Huddersfield Town (A) Saturday 10th Nov, 15:00

Lukerz

Not a bad result in the end. Always had the feel of a 0-0 or 1-1 with maybe one side edging it. Given we were losing & not at our best that is a reasonable point.

steve

;hmm strange kind of game could have lost 3or 4 -1,on the other hand could have won 3-1 in the end will take the point but we really need to win a couple back to back .on a bright note mark hughes must going mad ;biggrin

Hamstew

Adam said:

Hamstew said:

I still think we have this mentality of "we are going to beat this lot coz this lot are rubbish" about us

Are you talking about the players, the fans or both?!

I think the players.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

West Ham do seem intent on making me look a special kind of stupid every week.

In all seriousness, we were horrible. A lot of players who have been very good in recent weeks, Arnie, Diop, Rice, Grady to name a few, were so short of their best.

A special word for Antonio. Why on earth does he think it's a good idea to keep blasting from outside the area. He has never - and I don't think will ever - scored from that kind of range. On current form he'd be lucky to keep the ball inside the net if he and the ball were already both over the line.

At the moment, I get the impression Pelle thinks our football alone will see us through in these kind of games. We don't seem up for it. We were out-fought at Brighton and out-fought today. We might play better football than those sides but they were fired up and we weren't, and we've come out with a point against (in my opinion) two very poor sides.

grey_til_I_dye

Jorderz

Doesn't sound like that from what Pelle said after the game:

We didn't play well in the first half after their goal. You have to fight for every ball when you come here, they play with a great intensity and aggression. We also kept the ball too much in our own half, this is a team that aggressively presses you."

jay_in_cpt

Problem with that Grey tho is we've sort of heard it all b4, whether it be Manuel or other managers, it's easy to talk, but more tricky to pull it off, He needs to sort it out IMO....

Fortuneseeker

So can we assume that Pelle will get the message across to the team more successfully when we next have a game like todays?

Different match if Arnie squares the ball instead of shooting early on?

grey_til_I_dye

I get that it is easy to be despondent after a game like this, but we are far from the only team to be inconsistent.

The reality for most teams is that there is often a disparity between how they can play, and how they want to play, and how they actually play.

I'm taking the point and grateful for it.

Lukerz

I’m pretty delighted with the result. At times it looked like we would lose 2-0/3-0, but we end up with a point. We were not fluent but managed to scrape a draw. Happy with that. Get City out the way & then crack on with the next set of games with a couple of players back. Too many good players for us had bad games today. So relieved to come away unbeaten.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

grey_til_I_dye said:

Jorderz

Doesn't sound like that from what Pelle said after the game:

We didn't play well in the first half after their goal. You have to fight for every ball when you come here, they play with a great intensity and aggression. We also kept the ball too much in our own half, this is a team that aggressively presses you."

It's fine saying this after the game, but I certainly didn't get the impression it had been said before the game. We were second to everything for the entire first half.

Cuz1

I did read where he said you can’t just go there and expect to win you have to earn it

grey_til_I_dye

Jorderz

But that is my point: there is often a disjunct between how players can perform, and how they have been told to play, and their actual performance. If there wasn't, you could pretty much call any result before the game started.

Today:

Brighton win
Leicester win
Bournemouth win
Watford win
West Ham win
Spurs win

claretandbluesky

I think its natural to see where we failed rather than where the opposition succeeded and Huddersfield ,who will likely rely upon team spirit to scrape to safety once it becomes a battle in the last 6 or 7 games of the season, were very dogged and prevented us any time on the ball which in turn prevented our flair players such as Arnie and Anderson from causing the problems they can. Huddersfield appeared to lack any real individual quality today but they really gave what they had and made it difficult.

I still think we are looking good and are progressing as a side and so am optimistic even after a lacklustre display today.

Hamstew

One thing I can't get my head around. Our defence is meant to be pretty good. But how comes we keep concededing goals?

MrsGrey

Says who? How do you (they) define 'pretty good'? I seem to recall fans absolutely slating our defence in the early part of the season. It's all relative. Pretty good agaisnt who?

All teams concede goals.

For example, Spurs have conceded 10, Arsenal 14 (in the top 6).

Goals against: 29, 25, 21,22, 17, 26 - conceded by bottom 6.

We've conceded 18, which is pretty much 'mid table'.

Which is what we are.

Compared to the bottom clubs, our defence IS pretty good.

Spurs put one past us. Chelsea, who have the 2nd highest 'goals scored' couldn't score against us.

Maybe those who say our defence is pretty good' - it's their opinion - maybe their opinion isn't supported by the facts. Or maybe it i, depending on what you think makes a 'pretty good' defence.

If I were you, I wouldn't try to get my head round it. I'd just form my own opinion ...

grey_til_I_dye

Ham

Well, today's was a combination of poor play, with a pass out of defence going straight to one of their players, and misfortune when the shot cannoned of our player's leg and wrong-footed Fab.

You might argue that given how poor we were first half it was a decent defensive showing to keep them to one.

claretandbluesky

Our defence isn't perfect but it's looking better than it has done for quite a while in my opinion. Diop alone could possibly make up into the best defender we have had since Rio, although it's potential at present. I think Zaba is the best role model for a young up and coming defender with regard effort, commitment and making what you have go as far as possible and Fabianski, who could have done better with the goal today, is looking the best keeper we have had in some time also.

I am happy to criticise the team, the board or the manager when I think we have deserved it as we have in the last couple of seasons but at the moment, I feel optimistic that all three are looking up rather than down and so just need time.

What has impressed me most is the turn around, because we were really really poor in the first few matches but Pelle knew what to do, and that gave me confidence.

Hamstew

Its no big deal it's just a thought that I can't get head around. People myself included like our defence, zab rocky Diop and fab. The best we've had In a long time imo but we still seem to not be able to keep a clean sheet. I literally can't understand it that's all.

whupathman

respect the point

Yeoldhammer

We were out the game for large parts.

I hope we can keep the goal difference down against city. Some potential 6 pointers coming up and we missed one today. We can't afford to do that against all of the bottom 6.

Pearces_Left_Foot

If we beat the teams around us at home and draw away for the most part we will be fine I think an away point yesterday was ok

Lukerz

I think we will all be naturally disappointed that we didn’t replicate the Burnley attacking performance yesterday which would have given us a much better chance of winning the game but it was always going to be a dogged game. They were buoyed from their first win, they got an early goal & I think when you go 1-0 down so early away from home you are always likely to at best draw the game.

As grey said, Arnie on it, the CB’s a bit sharper, Diangana like he was last weekend, a win would’ve been more likely.

But since losing to Wolves that is 12 points from 8 games including Chelsea/Man Utd/Spurs home & Everton/Leicester away. That is more than decent by anybody’s standard.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Bit of reference

12 games gone through last year we had 8 points, sat 18th with -14 GD

This time: 12 points, 13th and -4 GD

Given the horrendous start I am positive

Yesterday was the worst we've played for a while and still managed a point
Barring some bad luck against Leicester we'd be in a great position after our start

Adam

For even more reference:

For our next 7 games after having played 12 games last season (to compare after half way), we played 3 games against the top 6.

For our next 7 games after having played 12 games this season, we will play 1 game against the top 6.

Kuchinghammer

That was the first point we've picked up after being behind (this season, obviously) I take that as a positive sign that the strangers are starting to develop some team spirit. And the goal saw four of our players shooting inside their area, so they were going for it in the second half. I have a memory loss about the first half, though ;wink

Lukerz

What a cracking finish that was from Anderson. That’s why Pelle paid £40m for him. In moments of brilliance can rescue or win us points. Lovely bit of skill on halfway line, nice reverse pass to Snodgrass & a superb bit of composure to find the top corner on his weaker foot.

Not sure that midfield works together in these sorts of games; think we are missing a Lanzini or Wilshere to tie Obiang & Rice together with the front 3. Think those three together could be very useful.

But we did need to battle & Snodders always grafts. Defining game in the sense it’s the first time we’ve got a point without taking the lead first.

BubblesNeverDies

Lukerz, I just watched the highlights again and you're right about Anderson's goal, his technique in striking the ball was superb.