Got the team wrong. Again.

At Barnsley he got the team wrong. He went unchanged from the team that beat a woefully bad Brentford at home. But that team was never going to work against Barnsley's application and desire. He said himself he should have seen that coming. But he didn't.

Last night was the same. He went unchanged from the team that beat a garbage Villa and then moaned how the players weren't able to play with enough intensity. But he must have known what Hudds were going to do. I barely watch games other than ours and even I knew how Hudds were going to play and that we'd need to chase the ball very hard and for long periods. Didn't he have the information to see the same 11 would struggle to bring enough intensity?

Surprise surprise, when he brought on three players that were fresh, and as they tired, the game looked a lot more even. Even to the point where we probably were a bit unlucky not to get a point on the balance of chances (although I would argue that Hudds played all of the quality football and we got success by just going direct). AN's team selection again significantly contributed to the team struggling to match an opponent.

We have one of the biggest squads in the division, packed with internationals. AN seems incapable of working out how to deploy them. He is making mistakes in team selection that are very avoidable and which are very directly costing us points.

Tbf to the players, I honestly don't think they've given up or are going through the motions. I saw lots of effort last night. They're being let down by the team selections and tactics of the manager.

Posted By: Under soil heating, Dec 17, 09:03:15