McLeish 'I can't spoon feed players.'

[gervilla]

It sounds like "I'm a great manager, the players are just shit"
Clown.

[ez]

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. 

Aside from twat it down the wing for Albrighton to chase there was none.

[Dante Lavelli]

He's right in essence, once on the pitch the player are accountable for their actions, BUT we're thirty games into the season there should be no confusion about such things now and importantly/worryingly it could be seen as a sign that he is starting to get defensive and avoid the blame.

I doubt his relationship with the squad is good enough to throwing blame around after all he has has largely inherited someone else's squad so they not really his players.

[The Villan On The Wirral]

Well, he's just expressed his main flaw better than I ever could. The Emirates is 'not the place' for passing it about at the back? Well, guess what, that's how Swansea beat Arsenal, and that's generally how to stop them scoring - HAVE THE FUCKING BALL.

It's maddening. Play in their half? Sometimes you can't, so you keep the ball where you can, play the situation, and get into their half when you can. It's called patience. He really doesn't understand football. He's just another idiot, jobbing, British manager from the past, still clinging on to old cliches, methods and mantras which have been disproved, outmoded or shown to have never worked anyway. I wish he would just f'Eck' off.

That`s the most sensible post i have read on this forum. Well said.

[jembob]

Well, he's just expressed his main flaw better than I ever could. The Emirates is 'not the place' for passing it about at the back? Well, guess what, that's how Swansea beat Arsenal, and that's generally how to stop them scoring - HAVE THE FUCKING BALL.

It's maddening. Play in their half? Sometimes you can't, so you keep the ball where you can, play the situation, and get into their half when you can. It's called patience. He really doesn't understand football. He's just another idiot, jobbing, British manager from the past, still clinging on to old cliches, methods and mantras which have been disproved, outmoded or shown to have never worked anyway. I wish he would just f'Eck' off.

That`s the most sensible post i have read on this forum. Well said.

Quite agree.

[Witton Warrior]

Well, he's just expressed his main flaw better than I ever could. The Emirates is 'not the place' for passing it about at the back? Well, guess what, that's how Swansea beat Arsenal, and that's generally how to stop them scoring - HAVE THE FUCKING BALL.

It's maddening. Play in their half? Sometimes you can't, so you keep the ball where you can, play the situation, and get into their half when you can. It's called patience. He really doesn't understand football. He's just another idiot, jobbing, British manager from the past, still clinging on to old cliches, methods and mantras which have been disproved, outmoded or shown to have never worked anyway. I wish he would just f'Eck' off.

That`s the most sensible post i have read on this forum. Well said.

Quite agree.

After the Fulham game somebody posted that AM was shouting to the players about holding onto the ball even if a pass was not on so what the hell happened to that? I saw a figure of under 30% posession at Arsenal - is that correct? If so then we really are in a world of pain.

[ozzjim]

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). 

Preston, I clearly mean the quotes, not our forum.

[VILLA MOLE]

Well, he's just expressed his main flaw better than I ever could. The Emirates is 'not the place' for passing it about at the back? Well, guess what, that's how Swansea beat Arsenal, and that's generally how to stop them scoring - HAVE THE FUCKING BALL.

It's maddening. Play in their half? Sometimes you can't, so you keep the ball where you can, play the situation, and get into their half when you can. It's called patience. He really doesn't understand football. He's just another idiot, jobbing, British manager from the past, still clinging on to old cliches, methods and mantras which have been disproved, outmoded or shown to have never worked anyway. I wish he would just f'Eck' off.

That`s the most sensible post i have read on this forum. Well said.

Quite agree.

After the Fulham game somebody posted that AM was shouting to the players about holding onto the ball even if a pass was not on so what the hell happened to that? I saw a figure of under 30% posession at Arsenal - is that correct? If so then we really are in a world of pain.

he has to be talking himself out of a job with these coments

cant do it wont try

[charlie]

Cant spoon feed players, cant bloody manage a team more like. We are in the shite, and may well go down, and spoon man will succeed in his aim of breaking relegation records and being passed by the scum on the way down. Whether the powers that be read or not I cannot tell, but these are very poor times and if we do go down it may take a long time to return. One hopes that someone has the ear of Randy or whoever decides these days and can persuade the case for dismissal on the grounds of poor performance, inept management, useless team selection or whatever.

[villan from luton]

Have tried to tolerate the man, but it is not good at the club right now

[pauliewalnuts]

I used to think he was a terrible appointment, but quite like the bloke.

I now am more convinced than ever that it was a terrible appointment, and every time he opens his mouth and comes out with shite like this (and it seems to happen quite a lot these days), I like him a little bit less.

[Summers]

You can barely feed yourself you incompetent fucking idiot. Fuck off.

[glasses]

I used to think he was a terrible appointment, but quite like the bloke.

I now am more convinced than ever that it was a terrible appointment, and every time he opens his mouth and comes out with shite like this (and it seems to happen quite a lot these days), I like him a little bit less.

Summed my feelings up too there. I thought it was an appointment that looked doomed from the start, but I liked him and wanted him to succeed. At this point however, the man disgusts me. His comments are baffling, and he clearly is waiting to be sacked so he doesn't lose out on a pay off. The more I think about it, the more I think this had a bearing on him accepting the job. He knew there was going to be supporter unrest, so I think he took it on thinking that there is a good chance he will be sacked before his contract is up, so he will be paid regardless of whether he succeeds or not. No motivation for the role at all.

[joe_c]

I have an image in my head of him actually attempting to spoon feed the players, saying "Here comes the train..." and along comes an *actual* train.

[moetvillain]

mind you, spoon feeding is difficult if its my daughter and her current "I aint eating nuthin off no spoon fool" mood.  Has he tried the airplane or trying to talk to the team in a Dalek voice, that seems to do the trick