##Ronny
I’ve decided I want Ronny out.
I like the guy but we’re not developing under him. It takes a bit of time to get a team playing well and I’ve give him some excuse for our lethargic looking attacking in some games.
But there are two things that I just can’t accept:
- Tactical inflexibility - we always, always, always play the same system, which doesn’t even seem to to be the system he used in Norway.
Brown isn’t really a holding midfielder but we play him there. Bitton is one, but he’s better playing on his own line because he’s a bit too individualistic to partner Brown in screening the defence.
Our wide attackers aren’t particularly good and don’t offer us any defensive protection. We get destroyed in Europe for this reason, leaving full backs horribly exposed. We don’t even create much from these areas. Johansen was excellent centrally last year. Since his form has gone we have no recurring attacking threat outside the box - unless Forrest is having one of his rare days.
Griffiths has been a big success, but he’s not unlike Hooper in that he’s a good finisher who doesn’t offer much in general play and when he’s isolated, again in Europe usually, he looks lost. Hooper benefited from playing alongside Stokes or Samaras most of the time. Griffiths doesn’t ever get that help and looks really limited sometimes as a result. Lennon could be infuriating but he was adaptable.
2.The defence. Not much to be said here. We look awful in Europe, we look awful in Scotland. We have poor centre backs but we leave them exposed all the time, our full backs don’t cover well, our midfield doesn’t protect them and we get sucked towards the ball so often it’s unreal. And then the set pieces - well that’s just appalling.
##Alternatives
Steve Clarke?
Alex Neil?
I never thought I’d say this but bear with me - I think Harry Redknapp would be worth a look:
- plays good football
- decent in the transfer market (some of his famous failures were more about English media xenophobia than anything)
- track record is more than decent, even in Europe
