West Brom (h) post-match thread

[SWPISHOME]

I thought it was crying out for Torres to come on. He looked lively when brought on against the rags.

That's why he was benched again tonight, The dopey fucker wasn't supposed to have a go at trying to get the winner against the Rags all we wanted was a draw...."It's Man United".

 

[smallsteve]

Not a chance of recouping much of the money spent buying them

Starting to wonder about Ake too, which is another £40m to add to the bill. He is often left for dead and mostly plays sideways passes. It’s not what we need at all.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he counts as a homegrown player, I doubt we would have bought him!

 

[paulsimpson]

Well the fear comes from him then

Well if he says to them to keep it tight ,narrow, no going out wide to the sideline then they carry the order out and play the way they did

Tonight was absolutely indefensible, a truly awful performance and one which has summed up every single problem we have as a club.

Points dropped to another 1-shot-1-goal team. Suckerpunched for probably the 15th time now in the last couple of years.

It was obvious what WBA were going to do - sit back in numbers and defend. If we'd have got an early goal it would've been a different story but we just start - and finish - so slowly it rarely happens now. In fact, t's hard to tell what minute we're in watching the game as from minute 1 to 90 it's slow, predictable and dull.

It was clear the game was drifting from the 30th minute and I didn't know what Walker or Aguero - both 30+ year olds - were supposed to do in the last 15 minutes against a tightly packed defence that the others couldn't do. Bizarre.

We made them look like 10 Kompany's at the back. I cannot understand why we needed to play Rodri and Gundogan, Dias and Ake against them. It's just not needed and I've said it before but against the bus-parkers, we should tempt them out - take Rodri out (or Gundogan or Ake) and put Bernardo on and see if the extra space tempts them out. I've said a million times that playing more than one of Rodri, Gundogan and Fern is criminal as they kill our game. The number of backward and crab passes tonight would have made Ray Wilkins proud.

Cancelo doesn't fit into our system and needs to be moved on. He's not a patch on Walker and every time he plays, he proves this. He's not good enough for us. Mendy is useless and I don't see any point in playing him - if he's better than our under-21 left backs, fuck them off as well as they aren't good enough.

Pumping crosses in against their big lads was as pointless as trying to thread balls between their back 7 - impossible. I don't rate the lad but if Mahrez is going to play then he should be able to cause WBA problems simply because he game is about close control and dribbling. If he's not going to get a game against WBA there's no fuckin point playing him against the rest of the league.

I find it very, very hard to defend Pep tonight. I'm a massive fan of his but he's not learning anything from these games. This has been going on for too long now. He has sorted the defence out but he has one month - January - to get this side sorted. I've a horrific feeling the club is waiting for Messi to join. That's why the contract extension has been signed as he needs Messi to win the CL.

I'll say this again to finish, but we've got to look at some of our players who are either not good enough (Mendy, Mahrez, Cancelo, Zinchenko), not performing (Bernardo), ageing (Walker) or saleable (KdB, Sterling, Stones this week) and think about selling some to bring in big money to totally revamp this side. Honestly, for me there's no player who's unavailable - we need a war chest to

I have to confess.. after that shambles it is the first time ever I’ve lost a bit of faith in pep and the first time ever it’s crossed my mind that he can’t turn this around.

I hope I’m wrong. Time for him to prove to the world that he is one of the greatest coaches ever

If he goes back to his own basics he will figure it out.

Its been so slow for a long time now and that was another borefest. I get teams will and have parked the bus and counter because that seems to be the only solution to counter us. Our problem is when we break their counter, we move the ball around too much in midfield and you can watch all the opposition running back to having 11 in their half. Classic was in the 2nd half, love Foden but we broke after a counter. Foden took the ball out with maybe 5 of their in our half. Foden slowed down then passed sideways who then passed backwards in which i saw all WBA team run back into their half. We aren't doing things attacking wise quickly enough, are we too reserved now because of a counter?

Its because Pep has narrowed the play . If we get wide we always will stretch any team. We did that in the 2 nd half more but it wasnt enough.

 

[Gray]

On the phone to Madrid tomorrow. Straight swap Hazard for Sterling. One convincing performance this season 5-0 Burnley. No Sterling. Put the faith in Torres.

Hazard is a crock, at least Stirling rarely gets injured.

 

[SWPISHOME]

That's the thing though, it's not a Jammy goal. No free kick no goal. Drives me mad this sort of thing, the last thing you do is give a team that comes to defend the chance to get the ball in the box. Their whole training would have been about taking that 1 chance from a set piece and we gave it to them.
It happens all the time against us and its just lazy defending in giving away a foul!

Agree I said it in the pre match thread it was an idiotic foul Diangana was going nowhere, Cancelo does that alot complete stupidity.
I was talking about the goal itself Dias sticks a left out and it wrong foots Eddie that goal summing up our season so far.

 

[citytill1die84]

On the phone to Madrid tomorrow. Straight swap Hazard for Sterling. One convincing performance this season 5-0 Burnley. No Sterling. Put the faith in Torres.

The fuck is this shite? You mean that Hazard who's played less than 20 games in nearly 2 years for them and scored a massive 2 goals?

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Starting to wonder about Ake too, which is another £40m to add to the bill. He is often left for dead and mostly plays sideways passes. It’s not what we need at all.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he counts as a homegrown player, I doubt we would have bought him!

To be fair to Ake, he's come in and been asked to play a bit part in a team struggling for form. He's played central defence with a couple of partners (from memory) and left back. The way we're playing I bet he wishes he was still at Bournemouth! :)

I do think he's a good player and looks like he likes a tackle and can head the ball - something we've lacked. Give him a season and I'm sure he will settle in and come good! :)

 

[Blue_eyes]

Pffffftttt, that was painful to watch, we are like a boxer without a punch,we can duck and dive but dont have that knockout capability anymore. No disrespect to Wba but we should be beating them at home, and I have no complaints about them, they held out and had a bit of luck and I hope they stay up.

Peps trying to be pragmatic and manage the season, I get that, and it looks like the cl is top target this year. The thing is though, if you are going to control the ball all match you have to finish the chances that you get or a sucker punch/bit of bad luck ondoes all the hard work.

Without peak fitness Aguero we dont have that natural finisher, someone who gets one chance and takes it. You can throw Raz,s stats at me but he is not a natural finisher, and tonight proved that. These last few seasons we have played fantastic attacking football and multiple players scored, but now we are trying a more measured approach with not conceding and its a hard watch in comparison.

That last desperate 10 mins when we created chances were how we should be starting games, and with a decent finisher we would have won easily, so please buy in January. Or at least give that young Delap a try for a few games, he would have put one of those headers away. Oh, and I cant see how an end of career Messi is gonna be the answer, would much rather look to the future with our transfer/wage budget.

 

[Stuart green]

Buy the right players. The best available, whatever it takes. A midfielder, a fast wing and Haaland.

If academy players cant get a chance with the way we are playing at the moment. We might as well shut it down as there never going to get a chance

 

[bluemurray]

Poor. We need a rebuild, but we said that last year. We need a new forward, probably 2, we need alternatives, a Dzeko-type offering something a little different maybe... and we certainly need to find some 'fire' and be;ief and passion... like I said, poor.

 

[Bluekiwi]

Rightly pissed off with the result but what concerns me is that by tomorrow we could be FOUR points behind the shower from the swamp - I detest looking at the table with them above us.

 

[ysmsa]

Gundogan was absolutely outstanding tonight. The rest were fucking garbage. Yes a lot of it goes down to the manager, Staying as a back four with Rodri holding for 90 minutes against a West Brom team with 11 men in their own box.
Having said that, Sterling is fucking dogshit on front of goal never ever convinces us he's going to score when he gets an opportunity.
Cancelo, Ake, Rodri, Sterling, Jesus, De Bruyne not at the races at all tonight. Honestly Cancelo wouldn't get a game for us in our 1995 side...He's complete and utter dogshit.

Nowt wrong with Gundog, it's some of the shite put around him that he gets blamed for.

Some serious fuck Ups in recruitment the last 2 years, playing staff and coaching. They also they seem desperate to keep Garcia and I just dont see anything in the lad.

 

[OB1]

Don't give me stats mate you know half of them mean fuck all. I'm getting sick of all this chopping and changing, weird tactics apathy, non use of subs, and Pep's strange comments. If he can't change things round because he has ran out of ideas or hasn't got the drive anymore than he needs to go now.

No manager is untouchable, not even Guardiola. If he doesn't deliver the CL this season he's toast.

Go on then, what's your idea for breaching a six man backline?

 

[Tevez City]

Disappointed but not surprised.

 

[Stevieatlasblue]

Haaland we need please throw money at him

 

[chaddblue]

Haaland we need please through money at him

He’ll want to join a team in the CL

 

[GoatersLeftShin]

Or at least give that young Delap a try for a few games, he would have put one of those headers away.

Totally agree.

One thing I find disappointing with Pep is that Delap "came and went" and never got another chance. If I was the board I would be asking why we need to sign a big money striker when we've not even given our youth setup a chance.

I'm not saying Delap looks sensational, but we shouldn't be relying on a Messi/Mbappe/Neymar to break down WBA. If Delap can win headers and put himself about, the lad deserves a chance in this team.

 

[joenorth]

Pffffftttt, that was painful to watch, we are like a boxer without a punch,we can duck and dive but dont have that knockout capability anymore. No disrespect to Wba but we should be beating them at home, and I have no complaints about them, they held out and had a bit of luck and I hope they stay up.

Peps trying to be pragmatic and manage the season, I get that, and it looks like the cl is top target this year. The thing is though, if you are going to control the ball all match you have to finish the chances that you get or a sucker punch/bit of bad luck ondoes all the hard work.

Without peak fitness Aguero we dont have that natural finisher, someone who gets one chance and takes it. You can throw Raz,s stats at me but he is not a natural finisher, and tonight proved that. These last few seasons we have played fantastic attacking football and multiple players scored, but now we are trying a more measured approach with not conceding and its a hard watch in comparison.

That last desperate 10 mins when we created chances were how we should be starting games, and with a decent finisher we would have won easily, so please buy in January. Or at least give that young Delap a try for a few games, he would have put one of those headers away. Oh, and I cant see how an end of career Messi is gonna be the answer, would much rather look to the future with our transfer/wage budget.

People saying messi isn't the answer,but we have more chance of getting haarland or mbappe if you tell them they can play in front of messi and kdb.

 

[xgorton]

Rightly pissed off with the result but what concerns me is that by tomorrow we could be FOUR points behind the shower from the swamp - I detest looking at the table with them above us.

You only get 3 points for a win not 4.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Go on then, what's your idea for breaching a six man backline?

Desire passion and pace for a start. Playing players in their correct position, and not being confused by baffling tactics alien to how we were playing that players were comfortable with. Using subs and making the right subs with enough time to make an impact. Using youngsters with energy and desire to prove themselves. And fuckin' off this two man 'pivot' bollocks!