Excellent Post Match Interview

[JBFC II]

29 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

You appear confused @JBFC II

In what respect ?

The blame can’t be left with lj for last night in my opinion, it may be his squad but I’m sure he wouldn’t want his squad to show the sort of performance of last night. 

Therefore, I feel confused as to why you can completely seem to blame him for the performance?

[BobBobSuperBob]

6 minutes ago, JBFC II said:

The blame can’t be left with lj for last night in my opinion, it may be his squad but I’m sure he wouldn’t want his squad to show the sort of performance of last night. 

Therefore, I feel confused as to why you can completely seem to blame him for the performance?

 

I dont

Where have I said that

I also blame the players - collectively a shameful performance

But they are now totally  his players , his squad , his selections , his tactics , no more excuses

And ultimately he takes responsibility or should do

 

I’m thinking more about......

Lessons learned or not  (LJ) ?

Is LJ a leader who has real influence on whether the players perform or not or show desire or not ?

Where are the leaders on and off the pitch who have sufficient respect to rally the troops when required ?

 

 the answer now , ........ another 5 windows ?

[Portland Bill]

12 hours ago, Cardy said:

Fair play LJ you have hit the nail on the head with that. I know we can argue that the likes of O'Dowda & Taylor should have started but he can't start his best 11 every match in this league. At the end of the day he put out a team more than capable of a decent performance & yet they go & deliver that shite. The players must take the flack for this performance & I fully expect to now see Taylor & O'Dowda start against Villa. If I never see Paterson in a City shirt again it will be too soon. Embarrassing & spineless effort by all tonight though.

What he always fails to say in his post match interviews is, I’m standing on the touch line and I am quite capable of telling players what I want and what I expect from them, whist the game is going on, but for some reason I don’t!. 

A manager has before the game and at HT to also get his game plan across, and to bollock players who aren’t doing it, the amount of times I’ve heard LJ say “ we dropped too deep” in his post match interview is numerous, but again he doesn’t react to it ‘during’ the game. 

We need consistency on the pitch and off it, we just don’t know which team and what tactics will be used from one game to another, good one week, awful the next.

Last nights performance was just awful, and our manager has to accept his responsibility for the shambles just as much as the players will have to. 

[Red-Robbo]

29 minutes ago, chinapig said:

It worked to the extent that it stopped them doing what they usually do, drawing the sting before opening out.

 

I know that was Lee's take on it, but I feel there was a measure of wisdom-after-the-event in it.

I don't think we had drawn the sting. We were on the back-foot and had McGoldrick not have been having a shocker, we'd have started the second half one or two goals down.

Agree, the MF has been a constant weakness. I like Josh, but  fulfilling a defensive midfielder role isn't really his forte. The loss of Korey has pushed him back and we miss his creativity in attack for much of the game.

[JBFC II]

1 hour ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

 

I dont

Where have I said that

I also blame the players - collectively a shameful performance

But they are now totally  his players , his squad , his selections , his tactics , no more excuses

And ultimately he takes responsibility or should do

 

I’m thinking more about......

Lessons learned or not  (LJ) ?

Is LJ a leader who has real influence on whether the players perform or not or show desire or not ?

Where are the leaders on and off the pitch who have sufficient respect to rally the troops when required ?

 

 the answer now , ........ another 5 windows ?

Yep, they are his players and his squad. 

However, bad selecting Paterson and putting Eliasson on the right wing, his team selection was one I'm sure everyone would have agreed with. And even then, Jamie Paterson is a professional football, being paid thousands of pounds a week who put in a performance that was diabolical, the buck stops with him at the end of the day, not LJ. 

Can LJ really take many lessons from last night apart from the fact that certain players need to be given a kick up the backside, I really doubt they worked on the stuff we saw in training last week. And whatever they have worked on it training has worked up until last night. Sometimes players put in completely inept performances (and last night that was everyone bar a couple), at that point can the manager really be to blame? 

LJ seems to have been able to get the players to perform up until now, Bar Middlesbrough at home (where we weren't exactly poor) we've been pretty much excellent. 

I couldn't tell you about leaders, but you could also say that in the past when we have had leaders, things have been much worse than they are at the minute ( 11/12 with James, 12/13 with Carey, 15/16 with Wilbraham to name a few seasons). 

I have criticised LJ before and rightly so, but I don't think he can be criticised for last nights shambles

[maxjak]

2 hours ago, reddogkev said:

What a pathetic and embarrassing post from you, red rascal 2!  How can you use the words spineless and embarrassing after we've lost 1-0 away to a decent team, and should have at least had a draw.

Nonsense. 

Sorry, but I really don't know how you have achieved such a blnkered assessment of what was for the most part a truly awful performance by our team?  Yes Wigan are a decent team, and yes they out fought & out thought us on the night, and deserved to win.  I have to go with LJ's opinion rather than yours, when he stated how angry & disappointed he felt, and how it was a performance he COULD NOT defend. At least a draw? I don't think so.

[steviestevieneville]

4 hours ago, Redrascal2 said:

What a spineless and embarrassing performance from Johnson. His players and tactics. We have ended up after his transfer activity since he took over with a leaderless team on the pitch with no one able to galvanise or inspire. No one player who can make a difference. 

Absolute bollocks. I’m not LJ’s biggest fan but how you can blame him for that performance is beyond me.players need to to take 100% of the blame for that. We didn’t turn up. 

[Robbored]

20 minutes ago, maxjak said:

At least a draw? I don't think so.

So you don’t agree with the Wigan manager then?

[Portland Bill]

12 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

Absolute bollocks. I’m not LJ’s biggest fan but how you can blame him for that performance is beyond me.players need to to take 100% of the blame for that. We didn’t turn up. 

He decides on tactics and selection, he stands on the touch line for 90 minutes, he is able to communicate with the players, he has 15 minutes at half time to change things that aren’t working. He clearly wasn’t capable of doing these things last night. 

He takes credit for good performances  ( and rightly so)  so has to accept HIS responsibility for last nights awful performance. 

Or is a manager immune from criticism. 

[RobintheRed Red]

3 hours ago, bs20ciderarmy said:

He has held his hands up numerous times 

He should have been shot by now then

[maxjak]

43 minutes ago, Robbored said:

So you don’t agree with the Wigan manager then?

Sorry I don't speak Northern.......what did he say? could you translate?

[steviestevieneville]

29 minutes ago, Portland Bill said:

He decides on tactics and selection, he stands on the touch line for 90 minutes, he is able to communicate with the players, he has 15 minutes at half time to change things that aren’t working. He clearly wasn’t capable of doing these things last night. 

He takes credit for good performances  ( and rightly so)  so has to accept HIS responsibility for last nights awful performance. 

Or is a manager immune from criticism. 

Does he kick the ball about for them ? 

[Bazooka Joe]

15 hours ago, Cardy said:

Fair play LJ you have hit the nail on the head with that. I know we can argue that the likes of O'Dowda & Taylor should have started but he can't start his best 11 every match in this league. At the end of the day he put out a team more than capable of a decent performance & yet they go & deliver that shite. The players must take the flack for this performance & I fully expect to now see Taylor & O'Dowda start against Villa. If I never see Paterson in a City shirt again it will be too soon. Embarrassing & spineless effort by all tonight though.

When he's bad, he's spectacularly bad.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

We were poor last night.

We lost every 50/50 to Wigan players who clearly had much more passion and energy.

Whatever the problem is (and it ain't tiredness!), it needs to addressed and sorted out immediately.

 

[Robbored]

45 minutes ago, maxjak said:

Sorry I don't speak Northern.......what did he say? could you translate?

Cook is a scouser and said post match that a draw would have been a fair result.

[The Chaplain]

I am almost always impressed by his post match interviews, honest, heartfelt, but intelligent as well, usually commenting on particular tactical issues, like his reference to ‘distances’ after Tuesday.  Certainly, when listening to RB on the way home from home games, the contrast between the 2 managers in the city is stark!

[EmissionImpossible]

Lovely to see the Johnson haters have emerged from hibernation.

[chinapig]

4 minutes ago, The Chaplain said:

I am almost always impressed by his post match interviews, honest, heartfelt, but intelligent as well, usually commenting on particular tactical issues, like his reference to ‘distances’ after Tuesday.  Certainly, when listening to RB on the way home from home games, the contrast between the 2 managers in the city is stark!

He is good at identifying and explaining what went wrong but he needs to get better at putting it right, preferably during the game itself.

[Davefevs]

4 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

 

I dont

Where have I said that

I also blame the players - collectively a shameful performance

But they are now totally  his players , his squad , his selections , his tactics , no more excuses

And ultimately he takes responsibility or should do

 

I’m thinking more about......

Lessons learned or not  (LJ) ?

Is LJ a leader who has real influence on whether the players perform or not or show desire or not ?

Where are the leaders on and off the pitch who have sufficient respect to rally the troops when required ?

 

 the answer now , ........ another 5 windows ?

Bob, I think what we have to know is whether this was a one-off (they happen), a one-in-ten (the Champ is tough, you’re gonna a few of these a season) or a more regular occurrence (not acceptable), especially away from home.  The first two I can live with.  The last one no way, I will be agreeing with you if so.

It reminded me of Bolton away last season, probably worse.

If it’s wet and away from home, it’s like our players don’t fancy it.

For all the criticism of Fam I've read, he was one of the few trying, it just didn’t come off for him.

I was really starting to see our 442 and our recruitment for it looking decent, but you cannot make excuses for last night.  If it results in needing to change to something else, e.g. 433, then LJ must be questioned.  Go back to your principles Lee, little tweaks to the 442 in game, even just play Weimann in a 5 for a 10 minute spell to regain momentum etc.

I’m not looking forward to the next week, guessing not just which team will be selected, but which team / players will turn up.

We really don’t do middle of the road do we.

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, EmissionImpossible said:

Lovely to see the Johnson haters have emerged from hibernation.

I find the more vitriolic and personal attacks on him tiresome and tend to ignore it but I don't see much of that in this thread.

By and large I am supportive of him but that doesn't mean there is not legitimate criticism to be made.

Sometimes I agree with the critics, sometimes not, but if they make their points intelligently and reasonably I respect their views.

Either way I don't want an echo chamber.

[chinapig]

2 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Bob, I think what we have to know is whether this was a one-off (they happen), a one-in-ten (the Champ is tough, you’re gonna a few of these a season) or a more regular occurrence (not acceptable), especially away from home.  The first two I can live with.  The last one no way, I will be agreeing with you if so.

It reminded me of Bolton away last season, probably worse.

If it’s wet and away from home, it’s like our players don’t fancy it.

For all the criticism of Fam I've read, he was one of the few trying, it just didn’t come off for him.

I was really starting to see our 442 and our recruitment for it looking decent, but you cannot make excuses for last night.  If it results in needing to change to something else, e.g. 433, then LJ must be questioned.  Go back to your principles Lee, little tweaks to the 442 in game, even just play Weimann in a 5 for a 10 minute spell to regain momentum etc.

I’m not looking forward to the next week, guessing not just which team will be selected, but which team / players will turn up.

We really don’t do middle of the road do we.

If you play at your best 10 times a season you are doing ok. The trick is to pick up points in the rest of your games.

We have, I think, only played one of the current bottom 8, so we arguably have not done so badly.

The worry last night was the almost total absence of fight. I sincerely hope that was a one off or we will be repeating the latter part of last season when some players as good as downed tools.

The most persistent criticism I have of LJ though is his fixation with what he calls 'my 4-4-2', which suggests that is the way he sets his team up and he is not going to budge. That kind of rigid thinking is just not intelligent in any job.

I'm not yet convinced he is learning from experience. He needs to show this season that he has, otherwise we will just keep going round in circles.

[steveybadger]

7 hours ago, chinapig said:

There is a curious and irritating contradiction about LJ.

On the one hand he's someone who is keen to learn new things. On the other, he is absolutely wedded to what he calls 'my 4-4-2'.

Even after for once changing it against Sheff U and finding it worked he immediately reverted to type, meaning we were out numbered in midfield in the next two games, for which we paid the price.

I have found that one of the biggest barriers to progress in any walk of life is precisely this 'I've always done it this way' mindset.

All of which makes LJ both a modern and an old fashioned coach in the same body.

With our 72 wingers and (re)converted centre forward winger Weimann you would think 4-3-3 would suit us, but maybe the pressing game suits 4-4-2 better? Dunno really but he is definitely wedded to 2 up top which sometimes doesn't do us any favours.

[BobBobSuperBob]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Bob, I think what we have to know is whether this was a one-off (they happen), a one-in-ten (the Champ is tough, you’re gonna a few of these a season) or a more regular occurrence (not acceptable), especially away from home.  The first two I can live with.  The last one no way, I will be agreeing with you if so.

It reminded me of Bolton away last season, probably worse.

If it’s wet and away from home, it’s like our players don’t fancy it.

For all the criticism of Fam I've read, he was one of the few trying, it just didn’t come off for him.

I was really starting to see our 442 and our recruitment for it looking decent, but you cannot make excuses for last night.  If it results in needing to change to something else, e.g. 433, then LJ must be questioned.  Go back to your principles Lee, little tweaks to the 442 in game, even just play Weimann in a 5 for a 10 minute spell to regain momentum etc.

I’m not looking forward to the next week, guessing not just which team will be selected, but which team / players will turn up.

We really don’t do middle of the road do we.

Good post mate

Its the lack of enthusiasm and pulling out of challenges I can’t wear

You summed it up

If it’s wet and away from home, it’s like our players don’t fancy it.

 

The squad is rapidly reflecting Lee as a person and as a footballer 

Nice Enough blokes with a bit of ability but not really winners 

I can take a bad day at the office mate or being outplayed by a better side but that abject effort last night is not what I expect from any team where the manager has been widely backed in the market and made dozens of changes over 3 years , whoever he is

This won’t be popular but Repeatedly through his tenure I’ve raise s the question 

Hiw much influence he and his lieutenants actually have in the performance or more accurately what sort of performance

Ive never been convinced he has and I’m not now

Just my feelings right now

[Davefevs]

6 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Good post mate

Its the lack of enthusiasm and pulling out of challenges I can’t wear

You summed it up

If it’s wet and away from home, it’s like our players don’t fancy it.

 

The squad is rapidly reflecting Lee as a person and as a footballer 

Nice Enough blokes with a bit of ability but not really winners 

I can take a bad day at the office mate or being outplayed by a better side but that abject effort last night is not what I expect from any team where the manager has been widely backed in the market and made dozens of changes over 3 years , whoever he is

This won’t be popular but Repeatedly through his tenure I’ve raise s the question 

Hiw much influence he and his lieutenants actually have in the performance or more accurately what sort of performance

Ive never been convinced he has and I’m not now

Just my feelings right now

Too many dangled legs last night, no one willing to go through the ball, and maybe take a knock. (I’m not counting Watkins nutting Kalas!)

I thought we weren’t physical enough at West Brom, and then even less-so against Wigan.

 

[Major Isewater]

On 22/09/2018 at 11:13, chinapig said:

It worked to the extent that it stopped them doing what they usually do, drawing the sting before opening out.

I have lost count of the number of times we have been dominated in midfield under LJ, the opposition often driving straight through with little or no challenge, through simple lack of numbers. At times LJ crosses the line between being an attacking coach and just being gung ho.

As to fitness, he was bragging about how fit the players are only days ago so he isn't going to use that as an excuse.

Though I appreciate fatigue is currently the fashionable excuse, with most PL players apparently dead on their feet already, I don't think we can give our players a get out on that basis.

Yet we did . It was the main theme for the week , three games in six days and how we are going to cope.

We stayed up in the Mudlands to warm down before going up to Manchester where we used the Cliff for training.

That's telling the players that they will be tired and giving them a ' get out ' for underperforming '.

With all the technology, science , physical , medical and coaching how is it even possible to send out a tired side ? 

Why didn't the coaching staff use the squad better or change tactics to make the most of the situation ?

 

[Son of Fred]

4 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Yet we did . It was the main theme for the week , three games in six days and how we are going to cope.

We stayed up in the Mudlands to warm down before going up to Manchester where we used the Cliff for training.

That's telling the players that they will be tired and giving them a ' get out ' for underperforming '.

With all the technology, science , physical , medical and coaching how is it even possible to send out a tired side ? 

Why didn't the coaching staff use the squad better or change tactics to make the most of the situation ?

 

Maybe hanging around in the 'Mudlands was part of the problem........??

Not a great choice by 'the staff to help tired legs...

[Robbored]

1 hour ago, Robert the bruce said:

Maybe hanging around in the 'Mudlands was part of the problem........??

Not a great choice by 'the staff to help tired legs...

They stayed in midlands largely because travelling knackers anyone, particularly coach travel.

[old_eastender]

What really frustrates me is that LJ states the players were not executing the game plan, and those that came in have to show more (surely a reference to Pato)… 

... SO having seen a first half where bar the opening 10 mins we have been abject and Wigan are bossing midfield, why not change it at HT?  Haul Pato off, either bring COD on to play CM, pushing Brownhill a little right and putting Eliasson on his favoured LHS, or even do the same with bringing Walsh on, BUT DO SOMETHING to affect the game. Not wait until the 60th minute while we serve up the same dross and go 1 down!!

[RedM]

30 minutes ago, Robbored said:

They stayed in midlands largely because travelling knackers anyone, particularly coach travel.

Not as if they are on a cramped Megabus is it. A couple of hours in luxury travel before they reach an equally plush hotel. A night out watching Man City play and then training at a training ground with excellent facilities. Not exactly arduous is it. I responded on another thread to someone who commented the players had been away from their families all week, I said many people work away from home for more than time period, and don’t have luxury accommodation, travel and certainly aren’t paid thatbwell for doing so.

Sometimes I think players have had too much too young, they need to live in the real world for a bit. Would they swop working as a delivery driver, or in a shop, pub, hospital, sweeping the streets for what they have to do. I know they have worked hard to get where they are and seen off a lot of competition, but they need to keep going and be motivated. Some players seem to have lost the hunger, maybe they are too comfortable and think they have achieved all they ever will. Nice blokes, but not winners on the whole? 

[Robbored]

34 minutes ago, RedM said:

Not as if they are on a cramped Megabus is it. A couple of hours in luxury travel before they reach an equally plush hotel. A night out watching Man City play and then training at a training ground with excellent facilities. Not exactly arduous is it. 

Logistically it’s a nightmare and have you ever travelled on long coach journeys?

Bristol to Brum is not that arduous but back to Bristol, followed by a days training then back on the road for several hours upto Manchester.......an overnight stay, warm up training before the  game......

It made perfect sense to plan it as they did.