thfcsteff
Garth Crooks
And there I was thinking you'd leave it as a difference of opinion! No such luck 
A lot to respond to...I will bold-face within...
A lot to respond to...I will bold-face within...
You are entitled to your opinion - but I dont agree with any of those points. We have been completely useless down the right hand side all season. Walker and Lennon have no partnership or understanding between them at all. Lennon has been nullified as an attacking threat. Many of the opponents major threats come down that flank too.
The pair of them have not linked like they used to, and have both suffered more than most from the loss of Modric as a connection point. I disagree re: Lennon as an attacking threat BTW. I agree that the channel between Walker and his CB on any given matchday has been a constant seam of trouble, but we appear to have got far tighter with this in recent matches.
Bale has been top class for at least two seasons. He is no different this time.
And the sun still shines brightly. I agree he has been top class for two seasons, but I would say he is becoming even better.
His productivity is imv worse than last season. I would like to see a like for like comparison.
So far he has scored more than last season but assisted less. His productivity appears to be different. I will offer the mitigating circumstance that Ekotto is a very very important part of his ability to do what he does in terms of assists, as Benny himself offers an overlapping threat and as such, requires attention too. Again, our entire model of play has shifted from that quick incisive out-ball from, say, Modders, to a more possession-based situation. Again, interested to see how much 'quicker' our play gets when we have Ekotto back. I cannot make you see what I see in Bale, but he is becoming a smarter more measured player who can also now play with his right foot, something he most certainly wasn't as comfortable with until this season.
I dont see the improvement in Dawson you do.
I see is a CB who absolutely does not long-ball it nearly as much as he used to. He looks to keep the ball and make every ball count. That is 100% undeniable. I call that 'improvement' in the football sense.
I think you are seeing things that frankly arent there. Our home performances this season have been dire in the most part. We dont attack teams but play patter cake patter cake football for most of the first half. We start slowly and never really get going. Playing two defensive cms was largely responsible for our dismal showing earlier in the season.
First of all, given the absolutely RAMPANT criticism the bloke has had from day 1, I would agree that his first priority was to make sure we didn't give way much at all, and we have certainly set up like that. It's easy to want swashbuckling rampaging football, but you know the players we haven't had for much of the season, you know it's his first 6 months in charge, you know the level of criticism he has received from the get-go and you know that he has had to find a whole new way of making the team move forward and play. Undeniable facts. I would agree that recently, especially at home, his caution could've been relaxed a bit, but we are making chances we're just not putting them away (sound familiar?)...as for two defensive CMs early season, what would you have had him do given what he has available?
Name me one aspect tactically that you think we have improved. Corners? Should be easy for a top coach to get a couple of ideas across - no? Free-kicks - it seems to me there is a discussion every time about who is going to take it - surely this should be sorted out before.
Corners have improved. At least we score from the odd one or two now. Free-kicks remain off-target. Are you seriously going to blame AVB for the on-pitch 'discussion' that every club in the Prem have before a free-kick of potential danger? Please.
Too many players are playing well under their potential.
Not really, they've been adapting to a higher line and a new system.
Who do you blame that on? Who is responsible for the shape of the team and getting players to run off the ball? The coaching staff.
And what are you not seeing? You may not LIKE what he is doing, but don't for one moment pretend he doesn't have a 'shape' for his sides and that players don't run off the ball for each other, that's just total nonsense.
Why are we going negative after going a goal up?
It's been getting a lot better on this front IMO, but yes, early doors this season there was a certain amount of fear. Take into account that particularly against West Brom, we battered them first-half and should've been 3 up at HT, so when we finally did get a lead, I think a certain fear did creep in. But it's got better IMO.
Why do we concede possession and eventually goals in the last 10 minutes?
Acknowledge, please, that we have seen a pretty big improvement in this problem.
Why do we never turn round games in that period ourselves? Is it fitness, is it tactics, is it direction - whatever it is - surely it is down to the coaching staff and therefore AVB.
Yes it is. And unlike you, I see a lot of things happening, changing and progressing. Maybe I am simply more patient than you are.
I am desperately trying to give him time, but I am really not enjoying the way we play at home at the moment.
If you are really, 'desperately' trying to 'give him time' then honestly, I'd suggest taking a step back, gauging the whole picture context of what he's dealt with, see where the improvements have been made and move forward from there. One of the most interesting things of late, was reading the Guardian's match report of the Stoke home match this season and immediately reading the report from the Stoke home match last season...what's most interesting to me not just from you, but some other people, is the ANGER towards anyone who wants to give AVB any time. It's really something. You all seem very bitter and upset. I don't really get it...
