NICK ARMITAGE COLUMN
Tactics?
Comments (19) : Lescott is currently appalling and if he can get into the England squad then there is still hope for me. If a team from Belgium can see how bad Joleon Lescott is at the moment, why can?t Moyes? How can an international defender playing at full back allow a 40-yard cross field pass to drop over his head? That is a mistake that a schoolboy would get hauled off for. Some people say that Baines doesn?t get games because he can?t defend, but I don?t see Lescott doing much in the way of defending, and his attacking is currently leaving a lot to de desired. I think Lescott is thinking than he is better than he actually is, but what Joleon needs to start thinking is how to do the basics.
Why was Leon Osman the last man back in defence tonight? Why did Moyes have a flat four across the middle with less pace than an OAP Croquet team, when he knew that two of their midfielders biggest threats, were using their pace to pick holes? That is just a no-brainer.
Why do hoof ball when the Yak is as good in the air as a dead pigeon? In fact the Yak is about as good as a dead pigeon on the deck at the moment. Yakubu needs a rocket up his arse, because I have seen council employees with more urgency than him at the moment.
People moan that Arteta never gets a run in the middle; I think he needs to get a run in the reserves. I am sick of hearing everyone say that he has more assists than anyone in the Premier League. So fucking what. A blind man would get assists if he was allowed to take every set piece that his team has ? how long before he starts taking goal kicks as well. The last thing I remember Arteta doing was his goal against Fiorentina, and he did nothing for four months before that. His attitude stinks.
Why do Cahill and Fellaini occupy the same positions on the pitch with no anchor behind them? Cahill cannot play in a 4-4-2 and even clueless whoppers like Phil Thompson have spotted that one. Where is Castillo? After not putting a foot wrong in every one of his previous first team appearances, where was Rodwell?
Moyes has got his tactics and personnel wrong big time. Once again we are on one of Moyes?s great big nosedives but he appears unable to get a grip of the team or their formation. The team is flat, there is no verve, no desire and no energy. They can?t even pass a ball five yards. That Wigan team was woeful, and to make matters worse, they were unlucky to only score one tonight. This season is two games away from being another write-off.
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The Baines substitution was embarrassing, to be honest I have become quite numb this season, to the point where I dont get so upset, thats how this club and manager have got me, promise so much at times deliver fuck all.
My wife commented about why I get so upset now, as in the 13 years I have known her we have been utter shite<
Moyes is getting top draw wages (not bottom five like he likes to point out) and you can just sense he will never win nothing, he just lacks the extra brainpower needed and quite simply is tactically shite.
How can he think Cahill is a left winger and Anichebe is a right winger? It smacks of Walter Smith desperation, he was always playing people out of position.
What about the Baines substitution on 75 mins? There was tactical masterstroke as good as any ever designed to win a game eh?...oh...
I think you were a bit hard on Arteta though. His attitude was very good last night - I thought. I remember some very good tracking back and tackles. Can you imagine how depressing it must be to a ball playing midfielder and have Phil Neville behind you as a permanent fixture? His neck must be damaged at this point from the balls over his head...
Lescott and the Yak aside the big problem is with the manager...the first and biggest kick up the a**e needs to aimed there.
As for Neville just get rid of him.
Last night was almost as bad,no ideas and a lack of enthusiasm.These players can play better-just what has gone wrong with Arteta? Getting the best out of any squad is the managers job,progress awaited.
I never thought I would say this, but Arteta needs to sit on the bench for a few games, Baines has got a sweet left foot for set pieces. If Arteta knows he is guaranteed a start every game, the hunger will eventually go.
Pienaar would have given that cute through ball we were crying out for when we play this badly. Even when he has a bad game, he brings a buzz to our midfield,which was so static last night.
If all we have going forward from the back is P.N. then we are in trouble.
I too am getting near the end of my tether with the rubbish churned out week after week. Add to this that Moyes has announced that there will be nothing to spend in January and it would/could appear that we are in for a long hard season.
Other than that, everything is going rather well... Where is that bloody Dodd creature !
Back to the drawing board!
Good points - Fellaini is looking more assured with each game. Cahill looked steadier. Yobo is looking generally more positive. Jagielka (other than one obvious "senior moment", is steady.
Bad points. Yak looks totally disinterested. Captain Pip was back to his usual passing standard. lescott looks like he need a jab of positive. No width. No wonder Arteta looks lost in the wilderness.
Most serious bad point: What is happening with the coaching crew? They seem totally clueless?
Somebody tell me I?m wrong. Please?
COYB
There is something very wrong STILL in the club. I agree that its almost as if they have no heart and no belief in the team thats picked, the positions they are asked to play in and a total lack of commitment to the manager and vice versa!
We are not that bad a team. Well, we weren?t but by god this was a disgraceful effort and as stated to be 1-0 down to make your sub a full back, well Davey... That was crap. Sometimes its worth while dropping half the bloody team to send a message. Yep we?ll probably get beat if we do but at least there will be 6 or 7 players playing their heart out and another 5 or 6 looking over their shoulder.
If someone then throw a paddy then let them go... Manage it bettter Moyes, the clock is ticking. If you can?t then be big enough to move over.
This season was lost in July but most of us only noticed it on Monday night.
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1 Posted 25/11/2008 at 06:58:54
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I am currently in Dubai on business and stupidly stayed up till 2 am to watch my beloved blues. What a mistake! I should have gone to bed after 15 minutes. I thought the lads started well and then the mood changed entirely and but for Howard they would have had us 3 - o by half time. I thought we made Wigan look like Arsenal at times so bad we were. I found myself cursing at the tv whenever Fellaini got the ball, that guy as awful. How could anyone pay 15 million for a guy who can’t pass 80 per cent of the time? Saha star of West Ham was finished after twently minutes; only one run and one shot on goal. I think he’s a marked man now and teams have cottoned on to him.Wigan were so tight I noticed they gave us not an inch to play in, reminded me of Southampton years ago who closed the guy down as soon as he got the ball. We, on the other hand, gave them oceans of speace particualr on left flank, where Lecott was awol a lot of times. Simply dreadful - we look like relegation fodder, perhaps the worst team in the premier at the moment and how it hurts me to say it! We could go down if we play like this. I am so miffed I almost don’t want to watch them anymore. The current team is woefully short on skill and technique and cohesion. Yes, Boro was the only game we looked premier class and one half against man united. I am afraid we’ve been lucky the last few games, last night justice was done and the luck ran out. Being totally outclassed and outplayed by Wiganski not just Cheslki, oh boy!