COLUMNIST JIM HOURIGAN
Tactically Inept
Comments (11) : Players play to the instructions of the manger and the coaching staff, players are selected in positions by the manager and the coaching staff and teams are sent out under the instructions of the manager. So, whilst some of the players deserve little if any sympathy, the greater share of the blame must lie with the manager.
Starting back at the end of last season, we all knew the club was in desperate need of some quality in midfield ? did we get it? No... and that in the large part is Dithering Davey's fault ? not BK's (he's not blameless though). But, aside from my deeply scathing view of his transfer ability, his tactics leave me completely bemused. I may not have played pro football, but I have watched a fair deal of it and did play at a high enough standard to smell crap ? and that's what Moyes's tactics are.
Is he the only person in the club who actually thinks and believes that Cahill can play in a 4 man midfield? To watch him tonight having absolutely no idea what to do when he got the ball wide was soul destroying. When he switched with Arteta and went on the left-hand side, he looked like a poor 2nd division player.
Osman in the centre of midfield as some kind of ball winning, playmaker??? He has no pace, no strength, no power and was completely overrun by Catermole and Brown, those formidable midfield maestros from Wigan!!!! As poor as Osman is he would have done a better job wide than Cahill and vice versa, but can he not see that when 4,000 behind the goal can? What is Fellaini's role in the team? Is he a ball winner? Is he the playmaker? Is he the extra forward? Does anyone including Moyes know? Is Arteta the only person in blue allowed to take deadballs in the opposition half? And are the sum total of the tactics with him then to hump free-kicks into the middle?
Tonight Saha goes off (injured or not), Anichebe ? a forward goes and plays right wing and Cahill goes to centre forward !!!! If he thinks Cahill is that good a forward then play him there and drop Saha / Yakubu from the start. But in fact that means playing 4-5-1 'cos Cahill doesn't actually play as a forward. So Moyes has got no idea at all how to play Cahill unless in a 5 man midfield, and I'm sorry he's not good enough to build a team around. Anichebe as some kind of attacking right winger!!! I think the goal in Germany last year has seriously clouded Moyes' judgement of ponderous Vic. Then with 5 mins to go he takes of his right back and puts on a left back when were losing!!!! Somebody please explain what footballing wisdom there is in that decision.
Watching Moyes on the line he looked like a man who has little appetite for the game, he consulted endlessly with Woods ? where was Steve Round? But could he make a decision? The game was crying out for a change at half time not when we're losing ? sorry I forgot, that's the only time he makes a substitution ? reactive not proactive. Castello should have been brought on to at least try and get the centre of midfield working 'cos the other 2 clowns certainly weren't.
And to think he's getting around £3M a year to serve up that drivel. Just what has he done to deserve that level of salary? When have we played decent football for any consistent period of time? Do we actually look like a team going forward and making progress? Does he have a squad that suggests it will improve ? will Osman improve? Will Cahill improve? Will Jagielka improve? Will Saha improve? Will (fill in the blank) improve? The man is completely inept, and much as this might seem like a reaction to one defeat it's not, it's a reaction to paying and watching absolute garbage with little promise of improvement.
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If you watch this shower of shite once thats all you need ?cos everything is like fuckin? groundhog day! We are so predictable it's not true and the blame MUST lie at Moyes?s door. The man is totally and utterly fucking clueless in every way possible. His team selections baffle the life out of me, 4 attacking midfielders what's that all about? As soon as he saw it wasn?t working then Rodwell should have come on for that complete waste of £15 mill and as he was trooping off he should have taken that waste of spunk Osman with him. However, having said that, this wanker is oblivious to the obvious so what chance have we got?
Lads/Lasses it's going to be a long hard season but look at the positives, we can watch this cunt dither all next summer again until 31 August 2009 so at least it cuts down on me paper bill knowing dickhead won?t move his fat fucking arse until then!
Coyb despite Moyes.
Absolutely abysmal.
At 7th place in the league we are in a false position because we are woeful.
But does the manager send Arteta out to play that shite? He has been shite for... well the whole season really. I think that is why DM wants to try to look at Big Vic on the right. Because Arteta needs to be dropped (from a great height).
I also think we missed Pienaar badly in the midfield. It would have been so different if Saha had buried that chance in the first half. If only.....
He is the only player we have who’s comfortable in possession. His set pieces are crap , cant argue with that. But , you cant blame him for Yakubu, who is the currently having an absolute nightmare, Osman who’s too lightweight, Cahill, who can’t play football...... Stop trying to blame our best player and only creative hope.
I haven’t played football - but watch a lot and even my limited abilities can see that the players do not know what to do.
Osman may be lightweight - but one of his abilities is getting forward and creating and sometimes taking chances. How can he do that if Moyes wants him to be a holding mid fielder.
Cahill looked completely lost last night - but his best position is playing off the strikers, not stuck out on the wing. Agree that Arteta should be in the middle.
Well if Saha is injured and Vaughan out - it will be easier for him to play 1 up front with Cahill behind - but that decision is made for him.
Why can I see it but not a professional football manager.
Was left numb and miserable after last night - also awake all night with the cold and yelling at the players exacerbated my bad cough!
Anyone want a ticket for Spurs
Lynn
There were (not many) spells in the game where we did string a few passes together in neat little triangles around the half way line, almost every one of these resulted in a final pass into our own half and the long boot upfield to no-one in particular. Neat short passing is fine if the players move together in one direction, preferably toward the opposition goal, but not if they stay in the same place and receive the ball there two or three times in a row. What has happened to pass and move? Fellaini plays like he?s under instruction to pass the ball the instant he receives it and then stand still. Give him his due, he?s Ok at this but is that all he has to offer for £15m? Surely not (and I hope not!). Words fail me on the Arteta and Lescott shambles. If they are playing so badly simply because they are playing out of position, it?s time they were playing out of the team.
Another alternative to hoofball is to run at the opposition and beat a couple of players before laying on a pass to feet. Saha can do this, I?ve seen it happen, but last night I remember it happening just once and he was the only player in 90 minutes to attempt it.
Most of the criticism in recent weeks has concerned negative tactics from an attacking viewpoint, god knows what?s going to happen if this pile of lightweights end up in a ?dogs of war? relegation battle come March. Jagielka?s passing may be criticised but he?s rapidly becoming the only outfield player I would put on the teamsheet every week.
Where do we go from here? We need another Tottenham moment where Moyes was left in no uncertain terms about the fans? opinion of the ?Hibbert for Manny? substitution. Will it be enough? Unfortunately I think not.
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1 Posted 25/11/2008 at 07:50:32
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I also find it laughable that Moyes says he will improve; how is he going to improve? Will he run faster? Tackle better? Work harder? I think the answer is no, I cant believe having watched him for a while, and seeing these lack of attributes he then went and bought him; he almost the complete opposite of what Moyes usually looks for in a player. I think Moyes only plays him because he paid 15 million for him simple as. Think of what we could have bought with that....