Why the Net has the advantage in the ‘Undies world’
- Shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli
Albion blog: No defence
Tuesday 10th February 2009, 9:10AM GMT.
Albion blogger Jarrod Hill bemoans a comedy of errors that is not so funny after a Baggies horror show against Newcastle.
The Newcastle game was so disappointing, as understatements go I suppose that is a pretty big one. As I entered the ground and discovered the team selection, for a game against a team who defend almost as badly as we do, I feared the worst.
Leon Barnett and Abdoulaye Meite performed as badly as I have ever witnessed a centre half pairing, so we simply gifted Newcastle three goals. If I wasn’t a Baggies fan I would have found it hilarious, but alas I am so I found it rather soul destroying.
I must admit manager Tony Mowbray’s decision making for both the Burnley and Newcastle games not only worried me, but it has ultimately come back to haunt him.
The decision to play Jay Simpson on Tuesday and his decision to recall both Barnett and Meite on Saturday with hindsight are major mistakes, at a time when we looked to build on our recent upturn in form.
We actually looked threatening going forward on Saturday and two goals at home against a club in turmoil should be enough to secure a result. But with four out of a five player defensive unit playing poorly we were always going to struggle.
It was just so basic, anyone who has played at any sort of level knows you mark your man goal side, not at the side of him like Barnett does on a consistent basis. I also had it drummed into me as a kid that if in doubt put it out.
Paul Robinson was the only defender to come out of the game with any credit, he has had his critics amongst Baggie fans but he was a lone shining beacon of basic defending on Saturday.
Another player who has had his critics is Jonathan Greening, which I have never understood. Yet if a game could highlight what he brings to the team then it was Saturday.
Our midfield constantly gave away possession and failed to win 50-50 balls. Some of you may point out our improved second half performance, but I believe it was partly due to Newcastle sitting back and protecting the three goals we had already given them.
I have been saying all season I feel as a team we are far too physically weak. Kim Do-Heon, Borja Valero, James Morrison, Chris Brunt and many others were all too easily brushed aside by the opposition. They failed to stem the constant runs of Damien Duff and Peter Lovenkrands.
We desperately miss Jonas Olsson at the back and I just hope we can use the next two weeks to get him back fit. If we can shore up our leaky calamitous defence, we have at least uncovered a strike pairing in Simpson and Marc Antoine Fortune that can score the goals to get us results.
I said in Friday’s blog that the result would neither save nor condemn us and I still believe we have a fighting chance, but I hope Mowbray is working the team hard in the next two weeks, not in terms of fitness but in terms of basic football.
Concentration, man marking, and please please get them to practice shooting from just outside the box.
We had six shots from outside the box on Saturday and the only thing that was in danger was me and the corner flags, because I sit next to the camera at the back!
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Bomber… We should have stuck to the side you picked the other day for the Burnley game. We the fans could have defended better, that sort of defending was Sunday league stuff. We could have had the chuckle brothers playing at centre halves and they would have been better. We are lucky that everyone else is as bad as us at the moment and we are still in touch
On the plus side I thought Fortune was outstanding on Saturday head and shoulders the best player on the pitch
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So dissapointed in the defending. Barnett looked out of his depth. Cant wait to see Olsson back to sure up the defence. Hopefully Mulumbu will give another option for the midfield. I know Mowbray said he is one for the future but we desperately need a player who has a chance at winning balls in that area of the pitch. Kim got bossed in the first half. So much pressure is placed on the defence due to our midfield not being able to win 50/50 balls. On a positive note Fortune looked class and the table shows we still have a chance. Still believe in TM, he is the manager for us. 3 points against Fulham.
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Your right Bomber – with hindsight i’m sure TM would have done things differently – but thats the problem aint it….
If Simpson had scored a hat trick at Burnley we would have all praised TM for building his confidence – If meite & Barnett had done what they are capable of doing (defending against a poor team like Newcastle) we would all be saying what great timing it was to bring em back.
Football is full of what ifs and if onlys – and for two seasons those things weny our way, but when you are down the bottom of the league they never seem to do they.
I have no answer to the issue – except i fear that to sack TM would see us follow Derby after they sacked davies – relegation followed by a struggle next season.
Even if we do go down (and it was always a real possibility) I still have faith in the manager to get us back up if it happens.
On the plus side – we have discovered a new goal scorer – we have many key players set to return – and we have two new signing yet to pull on the shirt…. have faith guys, it aint over !!
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An accurate account. Each week we seem blessed with some form of error in a game, the west brom dvd this season should be in the comedy section not sport.
Alas i cannot really pick fault with robbo this week.
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By some distance the most disappointing performance of the season, although the signs were there with the (lack of)effort at Hull the week before against another very poor side.
When it comes down to the last few crucial games, it becomes as much about fight & spirit as it does about ability & I don’t see that this side has any in the key areas. If Mulumbu isn’t ready for the first team then pick Pele – he might not be of the standard that we desire but he’s the best (or should that be the only) option in that position.
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HB
I am not suggesting we get rid of Mowbray, i was simply stating i was staggered by his decision making last week. Playing all three fit strikers at Burnley was mistfying, and then choosing two centre halves who haad not played for a number of weeks. I also read with interest lats night Tony admitting he had made mistakes, but hey we all do, lets move on.
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Bomber – sorry mate – I know you were not suggeting that, but there are posts appearing on other threads that are – and it was to those I was making my point.
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The defending was horrific on sat both at the hawthorns and the ricoh arena! You really need to drop Carson, he must have a clause in his contract that he must start if fit because another went through his legs (newcastles first goal) on sat. Mowbray has been poor in the transfer market and spent more than Hull and Stoke and has not brought in experienced premiership players who know the league. When you get relegated the whole club needs sorting out from chairman, boardroom etc, could be a few years of building infront and hopefully you can keep hold of mowbray to do it.
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Question for everyone
This is our fourth season in the Premier,three different managers but the same chairman.
Where is the problem ?
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8. Laughin… I really dont believe that Carson was at fault for any goal on Saturday. If you look week in week out goals are scored with shots that goal through the keepers legs.
On you other point of money spent (and I found this hard to believe untill I was shown the actual breakdown) TM has only spent 10Million pound (net) on transfers
yes he has obviously spent more than that but the Money has come from sales of players wishing to leave (nothing really to do with the story just thought it was interesting)
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He may have only spent 10 mil (net) but when players leave, he hasnt managed to convince them that albion is where their future lies and hasnt replaced them with quality, just worse players in the same position?
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hi everyone went to the game at the hawthorns and that was the easiest three points we will pick up this year we were very poor but you lot were awful i go home and away with newcastle and you lot couldnt tackle to save your lives on that showing your going down chaps
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LW, thats the most truthful post you’ve ever entered. Until we have a red R next to our name we are not relegated. We have been in this position before and it can be done.
Carson and the defence are really starting to make me lose my patience. I can’t even begin to imagine how SC’s confidence is so shook that he lets things go through his legs!
It’s nothig to dow ith being in the best league in the world, its pure and basic goalkeeping manoveurs. I know this because I used to play in goal!!
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I agree 100% with Bomber’s assessment of the situation.
Like most Baggies I could single out poor performances and bemoan injuries and TM’s selection policy, but doesn’t the problem go much deeper than that?
For eighteen months we’ve known the defence is weak; we know our middle field – leaving aside Greening – don’t have the ability to tackle or break up attacks. Why then bring in like for like?
Okay, I will moan about one unnamed player who has come in this season for a busman’s holiday; I am livid that the club is so readily taken for a ride again and again.
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You’re right about Greening.
Maybe all the muppets who get on the back of our most consistent player in the last 4 years will now realise what he gives us, and what we severely lack when he doesn’t play !
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your right it dident condemn us,but i think 3 points was vital on saturday,its going to take a huge effort now to avoid the drop,but we can do it,as happy as said get rid of mowbray and we will just end up like derby,if we go he will bring us back and he will be a much better manager for the experience,aye boing boing weve done it before n we,ll do it agen,
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What a disappointment, Barnett would not of made it in a pub team, Meite not much better, Hope this holiday plus training will sort it out,and our injured come back fit,still think we can make it with TM in charge! Boing Boing Up the baggies
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Bomber, in short we have no power in midfield either with Greening or without him. TM has admitted he made mistakes in team selection but we need someone in the middle of the field who can win the ball unless he plays this Mulumbo guy we are doomed. Why he played one up front in the firts half is another mystery. Fortune was the only plus point in the game for me.
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WakeyBaggie
Whilst i agree that Greening does not nescessarily
provide the “power” to our midfield of which you speak,
he does give us an outlet, always makes space for himself, always wants the ball, and as near as makes no difference, never gives the ball away cheaply, in essence, all the things that were very absent from our midfield on Saturday.
Regarding TM, of course he has made mistakes, and will undoubtedly make a few more, which sets him aside from………err…….no one that has managed us previously.
Despite all the setbacks, Mowbray remains STILL the best manager we have had in decades.
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I am a great admirer of Mowbray..hi IS the man for the job.
However he does persist in playing “purist” football when we need a bit of “snot” in the midfield.
We are JUST TOO PHYSICALLY WEAK in that dept..i could not believe he thinks Kim is better than Dorrans?Pele…or any 5 .1″ weakling?
And dont get me started on the decision to play as strong as side as we could against Burnley(in BOTH matches..remember Greening is out when he could have been rested in the first leg!!!)..and Simpson injured..what was he thinking.
I still love him but i think we also need to look at that Grant geezer..he does seem to have a lot of influence on the sides during matches…is Tony listening to him too much…cos Grants record is not too hot
But despite what the issues have been..it will be the creat escape 2…especially with teams like newcastle above us(for now)
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Laughingwolf
Your comment has some merit, however the truth is we have the lowest waage in the Premier League and we also have the lowest record transfer purchse. I believe in Mowbray and still think the club are moving forward, it takes time, and the first season in the Prem is often the toughest. I think if we had had the strike force we have now at the beginning of the season we would be comfortably mid table.
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to good for the championship no good for the preimership until policies are changed we will have to live with our yo yo club
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bomber
you might believe in mowbray but does mowbray believe in the albion???
he has already said i dont want to fight relegation year after year,4th from bottom is nowhere i want to be better than that
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bomber
you also say that the 1st season is the toughest, Reading,Ipswich and yourselves all found the second season the hardest
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tony
lots of teams that were bottom of the prem thought they were also to good for the championship until they ended up there and found to their amazement that they wasn’t
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21 Bomber how can you say we will move forward if we get relegated we loose all our quality players and start from scratch again.This perpetual situation drives me mad.J.P.has done a good job but we know we need serious financial backing.Perhaps we should just content ourselves with championship football?
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Mowbray is definately the right man, but has made some questionable decisions in the last few games. It easy to sit here and critisise and offer advice on how if we were in charge we’d do this or that. At the end of the day the man has to motivate the whole squad and not just what he feela are his 11 best players. He also has his job on the line and will get sacked if he gets it wrong too often.
Very disapointed, but you pick yourself up and move on. There is still hope and we have done it before. Thank god that the other strugglers are not pulling away.
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Saturday was a bad day , perhaps a one off but you have to question the money we have spent;
Moore – 3m , Meite – 2m , Zuiverloon , 3.2m , Valero – 4.7m , Cech – 1.4m
Moore ,Meite and Valero cost 11m ! How many teams would they get into ?
Now take a look at Hull – Mendy – Free , Geovanni – Free , Boateng – 1m , Zayatte – 2.5m
We have wasted a hell of a lot of money and that’s down to the manager.
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Getting rid of mowbray would be terrible. He is an inexperienced manager who needs to improve in the transfer market and sometimes grind out a result, but his idea of football and the way in which he has his teams play is very impressive. I think Peace like moxey can sometimes be the scapegoat, but why are both clubs in the black? because they are well run. If you go down keep your squad together unless you have ridiculous offers then let them go. Watched the merseyside derby last week, what a load of rubbish, black country premier derby is needed.
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We can’t blame Tony Mowbray for everything.Those players should have been capable of doing a job and they blew it.If they can’t do the job they were bought in to do,then get rid.Meite does’nt want to be here anyway and Carson does,nt instill any confidence in the back 4 either.His basic mistakes and lack of decisive actions makes them panic everytime the ball comes anywhere near the 18 yard box.No way should we get rid of T.M.He is the best manager since Ron Atkinson and if we go down witch looks likely.We will come straight back up.We will never stay up untill J.P highers our wage cap,so we can bring the qaulity of player to keep us up.We should also get rid of Peter grant.He’s done nothing at the other clubs he’s been at and its time T.M and Mark Venus took over the training sessions again.If a former center back like T.M can’t learn our defenders to defend,nobody can.
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LW
Re: post 29, forgive me, but is that genuinely YOU!!!
I find myself in totaly unfamiliar territory, and i agree with you 100%
I think you have summed up the majority of Albions thoughts perfectly, and the Merseyside derby, right again, it was truely awful, i turned it over after 20 minutes…..too many fouls, too much bitching and too much play acting, the malaise of the premiership i`m afraid.
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Mowbray has spent 5 mil on valero, 3 mil on moore, 2 mil on meite, 3.2 mil on zuiverloon, 1 mil on hoef, 2.5 mil on bednar, 1.4 mil on cec, 1.5 mil on beatie, 650 k on slulowski, 500k on kim, 3.2 carson
How many of these players have lost the majority of theri value.
Their has been no gem to the tune of davies, koumas, kamara, maresca
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baggie birder
When did i say we were going to be relegated??
I suggest you read it again kidda!!
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Somebody keeps posting on with my name and I gave up trying to say it wasnt me! Dont gwet that rubbish in a black country derby big challenges and lots of heart, it was widely regarded in the media as the most fierce derby in the country, still nobody believes me!
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I just had the most delicious Red Mullet with vanilla dipped potatoes served with Jerusalem artichoke, glazed pear and broccoli parcels.
I do recommend purnells for a spot of lunch
Im well and truly full
The Bronson family
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Forever and Laughing Wolf agreeing? Now I believe anything is possible!!!!
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Ronson – I had a red mullet once… it was 1983 and I was in a Thompson Twins tribute band !!!
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36. well believe wolves will win the league and albion will stay up!
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28 Jack Frost… Teher is no such thing as a “FREE” transfer when players are free they have very big sign on fee’s and command very very high wages . the likes of mendi and geovanni are on extremley good wages .
32 … not one has lost any value!! scott carson was and never has been worth 3.2million but the Chairman was prepared to pay it.
Is Kaka worth 100million …no…but someone was prepared to pay it any player will be worth what someone else is prepared to pay
a prime example was joe kamara no way is he worth what albion got for him but they paid it!
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Malvern
How are ya mate ?
Yes LW and myself agreeing…….stranger than fiction.
I`m not now sure who the real LW is, one thing is for certain, if one agrees or disagrees, providing it`s genuine chat and devoid of bile and ill informed unnescessary digs….well, i would rather engage those posts.
Happy……class mate!!
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Terrible display saturday! I want to know what Mowbray and his coaching staff do with the defenders all week in training! Apart from Robbo and ollson it’s as if they’ve lost their basic knowledge of how to defend! Meite would’ve never played as poorly as that under big Sam at Bolton. So to me the training and coaching techniques need sorting out. Just as the striker situation is looking good, then the defence falls apart! Lets hope this 2 week break sorts them out and we get a win at Fulham.
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Laughing Wolf. I think I need to have a lie down in a dark room, you have actually posted some good blogs.
Yes a Black Country Derby in the Premiership next season would be great.
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TIP FOR ALL PRE MATCH VINE USERS dont follow any of the bronson family into the bog aye boing boing donk
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ive just had a chips n curry sauce butty n 2 bags of cheese n onion crisp a mars bar and a diet coke aye boing boing burppppppppppppppppppp
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black country derby wba v wolves to one sided its all over after 20 mins once we put the fust goal in aye boing boing gera
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Terry you are what I call a chav
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For the love of God, will some of you get some perspective?! Yes, Saturday was poor, yet had we won against a poor Newcastle we’d be out of the bottom 3 & everyone’s happy. Instead, some idiots want Mowbray sacked (short memory lads?), the chairman gets a barrel-load (is he responsible for our defending?) and someone in their infinite wisdom claimed the club needs overhauling ‘from top to bottom’. Get a grip!!! Small margins in this game. TM made errors with his selection, but we’re going in the right direction as a club still, so get behind them from now until May!!!
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34, looks like a case of jekyll and hyde then mate!
Never mind if we are in the Prem or not we still wouldn’t get played on TV!!
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I said weeks ago the defence was the ultimate problem, six centre halves and only Olsson meets the required standard, full backs with no pace and Zuiverloon who cannot defend, two dodgy goalkeepers.
A midfield with no anchor man to break up the game and other than Greening & Morrison all relatively inexperienced at Premiership level and generally typical european style players.
At last a strike force that looks likely to score goals but only loan players.
Mowbray has had money to spend but seems incapable of procuring the right players to compete at this level and his decision not to include Dorrans amazes me.
I do not think we have the depth of players to avoid relegation, at least under Robson we had determination & guts in the team and I think Mowbray has had his chances and cannot complain as stated in the Daily Express on Saturday I need money next season – he had money this season and failed miserably in the transfer / loan market.
We need a leader on the park and we need a manager to instill some blood & thunder. Should we change now is the question I pose.
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44. tezza did you meet paul robinson and brunt for lunch?
I dont think it would be one sided anymore you have lost alot of good players since then and replaced them with well…i suppose average players.
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Our Problem is that our wage bill restricts the sort of players we can get in. its alright boasting that Hull got Giovanni and Zayatte on frees. but they both command MUCH higher wages than we are prepared to give.
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apart from J.P. did anyone ever think that we would have a decent season in the PREMIER? yeah me,what a fool i am, with barnett from luton, meite the bottler, moore well what can i say about him,valero who you can blow over with a straw,robinson the umperlumper and on top of that we have frank carson who could’nt stop a pig in a entry, yep i had high hopes. by the way how come we did’nt come across fortune at the start of the cam pain?
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I’m amazed that anyone can still claim that TM is the man for us. His tactics are poor his man management skills are laughable ( KP Gera and now Cech)he spent a record amount on the poorest midfielder in the Prem—doesn’t tackle doesn’t support the defence has not scored and has only made 3 assists but according to TM has “soft feet” and Mowbray rewards good performances by dropping players when they play well. His assistants are a joke and the arrival of the fitness coach has resulted in more injuries than I can remember and I have supported Albion for 50 years. I don’t blame the players—they sometimes look as if they haven’t got a clue and that is the coach’s responsibility.TM has bought light weight players who are not physical or good enough for the Prem ( Kim, Brunt Barnett Valero Hoefkins Beattie Moore = 17 million) and his constant claim that we play good football is laughable. We rarely threaten we defend like a Sunday team but we do dominate the centre circle—no Sir that is not football. I sincerely hope we manage to stay up but whatever happens up or down we MUST replace TM and fast.
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Right. We’ve all had a good moan at the shambles of a performance at the weekend (and quite right too!) but now its time to put it behind us and look forward. No-one was in the mood for singing “we’ve done it before and we’ll do it again” on saturday (i wonder why?) but now we have a chance to get some of the injured players fit again, and spend the next fortnight learning how to defend!! TM can drop any players he likes for the next game (Fortune excepted) with total justification. So hopefully he’ll have a strong squad to pick from and go 4-4-2. We’re still in with a decent shout of pulling out of trouble as several other teams are no better than us – the newcastle result is history, so get behind the lads (all of them)and keep the faith.
Staying up the Mowbray way.
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we need a keeper who commands his goal area and is a good shot stopper…..bring back the BEAST
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Opportunity missed Toons rubbish and we were worse. Meite Barnett hopeless, team selection wrong but was badly affected by injuries etc.2nd half better but game lost and crowd by then. Fortune the bright spot, Carson still hasn’t learnt how to get down to stop a low shot it always goes between his legs he’s just too young, look at Given for M City. Mowbray’s time running out ?
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Laughing Wolf, If you really are you and not the so-and-so who purports to be you, then my sincere apologies for insults I have hurled in your direction. Terry, I don’t fancy following YOU in the bog after that culinary delight you’ve just stuffed. Jeez!
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I’ve just read through all of the blogs and generally agree with what’s been said – even from Wolves fans.
Yes we can “keep the Faith” but I’m afraid we need a bit more than faith as it’s not going to keep us up this season.
Mowbray said he takes some of the blame for Saturdays dire performance well so he should, playing one up front at home to a team in so called turmoil was a joke.
Carson gets worse every game totally indecisive and even though Robbo was the best of a bad bunch of defenders he still doesn’t perform up to the standard required in this league, just look at how many goals have been scored aganst us down the left! Both Hulls goals were via Robbo’s flank, when is TM going to give Cech a fair chance he looks better class all round – remember his performance in the Spurs game.
Come on TM start to pick a team on merrit!!!
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Yet again basics, im not a defender myself but from what i saw Saturday was one of the most pathetic defensive shows ive ever seen, 1st goal all Meite had to do was put his foot through it, not let it go past him like a idiot. Should of picked 2CB’s out the crowd to do a emergency signing and get them on as a second half sub, Awful and still angry
Utter Useless call themselves proffesional
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Yes and they are rewarded with a nice trip to Spain in the sun for a week, wile the fans who pay there wages by buying season tickets have to stay here and suffer the snow and ice .If that is what you get for playing crap no wonder we are going down,Will it be worth it if we beat Fulham Mowbray will say yes a few tho well spent
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50,loffin,yes i did and john hartson popped in,aye boing boing wheres the ketchup
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46,is that it a chav,i bin called alot wuz,aye boing boing donk
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11 – Shadrag. Being the economic genius we all know, surely you would know that in the context you are using it, the word is spelt nett.
We were awful at the back on Saturday. Kim and Valero were awful too. We need some meat in the middle of the park.
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Morning Campers
Hope the doom cloud have lifted slightly and we are full of wednesday zest.
I thought a quote would point in the right direction my fellow posters.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”
Interpret it as you wish. Terry if you are in the vine at the next game i will interpret and translate this for you.
Ps I had a delightful saddle of venison with marron glace and sauce poivrad accompanied by frankincense tea.
The Bronson Family
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64, no thanks charles think i,ll give it a miss not really into mills n boon.aye boing boing donk
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By the way has anyone heard whether that idiot Rob stiles got reprimanded or not for his terrible refereeing or not
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I don’t know why TM, try and put Robbo in at the centre of the defence and bring in Marek Cech to left wing back and bring in young Jarrod Hodgkiss to the right wing back berth, he has the qualties to be a very good defender for the future at this club A number of season’s ago they put clement at the centre of the defence and it worked.
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64 So Mandela has started posting on the Express & Star; only a matter of time I always felt.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
A diamond in the rough
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did brunty score last night?
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69 – Yes, a free kick, but it was against San Marino and Sedgley White Lions under 10′s are as good as them.
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