An alternative view on the start of the season

[Joe McDonald]

Game 1.
The team battled well in their opening game of the season and came away with an away win, players orking hard for oneanother in keeping a clean sheet.  Given all the comments over the years regarding our terrible away form I was delighted with 3pts away from home to kick the season off.

Game 2.
We got hit on the counter attack by a team that has been in the Champions League for the last 16 years. 16 years!  Can you remember where we were 16 years go?  We selected a team that wanted to try and attack, at home as we should, and got picked off by a quick team know for it's quality passing game.  No shame their.

Game 3.
Away again in the cup to lower league opposition.  They are always going to make it hard for a so called big team, a chance to take a scalp.  Yes, we probaly should make it easier forourselves, but don't underestimate the desire of the opposition players to make a name for themselves.  But, we got hrough in the end, we're in the draw for the next round - let's see what happens against an Everton side that could be about to lose their two most influential players (Baines and Fellaini) and with that an impact on their playing style.



It really isn't all doom and gloom.  Here's hoping for another 3pts from the northeast this weekend!
COYWs

Ok...

Game 4.
Really negative game, set out not to lose, like we've done away from home for the last however many seasons, although looked reasonably solid in holding out until we got picked off by Hatem Ben Arfa, who was relentless against Riise.  There should've been way more cover, from the winger/centre mid, to help out as it was clear what was being set up in that corner of St James' Park.  Would've been a hard fought point.

Game 5.
Signs of real improvement and the statistics don't really do the team justice, showing just 2 shots on target.  We hit the woodwork, had 3 goals ruled out for off-side.  I feel things are starting to click in terms of attacking, however our inability to close games out is a real concern if we aren't going to be scoring a hat load of goals we need to defend much, better.  There is no way an opposition centre back should be allowed an uncontested run at a corner delivery - have a winger/striker on the edge of the box, to make it awkward and Hangeland has to start further out to avoid getting caught underneath the flight of the ball.

Really want the three points this weekend!!!
COYWs

[nose]

well put, and a very good positive spin
but the truth is we got away with it at sunderland and never really deserved anything at all. We were shown up for what we are by arsenal who had a very shaky defence that we didn't exploit. And Burton was terrible.

For me the key matter is getting the performance right and results will follow. What we have is poor performances and been lucky, when the luck runs out we are in big trouble if this continues.

[Walsh]

you should keep this thread going and update it after every match :)

[Jimpav]

Although I appreciate your attempt at keeping the mood positive your arguments are a little flimsy.

Yes- Arsenal have been in the Champions league for 16 years running but we have beaten them on a number of occasions in recent years. It's also worth noting that our European final was only 3 years ago where as there's was 7.

The above points are equally light weight though. The fact is Arsenals squad is very weak at the moment - they had a number of injuries to their first choice team. They had also played mid week and had another midweek fixture to come. Not only this but having been trounced by Villa they had their own fans on their back and would have imploded had we have taken the lead. By the time we had taken the initiative it was too late.

We utterly dominated Burton for the majority of the match but could not do anything with all the possession we had. You expect a fight from lower league sides but it should not have gone to penalties. Sunderland were 2-0 down but came back to win 4-2. Liverpool were also able to kill the game off once it went to Extra time. It's not the result that is upsetting people on here - it is the way we play. We didn't make enough opportunities- let alone take them. We were playing our full strength side and had the firepower to put the game to bed but didn't.

Sunderland was a positive and if we can replicate that against Newcastle then Jol will buy himself a bit more time.

I've been pleased to see some new faces in the side but would like to see the tactics change also.

[horse1031]

Although I appreciate your attempt at keeping the mood positive your arguments are a little flimsy.

Yes- Arsenal have been in the Champions league for 16 years running but we have beaten them on a number of occasions in recent years. It's also worth noting that our European final was only 3 years ago where as there's was 7.

The above points are equally light weight though. The fact is Arsenals squad is very weak at the moment - they had a number of injuries to their first choice team. They had also played mid week and had another midweek fixture to come. Not only this but having been trounced by Villa they had their own fans on their back and would have imploded had we have taken the lead. By the time we had taken the initiative it was too late.

We utterly dominated Burton for the majority of the match but could not do anything with all the possession we had. You expect a fight from lower league sides but it should not have gone to penalties. Sunderland were 2-0 down but came back to win 4-2. Liverpool were also able to kill the game off once it went to Extra time. It's not the result that is upsetting people on here - it is the way we play. We didn't make enough opportunities- let alone take them. We were playing our full strength side and had the firepower to put the game to bed but didn't.

Sunderland was a positive and if we can replicate that against Newcastle then Jol will buy himself a bit more time.

I've been pleased to see some new faces in the side but would like to see the tactics change also.

Arsenals team is very weak?  Giroud, Podolski, Walcott, Ramsey, Gibbs, Cazorla...  This team will get them out of the group stages of the champions league.

I agree the tactics need to change.  Give the man 5 games to gel the team, if they are still running around with no idea of what is going on then I am going to start to really worry.

[Denver Fulham]

Too many people fixate on the result at Sunderland as evidence that we did something right. Had we lost 1-0, which was much the fairer result if anyone had to win that match, the entire board would have (rightly) been ripping yet another impotent away performance. One shot??

Then we lost for the fifth straight match at home, four of those which have been by two or three goals. Then we nearly lost at a fourth-division side with our best team aside from Berba.

I honestly don't see how anything about the start of this season has been positive. We have pretty much sucked since we returned from Austria's training camp, and the longer-term trend is not good.

[RaySmith]

I disagree Denver - I foresee a very positive  season ahead as our new signings bed in.

[F(f)CUK]

Cannot wait for Game 36 - we were able to hold the mighty Hull to just a one goal defeat. Got to be one of our best games of the season so far - we even had a shot.

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

I disagree Denver - I foresee a very positive  season ahead as our new signings bed in.

Oh please Ray don't wish this lot to "bed in" together

We can ill afford red tabloid heading & coverage of the antics if our guys get up to that sort of thing

Team bonding yes - but nothing else pleez!

[RaySmith]

Game 1.
The team battled well in their opening game of the season and came away with an away win, players orking hard for oneanother in keeping a clean sheet.  Given all the comments over the years regarding our terrible away form I was delighted with 3pts away from home to kick the season off.

Game 2.
We got hit on the counter attack by a team that has been in the Champions League for the last 16 years. 16 years!  Can you remember where we were 16 years go?  We selected a team that wanted to try and attack, at home as we should, and got picked off by a quick team know for it's quality passing game.  No shame their.

Game 3.
Away again in the cup to lower league opposition.  They are always going to make it hard for a so called big team, a chance to take a scalp.  Yes, we probaly should make it easier forourselves, but don't underestimate the desire of the opposition players to make a name for themselves.  But, we got hrough in the end, we're in the draw for the next round - let's see what happens against an Everton side that could be about to lose their two most influential players (Baines and Fellaini) and with that an impact on their playing style.



It really isn't all doom and gloom.  Here's hoping for another 3pts from the northeast this weekend!
COYWs

  0001.jpeg

[Andy S]

Well said Joe. Lets be honest about this because it has happened to all teams from time to time You don't always get what you deserve in this game but if you play till the end as the big clubs do sometimes you can grab a goal in the latter stages of a game. I don't really understand the use of stats as the only one that counts is whether you have scored more than your opponents

[Enter the Frei]

Too many people fixate on the result at Sunderland as evidence that we did something right. Had we lost 1-0, which was much the fairer result if anyone had to win that match, the entire board would have (rightly) been ripping yet another impotent away performance. One shot??

That's the fine lines of football though. We restricted their chances and took the one that came our way. No matter what way you look at it we actually defended very well that game and were full value for the 3 points IMO.

[kempkong]

I agree with everyone's concerns but before the season started how many points did people expect from our first 3 games?
Personally I would have been happy with 3/4 so if we can get a point on Saturday that will do.

[Roberty]

well put, and a very good positive spin
but the truth is we got away with it at sunderland and never really deserved anything at all. We were shown up for what we are by arsenal who had a very shaky defence that we didn't exploit. And Burton was terrible.

For me the key matter is getting the performance right and results will follow. What we have is poor performances and been lucky, when the luck runs out we are in big trouble if this continues.

ZZZzzzzzzzzz

Do you ever have anything good to say?

If they get the performance right and the results don't follow - what then?

I don't think pretty football and relegation is going to be an attractive proposition for anyone here.

Better that we "win ugly" or as you would put it "have some luck" because at the end of the season it will be the result that counts not the performance.

[Skatzoffc]

In truth Sunderland only had three shots on target. All the others were high, wide and handsome. So I believe we deserved the result. Defended well and took our chance. Arsenal didn't have many chances but took almost every one.  You can't just create chances, you need to take them. Also, in the Arsenal game we had 2 Debut players and a 21 year old making only his 2nd PL start. A bit more time and we'll be fine. Coyw

[Roberty]

Too many people fixate on the result at Sunderland as evidence that we did something right. Had we lost 1-0, which was much the fairer result if anyone had to win that match, the entire board would have (rightly) been ripping yet another impotent away performance. One shot??

Then we lost for the fifth straight match at home, four of those which have been by two or three goals. Then we nearly lost at a fourth-division side with our best team aside from Berba.

I honestly don't see how anything about the start of this season has been positive. We have pretty much sucked since we returned from Austria's training camp, and the longer-term trend is not good.

We didn't loose. They did not score, so one shot was enough to win the game.

In is the result that will count at the end of the season, not the performance.

[FFC1987]

'Get the performances right, and the results will follow.'

Just ask Blackpool if that's true. To even say we didn't deserve the points is nonsense and very short sighted. We clearly did enough to merit it and bringing luck into the argument is foolish.

The fact is, from 3 games we haven't been playing well but managed to grind out a cup win (regardless of opposition, its still progression in the cup), get battered by a team which really, we should have lost to but the lack of performance is the concern there. (Arsenal, have no become a bad team over night, Villa was both a bad performance and unlucky that decisions didn't go there way) And to finish, a decent clean sheet away from home with 3 points to suit, BUT with a lacking performance.

The old saying goes, good teams pick up points when there playing badly, nothing is more prominent here. Limited, as its after 3 fixtures but still prominent. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been impressed and will re-evaluate by end of October but still, it could be far worse.

[Joe McDonald]

you should keep this thread going and update it after every match :)

bumped

[chiswickfulham]

Can we get behind the team at Chelsea?  I really dont see how silence at the game or booing helps. We were too quiet at the WBA game. The team need the support. Last season at the Bridge was a party. Lets repeat that and get 3 points.

[Fulham76]

Game 1.
The team battled well in their opening game of the season and came away with an away win, players orking hard for oneanother in keeping a clean sheet.  Given all the comments over the years regarding our terrible away form I was delighted with 3pts away from home to kick the season off.

Game 2.
We got hit on the counter attack by a team that has been in the Champions League for the last 16 years. 16 years!  Can you remember where we were 16 years go?  We selected a team that wanted to try and attack, at home as we should, and got picked off by a quick team know for it's quality passing game.  No shame their.

Game 3.
Away again in the cup to lower league opposition.  They are always going to make it hard for a so called big team, a chance to take a scalp.  Yes, we probaly should make it easier forourselves, but don't underestimate the desire of the opposition players to make a name for themselves.  But, we got hrough in the end, we're in the draw for the next round - let's see what happens against an Everton side that could be about to lose their two most influential players (Baines and Fellaini) and with that an impact on their playing style.



It really isn't all doom and gloom.  Here's hoping for another 3pts from the northeast this weekend!
COYWs

Ok...

Game 4.
Really negative game, set out not to lose, like we've done away from home for the last however many seasons, although looked reasonably solid in holding out until we got picked off by Hatem Ben Arfa, who was relentless against Riise.  There should've been way more cover, from the winger/centre mid, to help out as it was clear what was being set up in that corner of St James' Park.  Would've been a hard fought point.

Game 5.
Signs of real improvement and the statistics don't really do the team justice, showing just 2 shots on target.  We hit the woodwork, had 3 goals ruled out for off-side.  I feel things are starting to click in terms of attacking, however our inability to close games out is a real concern if we aren't going to be scoring a hat load of goals we need to defend much, better.  There is no way an opposition centre back should be allowed an uncontested run at a corner delivery - have a winger/striker on the edge of the box, to make it awkward and Hangeland has to start further out to avoid getting caught underneath the flight of the ball.

Really want the three points this weekend!!!
COYWs

Game 6.
What a whipping we took...  :012: