2022/23 Frank Lampard

[billyblue80]

Interesting times. I think the pivotal decision is whether he starts Mykolenko at left wing back. He seems a genuine good guy but let's have it right...he has a coat hanger of a body, weak as a kitten physically, average in basic defending and poor in reading play and understanding when he has to cover (1st goal Utd scored the focus was on Godfrey - yes, his defending was poor but what on earth was Mykolenko doing at the back stick), he's slow, awful dribbling the ball and driving forward, horrific at crossing the ball and apart from Leicester away he can't strike a football properly. Further, I can't recall watching a full back struggle so much with regulation distribution - how many times has he just passed the ball out of play!?

Apart from that he's fine...

All joking aside he's a Championship standard left back. He should not be playing wing back in this team when we have McNeil. Yes, he's a bit of a pariah himself but he defends well, strong in one on one tracking, excellent at crossing a ball, he can carry the ball and he can ping a fair shot from distance.

I'm generally a fan of Lampard but if he is unable to appreciate the above - obvious to anyone with an ounce of football knowledge, then arguably if Mykolenko starts at left wing back, that's a sackable offense in itself.

McNeil is not mobile enough to get up and down for 90 mins. I think Myko is fine defensively offers very little going forward which wouldn't be as much of an issue if we weren't struggling to create generally.

 

[Toffeepot]

Interesting times. I think the pivotal decision is whether he starts Mykolenko at left wing back. He seems a genuine good guy but let's have it right...he has a coat hanger of a body, weak as a kitten physically, average in basic defending and poor in reading play and understanding when he has to cover (1st goal Utd scored the focus was on Godfrey - yes, his defending was poor but what on earth was Mykolenko doing at the back stick), he's slow, awful dribbling the ball and driving forward, horrific at crossing the ball and apart from Leicester away he can't strike a football properly. Further, I can't recall watching a full back struggle so much with regulation distribution - how many times has he just passed the ball out of play!?

Apart from that he's fine...

All joking aside he's a Championship standard left back. He should not be playing wing back in this team when we have McNeil. Yes, he's a bit of a pariah himself but he defends well, strong in one on one tracking, excellent at crossing a ball, he can carry the ball and he can ping a fair shot from distance.

I'm generally a fan of Lampard but if he is unable to appreciate the above - obvious to anyone with an ounce of football knowledge, then arguably if Mykolenko starts at left wing back, that's a sackable offense in itself.

I think McNeil is worth a shot at LWB, could allow for easy transitions into 4 atb in game with Godfrey moving to LB
McNeil is awful as RW anyway, too predictable with his one foot... might as well use him on his strong side, and like you say he does put a shift in and who knows, he might ping a few deep crosses in from time to time

 

[Swartzy]

It did need strengthening. It all needs strengthening. But the attack needed strengthening the most and still does. If I had £35m to spend again, I wouldn’t be spending just under half our budget on a young player who was never likely to have an immediate, transformative impact.

That was foolish from Frank and the club. That is the type of signing you make if you are comfortably mid table. Not the type of signing you make if you are in trouble and don’t have a big budget.

I think the Onana deal literally came down to west ham suddenly entering a formal offer for the player.
I expect we were watching him and would of probably still just been watching him now, knowing us.
but once west ham suddenly made a formal approach we dived straight in to throw our hat in ring.

Was that a bad decision - No.
A pressured decision - More than likely.
But the lad is gonna be great player, that we will actually make a tasty profit on when the big boys come sniffing ( as long as we're still in the premiership that is )

We have made far to many bad decisions for far too long now but 'Onana' certainly isn't one of them...

 

[billyblue80]

I think McNeil is worth a shot at LWB, could allow for easy transitions into 4 atb in game with Godfrey moving to LB
McNeil is awful as RW anyway, too predictable with his one foot... might as well use him on his strong side, and like you say he does put a shift in and who knows, he might ping a few deep crosses in from time to time

I'd sooner play Gordon as a right wing back

 

[billyblue80]

532 please Lamps it's the formation that suits us

 

[Bluedyhell]

532 please Lamps it's the formation that suits us

This post shows just how bad we are and how low our expectations have become. 5 at the back at home against the bottom of the league team. We are absolutely doomed. Get Lampard out then sack the board then start again.

 

[Billy Dean]

I keep reading that. Just out of interest if you go back to Carlo Ancelotti. He tried to be more offensive and i think the first few games he got the shock of his life. We won a few early on like the brighton game. But that was when he had a fit digne/calvert lewin flying. The early stages of james rodriguez, Richarlison etc. But that brighton game the signs were there. We won 4-2 but we were very open. Knock on a few games later. Rodriguez was already cooked. The offensive side was starting to struggle to counter balance the lack of quality elsewhere. And Ancelotti was no idiot. Before long we were camped. His tactic very quickly became park the bus.

So tactic wise if lampard had parked the bus all season we might have a few more points. He hasnt. And the danger was/is he put to much faith in players who cant cut it.

Roll on sean dyche. The lidl version of ancelotti. He will park that bus.
I think thats where we're at. One tactic only. Spoil the game.

Our squad is definitely better suited to sitting deep and countering so if Frank does lose his job we should look for a manager that plays that style imo, whether its Dyche or someone else. Even Frank himself has had much better results with us when he's played this way.

This is something im conflicted about.

Are the players good enough? Vs Does the manager have the skills.

I'm really undecided and i swing from one to the other.

To be very honest, i have an intrusive memory of Frank at Chelsea and a woefully unbalanced Chelsea team struggling to integrate new signings, he lost his job and a more experienced and talented manager came in, balanced the squad in short order and won the CL in six months. Frank wasn't getting the best out of those players. Is it the same here........like i say im conflicted about it.

I like the lid, but that memory is nagging me and ultimately this is business.

I just don't think at the moment he's that good at setting up the team in the way he wants (although there is an argument that he just doesn't have the necessary players for it). I do think there's a decent manager in there who might well figure it out and improve, but at the moment he leaves his teams wide open. Did it with Chelsea and does it with us. He needs to stop doing it for now and get back to basics IMO

 

[Axlswhk]

After watching his press con yesterday, I want him gone more than ever. I’m now 100% convince he is the main reason why we are 18th.

 

[tsubaki]

After watching his press con yesterday, I want him gone more than ever. I’m now 100% convince he is the main reason why we are 18th.

the problem with this is that Benitez, Silva, Koeman and Martinez were the main reason why we looked like we were going down too

at some point people have to acknowledge that there is something seriously wrong at this club and it is not the management (though it does present as a symptom of it, ie: Benitez)

 

[Thomasc]

It’s D day Frank.

As much as I wanted him to get the job and be a success, sadly I’ve absolutely zero confidence in him anymore.

Even if we win it will be an anomaly. 8 league wins in nearly a year just isn’t good enough, in fact it’s a disgrace, so it will only be prolonging the inevitable if we lose the next 3.

 

[matty1878]

Our main striker is and was Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Yet another lie

oh here we go. listen they sold our best attacker and didn’t replace him

you can’t paint over it you idiot

 

[Lob]

Big day Frank. Hope you turn it around today lad although tbh i am not holding my breath.

 

[lungo]

Big day Frank. Hope you turn it around today lad although tbh i am not holding my breath.

The last day for Frankie boy. Southampton have discovered there form and we know what that means. Every time when they are in form they press us all over the pitch.

 

[Axlswhk]

the problem with this is that Benitez, Silva, Koeman and Martinez were the main reason why we looked like we were going down too

at some point people have to acknowledge that there is something seriously wrong at this club and it is not the management (though it does present as a symptom of it, ie: Benitez)

The players are to blame too, but they are largely following Lampard obsession with so call “better style” of football, which is unnecessary slow compose build up just for the sake of trying to be more in control which really isn’t helping this team with limited ability. He admired it yesterday.

 

[Toff33Blues99]

oh here we go. listen they sold our best attacker and didn’t replace him

you can’t paint over it you idiot

We did, the idiot DoF and bigger idiot manager decided Maupay was the guy to replace him