ibby said:As for today's performance, we were diabolical. We have one person to thank for our win today and that's Fulop.
This.
ibby said:As for today's performance, we were diabolical. We have one person to thank for our win today and that's Fulop.
No. Jenkinson was terrible, a lot worse than Santos. For a defender he actually can't tackle, he puts his arms all over attackers even when they're in the box and plays some ridiculous balls back to the GK, he almost scored another OG like he did against Cologne.Dokaka said:I thought Jenkinson did okay. His main strength is obviously his crossing, which in fairness was pretty good all game, but defensively he was a bit shakey yes.
I actually though Santos was BY FAR the worst of the 2 FBs this game. Sure, he scored, but defensively he might as well not have been on the pitch.
say yes said:Anyone else think Jenkinson was pretty awful today?
Think he gets cut a lot of leeway on this forum because he's a gooner and we all want him to do well. Imo he's an absolutely calamitous defender as of right now. Had his arms all over the west brom players every time they got into our box and could have easily given a couple of penalties away had they gone down.
Granted he's still young and has some potential (and apparently is the last off the training pitch which is a positive sign), but I really don't think he's anywhere near being good enough for regular games if we have serious ambitions of winning anything next year. With Sagna having undergone 2 leg breaks that's a real issue.
well you may feel we have improved I disagree. The point I was trying to make is it is great we finished in the top 3 that is the basic thing we should be targeting. But 2 points does not mean much between seasons as there will always be a variation. So what else OS to be gained by saying we are 2 points better off without Cesc and Nasri. If it isn't to claim we are better.AnthonyG said:We lost one of our truly world class players in Cesc. We lost in Nasri, a player I personally believe was starting to come into his own. As a result, our season start was in turmoil; we lost 4 of the opening 7 games (I think), we fell woefully behind 4th and Spuds. Yet, we clawed our way up the table on the back of some great to not so pretty football. Then, at the end although we fluffed chances to solidify our hard-earned position, we ultimately we came through. Pretty? No. Job done? Yes.
Have we gained much ground on the top, top teams (all two of them) in the league? Looking just at the final standings you'd have to say, no, we have not. Have we improved? Not that I argued this per se, but in some sense and under the circumstances, yes, we have. Sure, we need more going forward, whether that be fit players, additional players, or natural improvement, but despite having our squad gutted just before the season started and having such poor early results we stayed strong.
So, to claim to look at how this season started and finished only to dismiss it all as useless trivia and/or as merely a desperate ploy to show that we've improved not only diminishes the good job we did in the most trying of circumstances it also betrays a certain mindset with which I will never find common ground.
fabo said:Hmmm, yeah it seems you're right. Although I don't see the need for Gibbs to go so far infield but Yossi should have tracked him.
Looking at Santos' movement for WBA's first goal, bloody hell. Woeful.
Glovegun said:I wouldn't make too many harsh judgements based on this game alone. The team were right out of form heading into the match so I don't think many of us were expecting top-draw performances. No-one really looked that good and in honesty we got quite a bit of luck to win the game.
Jenkinson will improve, but he's suffered from the lack of alternatives in the squad this season. The guy was on loan at Welling United in the Conference South not so long ago, and then he had to mark Nani at Old Trafford and Gareth Bale at White Hart Lane. It's a wonder he didn't completely collapse mentally. Same goes for Ramsey, Theo and a few others - they've had to play when they really shouldn't have.
Armor for Sleep said:fabo said:Hmmm, yeah it seems you're right. Although I don't see the need for Gibbs to go so far infield but Yossi should have tracked him.
Looking at Santos' movement for WBA's first goal, bloody hell. Woeful.
Vermaelen was really poor for their 2nd too. He needs to work on his positioning bigtime.
outlaw_member said:Glovegun said:I wouldn't make too many harsh judgements based on this game alone. The team were right out of form heading into the match so I don't think many of us were expecting top-draw performances. No-one really looked that good and in honesty we got quite a bit of luck to win the game.
Jenkinson will improve, but he's suffered from the lack of alternatives in the squad this season. The guy was on loan at Welling United in the Conference South not so long ago, and then he had to mark Nani at Old Trafford and Gareth Bale at White Hart Lane. It's a wonder he didn't completely collapse mentally. Same goes for Ramsey, Theo and a few others - they've had to play when they really shouldn't have.
One of the biggest questions we have as a team, that goes beyond the overall quality we encompass, is why does our form always slump in the final third of the season. You could previously argue that competing in 3 competitions, with the games coming thick and fast, took its tolls on our squad. However, additional rest and performing only once again proved to be no different. Ultimately, we can talk all we want about adding more quality to the side, but if the team is always going to dip in the final third of the season, then any improvement will ultimately be futile, as we'll never have the requisite strength to push past the finish line. There is more we need to address than merely the personnel.
My point was that despite the horrific start to the season, brought about primarily due to the sudden departures, we overcame that and nicked third. I'm well aware of our collapse at the end of last season and this season's end bears no comparison as far as I'm concerned.awooga83 said:well you may feel we have improved I disagree. The point I was trying to make is it is great we finished in the top 3 that is the basic thing we should be targeting. But 2 points does not mean much between seasons as there will always be a variation. So what else OS to be gained by saying we are 2 points better off without Cesc and Nasri. If it isn't to claim we are better.
If it is to say they are not the be all and end all, my point was that isn't the issue. It was that last year for big chunks we were challenging for a trophy. Without them we never were, merely surviving. The end of both seasons was a bit of a horror show and is why we ended up were we did. But it doesn't constitute an improvement in my view.
AnthonyG said:So, if we can somehow avoid having the near the worst start to a season in our entire history, then there are signs for me that this team is on the right track (pending what I outlined above). Signs brought about by the fact that we finished 3rd and, to a lesser degree, 2 pts ahead of last year.
That's it really.
ibby said:As for today's performance, we were diabolical. We have one person to thank for our win today and that's Fulop.