One of the mainstays of the Org has posted about the lousy atmosphere at Upton Park for the game against the Champions, comparing it unfavourably with the highly charged atmosphere that usually greets the Mancs. We thought the morgue like mood was down to Turds but there really does seem to be a gloom bordering on resignation that has settled over the place these days. You can't help but contrast Upton Park with the rocking atmosphere at Hull or Stoke.
Is it down to the high percentage of season ticket holders perhaps, the East End equivalent of Old Trafford's prawn sandwich brigade (I'd guess tuna with a squeeze of Jiff lemon or soggy banana in Mother's Pride)? Or is it that we are now so crap that the fans can't even be bothered to mouth off any more?
The Org itself seems to be mirroring the mood inside the stadium. Getting a debate going in there is like trying to to start an orgy in a Women's Institute meeting. Poor old Del, in an effort to breath life into the mordant patient, has even been reduced to starting a thread entitled, "Who will win X Factor?"
Desperate times indeed! Anybody know if Jedward can play up front?
15 comments:
TBH HF I don't think the fans have recovered after Turd's tenure. He took us so close to relegations, then the heady height's of a 5month stay in 10th place with a brand of football so boring Bolton fans would have been calling for his head!! The players he bought in financially helped ruin the club, and we've been left with having to pay them off to get rid or watch them wind down then contracts then leave!! We've got no money to play with, a team with so many kids in it no wonder ABC learning centres went out of business and a future about as bright as an eclipse!!
HF,
This may read stupid but what is this 'Org' everyone refers to? Or am I better not knowing and preserving my sanctity.
Martin Samuel is getting in on the act too. Read the second half of his article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1233713/MARTIN-SAMUEL-David-Beckham-rule-Englands-World-Cup-2018-bid.html
I didnt even think of this. Shocking stuff from Zola!
All the fans around me were screaming at the bench for at least five minutes for Hines to be taken off. He was clearly unable to run and Zola knew it but seemed to want to give him until half time to assess him properly.
It's amazing naivety to think that we can carry a player for that long against any team, let alone Man U at such a crucial stage of the match just before half time. The goal knocked the stuffing out of the players and the crowd and changed the whole pattern of the game.
We'll never know if having a fit player on the pitch would have stoppd th goal but I definitely believe that we would have had a better chance of shutting their players down in the build up.
I love Zola just like I love our academy graduates but unfortunately we have to accept that both Zola and them are in a steep learning curve and will make mistakes. The problem is that the PL is very unforgiving on mistakes, as we're finding out this season.
...and why oh why does Zola persist with playing a left footer on the right (Diamante) and a right footer on the left (Stanislas)???
I could appreciate that swapping them over every so often would mix things up and keep the opposition thinking but to leave them there for most of the match just doesn't make sense.
Because they both naturally want to use their best foot they more often than not cut in rather than attack the line. All very predictable for players as well regimented as Man U's.
I believe he wants the wingers cutting in, either because they can't cross, the people they are crossing to can't header or because we fear taking on fullbacks. Or maybe all three!
Anonymous 11:11
A lot of people, commentators included, agreed with you that Zola should have taken Hines off straight away. My view is that taking Hines off would have meant bringing on one of only two players, Dyer or Diamanti. The problem is that both had just returned from injury. I would have done exactly what Zola did which is too hold out to half time and let both Dyer and Diamanti have a proper warm up. Had we chucked them on straight away, God forbid they would have pulled something again.
And I may be being a bit Harsh on Hines but once he had signalled he wanted to go off, he could have made more use of himself rather than just stopping and making it obvious he was injured. Franco even put a decent ball through but Hines was hands on hips looking down. 20 seconds later he start chasing a ball. Or, go in the opposite direction, fall on the floor, get the physio on for few good minutes while the sub gets a chance to warm up. Like I said, I may be being harsh and I'm not sure what his injury is but that was my view.
Zola made many mistakes during the game, don't get me wrong, but I think he made the right decision in this case if you consider both Diamanti and Dyer had just returned from injury. Yes, Man utd managed to score in that time but I think that had very little to do with Zola not making a change.
T.I.S
I agree with your point that he wants the wingers cutting in but I think it may be because both Stanislas and Diaminti like to shoot. Cutting in from the wrong side means they are able to shoot with their good foot. Some players do prefer it e.g. Henry at Arsenal.
What is this Org? Just ask your lord and master Stani. He more than any other has destroyed a once vibrant site. He will of course claim to be whiter than white but as a former poster I can tell you the guy is a complete fruit cake.
Stani, it is the chat site I link to at the top of this page on the right hand side. I am so intent on destroying the site that I link people to the site. There is, sadly, a small Klan who are opposed to freedom of speech on the site. Agree with this group and you are fine. Take issue with them and you are hounded out and banned.
Ah! I remember that site. I used to have it in the bookmarks on my old pc until it crashed. It was much better than Dale's.
Sign up and contribute Stani! But don't upset davefking, westhamtilIdie or themanfromdelmonte! Agree with everything they say and you will be a real hit!
I love them guys already :)
A few operate under the cover of anonymous on here!
I appreciate what you're saying Stani but still think that Zola got it wrong as that little spell was the turning point of the game, which we ultimately lost.
I'm not saying that we wouldn't have still lost anyway but I'm sure that conceding the goal before half time gave them a huge psychological boost and played a large role in the overall outcome. As did Kovac's pathetic attempt at tracking Scholes!
In comparison, if you look at how quickly Man U reacted with Neville's injury it was a completely different story. I think Zola should learn from that.
Anonymous
I agree with you that the first goal was a turning point. I'm not certain how much influence the injury of Hines had on it as we had ample opportunity to defend it and can only really blame ourselves.
Kovac's little twirl was just one of a number of mistakes in the lead up to the Scholes goal. Just before that, Collison had a great opportunity to clear the ball and hit it with his left foot only to the edge of the area around the D. Also, have a look at Green's positioning when Scholes strikes the ball. The replay from behind the goal will illustrate this point best. His dive was good, had he been positioned better he would have easily saved it but he showed Scholes too much of the only side of the goal Scholes could have realistically put it. It was down hill from then on.
I think had one of our defenders got injured then the substitution would have happened straight away, like Man utd did with Neville.
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