Because of, or despite Ranieri

[Whitesideup]

Our second half performance .. can we credit Ranieri for inspired changes and the football we played in the second half?

We abandoned the five man defence with Chambers making it 6 at times. Clearly that was Ranieri's decision ... but forced by the scoreline.

But the football played was Joka-esk. We built from the back and played the ball through the midfield and pushed players on to support Mitro. The longer, quicker pass favoured by Ranieri was nowhere to be seen. Rather than this being a coach-inspired tactic, was this simply the way Cearney and Seri determined that we play? They demanded the ball from the defenders and were quite happy to play a bit of keep ball with some great, crisp one and two-touch passing.

On the other hand, it is quite possible that Ranieri looked at the normally pretty effective giants at the back for Brighton, and decided that hitting the ball long, especially up to an isolated Mitrovic, was going to just hand possession back, so instructed them to play around them rather than through them, playing with a bit more patience than pace. 

I sincerely hope it was the latter !!  Whichever .. it was great !!

[fulhamben]

Think you have to praise him from rectifying his mistake. The question is will he repeat the same mistake again tomorrow

[Bracken White]

I think Seri improved when Cairney partnered him & totally wrong that the latter wasn't in the starting line-up.
The change was brought on by circumstances but at least Ranieri was decisive & made the substitution early - tough on Ream.
Ranieri plain & simply MUST play his best players & sadly that doesn't include Schurrle ... Sessegnon can always make something happen, whether a decisive pass or being in the right place, right time in the box - just a natural.
Have been impressed by Babel's contribution, a thinking footballer with talent - something that may not be highlighted by stats - which are not the be all & end all.
If Markovic will complement Mitrovic, then A1 ... plus if Nordtveit lives up to the accord given by Hangeland, then he could be a positive, too.
Not interested in anyone who is not ready to fight for FFC & doesn't want to be here. I think we tarried too long & should have looked at alternatives far earlier.
But here we are - we have showed we can play & we need to retain that intensity & passion as we go forward, match on match. If we do, we can upset anyone - but the bottom line is, the Manager MUST play our best footballers.

[howitis]

100% despite

[john dempsey]

think ranieri is building team spirit
after jokanovic;s disastrous start to season

[Roberty]

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

SJ has gone - gone - gone - not the result we wanted for last seasons hero - but football is a results game and although the rewards are high the price of failure is too.

We now have a new King and what happens on the pitch is his responsibility - it will also be his fault is we fail to stay up.

As supporters of this fine club - we should be encouraging the team and that includes the new King - the spirit shown in the Brighton game should give us all hope and it certainly displays a degree of collective endeavour that we have not seen since our long unbeaten run last season.

[ffc73]

100% despite

:plus one: also thought TC's post match comments about playing football were quite pointed.  Reminiscent of the Hodgson players -v- Mark Hughes philosophy

Bottom line is I will accept CR's appointment as being the right one if he achieves his one objective, keeping us up.

[toshes mate]

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

I really don't think this is about Jokanovic v. Ranieri, and I don't think the suggestion of possession and passing football reminiscent of SJ in the second half is accurate either.  I think the team mixed it up.  The initial substitution didn't work although we had chances since Brighton were wasteful too and could easily have scored a third.  My own view is that the players took matters into their own hands because of the second substitution which may be because the eleven on the pitch were on the same wavelength by crazy coincidence.  I also thought Brighton has the belief the game was already won and Chambers's goal changed that in the best way possible.

And so I don't think the second half was down to Ranieri but down to the mix on the pitch.  It worked in that one game and worked really well because there is a lot of anger and frustration waiting to be vented from many of the players who played Tuesday night.  And I think Babel may be having an effect in training and the dressing room too.  Strange how things work out sometimes.

[Roberty]

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

I really don't think this is about Jokanovic v. Ranieri, and I don't think the suggestion of possession and passing football reminiscent of SJ in the second half is accurate either.  I think the team mixed it up.  The initial substitution didn't work although we had chances since Brighton were wasteful too and could easily have scored a third.  My own view is that the players took matters into their own hands because of the second substitution which may be because the eleven on the pitch were on the same wavelength by crazy coincidence.  I also thought Brighton has the belief the game was already won and Chambers's goal changed that in the best way possible.

And so I don't think the second half was down to Ranieri but down to the mix on the pitch.  It worked in that one game and worked really well because there is a lot of anger and frustration waiting to be vented from many of the players who played Tuesday night.  And I think Babel may be having an effect in training and the dressing room too.  Strange how things work out sometimes.

Given what happened to AK following the penalty incident - I think the team will be playing the way they are told to and I doubt that they are going to freestyle.

The substitutions were made by him and since the first was to take off Ream - it was obviously that at they were instructed to play in a different way at that point.

Accidental and coincidental are not words to describe CR's style - he's well known for being a meticulous and detailed planner

[nose returns]

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

I really don't think this is about Jokanovic v. Ranieri, and I don't think the suggestion of possession and passing football reminiscent of SJ in the second half is accurate either.  I think the team mixed it up.  The initial substitution didn't work although we had chances since Brighton were wasteful too and could easily have scored a third.  My own view is that the players took matters into their own hands because of the second substitution which may be because the eleven on the pitch were on the same wavelength by crazy coincidence.  I also thought Brighton has the belief the game was already won and Chambers's goal changed that in the best way possible.

And so I don't think the second half was down to Ranieri but down to the mix on the pitch.  It worked in that one game and worked really well because there is a lot of anger and frustration waiting to be vented from many of the players who played Tuesday night.  And I think Babel may be having an effect in training and the dressing room too.  Strange how things work out sometimes.

itend to agree with you. it was clear that CR wanted TC out wide and unable to influence the game and it was clear TC came central at every conceivable opportunity. i think the players took control in the second half. there is no doubt in my mind, it was happened in the world cup to robson when he was failing miserably and the plaers changed the style and he got the credit.

now in the evening standard the other day TC is featured and what he says is stunning. he says we have to play a passing game we cannpt sit back and try and defend or out muscle teams necause we are neither big enough or strong enough but he says we are good ennough when keeping it on the floor, moving it quickly  and attacking. It was seem to me this shows there is friction in the dressing room because the manager does not want to play that way despite us being incapable of playing the defensive style. i suspect that is the truth of why TC has been marginalised. peronally I would have prefered a different manager and this one totally fills me with dread but if he is willing to play attacking passing football, we yet survive...anything else is suicide.

tomorrows startin 11 will speak volumes about whether CR is as poor as branfoot or whether he is a pragmatit and willing to change.

TC is and remains our most influential player, we should use him to best effect and the fact seri is so much better when TC plays central with him is testimony to that.

[I Ronic]

Roy rarely used a sub. if he did it was usually only for the dying last minutes. CD names a line up and the opposing team sets themselves up to deal with that. He'll bring on a sub early if he thinks it will change things.  On Tuesday night it worked in our favour. Mike Brearley, probably the greatest English Test captain treated his star players all differently. Some he treated with kid gloves others he was harsh with. In an effort to get the best from them.  Seri gets the kid gloves and TC gets the cold shoulder. It seems to be working out,

[nose returns]

Roy rarely used a sub. if he did it was usually only for the dying last minutes. CD names a line up and the opposing team sets themselves up to deal with that. He'll bring on a sub early if he thinks it will change things.  On Tuesday night it worked in our favour. Mike Brearley, probably the greatest English Test captain treated his star players all differently. Some he treated with kid gloves others he was harsh with. In an effort to get the best from them.  Seri gets the kid gloves and TC gets the cold shoulder. It seems to be working out,

Roy's use of substitutions used to annoy me however I agree with all you say save that he does not use TC enough and often in the correct position. we shall see toorrow what he does. i hope for everyobodys sake he starts with the finishing 11 against brighton (that means sess at LB not bryan).

[RaySmith]

The King is Dead - Long Live the King

SJ has gone - gone - gone - not the result we wanted for last seasons hero - but football is a results game and although the rewards are high the price of failure is too.

We now have a new King and what happens on the pitch is his responsibility - it will also be his fault is we fail to stay up.

As supporters of this fine club - we should be encouraging the team and that includes the new King - the spirit shown in the Brighton game should give us all hope and it certainly displays a degree of collective endeavour that we have not seen since our long unbeaten run last season.

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But I do think the team has ben building owards this with its attacking displays, but undermined by mistakes defending - as it was again last tuesday. but we were lucky , in a way we haven't been recently, to score early in the second half through mitro and  chambers skill and desire, and then we quite simply played brighton off the park, after looking completely lost in the first half.

CR is the blimmin' manager - of course he is responsible for the way the team play, and turned it round, but significantly, the players respondded with the great character and detrmination they have shown in recent games, and it's this that could save us, and even our new signings could prove astute - playerswith somethingto prove, rather than top players seeing out their careers for a fat wage packet.