Ronald Koeman discussion

[MACCA75]

Finish 7th is about right

but we should be finishing 7th with a concerted challenging on the teams above us

Failure would be finishing 7th without the above and being in a dog fight with other clubs to get that 7th place

The top 6 sides are genuinely light years ahead of us right now.

 

[Fansince1988]

Even had we got Giroud, which is seen as the final piece we missed in the summer, do you think 4th would have been obtainable? I don't. I don't think 140m gets anywhere near when you consider the years of spending at those clubs above us.
That money was never meant to have us competing. It was meant to bridge the gap. All Moshiri wants this season is 6th. Hardly reeks of a chairman thinking his investment has even touched the sides.

If Giroud had have come, I'm not sure he would have scored many he would need a supply, I could be said he would bring others into play but we would still be stuck for pace. I'm not even sure if Lukaku had stayed he would have many the problem is deeper than not having a decent striker.

 

[efcste97]

It really wouldn't take much. Did you honestly rate Burnley as a great side today? That's what we'd be up against for our 7th place trophy if we clicked into gear. Right now we're 5 points behind them...

No I don't rate Burnley as a 'great side', thats the problem, we just got beat at home to a very average Burnley team.

 

[dannyboy]

Spurs?

Haven't spent half as much as us yet are doing better. Their recruitment has been excellent - especially the defensive side.

Spurs have had a combination of brilliant business and luck. Harry Kane learning how to be a top draw forward transformed them. Anyone who watched him in that infamous under 17 international tournament a few years back would've said he'd be selling the Big Issue by now.

You can't fault how astute they've been in the transfer market as well, but there was a time when they spent the Bale money in one go and really struggled. Ring any bells?

 

[mkrudden]

But why do you want to progress with a manager you don't think can win us anything?

You are right that it's a pain having to start again, but if most can agree now that he wasn't a very ambitious appointment to begin with and he is very unlikely to achieve success here....then why wait to get rid?

The mistakes been made. Fix it, and move on.

I can understand that, definitely.
And I'm not asking you to be one of the other bells who think because they caught 4 mins of Lazio v Sampdoria and play loads of FM so you're practically a "scout" of world football, but who shouts out at you as an appointment worthy of the description ambition?
Because honestly, I find the Ancelotti shouts severe grade delusion.

 

[dannyboy]

No I don't rate Burnley as a 'great side', thats the problem, we just got beat at home to a very average Burnley team.

I agree but it's not going to take a monumental effort to overhaul them this season. They've made a fantastic start but that'll average itself out over the course of the season.

 

[Fansince1988]

I think Koeman has been through rough patches in the past - he even had one last year and managed to pull the squad through them. I do think he has absolutely no idea about what team/system to play. Would you though? Would any manager?

Your right that is one of the problems, but he still sticks to his way of playing (why has he done that for so long when it's not working?) the last couple of weeks he has change things alittle but still player 2 DM against burley at home.

 

[TraffordBlue]

Well simply, we would have still lost but potentially more heavily and at the same time destroying perhaps beyond repair the progression of our young players.
It could be alot worse.

But with the senior players in we were lucky not to lose by more in them games I mentioned. Martina headed one out to Kane on the edge of the box v Spurs, Eriksen nearly got one before they go the 1st. Against United Keane gifted Lukaku a chance that he should have scored so but for poor finishing we could have lost by 5 in both those games.

I genuinely don't think we'd be worse off. Appreciate we have to be sensible with the youngsters but the senior players aren't exactly excelling themselves.

 

[Lowste]

The top 6 sides are genuinely light years ahead of us right now.

Never said they weren't, what I am saying is we should be making an effort to close that gap

 

[efcste97]

I agree but it's not going to take a monumental effort to overhaul them this season. They've made a fantastic start but that'll average itself out over the course of the season.

From the look of things its not just Burnley we have to worry about. We need to make sure we are winning against the so called mid table teams also.

 

[dannyboy]

Your right that is one of the problems, but he still sticks to his way of playing (why has he done that for so long when it's not working?) the last couple of weeks he has change things alittle but still player 2 DM against burley at home.

The two centre mids is a big problem. I'm not a fan of them playing together either. What I'd give for Arteta of 8 years ago to be back here...

 

[dannyboy]

From the look of things its not just Burnley we have to worry about. We need to make sure we are winning against the so called mid table teams also.

We're lucky in the fact that outside of the top 6 the league isn't littered with quality. It's just a bunch of average teams that'll take points from each other until May. I doubt there'll be any runaway leader of the chasing pack unless we get ourselves together.

 

[jceverton]

Spurs have had a combination of brilliant business and luck. Harry Kane learning how to be a top draw forward transformed them. Anyone who watched him in that infamous under 17 international tournament a few years back would've said he'd be selling the Big Issue by now.

You can't fault how astute they've been in the transfer market as well, but there was a time when they spent the Bale money in one go and really struggled. Ring any bells?

Yeah and then they changed their manager!

 

[Toffe3m4n]

He seems decidedly less worried about our current situation than everyone else, which either means he knows something we don't know regarding future happenings in the transfer market/behind the scenes at board level, or he knows that even now he isn't being put under any considerable pressure by the board.

I do think we'll improve at some point, whether that be through certain players returning to the fold, new players lined up in the January window, or the unlikely event that everything will just starting 'clicking' naturally. I just can't see it happening any time soon however, confidence will be practically dead in that squad now.

I actually reckon this international break has come at a good time for us fans, saves having to put up with more of the same next weekend - we can actually enjoy it!

 

[Fansince1988]

But with the senior players in we were lucky not to lose by more in them games I mentioned. Martina headed one out to Kane on the edge of the box v Spurs, Eriksen nearly got one before they go the 1st. Against United Keane gifted Lukaku a chance that he should have scored so but for poor finishing we could have lost by 5 in both those games.

I genuinely don't think we'd be worse off. Appreciate we have to be sensible with the youngsters but the senior players aren't exactly excelling themselves.

You can't win anything with youngsters (the famous old quote) but in our case a few scattered in the side could change things. Who would be against Kenny in for Martina, Davies in for Snides, Vlasic and DCL in their roles today. Even Holegate for Williams that's a lot of youngsters but I think I could work ok with the gaps filled in by the seniors.