Gerrard In or Out?

[SoccerHQ]

Watkins is turning into Gabby. Keeps running into his man, can't striker the ball cleanly, seems to cut in from the left into dead ends. His confidence is shot - probably can't handle Smith being sacked.

Thought you were describing Ings there, he was guilty of all that yesterday, taking 2-3 touches just to shift the ball from his foot and just then getting crowded out by their defenders.

Add in missing the two sitters and it's not a great look from a 30m forward really. 3 league goals since August yet he seems to get off lightly from the fanbase on a whole.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm struggling to understand how 2 clear chances to our 2 strikers, which would have been Aston Villa 4.
Also the Ramsey effort that a lot of keepers wouldn't have saved, would have been Aston Villa 5.
Then the beauty of a free kick from Phil, again that a lot of keepers wouldn't have saved, would have been Aston Villa 6.
Aston Villa 6 Tottenham Hotspur 1, should have been a half time result; then it would be Gerrard genius, Conte who's he?
Instead it's Gerrard's fault that none of the above happened, but Conte was a genius because his forwards actually managed to bury their chances, with Son alone getting 3 shots and 3 goals.

We were just unlucky first half. I don't blame Gerrard for that. More blame would be attached for us, yet again, producing a shit half afterwards. Of late the only games we don't have a shit half are those where we have two.

[Neil Hawkes]

I'm struggling to understand how 2 clear chances to our 2 strikers, which would have been Aston Villa 4.
Also the Ramsey effort that a lot of keepers wouldn't have saved, would have been Aston Villa 5.
Then the beauty of a free kick from Phil, again that a lot of keepers wouldn't have saved, would have been Aston Villa 6.
Aston Villa 6 Tottenham Hotspur 1, should have been a half time result; then it would be Gerrard genius, Conte who's he?
Instead it's Gerrard's fault that none of the above happened, but Conte was a genius because his forwards actually managed to bury their chances, with Son alone getting 3 shots and 3 goals.

The result would if have been different if we have taken some of our chances - but I think they would have responded before the 6th went in!

Probably, but if Conte is such a tactical genius, why did he not prevent all of them being possibilities in the first place?
What lost us the game, by such a large margin, was due to their clinical finishing and our prolificacy in front of goal, I don't blame the manager for that; but that's just my opinion.

[curiousorange]

Watkins is a different kind of striker, but I think he had a chance to stake his claim as an indispensable part of a Premier League team after Grealish left. Ings coming in might have been a challenge, but a ruthless, international level forward wouldn't have been constrained by that; in fact, it would have driven them. Basically, Watkins seems to me to be playing out a crisis of confidence.

[N'ZMAV]

Watkins is turning into Gabby. Keeps running into his man, can't striker the ball cleanly, seems to cut in from the left into dead ends. His confidence is shot - probably can't handle Smith being sacked.

Thought you were describing Ings there, he was guilty of all that yesterday, taking 2-3 touches just to shift the ball from his foot and just then getting crowded out by their defenders.

Add in missing the two sitters and it's not a great look from a 30m forward really. 3 league goals since August yet he seems to get off lightly from the fanbase on a whole.

they're both way off the pace - very disappointing.

[Nunkin1965]

Is it worth factoring in the fact that both of our srikers have newborns in their lives?
Sleepless nights and all that?!

[Clark W Griswold]

No, he needs a pre-season and the chance to build his own squad.

To be fair to him and to look at it logically yes. But gut feeling, do you think he’ll get it right? Yes or No…

[N'ZMAV]

Is it worth factoring in the fact that both of our srikers have newborns in their lives?
Sleepless nights and all that?!

both probably have nannies that do all that middle of the night shite

[Neil Hawkes]

No, he needs a pre-season and the chance to build his own squad.

To be fair to him and to look at it logically yes. But gut feeling, do you think he’ll get it right? Yes or No…

My gut feeling is yes he can.
Much of these players managed to get Deano the sack, I don't see why the same set of players get a free pass with another manager that's coming up against the same lack of commitment, passion, skill, (choose whichever you want).

[Ads]

No, he needs a pre-season and the chance to build his own squad.

To be fair to him and to look at it logically yes. But gut feeling, do you think he’ll get it right? Yes or No…

Much comes down to recruitment. For me, we play nice enough football, look very good going forward when we're confident too.

The long term problems are at the middle of the defence and midfield. Ultimately that issue, and not coping post-Grealish, cost Smith his job. High time we addressed it.

[Lastfootstamper]

While the clocks were set to GMT, we won three home games. That's a bit shit.

[curiousorange]

Is it worth factoring in the fact that both of our srikers have newborns in their lives?
Sleepless nights and all that?!

I do sympathise with that, absolutely. Trouble is, they're not the only football players ever to be in that situation.

[Risso]

Is it worth factoring in the fact that both of our srikers have newborns in their lives?
Sleepless nights and all that?!

I do sympathise with that, absolutely. Trouble is, they're not the only football players ever to be in that situation.

Yes that doesn't really stand up as an excuse. We don't know that they are having sleepless nights at all. Lots of babies sleep though quite early (all of ours did) plus they almost certainly live in vast houses and have full time nannies etc.

[wince]

Boot. Human face. Forever. I don’t think this is about the manager but about our squad being good on paper but not in pitch. I just feel we have gone on the beach as we won’t go down nor get into Europe. What we can’t do is to keep the Merry-go-round of sack manager/hope the next one does better. There is something rotten at villa at the moment but do feel the players aren’t fans of gerrard.

[ez]

Watkins is turning into Gabby. Keeps running into his man, can't striker the ball cleanly, seems to cut in from the left into dead ends. His confidence is shot - probably can't handle Smith being sacked.

Thought you were describing Ings there, he was guilty of all that yesterday, taking 2-3 touches just to shift the ball from his foot and just then getting crowded out by their defenders.

Add in missing the two sitters and it's not a great look from a 30m forward really. 3 league goals since August yet he seems to get off lightly from the fanbase on a whole.

Southampton mugged us off with Cascarino mk2. He'll be gone in the summer.