Okay, so tonight was a big improvement on the debacle which was last Tuesday. That said I still think we can improve somewhat - either within the current squad or by signing a few new players. However, what about Aidy in all this? He's been in charge of the team for over 18 months now and there's one area I don't think he has quite right - what I consider to be his tactical inflexibility. We never seem to make substitutions at the times my decade of watching live football tells me we should/other managers would. For example, surely tonight at 0-0 after 70mins it was obvious we needed to try something else. Even if the quality of the bench players is less than those on the pitch the difference in player should be enough to make up for that. Eg - Tamas Priskin may/may not be up to it but just giving Distin someone else to mark gives him another problem - someone else to get to grips with. Yet we never seem to change our tactics or make tactical substitutions under Aidy (unless things are going disasterously wrong). This is something I've noticed over quite a while now, so I'm wondering if other people have too. Maybe Aidy's confidence in his own tactics is too high? Maybe sometimes we need to mix things up a bit, even if only to change things around and give the opposition a different problem. What do you guys think? Is Aidy too inflexible?
Good shout, Young drifted in and out too much tonight and i think perhaps giving Macca 10 minutes with Bouazza pushed inside. Bouazza'a pace would worry Dunne and could have made a difference. I do not believe he is too inflexible but i do agree that his confidence in his own tactics is too high.
Very interesting point but I'm not sure it's valid on tonights performance. I was watching hoping he didnt make a change. The only player on the bench i would have brought on was Bangura but i couldn't think who to bring off. the midfield were all doing a good job. no one seemed to be losing their legs. we had nothing to add up front so why make a substitution? In my opinion a lesser manager would have made substitutions tonight. he got it right tonight i think.
i would have liked to have seen Priskin replace Smith (Young to drop to the wing) and Bangers replace Francis with 15mins to go. Fresh legs, if nothing else.
Really? From where I was watching we really weren't involved for the last 20mins in anything other than a hanging on role. I guess though the balance has to be struck between spicing things up and going for the win and keeping things solid a protecting a good away point. Anyway, as I said my argument isn't necessarily built solely on tonight's game. There have been a few times over the last few months (in both Championship and Premiership) that I've felt Aidy to be a wee bit too inflexible when it comes to altering things around.
Isnt this just a human trait? On balance over 18 months Aidy's judgement has been pretty good hasn't it?
Hmmm...I guess it just depends what you consider working well to be. Maybe in the context of tonight my point doesn't come across well. But there have been a fair few home games I've come away from thinking "why didn't Aidy go for broke there" etc etc.
Yeah I'm sure there are occasions when many of us would make different decisions on subs but my point is that ON BALANCE Aidy has got it right over 18 months. Maybe sometime soon he'll put Priskin on and he'll hit a 10 minute hat trick.
Fair comment we were working well as a unit, but I do feel that Priskin up front may have mixed it up front enough to have nicked one and I do feel Bangers deserves a shout. Guess we'll have to disagree.
Yes, overall given the rise of the club Aidy has got it right on balance. That I cannot deny. I just feel there have been games that have passed us by without the manager having any obvious input once the whistle goes at the start - either through a tactic change or a lack of subs. Maybe I just like to see the manager doing something to turn an average result into a great one.
I guess we all do but I'm pretty happy to put my trust in Aidy at the moment, not as critical as you are (not a critisism) i just trust him at the moment. I scream from my seat the same as anyone else but i don't see it as a serious fault.
i agree with bringing Priskin on but to my mind it would have been a straight swap for Hendo.. smith i thought had a good game on the wing tonight... i would also have said bring Bouazza in and take off francis and bring on Macca on the left.. his pace down the left crossing into Young while priskin kept the central defence busy ( them being unsure of his danger) would have made all the difference.
I think there has been a change here. If I'm not imagining it Aidy was using substitutions effectively and tactically very well last season. It was one area where I thought he was better than GT who always used to drive me up the wall by making his substitutions in the 85th minute. I suppose it may be that he doesn't feel he has the players on the bench this season who could make a difference against the opposition.
Sorry Mr Hornet, but this is just tinkering. the eleven on the pitch tonight fought all the way and deserved to stay on.
I think Aidy would be the first one to admit that everyone can improve at what they do. Therefore I don't have any problem with saying I wish he would use his subs a bit more. Perhaps he will start to use them over the course of the season, maybe he won't. Berkshire, I am sure you trust Aidy, I do to, but that doesn't mean I cannot give my opinion on what he could do better. Whether he acts on it is a different argument altogether.
I didn't say anyone couldn't give their opinion. My main point is that to not make any changes tonight was the right decision. Now i'm going to watch some cricket.
In other games I’d have agreed, has made some funny subs in the past, normally defensive ones which has caused us to hang on. But as Berko said I was hoping he wouldn’t make any subs as well. The only one I kind of expected was for him to take Francis off because I was worried about him picking up a second yellow. Might of brought Banguara on, but again his temperament may also have resulted in a yellow/red card. I think it is quite clear Aidy doesn’t believe Priskin is ready at the moment, particularly in games where we are defending from the front (probably on the bench in case of emergencies). Thought Ash and Darius did a superb job at trying to close down the defenders and keepers – especially at the end. Wouldn’t have taken any of the defenders off, and taking Smith or Bouazza off would have meant less chance of counter-attacking football, which may have caused us to defend even more. Also they both track back better than Macca if he came on for one of them.
Not disputing that, my point is that there should have been substitutions, if nothing more than to get some fresh legs on and give Man City something else to think about, and the changes I have mentioned were for my money the best ones to go for. The performance of just about every player on the pitch last night was incredible, thats not in question.
Watching it live a few legs got tired and I was surprised he didn't freshen it up with 10 or so minutes to go. I would have replaced Smith and Hammer. Switched Young to the wing with Macca opposite flank and Tomas down the middle with hendo. Thus keeping the solid status quo at the back and in central midfield. but by god Macca would have been told to track back as if his life depended on it.
