where did it go wrong

tsubaki · May 2, 2016

Palace at home in his first season.

Before then he actually did send us out to play in a similar way to how they played against us that night - United home and away, Chelsea at home or (especially) Arsenal at home that season were clear instances of us playing mostly defensively and countering with a lot of pace and quick, direct passing (the third goal against Arsenal especially, probably the most intelligent goal we have scored in years).

After that game he seems to have ditched the flexibility that got us all those points in the first year, its as if winning like that is not good enough for us because "we are a big team now" and big teams don't play like that.

Darren Higgs · May 2, 2016

tsubaki said:
Palace at home in his first season.

Before then he actually did send us out to play in a similar way to how they played against us that night - United home and away, Chelsea at home or (especially) Arsenal at home that season were clear instances of us playing mostly defensively and countering with a lot of pace and quick, direct passing (the third goal against Arsenal especially, probably the most intelligent goal we have scored in years).

After that game he seems to have ditched the flexibility that got us all those points in the first year, its as if winning like that is not good enough for us because "we are a big team now" and big teams don't play like that.

I agree in the first season he chose to play a 433 in the Man utd and Arsenal home games and used Lukaku on the Right hand side. Im not sure why he abandoned this approach when it clearly worked. I suspect Rom may have refused to keep playing on the Right. probably more bothered with his individual record rather than the team.

Huyton Layne · May 2, 2016

Before he was Everon manager and came up with his cock-eyed philosophy that ignores major parts of the game and leaves his teams with a soft underbelly and poor organization.

tsubaki · May 2, 2016

Darren Higgs said:
I agree in the first season he chose to play a 433 in the Man utd and Arsenal home games and used Lukaku on the Right hand side. Im not sure why he abandoned this approach when it clearly worked. I suspect Rom may have refused to keep playing on the Right. probably more bothered with his individual record rather than the team.

I doubt it - even if Lukaku did refuse to play on the right you could still have used that system, especially this season with Mirallas, Lennon and Deulofeu all suiting it.

Instead he has discarded it, almost totally.

Eggs · May 2, 2016

....great, love another RM thread.

Darren Higgs · May 2, 2016

tsubaki said:
I doubt it - even if Lukaku did refuse to play on the right you could still have used that system, especially this season with Mirallas, Lennon and Deulofeu all suiting it.

Instead he has discarded it, almost totally.

I dont think the system is the same with a gerry or mirallas. they are wingers. Rom played as an inside forward cutting in on to his Left foot. an with Rom on the Right the opposition full back didnt push on where as with Mirralas and gerry they would forcing them to defend.

Dario Terracotta · May 2, 2016

Leicester away and Arsenal at home beginning of LAST season,the deficiencies in those two games have come back to haunt us time after time again.

ToffeeDan · May 2, 2016

5-11-11 (maybe) - go figure!

If it was 11-9-7 it "wouldn't be going all wrong" would it? So it's pretty simple to see what direction we have been heading in..

Gladystweet · May 2, 2016

Probably at his first press conference after being appointed when Bill told the world that Bobby had promised champions league. He might have told Bill that during his interview but the look on Bob's face when those immortal words were spoken to the media still makes me cringe. Watch it again and check out his grid, it took him a while to compose himself again...very very awkward.

bitter-no-better · May 2, 2016

giving city a win at home to deny the RS the league. we have been downhill since.

LAToffee · May 2, 2016

That Chelsea game showed what attacking without shoring up the back could look like. Great to have @davek back.

bring the ghost on · May 2, 2016

As Davek says, he's a victim of his own success, if he'd have finished 11th in his first season, then done the same thing in seasons 2 & 3, no one would be moaning.

Oh, wait....

MACCA75 · May 2, 2016

maccavennie said:
Season 2 pre season. Players not up to speed and not fit enough and never recovered from that.

Fortunately for us he wont be overseeing another pre season.

Moyes had organised all the season 1 pre-season incidentally.

LAToffee · May 2, 2016

bitter-no-better said:
giving city a win at home to deny the RS the league. we have been downhill since.

That has been the highlight of his reign. Ross scores a belter, Goodison explodes to shut up the whining conspiracy theorists across the park, and then we go down gallantly to a better side. Oh and that lot have to get that bus back in the garage. Sweet sweet memories.