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+----- Thread: WBA vs Burnley - Match Thread (/showthread.php?tid=9844)
RE: WBA vs Burnley - Match Thread - Slick_Footwork - 21-10-2020
(20-10-2020, 23:26)drewks Wrote: Slick, that's a great, thought provoking post, and I've got to admit that IMHO it's more or less spot on - and makes me rethink my view of SB.
I just hope that HE is as aware as you - and I'm not being sarcastic!
I sincerely hope I'm wrong about Bilic because there's a lot to like about him. He's an endearing character and the football last season was, when on song, excellent to watch.
It was somewhat reminiscent to Tony Mowbray's Championship winning team in terms of style. That said, Mowbray's team with Koren, Gera, Teixeria, Jonno, Brunt, Mozza and Kim Do-Heon was a much better side than Bilic's. Those midfielders feeding Bednar, Ish Miller and Super Kev. With Robbo marauding forward from left back. If they were in the Championship now, they would walk it.
But the style was similar, attacking home and away...
But when we went up under Mowbray his shortcoming of failing to add steel was glaringly obvious. I can't help feeling Bilic will have the same shortcoming.
Mowbray's top target the year we went up was Borja Valero, who ironically is similar in style to Bilic's top target Krovi. Valero has gone on to have a really good career, but it was obvious he wasn't the player we needed from the outset. We had Mulumbu at the club at that period, signed on the cheap, but Mowbray was simply too stubborn to play him. We saw in subsequent years that he had the steel we needed and if Mowbray would've just added him to the mix of players he had, we probably would've had the right blend to stay up.
As it happened, we could have 65% of the ball under Mowbray and lose 3-0 because we were a soft touch.
I can just see history repeating itself, Bilic is Mowbray reincarnated. Both centre backs as well...
Of course, Bilic still has time to learn and add that steel. I hope he's not stubborn and proves me wrong. But we need to see a lot more from this team than the dross they have served up in the last 2 games.
(20-10-2020, 23:43)Zinman Wrote: Well , Slick, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. My memory of Allardyce is watching his team of giants bore people into submission - I can recall a couple of occasions where I came away from the Hawthorns thinking that at least I didn’t have to watch that every week. Yes, his Bolton side did have a flair player but his role seemed to be to get on the end of whatever bounced off the big lump up front when the ball was hooked up to him. As to young players , yes I do think they’re important as they do at least offer the chance of an eventual sale at a profit that can be reinvested - having a team of 30+ journeymen a la Pulis is a recipe for disaster. Ivanovic on a 1 year deal makes sense, but for a club of Albion’s stature, developing young talent is essential to our future.
I never want to go back to the dark days of Pulisball - the only manager to stop me going to games. And yes, I put Allardyce in the same category as Pulis based on my experience of watching his teams.
Fair point, we all have different opinions which is what the game is all about. Personally, I'll always like Allardyce for brining Jay Jay Okocha to the Premier League. He was my favourite player in my teens and I thought that Bolton team were a cracking watch back then. It wasn't just Okocha, it was Salgado, Campo, Djorkaef, Ricky Gardner. He did play with the focal point of Kevin Davies, but he wasn't a bad footballer and scored some really good goals. Allardyce just transformed him into a physical player to upset the opposition and it worked.
I agree we don't want to go back to Pulisball, but IMO what was served up against Southampton and Burnley was no different. The striker was just as isolated as under Pulis. I'd go off on a limb and say it was worse because at least with Pulis we would really have a go at sides like Burnley for the first 20 minutes at home before running out of steam. For me, yesterday was tepid for 90 minutes.
I just feel we need someone like Allardyce to keep us up based on the 5 games we have seen so far. Obviously he wouldn't be my choice for a full campaign, but given the players we have now, we need someone who can organise a bunch of softies to grind out some results. I just don't think Bilic has it in him based on the evidence we have seen for several months now. I just hope I'm wrong and things change. I feel we have the players at the club to put a better 'balanced' team out than what Slav has been selecting. But he just doesn't seem to want to add that extra steel.
RE: WBA vs Burnley - Match Thread - talkSAFT - 21-10-2020
Some very well-observed points there, Slick.
(Not keen on the 'Allardyce' bit, but I might be happy with a 'someone like Allardyce'.)
Basil'n'Clive needs our support atm, though, and I'd like to hear Artificial Crowd Noise chanting his name.
RE: WBA vs Burnley - Match Thread - Blue Baggie - 21-10-2020
The sign of a good manager is the one who recognises the teams and his weaknesses. Then does something about it. Ivanovic was a step in the right direction, but he needs to do more. He appears to be far to nice for his own good. Some decisions are required. I'm unsure if Diangana and Pereira can even play in the same team ATM, 2 luxury players are not always the answer. Darren made the error of not sorting out the obvious And IMO Bilic is falling into the same trap.
RE: WBA vs Burnley - Match Thread - twertonparkbaggie - 21-10-2020
Hay, at the end of the day I don't mind if we lose so long as we play reasonably well. After all, we could all support Bolton or even Bury.