Hull Post Match Thread...

[King Binny]

Indeed, after he signed Mignolet, Toure, Aspas and Alberto, he said:

"What we've done in the early part of the summer is to improve the squad. That's something I feel we've done with the players we've brought in. Now what's important over the next three to five weeks is improving the team."

The signings after that were: Sakho, Ilori, Moses and Cissokho (who hasn't been involved in the squad since the Fulham match). Of cos, we did (seemingly) lose out on Willian, Mkhitaryan and Costa.

And those "two big players" who were missing were brought in January 13. Indirectly, its an admission/indication that he hasn't (done enough to) improve the team over the summer window, isn't it?

 

[Frogfish]

Our problem has been the same for many seasons with many managers - they prefer to buy numbers rather than spend most on 2-3 quality players each window. Yes if injury strikes we are in the shit (but it would help rbing youngesters through) but with so many 'squad' players it's no wonder we lack quality .. is it Mr. Rodgers ?

 

[jexykrodic]

What do you think the causes are that mean from time to time our whole team appears not to turn up?

I find it baffling. Seldom do you hear this of United, Chelsea etc

 

[Hyena]

What do you think the causes are that mean from time to time our whole team appears not to turn up?

I find it baffling. Seldom do you hear this of United, Chelsea etc

Not enough competition for places.

Especially in Centre Mid. All of them are about the same middling quality so they know they'll still play next week even if they're shit.

You won't see Lucas, Gerrard, Henderson etc dropped. Just rotated at best. Same for LB / RB.

 

[Fox]

Gutted about Moses. He started so well for us.

Should the boss have kept playing him when he started here so brightly.

 

[Pesam]

We have a very good squad easily capable of finishing top 4 BUT the most important part of the pitch is the centre midfied and we've been weak there for quite a few seasons. I used to wish we would buy a really good replacement for Lucas but now we need 2 replacements because Gerrard can't dominate CM like he used to. This doesn't mean Gerrard should automatically be dropped but if he plays he should be seen as an attacking option only i.e. 2nd striker like he used to do behind Torres.

I am 100% sure that if we were to buy 2 very good CM'ers our other good players like Glenjo, Skrtel, Agger, Sakho, Coutinho, Suarez, Gerrard, Allen* etc would all look much better than they currently do.

*Allen could fill one of the 2 CM'er roles obviously but I'd like to see him have competition and also we need options.

Henderson is still unreliable, although it's frustratingly obvious to see that there's a good player in there somewhere, so I'd keep him around but limit his 1st team starts.

So to clarify; sell Lucas, Gerrard 20 games a season against weaker opposition, 2 new CM'ers, Henderson a squad player.

After that we can start to address the wide areas in midfield; give Moses back, loan out Sterling, bring Ibe in and if there's any money left in the kitty try and find a decent wide right midfielder. If no money then bring McLaughlin in at right midfield playing front of Glenjo.

This is a shockingly rambling post but after 5 years of "everyone" knowing our problem is centre midfield isn't about time ONE of our managers actually addressed the situation?

 

[Best Believe It]

We need a settled defence; a settled midfield; a settled front line and a settled formation. We've had none of those for any decent length of time this season. When we lose one or two players to injury at the moment we have to completely reshape the team.

 

[Fox]

Pick defence and stick with it.


Play Allen for a bit.

That's it until jan I'm afraid


If ever a game proved we are a one man team it was this one. Suarez shit= liverpool shit.

 

[Rosco]

If ever a game proved we are a one man team it was this one. Suarez shit= liverpool shit.

We were top of the league without him.

Maybe it's Sturridge

 

[Fox]

Maybe both. Two man team

 

[mark1975]

'One shit performance'??????

Right!!

I think the truth is somewhere in between.

In 2013 we've largely been very good, alot more consistent than we were over the last few years. So people getting all "I had my suspicion all along that he was shite" are being a tad unfair, given we've played well and dragged ourselves back from the doldrums in some games too. We showed some reserve last week to get a draw when we were off form.

People should have a browse through our record this calendar year and maybe put this blot into perspective. United, Arsenal, City, Tottenham and Chelsea have all suffered head scratching defeats this season, like I said earlier, people wanted Wenger gone after the opening day, that's how fickle fans are.

It was a terrible performance against Hull, but people saying "the worst I can remember" must have the worst memories to forget some of the depths we've sunk to under every manager over the last 20 years.

The team were down and out yesterday, granted. They now have the perfect opportunity to bounce back. People are saying also about Rodgers changing the team. Form, injury and fatigue have come into play too, if he stuck with the same side and there were still issues with us underperforming in certain departments, and he did nothing about it, people would moan - our own team sheets change by the game, based on the same variables, yet we criticise the manager for changing the side. Perhaps he's trying to find the best combinations at the back. It seems were more or less stuck with this midfield for a month

I appreciate his transfer record at the moment is hit and miss, and we failed to address the midfield, some players are misfiring and we're struggling to find a settled XI, but it'll come. And despite yesterday, as long as we can keep getting points and play ourselves into form, I still think we're heading the right way, it just takes a bit of indulgence some times.

People have knocked the cliche's, but every team suffers a bad day at the office, have a look at some of our competitors defeats this season, their fans could easily have leveled the same criticisms at their sides, they probably did...

People writing him off and getting all hysterical because of one defeat need to take a step back and have a look at where we are now compared to two or three years ago. He's been here 18 months, he needs to prove his worth in many respects, but the signs are there.

I think Wednesday will be a big ask for him, he needs to be a bit more radical in his approach, and unforgiving with a few players.

 

[Rosco]

We're still second has changed to we're still fourth.

In a months time where will we be ?

 

[mark1975]

We're still second has changed to we're still fourth.

In a months time where will we be ?

Who said "we're still fourth"?

I said last week, there was four points between us in second and Spurs in ninth, something that could be turned on its head in two games.

People seem to forget that our objective this season is to qualify for Europe, if we push on from that and do better than expected it's a bonus, we've had to drag ourselves back from obscurity over the last few years.

 

[Fox]

Who said "we're still fourth"?

I said last week, there was four points between us in second and Spurs in ninth, something that could be turned on its head in two games.

People seem to forget that our objective this season is to qualify for Europe, if we push on from that and do better than expected it's a bonus, we've had to drag ourselves back from obscurity over the last few years.

Two home wins now and let's see how we do away at the big boys.

One off blip hopefully.

 

[Portly]

In the course of this thread, virtually the entire squad has been ditched by various contributors.

It was a poor display but don't forget that Hull's first and third goals were both flukes and on another day we would have got away with at least a draw.

I don't see Joe Allen riding to the rescue on his white steed. For me, there's not enough attacking aggression to his game.

 

[redhorizon2]

The game again showed we lack depth in the squad. He needs to call back Suso and possibly Borini.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Who ever played yesterday isn't worth a shit, who ever didn't could save our season and I can't see why they aren't playing.

In fact you can say the same after every bad result.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

The game again showed we lack depth in the squad. He needs to call back Suso and possibly Borini.

Yeah, we need a few more players to blame this on.

 

[RedZeppelin III]

In the course of this thread, virtually the entire squad has been ditched by various contributors.

well virtually the entire squad is average and too inconsistent.

 

[Portly]

The game again showed we lack depth in the squad. He needs to call back Suso and possibly Borini.

Borini came to my mind immediately when I heard the bad news about Sturridge. He has been playing regularly for Sunderland. On current form he isn't exactly a goal machine, but we've got to have another striker available besides Suarez.

 

[Portly]

well virtually the entire squad is average and too inconsistent.

Well they got us to 2nd place in the Premier League before the bad performance against Hull, didn't they? They don't change from good players to shit players overnight. 🙂

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Borini came to my mind immediately when I heard the bad news about Sturridge. He has been playing regularly for Sunderland. On current form he isn't exactly a goal machine, but we've got to have another striker available besides Suarez.

Has he? I thought he came out and said he's not playing enough for them?

 

[Rosco]

Well they got us to 2nd place in the Premier League before the bad performance against Hull, didn't they? They don't change from good players to shit players overnight. 🙂

Likewise though, the majority of those players have kept us in midtable for the past few years.

One good run of games doesn't change much for me.

They aren't great or shite.

 

[Portly]

Has he? I thought he came out and said he's not playing enough for them?

Yes you are right but Borini did score a good goal that won the Newcastle game.

 

[the_khl]

Everyone can have a bad day at the office. Indeed so.

My main issue with yesterday is the fact that we never gave this game a fair chance. Counter attacking tactics away to a team that have just lost at home to 10-man Crystal Palace is almost unforgivable.

Poor tactics, poor choice of players with absolutely no creativity across the pitch whatsoever and poor attitude. Rodgers did everything he could to make it a bad day at the office and that's why yesterday was even more frustrating than usual.

Alberto is a £7M player supposedly a creative outlet too and yet he can not get a game despite being the only AM available. He must be really bad. At the end of the day Rodgers have had enough cash to spend to address our issues, yet we are all watching around £50M of players bought hugging the subs bench - or even worse, not even in the team.

Patience is baring thin, and especially if we are not going to improve over Christmas - with the fixtures ahead of us we could worst case scenario sit around 10th place come Jan.

If so then I'd be less surprised to see Rodgers be given the sack. The lack of a blueprint in this team is apparent and what is making me worry for our future with Rodgers at the helm. Firstly, he desperately needs to stop chopping and changing and stick to a style and formation too - hopefully a possession based one - as well as a core of players that will be given a lee way - no matter who they are.

 

[Mors]

So, Rodgers reckons the squad isn't big enough to cope with the loss of Sturridge & Coutinho.

Probably shouldn't have spent it all on CB's and Midfielders you're going to leave on the bench, let alone pointless acquisitions like Aspas, eh Brendan?

He obviously bought Aspaz and Alberto to pad the squad out as it was getting thin, same goes for Cissokho. What he was thinking buying Sakho and Illori and Toure without flogging Skrtel and Agger, god only knows.
And he's bought Allen, and pretty refuses to play him, and bought Borini and then fucks him off on loan.
As for Moses, I think he thought he was actually good and would be a first team regular, but he's now finding out why Chelski didn't play him.

He had a purple patch getting Sturridge and Coutinho, and even Mignolet to a lesser extend. But overall, his purchases look on par with Kennys!!

 

[Portly]

In fairness to Rodgers he did start the game with a few headaches. Apart from Sturridge being unavailable - a huge problem - apparently Coutinho had an ankle injury so I question whether he should have even been on the bench. I think he was a bit inhibited by it when he did come on.

 

[RedZeppelin III]

Well they got us to 2nd place in the Premier League before the bad performance against Hull, didn't they? They don't change from good players to shit players overnight. 🙂

is "good" enough ? And 2nd place in november means fuck all really .

But anyway yeah i guess there's no point in making any real judgement until may . let's see .

 

[RedZeppelin III]

In fairness to Rodgers he did start the game with a few headaches. Apart from Sturridge being unavailable - a huge problem - apparently Coutinho had an ankle injury so I question whether he should have even been on the bench. I think he was a bit inhibited by it when he did come on.

i believe he mentioned Coutinho needed pain injections to play . So yeah you wonder why he was on the bench , guess it shows how little confidence rodgers has in other members of his squad .

 

[Portly]

i believe he mentioned Coutinho needed pain injections to play . So yeah you wonder why he was on the bench , guess it shows how little confidence rodgers has in other members of his squad .

We don't have any other attacking midfielders remotely approaching the class of Coutinho, and I'm afraid that nowadays that includes Gerrard.