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3rd place is not out of sight
- Thread starter chancer
- Start date
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
This was one game that set the tone for many this season, enjoying a great deal of possession (not always clear if we dominated or it was offered tactically) and shots, but not much of it being 'meaningful'
Its been a consistent complaint this half a season that the quality of shots and chances presented hasnt been good enough. A shot from 40 yards lofted straight to the keeper is still a shot on target, and Bale has been trying this 4 or 5 times a match since Christmas (unsuccessfully). Yes its a shot, it adds to the tally on opta, but no - it wasnt a shot!. Something to draw a fine save or that was ever a danger to the opposition conceding.
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Everton was similar, despite a ridiculous amount of possession we actually didnt REALLY threaten the goal until Saha hitting the post in the 90 something minute iirc...
Damn lies and statistics...
Damn lies and statistics...
The Moonlit Knight
Banned
Doesn't change the fact that we played well.
People get fixated over the scorelines too much in the short term. I can't believe how many people simply view games as simple as "We won, we played well", "we lost, we were brick". It is entirely possible to play well and lose (and visa versa). It is entirely possible to go on a run of playing well and losing (and visa versa!) for a few games.
africanspurs
Justin Edinburgh
yep, people calling for modric and bale to be sold. actually saying that if people were 'silly' enough to offer 40 million for bale then we should sell
and these comments from people that value common sense above all else. Somehow selling the two biggest assets is construed as common sense then?
mind boggling IMO
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
I havent done that at all. And I know sometimes you get a result you donte 'deserve' (Fuilham jumps to mind) and dont get one you do.
What Im saying is that having 60% possession and 20 shots on goal doesnt necessarily mean you played well.
Take our wins against Arsenal over the last few years. We had a very clear tactic of letting them have the ball, sitting back, pushing them wide where they arent (werent?) dangerous then hitting them on the break.
They ended up resorting to pot shots from range. They end the game with the lions share of possession and a more shots as well. Did they play well and lose? Or were they out thought? Did we play well and win, despite statistically not wining a single margin?
Everton was a very similar game for me, with us on the receiving end.
What Im saying is that having 60% possession and 20 shots on goal doesnt necessarily mean you played well.
Take our wins against Arsenal over the last few years. We had a very clear tactic of letting them have the ball, sitting back, pushing them wide where they arent (werent?) dangerous then hitting them on the break.
They ended up resorting to pot shots from range. They end the game with the lions share of possession and a more shots as well. Did they play well and lose? Or were they out thought? Did we play well and win, despite statistically not wining a single margin?
Everton was a very similar game for me, with us on the receiving end.
The Moonlit Knight
Banned
But it usually means it wasn't a poor performance either.
We deserved to beat Everton though, we outplayed them and were the away team. Had the quality of our crossing been better we'd have won that one comfortably. It's a bad example to try and bash Redknapp/the team with.
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Im not trying to bash anyone/anything, stop jumping to conclusions. Im making an observation, that is all.
We didnt play badly, I didnt say we did. There is middle ground you know!
It comes down to perception doesnt it? Did we pin Everton back, or did they invite us?
I thought they were very well prepared for us. Played for a draw, and were lucky to get the win. However, in the second half, in our much vaunted dominance, I never had the impression we would score. It just wasnt on - Everton dealt with anything we had, and comfortably so IMO.
Only at the very end, when its last ditch stuff, did we break through only to be denied by the post.
Clearly you saw the game differently to me, but thats the version of events I have in mind.
Everton are a bloody good side, there is no shame in losing up there, Im not bashing anyone.
We didnt play badly, I didnt say we did. There is middle ground you know!
It comes down to perception doesnt it? Did we pin Everton back, or did they invite us?
I thought they were very well prepared for us. Played for a draw, and were lucky to get the win. However, in the second half, in our much vaunted dominance, I never had the impression we would score. It just wasnt on - Everton dealt with anything we had, and comfortably so IMO.
Only at the very end, when its last ditch stuff, did we break through only to be denied by the post.
Clearly you saw the game differently to me, but thats the version of events I have in mind.
Everton are a bloody good side, there is no shame in losing up there, Im not bashing anyone.
Unfortunately I have a crappy memory so can't remember the different chances of the match, but didn't Bale hit the bar at one point too? And I'm sure I remember Defoe having a couple of 'three-quarter' chances too! We might not have dominated, but if I recall correctly we did have the better chances overall and deserved at least a draw.
Bale hit the bar against Stoke too. And their goal had an element of luck, in that someone headed it off someone's back and it fell straight to the Stoke player. I also remember a couple of 'three-quarter' (!) chances for Modric which he dragged wide.
Whereas against Bolton, Modric's goal wasn't really a chance; just a phenomenal shot! And perhaps we shoudln't have had that corner because of Sandro's hand-ball. And then perhaps they should have had a penalty for Gallas' handball. Then they had that chance where Friedel came out and stayed big to block the shot, then the other one where their player was totally free from a couple of yards out and totally missed. In the end we scored 3 more nice goals, but things could have been really different if we didn't have that 'luck' earlier on.
braineclipse
Willie Hall
We outplayed them in the 2nd half. Our first half performance was very poor. Not unlike away to Stoke where we were shocking in the first 20-25 minutes. We can complain about bad luck, or quality of crossing or finishing, but if we start poorly and allow home sides to take the lead we will put ourselves in difficult situations that we will only sometimes be able to turn around.
This was a repeating issue under Jol, it generally hasn't been an issue under Harry though.
mick cooper
Neil Sullivan
agreed
the stats aren't really the crux of my position, its what they show thats important - that of a club who did not come to make a game of it, but simply defended in numbers and hoped for a lucky break.
At Everton we inflicted that on the HOME team. Look what happened to Bolton, when they actualy tried to make a game of it (because they had to)
Denmark Spur
Edgar Davids
WBA have not lost in their last 4 games
Arsenal have not won in their last 4 games
BELIEVE !
Arsenal have not won in their last 4 games
BELIEVE !
Spursalot
Jimmy McCormick
Still, they'll need to win, and they will.
seaside spur
Scott Parker
Yes, if it was in our hands i would agree, but it's not......again!
Naughton16
Clive Wilson
West Brom have a manager who is on his way out. When has that ever worked in any clubs favour?
This Win it for Woy stuff is pure fanasy.
This Win it for Woy stuff is pure fanasy.
it's a long(ish) shot but Arsenal are as much a bunch of bottlers this season as we are (if not more) they have consistently been inconsistent with their performances/results this season and an away game at West Brom is far from a certain 3 points for them
as it happens i can see them losing and us drawing :lol: ](*,)
but seriously it's by no means over
keep the faith !
Saudi Sportswashing Machine still have a big say. Chelsea could still get 4th too. Bloody hell we let it get really messy
nayimfromthehalfwayline
Andy Thompson
Its a feature of the last couple of seasons, teams fear us now. The game has changed now that teams respect us more - we need to change with it.