Cheer up you blurt.
Letās pull THIS GAME apart and discuss it on the thread dedicated to THIS GAME, Barry.
I watched all of the game - as I think you did so letās see how we saw the game differently.
Tactics? IMO we got the tactics (
IMO we got the tactics (Puelās responsibility) largely correct for an away game which was our third in 6 days.
We frustrated Everton for most of the match until they scored. Their crowd booed them repeatedly during the second half. We also created 2-3 clear chances and squandered them.
Squad selection?
Yeah, thereās a debate here. Why no Bernard? Is he not fit? Didnāt make the bench. That said I thought McQueen was excellent - although Iād like to see his role in Colemanās cross for their first goal again. Was he as good as Bernard would have been? Not sure. Perhaps not. Tadic ahead of Boufal? Yep, I would probably have done that, but it was a mistake because Tadic was poor. Redmond starting? Yep, Iād have done that because heād be fresh - debate aside about whether he should be anywhere near the first team. Perhaps Sims should have been given a start? Perhaps not. Should Long have started ahead of Jay Rod given that heād scored against West Brom. Yep, Iād say he should.
Adapting to the game?
Well, we lost our first-choice right back after 7 mins. Claude decided that we would blood a youth team graduate (albeit one with experience on loan), and he did fantastically well. Kudos to Claude. Something Ronald would have thrown his toys out of his prams over. Later in the game he also sacrificed a CM for a second striker - bringing Long on for Clasie.
So if we did this well how did we lose - and what role did Claude play in that?
Our players didnāt take their chances (Jay Rod x 3 and Redmond) and both our centre-backs made mistakes that led to goals. Yoshida gave away a pen and Fonte was shockingly lazily when he was dispossessed because he didnāt see the player when 3 easy passes were available to him. Being critical of Claude, Iād say we could have gone with Jay Rod and Long earlier in the game because it was clear we were dominating. Iād have taken Tadic off earlier too as he was obviously not playing well. Obviously, the biggest problem with Claudeās team is that weāre not scoring goals. But in THIS GAME, we created many chances and either didnāt produce a final ball, or we werenāt clinical in goal-scoring situations. Players play, coaches coach.
So, and youāll know this because we discussed it on the Puel thread, whilst Iāve got massive reservations about Puel, he just wasnāt to blame for THIS GAME and we should have won if our players had done their job.
Iād concede that Puel coaches the players and if theyāre not doing their job or theyāve lost confidence then he is responsible, but not he canāt control the mistakes they made in THIS GAME.
So whilst Iām very disappointed, and I have reservations about Puel, I canāt blame him for what I saw today.
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The selections, omissions and tactics he can be, why so defensive and why so defensive all season? It obviously hasnāt worked, so why not change and adapt?
Read my post about THIS GAME.
We were away from home in our 3rd game in 6 days.
Why so defensive? We werenāt. We had 12 shots to their 17, created 8 chances to their 11, 25 crosses to their 20 and we made 3 saves to their 4.
Why not change and adapt? Agreed. Something needs to happen there.
Why so defensive all season? Not important on a match day thread discussing THIS GAME.
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When we got chances we didnāt take them for the umpteenth time this season, whats being addressed about that? There is no fight, heart or soul, we drop our heads and roll over, the players arenāt responding to him, I know it was ging to be worse than last season as the players we sold we didnāt replace, the manager coming in knew this so was a company man straight away on a budget, as I say lets see the Liebherrs intent now weāre struggling and not moving going forward and actively going backwards under this man far quicker than anyone would have imagined, the footballs worse, the results are worse and so are our players and squad, what next a transfer window?
Originally posted by @MrTrampoline
Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez
Somewhere near West Brom would be a startā¦
Put a position on it
Itās a fair question Baz, Iād be interested to know what league position youād be satisfied with.
Or wouldnāt you care as long as Puel was gone.
We all share your pain, itās pretty dismal at the moment. Just to most of us itās blindingly obvious that simply pointing the finger at Puel is ridiculous.
I agree, heās the coach and has to take share of the blame but when youāve got a squad of 28 players and only 5 or 6 consistently do their job properly, then team selection and tactics are neither here nor there.
Passing a ball accurately, knowing where your man is when defending, beating the first man with a cross or a corner ā¦ these are the simple things that are letting us down and thatās down to the players. Itās fundamental stuff that Puelās entitled to expect from a premier league standard player. Iām sure heās as frustrated as the rest of us to see someone having to check his run because a simple pass has been placed a yard behind him or when someone decides to take on 4 players rather than cross, only to get tangled underfoot ultimately losing possession.
The players need to get their shit together to enable Puel to get a fair crack of the whip. Theyāve shown on occassion theyāre more than capable so thereās no excuses to hide behind.
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There are at least two other threads where you can vent your anti-Puel spleen, Bazza. Why donāt you post on those and keep your comments on this thread germane?
i think the word is relentless
I watched the whole game, and we seemed to have the tactics completely right. Even though I said 0-0, I thought the longer it went on we could nick it. It was not to be and once they made the break through their confidence raised on and off the field, and that was that.
Originally posted by @steveintheforest
Originally posted by @MrTrampoline
Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez
Somewhere near West Brom would be a startā¦
Put a position on it
Itās a fair question Baz, Iād be interested to know what league position youād be satisfied with.
Or wouldnāt you care as long as Puel was gone.
We all share your pain, itās pretty dismal at the moment. Just to most of us itās blindingly obvious that simply pointing the finger at Puel is ridiculous.
I agree, heās the coach and has to take share of the blame but when youāve got a squad of 28 players and only 5 or 6 consistently do their job properly, then team selection and tactics are neither here nor there.
Passing a ball accurately, knowing where your man is when defending, beating the first man with a cross or a corner ā¦ these are the simple things that are letting us down and thatās down to the players. Itās fundamental stuff that Puelās entitled to expect from a premier league standard player. Iām sure heās as frustrated as the rest of us to see someone having to check his run because a simple pass has been placed a yard behind him or when someone decides to take on 4 players rather than cross, only to get tangled unfoot ultimately losing possession.
The players need to get their shit together to enable Puel to get a fair crack of the whip. Theyāve shown on occassion theyāre more than capable so thereās no excuses to hide behind.
Steve mate I wrote 8th to 11th but also the brand of football has to be taken into the equation.
Who the fuck is Bernard?
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He is a robot isnāt he?
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Fair point but Iād argue that the frequency of games this season and so little training ground time to develop his brand, has necessitated a more cautious approach. Lets face it, better teams than us have struggled for league form on the back of Europa League commitments.
They have but its the football, the sideways passing, its not English football its continental and its failing.
Ahh I see. You are advocating a bit more hoof and a bit more get it in the mixer.
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So itās his foreign approach that you donāt like?
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It is boring and itās not working at the moment but Iām sure heāll be looking to address that in the fullness of time.
I know weāve had a bad christmas period but I donāt think our season so far is the disaster you make out. Iād rather be in our position than Leicester, Palace, West Ham, Stoke etc.
Look at it as work in progress ā¦ even if it doesnāt seem to be progressing much the last fortnight 
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Hm, I canāt say I disagree.
I think I have a lower opinion of the ability of our players that you which makes me more tolerant of Puel.
Having said that, I donāt really see much progress or improvement or even what weāre supposed to be working towards or building upon.
Give him till the end of the season with the minescule target of avoiding relegation, then give the new gaffer a decent war chest to spend from the VVD money.
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Hehe ā¦ I think even my 8 year old neice would see this is a trap.
Probably work with with Barry thoā 
No his continental way of play, slow possesion based play, boring and not suited to our League.
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