SNAP POLL - Unsworth, yes or no?

[Lanolin]

What can you expect from a manager after 4 games in the situation Unsworth found himself in, the type of situation where, at another club, a Pulis or Allardyce would probably be appointed. In my simple opinion it is;

- Stop other sides scoring from set pieces.
- Begin to tighten up the defence and improve the whole sides organisation, looking like a team that can keep a clean sheet.
- Go back to basics with a simple balanced formation which doesn't over complicate things.
- Look a threat from set pieces and look like a team that can nick a goal.

The above have been key traits of managers like Pulis and Alladyce going into a side in a relegation battle who are shot in confidence, shipping in goals and not scoring many themselves.

When I compare Unsworths start to that criteria i'd say;

- Terrible at defending set pieces, yesterday we were hideous and in reality they should have scored 3/4, we lost most headers.
- Although I thought we looked a bit more organised yesterday as a team, the defence was still leaky, and if we continue to defend like that all year we wont be far off going down.
- No balance with the starting formation in any of the games, lack of width yesterday and we didn't look like scoring until the subs where made.
- Again, with the starting lineups we have picked, we don't look like we can nick a goal, only after going 2 down did the correct balance get added to the side which is unsustainable.

The above is why Unsworth isn't ready for the Job. Yesterday he deserved credit for the substitutions and starting Niasse, not much else though. I don't see why it takes the opposition scoring two for the correct width and balance to be added to the side. I thought we got lucky in the aspect and the fans played a major part in the comeback. It is not sustainable to wait until we are almost out the game to bring the likes of lookman on. If we have that approach every week we will be in a relegation battle. I am made up we won and Rhino got a win but he is not the man for the job right now, but you have to be very bitter to not see that was a very lucky win and 4/5 we wouldn't have won that game.

We need to appoint someone today or tomorrow. With the international break I think it is perfect timing. Gives the manager some time to work with the players, and the players to get out the spotlight and come back into a fresh regime before palace.

Yeah I agree with pretty much all of that.

There was a quote from Unsworth after the Chelsea game where he said the game plan had been to 'stay in the game' for an hour and then have a go. I thought it was just because it was Chelsea away but from what I've seen that appears to be his default tactic, and that really isn't going to get us very far.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Starting to warm to the idea now that it looks like Allardyce might actually get the job...

 

[Thomasc]

A resounding no.

 

[Who's_up_for_cumpkins?]

i hope Moshiri is cold and calculated enough to calm bill down. No doubt after yesterdays result Bill is bouncing round like tigger wanting to give Unsworth the job.

As i said in the match thread yesterday, I've no doubt Unsworth can motivate the U23's he bloods into the squad and our domestic players, but we have others in the Squad who'll need the touch of an experienced manager of sufficient profile, to get a tune out of them.

e.g. Sandro, Klaassen, Vlasic

I say this as we can't flog them all in January, we're basically stuck with the bulk of them till summer at least.

I'd also question Unsworth's tactical nouse (admittedly only basing this on the 4 games - Norwich was a dead rubber).

 

[Michael Tsui]

Yeah I agree with pretty much all of that.

There was a quote from Unsworth after the Chelsea game where he said the game plan had been to 'stay in the game' for an hour and then have a go. I thought it was just because it was Chelsea away but from what I've seen that appears to be his default tactic, and that really isn't going to get us very far.

And yet playing with a suicidal high line is not going to let you stay in the game if you are too indecisive on ground. Its quite like the Frank de Boer situation at palace a couple of months ago.

 

[jceverton]

Of course it was a penalty but he slipped, their left back.

Yes and he slipped because Lennon's touch ment that he had to make a sharp turn which he couldn't do and as a result he slipped and took Lennon out. Nothing to do with luck and all to do with Lennon's excellent first touch which forced him off balance.

 

[LiamG]

Yeah I agree with pretty much all of that.

There was a quote from Unsworth after the Chelsea game where he said the game plan had been to 'stay in the game' for an hour and then have a go. I thought it was just because it was Chelsea away but from what I've seen that appears to be his default tactic, and that really isn't going to get us very far.

Unfortunately you are still thinking we are a team with European aspirations. We are a relegation threatened team. When every team plays them home or away they expect to win. Even the rubbish teams. That's how bad we are and until the rubbish teams fear us (at least at home) we have no choice but to play that way.

Maybe with a win against Watford and easier fixtures coming up we will change a little but I doubt it. That defence just needs too much protection to be an expansive free scoring team. When Martinez tried that we saw what happened and the players where a few years younger.

 

[blue62]

I don't think it's fair to assess Unsworth fully just yet, but on paper you'd have to say he would be a risk given the state of the team. I like Unsworth and would love to see him manage us one day, but I'm not sure he's ready for what's ahead and I don't want to see him exposed to the pathetic abuse handed out by people like Barton week in week out.

It certainly looks like either Dyche or Sam, some fairly well connected ITK's have hung their hats on those two, how did it come to this?

 

[jceverton]

What can you expect from a manager after 4 games in the situation Unsworth found himself in, the type of situation where, at another club, a Pulis or Allardyce would probably be appointed. In my simple opinion it is;

- Stop other sides scoring from set pieces.
- Begin to tighten up the defence and improve the whole sides organisation, looking like a team that can keep a clean sheet.
- Go back to basics with a simple balanced formation which doesn't over complicate things.
- Look a threat from set pieces and look like a team that can nick a goal.

The above have been key traits of managers like Pulis and Alladyce going into a side in a relegation battle who are shot in confidence, shipping in goals and not scoring many themselves.

When I compare Unsworths start to that criteria i'd say;

- Terrible at defending set pieces, yesterday we were hideous and in reality they should have scored 3/4, we lost most headers.
- Although I thought we looked a bit more organised yesterday as a team, the defence was still leaky, and if we continue to defend like that all year we wont be far off going down.
- No balance with the starting formation in any of the games, lack of width yesterday and we didn't look like scoring until the subs where made.
- Again, with the starting lineups we have picked, we don't look like we can nick a goal, only after going 2 down did the correct balance get added to the side which is unsustainable.

The above is why Unsworth isn't ready for the Job. Yesterday he deserved credit for the substitutions and starting Niasse, not much else though. I don't see why it takes the opposition scoring two for the correct width and balance to be added to the side. I thought we got lucky in the aspect and the fans played a major part in the comeback. It is not sustainable to wait until we are almost out the game to bring the likes of lookman on. If we have that approach every week we will be in a relegation battle. I am made up we won and Rhino got a win but he is not the man for the job right now, but you have to be very bitter to not see that was a very lucky win and 4/5 we wouldn't have won that game.

We need to appoint someone today or tomorrow. With the international break I think it is perfect timing. Gives the manager some time to work with the players, and the players to get out the spotlight and come back into a fresh regime before palace.

Frankly you're deluded if you think any manager can do that in 4 games in 12 days with the mess left by Koeman. You're also completely wrong with your comparison with Allardyce. Let's look at his record in his first 7 games at Palace. Won 1, drew 1, lost 5; goals for 4, goals conceded 16. Last game of that seven was a 4-0 hammering at home by relegation rivals Sunderland. By your analysis you'd have sacked Allardyce after 4 games and certainly after 7.

Unsworth needs time and he deserves time to sort this out. He's developing a great team spirit and he will get there organisationally. If we appoint someone else it will be a panic move and won't be someone who can take us forward in the long run.

 

[RichardP]

Give him to the end of the season, then reassess.

 

[Lanolin]

Unfortunately you are still thinking we are a team with European aspirations. We are a relegation threatened team. When every team plays them home or away they expect to win. Even the rubbish teams. That's how bad we are and until the rubbish teams fear us (at least at home) we have no choice but to play that way.

Maybe with a win against Watford and easier fixtures coming up we will change a little but I doubt it. That defence just needs too much protection to be an expansive free scoring team. When Martinez tried that we saw what happened and the players where a few years younger.

With all due respect mate, that's rubbish.

Why are we relegation threatened? It's hard to see us getting any worse than we have been, and we're not in the relegation zone now so I don't necessarily think we should be fearing the drop just yet. Even when playing dreadfully we've managed to beat Watford, Bournemouth and Stoke at home and there's enough dross in the league for us to carry on doing that all season and stay up with plenty to spare. I wouldn't even rule out finishing 7th or 8th again if the likes of Barkley, Coleman and Bolasie can come back at a decent level and we can get a decent striker in. Some of the reaction to the current situation has been way over the top in my opinion.

More pertinently though, you've missed the crux of the point being made. 'Staying in the game' and then nicking a goal to win 1-0 is fine, Moyes did it for years and to be perfectly honest I was fine with that in the main (although I appreciate many weren't). The issue is that when you can't keep clean sheets - as we quite clearly can't - it's a dreadful tactic. We basically need 3 goals to win any game at the moment, and limiting yourself to a half hour period in which to score them is just ridiculous. In games like yesterday we should be going at it from the off, trying to get a lead and give us something to build on, allowing us to drop further back and defend deeper which suits the players we have. As it is we keep having to chase games and leaving ourselves wide open.

 

[Billy Dean]

Frankly you're deluded if you think any manager can do that in 4 games in 12 days with the mess left by Koeman. You're also completely wrong with your comparison with Allardyce. Let's look at his record in his first 7 games at Palace. Won 1, drew 1, lost 5; goals for 4, goals conceded 16. Last game of that seven was a 4-0 hammering at home by relegation rivals Sunderland. By your analysis you'd have sacked Allardyce after 4 games and certainly after 7.

Unsworth needs time and he deserves time to sort this out. He's developing a great team spirit and he will get there organisationally. If we appoint someone else it will be a panic move and won't be someone who can take us forward in the long run.

That's a really good point about Sam's start at Palace. And giving the job to Sam would have other wider implications, such as being left with the grocks he will look to sign in January. The question is whether Unsworth has the capacity to learn from the tactical errors he's made so far. In his favour he's improved us compared to Koeman this season, though that is not too difficult.

 

[Blackwell Livermore]

Voted no but like to see him in the hot seat some time in the future.

 

[brieverton]

Reluctantly no.

My concerns are with some of the players in the squad, we have a few too many who look for cover when the going gets tough, notwithstanding yesterdays result.

Therefore IMO we need an experienced manager and a strong character.

 

[Lanolin]

Frankly you're deluded if you think any manager can do that in 4 games in 12 days with the mess left by Koeman. You're also completely wrong with your comparison with Allardyce. Let's look at his record in his first 7 games at Palace. Won 1, drew 1, lost 5; goals for 4, goals conceded 16. Last game of that seven was a 4-0 hammering at home by relegation rivals Sunderland. By your analysis you'd have sacked Allardyce after 4 games and certainly after 7.

Unsworth needs time and he deserves time to sort this out. He's developing a great team spirit and he will get there organisationally. If we appoint someone else it will be a panic move and won't be someone who can take us forward in the long run.

You're stating things as if they're facts there mate when they are just your opinion and actually have very little to support them.

Why does he 'deserve' time? He's caretaker manager and has to prove that he's up to doing the job full time, he doesn't just get a season long audition because he used to play for us, we need to choose the best candidate for the job, whoever it is. There's no reason at all why a new manager has to be a panic move - giving the job to Unsworth simply because he happens to be already at the club would seem far more panicky than going through a full selection process and choosing the best candidate.