Ryan Mason

[ShutUpPatrik]

One thing I like about this write up is the piece on movement ahead of the ball.

One of my biggest gripes with Poch, once the FBs fell off, was our lack of movement ahead of the ball, especially when around the box. So few overlapping runs.

City, Pool, and even Brighton (Potter, I always got your back) are movers. They don't let the defended keep an eye on you.

Whoever is the manager needs to get us moving in the final third in order to break down teams

Agreed.

People complain about our midfielders and full backs only passing sideways. But a big factor in that is that our attackers very rarely move into positions to receive the ball to begin with. They stand still and wait for it to come to them. Which forces the ball carrier to either attempt a risky pass resulting in a takeover, the ball carrier himself having to move with the ball which invites pressure. Or taking the safe option which is passing the ball sideways or backwards to at least retain possession.

The better our movement off the ball becomes, the better our movement with the ball will become as well.

 

[VonnegutBusy]

One thing I like about this write up is the piece on movement ahead of the ball.

One of my biggest gripes with Poch, once the FBs fell off, was our lack of movement ahead of the ball, especially when around the box. So few overlapping runs.

City, Pool, and even Brighton (Potter, I always got your back) are movers. They don't let the defended keep an eye on you.

Whoever is the manager needs to get us moving in the final third in order to break down teams

Agree this aspect of our game has been so shit for many years.

Don't really understand why Poch couldn't improve it.

 

[ShutUpPatrik]

Agree this aspect of our game has been so shit for many years.

Don't really understand why Poch couldn't improve it.

With Poch I think it also a bit of stylistic pride/stubbornness. He has always struck me as the "rather lose playing my way" type of guy. Which is great as long as the system as a whole works and it doesn't go off the boil like it did at the end with us.

He's already shopping for new fullbacks for PSG since he doesn't feel that the current ones can play as he wishes. Rather than adapting his play style a little bit.

 

[Cravenspurs]

Agree this aspect of our game has been so shit for many years.

Don't really understand why Poch couldn't improve it.

Once Walker left and Rose went out injured, the threat of width was gone. Poch , during that stretch of non stop scoring, relied heavily on width as his way of breaking the team down in the final third. Walker or Rose were overlapping non stop. Similar to what you see with Liverpool imo.

Agreed.

People complain about our midfielders and full backs only passing sideways. But a big factor in that is that our attackers very rarely move into positions to receive the ball to begin with. They stand still and wait for it to come to them. Which forces the ball carrier to either attempt a risky pass resulting in a takeover, the ball carrier himself having to move with the ball which invites pressure. Or taking the safe option which is passing the ball sideways or backwards to at least retain possession.

The better our movement off the ball becomes, the better our movement with the ball will become as well.

I think there are really two phases, the middle third and the final third.

The middle third, depending on how tightly compact the defense is, is where you can get away with less movement as you find the pocket. Watch City yesterday. They put Foden and co in the spaces and once they get the ball, it is turn and look up. This is what Dele and Eriksen did so well for us. In this portion of the buildup is where you get runners past those players in the hole. Where son and Dele made a lot of noise with Toby finding them.

Then you have the final third, where we struggled in the last year's of Poch and currently look clueless for the most part. This is the most compact third. This is where you need people moving at all times. Pep is amazing at getting his teams playing positionless ball in the final third.

 

[VirginiaSpur]

Reading that almost makes it sound like a good performance.

Ultimately we scraped over the line against a bad team with a 90 min penalty.

I don't remember too many chances from open play.

We obviously had the great Bale finish which came from good play from Ndombele and Son and a terrible decision from Lucas.
We then had the disallowed goal which was another good move and finally the penalty from the set piece.

It's not like we were slicing through Southampton.

I didn't feel they threatened our goal in large part to completely gassing after their first half efforts and Ings going off. But we also didn't just sit back, we were behind so we couldn't but then even when we equalised we went for the winner which I like to see.

The fact that it was against such a poor team makes me reticent to get too carried away but there were some positive signs in the 2nd half.

If we can lay a glove on City this weekend I'll be impressed.

Well that disallowed goal would count as one of the prettiest team goals you've seen lately, if it weren't for that numbskull Lucas and slightly overzealous VAR officiating. It was well worked. Great vision, movement, and passing from all involved.

 

[Juicy Sushi]

I want to see what Mason and Powell are able to train into these guys with a couple of weeks of work. Playing with more freedom is quite obvious, but our biggest problem right now is that even if we are able to retain the ball (which without Jose will be something we're permitted to do), the issue we had was an inability to use it to create space and overloads in the final third. If Ryan can get some fresh thinking into our guys on how to do that successfully, then we'll really have something.

 

[dmize1]

Reading that almost makes it sound like a good performance.

Ultimately we scraped over the line against a bad team with a 90 min penalty.

I don't remember too many chances from open play.

We obviously had the great Bale finish which came from good play from Ndombele and Son and a terrible decision from Lucas.
We then had the disallowed goal which was another good move and finally the penalty from the set piece.

It's not like we were slicing through Southampton.

I didn't feel they threatened our goal in large part to completely gassing after their first half efforts and Ings going off. But we also didn't just sit back, we were behind so we couldn't but then even when we equalised we went for the winner which I like to see.

The fact that it was against such a poor team makes me reticent to get too carried away but there were some positive signs in the 2nd half.

If we can lay a glove on City this weekend I'll be impressed.

What was the terrible decision from Lucas? He fired a hard shot that is most likely a goal if not blocked (by possibly a handball)? He had the best chance to shoot. What should he have done with the ball that Son laid off?

Also, we got the penalty because we were playing possession football in their end. We get corners and free kicks and things happen in the box when you do that.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

Experience, as in amount of years in a coaching role, to me, is bullshit.

What matters is: Does he have good ideas about how to play football? Does he have enough confidence in his ideas to stick by them when the going gets tough? Does he have the qualities necessary to have his players buy into the ideas and to go along with them? And does he have the man management abilities necessary to keep the players acting disciplined and professional, and the stones to deal with those who do not?

Many great managers were great in their early years. Nagelsmann is one obvious example. Solskjær had his best results in his early years in Molde. Mourinho was fantastisc as a young manager, but horrible now.

It can be a huge benefit to be young, to be "inexperienced". Youth often comes with a fresh outlook, with fresh ideas, and with confidence and positive energy. Experience may be negative, like Mourinho's experience from his last three or four gigs.

With what Mason has gone through, he may have more life experience than most managers. He was hospitalised, near death, and had to fight hard to get back to what he loved. That experience may be worth way more than 5 or 10 years as a U23 coach or as an assistant manager or as a manager for a lower league team.

The results the rest of the season should not decide his future. But rather how he works, how he affects the players, which ideas he brings forwards, and if the players seem to respond well to him and respect him.

I cheer for him and hope he succeeds. If he does, I certainly hope Levy is willing to give him a proper chance.

When he's not kicking their heads in public to deviate himself from blame........
= Mourinho trying to relate to his young teams.........

 

[Cravenspurs]

People shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume inexperience means a lack of ability.

Look at me, I have plenty of experience in the sheets, but I am still a one-minute man. One does not necessarily lead to another.

 

[Allejo10]

Your player assessment has been in tatters for ages now.

Your backing of the wrong manager is now in tatters.

And here you are building a strawman argument that doesn't even exist. No one, absolutely no one thinks that was "free-flowing football" and that the "shackles are off".

People did enjoy the win though because:
1. We won (something rarely seen under the Chav King cunt)
2. We won from a losing position (the first time this season)
3. We won by having possession of the ball (almost never seen)
4. We won by having more territory than our opponent (almost never seen)
5. We won by having more shots than our opponent!!!!!! Yes!! WE OUTSHOT OUR OPPONENT!!
6. We won with a goal scored by a Jose ostracized player
7. We won by trying to attack after a VAR decision went against us (unlike under the dinosaur)
8. We won by actually controlling an entire half of football
9. We won by not sitting back into a low-block
10. We won without relying on Kane
11. We won with an ex-academy player in his 1st ever managerial game who had 1 training session to address the absolute cluster fuck left behind by the dinosaur. For fans they like this, it feels good. A win under the Dinosaur rarely felt good.

Your delusion towards the dinosaur is the only embarrassing thing that's on view here.

This game was our best this year, not even close, and best than 95% of Mourinhos's games probably. Fresh blood and fresh ideas, dinosaur is done.

 

[Ed Vanderlay]

People shouldn't jump to conclusions and assume inexperience means a lack of ability.

Look at me, I have plenty of experience in the sheets, but I am still a one-minute man. One does not necessarily lead to another.

But what a minute , not that I know personally I must point out

 

[Yorkshire Yid]

Reading that almost makes it sound like a good performance.

Ultimately we scraped over the line against a bad team with a 90 min penalty.

I don't remember too many chances from open play.

We obviously had the great Bale finish which came from good play from Ndombele and Son and a terrible decision from Lucas.
We then had the disallowed goal which was another good move and finally the penalty from the set piece.

It's not like we were slicing through Southampton.

I didn't feel they threatened our goal in large part to completely gassing after their first half efforts and Ings going off. But we also didn't just sit back, we were behind so we couldn't but then even when we equalised we went for the winner which I like to see.

The fact that it was against such a poor team makes me reticent to get too carried away but there were some positive signs in the 2nd half.

If we can lay a glove on City this weekend I'll be impressed.

Second half there was 3 or 4 half chances that should have been done better with also. Saints where sat very deep and made it hard for us as well

My take was first half was shocking but once ings went off and saints tried there was only one result I could see second half

It wasn't amazing but it was the best we played for about 4 months either way

 

[Cravenspurs]

But what a minute , not that I know personally I must point out

Ed...stoooooopppppp. We were in my VantoLay the other day...don't be shy.

 

[iz futbal]

What if we win every game?

If we beat City and leicester or have really good games in them while being generally good in the rest then why not let him continue. However if we beat all the shit teams but struggle badly in against any decent teams that would just be due to a new manager bounce which will wear off.

 

[VonnegutBusy]

Second half there was 3 or 4 half chances that should have been done better with also. Saints where sat very deep and made it hard for us as well

My take was first half was shocking but once ings went off and saints tried there was only one result I could see second half

It wasn't amazing but it was the best we played for about 4 months either way

Think we played better during that run where Bale was playing well.

Burnley 4-0, Palace 4-1.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

If we beat City and leicester or have really good games in them while being generally good in the rest then why not let him continue. However if we beat all the shit teams but struggle badly in against any decent teams that would just be due to a new manager bounce which will wear off.

New manager bounce is pretty much a myth when viewed across all clubs. Also, its definition is so loose, when do you stop measuring the manager as "new" (3, 10, 50 games)? And within those early games what if he losses the first 10 but then wins the next 50?

This is a very detailed piece on it, pulling together other peoples work on the subject (perhaps the best work done is Kapur in his book Soccernomics), warning it quickly becomes a bit of a yawn: Is the 'new manager bounce' really all a myth?

 

[VonnegutBusy]

What was the terrible decision from Lucas? He fired a hard shot that is most likely a goal if not blocked (by possibly a handball)? He had the best chance to shoot. What should he have done with the ball that Son laid off?

Also, we got the penalty because we were playing possession football in their end. We get corners and free kicks and things happen in the box when you do that.

If he had awareness he lays that off to Bale for a simple finish.

For all his qualities, awareness is not one of them.

 

[peter merison]

I am not exaggerating when I say this but today has shown me Mason has a future as a manager (here or somewhere else).

He prioritises keeping possession over everything and that was clear. Lucas playing centrally didn't really work but his dribbling attributes allows us to have more possession. The Winks sub was a brilliant sub that literally nobody would have done in the position we were in imo. Picking him to come on over more attacking players allowed us to recycle the ball quicker and keep hold of the ball. Bergwijn and Lamela over Dele or Vinny ...same thing...hold ball or dribble ball thus keeping hold of the ball.


Will it always work? of course not but I really liked that he had a clear plan and stuck to it. Didn't panic, didn't change things around, just kept it how he wanted us to play.

More than anything , even when we went behind we/I didnt give up. For the first time in 17 months I honestly thought we would get something out of the game not just get wiped out and give up.

 

[iz futbal]

New manager bounce is pretty much a myth when viewed across all clubs. Also, its definition is so loose, when do you stop measuring the manager as "new" (3, 10, 50 games)? And within those early games what if he losses the first 10 but then wins the next 50?

This is a very detailed piece on it, pulling together other peoples work on the subject (perhaps the best work done is Kapur in his book Soccernomics), warning it quickly becomes a bit of a yawn: Is the 'new manager bounce' really all a myth?

When things are going really terribly at a club, an introduction of a new manager has given bounces many times. Even at spurs very very recently avb to sherwood, huge bounce. Poch to Mourinho , another big bounce. 12 league games 14 points for poch (11 from the previous 12) . With Mourinhos first 12 games we got 27 points beating leicester and chelsea. More than twice the rate of points per game. That wasnt due to some great management, it was the new manager bounce.

Now Mourinho to Mason should hopefully see one too. Just something different from the same old ways where we were always dropping points should help a bit. It also happens when players that are frozen out start getting involved more and try harder for the new manager. Like Adebayor from AVB to Sherwood and now probably Bale/Dele might do something similar.

 

[Bazali]

Someone took the time to do a tactical analyses of Mason's first game. A fair description of events I feel.

Best thing about it for me was the real improvement in the second half!