Women's Team Thread - 2022/23

[Colin Bells Boots]

100% agree she also had a decent scoring record - a goal every 3 games is pretty good from midfield. In many games we were crying out for someone to control the game yet Taylor for some unknown reason would never pick her.

For me one the biggest reasons I don't like the manager is he seems to have his favourites and players like Beckie, Lavelle, Losada and probably Raso will have left/leave because he will not play them. I worry that I am beginning to see the same treatment with Aleixandra who was our best player early season yet since Kennedy has returned has not got game time when we should be building our defence around her. I believe Taylor is clueless despite results against the lesser teams and the club need a serious upgrade. If they give him a new contract we will never win the WSL until he's gone.

As others have said Vicky seemed instrumental in helping recruit from Spain and it may prove to be an unpopular call. When Taylor literally sidelined one of the world's best players in Lavelle the result was we had no chance of our American players signing new deals - he doesn't learn from his errors.

Way out of his depth in so many aspects

 

[Laertes]

I've no specific reason for saying this, but i'm expecting her injury issues to disappear now and for her to play every game for Roma.

Definitely one to keep an eye on, I never found it too hard to believe she had injury issues, but he was so quiet about it earlier in the season it smacked of not being interested in making it work when she actually was fit!

100% agree she also had a decent scoring record - a goal every 3 games is pretty good from midfield. In many games we were crying out for someone to control the game yet Taylor for some unknown reason would never pick her.

For me one the biggest reasons I don't like the manager is he seems to have his favourites and players like Beckie, Lavelle, Losada and probably Raso will have left/leave because he will not play them. I worry that I am beginning to see the same treatment with Aleixandra who was our best player early season yet since Kennedy has returned has not got game time when we should be building our defence around her. I believe Taylor is clueless despite results against the lesser teams and the club need a serious upgrade. If they give him a new contract we will never win the WSL until he's gone.

As others have said Vicky seemed instrumental in helping recruit from Spain and it may prove to be an unpopular call. When Taylor literally sidelined one of the world's best players in Lavelle the result was we had no chance of our American players signing new deals - he doesn't learn from his errors.

I agree with your point but I can't agree with your examples there. He's definitely got his favourites/his trusted players/whatever you want to call them (and it's been clear every season he's been here that he'll always keep a consistent team unless he absolutely has to change) - but those aren't the examples to pick out for me. Beckie and Raso are as much victims of circumstance with Kelly and Hemp being almost undroppable, as they are victims of Taylor. And Lavelle should never have been signed but he was right (probably by accident) not to play her when she did sign because there was no natural place for her, the team was winning and playing well, and she was on a short-term contract.

At the end of the day he's a poor man's Pellegrini without the man-management skills or dignity. He's never going to be able to positively shape a team with a vision, he tries to keep things consistent and make small tweaks to be 'positive' (in both cases think of the first season!) before eventually losing too much of the quality he inherited and it going to shit.

As an aside that entire situation with the American players was bizarre enough that it's daft to put it all on Taylor. We signed two of them on short-term deals, albeit Dahlkemper on a surprisingly long-term deal, when the NWSL weren't playing games indefinitely going into the Olympics and with the USWNT having some 'old-fashioned' attitudes about calling-up players playing abroad. With hindsight it was never gonna work, great as Mewis was, we should have steered clear entirely.

 

[better dead than red]

Definitely one to keep an eye on, I never found it too hard to believe she had injury issues, but he was so quiet about it earlier in the season it smacked of not being interested in making it work when she actually was fit!


I agree with your point but I can't agree with your examples there. He's definitely got his favourites/his trusted players/whatever you want to call them (and it's been clear every season he's been here that he'll always keep a consistent team unless he absolutely has to change) - but those aren't the examples to pick out for me. Beckie and Raso are as much victims of circumstance with Kelly and Hemp being almost undroppable, as they are victims of Taylor. And Lavelle should never have been signed but he was right (probably by accident) not to play her when she did sign because there was no natural place for her, the team was winning and playing well, and she was on a short-term contract.

At the end of the day he's a poor man's Pellegrini without the man-management skills or dignity. He's never going to be able to positively shape a team with a vision, he tries to keep things consistent and make small tweaks to be 'positive' (in both cases think of the first season!) before eventually losing too much of the quality he inherited and it going to shit.

As an aside that entire situation with the American players was bizarre enough that it's daft to put it all on Taylor. We signed two of them on short-term deals, albeit Dahlkemper on a surprisingly long-term deal, when the NWSL weren't playing games indefinitely going into the Olympics and with the USWNT having some 'old-fashioned' attitudes about calling-up players playing abroad. With hindsight it was never gonna work, great as Mewis was, we should have steered clear entirely.

There may not have been a place for Lavelle in his set up. However, he should have made one for her.

You don't go from being one of the best on Earth to dog shit then one of the best again. I've seen Rose play in person a couple of times. Every time she touches the ball it seems like something amazing is about to happen and often it does. Plus, she's tough as nails for being as "small" and "slight" as she is.

Taylor can fuck off. I don't know who he seems to have photos of in bed with a dead woman or live boy but he needs to be sent packing.

 

[Laertes]

There may not have been a place for Lavelle in his set up. However, he should have made one for her.

You don't go from being one of the best on Earth to dog shit then one of the best again. I've seen Rose play in person a couple of times. Every time she touches the ball it seems like something amazing is about to happen and often it does. Plus, she's tough as nails for being as "small" and "slight" as she is.

How? Hemp and Kelly were better than her out-wide, Mewis/Weir/Walsh were better than her in the middle. He'd have had to change the entire shape of the team for a player on a one-year contract who wasn't fit for the first couple of months she was here. Picking the team based on reputation is bad enough, rebuilding the team based on name would be even worse especially given how few points we missed out that year. It's one of the only things Taylor's got right as City coach - he left well enough alone when everyone else was playing well.

 

[better dead than red]

How? Hemp and Kelly were better than her out-wide, Mewis/Weir/Walsh were better than her in the middle. He'd have had to change the entire shape of the team for a player on a one-year contract who wasn't fit for the first couple of months she was here. Picking the team based on reputation is bad enough, rebuilding the team based on name would be even worse especially given how few points we missed out that year. It's one of the only things Taylor's got right as City coach - he left well enough alone when everyone else was playing well.

You think you are right. I think you are wrong. If you think Rose Lavelle gets into teams on reputation alone you either don't watch women's football or enjoy making imbecilic comments.

Don't bother replying. You've already shown your arse to me and we won't agree.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

You think you are right. I think you are wrong. If you think Rose Lavelle gets into teams on reputation alone you either don't watch women's football or enjoy making imbecilic comments.

Don't bother replying. You've already shown your arse to me and we won't agree.

I am with you that Rose Lavelle was shamelessly under used by Taylor, once her injury issue was sorted. A terrific talent who would get into most womens teams when fit.

Demonstrates what level Taylor is at .

 

[mattcity5]

Lavelle was a stupid signing. If you are so set on playing the formation we were and not willing to change it, there really was no point having her there.

Having said that, on the occasions she played for City I was never particularly impressed - possibly she was playing out of position, or unfit, but she didn't seem to fit in or ever have a great impact on games.

Sometimes things just don't work out for a player, it happens.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

100% agree she also had a decent scoring record - a goal every 3 games is pretty good from midfield. In many games we were crying out for someone to control the game yet Taylor for some unknown reason would never pick her.

For me one the biggest reasons I don't like the manager is he seems to have his favourites and players like Beckie, Lavelle, Losada and probably Raso will have left/leave because he will not play them. I worry that I am beginning to see the same treatment with Aleixandra who was our best player early season yet since Kennedy has returned has not got game time when we should be building our defence around her. I believe Taylor is clueless despite results against the lesser teams and the club need a serious upgrade. If they give him a new contract we will never win the WSL until he's gone.

As others have said Vicky seemed instrumental in helping recruit from Spain and it may prove to be an unpopular call. When Taylor literally sidelined one of the world's best players in Lavelle the result was we had no chance of our American players signing new deals - he doesn't learn from his errors.

There was an article on the OS where he was praising Raso and suggesting that the sky was the limit. And next game she was on the bench. WTF?

Rose Lavelle was one of those players who would try all sorts of stuff - it's what players do to get a label that describes them as 'creative'. It breaks the mould and is a delight to watch, even though some of the stuff didn't come off, but GT would be fuming that we'd lost possession and reinforce the notion that we start from Roebuck, onto one of the CB's, out to one of the FB's, twenty yard pass, back to the CB's, and possession is maintained - three or four solid passes that have got the team nowhere!

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

There was an article on the OS where he was praising Raso and suggesting that the sky was the limit. And next game she was on the bench. WTF?

Rose Lavelle was one of those players who would try all sorts of stuff - it's what players do to get a label that describes them as 'creative'. It breaks the mould and is a delight to watch, even though some of the stuff didn't come off, but GT would be fuming that we'd lost possession and reinforce the notion that we start from Roebuck, onto one of the CB's, out to one of the FB's, twenty yard pass, back to the CB's, and possession is maintained - three or four solid passes that have got the team nowhere!

It is very clear imo what the primary issues are, and that is the shit management of players by a manager way out of his depth.

Truly awful appointment , demonstrating a lack of ambition from the management. Why bother to be cruising around the top 3 places every season, as we are firmly behind Chelsea, Arsenal and currently losing ground to the ragettes .

 

[Prater70]

Is it possible that there is a clause in his contract that says qualify for the Champions League and you remain in the job. Miss out and you could be replaced.