[Albion] Fabian Hurzeler: IN or OUT

[dazzer6666]

It's also interesting that their fans sing their managers name. We don't, perhaps there is something missing. Was there RDZ out threads like this? I can't remember.

We don't have a song for our best player either

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

We've been playing with central midfielders at right-back for what feels like forever, we used another one as centre-back, Webster was playing with painkilling jabs every week because we had no-one else and now a half-crocked Dunk is doing the same.

I'd suggest it's tough for any defensive unit at this level of the game, trying to deal with that much disruption. Margins are fine.

Agree, but then adapt.

Dunk does not need to be chasing Wissa or Mbeuno even fully fit, ditto that for JPvH.

Tuck the fullbacks in more and get a defensive shape, stop the whole emphasis on winning the ball upfield at every opportunity.

The only time we’ve looked we’ve looked good under sustained pressure was Newcastle away, other games we’ve looked like a boxer on the ropes.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

9th for goals scored, 15th for goals conceded tells you the story of this season. An unsettled back line almost all season, largely due to injuries has undone a lot of good offensive work.
Conceding two goals or more in a game 15 times and only winning one of those games is a real pointer, as is 6 x 2-2 draws, when we have controlled most of them. It is the biggest area to work on next season.

 

[phoenix]

He doesn't seem to be learning anything .He's got his favourites that atm arn't very good.

 

[Hiheidi]

I'm absolutely not blaming the recruitment team for anything at all. Given the success we've had, that would be churlish in the extreme.

Not aimed at you - plenty have referenced it, a few posts naming David Weir

It's more to do with squad planning that the recruitment team. For starters, in the Summer surely we'd have been better off using the Gruda money to buy a central defender and kept Buonanotte around to pick up Gruda's minutes. If the only player we wanted for that position was Cashin (okay maybe that's on the recruitment/data), maybe it would have been better to get him in the Summer and get him used to the team /style of play ready for when he was needed.

 

[Doug-ees-evil]

In contrast, we have an abundance of quite slightly built, skilful and technical players.

Which seems at complete odds with how FH probably wants to play. With power and intensity for 90mins, out-running, out-fighting and winning personal duels with pace.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Which seems at complete odds with how FH probably wants to play. With power and intensity for 90mins, out-running, out-fighting and winning personal duels with pace.

You could argue cases for a few of the summer signings matching elements of those profiles when fully fit - Rutter, Minteh, Wieffer, Ferdi. (I might be pushing it with the last two!)

 

[Flounce]

Which seems at complete odds with how FH probably wants to play. With power and intensity for 90mins, out-running, out-fighting and winning personal duels with pace.

I doubt FH had any say in who we signed and probably won’t next season

Not ideal, but if he’s binned……

 

[Weststander]

I've possibly been the only person to mention recruitment, so in case this "blame" is referring to me, I'd like to counter it...

I'm absolutely not blaming the recruitment team for anything at all. Given the success we've had, that would be churlish in the extreme.

In fact I think I'm generally more forgiving than many when it comes to the duds and also-rans we pick up.

Recruiting for a Premier League football club is a gamble. When you don't have untold riches and need to find overlooked value, it's even more of a gamble and we've won far more gambles than we've lost. And some of the wins have been HUGE.

I was merely bringing recruitment into it because some of the Hurzeler-out-ers!, who are drawing comparisons with Bournemouth, don't seem to be considering the squads when making the comparison of footballing styles.

Some clubs - Palace and Bournemouth certainly, and Brentford less so, always strike me as having an abundance of strong, fast, powerful players and we rarely do. They sub two off and two more come on.

In contrast, we have an abundance of quite slightly built, skilful and technical players.

That won't be by chance, it will be by design, but differing squads are going to lend themselves to different styles of play.

CP have done exactly that for at least 13 years. Interesting how Albion transfer heads have come and gone, as have managers, and there’s never been a desire for a front line of speed merchants to exploit space.

StarLizard data calculates there’s better footballing returns from technicians? Pace in itself is low down the pecking order?

 

[Bozza]

He doesn't seem to be learning anything .He's got his favourites that atm arn't very good.

I don't understand this at all.

At the back, he's been scabbling around to put four bodies out there for weeks now - it's not a matter of favourites, more who is still standing and can defend a bit.

in midfield, Baleba plays when fit and I'm not sure many would argue with that. Alongside him all of Ayari, Gomez and O'Riley have been given goes, whilst Hinshelwood has been filling in further back. Wieffer has struggled with fitness, so has had limited chances.

Out wide, Mitoma will nearly always start, and I think that's also correct. Minteh has been given most of the right-wing chances, but neither Adingra nor Gruda have particularly shone when given opportunities and Solly March is, by his own admission, unable to start.

Up front it was a case of perm 2 from 3, but with Georginio now crocked we've had to play the only two left. And now one of them is suspended for the next three games.

Just which favourites have been playing when they shouldn't, and who would you have been playing instead?

 

[BadFish]

It is interesting to look at how Bournemouth's season played out last year. I'm pretty sure a lot of those praising Iraola, would have moaned at the long streaks without winning, inconsistent results and a lot of the wins coming against bottom sides. They had a really good run in the December, but that's not dissimilar to us having a good run this March.

View attachment 200356

In an age of Trump and Musk, the colour coding on this table is the most insanely, horrific and (I am going to say it) pure undiluted evil that I have seen for many a year.

 

[chaileyjem]

At least Igor, Veltman and Lamptey are back in training this week.

 

[Hiheidi]

In an age of Trump and Musk, the colour coding on this table is the most insanely, horrific and (I am going to say it) pure undiluted evil that I have seen for many a year.

Found it here http://www.englishfootballstats.co.uk/League Stats/League Results/Bournemouth/2023-24.htm

 

[ROSM]

I've possibly been the only person to mention recruitment, so in case this "blame" is referring to me, I'd like to counter it...

I've mentioned Weir a few times, largely because I feel that the recruitment was unbalanced and obvious gaps not filled. Add to that the assumption that the manager was selected because he would fit the squad we had or would be recruiting and now we are seeing that he doesn't have the players to play that style.

As you say we have had a patched up defence but given we are playing a mid fielder at full back you would need a deeper line and doubling up on that side. Again if the centre back isn't as mobile as you need the play a deeper line and have the CDM drop in. Perhaps the players aren't doing it?

 

[Doug-ees-evil]

I doubt FH had any say in who we signed and probably won’t next season

Not ideal, but if he’s binned……

True. And to his credit he’s never moaned about that. (And probably saw how it worked out for the last bloke who had an opinion on recruitment). Whether that’s the healthiest solution - at the other extreme - I’m not sure.

 

[Doug-ees-evil]

You could argue cases for a few of the summer signings matching elements of those profiles when fully fit - Rutter, Minteh, Wieffer, Ferdi. (I might be pushing it with the last two!)

First two yes. Really hard to judge the latter two.

 

[JOLovegrove]

I haven’t read the whole thread, but it’s the manner of the result of most games that’s worrying. There’s only 4 games I’d say we controlled and got a comfortable win:

Everton away (First game of the season)
Man United away
Chelsea home
Southampton away

I know that’s not always how football works, and we have more wins than that, but awful that only one of them came at home.

Injuries have hit us, incredibly badly, but I don’t think that’s an excuse for how patchy we’ve been. We’ve got some great wins, but does feel a number of them were laced with luck/not fully deserved.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

But why is Pedro blowing hot and cold, why is minteh showing rawness, dunk looking past it (i don't think he is I just don't think this formation does him favours), pervis not as good as he was etc etc?

I think you can just disappear down a rabbit-hole with this. You can blame Fab for anything if you want to fit a narrative. Players too inexperienced, Fab's fault, players getting old, Fabs fault, players losing form, Fabs fault, players getting injured, Fab's fault, players getting sent off, Fab's fault, keeper passing to their attacker, Fabs fault, forward missing a sitter, Fabs fault, having a surplus of delicate wingers, Fab's fault, sending players on loan, Fab's fault, not signing enough defenders, Fab's fault, not having a song, Fab's fault, getting appointed in the first place, Fabs fault.

Of course when RDZ was in charge and all these exact same things happened it was everyone else in the clubs fault. Like I say, you can fit anything to a narrative and if the narrative is 'Fabs not good enough' this is where we end up,

"Why is Minteh showing rawness?" dear lord.......

 

[ROSM]

I think you can just disappear down a rabbit-hole with this. You can blame Fab for anything if you want to fit a narrative. Players too inexperienced, Fab's fault, players getting old, Fabs fault, players losing form, Fabs fault, players getting injured, Fab's fault, players getting sent off, Fab's fault, keeper passing to their attacker, Fabs fault, forward missing a sitter, Fabs fault, having a surplus of delicate wingers, Fab's fault, sending players on loan, Fab's fault, not signing enough defenders, Fab's fault, not having a song, Fab's fault, getting appointed in the first place, Fabs fault.

Of course when RDZ was in charge and all these exact same things happened it was everyone else in the clubs fault. Like I say, you can fit anything to a narrative and if the narrative is 'Fabs not good enough' this is where we end up,

"Why is Minteh showing rawness?" dear lord.......

Self awareness is a wonderful thing. We are both dealing in absolutes

You think he is the messiah and i tend to think he is leaning towards a naughty boy

Question: do you believe he is getting the best out of what he has? I don't believe he is. And having seen all bar 5 games this season in person at the ground i am basing that on what we are doing both in and out of possession

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Self awareness is a wonderful thing. We are both dealing in absolutes

You think he is the messiah and i tend to think he is leaning towards a naughty boy

Question: do you believe he is getting the best out of what he has? I don't believe he is. And having seen all bar 5 games this season in person at the ground i am basing that on what we are doing both in and out of possession

Same number of games, and it’s not about individual errors as @Kalimantan Gull highlights they’re out of his control, but it’s the lack of structure particularly out of possession. We literally are all over the place.

Saturday was the last straw for me, because the goals we conceded were all poor. One down to Bart, with that stupid pass out, but the rest were because we’ve learnt little in 33 games.