Plymouth fans are glad we have been promoted as they won't have to come to AP next season. But I thought most of them said they would never come back anyway.
I have been exasperated with time-wasting in patches it is true...but the idea that we watch tedious football from appalling players every week is ridiculous. People really would not pay to see it and results would not speak for themselves. We've been promoted twice in three seasons and whatever people think about styles, possession and set-piece goals, it cannot all be down to cheating and conning officials.
The best comment was when Che stirred it up on the Oxford forum saying how we must have had an exceptional amount of luck all season to get the results we had. And obviously go up!
To summarise, they have pinpointed the following areas for improvement:
A more reliable defence,
Quicker players
Better CFs who score more goals
Pretty groundbreaking stuff.
This week it’s been great to see Gaz & Dobbo get the praise they deserve for the superb man management job that they have done. Football snobbery is still rife but this achievement makes a mockery of it.
I wasn't really convinced that anyone at Sunderland gets it at all. It was all about buying the right players and adopting the right tactics on the pitch. It is much more than that.
At WWFC, when it became inevitable that a buyer was needed, the Trust held out for the right buyer, and in IMO found him. He, in turn, not only bought into the club, he bought into the atmosphere of the club. He backed the manager. The manager selects his staff and players as much on character as on ability. He backs them, they back him and each other. It is about everyone working together and pulling in the same direction. All that is in place before a player sets foot on the pitch, or a ball is kicked. The fans (or at least the vast majority) buy into that.
Sunderland by comparison is a basketcase. It is not about the size of the stadium/wallet/ego, or where the club thinks it belongs.
It can't just be bought, it has to be built.
The man at the centre of what WWFC have achieved is Gareth Ainsworth.
Wycombe, with their band of .....
undeniably committed players, sealed promotion to the second tier for the first time in their history. They doubtless don’t give a fig how it was achieved, simply that they’ve delivered Championship football to Adams Park, and their more illustrious rivals, ourselves included, have been left to stew, many of us seething at what we see as an injustice served up by the EFL.
I'd say he did "get it". Even if he didn't get how much was down to the philosophy and mentality adopted by GA, Dobbo and the team.
Exactly the same stat in the Arsenal-Man City semi-final. Commentators said it showed it's what you do with the ball when you do have it rather than how often you have it.
People seem to think unfairly we are only about hard work , togetherness and organisation, but FFS if your team isn't hard working or organised what are your management team and coaches doing all day, other than pissing money away on overrated players that they won't get the best out of. This is what Soonderland and others need too, but still don't quite get.
Roy Keane said on a few occasions ( I know he normally talks rubbish but he had a point) that he didn't like it when people commented that he was a hard worker or had run around a lot as that's the basic anyone should be doing, then judge him on how he actually played.
@StrongestTeam indeed. Have the established spine of a team, move people on when needs be, bring people in who you hope will fit the mould while adding something extra...if they do doubles all round if not move them on again. I think people like Smyth, Mascoll and Parker could all have done a job, but they could not push out the regulars. As for Keano, give me a wild eyed loony pundit over Jenas, Murphy et al every time.!
I don't mind Jermaine, but I find him a bit dull...but I do prefer him to the 'hilarious' laughing boy that is Micah Richards as the new kid on the pundit block. He looks like he's realised he's getting paid money for rope. Although Keano's reaction to his 'when I burst onto the scene' statement on Sky was priceless.
When Leicester won the PL, their lack of posession in matches and long balls to Vardy were hailed as a tactical masterstroke from Ranieri. It seems the way teams are judged for successfuly employing such tactics very much depends on what level they do it at. Premier League? Astute genius of a manager. League One? Crap hoofball pub team. I hope teams in the Championship underestimate us the same way Leagues One and Two did. As for Sunderland, maybe they should try being a crap hoofball pub team themselves, as they clearly aren’t good enough to pull off the tippy-tappy total football they aspire to.
@Jonny_King said:
It seems the way teams are judged for successfuly employing such tactics very much depends on what level they do it at. Premier League? Astute genius of a manager. League One? Crap hoofball pub team.
You say that, but Rotherham are just as 'hoofy' as us and don't attract any snobbery. Their own manager was even turning his nose up at our approach in the second leg of the semis.
@Jonny_King said:
It seems the way teams are judged for successfuly employing such tactics very much depends on what level they do it at. Premier League? Astute genius of a manager. League One? Crap hoofball pub team.
You say that, but Rotherham are just as 'hoofy' as us and don't attract any snobbery. Their own manager was even turning his nose up at our approach in the second leg of the semis.
Jenas is just about bearable now that he's had some media training. When he first started appearing on MotD he would bookend every single sentence with "to be honest with you" or "to tell you the truth".
I would much rather have some bloke from the pub punditing than an ex-pro who can't form sentences. Although lately, Graeme Souness has been doing a very good impression of someone they just pulled from under the table at the nearest 'spoons.
@Jonny_King said:
It seems the way teams are judged for successfuly employing such tactics very much depends on what level they do it at. Premier League? Astute genius of a manager. League One? Crap hoofball pub team.
You say that, but Rotherham are just as 'hoofy' as us and don't attract any snobbery. Their own manager was even turning his nose up at our approach in the second leg of the semis.
And did rather well out of PPG ...
Yep, Rotherham must have thanked their lucky stars about our whole 8th to 3rd business, as it almost totally took the heat off them. They were never coming top 2 and everyone knew it.
@drcongo said:
Jenas is just about bearable now that he's had some media training. When he first started appearing on MotD he would bookend every single sentence with "to be honest with you" or "to tell you the truth".
I would much rather have some bloke from the pub punditing than an ex-pro who can't form sentences. Although lately, Graeme Souness has been doing a very good impression of someone they just pulled from under the table at the nearest 'spoons.
Those examples you mention are annoying.
I hate the pundits that keep saying "Listen", like Paul Ince.
We are bloody doing!
And the ones who say an opinion "for me". They're being asked, we're listening to them reply, we know it's their opinion, and not say, their mate's one!
I am dreading the day that we are relegated because the judges hold up cards that gives us low points for style.
What's that? Football is still decided on who scores the most goals? That is a relief! I must have got it mixed up with ice skating for a minute there.
Comments
Plymouth fans are glad we have been promoted as they won't have to come to AP next season. But I thought most of them said they would never come back anyway.
I read these perceptions from some rival fans, and think, are we actually "that" aggressive and physical?
We work hard, and we have committed players, but that's not exactly old school Wimbledon is it?!
The word I always think of for us is actually 'tenacious'.
I have been exasperated with time-wasting in patches it is true...but the idea that we watch tedious football from appalling players every week is ridiculous. People really would not pay to see it and results would not speak for themselves. We've been promoted twice in three seasons and whatever people think about styles, possession and set-piece goals, it cannot all be down to cheating and conning officials.
I mean... We commit the fourth most fouls in the league but rank very low for cards.
Also got to remember fouls figures will be skewed because of how often Bayo gets unfairly penalised.
The best comment was when Che stirred it up on the Oxford forum saying how we must have had an exceptional amount of luck all season to get the results we had. And obviously go up!
Also, Sunderland under Parkinson have been pretty direct...
Sunderland should definitely try to win a few more games. If they’d tried that this season they would have been up.
May be worth dropping a note to the Peterborough owner with that suggestion. Not sure has realised that this season
To summarise, they have pinpointed the following areas for improvement:
A more reliable defence,
Quicker players
Better CFs who score more goals
Pretty groundbreaking stuff.
This week it’s been great to see Gaz & Dobbo get the praise they deserve for the superb man management job that they have done. Football snobbery is still rife but this achievement makes a mockery of it.
I’ve pointed this simple trick out to him already.
I wasn't really convinced that anyone at Sunderland gets it at all. It was all about buying the right players and adopting the right tactics on the pitch. It is much more than that.
At WWFC, when it became inevitable that a buyer was needed, the Trust held out for the right buyer, and in IMO found him. He, in turn, not only bought into the club, he bought into the atmosphere of the club. He backed the manager. The manager selects his staff and players as much on character as on ability. He backs them, they back him and each other. It is about everyone working together and pulling in the same direction. All that is in place before a player sets foot on the pitch, or a ball is kicked. The fans (or at least the vast majority) buy into that.
Sunderland by comparison is a basketcase. It is not about the size of the stadium/wallet/ego, or where the club thinks it belongs.
It can't just be bought, it has to be built.
The man at the centre of what WWFC have achieved is Gareth Ainsworth.
To the the extent that the writer made this point
Wycombe, with their band of .....
undeniably committed players, sealed promotion to the second tier for the first time in their history. They doubtless don’t give a fig how it was achieved, simply that they’ve delivered Championship football to Adams Park, and their more illustrious rivals, ourselves included, have been left to stew, many of us seething at what we see as an injustice served up by the EFL.
I'd say he did "get it". Even if he didn't get how much was down to the philosophy and mentality adopted by GA, Dobbo and the team.
Tottingham V Leicester City. Spurs had 29% of possession...won 3 - 0.
No mention of contrasting styles by pundits on that Sky.
Exactly the same stat in the Arsenal-Man City semi-final. Commentators said it showed it's what you do with the ball when you do have it rather than how often you have it.
Same for Arsenal wins over Man City and Liverpool.
Pretty passing, especially if sideways or backwards doesn’t win games.
People seem to think unfairly we are only about hard work , togetherness and organisation, but FFS if your team isn't hard working or organised what are your management team and coaches doing all day, other than pissing money away on overrated players that they won't get the best out of. This is what Soonderland and others need too, but still don't quite get.
Roy Keane said on a few occasions ( I know he normally talks rubbish but he had a point) that he didn't like it when people commented that he was a hard worker or had run around a lot as that's the basic anyone should be doing, then judge him on how he actually played.
@StrongestTeam indeed. Have the established spine of a team, move people on when needs be, bring people in who you hope will fit the mould while adding something extra...if they do doubles all round if not move them on again. I think people like Smyth, Mascoll and Parker could all have done a job, but they could not push out the regulars. As for Keano, give me a wild eyed loony pundit over Jenas, Murphy et al every time.!
I quite like Jenas @Wendoverman
Lee Henrie is becoming a good pundit IMO
I don't mind Jermaine, but I find him a bit dull...but I do prefer him to the 'hilarious' laughing boy that is Micah Richards as the new kid on the pundit block. He looks like he's realised he's getting paid money for rope. Although Keano's reaction to his 'when I burst onto the scene' statement on Sky was priceless.
When Leicester won the PL, their lack of posession in matches and long balls to Vardy were hailed as a tactical masterstroke from Ranieri. It seems the way teams are judged for successfuly employing such tactics very much depends on what level they do it at. Premier League? Astute genius of a manager. League One? Crap hoofball pub team. I hope teams in the Championship underestimate us the same way Leagues One and Two did. As for Sunderland, maybe they should try being a crap hoofball pub team themselves, as they clearly aren’t good enough to pull off the tippy-tappy total football they aspire to.
You say that, but Rotherham are just as 'hoofy' as us and don't attract any snobbery. Their own manager was even turning his nose up at our approach in the second leg of the semis.
And did rather well out of PPG ...
I posted something like this during the season, but here's a more accurate and final version. Style means nothing unless you make it work.
Jenas is just about bearable now that he's had some media training. When he first started appearing on MotD he would bookend every single sentence with "to be honest with you" or "to tell you the truth".
I would much rather have some bloke from the pub punditing than an ex-pro who can't form sentences. Although lately, Graeme Souness has been doing a very good impression of someone they just pulled from under the table at the nearest 'spoons.
Yep, Rotherham must have thanked their lucky stars about our whole 8th to 3rd business, as it almost totally took the heat off them. They were never coming top 2 and everyone knew it.
Those examples you mention are annoying.
I hate the pundits that keep saying "Listen", like Paul Ince.
We are bloody doing!
And the ones who say an opinion "for me". They're being asked, we're listening to them reply, we know it's their opinion, and not say, their mate's one!
My least favourite thing any of them say is "by the letter of the law....." and then say something that is mentioned nowhere in the laws of the game
eg "he's raised his hands and by the letter of the law that's a red card"
I am dreading the day that we are relegated because the judges hold up cards that gives us low points for style.
What's that? Football is still decided on who scores the most goals? That is a relief! I must have got it mixed up with ice skating for a minute there.