The End Justifies The Means?

[Nebraska Red]

A strange team selection by the manager is rewarded with a scrappy 1-0 win.

 

Rafa's possible plan to "rest" some regulars worked out well in the end.

 

It will be interesting to see the line up for our next few games, is he saving Agger and Skrtel for Liege and planning to give N'Gog a game?

[MFletcher]

I thought the decision to play Hyypia was because Skrtel was only coming back from injury and Agger had an extremely trying game against Liege in his first competitive match for 11 months.

 

It's not as if Hyypia is a reserve either, he had a very good game.

[Nebraska Red]

the problem for me is tha twith Carra and Hyppia, you have very little speed at the back and almost no composure on the ball.

 

playing Plessis , Kuyt and Benayoun together was a bit strange, but it worked out well thanks to "the right foot".

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

Try to sell Xabi all summer, play Xabi in Europe on wednesday, cup tie him, THEN rest/drop him today. Bizarre.

 

Where the hell was Agger.

[Redwire]

Try to sell Xabi all summer, play Xabi in Europe on wednesday, cup tie him, THEN rest/drop him today. Bizarre.

 

Where the hell was Agger.

 

Rafa said that Alonso had a dead leg which is why he didn't start him.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

Rafa said that Alonso had a dead leg which is why he didn't start him.

 

Same dead leg Torres had when he came off against Chelsea in the semi?

[Tones]

Try to sell Xabi all summer, play Xabi in Europe on wednesday, cup tie him, THEN rest/drop him today. Bizarre.

 

Where the hell was Agger.

 

We had to play him in europe as we were so short of midfielders and cannot afford to go out of the CL. The cost of that would be much more than any drop in Xabis fee now. He was either injured today or he just isnt in the managers plans IF he has fallen behind Plessis. Dont see any problem with that.

[Archangel]

Try to sell Xabi all summer, play Xabi in Europe on wednesday, cup tie him, THEN rest/drop him today. Bizarre.

 

Where the hell was Agger.

 

The relationship with Alonso is certainly puzzling, Benitez says he is happy with him but then acts like he is surplus to requirement. Not at all disimilar to the treatment of Peter Crouch last season

[Rimbeux]

Same dead leg Torres had when he came off against Chelsea in the semi?

 

Do f*** off with that, it's been common knowledge Alonso was struggling to play for two days, or do you really think the manager invented both instances of injury to cover the fact he does it on horoscopes.

 

Also what is the issue with Hyypia? Agger looked out on his feet for much of Wednesday, he's been out a good few months, nearly a year, and there is no need to push him beyond what he can muster.

[Guest JV]

Playing Sami made sense. Sunderland were obviously going to hoof it at every opportunity and they did not disappoint.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

Do f*** off with that, it's been common knowledge Alonso was struggling to play for two days, or do you really think the manager invented both instances of injury to cover the fact he does it on horoscopes.

 

Also what is the issue with Hyypia? Agger looked out on his feet for much of Wednesday, he's been out a good few months, nearly a year, and there is no need to push him beyond what he can muster.

 

No issue with Hyypia.

 

When did I mention Hyypia. Come on tell me. When did I mention Hyypia, besides right now. Tell me, eh?

[Rimbeux]

No issue with Hyypia.

 

When did I mention Hyypia. Come on tell me. When did I mention Hyypia, besides right now. Tell me, eh?

 

 

Whatever, look harder

Edited August 16, 2008 by Rimbeux

[Stevie H]

in football the end always justifies the means. duh.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

Whatever, look harder

[alias75]

Playing Sami was a smart move on the weekend but i think we need to get Agger back into the team ASAP simply because of his ability to carry the ball, we need that especially at home where he can give us that extra man in midfield.

 

Im not sure if Babel is available for the next game but we badly need another left footer in the team just to give us that balance we're lacking at the moment.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

How dare you suggest Agger should play. According to Rimbeux, its August and therefore Agger should be rested.

[Rimbeux]

How dare you suggest Agger should play. According to Rimbeux, its August and therefore Agger should be rested.

 

 

I see your great knowledge of fitness comes to the fore here. For the game we just played, which was for points btw not a pre season game, we picked a guy who was fully fit and up to the job in hand

[Spion kop]

More rotation b******s.

[sutty]

I thought Sami came in becausde Sunderland's best chance of a goal was a set piece and he's our best defender of set pieces.

[Eiler99]

I blame rotation for the win.

[Bigal]

3 points, all that matters.

[Hassony]

I blame rotation for the win.

 

I blame zonal marking, look at united, they never concede from set pieces

[JRC]

There's been talk of 'Winning ugly' or 'Winning when you don't play well', but there's more to it than that. In terms of attitude and approach, I was highly encouraged on Saturday.

 

Sunderland - who will have a better Home record this year than last, which wasn't awful either - came out of the blocks, and we were sloppy and a bit nervy..BUT despite not playing well - in a slick, attractive kind of way - we managed to effectively impose ourselves on them bit by bit. Torres and Keane weren't really getting a sniff, but we didn't panic, and the rest of the team went about their jobs and from half an hour in made sure that they didn't do much (all their chances came from broken play that fell nicely for them), and that we gradually got more and more on top. That we have the kind of matchwinner in Torres who can take advantage of that control is the icing on the cake, but that's what top players at top teams do.

 

It's not that we didn't play well but fluked a winner against the run of play, it's that we went about the situation in a professional and patient and effective manner. We will play worse - or uglier - and win, and we will play better and not win. But if every time we are in a similar game situation as on Saturday we work our way round to pushing the other team backwards and creating some chances, we will do alright, and maybe convert more of those pesky draws into wins.

[Guest GrandpaSimpson]

I see your great knowledge of fitness comes to the fore here. For the game we just played, which was for points btw not a pre season game, we picked a guy who was fully fit and up to the job in hand

 

 

Only way Agger is going to get fit is by playing games. HTH.

[richwilks]

 

Only way Agger is going to get fit is by playing games. HTH.

 

 

I think the club have started doing some training in between games as well now. That may help him get fit