| Missed Morsy 22:08 - Jan 16 with 2485 views | jasondozzell |
I love Phillips and Cajuste but Morsy is the heartbeat. Big call to bench him. |  | | |  |
| Missed Morsy on 22:10 - Jan 16 with 2433 views | OsmansCleanSheet |
None of them were good enough tonight. We had no control at all in the second half. |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:10 - Jan 16 with 2427 views | balticblue |
Morsy has been fantastic and an integral part of our amazing couple of years, however, I thought that tonight we looked worse once he came on. |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:14 - Jan 16 with 2373 views | jasondozzell |
| Missed Morsy on 22:10 - Jan 16 by OsmansCleanSheet |
None of them were good enough tonight. We had no control at all in the second half. |
Agree but I thought we looked better once he was on. He's prepared to turn his man and take a risk. The game was gone at 1-0 really. Sounds funny to say but Brighton too strong, too streetwise. | | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:15 - Jan 16 with 2357 views | Illinoisblue |
| Missed Morsy on 22:10 - Jan 16 by OsmansCleanSheet |
None of them were good enough tonight. We had no control at all in the second half. |
cajuste was mostly a passenger (and STILL can't play a full 90) and yet to see Phillips really impose himself on a game in the league. |  |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:15 - Jan 16 with 2316 views | BarcaBlue |
I thought our midfield went awol second half, and weren't particularly dominant for the first 45 either. Not sure that Morsy is the answer either, daft foul before the second goal, made it easy for the ref. Daft penalty he gave away against Fulham, just think he's losing it a bit. Hopefully he'll be back to his best against City as we seem to be struggling in that area right now. |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:17 - Jan 16 with 2266 views | Churchman |
Couldn’t go tonight. Day trip with old work buddies. I’ve see the stats and seen a few comments. Read Phil’s report. All tell me we were well short. What was your objective views on it and how far are from being competitive? |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:18 - Jan 16 with 2237 views | ArnieM |
I'm not sure what Phillips really brings to the team tbh. He's not commanding in the middle. My God are we going to miss Morsy when he's too old to hold down a first team place. There's no one at the current to fill his boots is there. |  |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:18 - Jan 16 with 2215 views | FrimleyBlue |
Considering morsy gets worse the longer a game goes on and considering we could and should have been ahead in the first half.. I don't see how we missed morsy. |  |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:19 - Jan 16 with 2228 views | Garv |
Agree, thought it was a big call.
Whether individually he's better or worse than Phillips, I think there's part of our identity missing somewhat whenever he's not in the side. As classy as Phillips can be, he's not as good a tackler as Morsy, not as strong or as good protecting the ball. I think overall Morsy comfortably makes up for his lack of pace and passing range. |  |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:21 - Jan 16 with 2159 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Missed Morsy on 22:19 - Jan 16 by Garv |
Agree, thought it was a big call.
Whether individually he's better or worse than Phillips, I think there's part of our identity missing somewhat whenever he's not in the side. As classy as Phillips can be, he's not as good a tackler as Morsy, not as strong or as good protecting the ball. I think overall Morsy comfortably makes up for his lack of pace and passing range. |
You not seen the 2nd goal? | |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:27 - Jan 16 with 2061 views | GlasgowBlue |
We didn't miss Morsy the player. The first thing he did when he came on was to give the ball away in a dangerous position. The second thing he did was give away a needless foul on the edge of our box. This follows on from the needless penalty he conceded in our last league game.
We were doing fine until their first goal. We had the better chances and their keeper had to pull off three superb saves.
When Brighton scored their goal we did miss Morsy the Captain. I don't think we would have fallen apart so quickly had he been on the pitch when the goal went in. He would have calmed us down and led by example.
That's the dilemma. A 35 year old Sam Morsy isn't able to play every game of the season, amd there are times when he looks every year of his age. Gives away too many fouls and lacks pace. But without him we are leaderless when thing go against us. [Post edited 16 Jan 22:30]
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| Missed Morsy on 22:29 - Jan 16 with 2010 views | jasondozzell |
| Missed Morsy on 22:17 - Jan 16 by Churchman |
Couldn’t go tonight. Day trip with old work buddies. I’ve see the stats and seen a few comments. Read Phil’s report. All tell me we were well short. What was your objective views on it and how far are from being competitive? |
It wasn't great and in the end well short is about right unfortunately. However, it was a bit of a strange game and we were probably not as bad as it seems in the immediate aftermath.
We seem to have settled on this 'rope a dope' style, sitting compact when we have to, with the back 5, and then launching quick counters. It worked well against Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham. It looked like it might work here - we weathered an early storm and for all their possession Brighton didn't create many clear cut chances in the first half. In fact we began to frustrate them I felt. They looked like they were running out of ideas. The last 20 of the first half we started to get on top and created the better chances I felt. Really need to capitalise more on good positions. Broady unlucky not to score. We played some good football in that spell.
Second half everything changed with their goal. It's rare to see it from us, but we lost our composure. Brighton are no mugs. Very solid physically and can move the ball well and quickly. We lost control completely and couldn't keep the ball. The goal really calmed them in contrast.
Second goal very scruffy and disappointing.
Brighton masters of dark arts which didnt help us either. Referee didn't have control I felt.
I love Cajuste and Phillips but I really feel without Morsy for most of the game we miss something. Our game is based on breaking lines. He's a big part of that. We never had real control in the middle.
A tight game which then ran away from us.
We will still stay up. But it's going to the wire.
Hope you enjoyed the day trip! | | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:30 - Jan 16 with 1986 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Missed Morsy on 22:27 - Jan 16 by GlasgowBlue |
We didn't miss Morsy the player. The first thing he did when he came on was to give the ball away in a dangerous position. The second thing he did was give away a needless foul on the edge of our box. This follows on from the needless penalty he conceded in our last league game.
We were doing fine until their first goal. We had the better chances and their keeper had to pull off three superb saves.
When Brighton scored their goal we did miss Morsy the Captain. I don't think we would have fallen apart so quickly had he been on the pitch when the goal went in. He would have calmed us down and led by example.
That's the dilemma. A 35 year old Sam Morsy isn't able to play every game of the season, amd there are times when he looks every year of his age. Gives away too many fouls and lacks pace. But without him we are leaderless when thing go against us. [Post edited 16 Jan 22:30]
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Perfectly put Glasgow.
You need a 28 year old morsy basically. | |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:30 - Jan 16 with 1995 views | ArnieM |
| Missed Morsy on 22:18 - Jan 16 by FrimleyBlue |
Considering morsy gets worse the longer a game goes on and considering we could and should have been ahead in the first half.. I don't see how we missed morsy. |
Because we struggled together the ball out of defence to midfield. Morsy is that link because he demands the ball and creates that link. Phillips and Cajuste didn't. | |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:42 - Jan 16 with 1881 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Missed Morsy on 22:30 - Jan 16 by ArnieM |
Because we struggled together the ball out of defence to midfield. Morsy is that link because he demands the ball and creates that link. Phillips and Cajuste didn't. |
We didn't have that issue first half though. We did second. But had morsy started he wouldn't have made a difference 2nd half as he's gone by the time we get to 60 minutes.
Phillips was fine tonight. Cajuste not so much.
What didn't help was omari having a poor game and delap being dealt with fairly easily until he went wide which wasn't where we wanted him. | |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:48 - Jan 16 with 1829 views | LankHenners |
Nah, think him coming on showed why he'd started on the bench to be honest. Too slow moving around the pitch and on the ball. Midfield couldn't really get into the game all night as Brighton smothered us in there and Walton simply doesn't have the ability to clip a ball into them if they were in space. |  |
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| Missed Morsy on 22:55 - Jan 16 with 1762 views | BlueOura |
| Missed Morsy on 22:27 - Jan 16 by GlasgowBlue |
We didn't miss Morsy the player. The first thing he did when he came on was to give the ball away in a dangerous position. The second thing he did was give away a needless foul on the edge of our box. This follows on from the needless penalty he conceded in our last league game.
We were doing fine until their first goal. We had the better chances and their keeper had to pull off three superb saves.
When Brighton scored their goal we did miss Morsy the Captain. I don't think we would have fallen apart so quickly had he been on the pitch when the goal went in. He would have calmed us down and led by example.
That's the dilemma. A 35 year old Sam Morsy isn't able to play every game of the season, amd there are times when he looks every year of his age. Gives away too many fouls and lacks pace. But without him we are leaderless when thing go against us. [Post edited 16 Jan 22:30]
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Unless we have skipped 2 years and landed in 2027, Morsy is 33. |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 22:59 - Jan 16 with 1737 views | seblue78 |
Completely agree. Phillips has the edge in terms of pace and physicality but he looks afraid to go forward and a couple of times ended up turning back during a passage of play when he had room to drive. Sammy is the opposite first thought is to drive and link forwards and goes back if needs be. He wasn’t great - none of them were - but think we missed him. |  | | |
| Missed Morsy on 23:25 - Jan 16 with 1590 views | Churchman |
| Missed Morsy on 22:29 - Jan 16 by jasondozzell |
It wasn't great and in the end well short is about right unfortunately. However, it was a bit of a strange game and we were probably not as bad as it seems in the immediate aftermath.
We seem to have settled on this 'rope a dope' style, sitting compact when we have to, with the back 5, and then launching quick counters. It worked well against Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham. It looked like it might work here - we weathered an early storm and for all their possession Brighton didn't create many clear cut chances in the first half. In fact we began to frustrate them I felt. They looked like they were running out of ideas. The last 20 of the first half we started to get on top and created the better chances I felt. Really need to capitalise more on good positions. Broady unlucky not to score. We played some good football in that spell.
Second half everything changed with their goal. It's rare to see it from us, but we lost our composure. Brighton are no mugs. Very solid physically and can move the ball well and quickly. We lost control completely and couldn't keep the ball. The goal really calmed them in contrast.
Second goal very scruffy and disappointing.
Brighton masters of dark arts which didnt help us either. Referee didn't have control I felt.
I love Cajuste and Phillips but I really feel without Morsy for most of the game we miss something. Our game is based on breaking lines. He's a big part of that. We never had real control in the middle.
A tight game which then ran away from us.
We will still stay up. But it's going to the wire.
Hope you enjoyed the day trip! |
I did ta. Met two chums for lunch in York, which given I live in Kent is a long way. But not in time terms or cost if you pre book tickets. Home by ten to pick up the result.
Thanks for the summary. Lots to think about and no knee jerk reaction, objective and very balanced. Cheers.
I’ve said for a while (tbh since Mills first talked about it) that we don’t control the middle of the park. Are the players we have ever going to do that against decent opposition at this level? I don’t know.
But it isn’t fair for me to comment not having seen it tonight, but I’ll be very interested to see how it plays out on Sunday and what the players show, even if we get a pasting.
Btw, the season ticket resale thing is very easy and worth doing if you know you can’t attend. | | | |
| Missed Morsy on 23:33 - Jan 16 with 1564 views | Trequartista |
I'm still waiting for that big Phillips performance but I don't think he has it in him anymore. He's neat and tidy, that's the best I can do. [Post edited 17 Jan 10:14]
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| Missed Morsy on 00:55 - Jan 17 with 1373 views | Smoresy |
| Missed Morsy on 22:55 - Jan 16 by BlueOura |
Unless we have skipped 2 years and landed in 2027, Morsy is 33. |
And he still looks like a 31 y-o spring chicken running around that pitch for me.
28 y-o Morsy also wasn't a towering, lightning fast specimen of a man or a passing extraordinaire. He did and does everything to a very high standard, while the PL is the very highest standard. Seeing the two divisions back-to-back as we have, there should really be an extra elevator floor or two between this level and the one we've risen from.
I mean I'm certain he'd still be dominating all but the parachute payment midfields in a parallel universe where Leeds pipped us to promotion. The challenge now is to elevate his game to previously unseen reaches at an age when some players naturally slow down, and half the time his opposite number also happens to be a genetic freak. Tough ask that and Morsy's done so well to close the gap as much as he has, in my view.
Personally, I'd be targeting a starting CM in the transfer window if I had the keys to the castle. I'd even risk Delap and Hirst surviving these last 17 games unscathed, to prioritise CM in the event we've almost run out of financial road. | | | |
| Missed Morsy on 04:26 - Jan 17 with 1244 views | Tractor_Boy333 |
| Missed Morsy on 22:10 - Jan 16 by balticblue |
Morsy has been fantastic and an integral part of our amazing couple of years, however, I thought that tonight we looked worse once he came on. |
That’s exactly what I thought. Morsy has been amazing but last night was the first time I’ve thought his days as an automatic first choice are numbered, he looked like he was running in concrete, really seemed to struggle and couldn’t influence the game.
I think Phillips started with Sunday in mind, where he can’t play. I could see another midfield player coming in along with a striker. Plus a couple moving out. | | | |
| Missed Morsy on 10:11 - Jan 17 with 907 views | blueM3 |
It’s amazing how even in this many replies you can see how differently everyone sees a match. I wonder if it’s down to subconscious favourites or just different takes on situations.
Here’s my take though for what it’s worth.
To me we never really gained any serious control of the ball at any point of the game. I was quite pleased to see cajuste and Phillips starting just for a potential change of dynamic in the middle. You know exactly what you’ll get with morsy each week. His style and way of playing is fairly unique and it serves him well.
When he came on there was a noticeable change in the way we played. Suddenly all our football and little passing patterns were 10-15 yards or more deeper. We were chasing a game but the. Trying to play all our football on the edge of our box. Despite not having much of the ball the rest of the game we did at least seem to try and use it in the middle third of the pitch rather than our own box.
I just found that slowed the game too much when we were chasing. The exact same patterns were there as usual. Walton-Morsy-Greaves-Walton-Morsy-O’Shea…. That was the passing pattern and we’d see if morsy could turn out at some point. All it really did was eventually back ourselves into the corner at right back by being pressed in. This same thing is what got Harry Clarke moved about against palace i believe it was. We eventually just pinned ourselves in that corner and then ended up losing the ball.
I’d say we need to emphasise playing our actual football further forward where a break could put us through, rather than a break to the middle of the pitch. Maybe it requires a different role for Delap to hold the ball up more and bring someone like Morsy into the game facing the opposition goal rather than facing ours al the while? I don’t know if these ramblings make sense, but that was my take on the change that I saw when Morsy came on. It just wasn’t a game chasing sub to make unfortunately | | | |
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