What a shite weekend this has been

[Rashid]

I'm not being condescending, and I have no problem with constructive criticism of the management, team or performance. I was astonished that Crouch didn't play, astonished at how bad Kromkamp was and astonished at how nervous we looked in posession. What I can't believe is Rashid, a day after telling all and sundry that he's delighted with our signings, and generally acting like we'll stroll to the quadruple, suddenly acting like a footballing apocalypse is nigh after a grand total of two away points have been dropped.

 

You know that is bollox don't you?

[sh#t waffle]

You know that is bollox don't you?

Are you pulling me up on a phrase that could be construed as overreacting?

[Paul]

You know that is bollox don't you?

Rash man, take half an hour out from posting and read over everything you wrote in the aftermath of Saturday and beyond. You are pretty hysterical about two dropped points, mate. I'm not saying you should be happy - no Red would be - but how about a bit of perspective, eh mate? This is how it all goes wrong for you and there's no need for yet another season of you being the centre of loads of shite on here. Apart from your ding dong with Moschops a few weeks ago, you've been loads better on here for a while now. Let's keep it that way, eh?

 

Be as critical of selections ad performances as you like, but just drop the amateur dramatics from your posts. You'd gain loads more respect and this would be a saner place.

[Paco]

Not only did we not manage to beat a newly promoted team in the opening fixture, both the mancs and Chelsea won.

 

And to top it off, injuries to Riise and Carra. Fucking hell!

 

Gutted, can't wait for the next game. Roll on Maccabi.

 

Yip awful day, at least we didn't lose though!

 

also here were my teams on saturday, guess who let me down:

 

Liverpool

Southend

Reading

West Brom

Swansea

Everton

[Lisa]

I have no problem with Rafa's team selection, but I'm still disappointed we didn't "hit the ground runnning". Tuesday's match is extremely important, and it will be great having that out of the way. I'd take a result in that game over yesterday's any day.

Yes I agree, I just hope that we get through tomorrow. I was disappointed at the end of the game but you cannot judge the team on one performance. It was just one game, if we win our next 4 or 5 matches no one will even remember it.

[Section_31]

Tomorrow's match is the most important single match we'll play this season I reckon, since I think the Kuyt money was splashed out predicated on the twelve million at stake in that match. For this reason alone i wasn't too downbeat about the Shef game with our eyes on the Haifa one. Also Having only one established member of the back four on the pitch, and with several players rested, the draw didn't exactly put me on suicide watch.

[Brownie]

I'm not being condescending, and I have no problem with constructive criticism of the management, team or performance. I was astonished that Crouch didn't play, astonished at how bad Kromkamp was and astonished at how nervous we looked in posession. What I can't believe is Rashid, a day after telling all and sundry that he's delighted with our signings, and generally acting like we'll stroll to the quadruple, suddenly acting like a footballing apocalypse is nigh after a grand total of two away points have been dropped.

 

Fair enough then. I've got Rash on ignore so I don't know what he's been saying and naturally I thought the comments were aimed at other people because of that!

[ritchie]

If we don't beat West Ham on Saturday we'll be 7 points off the top already, with our next two matches away at Everton and Chelsea. We need to hit the ground running this season but we've got alot of hard games coming up away from home.

[Captain]

He, he. Two point dropped with one hundred and eleven to play for and Rash is hysterical already. Fuck The Mancs and Chelsea. The time for worrying about their results is when we're playing them or when we're in the final furlong. With nearly two weeks of August left to go, the latter is not any time soon.

That's just wrong. If we don't improve sharpish, we'll be out of the title race just as early as we were last year.

 

The pattern remains the same from last season: We draw, Chelsea win. Only last year it was Chelsea who had their opener away to a newly promoted team.

[Brownie]

That's just wrong. If we don't improve sharpish, we'll be out of the title race just as early as we were last year.

 

The pattern remains the same from last season: We draw, Chelsea win. Only last year it was Chelsea who had their opener away to a newly promoted team.

 

Exactly.

[Dirk]

Lets worry about what is happening rather than what might happen.

[Paul]

That's just wrong. If we don't improve sharpish, we'll be out of the title race just as early as we were last year.

 

The pattern remains the same from last season: We draw, Chelsea win. Only last year it was Chelsea who had their opener away to a newly promoted team.

A one match pattern. Interesting.

[Captain]

Interesting change in debating style from you, Paul.

[Paul]

Interesting change in debating style from you, Paul.

I know I was being sarcy, but how can we possibly be in a pattern after one game?

 

I don't disagree with any of the (rational) comments made in the aftermath of this match, but I just think there's already a developing mood of gloom (not from any one individual necessarily). This season, like any other, will be full of twists and turns. Every team will have good results and bad, with performances that either reflect the result or otherwise. That's football, surely? If by the end of September we're looking at a repeat of last season's start then I'll be very worried. When there are still 111 points to play for, I can't be - regardless of the circumstances in which we dropped our two points.

 

To think that Saturday's match will be in some way definitive seems bizarre to me. I know you're not saying that, but the premature nit-picking from some is irritating me (not you or Brownie, I should say, who I've ended up debating this with). Zenden is already on the verge of being scape-goated by some. What the fuck?

[RedKnight]

I think people are little disgruntled beacuse we weren't out of the traps quick enough last year and that draw makes some think we'll be too far back before we get going this year.

 

Wow, that was a longer sentence than I anticipated.

[MLB]

We need to start playing for wins NOW. We can't afford to start the season cautiously again. We dropped too many points last season by only playing for a half - either trying to hold a 1 goal lead or only coming to life after going one down. We're at our best when we're on the front foot putting pressure on the opposition and enforcing our will on the game. Anytime we get tentative we're fucked. That's what we have to overcome.

[Guest molbyscorchio]

We need to start playing for wins NOW. We can't afford to start the season cautiously again. We dropped too many points last season by only playing for a half - either trying to hold a 1 goal lead or only coming to life after going one down. We're at our best when we're on the front foot putting pressure on the opposition and enforcing our will on the game. Anytime we get tentative we're fucked. That's what we have to overcome.

 

Correct. We pay the price for being too tentative. A bit of gung-ho wouldn't go amiss. We need to press for 90 minutes. Put a bit of fear into teams, jut like ManU did at the weekend.

[ChicagoRed]

You make a number of good points, but shouldn't we have selected a team that would have handled the situation better. Rafa got it wrong and then injuries prevented him fixing it!