| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... 18:37 - Aug 18 with 3175 views | fLaMeBoY |
1/ There are a number of reasons why we lost today. Lets start with the obvious one. After you concede five goals at home to a relegation rival — the defense. The most obvious area that needed strengthening in the summer was the defense. We didn’t and started with Hill-Ferdinand-Onouha continuing where they left off for the majority of last year — appalling and shipping goals.
2/ The biggest worry today was the players gave up. At 3-0 and 4-0 they stopped playing, chasing their errors, stood with hand on their hips after yet another missed place pass.
3/ The 4th goal was a beauty of QPR defending standards. Taarabts shit free-kick hits the wall, Swansea break, Onouha hooks a clearance straight back to them to score.
4/ Rob Green was simply atrocious. Not just the first goal which was a howler but for a passage late in the first half when he was literally flapping at one cross after another that saw Swansea hit the crossbar and have it cleared off the line. A terrible debut and what looks like a terrible goalkeeper on this showing.
5/ We looked every bit a team of individuals for the vast majority of the game. Yeah we played ok for the first 20 minutes but in this time it was obviously Taarabt (trying too hard) and Cisse were not having good games.
6/ Thought Holliet was a positive in the first half particularly. Thought the game passed Park but for long periods, Fabio started well but like the rest of the team fell apart as the game went on.
7/ Why did Hughes sit on his hands and not make a change until we were 3-0 down? Only to make a change that bizarrely saw SWP come on and play wing back. Talking of SWP, late on when five yards out with the goal at his mercy managed to kick it into the upper tier in the only way SWP does in most games. After 30 minutes you knew it wasn’t Taarabt's and Cisse’s day so why not go with Zamora and Johnson? The game was lost and surely it was damage limitations.
8/ To summarise the term ‘a team of individuals’ has never been truer. That with a defense that has not been improved on from the team that shipped a ton of goals last year = disaster.
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:41 - Aug 18 with 3124 views | Toast_R |
3 cheers for Swansea, they were some team out there....
We didn't look fit enough to lace their boots |  | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:46 - Aug 18 with 3089 views | JonDoeman |
9 : Not all doom and gloom, some good play in the first half. Balance/system/personnel probably not quite right. Green's form is a major worry. |  |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:54 - Aug 18 with 3025 views | Antti_Heinola |
Flame, not quite sure 'the biggest worry of today was players giving up at 3-0 and 4-0'. No team on earth would have done much at that point - it was game over.
That defence played perfectly well at home for the last 6 or 7 games of the season - unfortunately, we had no answer to Michu or the superb Routledge and Dyer.
The real biggest worry was that when we played Swansea a few months back we played them brilliantly, completely winning the tactical battle and beating them all over the pitch. Today, the team and the management - and probably the fans too - showed a total lack of respect for Swansea, expecting us to win and not expecting to defend much. That was the real concern, and Swansea took us to the cleaners with some incisive passing and peerless finishing.
But good old Q-Block, they'll sing 'Boring, Boring Swansea' all day and be happy. Sure, Swansea took their time - who wouldn't? - but they were anything but boring and were far more dangerous and direct than they ever were last season. Great performance by them, a naiive one from the team and from Hughes.
Having said all that, had Mackie put away his gilt-edged chance 5 mins after they scored, it might well have been a totally different game because we absolutely dominated and pinned them back from 15 mins to 40 mins. |  |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:55 - Aug 18 with 3014 views | kensalriser |
Thought we did OK in the first half even a goal down, we dominated possession. But fair play to Swansea, they caught us on the break and kept on doing the same trick until the game was out of sight. It looked so easy for them, just a little pace and in on the keeper.
Once again I find myself wondering if Hughes has any talent at all as a manager. |  |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:56 - Aug 18 with 3012 views | ted_hendrix |
I thought for spells in the first half we were bloody good, in the second half we were quite frankly shit, i was a bit surprised at how our players heads dropped.
We could have been 3-0 down at half time though which is a worry.
Who the fcking hell was that Swansea player Michu and where the fck did they find him?
He was bloody good. |  |
| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:07 - Aug 18 with 2930 views | yankranger |
excellent!!!! thanks for that, needed a laugh.
talk about walking into the stadium with high hopes for the season, and walking out back into reality.
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:08 - Aug 18 with 2916 views | Jamie |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:56 - Aug 18 by ted_hendrix |
I thought for spells in the first half we were bloody good, in the second half we were quite frankly shit, i was a bit surprised at how our players heads dropped.
We could have been 3-0 down at half time though which is a worry.
Who the fcking hell was that Swansea player Michu and where the fck did they find him?
He was bloody good. |
La Liga. 15 goals last season. £2m. | | | |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:09 - Aug 18 with 2909 views | wittle |
i am still in shock and this is a serious reality check,sometimes you turn up at games fearing the worst but i didnt see this coming.All the talk in the pub pre match was about how we got smashed by bolton opening game last season and how we had moved on,truth is our defence hasnt improved from last season and im not even sure if green will be an improvement on kenny,all in all alot for hughes to think about. | | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:09 - Aug 18 with 2907 views | baz_qpr |
re number 1 you can have the best defenders in the world but if you are constantly overloaded with 5 attackers against 4 defenders you are going to get beat. System not the personnel was the issue |  | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:12 - Aug 18 with 2883 views | jonno |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:55 - Aug 18 by kensalriser |
Thought we did OK in the first half even a goal down, we dominated possession. But fair play to Swansea, they caught us on the break and kept on doing the same trick until the game was out of sight. It looked so easy for them, just a little pace and in on the keeper.
Once again I find myself wondering if Hughes has any talent at all as a manager. |
The fact that the tactics employed were exactly the wrong ones to use against Swansea is a real worry IMHO. We played totally into their hands, and there was no real attempt to change our approach which is a major concern. Someone also needs to tell the players that "closing down" and "putting pressure on the ball" is not achieved by running up to the man in possession but stopping three yards away and watching him do what he likes with the ball. Apart from a couple of challenges by Diakite and Park I didn't see us make a tackle or even attempt one. Oh, and also, the idea of blocking a shot on goal is to actually get closer to the opponent than five yards away and give him time to pick his spot. No urgency from the players from the start, they seemed to think it would just be a stroll today and allowed Swansea to waste most of the first half simply passing the ball around at the back. Lots of work needed. |  | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:14 - Aug 18 with 2858 views | TacticalR |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 18:56 - Aug 18 by ted_hendrix |
I thought for spells in the first half we were bloody good, in the second half we were quite frankly shit, i was a bit surprised at how our players heads dropped.
We could have been 3-0 down at half time though which is a worry.
Who the fcking hell was that Swansea player Michu and where the fck did they find him?
He was bloody good. |
Michu:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/swansea-transfer-signings-chico-de-1 |  |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:17 - Aug 18 with 2833 views | Antti_Heinola |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:12 - Aug 18 by jonno |
The fact that the tactics employed were exactly the wrong ones to use against Swansea is a real worry IMHO. We played totally into their hands, and there was no real attempt to change our approach which is a major concern. Someone also needs to tell the players that "closing down" and "putting pressure on the ball" is not achieved by running up to the man in possession but stopping three yards away and watching him do what he likes with the ball. Apart from a couple of challenges by Diakite and Park I didn't see us make a tackle or even attempt one. Oh, and also, the idea of blocking a shot on goal is to actually get closer to the opponent than five yards away and give him time to pick his spot. No urgency from the players from the start, they seemed to think it would just be a stroll today and allowed Swansea to waste most of the first half simply passing the ball around at the back. Lots of work needed. |
Exactly - total lack of respect shown to Swansea and we were deservedly punished heavily by a side far more professional and better prepared than us. | |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:21 - Aug 18 with 2807 views | TacticalR |
Even when we were playing well we looked like a team of individuals.
Absolutely everything seemed to go through Taarabt, and while it's good to see him on the ball, I don't think *everything* should go through him. | |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:24 - Aug 18 with 2769 views | wittle |
looked like we turned up with no game plan and with an attitude that we have better players than you so we should win.shocking really. | | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:29 - Aug 18 with 2732 views | DesertBoot |
We played like a team who had read all the previews that we would finish 12th-14th...maybe higher with a classy CB.
Swansea played like a team who had read all the previews that said they would be relegated.
Hats off to them. They simply wanted it more and played as a unit. |  |
| Wish I could be like David Watts |
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| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:32 - Aug 18 with 2710 views | SpiritofGregory |
Fair play to Swansea they closed us down everytime we had possession. Just shows you what you can do if you play as a team. Tarrabt was doing his usual, trying to take on every man on instead of passing the ball. He will never be a top midfielder because he is too bloody selfish. God we miss Faurlin, Adel is not fit to tie his laces.
Our defence which everyone knew had to be replaced is just carrying on from last season. Hil is too slow, Onuoha is cumbersome and Ferdinand is as thick as too short planks.
Green is what we thought he'd be - a bloody liability. Thought we'd get something out of the game but then again with our defence and keeper we'll always ship goals. The board need to get the cheque book out and pay a fee for decent players instead of looking for freebies.
Not sure what was wrong with Zamora looked fit enough when warming up? |  | | |
| Just got back - A few thoughts and observations..... on 19:37 - Aug 18 with 2667 views | ted_hendrix |
Thanks for that info, I thought the bloke stood out for them I didn't know who half the Swansea players were before kick off.
0-5 at home is a good hiding which ever way you look at It.
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| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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