As I sat there on Saturday watching the dreadful game against Derby, I confess for a moment that I thought it might be better to lose again.

My thinking went along the lines of; If we win this and maybe the next one against Reading then maybe everyone will think Roy actually knows what he's doing. And you know what, I don't think he does.

If Roy had a game plan for the formation and players and I could see evidence of it on the pitch then I'd go with it all the way, because at least I could see he was trying to build something with a purpose. And maybe the lack of results were due to refinement of his plan and lack of execution on the players' behalf.

All we are witnessing every week is a random selection of players (and captains) in random formations. It was often said on this website and on the Naked Podcast that Jim didn't know his best 11 - I'm not sure Roy knows his best 22.

Finally, I've always been a Garvan fan, but like Roy (and Jim) lost some patience with his apparent laziness and lack of focus. But it says something when the Ireland U21 captain can't even get on the bench and our creative juices in midfield are being satisfied by Alan Quinn.

I want us to do well, really badly, but need a sign, any sign. Winning badly without a plan isn't it.

Will Reading be another team and formation... and captain?

superblueflude added 12:18 - Nov 6 MWP - Rediculous Blog, the sign is already there - 4 games unbeaten!. our defence is 100% times better that it was and our midfield are beginning to create - do you not think possibly the players were nervous at home toderby - fans desperate for a win - i certainly do. you obviously dont look at things in detail, you can see the changes Keanes making, and also so what Garvan plays for the under 21's - to be fair that doesnt mean he's actually good does it! if he was he'd be playing and i've seen him play recently and my god has he been bad, anyway my rant other - ridiculous blog

0

naa added 12:38 - Nov 6 Amusing to see you upset for once Superblueflude. I still refuse to accept your take on Garvan. Basically you are saying if Garvan was any good he'd be in the team. That means you completely trust Roy's judgement on everything. That's a dangerous area in my opinion. Whatever you feel about Garvan (and if you've seen him in the reserves, then fair play) you can't deny that we're bottom of the table. Rather than point to the improvements (which are only improvements on how truly awful we've been under Roy for most of the season so far) others look to the current predicament and try to work out what's wrong - as something clearly is very wrong. To point to three draws and a win against very poor opposition as proof that we are great seems very short-sighted to me. Anyway, I do have to accept that things do gradually seem to be improving. I personally think Roy should definitely have until January to see if the current upturn continues, or is just a blip. After that I suspect even the patient Marcus Evans would have to consider his options.

0

Supersam1001 added 12:41 - Nov 6 I see your point. You'll get slated for not being a real supporter but being a real fan isn't about blind ignorance. People keep banging on about so many games unbeaten but think about it in terms of points. We could draw ten games straight. We'd be ten games unbeaten and have ten points. Another team could play ten games, win four and lose six. They would have this magical unbeaten run but they'd have more points and would be above us in the league!

0

naa added 12:41 - Nov 6 Oh, and super, you also refuse to accept MWP's point about changing formation and line-ups. He's entirely correct on that one and I can't understand why you wont' acknowledge it. Too much chopping and changing is never a good thing. After the Watford performance we should have been looking at a fairly solid 11 - with one or at most two tweaks, but instead against Derby we have 5 changes! Crazy. And everyone knew that Walters and Stead wouldn't work up front. But Roy didn't seem to. Still trust his every decision?

0

superblueflude added 12:42 - Nov 6 fair play Naa and i know you've waited for me to blow at some point lol and i have seen Garvan and seriously he really really isn't playing well at all - i've always beena fan of his but I certainly wouldnt put him anywhere near the first team. And i do look at the current predicament, but a day before we play Reading and we get some stupid comment about how it would have been better to lose against Derby!. maybe now the players can relax more and play with flair instead of fear of loosing - ever thought of that?. Yes we're bottom, but soon we wont be and flying up the table.

0

superblueflude added 12:47 - Nov 6 I do understand the team changing, is it Keane fault that Trotter was very impressive against watford but crap against Derby? so now he has to decide what trotter will turn up tommorow same with Stead, plays superbly in reserves. comes on against plymouth and scores, surely he deserves a starting place? which he did and played crap - again not keanes fault, so has to decide to play him tommorow ?! tell me Naa what players would u play week in week out. and remember injuries etc.

0

naa added 12:53 - Nov 6 super: agree about MWP syaing he almost hoped we'd lose. I get his point, but agree that that isn't the way anyone should be thinking. Also I still fail to get your optimism that we'll be flying up the table soon. If we get a few wins under our belts I might be more hopeful of that, but at the moment one win against a poor team doesn't mean we're gonna fly up the table. About team selection: well Trotter shouldn't ever play frankly. I still don't think he was that good against Watford. There's nothing wrong with him, as such, he just doesn't do anywhere near enough. Adds very little to the team. So to see him perform poorly against Derby was no surprise to me, and shouldn't have been for Roy. As for Stead, OK he deserved a chance, but I'd have given him some more sub appearances. Plus I would not have played him up front with Walters, however much you think he deserved his chance in the team. I'm not willing to put my 11 out - I've already done that kind of thing before. But I would like to see Walters in midfield, Pable and Priskin up front (at least for a few games to see if they can work together, as it looked like it would against Derby) and Io wouldn't play Trotter. The rest kind of hangs from there really.

0

superblueflude added 12:57 - Nov 6 i agre with that i'd love to see Pablo and priskin up top walters right edwards left - id have leadbitter in middle with quinn behind - unless garvan pulls his finger out
0

harby1 added 12:58 - Nov 6 We are showing signs of improvement, if we keep improving we might make it back up to the level we were already at last season!!! Its alright there being an improvement but did we really need to change things to such a degree that we have had to endure the performances we have so far this season?? If Edwards and Leadbitter had been added to last years team surely we would have been in the playoff places or at least closer?? The Garvan debate is one of preferences....i stance is yes he can seem slow and casual and if Norris or maybe Quinn was a head of him i could understand it a bit but to say that Trotter is better in that position i'm sorry i just cant see it??

0

VILJOEN67 added 13:09 - Nov 6 It was very messy against a very weakened Derby side, but most ofthe teams we have played have been quite ordinary, just able to find goals which we are sadly lacking. For me the the problem areas we had last season are yet to be addressed a) a striker with a decent scoring ratio b) a left footed left midfielder c) a commanding centre back. Roy has maintained his record of a mixed success with signings as at sunderland, the good ones have added something but need time to gel, its way too early to be talking about ''keane out'' I think once Connor Wickham gets off the mark and gain some composure he will solve part of the problem, we are one quality goalscoring signing away from a swift move up the table

0

patrickswell added 13:14 - Nov 6 "After the Watford performance we should have been looking at a fairly solid 11 - with one or at most two tweaks, but instead against Derby we have 5 changes!" Yes how dare Keane replace his two centre backs from the week before, anyone would think that McAuley and Smith were carrying injuries or something. Oi Stead! Yes you! Think that coming off the bench and scoring against Plymouth is enough to guarantee a starting plae in the next game do you??? What planet are you on, Jon Boy! I also direct people towards the comments of the venerable Phil Ham re: bringing Trotter in for Colback, "I thought we actually lacked a bit of defensive strength without Trotter at Plymouth. Yes we were poor for the first two months, but we are picking ourselves up gradually from the slough of poor form and low confidence. I'm just looking forward to seeing how a Town side responds to having won a game.

0

UEFA81 added 13:17 - Nov 6 Sadly, that blog is true, very true. Fly up the table? Hahahaha!
0

tort63 added 13:21 - Nov 6 I have never booed MY team and I have certainly never hoped that MY team would lose. I simply cannot understand the mentality. Where is the "News" in this article?
0

FormerlyCGS added 13:21 - Nov 6 I think its an excellent blog and knew as I was reading it people would slate it! Superflude it aint a ridiculous blog just a blog with a different opinion to yours! I dont think Keane is the man to get us out this position, a position he got us into single handedly! Now he sayys two signings are not going to happen. Were bang in trouble and there only seem to be a few on here that realise it!

0

naa added 13:25 - Nov 6 Hmm, OK fair play regarding centre-backs but I've already made my view of Stead quite clear. Scoring off the bench should not guarantee you a start, especially if it means putting out a formation that pretty much anyone could see would not work. Walters and Stead up front was never likely to work. And so it proved. And since when was Phil Ham a footballing critic God? Should we make him our manager? Regardless, Trotter is not good enough. Sorry, but he isn't. He isn't the best tackler, has no vision and doesn't use his size to his advantage at all. He may come good, but now is not the time to be giving games to someone who plays in such a crucial position to see if he's going to be good enough. Although that does lead me onto the point that why was Trotter dropped against Plymouth if he'd been so wonderful against Watford as super claims? Another example of an uncessary change? But hey, I agree we've been improving and would also like to see how we continue after getting the win out of the way, but that doesn't mean I think everything is rosy and that everything Roy does is right. And here seems to be the place that was created with the sole purpose of fan debate and opinion.

0

mwp added 13:25 - Nov 6 Interesting responses .... If you'd all like some statos then here we go from my spreadsheet this morning; Keane has picked one unchanged side all season - Barnsley after Sheffield 3-3. Fair call Keane has changed his back five 12 times out of 15 midfield 10 times out of 15 strikers 14 times out of 15 Make of that what you will.
0

mwp added 13:31 - Nov 6 SORRY .... ERROR in formula Keane has changed his back five 11 times out of 15 midfield 13 times out of 15 strikers 10 times out of 15
0

Bluefox added 13:31 - Nov 6 We are definitely defensively more sound with Trotter anchoring the midfield - very solid at stopping Watford attacking us through the middle and keeping possession, and we dominated as a result. The problem against Derby was that they were content to spend a lot of time passing the ball around in their own half before moving it wide - which meant the game largely bypassed Trotter and we were more effective with Quinn to provide extra attacking threat. I'd like to have seen Garvan being given more of a run in the side, but with a manager who sees workrate as a key part of his gameplan, it is hard to see him coming back. The real worry at the moment is the inability to field an effective attacking pair. Walter's workrate is impressive, but he has missed a number of chances that have been as easy as he is going to get. Priskin might be the answer, but Keane has created a problem for himself by buying a player who clearly doesn't share his workrate ethic.

0

TractorRoyNo1 added 13:34 - Nov 6 I hope the author enjoyed his visit to Portman Road and will enjoy the rest of the season at his real home of Carrow Road.
0

superblueflude added 13:35 - Nov 6 Ok MWP Mcauley has been injured, So has Smith, Bruce go suspended, Trotters had good games and very bad ones so sometimes picked and then subbed when playing dreadful then Quiin playes well coming on then starts the next game to which he plays bad So for me its not the fact Keanes changing the team often its the fact that the players play well coming off the bench or playing well in reserves to gain that starting place then once they start they play absoloutely crap - which brings them off which then sets up another new lot of sub players playing well, starting the next game and playing crap etc etc etc etc

0

naa added 13:40 - Nov 6 super: you may be right (though I don't think Keane has always changed players because of things as obvious as that) but it's also a generally accepted fact that teams need to gel, and you can't expect players and formations etc to work first time. Sometimes you just have to stick with something for a while and not change it everytime it doesn't work. Plus, if you change too many factors at the same time you can never be sure which element was wrong. If you change the main supply line from midfield and also the strikers, how can you be sure which needs to change next time? Was it the midfield or strikers that didn't work? And was it a combination of both? See what I mean. By changing so much so often (and most definitely not always because of injury) he has made his job harder. After all, we played well against Coventry on opening day. Yet I vaguely recall he made several changes in the next game. There was definitely no need for that.

0

Bluefox added 13:40 - Nov 6 ... and presumably Trotter was 'dropped' against Plymouth as Keane thought we were good enough to attack them rather than concentrating on keeping things tight. Comments that Trotter can't tackle are plain ridiculous. Did you watch the Watford game?
0

naa added 13:43 - Nov 6 I can't be bothered to look up stats but I just don't agree that Trotter is a good tackler. Sorry. And yes I did watch the Watford game - in which Watford were happy to keep possession in midfield for ages (they had 68% of the possession in that game) without us getting the ball off them.
0

superblueflude added 13:43 - Nov 6 Trotter for me is fantastic as a DM, maybe not an attaching Midfielder - which is why he's never pushed to far forward, if iremember the great matty holland never really pushed to far up the pitch, he tackled passed the ball off and stayed back, just like a DM should do.
0

superblueflude added 13:45 - Nov 6 In all i dont think keeping one team is as easy as people say it is, because if it was then surely Keane would have done. there has to be behind the scenes reasons. And Naa - i'd like to point you in the direction of google to find the first season of Alex Ferguson at Man Utd - he changed the team no less than everygame!!!!!!!! NOW LOOK.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers