| Morsy shaped hole 23:22 - Aug 8 with 1104 views | jasondozzell |
Probably naive to think we could replace such a pivotal player and start the season as if nothing had changed. Matusiwa will come good, you could see there's a real player there, but will take time. We missed Morsy at the base imo. Despite knowing it was coming we really did go into rabbits in headlights mode a bit and needed Morsy's calm and know how. We couldn't get any bite or control in there.
Taylor. I love Tayls and he did some good work but another game where he hasn't grabbed it and made it his.
All in all, a very good point and pretty decent considering that we're still trying to build the team and get everyone up to speed.
Thought we were almost too focused on quick ball and trying to counter. The first half especially needed us to look after the ball a bit more and find rhythm.
Ali made a difference when he came on I thought. Something different.
Did anyone see how/if Broady celebrated the pen? I am just glad that potentially his last game wasn't defeat here. Still hope he stays.
Supporters need to be patient. Felt the whole game had the feel of everything being a bit awkward and that extended to fans. This is a tough league and we need to remember the years of slog. It's not going to be a the procession that some expect. Really hate fans getting on players backs immediately. Clarke, Johnson etc.
And a word for Brum. They will be top 6. Aggressive press, worked hard and difficult to play against. |  | | |  |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:35 - Aug 8 with 1007 views | mrfixit426 |
Agree: Morsy was a big miss tonight.
Disagree: Johnson was poor. I can't see him improving either. Doesn't seem to be switched on/have a football brain/concentrate for 90 minutes.
Definitely promise in Matusiwa. Will grow into the season. |  | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:40 - Aug 8 with 955 views | jasondozzell |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:35 - Aug 8 by mrfixit426 |
Agree: Morsy was a big miss tonight.
Disagree: Johnson was poor. I can't see him improving either. Doesn't seem to be switched on/have a football brain/concentrate for 90 minutes.
Definitely promise in Matusiwa. Will grow into the season. |
Yeah, Johnson didn't cover himself in glory but I feel for him in that it's been very stop and start since he came here for him.
He's inconsistent. I agree about the concentration issue too. He can be excellent though. Young to start against Saints? | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:42 - Aug 8 with 916 views | southnorfolkblue |
Not sure on Brum tbh. Played well tonight but actually created very little. Let’s see how they do once the real grind of the season starts to kick in |  |
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| Morsy shaped hole on 00:53 - Aug 9 with 797 views | bournemouthblue |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:42 - Aug 8 by southnorfolkblue |
Not sure on Brum tbh. Played well tonight but actually created very little. Let’s see how they do once the real grind of the season starts to kick in |
obviously they have one or two to come through the door as well but they're clearly quite pragmatic, no overlapping full backs or anything too expansive, they clearly work hard off the ball and roughed us up a little, as they were always likely to do
Their midfield two look reasonably tidy
I wasn't overly impressed with them as a whole, Kyogo is going to be useful though, looks like the kind of striker McKenna has never really gone for but one who runs the channels with good movement and makes a nuisance of themselves would give us something different |  |
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| Morsy shaped hole on 06:54 - Aug 9 with 595 views | DeliasMashedPotato |
Azor had some moments of brilliance but got caught short on many balls into his feet. Morsy just seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and have the awareness of the position of opposition players and know exactly which way to turn or touch the ball to take it out of reach. He will need time to adjust to the high intensity of the championship. I think his technique and ability is much better than Morsy's and his ceiling will be much higher but just needs that footballing IQ that the egyptian king had. Let's hope a bit more experience of the championship and time training under Mckenna will see him improve over the season. | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 08:56 - Aug 9 with 425 views | strikalite |
| Morsy shaped hole on 06:54 - Aug 9 by DeliasMashedPotato |
Azor had some moments of brilliance but got caught short on many balls into his feet. Morsy just seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and have the awareness of the position of opposition players and know exactly which way to turn or touch the ball to take it out of reach. He will need time to adjust to the high intensity of the championship. I think his technique and ability is much better than Morsy's and his ceiling will be much higher but just needs that footballing IQ that the egyptian king had. Let's hope a bit more experience of the championship and time training under Mckenna will see him improve over the season. |
He hasn't got the first touch of Morsy that's for sure, he would have just got hold of the ball and calmed us down last night, I expect that game was a big eye opener for him though, I doubt he's played against a side that pressed and bullied like that before, it felt very much like Leeds away at times when we were in the Champ, similar atmosphere too.. |  | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 09:39 - Aug 9 with 335 views | darkhorse28 |
His leadership, organisation, and defensive qualities are well documented, but I think what a lot of people miss, is he started ALL our play.
He loves taking the ball, often under pressure, and starting our play…., every single play out was through Sam, and he did it very well.
We need to be honest. The elephant in the room isn’t that he’s gone, he’s 34 in a couple of weeks.
It’s how have we spent so much money, have such a big squad, and we don’t really have a CDM other than the new Dutch signing, who I think will develop and has quality.
Even Jens wants to be further up, Jack is an 8 and so is Humphreys.
For two such crucial positions, in a McKenna system, it’s almost as if relegation wasn’t even a consideration in our planning.
Would love us to get Humphreys in the team.., but can’t see it in this system.
Crying out for Flynn Downes or Hackney .., Jens will help on the ball, but this is a physical league and he’ll have less time than he had last season.
When the window closes we’ll see £80 million (net) moved off the balance sheet as depreciating player assets, and moved in to cash, for the owners to get their valuation.
Based on last night, promotion under those circumstances won’t be straightforward.
New owners, new off the field support and bums on seats and forwards… but this is going to take time. | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 10:28 - Aug 9 with 269 views | jasondozzell |
| Morsy shaped hole on 23:42 - Aug 8 by southnorfolkblue |
Not sure on Brum tbh. Played well tonight but actually created very little. Let’s see how they do once the real grind of the season starts to kick in |
That's a fair point. They didn't create much themselves but their pressure forced us into mistakes.
I was still fairly impressed with them. Remember how nervy it was for us after finally getting out of League 1. They showed enough to suggest they will be competitive. No team will enjoy going to St Andrews. | | | |
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| Morsy shaped hole on 10:30 - Aug 9 with 260 views | jasondozzell |
| Morsy shaped hole on 00:53 - Aug 9 by bournemouthblue |
obviously they have one or two to come through the door as well but they're clearly quite pragmatic, no overlapping full backs or anything too expansive, they clearly work hard off the ball and roughed us up a little, as they were always likely to do
Their midfield two look reasonably tidy
I wasn't overly impressed with them as a whole, Kyogo is going to be useful though, looks like the kind of striker McKenna has never really gone for but one who runs the channels with good movement and makes a nuisance of themselves would give us something different |
Very organised and pragmatic. Thought we looked a little shaken by their aggression which was a surprise as we knew it was coming.
Kyogo looks a player. They will sneak a lot of results if they can stay tight, rush teams and break them up and have him and Kyogo poaching. | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 10:31 - Aug 9 with 255 views | jasondozzell |
| Morsy shaped hole on 06:54 - Aug 9 by DeliasMashedPotato |
Azor had some moments of brilliance but got caught short on many balls into his feet. Morsy just seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and have the awareness of the position of opposition players and know exactly which way to turn or touch the ball to take it out of reach. He will need time to adjust to the high intensity of the championship. I think his technique and ability is much better than Morsy's and his ceiling will be much higher but just needs that footballing IQ that the egyptian king had. Let's hope a bit more experience of the championship and time training under Mckenna will see him improve over the season. |
Exactly this. | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 10:33 - Aug 9 with 235 views | jasondozzell |
| Morsy shaped hole on 09:39 - Aug 9 by darkhorse28 |
His leadership, organisation, and defensive qualities are well documented, but I think what a lot of people miss, is he started ALL our play.
He loves taking the ball, often under pressure, and starting our play…., every single play out was through Sam, and he did it very well.
We need to be honest. The elephant in the room isn’t that he’s gone, he’s 34 in a couple of weeks.
It’s how have we spent so much money, have such a big squad, and we don’t really have a CDM other than the new Dutch signing, who I think will develop and has quality.
Even Jens wants to be further up, Jack is an 8 and so is Humphreys.
For two such crucial positions, in a McKenna system, it’s almost as if relegation wasn’t even a consideration in our planning.
Would love us to get Humphreys in the team.., but can’t see it in this system.
Crying out for Flynn Downes or Hackney .., Jens will help on the ball, but this is a physical league and he’ll have less time than he had last season.
When the window closes we’ll see £80 million (net) moved off the balance sheet as depreciating player assets, and moved in to cash, for the owners to get their valuation.
Based on last night, promotion under those circumstances won’t be straightforward.
New owners, new off the field support and bums on seats and forwards… but this is going to take time. |
Agreed. And that rhythm of him collecting the ball and getting us playing will be hard to replace straight away.
It feels to me that the plan was for him to be here but we drew a line in sand about new contract and he felt slightly snubbed. | | | |
| Morsy shaped hole on 10:47 - Aug 9 with 192 views | southnorfolkblue |
| Morsy shaped hole on 10:31 - Aug 9 by jasondozzell |
Exactly this. |
What were the moments of brilliance because I must have missed them.
I cant understand why people are trying to sugarcoat this. He was poor. He will hopefully improve significantly | |
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| Morsy shaped hole on 12:15 - Aug 9 with 118 views | TractorFrog |
It's been a theme for four years that we looked markedly worse whenever Sam Morsy hasn't played. This was the only real concern of the match in my opinion, because this is the first time that Morsy's absence will now be a permanent thing.'
I remember when he first joined, Paul Cook made some comment along the lines of he would totally transform the team and the mistakes at the back that were plaguing us wouldn't happen with Morsy in the team. About the biggest hype I can remember for a player and sounded ridiculous at the time, but it has been a theme ever since that we have been poor when Morsy isn't in the time, ever since he started his Ipswich career with that 6-0 thumping of Doncaster.
The following season in league one, Morsy only missed two games, and we managed to win anyway away at Port Vale despite letting a two-goal lead slip. And the other game he missed was the final match against Fleetwood, when we had just been promoted and were on a run of 13 wins in 14 games. Honestly if there was one football result I could change, I wish we'd won this one, because 100 points 100 goals would have been nice considering how good we were that season. But considering the other ten players who had won all seven games together by an aggregate scoreline of 26-0 were all available, you would have thought we could easily beat Fleetwood even without Morsy. I'm sure that standards had slipped after the promotion but still, the title was on the line and to only draw 2-2 was disappointing.
In the championship, Morsy didn't seem like he should be the obvious standout in the team like he had been in league one, but again we only won one game out of four when he was absent, and couldn't dominate the midfield anywhere near as well as when Morsy played.
Then in the Premier League, there were calls for him to be replaced as he wasn't fast enough. But in the seven games where Morsy did not start, we scored just one point, in that backs to the wall with ten men game away at Aston Villa. It was a poor season generally but we were markedly worse without Morsy. And that is despite his replacement being former England player Kalvin Phillips.
Part of what we were missing for the last four seasons without Morsy will be his contribution as captain, and part as midfield enforcer, but either way there is a huge Morsy-shaped hole that Dara O'Shea and Azor Matusiwa need to fill quickly. On the evidence of yesterday, they haven't done it yet, but it would be silly to write anyone off after one game. |  |
| They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all! | | Poll: | Who should start in CM with Cajuste? |
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| Morsy shaped hole on 12:18 - Aug 9 with 96 views | textbackup |
We should have told SM he can go at the end of the transfer window, giving us 4/5 games of him helping bed in the new boys |  |
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