23 Jan 2016 14:46:32
Well at least their is a defender out there worst than ours.
23 Jan 2016 15:00:59
wot worse than. baines jags stones coleman. ye right.
23 Jan 2016 15:13:33
Be thankful that there are several worse sides than us defensively!
Even so, if it wasn't for Lukaku's goals we might well be deep in the relegation mire - losing matches rather than just drawing them after throwing away leads :- (
23 Jan 2016 16:21:23
We have a brilliant back line on paper. As good as near enough anyone in the premiership.
Unfortunately that's on paper. As a unit they are not playing to their potential because of the goals we are conceding.
For me that comes down to coaching. As Coleman, Jags, Baines along with Howard have consistently had low goals conceded in seasons gone past. Some seasons we would be in the top 5 in regards goals conceded.
If I remember correctly there was one season not long ago we finished a season with the second least conceded.
I know Howard is on the decline and is responsible for some of it. But he can't be at blame for it all.
The more you think about the defence and how they are performing the more baffling it all is.
23 Jan 2016 16:34:22
Not baffling at all. We are 2-0 up away from home then 3-2 up and still we have to pass it out from the back, the bloke insists week after week that he will not change his tactics. No idea what will happen tomorrow but anything less than a win and someone should have a word in Roberto's ear. Currently 12th by the way.
23 Jan 2016 17:10:57
You are both saying what I said over 2 years ago. But in a different way. I said that RM keeps replacing Moyes' players with ones who do not score sufficient goals. There are one or two exceptions, but in the main, if Moyes had a player scoring say 6 goals a season, RM will replace him with ones who score say 1 goal a season. The obvious exception is Lukaku which is why we are so reliant on him. If you look at Naismith who has just gone and immediately scored. But also I will list lots of players that he has signed who score very few goals for the position they play in. Barry, McCarthy, Kone, McGeady, Lennon, Cleverly and Besic. that's 7 outfield players who average about 12 goals between them. I accept Mori and Lukaku score well for their positions. However, look at Osman, Naismith, Pienaar, Fellaini, Mirallas, Jelavic or even Yakubu or Johnson. all of these averaged a good return of goals in the main. I believe Mirallas will be next to go. We are lucky that Barkley has come through and is contributing because the RM signings (Lukaku aside) are relegation material just by goals alone. never mind poor defending. If a "big" club comes in for Lukaku, his head will be turned and I said this 2 seasons ago. we will be in a terrible situation. The stats already show we have 60% possession in lots of games but very few shots on target. It has been better lately, but purely because of Lukaku's incredible goal return. When he goes we will be very poor. I also feel that some of the players he signs are good at possession but poor defending. especially the midfield/ forward players. These days all players are expected to defend. At least Moyes had that side organised.
23 Jan 2016 17:15:05
How could I also forget Cahill?
23 Jan 2016 18:34:10
Moyes wouldnt't have made a lot of the signings Martinez has made; £28 mill on a player? Forget about it. Even if he had, he'd have made Lukaku a 10 goal a season player; the man ruined strikers. Tell me which players Moyes bought/ played were consistent scorers? Cahill? Osman?
Swings and roundabouts.
24 Jan 2016 00:16:16
oh please degsy if we win our next five games you be sayin somethin else like how you seen it comin and how you posted that way back heard it all before.
24 Jan 2016 05:22:25
Spot on Cobyone, Degsy's smug arrogance is more taxong and irritating with every post he puts. He sees everything coming, he mentions players not scoring goals yet we acore more goals than most teams in the league. He was the same after Utd went above us when Moyes was there and he was made up they were above us so he could come on here and tell us all about how he seen it coming. Can anyone be bothered checking what he says? He says "I told you so" so often he probably makes up half the stuff he apparently said. Please degsy for the love of our sanity change the bloody record will you. Every post used to be about how Moyes is god and Osman is jesus. Now every post is how players don't contribute with enough goals and that's it. I think that's the 4th time you've posted the exact same thing in 2 months. The analogy of "if we didn't have Lukaku" is beyond ridiculous, we do have him, so why is it worth talking about? . If Barcelona didn't have Suarez, Neymar and Messi they'd score less goals, well yeah but they do have them so what's the point? . Like saying if we didn't have Cahill, Osman, Pienaar, Yakubu and Johnson back in those days we wouldn't score goals. Of we didn't have a goalkeeper we would concede more goals. But it's completely irrelevant and pointless as we do have these things so why bother asking "but if we didn't" or how reliant we are. We have them so what is the point? .
24 Jan 2016 10:14:59
Well, I guess I will try and respond. but so many questions. what I was trying to say is that we are reliant on 1 player. Your analagy of comparing Barcelona's forward 3 does not stack up with me because. there are 3 world class players. we have 1. If any of their 3 world class players get injured/ sold/ lose form they have other replacements or have enough other players scoring goals. We rely almost soley on Lukaku. And that is the point. Without his goals we would be in deep messi. (excuse the pun) The chances of replacing him with like for like are very remote. And the rest of the players are not going to score many goals. Barry= 1 goal a season. McCarthy= 1 goal a season. Besic= has he scored yet? Kone=6 goals in 3 seasons. McGeady=1 goal so far. Lennon=3 goals. Cleverly=1 goal. Deleufeu=5 goals. Lukaku= 40goals so far. That's 8 outfield signings by Martinez that have scored a total of less than 20 goals over a few seasons. yes I know some are recent signings but Lukaku's contribution is immense and he will be off when a "so called big club" come in. Then we have a situation of finding players who score goals. We have just let Naismith go. He averages a minimum of 6 a season. Mirallas looks like he is off and he averages a goal every 4 games when he is picked. that's like 10 a season. Osman always got a minimum of 6 a season. Cahill always got over 15. Pienaar 7 or 8. Fellaini 10plus. Our full backs always used to bomb forward and get 5 or 6 each too. The only 2 signings that RM has made who are scoring well for their positions are Mori and Lukaku. I can honestly say I don't care what you think about what I say. but my opinion is that we are too reliant on 1 player (2 at most) for our goals. The football might be more exciting than when Moyes was here, but I would rather us score 1 more goal than the opposition and win games. that's my choice and my opinion. And I see problems ahead with RM and the players he is signing. We may well win the League Cup and that will buy him a bit of time. But if he carries on signing good footballers who do not score goals. we will be in the messi!
24 Jan 2016 10:17:45
Summary = if Lukaku gets injured/ loses form/ leaves = very few goals. simples.
24 Jan 2016 10:37:51
No no no, the analogy for Barcelona sticks for the simple fact that if one of them went they score less goals, if Lukaku goes we will just get someone else, may not acpre as many, but it's no different then Barcelona replacing Messi woth Turan. Like I said, who cares if we are "reliant" when we score more goals than most teams. Should Man City bench Aguero for Bony who will score half his goals at best just so the likes of Sterling or Navas get 3-4 goals each more than when Aguero plays? . If we didn't have Lukaku we would have someone else.
24 Jan 2016 11:25:15
Sorry Swan, it does not stick with me because of 2 things. 1. Barcelona can go out and sign another world class striker and still have at least 2 others who will bang in goals. Plus their midfielders will bang in goals. Plus their defenders score goals. 2. We rely on Lukaku for (lets be generous and say) 70% of our goals. let's say he loses form. like last season when we went 11 games without a win and plummeted down the table. Or he gets injured. Or he leaves. let's say Kone takes over. Or we have a brilliant new kid. Or sign someone else. that's a lot of ifs and buts. but one thing is constant in all of those possible scenarios. we would miss Lukaku's goals. and there is no current sign of other players stepping up to the mark and banging in the 15 to 20 goals a season mimimum that Lukaku gets when he is in form, fit and playing for us. 8 other outfield players signed by RM just do not get enough. yet players that have been sold or retired did get those goals. Sorry if I sound like I am saying I told you so but I do promise I will say it if/ when Lukaku either loses form/ gets injured/ leaves. Wait and see. We are 8 points above relegation roughly half way through the season. If Lukaku got injured now, we would have to find about 15 goals from the rest of the team and his replacement just to equate our current position. I just cannot see the players RM signed from getting them. Replacing Howard might help at the other end I agree. But I also think our tactics are at fault. Time will tell.
24 Jan 2016 11:30:20
Swan, I don't understand the Bony bit neither? What are you trying to say? Why would the other players score more goals when Aguero doesn't play? That makes no sense to me at all. Who knows how many they would score with either player playing? I certainly do not. Surely it depends upon how the team are playing? Either way, Aguero is such a strong player when fit. He ofteen gets his goals in the last 10 minutes after wearing down the defenders all through the game. that's when he is 100% fit.