Transcript
Speaker: Welcome the Long Come Norwich podcast where bewildered booze broke out both at the break and the buzzer. Panicking punters are pondering how we lost to lowly Bolton who lassoed our lofty dreams leaving us languishing closer to limp Liam Manning-like depths instead of the lofty expectations that now look ludicrous. Sunday's loss was lethargic, limp, lackadaisical and lacklustre.
Speaker: Claire, panic stations for many. Tell us why it's all going to be alright. It's quite hard to to think that after watching yesterday's debacle. It's hard to actually formulate words to try and explain what happened yesterday.
Speaker: and I've got this little nagging thing in my mind, and you know how much I love Philippe. But I think we put him on this pedestal of being this perfect manager. And in a way... We. We. We. Claire. You. Only one of us married him.
Speaker: But, um you know, it's kind of nice to know that he's not perfect, but I've got this little niggle in my mind that this is what happened at Rangers, that he had a really good season and then the second season completely tailed off. But that was partly put down to the fact that there was so much instability off the pitch that they didn't have anyone in charge of the club. But I do think, and so many people sort of saying, oh, Philippe's got to go, whatever, but...
Speaker: Come on, the man has definitely earned the right to try and turn this around, given what he did last season. he He needs to turn it around, definitely.
Speaker: There is something fundamentally wrong with the way we are playing at the moment. We are so wide open in the middle. um But yeah, it's not quite panic stations yet, but I am getting a little bit nervous about you what's going to happen.
Speaker: It is panic stations for some. And it's an interesting interesting it's an interesting debate after the game on the socials of media, because folks were saying it's too soon to panic. That's the problem with the modern football fans, too soon to panic.
Speaker: and But actually, the the modern football fan just remembers that this time last season, we thought we were going to be pretty good, and then we weren't. And the the the worry for some folks is the Instagram real loving and post my outfits, um here's some shots from this week squad that we've got a lot of at the moment is not the vibe you need when things are not going well.
Speaker: And what you need is you need what we felt we were lacking last season. And then Clermont seemed to get out of the current squad, which is pull your sleeves up, pull your s lock socks up, get into it, pull up all of your various elements of clothing.
Speaker: um And I don't know, that to to me, the the the lack of attack, um you know, the lack of presence of mind, the lack of tempo, the lack of any game awareness we seem to have on Sunday. like You know, it was 2-2 at half time and they were booed off.
Speaker: Now, we scored three goals at home and were booed off at the at the end. Punt, I just think there is the the thing that the the thing I hope hasn't happened, but really looks like has happened, is that Clement's message has just got old and he no longer is a fresh voice. Because because if if they're following his instructions, his so his instructions are play slowly and don't try very hard.
Speaker: i ah I think there was there was times on Saturday where we looked a little bit shell-shocked, like this wasn't the plan, we're too good for this.
Speaker: Almost nowhere near last days of Manning, right? Because i a Millwall performance aside, I don't think we've been anywhere near Manning levels of ineptitude.
Speaker: um But there was a a little bit of a... I don't know, like people just look, you know, there was navel gazing and there was people looking at each other thinking someone else is gonna stand up and take responsibility.
Speaker: And and i worry I worry that in the bad moments, Norwich haven't got the leaders on the park to be able to, and I don't, you know, this isn't me digging anyone out at all. I think it's, you know, you need to have multiple leaders on the park. We did last season. yeah yeah they There were loads of leaders all over the pitch. Where have they gone? They're the same players. That's why it doesn't make any sense. And that's,
Speaker: But it's the bit for me is complacency. Yeah, I think so. It's it's almost like we've we've rolled into this season. And look, the fans are guilty of this as well. We you know ah we only have to go back about five podcasts time you know and you'll have me predicting that we're going to win the league.
Speaker: um But you know we've we've rolled into the season with complacency. We've rolled into the season with the assumption that... we're just going to continue to get better because Phil Clement's a great coach and and, you know, he will continue to develop players and and they will all go from being eight and a half out of tens to nine, nine and a half out tens every week.
Speaker: And I think some of the players have probably believed their own hype. You know, there's many that you can go through the squad. And they're, as I say, they're nowhere near the levels of of last season. And chief among them yesterday were you know, Rari, who I think i came on the last podcast and said he's never going to play that bad again.
Speaker: um and And Jose Cordoba. And the the the bit, that worries me more is not that Clement's message has been lost.
Speaker: And there is there are some structural issues, I think, that that he needs to fix. But it's it's the sheer absent-mindedness, you know, or the sheer stupidity in terms of some of the things that we've done. It's it's not even like they're, you know, kind of, it that they're just poor technical footballers and they've tried to do something and they haven't quite executed it. They've just tried to do something which has been completely thick.
Speaker: And i ah don't know where that's come from. And i can't put my you know and Clement said it post-game. He was like, you know I can't ah can't cut those individual errors out. And they were almost...
Speaker: and there were they there were almost When Farker's teams were bad, they were the hallmarks of Farker's teams being bad. It was the individual errors and the cut you know and it wasn't the collective. i i do there's a There's a serious issue in the centre of the park whereby midfielders are getting dragged into different areas of the pitch and then they are not present when we need them in in the middle of the pitch.
Speaker: That clearly is a problem. we are At times, our formation is like you know six at the back, five up front because Vlad's playing as a sweeper most of the time anyway. um that That is a problem. That's a real problem. And we and we need to find a way to be more cohesive, to link it.
Speaker: some of that like All of that kind of one, two-touch, quick, free-flowing football, with the exception of of when Brooks you know really intelligently knocks it around his mouth and then slotted Torrey in for the first goal. I ah can't remember too many other kind of scintillating moves that that really impressed me.
Speaker: That said... We still look really dangerous. Most times, i mean, right, take away the last 20 minutes um on Sunday. We still look really potent when we go forward. We're one of the top scorers in the division.
Speaker: um We've got attacking players that I think most sides in the league would would swap theirs for. So it's not all doom and gloom. It's not all like, you know, actually, you know, we need to rip everything up.
Speaker: It feels to me like it's, it's tweaks around the edges and there's very small things that could make us markedly better quite quickly. the bit The bit around Clement is why is he not seeing that? Why why has he almost convinced himself that you know it's because Anthony Masaba's not tracking back enough or you know Kenny's got pulled out of position or Cordoba's given the ball away or don't know, Jack... and And actually, there's this bit around being unbalanced...
Speaker: Our full packs play so high all the time, like literally all the time. at up points, Jack Stacey is beyond Brooks and Krizené is beyond Masaba at the same time.
Speaker: I don't see how you can possibly expect us to be a balanced team in transition when you've got full-backs bombing on on both sides like that. So there needs to be a little bit of game management. I wonder, the club have gone in all in on this you know kind of youthful strategy, but whether over the summer we... and you know Look, Clement did say, I'm pretty sure in one of his press conferences, that it didn't quite go to plan and they were looking for one or two more experienced heads than they signed.
Speaker: whether that's it, whether you know the presence of, and i'm not I'm not advocating that we start him, right, but actually Sam Field on the pitch last season was a calming presence um you know um among a very young team.
Speaker: i mean, a Kenny aside, um ah just ah ah don't know that we've got those kind of players, those kind of individuals who are just able to grab a game or grab a player and just tell them where they need to be, tell them what they need to do.
Speaker: And Clement looks like he's trying to do that from the sidelines. And again, it's like, you know, we don't... But it looked like him and Kenny were arguing on the touchline yesterday. That's... Out of everything that I've seen, that's the biggest for me. It happened in multiple places. It happened multiple places around the team. couple of things on what you were saying. Kordoba and Vlad as well. Several. Yeah.
Speaker: So you mentioned that he says it's not on him to cut out the individual errors, but that's what he did last season. He cut out the individual errors when he came in. And that's that's why it all points to you. But I don't think that individual errors were a problem last season. How can we be now on confidence?
Speaker: Because we keep shipping goals in. And every shot we face ends up in the back of the net. Well, yeah, we'll come to him. he's he's It's not just Vlad's fault. No, but he is poor. Cordoba is nowhere near what he was last season. Is he tired from the World Cup? like The players that have come back from the World Cup look knackered.
Speaker: Kenny is a shadow of himself. Slimani is a shadow of himself. Hang on, we're still on Clemont. By the way, we't stay we didn't get any emails about what's up, Kenny. No, but it should be a bloody rocket.
Speaker: We're still on Clemont. So and he did cut out the individual errors. Now, whether that's because he improved their confidence, whether that's because he was able to, and it was you know all based on momentum and confidence.
Speaker: You can't have it both ways. You can't give him loads of praise for doing brilliantly last year. And then when he isn't able to replicate it, say, oh, that was because of confidence. OK, so it wasn't to do with him. then it was because they won a few games and they had momentum. And that's why they were able to be good.
Speaker: he he can't take You can't only take credit. if If he's able to affect it for positive, he has to therefore also take the culpability for affecting it negatively. press not Not necessarily for individual errors, though. but but i think that nothing but this but there But there were so many fewer individual errors. And coaching can prevent situations where someone like Cordoba is likely to do something stupid. um sit Situations, yes. But I think...
Speaker: How many of them yesterday weren't because they didn't have two or three options? They were just really shit. There were times. and How do you compensate for I don't think leverage for necessarily because of a lack of options, but there were a number of times in passages of play at all scorelines, because we basically had every combo of being ahead, level and behind, um where they didn't have folks to pass to. And they didn't always give the ball away, but they it meant just standing still on the ball, which again is a Liam Manning thing. The press conference, that's the worst he has come across. He looked really rattled and it was very manningy. It was very, um I don't like this line of questioning, who are you to question my authority? And he started reaching for answers that started to sound like bullshit and started to be like, whoa, no, don't defend yourself on that, Phil. You just have you have to sort of just say, yeah, we're going to go away and look at that.
Speaker: Don't say, no, that's not relevant or whatever. And that's a really worrying sign because he's never seemed... He's always been so, um even when he started, you know, slightly slowly, it's not like we won the first 10 games under him.
Speaker: It was it you know wasn't a bounce. It was a new manager slope, and ramp, if you like. and I think on the mid midfield, Millwall really spooked him, didn't it?
Speaker: He thought, right, like bring let's bring Sam Field in. And that was... Probably not quite as bad as yesterday. and i actually think we played worse yesterday, despite the fact we scored goals. I think Millwall, against Millwall, if Brooks takes that chance, it's a different game. we We were playing with tempo still.
Speaker: Yesterday, we scored, we took our chances. mean, Mo's finish, was just, I mean, phenomenal. When the boy doesn't need to think, he is world class when he has to think he's Sunday league.
Speaker: And thus that's the most important experience. Well, okay, I'm slightly exaggerating. probably true Probably both ends. I'm exaggerating, but you get the point. So, but no, i i'm not um I'm not panicked because I am of the i'm of the mind that i want to learn from farke i want to learn from the regret i feel for letting him go and not saying actually if we've come to the end of the cycle if we've come to the end of momentum and we're going to get regulated we know that this guy can do it so let's leave him in post and recycle around him and if if if the if the message has got stale let's change the players let's not change know because he wasn't only one season when the mess know he'd gone up and down and up and and
Speaker: So I i feel i feel with with with hindsight, that's mistake. Now, I've seen Phil Clement oversee a really strong period of football that I enjoyed watching and getting the best out of players who I'd seen be horse crap earlier that season.
Speaker: So i'm I am not advocating at all for getting rid of him. But that it doesn't make you a panicked, and this is what's wrong with football fan, football fan.
Speaker: to call out some extremely worrying signs that are not being fixed. So in goal, and this is where people I saw yesterday more so than I've seen at any other point in this season, were really gunning for Napa because it's it's starting to look a bit squaddy as an issue. We do not have a championship-caliber goalkeeper.
Speaker: and I know I was saying this last year when we were winning, I'm afraid he's not my goalie. he He's not for me. he never has been. i Completely separating ability from charisma.
Speaker: I actually think he was singing along with On The Ball City at the start of the game yesterday. He was turning around facing the Barclays. Yeah, I think you're right. I really like him. Oh, I love him, yeah. But he needs to be in Lisbon or somewhere where jumping about and character is like nine-tenths of the battle, right? He's not for me.
Speaker: And Grimshaw is, i mean, t we were talking before we pressed record, you know First half an hour, we we looked really quite tidy at the at the empty hand.
Speaker: But when your goalie goes wandering off like that and just creates a goal when there really is no need for there to be one, he comes and collects that cross 99 times out of 100 if he hasn't already gone wandering out of his six-yard box. um So, yeah, the goalie is a massive issue.
Speaker: i think I thought we needed to strengthen a centre-back, and I said it. um and you know We brought in Alves, who's obviously a project, which we've seen because he, again, had had a tricky time. It's easy to have a tricky time in the cup away there.
Speaker: But you know we haven't brought a better centre-back than what we had. That seems to me a mistake. It felt like we'd got absolutely everything we possibly could. Cordova can be a Rolls-Royce of ah um a defender.
Speaker: But yesterday we saw what you can also get. And if Rory's not quite on it, and he wasn't as bad as the mistakes he made at Borough, but he he wasn't on it at all on Sunday either. All of a sudden you then got Darling, who again can be absolutely excellent. And if in a side that's winning, he's the best shithouser maybe we've had at the club. He's phenomenal at it. And when you're 2-0 up, that's exactly what you want. And you're in control and you've got mostly possession. But when you're under the cosh, again, I'm not sure he's your guy. so And that's all we've got. That's all we've got now until January when we could be 15 points away from the playoffs. That's all right. We did it last time. But but that's not but but the point is we you can't have it both ways. if he's if he's the reason that we If he's the reason we had this great turnaround, he can't also we you can't just get asked okay, with Clemente, I don't need to try until January.
Speaker: I think Claire might have been joking a little bit. It is only mid-September. No, I know. we've got several months before we get to January. But we've played a lot of games.
Speaker: We've played a lot of games. yeah but that's because they've been pushed up because of this big break now for internationals. like We wouldn't normally have played quite as many games in the league, I don't think, at this point.
Speaker: We've played two games a week for how many weeks in a row now? They looked knackered yesterday, which made no sense at all because most of them didn't play it in the Cup.
Speaker: But they looked tired physically and mentally already. I think they looked bored. They looked bored. Jaded. Passive. So passive. which is That worries me more than anything how passive they were given the team we had last year.
Speaker: That's where the boos came from. The boos weren't, we're not we're not in the top of the table where we expect to be. We're not, um you know, it's not, oh, we're not scoring goals. It's not, we're not creating chances. The boos were, this isn't, this is, this is, that that that is the sort of behaviour gets you're not fit to wear the shirt sung at you.
Speaker: not Because you're not fit the shirt isn't about the results. It's about the character you show in the shirt. And that, it stank. And i I don't mind Kenny having a pop at Clamont because Kenny gets it. he's He's been here and seen this. He's seen this happen no over and over again this cycle.
Speaker: He gets that this isn't very good. this is this is This isn't working. this isn't This isn't playing out the way i want to. He wasn't very good yesterday. he didn't have a very good game. He didn't have a very game yesterday.
Speaker: but But the problem that we have at the moment, to Punt's point on leadership, is if your oldest player and talismanic midfielder is playing badly and he looks to his left and his partner is also playing really quite poorly, and then well then what do you do? Then who do you look to? And you've got you know seen yeah your senior centre-back of the two.
Speaker: like There were ironic cheers when Vlad made a save and ironic cheers when Cordoba completed a pass to his own man. That is bad, Claire. So yeah again, tell me why it's all going to be OK.
Speaker: Because it's mid-September and we've got three weeks now and half our team's just been decimated by injuries. And maybe that's... Oh, that'll help. Well, I think, John, you said that. Like, maybe we need to have more injuries.
Speaker: Sounds like something I'd say. What did you say? Like, siege mentality. that That seemed to work for us last season. We've had too big a squad to pick from, too many rotations unnecessarily.
Speaker: Well, the rotation was getting a hammer in yesterday. I saw a really good tweet. um You know, rotations all well and good, but, you know, to give everyone minutes, but only if those players deserve the minutes.
Speaker: Yeah, that's true. That's true. And i I also want to hold my hand up. You can't have it both ways, though. You can't have it both ways on injury either. I think, you know, kind of like we, Clermont has clearly tapped into the data and tried to keep people fit. And yes, we've just got three or four injuries or, you know, kind of all, all within probably the space of 48 hours if we include Papa in it.
Speaker: But Actually, we'd been managing that situation very, very well. And I wonder whether this was kind of a plan. It was like get through to eight games, get through to the three-week break, and then suddenly like we'll we'll be able to start to pick ah strong or getting towards our strongest 11 most games because we've managed all these lads through their minutes.
Speaker: i don't think mostly it's a more settled team more recently. like He seems to know like who his starting XI is. I was disappointed with Jove.
Speaker: I get yeah that Clement came out and and protected him. should have played that long. yeah Yeah, but he that would mean that he was rubbish in the last 20 minutes. It shouldn't mean that he was crap in first half. Yeah, no yeah he was disappointing. It looked like he was playing within himself to try and manage his way through the game. That's what it felt like to me.
Speaker: He was doing it in fits. and it He almost played like Mo plays in terms of just doing it in explosive moments rather than when he when he had like 20, 25 minute cameo.
Speaker: He pressed for that entire, you know, kind of 20, 25 minutes. Whereas here he was like, haven't got enough in the tank to do that. So I'm just going to get When came on, I thought the obvious thing to do was you play until the hour mark and then Antti comes on.
Speaker: I don't understand why the message wasn't, give us an, we were going to ask you to do 30 minutes 40 minutes. Didn't he say that Antti didn't have enough either because he'd played Man City? He couldn't do 20 minutes. I mean, this is insane. Chris Gorham was there warming up as well. Was he in the squad?
Speaker: in the squad No, Chris Corrin wasn't in the squad, but he was there warming up. But I guess the reason I say that is it's bad luck. And a bit of bad planning. Because if Sernach can't do a half of football, then he shouldn't really be. No one should be on the bench unless you can do at least a half of football, for me. And I personally think that the one thing he had on the rotation thing he now he now needs, effectively, he needs three five or six games after the international break with no injuries. Otherwise, he's lost that argument. Because you can't you hiss because we we have to accept rotation. I don't think he's we've we've we've nowt to your You used the word decimated. Yeah, but that's because they were contact injuries. Torre was because he was pulling pulling on the other guy so hard that he's pulled his shoulder out.
Speaker: and Is that what he'd done? Is it shoulder dislocation, was it? I think, well, I think both of them, if I'm going to... Definitely a shoulder injury. Don't interrupt the medical professional, John. John, what are you doing? You're mansplaining to someone with...
Speaker: From what I could tell... Stop it! Stop talking! Stop interrupting her! I'm interrupting you, interrupting her! No, I'm just going to keep interrupting now. From what I could tell, and I was watching on TV, so probably had a clearer view of it than you guys, but um I think it's more their acromioclavicular joint rather than their... was going to say that. Glienohumeral joint. So their proper shoulder joint, I think it's probably not that. I think it's the bit on the top of your shoulder. pretty sure proper shoulder joint is not.
Speaker: say the word shoulder. Although apparently Mo has a history of having a dislocated shoulder, but Ben's was the same as his old injury. I think that's why he was so upset. But m they might be. If it is the AC joint rather than the actual shoulder joint, then they might be all right in three weeks time, hopefully. What, three weeks for Moe?
Speaker: Well, no, I'm saying they might be okay to play again in three weeks' time. I was in start training. Before, probably before that, maybe. I don't know, because I don't know. I haven't got x-ray eyes. Sadly, that would make my life really easy if I had x-ray eyes. Even if you had x-ray eyes, John would still interrupt you when you were given a really sensible medical.
Speaker: You literally just interrupted Claire twice and then suddenly it's fine. Then Kenny's was a foot or something. They didn't show that on telly, but did he get a knock or something? Okay, that's contact injury. As soon as it happened, he said, I'm done.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. He gestured to the bench and he's he does this when he's done. That's his thing. i thought this is an audio. and he He looked done before that, but let's, yeah. Well, like and the the thing is, whilst I'm at the biggest Kenny Stan ever, um the i thought first half, if particularly ah up until 2-1,
Speaker: two one um as in up to and including the 2-1 scoreline, I thought Pella and Kenny actually were ratting together quite nicely. I thought they actually weren't getting pulled away from each other. There were several times when if Kenny couldn't quite retain the ball or win the ball back, Pella turned up and mocked up and vice versa. i they they It felt, and I'd actually written down,
Speaker: I actually wrote down to so to so yeah capture a few notes for the pod and actually wrote down this, actually, this seems to be a bit better. And then from for the half hour mark, like you say, oh punt when it went to two, two, they almost felt like, what do you mean you equalized again? This is, that we're supposed to win this four nil.
Speaker: yeah And, but I, I, you know, I used to bang on about it with Farker, but I don't care. i don't care the style of football. If you play any style of football slowly,
Speaker: then you will have some success if you've executed well, but you will have more success if you play that style of football faster. You know, you know if you you we we're we're good at counterattack, but Bolton basically out counterattacked us.
Speaker: They just waited until the obvious mistake was there. It's really painful to concede four goals at home against a team who probably won't score four goals again. i mean, they were shit. I think we've played two teams.
Speaker: I think of outside of Borough and Millwall, I don't think we've played a good team. I don't think Bolton were shit. I thought they were as poor as we were. Yeah, I thought that they were slower. They were good winger. quite fancied the winger, but then he was up against Stacey, who I know punt doesn't rate. Yeah.
Speaker: Good end product, though. He's super finished. Their 10, was it Dolby or however you say that name? Oh, yeah. I mean, he had absolutely he had Cordoba on toast. And he went and stood on him. Did you notice how he went and stood on him all the time?
Speaker: He wasn't even interested in Rory. but i didn' I didn't notice that. But yeah, and it's it's weird because of the two, Cordova has beasted plenty of players this season. So they clearly identified something in him that they felt they they could get at him and they could win the flick-ons. And it it was disappointing to me that Kruzene got caught so many times out of position. like you know just in wit and all right look He was badly exposed by Masaba, maybe not doing his tracking. But I would be shocked if Masaba starts first league game back, was it Swansea, that in three weeks.
Speaker: Clement clearly identified that his work rate was an issue. Playing with two out-and-out wingers, we didn't do that last year. Obviously, we had Ali Ahmed. But then we didn't we we were kind of moaning last year that we didn't have another version of him on the other side. But having two out-and-out wingers like that clearly leaves us so open and exposed in the middle as opposed to having an Oscar or somebody out there. Tactically, you have to account for that, right? Tactically, you have to you have to say to Pella and Kenny, I mean, look, if if everyone is fit...
Speaker: and in the midfield and obviously the only one we know about is potentially Kenny's knock but if it was if it is someone jump banging on him even if it's ah like a little fracture or something then you'd think three weeks ago Joe's little fracture was very long yeah that's true it was his vulva he's much younger his what? vulvulus no he was in a vulvulian or something yeah he has evacuation but I listened to what Claire says I'm too busy talking over it and I don't... i um i don't yeah If we had them all and they were all fit, Claire, who is you starting to in our next league game in the midfield or do you go with the three?
Speaker: I think we need to try it with three. i I keep saying it and I like ah hate saying it but I don't think Kenny's got the energy to play with just him and Pella.
Speaker: and not have anyone else helping out in the middle at the moment. he Is it time for Kenny at left back? yeah No, no. Well, maybe. Every manager has to do it at least once a season. yeah oh Oh, God. Don't get us to that point. No, no, no. We've got we've got plenty of of of... Have we got plenty left backs?
Speaker: Oh, yeah, he'll come in. He's all right. He did look good. Yeah, he looked quite good. He was the best singer about Man City. In fact, I did think that when Ben got injured, oh, this might open the door for Darlan to come in and that might be a good thing, maybe. Maybe maybe we need these injuries to force other players to play and that's when things will start to click like they did last season in a weird way.
Speaker: But i I do think definitely, I don't want Kenny not to be there. I think we just need to see a little, we need to see more bodies in the middle of the park.
Speaker: That's it. I don't know who, I'm not a manager. i don't know. I don't, I'm not going to profess to know a lot about tactics and formations, but. I think Jacob's done enough to earn a start. definitely think Jacob has done enough, yes. I really like his i like his dead ball delivery and like his energy. I really like his energy. We immediately looked better when he came on and we scored quite quickly after he'd come on. And then, yeah, he also brings free kicks and and decent corners with him as well.
Speaker: So, yeah, i would I would really like to see him start. i wouldn't I wouldn't mind, to to to tie this to our ah previous point, I wouldn't mind Oscar back on the left and because he can operate there and he is in yeah he has been played some of his best football there.
Speaker: um i totally understand why we might eventually want him to be a 10. He's not there yet. and he He's probably there in when we are playing against a team who help arens ah haven't been well drilled and maybe when we're already winning.
Speaker: But I feel like and our press was so poor yesterday Bolton would not did not have to do anything. One pass was all it took to buy part. And we think we missed Slomani's pressing game. He's very, very good.
Speaker: think we really missed his pressing game. And I don't think that's Schwarzau's game in the 10. I think he's better... he's better. He understands there's role more as the wide man. So maybe you fix the issue of you have Brooks and Schwartow or Schwartow and Misaba rather than playing both the full-on wingers.
Speaker: And then you have Jacob Wright in the 10 in front of Kenny and Pella. So I think Jacob is slightly more attuned to without the ball. I'm i'm now an eight. right Whereas, whereas I think Oscar without a ball is still a 10.
Speaker: um So that would be, that would be how i I would go with it because, it when we have played well this season, it's what it is when and Kenny has been able to get on the ball and look like Kenny again.
Speaker: And if we, if, if the game is not going the way that, that inate that enables us to do that, then it's, it's almost like we, we live or die as ah as a set of performances with him. You know, we we, we don't seem to be able to win with him playing badly. we don't seem to be able to lose without him playing badly. you mean? Like we, it's,
Speaker: It's very rare that Kenny has a really bad game we win or Kenny has a great game we lose. I can't think of one this season where they haven't gone hand in hand. and And it might be, like you say, the space, the way he gets pulled out, maybe he isn't fit enough.
Speaker: Although we're told the data tells us apparently he can do it Saturday, Tuesday, and that's why he keeps starting. But yeah maybe he does need to maybe he does need ah to have a rest on Tuesday so he can go on a Saturday.
Speaker: you know He is in his thirty s Mid-30s. Well, this is it. So I would i would try it with, i mean, look, it's Swansea, right? Team who started better than anyone thought, retained a couple of players no one thought they were going to retain in the window.
Speaker: um It's Swansea-Southampton. That is a tricky couple of fixtures. um obviously it's not ideal is it that but no and it it's very nourish to go and get six points out those two now well we're in women we're in 17th we're in 17th place so we sort of need to get six points out somewhere because you know we we're on nine we're on nine points if you don't get up at least one win out of that you're going to one result out of the allegation zone It's not ideal. It's not ideal.
Speaker: um ah Even if it is then only early October. i don't i To your point earlier, Punt, we did not sign up for this. And that's an element of the booze. It is the disappointment and the kind of deflation of how bad it is compared to expectations.
Speaker: But it's not our fault. We haven't got elevated expectations because we've bought six new players and we're assuming they're all going to be good. It's nearly the same squad and we saw them be good for like the last 10 home games in a row. So we're pretty we're well within our rights to think that that form, even if it was only two thirds as good, that would be playoffs. The other thing is we've lost the ability to draw games.
Speaker: Yeah, we've lost the joint most, scored the second most. Really odd. With barely drawn any games at all, have we? Like, we either won or lost. Yeah, even last season. that's either great It's either great game management, it's either terrible game management, combined with really good fighting spirit to go and get the winner.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah. but But that wasn't there yesterday. yeah Yesterday we just had we didn't have a clue how to how to change it. And mc mcgo you mentioned that when the subs came up, so Magoma...
Speaker: and ah made a great run to help make the the first goal. And then he tried to make a similar run five minutes later and ended up going all the way across the pitch and at no point had anyone to pass to. And you know he's confident enough to try a reverse ball. It's not like he needs it to be absolutely nailed on.
Speaker: And he he had his arms out as he was running, as if to say, boys, there's got to be someone here. Did this last year when you were here, where are you? So he plays really well with Slomani. And yeah I don't know, Jove didn't seem to be able to find any space, which again, I know you're saying he was playing within himself.
Speaker: he's only got It's only a quick movement to make yourself available and find the yard of space. It all just felt stagnant. And i don't know, it's such a shame to be sitting and moaning because the...
Speaker: the the It's just not how we thought it was going to go, Claire. Maybe Ali Ahmed was the linchpin to it all and we just didn't know it.
Speaker: He did his defensive work, didn't he, Ali? Ali was very, very good going the other way. and maybe a woman Because it this is like everything that we're talking about. I know, Tom, I take your point about you know kind of maybe slow and stilted play, and but I genuinely think that was only for the last 20 minutes yesterday.
Speaker: and And I think we have tried to do a lot of things at pace this season, especially in transitional moments. This season, yeah, but not Sunday. But it's about balance. It's about is the the the the current iteration of this season.
Speaker: Clement's side looks unbalanced and and that's what he needs to fix. And if it's Ali that does more tracking back, if it's Brooks that understands his his responsibilities a bit more, which actually I think if we're trying to find positives out of yesterday, think Brooks was really, really good um you know and and was probably ah the one player that I thought stood stood up. Yeah, I thought he was excellent yesterday. I thought he really stood up.
Speaker: Now I thought he was great. Like in terms of, ah but you know, look, we all see different things and, you know, it sometimes it looks different on the telly, but I thought he was our one player that seemed to take responsibility and and wanted to do something and, and harried and set up the, goal you know, the first goal. I thought it was really good.
Speaker: um But it, its yeah So if Brooks is doing his work going backwards, if Masaba suddenly realizes what he needs to do, if, as you say, Tom, you know we put Oscar there and look we know Oscar is is a bit of a workhorse as well, it it feels like it's one of those things or it's it's right as a 10 and then actually he's maybe not going to be as expansive or you know kind of as um press hungry you know and and and that gives us a ah little bit more in terms of our shape.
Speaker: ah I don't ah don't think you have to chuck the baby out with the bathwater. I think there is there are little changes here that can make us much, much better. And and as as I say, the bit that worries me is Clement doesn't seem to be identifying that right now. And why is that?
Speaker: Could we go into the emergency loan market for a goalie?
Speaker: Well, you're free agents at this point, aren't you? like So yeah, let's just get on Google and and see who's available. That's probably how Napa does it.
Speaker: I mean, yeah, it's there is a clear deficiency there in r in our recruitment department in terms of identifying suitable goalkeepers. And when you've got, well, we had a perfectly adequate championship goalkeeper in the building, as I've said many times.
Speaker: when you've got um When you've got both centre-backs volleying abuse at Vlad, it's just such a bad look. And that that you know that was still at 2-2. When you've got them you've got them shouting at each other towards the end of the first half,
Speaker: because of things that Vlad's done and yet somehow he's got it in his head that he's got the right to mouth off. It's his frustration coming out that he's obviously he knows that yet again he's miles off a clean sheet. beat the The way he was beating is near post. Clean sheets are overrated.
Speaker: the The way he was beating is near post. I'll take a couple right now. he is is is a Yeah, near post is weak. And the one the one that went the one that went in the ah sort halfway between him and the corner, why has he not moved for that?
Speaker: ah He was, excited that and that goal was... It just stood there. was right, we were right behind that as it as he as he shot. And the way the the way that the keeper reacted, you would think it just brushed off the post. It was imminently saveable, eminently saveable, eminently? It wasn't imminent, eminently saveable.
Speaker: um I just, i I found so much his behaviour after he sang Honourable City. abhorrent. He did do one good thing. His distribution was awful as well. because His head has gone. His confidence has gone.
Speaker: He rushed out it was a really good sound and cleared one who's really quick. He did. He was very fast onto that. which the And he did make a really good a smart save towards the end as well. He hasn't made many saves at all. Making a save you wouldn't expect.
Speaker: I want to see at least two saves a game that you that you wouldn't expect the the best, you know, the bottom six goalkeepers in the league to save.
Speaker: And i I just don't think we've had i think you could have just finished that sentence, at two saves a game, and it would be an improvement. first that but we We've got a break now, which I think everyone needs. Thank God. Phil needs it. i mean he but But then again, oh God, don't want to keep moaning.
Speaker: In the press conference, Tom, you might need the break. In the press conference, he started to get his defence in early about the fact that, well, you know, because the internationals have not got everyone, so I can't fix it. Half of them are injured now. He's like, don't expect us to be good after the, being you know, i Conor.
Speaker: Not his exact words. Conor's, I'm always interested because Conor is so level-handed. And he's so even-handed, sorry. And he's so level-headed.
Speaker: Don't kiss his arse because he listens to the pod. Look, come on. Hello, Connor. But he but he is quite he is quite a good barometer, I think, in terms of you're right when when he is shook, i think I think I'm probably entitled to be a bit worried here. And just just this sort of the the tone of his reporting after the game was not really sure what to make of just how many goals we've conceded.
Speaker: um And, you know, in three weeks' time, hopefully everything is loads, loads better than it it has just been. But, um yeah, I worried.
Speaker: But maybe I'll feel fine in three weeks' time because actually maybe some of the upper shoulder or proper shoulder or actual shoulder joint and and all those other technical terms we learned today, um acromioclavicular joint ac joint for short that's easier if hang on acromio acromia so you've got your acromion and your clavicle and it's the ligament that holds those two bits together that forms that joint there so the ligament gets sprained and your clavicle springs up if you want really in-depth
Speaker: I do, please. You don't get this on any other podcast. No other podcast can offer this level of service. All in line, but yeah, if it's if the ligament goes, it's out of line and it's wide and get different grades.
Speaker: Yeah, that's my diagnosis. and And she doesn't even have extra vision. Get Claire in the medical room. Imagine if she did. Right. Thank you your time, Claire, and your medical lesson.
Speaker: I acknowledge you exist and that your opinions have some worth, probably, to someone. and Hi, Connor. Everyone else? i don't know if I don't know if that's the nicest or the worst you've been to me in some time. It's all wrapped up in one sentence. We've got a football team to support.
Speaker: And, oh, my goodness me, at least we're not Burnley because they probably had some expectations they wouldn't be quite as bad as they are. There's always someone worse off. And ah yeah, I hope it's not us in a few weeks' time Because it's not going to be. Because Clement's going to turn it all around.
Speaker: Brooks is a great signing. He's a really, really good player. um I think Wright is having a development year. Bear in mind, he's still only 20. um moe's finish was out his birthday today and he's 21 today his acromioclavicle ligament um volvulus is going to be repaired as has been explained by claire bear and um uh it's nearly christmas so there's loads of things to be happy about oh i had it back on side under 100 days is under 100 days now
Speaker: probably you can't throw out facts yeah it must be anyway i think we've run things talk about yeah so we'll be back soon um everyone hi connor everyone else right there go
