For context, I’ve taken all 5 shots on Hugo Lloris’ goal, but if we start with the first goal the key point here is that when the break comes on, Serge Aurier is in the wrong place. The ball goes through to Orsic, and he has an embarrassment of space with which to collect his thoughts and the exceptional strike is his first.
For the second goal, Orsic was involved at the start of the play in midfield and made his eventual run-in with Sissoko, where we find Eric Dier waiting again, opposed to moving to the ball or the incoming Croatian. Sissoko pulls up and the unmarked man gets his second.
NB: It is Dier who begins instantly using his arms and appointing blame.
Orsic’s 3rd goal was a series of half-hearted rubbish if we’re honest with ourselves. This still is just prior to the last couple of touches, but he’s already pulled away from a barely jogging Bale, Bergwijn who half puts a foot out, and two others who fail to get a proper challenge in. Miles outside the 18-yard area and nobody can be bothered to take out a man who’s already scored twice.
IN CONCLUSION: This lot couldn’t truly give a damn and last night they got their comeuppance. Shiftless barely describes the levels of apathy and downright incompetence. But don’t mind the evidence. It’s all Mourinho’s fault. Never lose sight of that.
There’s a good 9 o’clocker on the team…
We decided to buy doherty over Castagne. Doherty has turned out to be a truly dreadful singing.
The two czech lads were a punt, both turned out very well, they were on the cheap. West Ham spent big on one player in Haller and took a huge loss on him.
West Ham do not in a million years have a better squad than us. The difference is they are playing for themselves, for the team and for the manager.
If the players buy into the manager, If there is togetherness and belief then anything is possible.
We were top of the league, with the same players we have now, we were down to 6/1 to win the league. Something has changed and it’s changed horribly, team spirit has gone, players arent playing.
It’s almost as if a fundamental trust has been broken between the team and the manager. They have stopped playing and they are not playing for him.
There has been a huge break down, the reason, who knows, but this team is a shadow of that team from before Christmas.
The few Arse fans I know thought Martinez was better than Leno. I think at times this season, the goalkeeper spot was up for grabs – if there were decent competition, who knows? Maybe he could have been No. 1.
The point is – many people say we can’t overhaul the squad in covid times, as we can’t pay that much money, but sometimes you don’t need much money. As you say, Castagne would have been a great buy, and not too expensive. The others mentioned here would be similar.
Also, clubs need money, so they might be willing to part with players at lower costs. We could raise some money in that direction by selling our deadwood, if only Levy didn’t overprice every player by about 50%.
I just won’t accept another season during which I’ll have to keep telling people these are the same players that got Poch sacked. I want change. Throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
Yeah that’s the right attitude
These guys are paid an incredible amount of money, they are the assets, not the manager.
If my boss was a D!ckhead and i didn’t try, i would be the one getting sacked.
These guys down tools the manager gets sacked.
That clearly is not right, however, the manager is there to set an example, to be a leader, to give coherent instructions and show why he is the boss.
If he can’t do that, whether you are on 50 quid a week or 15m a year your business will ultimately fail
Here what you say and totally respect your point. Personally, giving anything less than my very best all the time is abhorent, I have more pride and self respect than that, dickhead boss or not.
Hahaha it is tough to feel sorry for someone being paid 15m a year
Ultimately your paid the big bucks because you are a master of your craft.
We will never get the real story of what has happened, half the people blame the players its all there fault. Absolutely they go into pitch and they should be playing with pride.
Yet again, how many times have we worked with a boss who is a D!ckhead and you just don’t try as hard. It could be that as well.
Whatever the case, it’s an utter disgrace
Maureen plays these shysters with a two goal cushion. Surely they can’t fak it up. Que Dier and Winks / Sissoko to let him down. Sell em on.
No, I feel for the Man, not the style of football mind you, but the dressing room factions are hanging him out to dry. In my Humble Opinion he should drop the Trouble Makers. For Good. Bring in Youth and let them play. We are on the ropes here with nothing to loose.
I agree Coufal and indeed Soucek look very good. Bowen another with plenty of potential. Not so sure on Benrahma. Martinez and watkins probably would not have signed for Spurs as they wanted minutes but both look good. Castagne at Leicester is far better than Spurs incumbents at rb. They could all have done well in a spurs shirt but i suspect they werecnot on Jose’s shopping list and probably weren’t first choice for most those clubs. Watkins to Villa maybe as there is link with Dean Smith and Martinez had a good loan spell at Villa.
Doherty looked a good buy initially but its not turned out well and he looks out of his depth. It happens. To be fair to Jose he’s not hung him out to dry and he has been largely positive about his performances. I think he gets pissed off with players that have talent but dont put in the necessary effort or dont heed instructions.
“This lot couldn’t truly give a damn and last night they got their comeuppance”
I think that’s an oxymoron or something like that, not enough of our wage thieves care, ergo there is no comeuppance, you should have stopped at “damn”.
I genuinely feel sorry for Jose, his pride (ego, if you prefer) will be hurting big time thanks to La Mafia &Co.
Cue the comments about feeling sorry for a bloke who is paid £15M a year.
Ignoring all the defensive issues with the goals we conceded one cannot deny that was a super hat-trick and one any of our so called strikers would be proud of.
I struggle to wonder what is worse in our performance.The fact we couldn’t score one goal before halftime,to effectively put the game out of their reach,or that we conceded three goals without reply over 120 minutes.
Everyone of the team and the management and the owners have to own this debacle.
…leaving out West Ham, Villa, Everton. Coufal is a RB who would very likely be a success here, Watkins is far, far better than Vinicius, Benrahma and Bowen were tearing it up in the Championship, Martinez is a very good keeper. All within our price range, no hundred-million signings, all would improve the squad.
Reg and Hojbjerg have been good transfers. The rest…
There seems to be three camps.
One is blaming the players, it’s all there fault, they are not good enough, they don’t care
The one blaming manager, he’s plays terrible football, has lost the dressing room, creates toxicity everywhere he goes
The one blaming the chairman, he hasn’t back any manager, does things on the cheap, this is a huge ponzi scheme.
Ultimately its all if these things, with the overall blame falling on the Chairman.
Barring a handful of players, they are either poor attitude or sub standard and appear to have downed tools. Quite frankly disgraceful.
The Manager, seems to have lost the dressing room, points the blame at everyone else, tactically poor.
The chairman, in a short an utter dereliction of duty over 20 years
That mix of ingredients has led us to this festering mess, the only difficulty i have is how this gets resolved?
….and City and Liverpool pay hefty transfer fees. I’m sure they don’t always get their first choice. Dias was probably third choice for Pep but its about making it work. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Jose got Hojberg, Reguilon and Doherty. He must have agreed to Vinicius as well as there were other options.
Trouble is he has alienated half the team.
Who gets all the players he wants? Pep usually does. Klopp did for a few years – losing the CL final was an impulse to improve the squad at Pool, imagine that. Tuchel likely will. Ole got Bruno and some others. There was backing for Moyes (Benrahma, Soucek, Coufal, Bowen) and Ancelotti too. Even Smith got Martinez, Barkley, Watkins. It’s not that difficult.
However, the situations above were either decent squads that just needed some tweaks, or sustained backing over a few years. The neglect we’ve suffered left us with a squad it will likely take two more summers to fix – and with a guy who overprices any departing players and lowballs incoming transfers…it might take longer than that.
The first goal is not great defending but it’s a great finish. Second and third goals are just shambolic at this level and are not just individual errors there are numerous players out of position, not closing down, not tracking back and not giving a care.
There is a distinct lack of any team character. Mourinho has had over a year, and yes he probably doesn’t like all the players he has, but what manager gets all the players he wants.
The default towards the end was too try and dribble through the entire dinamo team. There didn’t appear to be much communication and no one putting a foot on the ball to calm it all down.
If no one is listening to mourinho, winner or not, it doesn’t bode well.
Reminds me of the last few games under Poch the Brighton game when the players were strolling around. I really don’t understand no matter who the boss is don’t these players want to win every game ?
I think what you are looking at is the we have these performances in spite of having Mourinho. Teams that go on have key moments to go on and build a legacy, we seem to have our moments and have some different thing to deflect why not.
Harry you’ve ended a few of these blogs implying that the majority are blaming everything on mourinho. From looking through the comments it looks balanced. People are talking about bad tactical choices, yes. They are are also calling out players and the blindingly obviously neglect from ENIC.
Is your position being that Jose is faultless here? That his selection of players for this game or his approach to the NLD were sound?
Also let’s say everything stays as it is. We have no expectation that our transfer policy will change and the squad will remain as it is. Is mourinho still the man you want to see in charge next season?
Hugo made it clear it’s them, not him. Bad break up on the horizon when you hear the it’s not you it’s me line.