Tactical ineptitude

[Max Headroom]

I have to say that I am completely staggered by the lack of tactical ability from Kit

1. The starting line up included five players (Turner, Richards, Guthrie, Ruiz, and Rodellega) who won't be there next season.
2. 3-1 up with them down to ten men and we didn't press the destroy button. Perfect opportunity to have Roberts run at them.
3. What did Smith do to deserve to be dropped for Rodellega, who did nothing to impress.
4. I don't get Kavanagh and Tunnicliffe in midfield. Our woeful defending comes from a woeful midfield.
5. Ruiz was the class act on the pitch. Why has he not been starting and why was he taken off today when the game was opening up. A type of game that suits him.
6. Bettinelli had a mare, particularly for their third. But I will forgive him as he has saved us too often this season.
7. No subs apart from Guthrie who was about to be sent off until very late in the game.
8. No animation or coaching at all fro Symins during the game.
9. The midfield has been our problem this season, not stopping their midfield running forward making our defence look bad, and also no movement meaning all the dance can do is lump the ball forward.
10. How come when we are 3-1 up we still play with no confidence.
11. Why Hoogland ahead of Grimmer?
12. Their left back was sent off. We are winning 3-1. We have a fantastically talented right winger on the bench. 1+1 = lets play it safe.
13. At least today we only picked 8 defensive players rather than 9.....

Today was much better, but we are safe and we should have given some youngsters ago. What about Plumain? Roberts? Even Evans at left back. No adventure. Very conservative. Shame on you.

I say this cos I love Fulham. Today's game was incredibly exciting, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but next season I want us to go up!

[Fulham1959]

Gaudeamus igitur.

[ChesterTheTabby]

Even when we beat a team that is a few points from automatic promotion an we are down near the bottom, you still find 13 things to moan about? Max I am a huge fan of yours but how can you be this critical on our final home game of the season? The boys saw the fans off with a victory, enough said.

[Baszab]

this thread should be locked - it's meant to be a wind-up

[snarks]

Oh joy a negative thread, that makes a change.

[WestCountryWhite]

this thread should be locked - it's meant to be a wind-up

Hello
Hello is that pot
Yeah
Hi pot it's kettle

[Domino1879]

Don't let the result fool you.  We shipped another 3 goals, two when they had 10 men.  Papering over the cracks. Poor decision making by players gave the ball away far too often.

[Lighthouse]

Don't let the result fool you.  We shipped another 3 goals, two when they had 10 men.  Papering over the cracks. Poor decision making by players gave the ball away far too often.

Plus some poor keeping by Betts. However it was a great result and good performance going forward. So not fooled but make the best of another undefeated game.

[Wearethewhites]

this thread should be locked - it's meant to be a wind-up

Not as much as yours though.

[terryr]

We passed back to the keeper 16 times today.
Boro passed back 3 times
Some of our players only know one direction.
Our backs are dire and we ship goals when we should be comfortably rolling home.
The game was exciting. No question and I really enjoyed myself. However the tactical failings were glaring as they have been most of the season. Smith should have started and we should have changed things around in the last 10 minutes. There still isn't a plan B and Managers need to switch things around to win games.

[Max Headroom]

It's not a wind up. We were infinitely better today than we have been for a long time. But a manager needs to get his players playing well when it's needed, not when there is no pressure.

We were negative, and the wrong team was picked yet again.

I am usually upbeat in my postings, but I'm afraid I'm no longer a fan of Kit's and his zero tactical nouse.

I form my opinions over a long period of time. I don't change them every week depending on whether we have won or lost that week.

[Andy S]

I agree. Nobody wants to be negative but why were we hanging on in the end? The fourth goal was because they left themselves open while going for the winner. We should have been able to finish them off after the sending off. They must have been very disappointed to concede that last goal giving them nothing from the game. Having said that though we played well for most of the game against a team that has been up the top all season. We also have gone 5 games unbeaten. Always good in the premier league and a good result to end our season at home

[Max Headroom]

We were discussing how many new players we needed to challenge for promotion next season. I said LVC back, two of Hyndman, Roberts or Williams to kick on, another central midfielder and confidence. We have the players to do well. Just lacking in confidence.

[mikestrand]

our glorious unbeaten run included 2 teams with nothing to play for, huddersfield and blackpool and draws against 2 teams below us in the table wigan and Rotherham
Today's win though creditable was against a team under pressure to win who went down to ten men, while we had no pressure to get a result. Make of these facts what you will.

[cmg]

our glorious unbeaten run included 2 teams with nothing to play for, huddersfield and blackpool and draws against 2 teams below us in the table wigan and Rotherham
Today's win though creditable was against a team under pressure to win who went down to ten men, while we had no pressure to get a result. Make of these facts what you will.

So we played 2 teams with nothing to play for and 3 teams with plenty to play for. Would that be an accurate summary of events?

Middlesbrough played a team with 'nothing to play for' today. How did that one work out?

[..FOF..]

3. What did Smith do to deserve to be dropped for Rodellega, who did nothing to impress.

It was mentioned elsewhere that Smith had a knock and was not 100%.

I'm not saying that this is true but it could be a possibility so I stopped reading when I saw point number 3.

[mikestrand]

our glorious unbeaten run included 2 teams with nothing to play for, huddersfield and blackpool and draws against 2 teams below us in the table wigan and Rotherham
Today's win though creditable was against a team under pressure to win who went down to ten men, while we had no pressure to get a result. Make of these facts what you will.

So we played 2 teams with nothing to play for and 3 teams with plenty to play for. Would that be an accurate summary of events?

Middlesbrough played a team with 'nothing to play for' today. How did that one work out?

That's about right  boro folded under the pressure today
sometimes that happens.

[Nero]

you forgot point 14, we would have crumble even more if banford hadnt have missed the open goal he had at 3-3 and manged to lose to 10 men after being 3-1 up,

[Southcoastffc]

Look, Kit Symons inherited a club/squad in pretty much total disarray.  If you factor the games he's managed and apply it across the season we would now be in 10th place with 60 points.  That's not at all bad for a rookie manager and an unbalanced bunch of players.

[JDH101]

We were discussing how many new players we needed to challenge for promotion next season. I said LVC back, two of Hyndman, Roberts or Williams to kick on, another central midfielder and confidence. We have the players to do well. Just lacking in confidence.

This is a joke right? We need an entire new back four and an entire new midfield.