Meet the new boss.... same as the old boss!

[Jon Bon]

All nice tippy-tappy sideways and backward passing, no penetration in the final 3rd, no Plan B to change the system when it's not working... So what's changed since DW I..? Not a lot going on today's showing.

 

[Foxy]

All nice tippy-tappy sideways and backward passing, no penetration in the final 3rd, no Plan B to change the system when it's not working... So what's changed since DW I..? Not a lot going on today's showing.

Last three words hit the nail on the head.

We were poor today, but we've looked a different side pre-season and against the 10-men of Notts County.

He was always going to need more than three games!

 

[Jon Bon]

Last three words hit the nail on the head.

We were poor today, but we've looked a different side pre-season and against the 10-men of Notts County.

He was always going to need more than three games!

10 men and pub league teams - you said it.

I'm not against Weir BTW, it's just that today was all too painfully reminiscent of the previous DW.

PLAN B...!??!

 

[JohnDenver]

I have to say, it didn't remind me too much of Wilson's second season. We never panicked and resorted to hoof as we did last year, but yes, we completely lacked penetration.

Also, despite the fact McMahon is a better defender than Westlake, he doesn't offer any runs in behind. We desperately need these to break teams down. They're not optional, but integral.

I want to see a fullback and a striker in before the window closes. I'm sure Weir does too.

 

[Latters]

It reminded me more of Robson's tenure. A bit of possession and passing, but as soon as the opposition starts to mark our players, we run right out of ideas.

I felt a bit sorry for Taylor up front on his own. He didnt get much support but looked fairly sharp. Everything good we did seemed to go through Brandy, but it won't take teams long to work this out and nullify our only threat.

 

[Foxy]

I felt a bit sorry for Taylor up front on his own. He didnt get much support but looked fairly sharp.

Think you're being a little kind to him there, I thought he looked off the pace. Struggled to control simple balls at times.

He, like Porter has been, was very isolated for much of the match though.

 

[boo radley]

All nice tippy-tappy sideways and backward passing, no penetration in the final 3rd, no Plan B to change the system when it's not working... So what's changed since DW I..? Not a lot going on today's showing.

Many are getting fooled again. £10 tickets make it just about bearable.

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

10 men and pub league teams - you said it.

I'm not against Weir BTW, it's just that today was all too painfully reminiscent of the previous DW.

PLAN B...!??!

To be fair to Weir he's just a manager, not a miracle worker. What are you expecting with the shower of shite playing for the club?

 

[Latters]

Think you're being a little kind to him there, I thought he looked off the pace. Struggled to control simple balls at times.

He, like Porter has been, was very isolated for much of the match though.

Perhaps sharp is pushing it a bit. Maybe "willing" would be better. Rather than just trying to lay it off to others, he looked willing to turn and get into a shooting position whenever he got the chance. I like this slight greediness in a striker. I think they need it to be successful. I just hope if/when it clicks he has the talent to justify the greed.

 

[highpeakblade]

It's all good and well blaming DW but if anything is apparent for me it is the same as it has been since Ched departed. You can pass the ball around as much as you want and you can dominate possession but despite what you say when you sell a key player, I do strongly believe that 1 or 2 players make a team or at least 1 or 2 players make the difference between a mid table / play off failing team and a Promoted team.

We need that goalscorer and possibly another tricky / creative player, the former of the two is a must as Taylor alone won't cut the mustard. If the board don't acknowledge this then I am writing us off already again this season.

This all boils down to ambition now, the foundations are there but should the board really share the same goal of promotion then they need to act in this window!

I don't believe it's totally fair to blame the manager. This applies to Danny Wilson who I feel to an extent was also asset stripped with no real replacements and the same applies now. Weir moulded McDonald and had plans around him only to have him stolen, I am in no doubt as well that Weir probably knows he needs to add a bit of quality especially in the final third but his hands may well be tied behind his back?

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

You can't make an omelette with just milk, as nobody has probably ever said.

 

[cahill]

Was Murphy playing today, 'cos I must have missed him ?

 

[DazBlade88]

To be fair, the passing is fine in terms of controlling the possession. If you have the ball there's much less chance of them scoring. They barely threatened apart from the goal where left two defenders against three attackers for a corner.

We're crying out for a midfielder who can take control of the game and turn that possession into a meaningful attack. If we don't bring another player in we're going to struggle to get into the playoffs.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

It's going to take time for Weir to get the shape and style working effectively. The fact is there's no money for him to fix the team's shortcomings quickly, so it will be a slow development. The biggest challenge he faces is trying to hang on to any decent players he finds during his tenure.....he seems to have unearthed at least one in Brandy and based on what I've seen so far, will need to find 2 or 3 more to get us anywhere near a top six finish. I'm not too concerned about losing McDonald, I was always of the opinion that despite his talent and potential his contribution was somewhat overrated. We needed a bit more quality when he was here and we still do now.

The first thing we need is a proper centre forward, one that can link the play with midfield. Neither Porter or Taylor have the right attributes for this and both look isolated in the lone striker role. If this isn't addressed before the close of the window we will struggle all season to make the current shape/system work. The second thing we need is someone capable of playing in the hole behind the striker and I'm not convinced we have a player at the club that can do that.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Four points from a possible nine. This pretty much sums up how this season will pan out.

Classic mid table mediocrity.

Some people at the club best be already thinking of how the fuck we're going to get out of this league in 2014/2015.

 

[LSF]

Today was awful from where I was sitting! Bit like I expected really as I certainly had a bad feeling about today, I suppose you could say only a goalkeeping hash saw us scramble a point. I can't derive many positives from today - Brandy the obvious one. Coady, for a young lad has composure, McGinty did just about ok. Taylor, oh dear, I can see nothing about this lad that leads me think he has the attributes to make him effective even at this level (Bournemouth & Millwall thought so too). Murphy, poor, has no stomach for it and flatters to deceive on rare occasions.
The defence as a unit didn't inspire confidence and in front the much maligned Michael Doyle can hold his head up in the knowledge he's lead from the front this season so far.
My info has it that we are close to signing two players in the very near future, whether they are any fuckin good or not is another thing.....

 

[moDtheGod]

Some people at the club best be already thinking of how the fuck we're going to get out of this league in 2014/2015.

We might already be out of it by then. If you know what I mean.

 

[SotonBlade]

That money for McDonald, however much it is, needs to be spent. We need a midfielder with creativity and 20goal a season striker. Go and get Clarke from Coventry....I know he's an ex pig, but they need the money and he knows where the goal is!

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

I don't understand how expectation can remain so high at a club that has "under-performed" for so long. Why are the team's shortcomings such a shock? Weir needs time, he's starting with virtually nothing.

 

[JohnDenver]

Go and get Clarke from Coventry....I know he's an ex pig, but they need the money and he knows where the goal is!

That sentence makes me want to cry. Not because you're talking rubbish, but because we're actually in a place where it makes sense. Who'd have ever though that?

 

[cooperblade]

When we played Notts County, the big difference from everything that had gone before was the movement.

Passing is a basic skill and all professional footballers can do it to a pretty decent level. What's difficult is finding time and space to be able to execute the pass easily.

Doyle's passing looked poor last season but he usually had no options and was under pressure. Against Notts his passing looked very different because he had space and lots of options.

Today, our movement was poor and, in that regard, I could see similarities with last season. McDonald being in or out of the team should have no effect whatsoever on other player's ability to make themselves available for a pass.

Would McGinn have done better in terms of movement than Coady, Doyle and McFadzean today?

Tonight, I feel more like I did after Yeovil than I did after Notts County in that our squad looks to have some glaring holes in it and many of our players are either going to need coaching/persuading/kicking until they really buy into a pass and move style.

However, and it may be totally misplaced, I have more confidence now than at the end of last season that a vision does exist at the club and we do have a manager who is, at the very least, willing to try and drive a change.

I think we have a really good (but very young) 'keeper, a centre back partnership which must be one of the best in the division, full backs who can defend pretty solidly in McMahon and Hill, a player capable of making something out of nothing in Brandy and a very raw but promising striker in Taylor.

Doyle is steady and experienced. Coady might be OK but won't be around for long. McFadzean shows occasional flashes but nowhere near enough. Porter's great in the air and works hard but lacks goals. Murphy's struggling badly to make the step up from the SPFL to L1. Westlake, McGinty and Williams all have big weaknesses and Flynn has still to deliver in more than 1 or 2 game bursts.

It's going to be difficult, it's going to take time but I think we need to stick with it, evolve the squad, build a style of play and trust that we've got the right plan.

 

[puppet]

Agreed, but he can't build a team if its sold from under him like all managers before him of late.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

Just been reading about Peterborough. That Tomlin fella handed in a transfer request, they rejected it pretty much saying you're under contract so shut your face and get on with playing. He started today. Can you imagine us doing that? If he stays past the deadline then it's official, Peterborough are a bigger club than us. With all their 5,000 fans. We can't stop any players leaving, we're such a diddy club.

 

[bladeinspaceandtime]

Just been reading about Peterborough. That Tomlin fella handed in a transfer request, they rejected it pretty much saying you're under contract so shut your face and get on with playing. He started today. Can you imagine us doing that? If he stays past the deadline then it's official, Peterborough are a bigger club than us. With all their 5,000 fans. We can't stop any players leaving, we're such a diddy club.

Hey, but you can't stand in their way if they want to leave! Peterborough must be kidding themselves! They should take a look to see how things are done at a proper club!

 

[grafikhaus]

Passing is a basic skill and all professional footballers can do it to a pretty decent level. What's difficult is finding time and space to be able to execute the pass easily.

Doyle's passing looked poor last season but he usually had no options and was under pressure. Against Notts his passing looked very different because he had space and lots of options.

And that was the difference yesterday. Colchester had done their homework and got in our faces - as opposed to United backing off. Thus denied time and space, United (as usual) couldn't wait to get rid - usually ineffectively or straight to an opposition player.

I must say Colchester impressed me yesterday - not just their workrate but the way they went about their business. At the start of the game, while United were scratching their arses waiting for the kick-off, CUFC players went through a well-rehearsed drill. Same at the start of the second half. Their manager - Joe Dunne - was involved throughout. No, not ranting à la Warnock, but orchestrating, cajoling, geeing up and praising. David Weir? Oh dear. Robson/Wilson personified.

I'm not suggesting DW should be replaced obviously. But this early into his tenure he seems to be emulating the failures of some of our previous incumbents. The most obvious yesterday was, when defending a corner, Dunne instructed two - sometimes three - men to be at or near the halfway line. This not only forces us to leave men back but provides an obvious outlet when the danger is cleared - as we saw with their goal. We do the exact opposite, piling everybody back and unable to break out. Brandy, given his size, is not going to do much to defend a corner put is pacey enough to leave up + one other. All simple stuff but seems to elude United.

Harry's somewhat fortunate goal just papered over the cracks.

 

[boo radley]

Think you're being a little kind to him there, I thought he looked off the pace. Struggled to control simple balls at times.

He, like Porter has been, was very isolated for much of the match though.

Maybe you're being a little too diplomatic as well.
He was shit. As you say failed to control simple balls and the one he controlled on his chest and brought down well then played useless pass. He failed to drag defenders with him because he did not move enough. If that is off pace Then I agree.

 

[Silent Blade]

To be fair to Weir he's just a manager, not a miracle worker. What are you expecting with the shower of shite playing for the club?

I am giving Weir a chance but at the moment I think he is another manager who wants his players to play his style rather than a manager having a look at the players he has before deciding on a style that suits them. Let me tell you what I read about Alf Ramsey when he started at Ipswich in 1955 (one of the greatest ever managers) in Leo McKinstry's excellent book "Sir Alf" as this is my favourite example of "what it takes to be a good manager". He was offered the manager's job at Ipswich but he went to watch Ipswich (they had just got relegated from the 2nd division) play a match to see the strengths and weaknesses of the Ipswich players. The Ipswich players were playing poorly ( it didnt help when they have their best player, Jimmy Leadbetter, looking like this http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...Y4QUtHDJIaShgeFkoG4DQ&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ&dur=218) and Alf's wife even said "they dont look good, lets go home" but Alf decided to stay and study the players more and then in the next day, he accepted Ipswich's offer. He decided to play in a formation that would suit the players. The wingers played in a deep lying roles and play early crosses. The opposition full backs didnt know who they were supposed to mark. The style and formation was a success for Ipswich and they climbed up the division and won the league in 1962

 

[BladeFisher]

I am giving Weir a chance but at the moment I think he is another manager who wants his players to play his style rather than a manager having a look at the players he has before deciding on a style that suits them. Let me tell you what I read about Alf Ramsey when he started at Ipswich in 1955 (one of the greatest ever managers) in Leo McKinstry's excellent book "Sir Alf" as this is my favourite example of "what it takes to be a good manager". He was offered the manager's job at Ipswich but he went to watch Ipswich (they had just got relegated from the 2nd division) play a match to see the strengths and weaknesses of the Ipswich players. The Ipswich players were playing poorly ( it didnt help when they have their best player, Jimmy Leadbetter, looking like this http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tmwmtt.com/poa/images/playerPicsLarge/leadbetter_jimmy_0001.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tmwmtt.com/sql/players/profile.phtml?fullname=Jimmy+Leadbetter&h=1118&w=400&sz=174&tbnid=li6J3q3ccqjBhM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=34&zoom=1&usg=__if92vTWtL2CkXpqPoPJFfru0PH8=&docid=WST29PjtQjIUDM&sa=X&ei=UY4QUtHDJIaShgeFkoG4DQ&ved=0CDcQ9QEwAQ&dur=218) and Alf's wife even said "they dont look good, lets go home" but Alf decided to stay and study the players more and then in the next day, he accepted Ipswich's offer. He decided to play in a formation that would suit the players. The wingers played in a deep lying roles and play early crosses. The opposition full backs didnt know who they were supposed to mark. The style and formation was a success for Ipswich and they climbed up the division and won the league in 1962

Is that not what David Bassett did too? We can moan about style etc but he took what the players could do and came up with a method to match. Whether given £50m he would have produced a team playing like Arsenal is a moot point but I thought as they say DB played a system around the players he had rather than the players adopting a style he wanted.

 

[Silent Blade]

Is that not what David Bassett did too? We can moan about style etc but he took what the players could do and came up with a method to match. Whether given £50m he would have produced a team playing like Arsenal is a moot point but I thought as they say DB played a system around the players he had rather than the players adopting a style he wanted.

When Dave Bassett arrived at the Lane he said that he wouldnt bring in the long ball style. I was one of those that was relieved when I read his pledge. He couldnt save us from relegation so before the start of the 1988/89 season he decided that the players should play the long ball style and showed films to our players of Watford matches under Graham Taylor also he pointed out that Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool even played long ball at times. Bassett got rid of the players he knew that wouldnt be suited to the long ball and brought in new players that would be more effective. Nowadays Bassett's methods are outdated and something i do not want us to copy, just that we do not have the players to make the 4-2-3-1 formation workable

 

[pommpey]

When Dave Bassett arrived at the Lane he said that he wouldnt bring in the long ball style. I was one of those that was relieved when I read his pledge. He couldnt save us from relegation so before the start of the 1988/89 season he decided that the players should play the long ball style and showed films to our players of Watford matches under Graham Taylor also he pointed out that Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool even played long ball at times. Bassett got rid of the players he knew that wouldnt be suited to the long ball and brought in new players that would be more effective. Nowadays Bassett's methods are outdated and something i do not want us to copy, just that we do not have the players to make the 4-2-3-1 formation workable

I think the Bassett hangover is one of the most virulent diseases we have failed to eradicate. We have two generations (in footballing terms) of distance between now and back then and up until the end of last season, we still seemed to want to bang it long, get some snow on it and hope the John Fashnu-a-like would nod it over the advancing keeper. Football is not like that any more. Back fours are trained to soak up the direct approach, and they do it well. We did play our best when we had Brown and McCall to carry it forward and Tonge and Nuddy to get behind and feed people like Asaba and Chief. The results don't tell any lies there.

Until we can gain a credible system of attack (and a couple of strikers who can do their job) we are going nowhere.

pommpey