Mogga clueless in Europe

Its not a gut wrench based on one game. Four defeats, a draw and a win is across 6 European games. Our great European home record (mainly CL too!) has been destroyed in a run of 2 defeats and a draw. I think after 6 pretty games with such poor results using many of the players who did so well in the CL over recent seasons suggests his tactics are dodgy. I was impressed at first but after the first couple of weeks of the season I think we now look to have moved backwards. I agree its a no win situation but for all but the megateams, playing tight and tactically has always been the only way in Europe.

 

Regurgitated *.

Yes he can and passed quite a bit further than that successfully more than a few times tonight.

Regardless, he doesn't possess the composure, creativity, attacking awareness even defensive ability/positioning to use up a jersey in CM.

He has quite an ambiguous role in the team. If N'guemo is the defensive one, what is Scott Brown?

 

I'm not happy with our European start but I just think it's a bit unfair to say he's clueless.

Since Mowbray was appointed I was looking forward to seeing how we would play but was concerned that he would be either unable or unwilling to give up on his footballing philosophy in order to get results.

Apart from Hapoel I don't think we've been that bad, we are obviously lacking in a few players mainly a creative midfielder I think he'll get it right, he just needs time (Celtic fans aren't exactly known for their patience but it's exactly what was going to be required when WGS left).

Strachan had a season of working with the players and getting his system in place before he was tested in Europe.

 

Its not about tonight alone. Four defeats, a draw and just one win in your first 6 European games is probably the worst run I can remember. That is a clear pattern. Home has been a fortress against the best teams in the world under MON and WGS. Mogga= 3 home games with 2 defeats and a draw. That is unheard of in years. That is a pattern. In the Europa he has a defeat and a draw for a record against far weaker teams than we have played in Europe most of the last 9 years. That is worrying. The last 6 European games have been a mighty step backwards.

 

6 games played in Europe under Tony Mowbray:

1. 0-1 v Dynamo Moscow.

We lost an early goal but Fortune'e missed two sitters that would have won the match.

2. 2-0 v Dynamo Moscow

Brilliant performance!

3. 0-2 v Arsenal

Beaten by a jammy deflection and an own goal.

4. 1-3 v Arsenal

Well beaten but still took a dive by a cheating * to get the ball rolling against us. Losing away to Arsenal is hardly an embarassment or unexpected anyway.

5. 1-2 v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Shocking performance. Both manager and players must take responsibility.

6. 1-1 v Rapid Vienna

A good performance. Only an individual abbheration by Stephen McManus stopped us winning the match.

So by my reckoning you could only point the finger at Tony Mowbray for 1 of these results. Meanwhile he should also GET a lot of credit for the way we played in Moscow. We played better that night than we EVER played away from home in Europe under Gordon Strachan.

All this crap about Mowbray being useless and clueless in Europe just seems like people looking for an excuse to have a go at him because they didn't want him to get the job in the first place.

 

Yes but Tony has a squad who have previously made CP a fortress over the past few years. Why can they suddenly not do it?

 

So much for being at the game, were u in the disabled section? you blind *!

Well maybe not McGeady but maloney stole the show down the left flank making chances, getting in a few shot for me that were very unlucky with the chance that was offside when it was clearly onside, hitting the post in the process and his passing game was very good too. So go get some eye surgery! Did u see anybody else do that apart from fox?

 

Only the results matter. The rest is just what ifs.

 

TM is obviously playing a different system, I'm not denying that, and I'm not denying that the results have been disappointing, what I'm saying is he should be given a chance to get his system right.

Apart from the Hapoel game our European performances haven't been that bad, give him a chance to get the mistakes ironed out before saying he's useless/clueless.

 

I think we may have a poor run in europe this year, mowbray may not understand what he has to do in order to win, he is naive in his tactics, hopefully he learns from it

 

So when Gary Caldwell made a * of it against Benfica and Barcelona that was Gordon Strachan's fault was it??

 

No need for that mate - he only asked you what McGeady and Brown did that was so brilliant.

 

We haven't got the quality to beat these teams easily we need a decent creative midfielder and a decent striker.

 

rapid where there for the taking in the second half but made the substitutes in the last 10 mins it was clear to me we needed the subs on around the 60-70 minute mark

 

But luck is not really luck unless you believe in magic. There is always a reason why someone succeeds and another fails. Mowbray simply does not recognise the need to guard the shaky and slow defense against classic European fast breaking. He doesnt want to sacrifice our style by sitting deeper but the price is lost goals. WGS played ridiculously defensively in Europe but it worked to a surprising degree. He knew we were weak and slow at the back and outclassed at passing in the CL so he won the only way we could - 11 man behind the ball for 80 minutes and then 10 minutes of attack when they were knackered. Those late goals were not luck. That was cynical realism and a long shot gameplan paying off. That said Rapid are no Barecelon or Milan and we could have won tonight. However we could have been about 3-0 down before we knew it too.

 

better edit that out/apologise ASAP mate or you might be ejected by the mods

 

the over reaction against mowbray is a * joke

 

I had an opinion and i wrote. I have right to Freedom of Speech under Article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights to say what I want so don't tell me there is no need!

 

Calm down, there was no need for you to be derogatory towards blind people with your comment.

Keep on topic.

 

I think TM is very naive at this level. Chopping and changing, the defence of all things, is a glaring error. The defence has to be the rock upon which a team builds. Dropping Loovens meant the loss of our most consistant defender, and the understanding that came with it, as it has been MONTHS since Heid and Mick regularly played CB together.

Brown was again a disappointment. What was needed was a disciplined performance in central midfield, yet too often he gave away possession and rash challenges.

I can't complain about the substitutions. He was going after the win, so the extra attackers was understandasble, even if it did raise a few eyebrows. The other point of conjecture was the defending at set pieces, with a string of players in a stright line. That was odd, ro say the least. Boruc would hardly have been filled with confidence.

We have won only once in Europe this season, and that was a last gasp effort by Sammy in Moscow. The bottom line is that there is no need to panic yet, but there is cause for concern. Hopefully TM is learning from his mistakes. Quickly.