That is on him (and the performances on her also).

The balance isn't right, there is a good squad of players, but we're underperforming.

Before I didn't think there was any guarantee changing the manager would improve things - now I don't see how it could fail to.

 

[better dead than red]

Personally I've tried to give him time and the benefit of doubt, because finishing above Chelsea is difficult and we lost key players with injury last season.

In the WSL one or two unexpected defeats and the season is pretty much gone. I also feel like a manager can't do much about a player having a nightmare match like Keating did against united.

However, I'm done with that now. We've got two keepers, the other an experienced Japanese international. Keating messed up against united but then got picked again against Arsenal. That is on him (and the performances on her also).

The balance isn't right, there is a good squad of players, but we're underperforming.

Before I didn't think there was any guarantee changing the manager would improve things - now I don't see how it could fail to.

I was just having some fun but I appreciate the detailed response.

 

[Kinkys Left Foot]

Before I get on this its noticeable that a lot of the recent posts demanding his head don't mention the fact that the poor run of results has been since we lost our 4 best players to injury. That and other long term injuries to Shimazu, Layzell and managing player minutes off the back of serious injury like Miedema and Roord. Even Chelsea with their fantastic squad would struggle if you took say Ramirez, Cuthbert, Bright, Kaptein and Kaneryd and Reiten out of it. They have of course recognised this fact and now have a 31 member squad (same as us) stacked with seasoned internationals.They have 2 young kids from their academy in their WSL squad, we have 8 (yes eight) in ours to pad it out. Thats too many kids if you want a competitive squad across four major competitions. Their squad has had long term injuries to Bright (last year) and James and recently a couple of serious knee injuries but they don't have a drop off in quality like we do. What that looks like long term with little game time for many I don't know but winning stuff certainly makes it more likely they'll stick around a bit longer.

Whilst Chelsea are a different matter we have some serious issues to resolve. The Chloe Kelly saga has been disgraceful. Deliberately sidelining a quality England international sufficiently to make her leave the club to prove authority, isn't good leadership in my book. There have been games crying out for her crossing ability. Taylor is keen to big up Auba at every opportunity to justify his own decisions but she's still a kid and cannot cross a ball and we play with width and forwards who are good in the air particularly Shaw (when fit).

The Everton defeat was a fucking shambles, they are piss poor and every decent side has tore them to pieces. We allowed them to long ball us with primitive Allardycean football and succumbed to a humiliating defeat.

Whilst the club ethos of playing from the back is admirable we are proving to be inflexible and stubborn to adapt when we don't have the players to execute that plan properly. Chelsea pressed us from the front cutting out the keeper pass to Hasegawa or Greenwood allowing Kennedy the worst distributor of the ball to have it, then pressed the fuck out of her and made her cough it up in our final third. It was hugely effective in destroying our build up play and we had no answer. Watching us do the same inane thing time and time again was pathetic. That fucking fraud at united copied that tactic down to a tee and additionally had Turland and Toone alternatively press the keeper on the inevitable return pass under pressure. Those kind of "doggies" sprints will leave a player fucked in 45 minutes as Turland was but it did sufficient damage the game was done when she inevitably had to come off. Keating has been found wanting under any kind of press sufficiently so that the inevitable "You're shit, agghhhhh" on every possession by opposition fans. She needs taking out of the firing line and we have to be coached with alternate strategies when a decent side employ that man to man press tactic. You can bet every WSL manager has seen it and will try and use it against us. The fact we haven't is on Taylor. If it's the players inability to execute, that's on those responsible for the recruitment.

In the League Cup, I have no doubt Arsenal will beat us again midweek with both sides making several changes probably more comfortably than they did this weekend. We will play the same side that beat united in the last round maybe with Shaw up front instead of Coombes, even though Shaw looked rustier than a WWII German helmet. It won't be good enough to beat Arsenal's back-ups i'm afraid.

I fear for us in the CL quarters with a still makeshift 11 without Hempo and a fully fit Shaw and Greenwood. Were going to need performances akin to the Barca game at home to progress against whoever were drawn against. I suspect its going to be Arsenal or Lyon. We've looked nothing like it in any game since.

Our only chance of silverware is the FA Cup and we'll need a favourable draw to avoid Chelsea or Arsenal in the later rounds and hope either have an off day in the FInal if we make it that far. If we can stay in it we might have everyone back toward the end of the season when we'll be a formidable match up to anyone. But can we?

The Leagues gone and we have an almighty struggle to now get top 3. We've lost 4 games already with Chelsea to play again (an inevitable loss) United are 5 in front of us and don't concede goals to shit WSL sides like we do. Were going to have to beat them in the League at theirs to have any chance of 3rd and hope they drop points against Arsenal and Chelsea and at least one other. We cannot afford any more slip ups to the also rans like Spurs, Leicester and Brighton. If we fail Taylor should go.