• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Thomas Frank - Head Coach

Bullet said:
THIS! It frustrates me that many posters still wang on about the first XI.
In every game we need to refresh the engine room and keep fresh players on the pitch; it is vital to me that Frank generally makes changes on 65 rather than 85 minutes.
Tired players make poor decisions and cannot maintain the intensity; in fact if they CAN maintain their intensity for 100 mins they aren't trying hard enough.
That 65mins:35mins integrates the squad far better than 85mins:15mins.

And the proper 35 minutes rest massively impacts the following game too, as players don't get burnt out.
Click to expand...
It’s what slot did so well at pool last year
Really stood out for me in the LC game against us.
Despite the fact they hadn’t really got a foothold and were also missing a CB he still made Loads of refresh changes around 60 mins to keep the players “fresher”
 
Bedfordspurs said:
It’s what slot did so well at pool last year
Really stood out for me in the LC game against us.
Despite the fact they hadn’t really got a foothold and were also missing a CB he still made Loads of refresh changes around 60 mins to keep the players “fresher”
Click to expand...

I never really saw us having to change personnel to maintain the same tactics though because of all those game situations we found ourselves in. The end of the EL campaign may have been the exception actually.

Be nice to see a few games that are 0-0 at 60 and the our superior depth come off the bench and wear the other team down for a win. With 70% of the teams in the PL, that is what we should be doing if we're not already leading.

For reasons done to death, it just didn't work out that way for us last season.
 
ricky2tricky4city said:
Ange was an A+ as a motivator, communicator
Click to expand...

I really struggle to reconcile this analysis (which seems to be taken pretty much as fact in the media) with 18 months of dreadful, lacklustre performances, often containing a goal conceded minutes after emerging from the changing room after our pre-match team talk.

The constant staring at the floor and getting snippy with journalists doesn’t help me accept it as true either.
 
Mikey10 said:
I really struggle to reconcile this analysis (which seems to be taken pretty much as fact in the media) with 18 months of dreadful, lacklustre performances, often containing a goal conceded minutes after emerging from the changing room after our pre-match team talk.

The constant staring at the floor and getting snippy with journalists doesn’t help me accept it as true either.
Click to expand...
Yeah the "great motivator" doesnt tally with over 20 defeats in a season and the "i dont like to be too close to the players" stance he himself says he takes. And he is often awful communicator when he is feeling under pressure, which if we are brutally honest, is the real test as to whether you really are a good communicator or not, just as drivinga real-wheel drive performance car on a track day in the wet is a real test as to whether you're actually a good driver or not. The tyre wall said NOPE!
 
Muttley said:
I never really saw us having to change personnel to maintain the same tactics though because of all those game situations we found ourselves in. The end of the EL campaign may have been the exception actually.

Be nice to see a few games that are 0-0 at 60 and the our superior depth come off the bench and wear the other team down for a win. With 70% of the teams in the PL, that is what we should be doing if we're not already leading.

For reasons done to death, it just didn't work out that way for us last season.
Click to expand...

- We could have rotated Spence in (or as starter) for one of Udogie/Porro every game
- We could have rotated between Biss/Bentancur/Sarr/Bergvall for the two sitters
- Tel/Wilson/Son are easy rotations
- Maddison/Deki
- Either via Richi or moving Son/Tel to center could have allowed us to ease the load on Solanke

None of that is leveraging Gray/Moore/Davies/Danso/Dragusin who could provide

Big reasons we didn't?
- Injury mess (chicken or egg)
- Too often we were chasing/behind in game (broader issue of in game management)
- Manager issues, Spence took too long, Moore was underutilized, Lankshear made one mistake and was banished (no, not interested in arguing each individually, overarching point).

We have a full squad (when fit) that should be able to be leveraged in more games against lesser opponents
 
Raziel said:
- We could have rotated Spence in (or as starter) for one of Udogie/Porro every game
- We could have rotated between Biss/Bentancur/Sarr/Bergvall for the two sitters
- Tel/Wilson/Son are easy rotations
- Maddison/Deki
- Either via Richi or moving Son/Tel to center could have allowed us to ease the load on Solanke

None of that is leveraging Gray/Moore/Davies/Danso/Dragusin who could provide

Big reasons we didn't?
- Injury mess (chicken or egg)
- Too often we were chasing/behind in game (broader issue of in game management)
- Manager issues, Spence took too long, Moore was underutilized, Lankshear made one mistake and was banished (no, not interested in arguing each individually, overarching point).

We have a full squad (when fit) that should be able to be leveraged in more games against lesser opponents
Click to expand...
I get the logic but
Sonic came in and played well, signed his new contract… injured next day (and yes he could have played more before);
Bentacur was injured and suspended for a decent chunk of the first half of the season and only really looked match fit again in the final third
Bergvall looked poor first half of the season, like a kid adapting. Second half he won out POTY
Wilson was injured after 3 games and tel didn’t come till late Jan
The issue was that we let go of tonnes of experienced and gambled on depth that failed because so many got injured
 
Mikey10 said:
I really struggle to reconcile this analysis (which seems to be taken pretty much as fact in the media) with 18 months of dreadful, lacklustre performances, often containing a goal conceded minutes after emerging from the changing room after our pre-match team talk.

The constant staring at the floor and getting snippy with journalists doesn’t help me accept it as true either.
Click to expand...

I've said my piece many times on this. Ange did let himself and our club down in front of the media. I could have actually sucked that up if he had delivered tactically and earned the right to have a bit of Fergie or Clough about him. Facing the media isn't easy. I can almost laugh about it now but Ange absolutely chatted nonsense and the longer it went on, the worse it seemed to get. I certainly don't think other club's fans took him that seriously.

I do think there is a difference between a winning mentality and a win together / lose together mentality. What Ange built in the latter was belief from the players. I think they genuinely felt that the losing streaks were just phases and if they kept following his advice then we would get back to winning ways. They absolutely believed in his way and to be fair he eventually gave them the right instruction for the tactics that could win us a trophy. However, I don't think the club felt there was a strong enough case in his football management to continue in role and find that winning mentality. Winning is a habit and it is most likely we wouldn't have found it under Ange. None of us will ever really know.

I would also say that the last thing you ever want in football is to let a bunch of 20 somethings pick managers. Even if they were behind him, they haven't got the worldly or football experience to make such decisions. It's quite nice that they supported him though.
 
Bedfordspurs said:
I get the logic but
Sonic came in and played well, signed his new contract… injured next day (and yes he could have played more before);
Bentacur was injured and suspended for a decent chunk of the first half of the season and only really looked match fit again in the final third
Bergvall looked poor first half of the season, like a kid adapting. Second half he won out POTY
Wilson was injured after 3 games and tel didn’t come till late Jan
The issue was that we let go of tonnes of experienced and gambled on depth that failed because so many got injured
Click to expand...

No level of depth would have covered for 14 injuries

I agree, in general we made some gambles on youth and a couple of areas being thin
 
Raziel said:
No level of depth would have covered for 14 injuries

I agree, in general we made some gambles on youth and a couple of areas being thin
Click to expand...
we made a few gambles on youth and needed to rotate them in for their development - hence keeping the first team fit was always a priority and we had to rotate, especially with hard evidence of injuries from ange's first season.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back