Draw for the CL

[Super_Ally 0]

Walter will have to improve our overall performance, there is not a lot in our past form in CL to suggest real hope, other than it's 11 v 11 and anything can happen, but usually it would appear it happens to us. Smith should just go at this group, his past attempts at holding onto the point we started with have been abject failures, get right intae them...

 

Smiths recent record in Europe.

 

SMITH'S EURO RECORD SINCE 2007

30 games in Uefa Cup and Champions League

9 wins (including penalty shoot-out win over Fiorentina)

11 defeats

10 draws

 

53 points dropped from a possible 90 points, points accrued 37

 

Probably needs updated after 13/12/09, but it only makes it worse.

 

The Manchester season compared to last seasons effort shows the main thrust of your argument in this post to be pish. Only surpassed by Totti trotting out the nonsensical argument about not trying to win the Uefa Cup final. Anyone who believes that must be a simpleton. Our best chance of beating Zenit, a team who lets not forget absolutely horsed Bayern Munich when the Germans tried to attack them, was to stick to the tactics that got us to the final. Merely going on kamikaze attacking mode because we were in a final made no sense before the game nor in hindsight and how anyone can argue any different is frankly astonishing.

[Guest Northampton_loyalist]

We tried, by Smith's own admission, to play a more attacking game in Europe last season. We also got horsed in pretty much every game.

 

We have a group of players who play football well in a certain way. The way they play well is not all out attack, it is counter attacking play. To suggest that we should 'just go for it' against teams with the quality of Manure, Valencia and the champions of turkey is absolutely crazy. The amazing thing is, the people demanding some attacking formation will without doubt be the first using the innevitable horsings as some stick to beat Smith with.

[wabashcannonball 0]

The Manchester season compared to last seasons effort shows the main thrust of your argument in this post to be pish. Only surpassed by Totti trotting out the nonsensical argument about not trying to win the Uefa Cup final. Anyone who believes that must be a simpleton. Our best chance of beating Zenit, a team who lets not forget absolutely horsed Bayern Munich when the Germans tried to attack them, was to stick to the tactics that got us to the final. Merely going on kamikaze attacking mode because we were in a final made no sense before the game nor in hindsight and how anyone can argue any different is frankly astonishing.

 

 

There are many simpletons in the world, you must have missed our team going backwards faster than an Italian tank, in Manchester.

 

Walter Smith is tactically inept, as has been pointed out by more people than I, as for pish I will concede that you have no equal in that department.

[maineflyer 0]

There are many simpletons in the world, you must have missed our team going backwards faster than an Italian tank, in Manchester.

 

Walter Smith is tactically inept, as has been pointed out by more people than I, as for pish I will concede that you have no equal in that department.

 

Manchester was the ultimate example of a manager refusing to acknowledge the opportunity in front of him. People can defend him all they like but I reckon Walter will regret his approach to that final for the rest of his days - he got it badly wrong, that's all. Everyone does at some point and Manchester was Walter's great missed opportunity.

 

I wouldn't say Walter is tactically inept. He's just quite limited in certain circumstances and Europe has always looked a step too far for him. There's no shame in it, everyone has their boundaries.

[Guest Northampton_loyalist]

Manchester was the ultimate example of a manager refusing to acknowledge the opportunity in front of him. People can defend him all they like but I reckon Walter will regret his approach to that final for the rest of his days - he got it badly wrong, that's all. Everyone does at some point and Manchester was Walter's great missed opportunity.

 

I wouldn't say Walter is tactically inept. He's just quite limited in certain circumstances and Europe has always looked a step too far for him. There's no shame in it, everyone has their boundaries.

 

If we had gone at them in manchester we would have taken a doing. On the other hand, playing it the way we did, we had a glorious chance to score before the game was beyond us. his tactics got us there and they were not a million miles away on the night. Every manager of a losing side will wish he did something different, I am sure Smith will wish he had done something different. That doesnt change the fact that we approached the game in the manner most likely to produce a result.

[craig 5,199]

You have to be shitting me MF.... you just made two posts 12 minutes apart and the former says "Walter Smith is tactically inept" whilst the latter says "I wouldnt say Walter is tactically inept".

 

Which is it to be ?

 

Yes, I am :fish: - perhaps you are too - but that was funny to see polar opposites one post after another from the same person.

 

Unless of course in one post you are referring to Europe whilst in the other you refer to domestic football.

 

Seriously though - we havent actually had many managers who have proven themselves to be tactically adept in European football in the last 40 years as it is. It isnt as if we have been some European powerhouse continually making the latter stages of tournaments - so why is it that we choose to beat Walter with that stick more than many others ?

 

Walter has gotten us to a European final and a hairs breadth on one other occasion. That isnt too shabby all things considered - there arent that many coaches who boast that kind of record and when you consider he has done it from the Scottish backwaters it is decent enough.

 

Perhaps Walter takes a beating because as well as those couple of very good showings there have, undoubtedly been some horror showings. But, again, he isnt alone there either.

[Super_Ally 0]

There are many simpletons in the world, you must have missed our team going backwards faster than an Italian tank, in Manchester.

 

That sentence doesn't really make any logical sense much like your retorts to craig. Not nearly as smart as you liek to pretend.

 

Walter Smith is tactically inept, as has been pointed out by more people than I, as for pish I will concede that you have no equal in that department.

 

Walter Smith may well be tactically inept. But in the Manchester season he got his tactics spot on allowing him to take a team of limited players all the way to a European final beating several teams of better quality.

 

I may not have an equal in "pish", again a sentence you have used that makes little sense, but it is clear that you are by far my superior when it comes to pish.

 

I know you're fond of your cryptic nonsensical posts but you are on a run of epic failures and need to work much harder trying to be clever.

[maineflyer 0]

You have to be shitting me MF.... you just made two posts 12 minutes apart and the former says "Walter Smith is tactically inept" whilst the latter says "I wouldnt say Walter is tactically inept".

 

Which is it to be ?

 

Yes, I am :fish: - perhaps you are too - but that was funny to see polar opposites one post after another from the same person.

 

Unless of course in one post you are referring to Europe whilst in the other you refer to domestic football.

 

Seriously though - we havent actually had many managers who have proven themselves to be tactically adept in European football in the last 40 years as it is. It isnt as if we have been some European powerhouse continually making the latter stages of tournaments - so why is it that we choose to beat Walter with that stick more than many others ?

 

Walter has gotten us to a European final and a hairs breadth on one other occasion. That isnt too shabby all things considered - there arent that many coaches who boast that kind of record and when you consider he has done it from the Scottish backwaters it is decent enough.

 

Perhaps Walter takes a beating because as well as those couple of very good showings there have, undoubtedly been some horror showings. But, again, he isnt alone there either.

 

I realize you're prone to posting shite Craig but even by your standards this is a cracker. Show me where I called Walter tactically inept .... that's right, I didn't

[maineflyer 0]

If we had gone at them in manchester we would have taken a doing. On the other hand, playing it the way we did, we had a glorious chance to score before the game was beyond us. his tactics got us there and they were not a million miles away on the night. Every manager of a losing side will wish he did something different, I am sure Smith will wish he had done something different. That doesnt change the fact that we approached the game in the manner most likely to produce a result.

 

In case your memory is going, let me remind you we DID take a doing. In the process, whatever credit is due for getting us us there, we gave ourselves little or no chance of winning that game. Our fourth and by far the least ambitious final.

[Zappa 0]

I think the wanker emoticon should be removed from within people's uncontrolled grasp.