While I was on Zat Knight Watch yesterday, Scopelos Chris was observing the game.
A game of football is subjective. The statistics- not including bad refereeing decisions- are indisputable. Number of corners, shots on or off target, yellow cards, possession and goals are all tallied in accordance? but the game as a fluid spectacle can be subjective and open to interpretation.
Unfortunately, my interpretation of the Bolton matches have become so ‘Zat Knight` biased lately, I can`t give you a match report of any relevance. We all know how bad we`re playing. I don`t need to explain anything to you. You were there; you saw everything- or what there was to see, anyway.
Like the game itself, you will have your own views on why things have turned out the way they have. Our Australian friend is vocal on our chairman and wasted investment. Managers- passed and present- have been mentioned in the comments section to be contributors to our downfall. ‘Players`- passed and present- are obvious donors to our destruction, but in differing levels of capacity. Lack of skill with optimum commitment can be defended. Skill, devoid of devotion is unforgivable. These players- and again, you`ll have your own opinion on who they are- must be removed- not only from the starting-11, but the whole squad altogether. These players will sink you, whatever league you`re in.
One person who can give you a subjective perspective on the game is Skopelos Chris. He sums it up brilliantly:
Well, if there was soul searching and home truths in the dressing room after Blackburn, and after two weeks to work on the problems where did that get us? That was as impotent and dispirited a performance I’ve seen for ages. Every game gets worse, not better. To me we were a rudderless ship yesterday. No leadership on the pitch, no useful answers from the dugout. When the goal went in I wouldn’t say heads went down but there was a palpable sense of the team not knowing what to do about it. From then on a bad mixture of playing at too slow a pace, coming out of position to try and force something to happen, making the wrong passes at the wrong time, holding onto the ball when a pass was needed, not showing to teammates to make a pass available, not to mention the inability to get a shot on target or force a meaningful clear cut chance. I don’t think there was a lack of individual effort – though some heads started to go down as the second half went on – but what was missing was someone to organise that individual endeavour into a collective cohesive performance. That has got to be down to the lack of a leader, a proper captain on the pitch to cajole and encourage but you also have to wonder about the training and coaching regime. Dougie has talked in the past about educating, but they didn’t seem to know what to do out there yesterday. Also was the team selection right in the first place? We looked slightly better for about five minutes when Hall came on but that was because he injected a bit of pace and movement. We needed that all over the pitch right from the start. Bah!
Well put. Skopelos Chris
No, I was still on Zat-Knight-watch and on the 62nd minute, I got my wish. I`m not saying things improved considerably when Zat was evacuated from the field, but the sense of relief I felt was dramatic. Was the replacement of Knight tactically or injury-enforced? Can somebody explain, please? But remember, if you have got some knowledge on the substitution of Knight, I`m in a very excitable but vulnerable position at the moment. What I`m saying is, if Knight starts on Tuesday, I can`t be sure of, or held responsible for, what my actions may be.
I know I`ve only scratched the surface on what everyone is feeling at the moment and what you feel is the problem. So I`ll try and get another article tomorrow for you to comment on.