The Last 10 Minutes

[YidoBuckler]

3 games and 3 late goals to take points off us. Things could have been so much better.

For the change and upheaval I don't think we've started off badly. Compare us to Liverpool, they are all over the place. We have looked generally solid at the back apart from 30 minutes when Lukaku dominated Gallas. The only thing that has disappointed me is not learning from the previous week and sitting deeper against Norwich like we did against WBA. Give the opposition some credit on both occasions, good finishes, but we should not have been in this position.

Part of this is obviously down to nerves while we're chasing that first win, no idea if its coming from the manager's instructions or if its just the players natural reaction to try and hold on to the lead. The substitutions made have me thinking its down to AVB, but I think he's doing the right thing. Getting another midfielder on the pitch to try and retain possession and run down the clock. I'd be more worried if he was throwing on a defender and we were conceding late goals still.

Newcastle away wasn't down to either of this, was just one moment of madness from Lennon and VDV combined with a bit of skill from Ben Arfa. It is disappointing to lose to a penalty in any circumstances let alone when we deserved at least a point from that.

I really hope we can beat Reading and get that first win on the board, preferably being more than 1 goal ahead going into the end of the game. I don't think this team will concede a bucket load of goals and we've proved that. We just need confidence in our ability to see games out. Teams are sensing the nervousness right now and capitalising on it. The supporters at the game need to help and get behind the team, the players need to show mental strength.

It will come, stay with the lads and the manager. COYS.

 

[Erik_Edman]

Problem is partly no Parker. Regardless of whether or not Sandro can be regarded as a better player on the technical front, Scotty is the only one that digs in during a tough game and shows some steel in the face of a late surge. For all the merits of AVB's high-pressing system, sometimes a game will get down and dirty and at times like that you need someone you can throw on to basically sit in one zone not letting anything pass him and blocking long shots. Scotty is that guy.

 

[Dru]

Look at the two goals and they are basically the same.

Defenders don't clear the ball, then the 2nd ball isn't won and finally, what annoyed me most is, it seems to me that there was a complete lack of desire too block the shot that lead to the goals.

West brom - Ekotto just offered a limp leg at the shot, no real desire to stop it.

Norwich - same thing, defence dont clear, second ball.isn't one and either Verts or Gallas (can't remember) simply show no desire.to.block the shot.

 

[vadimivich]

Frankly - Gallas and Vertonghen haven't been very good together, and haven't been very forceful in the box in scramble situations late in the match. Both equalizers at home have come from sloppy clearances and a failure to then win the second ball. Right now, our two center halves just aren't getting that job done late in matches.

 

[l3luntman]

3 games and 3 late goals to take points off us. Things could have been so much better.

For the change and upheaval I don't think we've started off badly. Compare us to Liverpool, they are all over the place. We have looked generally solid at the back apart from 30 minutes when Lukaku dominated Gallas. The only thing that has disappointed me is not learning from the previous week and sitting deeper against Norwich like we did against WBA. Give the opposition some credit on both occasions, good finishes, but we should not have been in this position.

Part of this is obviously down to nerves while we're chasing that first win, no idea if its coming from the manager's instructions or if its just the players natural reaction to try and hold on to the lead. The substitutions made have me thinking its down to AVB, but I think he's doing the right thing. Getting another midfielder on the pitch to try and retain possession and run down the clock. I'd be more worried if he was throwing on a defender and we were conceding late goals still.

Newcastle away wasn't down to either of this, was just one moment of madness from Lennon and VDV combined with a bit of skill from Ben Arfa. It is disappointing to lose to a penalty in any circumstances let alone when we deserved at least a point from that.

I really hope we can beat Reading and get that first win on the board, preferably being more than 1 goal ahead going into the end of the game. I don't think this team will concede a bucket load of goals and we've proved that. We just need confidence in our ability to see games out. Teams are sensing the nervousness right now and capitalising on it. The supporters at the game need to help and get behind the team, the players need to show mental strength.

It will come, stay with the lads and the manager. COYS.

Cheer up, atleast we arent Southampton. 0 points from 3 games :jenaswtf:

 

[Blanchflower]

Look at the two goals and they are basically the same.

Defenders don't clear the ball, then the 2nd ball isn't won and finally, what annoyed me most is, it seems to me that there was a complete lack of desire too block the shot that lead to the goals.

West brom - Ekotto just offered a limp leg at the shot, no real desire to stop it.

Norwich - same thing, defence dont clear, second ball.isn't one and either Verts or Gallas (can't remember) simply show no desire.to.block the shot.

Parker coming back will help that

 

[sammyspurs]

Look at the two goals and they are basically the same.

Defenders don't clear the ball, then the 2nd ball isn't won and finally, what annoyed me most is, it seems to me that there was a complete lack of desire too block the shot that lead to the goals.

West brom - Ekotto just offered a limp leg at the shot, no real desire to stop it.

Norwich - same thing, defence dont clear, second ball.isn't one and either Verts or Gallas (can't remember) simply show no desire.to.block the shot.

Ade takes some major responsibility for their goal. You dont come back to defend as a token gesture....he let his man go, and started jogging back up the pitch for the "counter".

 

[YidoBuckler]

Cheer up, atleast we arent Southampton. 0 points from 3 games :jenaswtf:

Didn't see this as a negative post or a dig, just that we're not far away from where we want to be.

 

[Freudlyuchenko]

If only we played rugby

 

[HyNdZee]

3 games and 3 late goals to take points off us. Things could have been so much better.

For the change and upheaval I don't think we've started off badly. Compare us to Liverpool, they are all over the place. We have looked generally solid at the back apart from 30 minutes when Lukaku dominated Gallas. The only thing that has disappointed me is not learning from the previous week and sitting deeper against Norwich like we did against WBA. Give the opposition some credit on both occasions, good finishes, but we should not have been in this position.

Part of this is obviously down to nerves while we're chasing that first win, no idea if its coming from the manager's instructions or if its just the players natural reaction to try and hold on to the lead. The substitutions made have me thinking its down to AVB, but I think he's doing the right thing. Getting another midfielder on the pitch to try and retain possession and run down the clock. I'd be more worried if he was throwing on a defender and we were conceding late goals still.

Newcastle away wasn't down to either of this, was just one moment of madness from Lennon and VDV combined with a bit of skill from Ben Arfa. It is disappointing to lose to a penalty in any circumstances let alone when we deserved at least a point from that.

I really hope we can beat Reading and get that first win on the board, preferably being more than 1 goal ahead going into the end of the game. I don't think this team will concede a bucket load of goals and we've proved that. We just need confidence in our ability to see games out. Teams are sensing the nervousness right now and capitalising on it. The supporters at the game need to help and get behind the team, the players need to show mental strength.

It will come, stay with the lads and the manager. COYS.

I don't think AVB has done the right thing when he has brought on the extra midfielder at the end of matches. It just says to the other team, come on and have a go for the last 10 minutes and we won't be able to respond like in the first half.

I get what he is trying to do, but the midfielders he has used for those holding roles are the likes of Siggy, Jenas and Livermore as opposed to Luka, Rafa and Parker. I know that isn't all his fault and I think Dembele and Dempsey will be very good players for us in being able to threaten from deeper positions, so with our full squad available I think we will win against Reading as well.

I hope Dempsey can somehow provide the goals we are missing, because at the moment playing 4-2-3-1 is far too defensive against lower opposition and at home. I feel we have been most threatening from 4-4-2 this season, but obviously if Ade isn't fit enough and we don't have our ideal midfielders to dominate with 2 in the centre in then what can we do, it's just exactly the same problem as the start of last season really, only we've had to play more games under-strength this year and got a couple of points from them...

But it should be pretty clear to everyone now Defoe and Livermore aren't suitable replacements for Ade and Dembele in the 4-2-3-1 system. It feels like we are relying on clean sheets to win every match by nicking a goal as opposed to creating and scoring more than the opposition and taking the game to them. I can take that away from home at Newcastle, and in the first half against West Brom, but from then on we should have been trying to play all out with our goalscorers and match winners on the pitch to beat these teams comfortably.

When we had both Ade and Defoe on the pitch I felt we were at least trying to do that. I don't care what level of football you play but when you have gone 1-0 up and take a forward player off it gives their defenders one less thing to worry about. Yes it gives our midfielders more to worry about with only 4 in midfield, but in my opinion Livermore should never have been put in that position in the first place. Again, AVB is only going on what he has seen so far and hasn't had the transfers to do much else so I don't blame him yet, but I just hope he has learnt something from these games.

As I said before, I do think he needs a replacement target-man for Ade and creative alternative to Dembele if he is going to make 4-2-3-1 work for the full season but I'm not sure how much of that is his or Levy's or Harry's fault for not being able to secure the ideal squad early on. Anyway, at least we do have Ade, Dembele and Dempsey now so onwards and upwards!

 

[NO1JIB]

the defence has actually cleared the ball out the box on both wba and norwich goals, the fact that the whole team was still in the box on both occasion is what invited pressure, theres no chance of our players getting it too far out as everyones too deep and its coming back in, then no one takes responsibily for attacking the ball. leave the lennon and defoe or ade further up the pitch and we even have a chance of a break. in the absence of kaboul, dawson is the man for attacking the ball, neither vert or billy are that type really, both good readers of the game but sometimes you need a ch to be proactive and go for the ball rather than cover a man or an area.
newcastles penalty came from having lennon and vdv back at a corner, its pointless, our opposition can and do pile more men forward and crucially, they control the area 30-40 yards out, where the second phase of a set piece has hurt us.