I can't believe I've just read 2 pages of comments about the game and yet there is not one mention of the fact we played the best team in the league at the moment. The Saints have built their year on defensive pressure all over the ground and we were going to crack at some point. We have struggled to kick goals against teams that play a heavy zone like the Crows so I'm not surprised we only kicked 6 goals. I'd imagine that Lyon gave them a serious bake at half time and told them to tighten up.
We look ok skills wise when there is little pressure but they fall apart against the very best sides. We are on the bottom for a reason. We are making process it's just slow. To lose by 6 goals to the Saints is a lot better than most sides have gone this year.
date='May 31 2009, 04:31 AM' post='233827']
That may be the only interesting post so far in this thread since the game ended. I'm not sure I agree that we "fundamentally" play negative football though. A phrase that's been creeping into footy since the WC vs Swans days is "You can't win a GF without a great defence." And the longer I go the more I think fixing your defenders FIRST is the best way to go. Then midfield, then polish it off with forwards. Could it be DB is doing this? Get the defenders all set up and working well, (which he has, to a large extent, done) then move into the midfield and recruit like a nutcase. Then look at your forwards and make sure it's not your running mids and flankers doing all the scoring work. We may be playing negatively right now, but that could just be part of the plan. Works well for Lyon and the Saints.
Someone has to cop it. PJ is still playing good footy, but is making errors. Simple as that. I think he's going to be ripe for a bit of a spray from DB. There is one criticism I'll agree with from this week and that's that his free kick tally is a slight concern. He's giving away more than he's getting. As it stands right now he's 3rd in the league for frees against, with 18. And he has 9 frees for. This isn't criminal, but it's an indicator that the footy department should have picked up on by now, and I'm sure if they're not addressing it now, they will be soon.
The best thing is, we know he can play better, and the problems are very fixable. What would be of greater concern would be if he wasn't getting it at all. Personally I reckon if he had 4-6 weeks where he stopped playing the footy he's been playing since the West Coast game, then have him take a spell and bring Spencer in (you'd assume he'd be right by then). As it stands right now, he's in the side for good reason.