After Morecambe it's time to be wise...

[Toon Wolf]

I'll start by saying that I only saw the 2nd half last night and I haven't seen any of the pre-season games so I acknowledge that I'm basing this off a very limited sample size.

But IF last night is anything to go by then as far as I can see we haven't learned much from the past 5 years. This new start should be seen as an opportunity for just that, hit refresh and re-load the team. What we appear to have done is ditch all the expensive flops, the players who have failed miserably for the past 2+ seasons, which is great and unquestionably needed doing. What we don't appear to have done anything about is changing the appalling style of football that limits your ability to succeed. We seem to have a manager who will play the percentage game, the long ball, hit the channels rubbish that has proven time and time again to be inadequate at even the Championship level now as more and more teams look to play a more sound footballing style.

We need to be wise and start to play a brand of football that will succeed at all levels, football that is played on the ground more than in the air, football that involves greater movement on and off the ball, that involves a passing game to unlock defences rather than the futile hit and hope that we saw last night and have grown accustomed to over the years. If Jackett isn't willing to do that, then I'm sorry, we might just have well as kept Saunders/McCarthy/Connor. What I saw last night seemed just like more of the same old turgid dross that I've grown to hate. Wise up, Kenny, you sucker (PWEI joke for the uninitiated), and get this team playing football NOT hoofball...

 

[Langers]

Last night really reminded me of previous seasons (and that's before our fall from grace) in the early stages of the same competition, and I'm going to try and cling to the hope that it was more of a one-off than the standards we can expect.

I also don't believe that's how Jackett wants us to play, especially as the side looked so imbalanced - particularly in wide areas and a partnership in central midfield that really didn't give us anything in terms of creativity.

Let's just hope we see a big improvement on Saturday and that we can address the gaps in the squad, which are starting to look larger all the time due to injuries...

 

[Langers]

PS that thread title is fucking terrible. :icon_lol:

 

[Toon Wolf]

Last night really reminded me of previous seasons (and that's before our fall from grace) in the early stages of the same competition, and I'm going to try and cling to the hope that it was more of a one-off than the standards we can expect.

I also don't believe that's how Jackett wants us to play, especially as the side looked so imbalanced - particularly in wide areas and a partnership in central midfield that really didn't give us anything in terms of creativity.

Let's just hope we see a big improvement on Saturday and that we can address the gaps in the squad, which are starting to look larger all the time due to injuries...

I'd go along with that if it weren't for the fact that by many accounts Saturday at PNE was pretty much the same. No identity, no quality on the ball, no passing, little movement and a lot of futile, aimless long balls. Once is a one-off, 2 games in a row, one with pretty much a full strength side is more than a little discouraging for anyone wanting to see a team learning to play good attacking football. Hopefully, it's an away from home style and at Molineux on Saturday we'll something a little more like proper football...

 

[Toon Wolf]

PS that thread title is fucking terrible. :icon_lol:

Get away, you smiled a little I'm sure...

 

[Toon Wolf]

Stupid double post... What is it with this site lately?!

 

[Langers]

I'd go along with that if it weren't for the fact that by many accounts Saturday at PNE was pretty much the same. No identity, no quality on the ball, no passing, little movement and a lot of futile, aimless long balls. Once is a one-off, 2 games in a row, one with pretty much a full strength side is more than a little discouraging for anyone wanting to see a team learning to play good attacking football. Hopefully, it's an away from home style and at Molineux on Saturday we'll something a little more like proper football...

Sounds like we were in a bit of a scrap on Saturday, but yes - I do tend to agree on the whole. We really need to put Gillingham to the sword and put in a decent performance. I didn't see any of preseason but from what I've read, it was better than either of the last 2 games and we actually created plenty of chances.

Get away, you smiled a little I'm sure...

It was a shit pun. Of course I did.

 

[proslo]

To be fair, you only saw the second half, and the first half was nowhere near as dire. Quite enjoyable if scrappy, and some decent passing - there were two great moves down the right between Ismail, Doherty and Griffiths that came to nothing, but showed some glimpses of off-the-ball reading of the game. The second half was when the team clearly began to get a bit desperate at not having found a way through, and (my guess thanks to inexperience) began reacting to Morecambe's pressing by launching desperate long balls into the channels.

 

[Lord Knows]

A concern for me is apart from Danny Batth nobody else is showing leadership qualities and taking responsibility when the going gets slightly tough within a game. They can't expect Jackett to spoon feed them.

 

[Doctor Doog]

I didn't see much hoofball in the first half. Second half we seemed to revert to it straight away. This was either inexperience or a tactical ploy from Jackett, perhaps to try to save the midfield's legs. The inexperience is something we are going to have to get used to. Let's see if they are any better after 10 games.