Now there has been time to reflect on the Sunderland game, I thought I'd offer a few thoughts (ramble?) about where we stand at the moment.
First off, I firmly believe we are very close to breaking through this 'wall' we seem to be facing at the moment. By this, I mean that final killer ball, taking that chance, and getting the vital goal at the vital time. Step back for a minute and try to see our performance without the blue-tinted glasses on and you will actually see a good, footballing side (mixed with direct play, of course) who continue to play well. It has once again been an incredibly frustrating start to the season - I was ripping my hair out as much as anyone with the Beckford miss - but I think it's important we don't overstate our problems at the moment.
On the plus side, as I say, I have faith the results will come, but Moyes has to earn his money. He needs to start looking at things objectively and not shoehorning Saha into the starting XI and actually appreciate Yakubu's form before he decided Louis was the man to go to. Has something gone on behind the scenes to warrant such a selection policy? Perhaps. Even so, though, the Yak has to be given a chance to continue the promise he was showing culminating in that excellent winner against Stoke.
DM's inflexibility is also a recurring problem. As many have said, the decision to wait until the 82nd minute to throw (inevitably) Yak and Becks on was, let's just say, hugely irritating. As BBC, I believe, eloquently put it, "In the first half, Saha did his best to distance himself from proceedings", which was a pretty accurate analysis of the Frenchman's performance, if you can call it that.
The other big question, for me, is how do we accommodate Fellaini and Rodwell? I am a big fan of both and the simple answer is, I don't know how we can keep both happy. Although Arteta has without doubt been poor recently by his standards, I can't help feel a big part of this is not having someone of the Fellaini ilk beside him, sitting deep and breaking play up, so MA can influence things a bit further up the field. There is dropping deep, then there is dropping to CB to get the ball. This needs to change - we need our best player (overall, he is) to be in the best position to cause maximum damage, and that is centrally, driving the team forward with his quality. It should also come as no surprise that the man to lose out from Felli/Rod's introduction into the team has to be Heitinga. Underperforming is one thing but there is a clear impression from the man he doesn't want to be here, accentuated by his nigh-on "come and get me" pleas to the likes of Bayern. Bye bye, son.
So, with these 2 key swaps: Yak for Saha, and Fellaini/Rodwell for Heitinga, I think Moyes can help the team immensely. Where does this leave the team as a whole? Well, as I say, I think it's important we don't exaggerate our limitations - I've tried not to go into massive detail about them because they've been discussed and will continue to be debated in the other threads - and to try to focus on the positives. We are a good team and as, I think chico said (?), IMO we are only a goal or 2 away from taking that leap from playing well and poor results, to getting both the performances and the results we need, to clamber our way up the table.
I think we can still finish in the top 7, personally. I don't think that's in any way, shape or form an unrealistic hope. Does it mean we can ignore this start to the season? No, but we're not as bad a side as many on here would have you believe.
Keep the faith. COYB.
First off, I firmly believe we are very close to breaking through this 'wall' we seem to be facing at the moment. By this, I mean that final killer ball, taking that chance, and getting the vital goal at the vital time. Step back for a minute and try to see our performance without the blue-tinted glasses on and you will actually see a good, footballing side (mixed with direct play, of course) who continue to play well. It has once again been an incredibly frustrating start to the season - I was ripping my hair out as much as anyone with the Beckford miss - but I think it's important we don't overstate our problems at the moment.
On the plus side, as I say, I have faith the results will come, but Moyes has to earn his money. He needs to start looking at things objectively and not shoehorning Saha into the starting XI and actually appreciate Yakubu's form before he decided Louis was the man to go to. Has something gone on behind the scenes to warrant such a selection policy? Perhaps. Even so, though, the Yak has to be given a chance to continue the promise he was showing culminating in that excellent winner against Stoke.
DM's inflexibility is also a recurring problem. As many have said, the decision to wait until the 82nd minute to throw (inevitably) Yak and Becks on was, let's just say, hugely irritating. As BBC, I believe, eloquently put it, "In the first half, Saha did his best to distance himself from proceedings", which was a pretty accurate analysis of the Frenchman's performance, if you can call it that.
The other big question, for me, is how do we accommodate Fellaini and Rodwell? I am a big fan of both and the simple answer is, I don't know how we can keep both happy. Although Arteta has without doubt been poor recently by his standards, I can't help feel a big part of this is not having someone of the Fellaini ilk beside him, sitting deep and breaking play up, so MA can influence things a bit further up the field. There is dropping deep, then there is dropping to CB to get the ball. This needs to change - we need our best player (overall, he is) to be in the best position to cause maximum damage, and that is centrally, driving the team forward with his quality. It should also come as no surprise that the man to lose out from Felli/Rod's introduction into the team has to be Heitinga. Underperforming is one thing but there is a clear impression from the man he doesn't want to be here, accentuated by his nigh-on "come and get me" pleas to the likes of Bayern. Bye bye, son.
So, with these 2 key swaps: Yak for Saha, and Fellaini/Rodwell for Heitinga, I think Moyes can help the team immensely. Where does this leave the team as a whole? Well, as I say, I think it's important we don't exaggerate our limitations - I've tried not to go into massive detail about them because they've been discussed and will continue to be debated in the other threads - and to try to focus on the positives. We are a good team and as, I think chico said (?), IMO we are only a goal or 2 away from taking that leap from playing well and poor results, to getting both the performances and the results we need, to clamber our way up the table.
I think we can still finish in the top 7, personally. I don't think that's in any way, shape or form an unrealistic hope. Does it mean we can ignore this start to the season? No, but we're not as bad a side as many on here would have you believe.
Keep the faith. COYB.
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......I would take FA Cup and 10th..we would be in Europe..but at the moment we have no consistency so putting a run together in the cup is unlikely but not unheard of, so your point is a good and a vaild one...
