BFTG - Swansea

[Zip]

An utterly miserable day. Can’t be bothered to give ratings as I am sick of so many of them. I had enough of Ilori a while ago. He needs to be sold. Richards is not a fullback. He cannot defend.
We may well be cut adrift along with Ipswich over the next few weeks.

[Sutekh]

Thought Gomes sounded very similar to Stam on BBCRB where he basically said the players on the pitch don’t resemble those he sees in training and basically didn’t do what they’ve been coached to do. There’s a few players who will be looking for new clubs.

Personally I wouldn’t give Gomes a penny to spend. Loans only - he’ll be gone by the summer. Won’t fancy League 1 and probably has a get out clause

JG was very clear on the matter that the squad size needs to be reduced. Apparently 3 or 4 will be shipped out in January, however as Reading need to bring some quality players in from somewhere not entirely sure that 3 or 4 going will be enough to give any real change in that area.

[Zip]

Just how bad have Clement’s signings proven to be?
Baldock, Sims and McNulty cannot even make the squad. O’Shea is shot. Ezatolahi has made four appearances and isn’t due back any time soon. Meyler dreadful. Yiadom bang average. Walker poor.

[Hound]

Judging by today’s team, Guessing Meyler, Edwards, Baldock, McNulty, Clement, Smith, Mannone and McShane will be told they can go if there is any interest. Sims is probably already back at Soton

Offer for pretty much everyone elsE would be considered though they’d like to keep Moore and Swift particularly

[Hound]

Just how bad have Clement’s signings proven to be?
Baldock, Sims and McNulty cannot even make the squad. O’Shea is shot. Ezatolahi has made four appearances and isn’t due back any time soon. Meyler dreadful. Yiadom bang average. Walker poor.

Yep shit.

[Sutekh]

McShane is injured (ankle) though conspiracy hunters may suggest it’s a “political” injury

[leon]

Just how bad have Clement’s signings proven to be?
Baldock, Sims and McNulty cannot even make the squad. O’Shea is shot. Ezatolahi has made four appearances and isn’t due back any time soon. Meyler dreadful. Yiadom bang average. Walker poor.

No apparently according to some on here he identified our issues and did something about it.

Never should have got the job. He simply didn’t have the experience to get us out of the shit or the new ideas that would change the teams approach.

My only hope is Gomes is a radical thinker and will bring something that will shake the team up out of its utter lethargy.

[Cripple Creek]

Got to say I thought Gomes's comments were spot on and sounded fairly intelligent. Still think we'll go down though.

[Zip]

Got to say I thought Gomes's comments were spot on and sounded fairly intelligent. Still think we'll go down though.

We look doomed. The players have no footballing intelligence. To see Jaakkola early on play a short ball out to Rinomhota when he was already marked was idiotic. Rinomhota had no choice to play the ball back to him under pressure. His pass was on the firm side and Jaakkola struggled to control it and only just managed to clear it. Braindead football. Just clear it long towards Meite who might at least win a header.

Then there is Ilori. He really is nowhere near as good as he thinks he is. As usual he oxf*rd up although fair play he did so incredibly early on by being completely out of position allowing McBurnie his chance to bury the header. He is dreadful.

Then we have our painful style of play where every week we take forever to move the ball into the final third whilst our opponents do so much more quickly. It’s all so laboured.

Then we have the short corners. Which are pointless. Then Barrow’s comical corner. It summed up the incompetence of this bunch of overpaid wasters.

[Hound]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews. He plays a certain style which has brought him success as a pro footballer. He is no Robert Huth and never will be

Anyway, first of all, he was poor today. No denying that. But how did he end up spending the game marking McBurnie as well as playing the playmaker from the back. O Shea just seemed a total spare part

Thought Ilori did play some nice quick balls to the front and midfield men. Far more positive than Yiadom or O Shea were.

Maybe he is worth a go in DCM until Eza is fit (if he ever gets fit for us). Him and O Shea playing as they did today is never going to work well

[Lower West]

Well that performance should dispel any remaining myths that earlier season games were down to Clement and that Gomes is the new Messiah. I had this performance down for QPR on Saturday. Given the team line up.

Clement had clearly identified the issues, i.e. Aluko not even making the match day squad. Now 6 games on we are no further forward. Two points out of a possible 18. Who is going to want to even come in the transfer window? At least Clement was ready to start the process. Irrespective of the final outcome.

Blame must be directed at the owners. Obviously have no clue and are being influenced from elsewhere. The Chinese culture is one where losing face is taken seriously. Hopefully now they'll wake up to the reality of what running an English football club is actually about.

Gomes personally now has nothing to lose. Hopefully he's more of a man manager than Clement (who without doubt is a good coach). Time to kick the egos into touch and reduce the squad size. Good post match interview on BBC Berks. Doesn't like the Dutch possession style of football (passing for passing stake). Seemed genuinely cross by the first half performances of some. Let's hope he's allowed to see the "project" through for a period of time. Revolving door of managers is simply contributing to the downward spiral.

[tmesis]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews.

It's not really about being big-headed as such. It's more that he strolls around the pitch, in his mind's eye a majestic figure, calmly pulling the strings and going about the game at total ease - all while being blindly unaware of the chaos his play is causing.

His style probably looks fantastic in low-intensity U23 games, but he just doesn't react to being put under pressure. He still plays like he's got all the time in the world.

[URZZZZ]

Few more points from the game:

1. The goalkeeping department is a disgrace, three very average goalkeepers at best, fault there has to lie with Clement and although it'll be very hard, two should be sold this window

2. Tiago Ilori and Mo Barrow are an absolute disgrace and should be sold immediately, Ilori prances around like Sergio Ramos when he's the worst defender to play regularly for us in a long long time

3. Yakou Meite's "jog" when subbed was pathetic, saying that it was probably the quickest he moved all game, for his size and physicality, he's extremely slow and not very strong at all, I don't think he'll ever cut the mustard, without being spectacular, Bodvarsson looked sharper in his 30 minutes

4. Players seem to be vulnerable from crosses into the box, two against Sheffield, one against Rotherham, one against Boro, two more today, the crossbar hits against QPR, surely it isn't difficult to pick up a man and track them? Yiadom and Ilori are the main culprits for this

5. We move the ball painfully slowly, Swansea were able to move the ball around with one touch picking us off at ease. It seems to take our players about four touches to control it properly and another four to move it on, by that time the space in front has closed off and we revert back to the CB's

6. Say what you like but we seemed to miss Bacuna and Blackett, they're a lot more composed on the ball than most the 11 out there and have a chance of passing to the team in blue and white. Richards will be a good player in the future but certainly not now in the relegation dogfight we're in

7. Why do our fans clap the players off the pitch when they're subbed or at the end of the game? I don't understand, they haven't done their job, they're effectively stealing a wage. Don't give the "he tried" argument, you could stick 11 athlete runners on the pitch and they would happily run around for 90 minutes. I don't agree with singling out people and booing them, but they were an utter disgrace today, McCleary and Meite being two of the biggest culprits, so I don't understand what we are clapping them for

[URZZZZ]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews. He plays a certain style which has brought him success as a pro footballer. He is no Robert Huth and never will be

Anyway, first of all, he was poor today. No denying that. But how did he end up spending the game marking McBurnie as well as playing the playmaker from the back. O Shea just seemed a total spare part

Thought Ilori did play some nice quick balls to the front and midfield men. Far more positive than Yiadom or O Shea were.

Maybe he is worth a go in DCM until Eza is fit (if he ever gets fit for us). Him and O Shea playing as they did today is never going to work well

He didn't get close to McBurnie all game, that should be the primary job of a defender. But I agree with the DCM part, I suggested that a few weeks ago if Meyler is never going to get the call, he could do a job there. Only trouble is who would you drop for him, Rino, Swift and Aluko have done enough for me to start the next game

[Lower West]

Don't give the "he tried" argument, you could stick 11 athlete runners on the pitch and they would happily run around for 90 minutes. I don't agree with singling out people and booing them, but they were an utter disgrace today, McCleary and Meite being two of the biggest culprits, so I don't understand what we are clapping them for

Watch Aluko and Barrow closely. When they lose the ball , miss a tackle or an attack breaks down. They start to walk. No effort to even get behind the ball. Hardly surprising the opposition always seem to find space to play in when in comparison we struggle.

[Hound]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews. He plays a certain style which has brought him success as a pro footballer. He is no Robert Huth and never will be

Anyway, first of all, he was poor today. No denying that. But how did he end up spending the game marking McBurnie as well as playing the playmaker from the back. O Shea just seemed a total spare part

Thought Ilori did play some nice quick balls to the front and midfield men. Far more positive than Yiadom or O Shea were.

Maybe he is worth a go in DCM until Eza is fit (if he ever gets fit for us). Him and O Shea playing as they did today is never going to work well

He didn't get close to McBurnie all game, that should be the primary job of a defender. But I agree with the DCM part, I suggested that a few weeks ago if Meyler is never going to get the call, he could do a job there. Only trouble is who would you drop for him, Rino, Swift and Aluko have done enough for me to start the next game

Rino starts no question. Would drop Aluko for him and play Swift at 10. They did ok today but can’t really play both of them in a midfield 3

[Zip]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews.

It's not really about being big-headed as such. It's more that he strolls around the pitch, in his mind's eye a majestic figure, calmly pulling the strings and going about the game at total ease - all while being blindly unaware of the chaos his play is causing.

His style probably looks fantastic in low-intensity U23 games, but he just doesn't react to being put under pressure. He still plays like he's got all the time in the world.

Yep. I used to rate him but he makes serious mistakes in every game. I do not understand how he can still be starting.

[tmesis]

I’m confused with Ilori’s role in the game. Firstly, don’t buy all the ‘not as good as he thinks he is’ stuff, he always seems relatively humble whenever I’ve heard or read interviews.

It's not really about being big-headed as such. It's more that he strolls around the pitch, in his mind's eye a majestic figure, calmly pulling the strings and going about the game at total ease - all while being blindly unaware of the chaos his play is causing.

His style probably looks fantastic in low-intensity U23 games, but he just doesn't react to being put under pressure. He still plays like he's got all the time in the world.

Yep. I used to rate him but he makes serious mistakes in every game. I do not understand how he can still be starting.

At the moment I think it's a case of being fit enough to play 90 minutes.

[sandman]

2. Tiago Ilori and Mo Barrow are an absolute disgrace and should be sold immediately, Ilori prances around like Sergio Ramos when he's the worst defender to play regularly for us in a long long time.

I wish he would play with the same determination as someone like Sergio. In fact all of our defenders could do with playing with more desire and determination.

[Old Man Andrews]

Must say in both today's and the away fixture I have been hugely impressed with Swansea's McBurnie. Best striker I've seen this season by some distance.