2025/26 David Moyes

[Ragnar]

Why is everyone wetting the bed about playing 4 CBs? Pep has done it loads over the years - Ake, Akanji, Stones, Guardiol etc. The list goes on! Arteta also does it too - Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Calafiori, Hincape, White etc..

This isnt something new!! In fact these guys are first and foremost defenders. Playing them at FB means you are more solid defensively and in the case of Branthwaite and O Brien encourages ball playing skills and moving forward out of defence with the ball. Means they become even more progressive when they do revert to CB. Gives more threat from set pieces too and they arent slow either.

So I'll take a point away at Brighton ta very much. I'm more concerned with making sure out home form improves and I thought our 3-4-3 switch against Leeds showed the way forward in terms of a formation to win games consistently at HDS. We are doing more than ok given how tight the table is this season. In Moyes we trust

Because those teams are light years ahead of us and have world class players going forward. We struggle to string 3 passes together and pass back more than we pass forward. Patterson was on the pitch like 10 minutes and started whipping crosses into the box and causing problems straight away. Plus, we have wrapped Branthwaite is cotton wool all season, and the minute he’s back Moyes throws him in a much more demanding role. Oh, and Branthwaite is by far our best CB and he was lashed LB to accommodate Micheal f***** Keane.

 

[Ragnar]

We've won 2 out of the last 10 games.

The standard of football has been appalling for long periods of the season.

Home form is relegation level.


I get that people see 8th position atm and dont consider much more than that, but we've hit a huge slump and we're struggling to get out of it. Draws from games we really should be winning hansomely are killing us in that respect.

But the whole league is like that. You can look at stats and results from weeks gone by all you want, but the bottom line is we are 8th. Stop f****** moaning.

 

[blue to the bone]

What stability or progress are we even supposed to see this season?

Spent over a hundred million pounds just to play worse football, kept picking washed-up veterans on expiring contracts, and never once bothered to prepare for the future.

Sundays dumbest post and its only gone 9 am.
Fair dos

 

[MikeH72]

I’ve defended him a lot from the Dyche freaks this season but that starting XI and first half performance yesterday genuinely spooked me to my core. That was just outright saying to the world that we are terrified of Brighton and thought we couldn’t compete with them. Considering we’ve beaten better teams than them away from home in the last 12 months with weaker squads available to us, it just really caught me off guard. He’s done a very good job over the last 12 months but yesterday was a signal to me that he isn’t comfortable with going any further.

 

[MikeH72]

Why is everyone wetting the bed about playing 4 CBs? Pep has done it loads over the years - Ake, Akanji, Stones, Guardiol etc. The list goes on! Arteta also does it too - Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Calafiori, Hincape, White etc..

Yeah those teams don’t do it and then cower on the edge of their own box hoping to get in 0-0 at half time.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Didn’t realise that we have averaged 3 shots on target per game this season (the highest was yesterday with 4) the last time it was that low was the 1997/98 season.

 

[Thomasc]

I’ve defended him a lot from the Dyche freaks this season but that starting XI and first half performance yesterday genuinely spooked me to my core. That was just outright saying to the world that we are terrified of Brighton and thought we couldn’t compete with them. Considering we’ve beaten better teams than them away from home in the last 12 months with weaker squads available to us, it just really caught me off guard. He’s done a very good job over the last 12 months but yesterday was a signal to me that he isn’t comfortable with going any further.

Bit of an overreaction.

“Spooked me to my core” and assuming he thought we “couldn’t compete with Brighton” are the two statements in particular that give me that opinion.

How about he set up initially to be solid defensively for the first half and try not to concede. I appreciate playing Branthwaite at LB in particular wouldn’t be my ideal scenario so can understand the kickback from fans on that.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Why is everyone wetting the bed about playing 4 CBs? Pep has done it loads over the years - Ake, Akanji, Stones, Guardiol etc. The list goes on! Arteta also does it too - Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Calafiori, Hincape, White etc..

The problem is those teams don’t park the bus.

 

[MikeH72]

Bit of an overreaction.

“Spooked me to my core” and assuming he thought we “couldn’t compete with Brighton” are the two statements in particular that give me that opinion.

How about he set up initially to be solid defensively for the first half and try not to concede. I appreciate playing Branthwaite at LB in particular wouldn’t be my ideal scenario so can understand the kickback from fans on that.

Why though? And why does playing a back 4 of centre backs mean we’d be more solid, we didn’t do that at Villa?

Edit: I was supposed to bold the “try not to concede” bit but for some reason all of my tools are greyed out.

 

[Nymzee]

We got a point in the end, let’s move on, all eyes on next week’s lineup for sure.

 

[Moomin]

He needs more time, Rome wasn't built in one season.

Once we have the players back from AFCON and the injured players back we will be a lot more expansive and better to watch.

We need another season of anti-football and we might progress to the 4th round of the FA Cup next season.

 

[davids]

But the whole league is like that. You can look at stats and results from weeks gone by all you want, but the bottom line is we are 8th. Stop f****** moaning.

Brentford haven't played yet.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Point at Brighton isn’t bad. It’s more there’s no consistency in the line up or selections. It’s different players, formations, ideas every week.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all to see any of a back 5, 4CBs, Patterson and Mykolenko at wing backs, KDH at 10, KDH wide left, Armstrong playing, or Rohl playing.

The only parts of the team he seems definite about is Garner and Gueye in midfield and I don’t really like the balance when Gueye plays there.

We seem to be throwing players out to try and get points each game rather than building an idea of how we play. Considering we’re mid table and not going down we can afford to do the latter.

 

[chicoazul]

NSNO LADS.

 

[Look to the future]

Just pick the 2 best CBs (next debate incoming) and if we have a RB and a LB fit, start them / develop them in their natural positions.