This is mostly because I felt the need to counteract the ‘Shota Out’ thread. Let’s face it, the man deserves better. I know we’re only 3 games in, but what a fantastic start. He is picking line-ups to play attacking football (until the players are knackered) and then making subs/defending when needed, to avoid defeat. The recruitment strategy is already proving itself. A few more additions needed now for squad depth and things are looking very promising. The good vibe is back at the club. You can see it among the staff, the players and the fans. Well done Shota. So far, so good!
Cant believe this post is of a minority nature for most of the close and pre season. We really just need to back the lads,. Stick with them when it gets tough and see where we are in 3 years. It'll be a ride. And probably a better one than for most of our 118 year history. I've seen a lot of crap football at City in nearly 50 years. This is an exciting time, relatively speaking.
All manager need time but rarely get it. Football is a results driven business and fans and directors alike react to result good or bad. Is it sheer coincidence the feel good factor on this forum is so positive now after yesterdays result saw us topping the league? You only have to read last nights postings on here to realise football fans have incredibly short memories especially after the so called midweek Bradford debacle…not to mention the apparent problem some posters apparently had with the signing of numerous foreign players…the very same players who btw are now rightly getting the plaudits. Fact is you make the number of changes to a club we have and expect it to work like a well oiled machine from the off your either very naive or like last night on here you think all the problems have suddenly been solved. Rant over.
I understand what your saying in the rant - a lot of football fans are fickle. I’m struggling to get the point of it though - if that makes sense? It’s almost like you are complaining that there’s positivity. Maybe I’m reading it wrong.
No he’s not, read it again, talks a lot of sense and pretty balanced… if I said the sun is shining there is always someone to challenge that, “ it’s too ****ing hot or I can’t stand the heat “
Let’s put this to bed…long may the feel good factor and positivity continue. It shouldn’t do at my age but it still boils my pizz at time just how so many go from apparent complete and utter cynical doom and gloom to what seems now like footballs version of Valhalla. This on the back of 3 games.
What I really like about him, is that when we're crap he says so and even yesterday admitted he went defensive too early...
We went defensive due to his substitutions. There was no outlet and the ball kept coming straight back. As a consequence we sat deeper.
Yeh fair play to him for acknowledging we went defensive far too early, pretty fortunate really considering the change was going to come at 1-0 and we just happened to score.
Are people jumping from one extreme against Bradford, to the other against Norwich? I don’t think so, we looked **** against Bradford, we played players that most expected to be able to beat a team from 2 divisions below us, but didn’t. Doesn’t matter now, we’re out, but a cup game should be treated seriously, not like a pre season friendly. We’ve had 3 league games, yesterday we could have been 2/3-0 down in the opening 20 minutes, we could have lost it in the last 20 minutes, we were outplayed by one of the favourites, rightly so, but we got very lucky. Preston, very lucky, Ingram was outstanding in both games. I didn’t see the Bristol City game, but we got lucky there too with the penalty, yes it was one, but the ref could easily have given a yellow for diving, Seri’s deflected winner, lucky. BUT, when good teams play bad, yet get the results, then it’s normally the sign of a good team, is that us, or are we just currently getting all the luck? I know lots of new players etc, some still to even play. So there’s more still to come. By the end of this month we’ll have played 7 games & another 4 next month, that should sort out roughly, where we are looking at in the coming season. It’s an exciting time, I’m loving it, despite what I’m writing here, but I’m not going OTT about this team just yet. I’m just going to leave it with, we’ve done ok, we’re 7 points better off than I thought we’d be at this stage, let’s keep it going, one game at a time.
The Norwich victory should not be underestimated. A very good relegated Premier League team with a Bank full of parachute payments and favourites to win the league beaten by our new team adjusting to the loss of Honeyman and KLP with our star midfielder Seri out and replaced by a young defender, and we go top. Confidence and atmosphere justifiably on the rise, and its Hull City..
In yesterday's game, we got lucky to grab the 3 points, but I don't agree that we were outplayed. First 10 minutes they dominated, next 60 were fairly even, last 20 we were defending the lead. Also, "luck" is a relative term. Was Seri's deflected shot lucky? Definitely. Was Ramsay missing from 3 yards out lucky? Arguable. Oscar's second goal was pretty tricky to put in but he didn't miss (in fact, first one too). At some point you gotta distinguish competence and luck. At the end of the day, all your dominance and created chances don't mean **** if you have poor finishing and can't score. Can't attribute everything to luck.
Judgement reserved. I think we won yesterday in spite of Shota, not because of him. We started off with 5 at the back and looked ****e. Credit to him, he changed that and we improved. We tried to shut up shop far too early by reverting to 5 at the back and, unsurprisingly we looked **** again. Until we have the players to support it, he needs to sack off this formation and play to the available players strengths.
Looked to me like Jones was playing as a centre back for the first 15 minutes whether he was meant to be or not, perhaps we were just under the cosh? He was certainly getting pulled out of position, take Cantwell's early shot, just as one example, Jones was out on the by-line leaving the time and space to shoot.
I didn’t say Oscar’s goals were lucky, in fact, his finishing was what we’ve missed since Abel H probably, that instinctive ability to jump on mistakes is a must at any level. If we’d conceded early on, or one of the ones at the end went in, I think this thread wouldn’t exist. But yes, luck is indeed down to the bounce of a ball, a ricochet, a player on the line, on the post. The last 2 games, Ingram’s been outstanding, is it luck or ability, or just poor finishing from the opposition? Preston, probably poor finishing, but yesterday, our goal lead a charmed life, one miss from 3 yards, if that, another cleared off the line, numerous saves. As I said, good teams get results, is that us? By the end of next month we should see how we’re doing. Burnley could whack us 5-0, then this feel good will go right out the window, or we could nick a draw or a win. Let’s enjoy the results & see how we do without going OTT or suicidal.
