Psh, loads on here were saying that appointing Flores was the nail in our coffin and cost us our PL place - you're not allowed to temper any of the derision and doom and gloom with sensible observations like that.
More big team bias here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-51586060 Man Utd getting all the credit for having OAP mascots for the game yesterday. Surely that's nothing compared to our commitment to awarding contracts to and playing OAPs?
No, not off my head. Each to his own opinion but in my view we weren't the better side until the non-equaliser, far from it, despite Man U laying some chances on a plate for us. Some of the team had competed better and won the ball in promising positions in the first half but most of the moves broke down with poor passing and limited urgency. For their part, United had got into very promising positions due to our backing off and clearing the ball aimlessly if we won it back. Dawson had been targeted and without any protection (are you there Maxi?) was hitting reverse gear as James and co sprinted into our penalty area. The fact that Man U didn't take advantage before the penalty was staggering. My 'spineless' remark about the team is because I know that we do have far greater quality and Premier/International experience which some of the team simply didn't show yesterday. Yes I've seen lots of poor performances over the years, like us all. Some you can forgive, some are unforgivable. Yesterday I'd say was one of the latter. I have watched the team a lot over the years and seen far more limited Watford teams than our current one compete even at Old Trafford, including Stewart Scullion thumping one in from a mile out in the 2nd or 3rd minute for us 3rd Division journeymen against the then European Champions (Best, Law, Charlton etc plus Carlo Sartori and Jimmy Rimmer, must have been early rotation!), about the same time Troy was dithering yesterday. And I certainly don't think Deeney was the worst culprit yesterday either.
He did work on defensive organisation ahead of attacking as we saw in those 0-0 draws at home that many fans cheered and clapped enthusiastically. At least he knew we had **** all down the right.
I think the QSF defensive improvements had worn off long before he got the tin tack. I saw the point of building a solid foundation and was one of the few who wasn't that critical of our negative display against Sheff Utd to stop the rot. I had hoped that a couple of clean sheets would give us something to build on. As it was, it wasn't to be and before long, we were conceding lots again and the exact same frailties as we continue to see now persisted - defensive lapses, failure to take chances, terrible set pieces, vulnerable mentality. We just have a weak minded squad who lack concentration or any cutting edge. Looking back now to December, it seems amazing that we actually won a few games. We'd be dead and buried now, as we probably deserve, without that outlying patch of form.
Exactly this; we weren't any better defensively, we just had more players defending. We still conceded goals and we still lost most of the time. If anything Pearson improved the defence when he came in, but that was clearly as much about the motivation and hunger as anything else, and the minute that fell by the wayside/was overruled by our astonishingly fragile mentality being dealt a blow its effect melted into the ether.
Plenty of the midfield:forwards will be picked up. Pereyra is already off - his performances in the next 10 games are irrelevant. They have enough credit in the bank to secure moves.
Pereyra is a crippling weakness in this side at the moment. No pace on the break, consistently poor decisions and doesn't help the defence. Sarr might switch off occasionally as he's not defensively minded but he works his nuts off. At one point on Sunday, Pereyra tried to go between two defenders and lost the ball. Just shrugged his shoulders and shuffled back as a dangerous break went on ahead of him. Sarr put himself out for weeks by chasing back to recover the ball against Spurs.
I’ve forgotten the game already, but it was worth going purely for the privilege of paying tribute to Harry Gregg: a true hero.