Bailey

 

 

exactly this - the number of times I have seen the lad with the ball and all he has is a statue in front of him is a joke.... he's not a miracle worker.

There is more than one other player in the team and at least two others who should be ahead of Barkley. Maybe if one of them got forward Rom could find some space.

I don't think that Lukaku 'isn't bothered'. He wants to score goals, terrorise defences just like any other top striker but the service to him is shocking. He isn't even getting good ball to feet, it's generally long and aimless and if I was him I would be getting very frustrated. It wouldn't matter if we had Aguero/Costa/Ronaldo up front, if they can't get on the ball with space and with quality service they will get frustrated and their performance will suffer.

We desperately need players running beyond Rom, and bodies in and around him to see him at his best, not the shite we are seeing at the moment.

Sweet Jesus are people really questioning whether or not he did a good job at Southampton now?

 

In both seasons he was there he had to sell his best players and so had to totally rebuild his side not once but twice

To finish both seasons qualifying for Europe is an incredible achievement

 

 

 

I think it's just me

Koeman fully admits to just dealing with the first team so he didn't rebuild as such.

Do you think that 7th last season was as good have been expected for such a solid side in such a bad PL season?

Plus people keep suggesting that Martinez's first year was down to Moyes so maybe Koeman's was down to Pochettino?

Spot on LB

He will go to a much better club than us.

Gerry has scored a bucket full for Spain U21s against much better opposition. I know who I would have up front with Rom.

Did he do a great job with Saints last year? IMO he should have got them higher in the league than he did. Plus that shite manager Martinez dicked him away and should have won at home.

I agree with Shukes in that under Martinez before the second half of last season, we did always create chances. We gave plenty away as well, but we did enough to win games but just didn't finish them off. We have still conceded plenty of good chances this season but we aren't creating anywhere near as many, especially not in the last half dozen or so games.

 

I agree with three of those but Gerry and Mirallas have done the square root of fuck all this season, I'd select the statue of Dixie ahead of them.

I feel a bit sorry for them both. Mirallas was doing ok at the start, Gerry had a great preseason but then both have been reduced to sub appearances recently. I would be starting both ahead of Lennon and I would be mixing and matching with Bolasie and Barkley depending on the game.

The fact that Koeman had no idea who Sims was is a bit of a worry. His eyes are firmly on the first team squad, which has its merits, but doesn't appear to be something which fits in with the club's ethos.

Martinez for all his faults probably knew everyone's pets names and mothers maiden names from u10 upwards.

Anyone thinking Niasse is ever worth starting ahead of Lukaku/Mirallas/Gerry/Bolasie/Barkley needs their head testing.

He's been extremely poor for an extremely long time. Shoe horned comes to mind. He's never an no10 IMO.

Slight over exaggeration maybe?

He was our best player in the first half of last season and has probably been our 2nd or 3rd best player so far this season.

Theoretically he could play anywhere in midfield but he needs to be played as a physical/dynamic player not as a playmaker or creative outlet. He has that in his locker but he won't show it every game, especially when teams park the bus. They are the games he should be playing deeper.

I hope they do too but there is potential there for them to become a bigger club than they are at the minute and at least their project is actually underway!

 

Because of the project that Moshiri is putting together? If it happens we'll be a much better prospect than West Ham or Leicester will ever be; though the way we look at the moment you'd have to be a damn good salesman to get them to buy into it admittedly.

To be fair West Ham have a similar project ongoing.

I don't get the will of fans to get rid of Barkley. Our problems are far bigger than his form and he has even been one of our better players (not hard).

We all seem to wish local lads through to the first team and yet when we have one that is good enough for the first team but doesn't become the world beater we hoped for or threatened to be, we don't just want him on the bench, we want him out of the club.

I actually preferred how we played under Martinez (before the last 6 months of his reign). At least then we actually created a chance or two.

Koeman does need time but I still don't see what stamp he is putting on this side. He did it in his first few games, you could see the intensity and the directness, but they are no longer happening.

People still blaming Martinez need to get a grip. A good manager can start changing things within a couple of games, especially if they were that bad to begin with. You would expect it to be bumpy to start with and that is what we are going through but you should also expect to see their style of play being imposed on the team.

Koeman certainly says all the right things in respect of our performances and what we need as a team which is encouraging.

He does close down and he is aggressive, can't dispute that.

His stand out moment in an Everton shirt for me was against Spurs, he attempts a 20-30 yard pass. It how straight to a white shirt, he chases down the man with the ball with real aggression, puts in a brilliant tackle to win the ball back. He turns to play a short pass, for straight to another white shirt. It typified him in that minute for me.

 

Can't fault his attitude, but lacks a lot of quality for me.

That's how I remember him to. The other thing is that when he goes charging at the player after giving the ball away, if he doesn't make the tackle, there is a massive hole behind him and we are completely exposed.

Neither him nor Gana should be tasked with trying to score or create goals. They can get box to box for around the box arriving late but you don't want them to be a creative part of your side.

 

Agree with this. Currently, there is no press up front. I only see the games on TV (and the camera is a ball watcher) but I have watched Rom carefully and when defenders are in possession, he makes a show of running towards them but after about three paces he stops and either stands still or ambles another few paces.

We need someone up front with him to pressure defenders and encourage Rom to do likewise. He might well respond to a bit of help.

To be honest there is little press from anyone. The odd one or two but not as a team as it should be.

Regardless Lukaku is never going to do it that well and given Koeman's comments he won't be dropped so it wouldn't matter even if we had the duracell bunny on the bench.

<lumps on at over 4.5 goals>

Haha sounds about right!

Southampton don't really score and don't really concede too many chances either. Has 0-0 written all over it!

Lots of attempted forward passes, lots of lost possession.

I agree.

I think it's FAR too early to be judging him or moaning. I get the worries over his comments and stuff but not the way we're playing. He's going to need 2-3 full seasons and backing in the transfer market first.

He will be at Barcelona or Arsenal by then

We only brought in Williams who is "older", and that was to bring some stability to a shite defence. Barry was brought in to do the same in the midfield when RM came in and Moyes did it several times to address problem areas.

 

I really don't see what the worry is

Because it wasn't just Williams.

We sold Stones, one of our youngest first teamers, and brought in 2 30+ year olds into the starting 11, and another two 27 year olds.

I think that is more of the problem. Bobby brought in Lukaku, Robles, Mccarthy Gerry and Barkley/Stones through to balance the age and experience of Kone, Alcaraz and Barry.

Yet again though it's only year 1 so plenty can change next summer or possibly in January.

Sigurdson throws himself to floor as Jags is alongside him. To pulling, no kicking and no foul. There will be 100+ instances in the game where there was more contact and fouls weren't given, especially at corners and goal kicks.

He should be 4th in line through the middle behind Barry, Gueye and Jimmy. Given that Jimmy has always needed games to get back to his best then Davies should have had more or a chance by now.