At home but where is the comfort?

[Phil from the upper holte]

Been thinking about this for a while..

What is the problem with home games? Our home form has been woeful for quite a while, Under Lambert, Mcleish, Houllier Mon Etc.. WHY?

Are we scared? Is it a moody atmosphere for the players? Is it the managers? Is it the ground as is does it give away teams a boost, it's big it's a nice pitch, does it remind them of a cup final?

Is it the players? What is the answer? We must have the worst home record in the league over the last 10 years

What are you're thoughts?

[eastie]

Probably a combination of most of those things .
We need to take the game to the opposition and impose ourselves more and put pressure on teams - a change in formation at home is a must.

[fredm]

Because we do not have any "winners" in the team - those who go out expecting to win and bursting every sinew to do so.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Yeah but even when we were decent under Mon we still weren't great at home

[Jimbo]

Maybe it's because for so long we've set ourselves up as a counter-attacking team. We haven't had too many actual footballers who are comfortable in possession, so we've grown accustomed to hitting teams on the break. Now, that's all very well and good away from home, where you're not expected to have too much possession. But at home, supporters want to see their team on the ball. The opposition tends to sit back a bit more and - lacking players with guile and the ability to create - we've found it difficult to break teams down. We need better footballers, but that doesn't look likely to happen with the current policy.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I think we do have the players to play differently but we don't you just pretty much know who the team's going to be and to be honest I thought Lambert was a manager who'd pick the team for the opposition

[SoccerHQ]

Tactics, squad personnel etc.

I always think VP is too nice a venue, nice dressing rooms, big pitch, not really a hostile crowd and we always let teams settle into the game.

Man. United have been lording it here for years, Liverpool and Arsenal have between them 1 defeat since 1998 and even now the likes of Everton and Spurs who had diabolical records at VP until recently are now coming to this ground and regularly winning.

Just not good enough. We'll probably beat some of the crap teams coming up (I hope) but this problem won't go away until we have a major rethink on tactics and how we actually play.

[andyaston]

It's because we make it far too easy for the away team to play against us. We aren't a passing team and we have no width so, with our pretty big pitch were up against it already. Also, our midfield is the shittest i've ever known. We have nobody protecting the back four and no one who can pick a pass (yes Delph is doing well but he can't pass at all).

For some reason Lambert is not fancying Sylla, the very person who's provided the midfield with some security last season in those vital closing months. Lambert is a big part of the problem.

[Chipsticks]

Maybe it's because for so long we've set ourselves up as a counter-attacking team. We haven't had too many actual footballers who are comfortable in possession, so we've grown accustomed to hitting teams on the break. Now, that's all very well and good away from home, where you're not expected to have too much possession. But at home, supporters want to see their team on the ball. The opposition tends to sit back a bit more and - lacking players with guile and the ability to create - we've found it difficult to break teams down. We need better footballers, but that doesn't look likely to happen with the current policy.

Pretty much exactly what I was preparing to say. Today in the first half we actually, for once, took the game to Everton and we looked pretty bloody dangerous just hopelessly unlucky.

[supertom]

All of the above to be honest. Less so the fans. I mean obviously the atmos can get a bit negative at times but we've been very patient with Lambert and had very little reward for that patience at Villa park.

I think we desperately need to go back to three central midfielders, with two runners, being Delph and Sylla of course. Then anyone of KEA and Westwood in that more cultured role, but that said, neither is anywhere near good enough. In fact I'm not sure either is actually Prem quality. As soon as GG is fit, I'd give him a try (but I've my doubts about him too given all his setbacks). But we desperately need new signings in midfield. I don't think it's a case of one standout number 10 say. I genuinely think we need another 2 ball playing midfielders, one of whom can play more advanced as a playmaker, bare minimum.

You can't get away with having as many players as we do who can't control or pass a ball. Delph's not brilliant in either of those aspects but he makes up for that with determination and his running ability. And when he calms it down on the ball, he's not a bad footballer. He just gets that rush of blood too often and rushes his pass or tries to run past one player too many. Reo-Cokeritus you might call it.

There's not really a player in the side with a decent footballing brain. Benteke on his day has a lot of flair and will win us games single handed when he's 100% but behind him we lack any sort of guile or subtlety. Gabby is typically inconsistent. His pace makes him indispensable to us at this stage but we really need better. Long term I think Gab is a potentially great impact player to have on the bench.
Weimann is overrated I think. He's got a turn of pace but he's not lightening quick. He gets into some good positions and when his minds right can finish but his composure is letting him down right now. But his all round play isn't good enough and it's not improving. He needs to work on his fitness. His touch is poor and he's not brilliant running with the ball. I don't think if we have aspirations to be a solid top half side, that he's good enough right now. He certainly needs to be rested at the moment. Chances keep falling to him but he's wasting good opportunities.

Tonev at least looked bright and provided at least some width, but his ball control, again, is not prem level and his end product is more hit than miss.

Honestly we might have to give up on any subtlety at home until Jan. Play a 4-4-2. I would bring back Lowton and play Bacuna on one wing then either Gabby or Tonev on the other, maybe Alby when he's fit.
Two big men up front. Benteke and probably Kozak. Benteke I'd have dropping off a little so he can get running at the CB's.
We're incapable of playing a passing game so we should get some pace down the wings, get some crosses in and get some joy that way, and just get the ball quickly to the big men, let them hold it up and bring the others into play. If we have to win ugly, so be it. But we've got to start winning.
If we play the 4-3-3 we need to play it wide. Away from home I'd stick to the 4-3-3 with Sylla coming in.

[aj2k77]

The buck stops with Lambert.

He implements the wrong formation. Has bought the wrong players. We still see the same basic mistakes being made by the young players. No improvement in training. Lack of ideas. No tactical awareness. The list goes on and on.

What can you say positive about Lambert? He is very complimentary about the club and he signed Benteke. After that I'm struggling.

[Irish villain]

No leadership at the club. No unity of purpose. Are there standards? Does incompetence or poor performance result in punishment?

Our team and players are simply not feared. Teams  have a psychological advantage against us.

The fans are brilliant. Turning up as they do to watch other teams beat us on our home turf.

[supertom]

The buck stops with Lambert.

He implements the wrong formation. Has bought the wrong players. We still see the same basic mistakes being made by the young players. No improvement in training. Lack of ideas. No tactical awareness. The list goes on and on.

What can you say positive about Lambert? He is very complimentary about the club and he signed Benteke. After that I'm struggling.

I really want the guy to succeed but I just don't think he's got it in him. He's over his head. He set out the notion that we would become a passing side yet he hasn't bought the players to do that. The players he inherited who were probably best suited to fitting into a playmaking role, Bannan and Ireland, he could never fit into the side. Now granted they're both pillocks and wasters, but he could never find a way of fitting them in and both, at least at the beginning did actually put the effort in to trying to please the new boss. Pricks they might be, but they were the two best passers on our books. Now I was all for getting rid and I'm glad they're gone, but did we buy replacements? No. Why on Earth did we sign two 6ft 4+ strikers this summer, both of whom aren't actually very good in the air? That's 8 million. I'd rather have bought a couple of half decent midfielders for that and just stuck with Bowery and Delfouneso in reserve, with Gabby and Weimann able to operate centrally too.

He continually fails to identify key problems. It's taken him long enough to turn our defence from shambolic to mediocre. Within games he doesn't act, like when Ben Arfa just destroyed us all game, or when Townsend gradually took over the game. He did nothing to try and counter either. We found a system and way of playing that seemed reasonably effective from jan-may. We've not employed it this season? That's basically taking one of the few things he's got right tactically, and deciding not to keep it up. We now play the wrong players and are back to the same stupidly narrow game style that saw us struggling earlier last season.

The way we play has no cohesion to it. At times we attack very quickly but with little consideration for the fact you have to have the ball in control and in possession. Poor passing, godawful control. Trying to force movements way too fast and nothing transpires. We're playing some really piss poor football again which is frustrating to see, because we were quite good to watch tail end of last season, but that's all gone. Again it wasn't particularly subtle but we played to our strengths but the problem is we've been worked out and there's no back up plan. My major worry is how Lambert seems quite oblivious to how shite we look at the moment. He thinks of us as a good footballing side but for the most part this season, we haven't been at all.

If results don't go our way in November it may be time for Randy to consider the managers position, whilst there's time to do something about it and prepare a new man for Jan. 

[Phil from the upper holte]

I really can't see Lerner sacking Lambert at all, especially if he's carrying out instructions

[dave.woodhall]

If results don't go our way in November it may be time for Randy to consider the managers position, whilst there's time to do something about it and prepare a new man for Jan. 

To give us our fifth manager in 3 1/2 years. There's a recipe for success.