Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[Shanks]

Jesus, I often wonder if we watch the same things, or if fans have gone that far into 'social media soundbites' to reflect games.

Fee areas need sorting but it's such a massive improvement on last season, it's actually a joke.

Yesterday was small bargains, a 2nd goal that should never have been (kulu pen), unlucky OG, a stronger keeper and a dodgy offside call

It's no where near us rolling over and not playing, we actually played well, really well, other than those fee moments.

 

[allatsea]

Over the past few weeks Ange will have found out a lot about our players. Particularly the mentality of several. I am sure some such as Maddison will be under pressure to get in the starting line up next season unless his performances significantly improve.

 

[spurmin]

Jesus, I often wonder if we watch the same things, or if fans have gone that far into 'social media soundbites' to reflect games.

Fee areas need sorting but it's such a massive improvement on last season, it's actually a joke.

Yesterday was small bargains, a 2nd goal that should never have been (kulu pen), unlucky OG, a stronger keeper and a dodgy offside call

It's no where near us rolling over and not playing, we actually played well, really well, other than those fee moments.

Plus Romero hitting the post and missing another header from a corner in the first half.
Even so called professional analysis has been way off.

 

[Trix]

I really really really hate myself for saying this. Sack Ange close season.

Then what?

 

[Danny1]

I really really really hate myself for saying this. Sack Ange close season.

Haha absolutely pathetic.

 

[whenstevewentup]

Unless he is prepared to compromise on his principles then unfortunately this project will not work I’m afraid . Yes you can get away with it in lesser leagues but if we want to fight for major honours you have to show your players different ways of winning football matches .

 

[1882andallthat]

We’ve every right to be critical about our the way we’ve been conceding goals at set pieces such as corners or free kicks that are put into the box but come on, let’s not push the panic button and call for the sack or sack by Christmas button.

We’ve improved since last season for sure and the way we lost to he NLD last year to this one shows we’ve made progress, this was down to individual errors and the rub of the green, we didn’t just roll over.

I’ve seen improvement and I live in hope that Ange has a plan to address some of our current and obvious short comings so as far as I’m concerned we should stick with the process and give it he process more time if we can see that it’s moving in the right direction.

 

[Wadec]

I don’t think that’s fair.

You know what, mate, on reflection, you're probably right. We have had some really poor patches and a few really bad games but it's not as much as my original post, I think Newcastle at home and Villa away we're really good performances.

As always I love how positive you are and i really do want it to work for Ange. I really hope he gets the players he needs in the summer and addresses the things he needs to change to give us the best shot at making it work. I have my worries but Ange definitely deserves the chance to get it right.

 

[Jay.]

Jesus, I often wonder if we watch the same things, or if fans have gone that far into 'social media soundbites' to reflect games.

Fee areas need sorting but it's such a massive improvement on last season, it's actually a joke.

Yesterday was small bargains, a 2nd goal that should never have been (kulu pen), unlucky OG, a stronger keeper and a dodgy offside call

It's no where near us rolling over and not playing, we actually played well, really well, other than those fee moments.

Haven’t all our defeats been about small margins this year? Villa, WHam, Chelsea….. all if and buts and small margins. It wears thin after a while and is Tottenham mentality, glorious in defeat and all that bullshit. Time to get serious and get winning.

 

[marion52]

Next season many of our players will be in second season of PL, they will know more of what to expect.
For instance it’s not Ange’s fault that Vicario isn’t a bit stronger/tougher in the box, Vic is new to the roughousery that goes on and hopefully he’ll be more forceful next season.
Similar for other players. Ange has started a build and it needs patience from the fans.

 

[RuskyM]

Haven’t all our defeats been about small margins this year? Villa, WHam, Chelsea….. all if and buts and small margins. It wears thin after a while and is Tottenham mentality, glorious in defeat and all that bullshit. Time to get serious and get winning.

This is true of basically every team though. And we've won a lot of games this season by small margins - Sheff Utd, Liverpool, Brighton etc.

 

[McFlash]

Haven’t all our defeats been about small margins this year? Villa, WHam, Chelsea….. all if and buts and small margins. It wears thin after a while and is Tottenham mentality, glorious in defeat and all that bullshit. Time to get serious and get winning.

Yeah, because it's that easy to rebuild a team in both style and personnel, we really should just "get serious and get winning".

And do people really think that Ange is ignoring our set-piece problems? Or that he just doesn't see them?

Bloody hell, so much for giving the manager time to sort out the shit-show we'd become, some of you haven't even lasted a season.
A season which we're looking like finishing in a pretty decent 5th place.
Who sacks a manager that's improved his team?

 

[Jay.]

Yeah, because it's that easy to rebuild a team in both style and personnel, we really should just "get serious and get winning".

And do people really think that Ange is ignoring our set-piece problems? Or that he just doesn't see them?

Bloody hell, so much for giving the manager time to sort out the shit-show we'd become, some of you haven't even lasted a season.
A season which we're looking like finishing in a pretty decent 5th place.
Who sacks a manager that's improved his team?

Who’s calling for him to be sacked? That’s madness. I think he needs to have a word with himself and change his approach. Defintely. Bad defeat to Chelsea and Liverpool, Utd sneaking 5th than it’s not looking so “progressive” is it. We haven’t turned up when it matters this year. We were 3 nil down at half time and got a lucky goal and a pen. We lost 3-2. It doesn’t matter how “unlucky” we was, or if we hit the bar, or had a goal ruled out offside, we lost 3-2. It’s not fairytale football. Score-line matters, nothing else.

 

[mightyspur]

I really really really hate myself for saying this. Sack Ange close season.

Good grief

 

[RuskyM]

Who’s calling for him to be sacked? That’s madness. I think he needs to have a word with himself and change his approach. Defintely. Bad defeat to Chelsea and Liverpool, Utd sneaking 5th than it’s not looking so “progressive” is it. We haven’t turned up when it matters this year. We were 3 nil down at half time and got a lucky goal and a pen. We lost 3-2. It doesn’t matter how “unlucky” we was, or if we hit the bar, or had a goal ruled out offside, we lost 3-2. It’s not fairytale football. Score-line matters, nothing else.

Okay, but we lost the exact same game last year playing a style of football that was built on "scoreline matters, nothing else".

 

[Gilzeanking]

This summer I do hope we put a proper wedge of cash down to fix all of our issues, not some or most but all and make it clear that Ange or at least this style of football is where we are going and we are going to see the job through.

Prob for me with this is that a glaring problem we have right now is our forwards don't press properly. This isn't a technical player issue, its far more basic than that. It's a management/motivation issue and as it stands its simply not being rectified.

Ange unable to get the players to press ? Not a good sign.

 

[easley91]

Pretty sure first half of the season we had the best defensive record when it came to set pieces then all of a sudden it switched since Everton or City? I could be wrong but I swear we rarely conceded from corners prior to that.

 

[muppetman]

I can't disagree with anything he says here and he does not look to be a happy chappy!

 

[Gilzeanking]

Well they have sure as hell worked out how we can be easily got at from corners, there’s no doubt about that. Ever since Man City roughed up Vicario and got that winner in the last couple of minutes to knock us out of the FA cup, many others have tried the same thing and we sure look vulnerable when this happens, add that to our he fact that we’re often second to the header from corners or in swinging or diagonal free kicks into the box.

It’s clear from some of Ange’s post match comments that he knows this a weakness we have. Much work to do there too. We simply can’t afford for this to continue if we want to go places.

I wish it was. Every time he's asked about this he says he's not worried about it and no, he won't be spending time sorting it out . Took him a whole disastrous half to come up with Sarr protecting Vic solution.
Like..... WTF !

 

[philll]

People who want Ange gone now or at the end of the season are mad but I don't like seeing (entirely valid) concerns that have been raised after the majority of our matches since January (and more occasionally, before) dismissed as "knee jerk reactions". How can that be knee jerk?

Of course Ange should be here next season - the club has never felt more aligned across the first team management/recruitment and all of the age groups. But that's not to say he doesn't have to improve because he really really does.

His stubbornness with set piece coaching in particular is worrying - he's said before that he views them as an extension of the way they play so doesn't need specialist coaches for them but it's painfully obvious that that's not working. Either Mason and Jedinak aren't up to it or you simply can't approach set pieces with that kind of blasé attitude at this level (or both).

I'm excited to see what the Summer transfer window brings and excited to see us next season but there's a nagging worry that how Ange ideally wants to play just isn't compatible with football at this level and, assuming the issues are systemic and can't be fixed with transfers, the question is then - is he going to be willing to make compromises to the going forward bit in order to strengthen the defensive bit and, in general, make us less easy to set up against? And, given that he's said he only knows how to coach one way, will he swallow his pride and make backroom changes to bring in people better suited to the task (this applies to set pieces as well)?