Upson has been caught on camera admitting that we are all at see tactically. Unaware that he was being filmed when in discussion with a fan after the Wolves game, Upson says,
“If you asked us our style of play tonight, you wouldn't really know, would you? Because we've lost our way a little bit. We've lost our way tactically. It's not a case of kicking people up the arse, it's a case of people knowing their job and us as a team knowing what we're doing. It doesn't matter how many miles you run or how committed you are - if you're not doing it together as a team you're not going to win the game."
That would tally with Upson and Behrami having an exchange on the half way line in the first half on Tuesday. Behrami was yards behind the play as they exchanged words and the "chat" ended with Upson patting Behrami on the back. I wondered what was going on at the time but now, it seems, the two may have been "discussing" the relative merits of shape, favoured by Upson, and crude effort, epitomised by Behrami.
It is further evidence that the club is falling apart. The fans have been knocking Upson but he sees it all from the back and must realise how pathetic we are as an offensive unit. When he looks up, who is there to pass to? Who is moving? Who is looking for the ball? Well, until Franco came on, the answer to that question on Tuesday was nobody!
Two things summed us up on Tuesday - both in the first half. We were awarded a free kick ten yards into Wolves territory. Tomkins took it, and passed the ball 10 yards SIDEWAYS to Daprela, who was instantly closed by a Wolves player. he passed the ball to Diamanti, who was close marked and the Italian put the ball into touch. Here was an opportunity to put the ball into the box, and we gave Wolves a throw in! The second came with yet another failed short corner. We were behind, we needed the ball in and around the Wolves goal, we had a corner...and Diamanti played it back 10 yards to Faubert, who was immediately closed, hurried into a cross, and he simply passed the ball to a Wolves defender and the opposition were breaking on us. Stupid. Plain stupid!
Upson was right in his assessment but aren't his comments to a fan as "unhelpful" as Sullivan's to the fans in general?
four post this morning Harriet Fanno and only one response = on a Saturday too when most are at home - I think your visitors are running out of energy replying to your drivel
ReplyDeleteHF, can you stick this up before or after the game. Please add a title of your preference.
ReplyDeleteRe: "Zola Is Too Weak To Win"
http://tinyurl.com/yeyboy7
Because football is a team game, individual medal hauls, or lack of, are largely a result of circumstances a player finds himself in, and there are a number of examples that demonstrate this to us. I don't think it is an accurate method of judging the achievement or desire to succeed of an individual player, however good they are.
Take Stephen Gerrard for example. I think we can all agree that he should have won more medals than he has but it's not because of his personal underachievement or lack of will to win. Conversely, we have Clarence Seerdof who is the only player to have won three Champions leagues with three different clubs. Is Gerrard that bad and Seedorf that good? Or is their individual medal haul largely a result of circumstances (the club, league and specific period of time) they found themselves in?
Take an example closer to home, Paulo Dicanio. In 2002, Alex Ferguson wanted to buy him but due to his failure to offload Dwight Yorke, and our £3m price tag, the deal fell through. Now had Di Canio gone to Manchester united at the time, he would have had 3 league titles, 1 FA cup, 1 League cup, 1 Champions League to his name had he stayed there until his retirement in 2008. Now for two comparatively incidental or common footballing reasons (above), Di Canio lost out on that medal haul. But to say it was because of his personal underachievement or desire to succeed, I think is inaccurate.
I do believe that Gainfranco Zola, both the player and the manager, are winners. I think he has an underlying will to win that is not always immediately obvious. The fact that he has not resigned, I believe, is evidence of this. Some would say that him not resigning is because of his inability to recognise his inability, as it were. But I believe that it is that very reason to carry on which demonstrates to us that he has this inner belief and desire to succeed. Had he not had it, he would not have pushed himself to be so good purely as a footballer.
He is a rookie manager and we should not deny him this right to learn from a situation he has never found himself in before. Are we in a that much better a situation as a club than he is as a manager, to do so? We can all agree that he will come out of this a better manager so why not reap the benefits of this rather than letting him learn his trade here, but go somewhere else for others to benefit. If we do believe that one day he will be a very good manager, why don't we let that day arrive with him here. This is the same manager that many of us who are now calling for his head, feared that he may leave for Chelsea just last year.
APPENDIX
Ferguson: "Di Canio would have been capable of becoming a truly great player at Manchester United. I mean, he was a great player. But when you have a player like Di Canio, who expresses himself as an individual, like [George] Best and Cantona did, and [Ryan] Giggs, [Wayne] Rooney, Ronaldo and [Dimitar] Berbatov do... we make heroes quickly here. Di Canio could have been in that category.”
http://tinyurl.com/6c95sy
Stani Army - please set up your own blog mate - you have more wisdom in your little finger than Harriet Fanny does in the whole of her body.
ReplyDeleteGreen, Faubert, Upson, Da Costa, Spector, Parker, Noble, Behrami, Dyer, Mido, Cole....Diamanti and McCarthy on the bench...no Stanislas or Franco on the bench..what's going on? I can think of 4-3-1-2...with Parker, Noble, Behrami in the middle with Dyer opening up for Cole and Mido...or 4-4-2 with Spector and Behrami on the left wing? No left-fooded players on the left side? I don't understand...I really really don't..
ReplyDeleteI understand where you coming from Stani. I hear. The problem being, have we got time? Di Canio & Gerrard, great players, could have won more with teams that were more successful, but would they have been the same players? Both players could have got a start with any team in Europe, but i think that they both loved the sides that they played with. Would Gerrard play as well for any other side? It's about heart. That's our problem, i believe. That is Zolas job. I would love to stick with Zola despite what has happened, but can we afford it? He wants to play the game the way i like, but it isn't working. Not all great players make good managers. It's a whole different job. We may survive, i think we will, because of what Sullivan has said. He's annoyed a lot of people & they have something to prove now. Sullivan built up a business from ground level, don't get me wrong, i don't agree with everything he does, but he is streetwise. He drives a Roller, i don't. If & when we survive, i would like to see Zola learn from this & say that he will stay, but can he work with the management now? The damage may be done, rightly or wrongly. I think that he will move on. Circumstances may dictate that come end of season. A shame in a lot of ways, but nothing stays the same in this world especially in football. At least Sullivan will address our debt problems, but if we go down, that would be disastrous financially & would Zola stay, & how many of the players that took us down? Today will tell us much. Of the six games played tonight, ours is the one they dropped. Damn, internet for me, & this of all games too.
ReplyDeleteSorry Stani, a couple of things i forgot to say as typing. I was going to mention Hughes. Great player, not a bad manager but never won anything. Steve Bruce the same, at this stage anyway. Hoddle another, great player but i don't know that i would want him as manager. Look at Hiddink. Never played the game to my knowledge. A child psychologist & a nice guy to boot. Very good tactically & knows how to get the best from players. He took Korea to 4th place in the World Cup against popular opinion. Zola threw himself into the deep end. He may have been better starting in the Championship & working up. He may turn out successful, but he's taken on a big task. Anyway, a few minutes to kick off.
ReplyDeleteHF lovely ball from Parker - you know nothing..........
ReplyDeleteHF: I've passed this on to Upson's management - "upson admits zola is a clown!" sounds like you could get sued - anyway that's what I am hoping, fingers crossed!
ReplyDelete"Upson Admits Zola Is A Clown!" passed this on to Upson's people - sounds like you could sued for that - well that's why I'm hoping.......
ReplyDeleteGoodbye Zola. That's a foregone conclusion with the games we have left. My pick HF, probably Hughes. The look in the eyes, the shake of all the hands, the stance at the end, said it all. Life goes on. Results went against us. Mathematically possible, but Sullivan has to be decisive.
ReplyDeleteIf we lose tomorrow, we are down, but still the Three Monkeys will chatter "In Zola We Trust"!
ReplyDeleteSmug cnut
Buy The Mini Season Ticket - It's Fantastic Value For Money! It has just occurred to me what a fantastic deal this mini season ticket is! For £250 or less (depending on where you sit), you get to see FIVE relegation Cup Finals…ha ha h ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Peppa you are a boring old mug. God we get it mate, you are not funny, you need help. Make arrangements to see a shrink. Your inferiority complex is overwhelming and your childish behaviour is not healthy. Most likely its your mental limitations are the problem and are causing this feelings. Get HELP OR PISS OFF. We lost again, thats 6 straight defeats, the worst run in 43 years. You see peppa we have more important things to discuss.
ReplyDeleteLOL well said 1916!
ReplyDeleteStani, I will post yours later. Still stand by it after today?
18:41 you're funny mate - well funnier than Harriet Fanny.........
ReplyDeleteWinston
ReplyDeleteHi mate. I see what you’re saying about time but where are we going so fast as a club?
As for your point on players; I don’t disagree with you that they may have been different players at better/other clubs. My point is merely that their lack of medals does not nearly give an accurate assessment of their actual personal achievement or will to win and even less so of how good/bad a manger they will become.
I also agree with what you say in your follow up comment regarding Hughes, Hiddink etc, and I don’t believe it contravenes my point above.
HF
Definitely mate. If these players can’t play for a man like that, they will not play for anyone. I exclude Parker, Cole and Diamanti from that criticism.
Unfortunately, it does look as if Zola has had enough.