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Author Topic: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'  (Read 13963 times)

Offline dishy

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #30 on: March 25, 2012, 03:32:03 PM »
Every time he opens his mouth I dislike him a little bit more.

We accept that Arsenal are the better team but the management should have had the players fired up to be in their faces from the start - Arsenal are the one top team who crumble under physical pressure - yet we stood off them. That is a tactical choice, not an individual player choice.

Plus playing Heskey upfront immediately signals that you have no real interest in scoring and I suspect the rest of the players on the pitch must feel the same way when they looked at the team sheet.

Stoke can do it against any opposition, why cant we?.   

Offline brian green

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #31 on: March 25, 2012, 03:57:04 PM »
The sucker trap we fell into or, more correctly that Lerner fell into and dragged the club with him is the notion that if you are scottish and if you played for Ferguson you are automatically a good manager.   There is a fashion for scottish managers and too many of them, including our own are simply not good enough.

If McLeish had been black or muslim or chinese or anything other than a scotsman who had played for Ferguson his actual credentials would have been much more forensically scrutinized and he would not have got the job.

I would bet a year's wages that given the same fixtures the same squad, the same games, the same set up in every detail, K Mac's team would finish higher in the Premiership than McLeish's and would not generate such discontent and misery in the fans.

Offline VILLA MOLE

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #32 on: March 25, 2012, 04:30:38 PM »
"I didn't feel that the Emirates was a place to express ourselves in terms of passing about at the back because that's not a strength of ours.

"That's no disrespect to our players as they have other qualities."

Why shouldn't they express themselves?

why can't they pass along the back ? it is fundamental at any level of football you keep the ball

what other qualities to these poor sods have if you have just told the world they can not pass ?

oh and Alex I think Arsenal are one of the few so called elite teams ( doff my cap )  that will let you play if you have balls

see Norwich Swansea and stoke for details   

Offline Simba

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #33 on: March 25, 2012, 05:00:11 PM »
Well if it is not a strength and you think it should be - do something about it!

 I mean their strength is not defending corners is it. So what is it, their strength at the back. What?

Are we strong, creative, in midfield then? Is that our strength or perhaps our forward wing play as opposed to tracking back or our crossing from wide? No it's certainly not that we never see a byeline cross. And not many accurate or potentially dangerous ones. I know  - it's the way our forwards score with their heads! Uh no not that either can't remember one this season. Oh of course, how silly it's the way we score from corners. errm no. Not one. Incisive through balls, movement off the ball, brilliant bespoke tactical plans for each game, passion, fight, pride,

err no not those either.

Tell you what Alex - why don't you tell US exactly WHAT our competitive strength is.   It is your job.     FFS.

Offline Mister E

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #34 on: March 25, 2012, 05:03:49 PM »
The sucker trap we fell into or, more correctly that Lerner fell into and dragged the club with him is the notion that if you are scottish and if you played for Ferguson you are automatically a good manager.   There is a fashion for scottish managers and too many of them, including our own are simply not good enough.

If McLeish had been black or muslim or chinese or anything other than a scotsman who had played for Ferguson his actual credentials would have been much more forensically scrutinized and he would not have got the job.

I would bet a year's wages that given the same fixtures the same squad, the same games, the same set up in every detail, K Mac's team would finish higher in the Premiership than McLeish's and would not generate such discontent and misery in the fans.
KMac, the Scotsman you mean?     :-)

I actually agree that KMac probably would have been a better choice ... although after the last debacle (wherein he was let down by a shocking defensive display at Newcastle; ring a bell, anyone?!) I doubt it'd have happened.

Online pauliewalnuts

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #35 on: March 25, 2012, 05:03:51 PM »
The sucker trap we fell into or, more correctly that Lerner fell into and dragged the club with him is the notion that if you are scottish and if you played for Ferguson you are automatically a good manager.   There is a fashion for scottish managers and too many of them, including our own are simply not good enough.

My theory is that Randy really, really wanted Moyes, but Moyes turned us down twice, so he went out and got a Moyes copy (at least in his mind).

Offline ozzjim

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #36 on: March 25, 2012, 05:28:22 PM »
Our CEO must read comments like that and think oh crap we fucked up getting this clown in, time to give him the push.... he must?! Surely?

Offline Monty

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #37 on: March 25, 2012, 05:31:16 PM »
I can't agree with this.  Players spend 5 days a week in training working towards a game plan.  If that game plan is to defend the box then that's how they're going to play on a saturday.  If our training was around keeping the ball and playing in triangles then that's what we'd see.  Some of the players wouldn't be as good as others but we'd see better standards from them all if training was about passing under pressure making space for each other.  Our movement off the ball is terrible, it's not been great since MoN was here but it's much worse now.

The coaching and management are terrible.  Now given we know that Cowans and Mcdonald can coach a team to play good football (based on the performances of the youth and reserves over a number of seasons) the finger has to be pointed at the person who is organising the training, which is McLeish (or possibly Grant).

I don't disagree that some of the players need improve or leave but the reality is, if you were offered a job on 3m a year to turn around a department do you think you'd still have the job if, after 9months, you turned around and said you'd tried but the staff didn't listen and there was nothing you could do until you replaced most of the staff.

That's the sound of a nail being hit on the head. Many of these players were, in fact, playing the ball around at the back towards the end of last season as Houllier's training started to pay off (even though the plan may well have been to replace them in the summer). If the same players are that bad at doing something this basic that he, as a manager, considers it wrong to even attempt it, then it's his fault.

Offline Steve67

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #38 on: March 25, 2012, 05:31:49 PM »
Proud History, Shite Future indeed.  Is there any thruth to the rumour that Villa's new club motto for next season is "Ill-prepared", although I quite like the other one, "it's never, ever my fault" (McLeish, A. 2012).

Offline VILLA MOLE

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #39 on: March 25, 2012, 05:43:52 PM »
its never your fault
 
its never your fault

you big ginger scotsman

its never your fault



Offline Cuz

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #40 on: March 25, 2012, 05:46:25 PM »
feck off now McLeish .

you need to score goals to beat teams , you start with Heskey . Have you not learned your lesson.

You are clueless.      Blame anyone but yourself.



Nothing more to say than that



Offline Cuz

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #41 on: March 25, 2012, 05:47:00 PM »
Do the right thing and resign you fool!!!!

Offline GarTomas

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #42 on: March 25, 2012, 06:01:45 PM »
This is probably the single most frustrating interview I've seen from AM.

What exactly was his game plan then?  At times yesterday they closed the ball down in packs. This was effective - see the chance Weimann had not long after coming on where 3/4 of our players put Arsenal under pressure collectively and even a team with a different agenda to ourselves gave the ball away.

Too often 1/2 players pressed but as the team didn't we made it very easy for Arsenal to pass through us.

AM has effectively said that the team didn't follow his game plan - I'm sure most of them weren't aware of what it was.  Not to single out Heskey but he's not a player now that is going to close players down - he's just not quick or mobile enough.

If AM after 30 odd games is unable to impress on his players how he wants them to play it speaks volumes about him.  For the all upheaval last season with MON leaving, Kevin Mac wanting/not wanting the job, GH coming in then having to take a backstep due to his health, it was clear that towards the end of last season the team where starting to pass the ball and play to the style that was being asked.

GH and GMac had clearly sussed our defence was not up to their task - I would guess that the reason for the fallout between Dunne/Collins and GMac was him politely pointing this out. 

Offline Rip Van We Go Again

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #43 on: March 25, 2012, 06:32:49 PM »
Do the right thing and resign you fool!!!!
Not a chance.

He'll want to be sacked and get the pay off.

Offline preston28

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Re: McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'
« Reply #44 on: March 25, 2012, 08:13:18 PM »
Our CEO must read comments like that and think oh crap we fucked up getting this clown in, time to give him the push.... he must?! Surely?
I don't think they will read this - why should they read some (in their opinion) forum for whinging fans who don't know the first thing about football?

It is their club and they will do what they want - they don't give two hoots about the fans or the opinion of the fans as they will still turn up come what may (because they LOVE the club). 

 


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