This season swings backwards and forwards after every game. We are in good form on game and poor form the next. This brings posters and fans to react too quickly to each game, regardless of previous form and match situations etc. This game last night is a perfect example of this.
I have become more and more frustrated with fans reactions on this site and think that some lack a view of the bigger picture.
I feel sorry for our manager at times. Fans are very quick to jump on his back, but unfortunately aren't quick enough to applaud him when he does get things right. I am not saying that Coyle can do no wrong. He has made mistakes, which everyone knows about, but he has also made some great decisions which people are all too quick to forget.
This season, we have had to good mini runs of form. The most recent being taking 14 points from a possible 27. For a team that was 18th at the beginning of this run, that is some good going. We have also won 3 games in a run for the first time in years during this run. Coyle got little or no credit for that.
The game last night just shows how fans pick up on negatives. It trasnpires today, that apparently, it was Coyls fault that we chased the game while we were in the ascendancy are likely to score another. It is Coyles fault that we were disorganised at the back. It is Coyles fault that we lost 4-1. Before I go further, 4-1 was a very harsh scoreline.
At 1-0 down at half time, we had to come out and look for a goal, something which never looked likely in the first half. We did and we got a goal. We rattled Spurs and had them on the back foot. It was important that we kept going forward. Coyle would've known about Spurs pace on the counter attack, but that was a risk he had to take. Would you put faith in our defence to not concede against Spurs and keep it 1-1? I wouldn't.
Coyle deserves some credit for lifting the team and giving them belief that they could go on and win it. Instead he id getting criticised for it. I don't believe for one minute that the fans that are criticising Coyle for going 'gung ho' were not participating in getting behind the lads and giving them some belief from the stands, urging them to score another. The fact is, that Spurs 2nd goal came from 3 flimsy tackles on halfway. Eagles and Boyata not getting in hard enough. Also, Mavies 75% paced jog back to follow VDV was poor to see on the replay. He should've been sprinting to get goal side. None of that is Coyles fault. Another goal within 60 seconds and it was all over.
So, what should he do now? I think 442 works. I know I didn't fancy it earlier in the season, but going forward seems to work at the moment! I would play Klasnic with Davies up front though. 9 goals for Klasnic this season and all of them in a 442 formation. Would be silly not to play him.
I think it's a real shame that Coyle gets criticised for things that are really out of his hands. Like I said, he has made mistakes, which I know about as well as everyone else, but I also remember the positives, where some people quickly forget.
Wherever we end up next season, sacking/not renewing Coyles contract would be a mistake in my opinion.
Can't do right for doing wrong.
posted on 4/5/12
Petrov.
Your argument isn't really valid about us not picking points up against the top 6.
If we had budgeted for points against them, then we would be what...top 6?
Wigan, Blackburn, QPR etc's points against the top 6 are not quite flukes, but very, very lucky. There is no way that we should be expecting to do the same as them. You just can't compare results from the likes of Wigan and expect us to do the same. Football just doesn't work like that.
posted on 4/5/12
You must not have watched the Wigan vs utd game then
posted on 4/5/12
Petrov, when you're behind in a match, already in the bottom three and knowing that you have only one more home game left then yes I think it is SCORE or bust mate. I'm not saying go hell for leather regardless of the scoreline but if you're losing already then why not go for it?
And let's face it, our defence has been a patched up mess for a while now, with players out of position thanks to injuries and suspensions and the like. Not an excuse, just a fact. So we already know in all probability that we HAVE to score in order to get anything from a game at all.
If we'd been level against a mid table side then maybe I'd have suggested we be more cautious but the fact is that after our goal we were on a high and actually the better more dangerous looking side. We negated the spurs midfield and attack by keeping the ball in their half until some sloppy play at the halfway line saw us punished. After that we had to chase the game again and spurs were able to counter attack with a very good third goal. I actually feel the 4-1 score flattered them but that's always the danger when you go all out looking to get something from a game you're behind in especially against a team like that. I for one would much prefer we go for it rather than sit back accepting defeat before a ball is kicked.
posted on 4/5/12
Against a team like spurs in our position a point is as good as a win. I am not saying you stop searching for a win but you halt the cavalier attitude which we saw on weds. Surely someone on the bench said pull some of them back because players like Lennon and bale can kill you on the break. One point on weds and three on Sunday would have seen us safe. Now we may have to get something at stoke.
It's not black and white defend or attack. You can cautiously search for a win and just take a draw. Rarely we have seen this. We played into spurs hands in the second half. It took a wonder goal to break us down first half. They were clearly instructed to invite pressure in the second half to do us on the counter.
We on the other hand went for it which is to be expected then apart from rabble rousing forgot you can change things over to slow down the game. We could have gone 451 taking ngog off and playing vela. Things like this costs us dearly. 4-1 flattered them but then it did not as they changed their gameplan and it worked.
As for our patched up defence don't be shocked to see them back next year as this is our first choice.
posted on 4/5/12
We had something from the game at 1-1 and a point was enough but we threw it away.
posted on 4/5/12
To be honest to still have our destiny in our own hands
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But we no longer enjoy that position! We could win both our remaining games, but unless others around us drop points ...we will go down. Our destiny is now reliant on others - it's out of our control ....we can only do our very best and hope others fail ..if they don't ..that's it ...
posted on 4/5/12
Petrov at 1-1 our tails were up, spurs on the back foot and at home I would EXPECT a trotters team to go for a second goal in that position. Sitting back especially against a team like spurs is just asking for trouble and had we done that and lost you'd be among the first on here to moan about us being too defensive. Their second goal came as a result of us being sloppy, not anything they worked or fashioned and I'm not quite sure what you could have expected Owen to do about that. However, leaving that aside onc we WERE behind again we had to press and try to get something. All you seem to want to do is moan because we didn't play the megson way. Well, I know which I prefer. This season's been a horrid one for us and I agree Owen's made some mistakes which he must address if he is to stay in the longer term BUT from where I sit the manager wasn't to blame for Spurs going 2-1 ahead. Players on the field made a mistake and in this league as you well know those mistakes get punished, especially by the top sides. Had we gone 2-1 up THEN maybe we could sit back but to say at 1-1 we had something already is frighteningly naive at best and wilfully ignorant at worst. With Spurs attacking threat one goal is almost NEVER going to be enough to get something from them, especially when there's forty minutes left to play.
posted on 5/5/12
We went gungho. The only other option is not to batten down the hatches. More caution was required to not be caught wide open on the break. Still attack just not to find a situation where they break 3 v 2 that's suicide against spurs and that's what we did. Maybe an instruction to NRC to sit and not push on. Or add another midfielder and go 451.
posted on 6/5/12
Petrov we're obviously not going to agree on the spurs game but in conclusion I'll simply say that at 1-1 we were in the ascendancy. Spurs were very much on the back foot and it was the wrong time to start shuffling formation and players. We went after the second goal and put pressure on them. We were sadly undone by mistakes on the field rather than by some great play on their part to go 2-1 down and that left us no choice but to go gung ho as you put it.
I know you and I disagree sometimes but in this case I genuinely believe you're attaching too much blame to Owen. The best manager in the world can't legislate for the kind of error that led to spurs second goal. However, I do agree that Owen will have some questions, hard ones, to answer in the summer and so will a good many of those players even if we stay up. Owen needs to learn how to adapt to the opposition better but first he needs the money (in wages as well as fees) to buy players who can do that and hire a support staff capable of helping him get the best out of those players.
With the returns of Lee, Holden and others plus hopefully the release or sale of the likes of Blake, Robinson and other deadwood we may be in a position to do just that. Let's not forget either that even with the staff we have now we've actually not had a bad run especially in the last ten games so the signs are there that he's learning and so are the players. I sincerely believe we'll survive because I honestly believe we'll beat West Brom and QPR will lose tomorrow while Man City on the last day, playing for the Premier League title itself is the fixture I'd least want if I was Mark Hughes. I dislike as much as anyone that we need to rely on other results going our way but given that we do I can only say COYWM and keep the faith.
posted on 10/5/12
Just fot record - id didnt for one minute suggest we should be more cautious when one nil down. The opposite in fact. But at one all we committed to many men forward.
Managers can do things to prevent stupid mistake, or at least the affect of those mistakes. Going to a rigid 4-5-1 would have been the best thing to do, and try and frustrate spurs