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Was it in fact a battle between Williams and Laudrup that led to the break. Had Williams and inventory-Monk, both without backing from the Spaniards and others) , hoped ML would fix their loss of authority?
Oh captiain, my captain: Williams no doubt is not technical enough for Laudrup. Actually he has not been the kind of captain on or off the pitch that you would expect. Often shouting at others while almost every ball played into his area is certain danger. He had a good streak last spring, but other than that I would consider the weakest link in the back four (not counting Tiendalli, of course).
Lack of transfers: Maybe the root cause is the alleged offloading attempt Williams to Arsenal last summer. I think it is pretty clear now that the transfer or lack of transfers last summer has more than anything to do with the current situation. ML wanted alternatives to Rangel and Williams, but got Tiendalli and nothing. He wanted two strikers and got Bony and nothing. ML stated numerous times last spring he needed to strengthen the squad just to maintain the level, because all the competition did. Just look at how other teams in the relegation zone acted in January. Some will think why didn't Laudrup speak out, but it is not his style. He is very loyal, if he has signed a contract. It has been the same in this transfer window. Jenkins(board) did not want to spend,except on budget players like Ngog and Emnes.
Back to Williams: He has not been king of his domain at all this season. A captain who does not perform but shouts at everybody else will face mutiny. He probably turned to Mongo for help and lost the backing of the Spaniards. We have not scored enough goals, but we have conceded for too many on personal errors. It is ridiculous have few balls he clears in the box, which at the same time has made Tremmel look bad. I am sure if Laudrup, if Williams had not been team captain, had played a different setup from time to time. You could have put a pole in the box.
Technical and tactical blank as a blond: In the blamage at Upton he actual went forward coming from his back line position leaving his area wide open for a counter attack. I cannot state it more clear than that. I could understand it, maybe, if he had anything to offer beyond the backline, but at Upton given a great opportunity following a corner he showed his total handicap in goal scoring. So, if we assume there were troubles in Paradise, surely a loyal strong captain like Williams could keep that down, but if you don't have the respect of your colleagues you cannot (Monk-Chico incident). ML does not see his role as a kinder garden manager. You may thin and believe he should be, but he himself is not used to have to motivate players because they are professionals as he is.
The axe: So Williams knew ML would replace him if he had the chance and no backing from the Spaniards and other Laurduo inventions like Gusman, Tiendalli, Davies, Bony - maybe Shelvey and Routledge. Although not directly threatened to be left out of the starting XI he must have clashed with ML's different approach to the man handling and when asked he was ready to swing the axe by asking the board to include his mate Monk as a coach. They must have known this was very difficult for ML to accept, maybe not at the start of the season, but now mid-season as a clear lack of confidence in ML.
The fix: Nobody have talked much about it (it is much easier to blame the manager), but the backline is the place to look for a fix. If you don't concede, you cannot lose. Maybe you don't score yourself, but you will not lose. Some have stated it is a mess sometimes on the pitch, but this fix also starts with the back four. If they are not in place, the midfield will suffer and in the end the wings and forwards. This is Williams responsibility. He controls the back four and hence the DM. Can Monk fix that? He should be able to, being a back liner himself.
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Williams - the real axe man? on 13:57 - Feb 5 with 1193 views
Williams - the real axe man? on 13:50 - Feb 5 by MattG
You can argue that Williams should have done better against Carroll for the header but I though Amat was to blame for the first goal - he didn't track Nolan all the way which left him in space for the knock-down from Carroll.
As others have said, our better defensive records and performances in the last few seasons have been as much to do with defending from the front as with better players / organisation in the back four. To lay the blame for all of that at the feet of one player is pretty harsh to say the least.
Williams "could" have done better but Carroll is always favourite for any of those aimless high balls
I agree with Amat to blame however its not his fault he's being played out of position in such a massive match. Too many changes - lack of co-ordination - people not looking 100% happy with what they were being asked to do.
This is Patches O'Houlihan saying "Take care of your balls, and they'll take care of you."
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Williams - the real axe man? on 13:57 - Feb 5 with 1193 views
Williams - the real axe man? on 13:50 - Feb 5 by budegan
Genius.
?? I'm at a loss to be honest. I don't see how me saying that we concede silly goals is me changing my tune, especially as I have been saying it for most of the season . Maybe you will be able to explain yourself a bit better this time.
“The stupidest thing she knew was for people to act like they knew all about the things they knew absolutely nothing about.â€
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Williams - the real axe man? on 14:08 - Feb 5 with 1158 views
Defence is more than the backfour, they need security from the 2 defensive midfielders, and thats where I blame ML. had he used 2 more strong defensive midfielders rather than De Guzman, he would have kept his job.
Williams - the real axe man? on 13:57 - Feb 5 by PatchesOHoulihan
Williams "could" have done better but Carroll is always favourite for any of those aimless high balls
I agree with Amat to blame however its not his fault he's being played out of position in such a massive match. Too many changes - lack of co-ordination - people not looking 100% happy with what they were being asked to do.
Agree about Carroll - whatever you might think of him as a player, he does win a hell of a lot of ball in the air even against defenders who are better in the air than ours.
Also agree about Amat being played out of position but don't agree that means it's not his fault - it explains why it happened but it still shouldn't have.
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Williams - the real axe man? on 14:16 - Feb 5 with 1137 views
Williams - the real axe man? on 14:11 - Feb 5 by MattG
Agree about Carroll - whatever you might think of him as a player, he does win a hell of a lot of ball in the air even against defenders who are better in the air than ours.
Also agree about Amat being played out of position but don't agree that means it's not his fault - it explains why it happened but it still shouldn't have.
Yeah agree,
Meant to make it clear it was Amats fault it happened - but not his fault he was being played in an unfamiliar role.
As much as tracking basic runs should be easy for centre halfs its usually all in front of them so maybe his awareness of all runners in front/behind wasn't good enough as not in the habit
This is Patches O'Houlihan saying "Take care of your balls, and they'll take care of you."
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Williams - the real axe man? on 14:38 - Feb 5 with 1099 views