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Defense???

I'm just curious, like.
And its a question I've been asking almost since his first game he played for us,...although I didn't ask so publicly until I'd given him a six-game bedding in period.

Last week I said after the Birmingham game that that was the first decent defensive performance I could recall him giving for us, although I should have expressed the caveat that it had to be put in the context of the quality of the opponent.

This guy was England's first choice left back a few short years ago, ferChrissakes!!.
Now if Capello was posed the question about Bridge's chances of making the World Cup squad his laugh would speak volumes.

I can appreciate what Mark Hughes has wanted to do with this set-up,....and why for so much of the season he's preferred the Barry - De Jong starting lineup in midfield.

But he really needs to sort out the shambles that is our defence.

When I said throughout pre-season that Hughes needs to sort out our full backs, not our central defense, I was met by howls of abuse from the usual suspects.
I questioned the replacement of Richard Dunne by Jolien Lescott not because he's Irish as a vocal minority here insisted, but because I didn't rate Lescott as a centre back.
Whatever chance Lescott has of settling down into the left-sided centre back position are not being helped by the awfulness of Bridge's defending.

Burnley, on today's evidence are, at best, a good Championship side.

The decent Premier League teams must have been splitting their sides laughing at how they can exploit us, on today's evidence

Hughes, sort it out, NOW!

Your job could depend on it!

The Original Special One wrote:Defense???

I'm just curious, like.
And its a question I've been asking almost since his first game he played for us,...although I didn't ask so publicly until I'd given him a six-game bedding in period.

Last week I said after the Birmingham game that that was the first decent defensive performance I could recall him giving for us, although I should have expressed the caveat that it had to be put in the context of the quality of the opponent.

This guy was England's first choice left back a few short years ago, ferChrissakes!!.
Now if Capello was posed the question about Bridge's chances of making the World Cup squad his laugh would speak volumes.

I can appreciate what Mark Hughes has wanted to do with this set-up,....and why for so much of the season he's preferred the Barry - De Jong starting lineup in midfield.

But he really needs to sort out the shambles that is our defence.

When I said throughout pre-season that Hughes needs to sort out our full backs, not our central defense, I was met by howls of abuse from the usual suspects.
I questioned the replacement of Richard Dunne by Jolien Lescott not because he's Irish as a vocal minority here insisted, but because I didn't rate Lescott as a centre back.
Whatever chance Lescott has of settling down into the left-sided centre back position are not being helped by the awfulness of Bridge's defending.

Burnley, on today's evidence are, at best, a good Championship side.

The decent Premier League teams must have been splitting their sides laughing at how they can exploit us, on today's evidence

Hughes, sort it out, NOW!

Your job could depend on it!

Sums it up.

I have no idea how Bridge gets anywhere near the first team set-up!!.........he turned his back on the ball today, which is something a kid of 8 is told never to do!, yet this pillock earns a living from a game he cannot play to save his life, his skill on the ball is NIL, his passing ability is garbage at best and his heading and reading of a situation is comical.

He is a full back who never puts a tackle in, and that must have been the reason why ALL Burnley's good moves and attacks in the game came down his side of the pitch, they soon realised they were only getting short-change out of Zabaleta who was being forceful in the challenge and putting himself about and also using his head to get it up and see who was available to pass to before doing so, Bridge and Barry just passed today with their eyes focused on the grass and their feet.....half of their passes were to people already marked.

Performance was pure garbage and as I have stated many times before, TIME IS UP on Hughes, he is a dead man mumbling, with no idea about how to organise the defence, team or players to perform to their maximum.

Robinho_Is_GOD wrote:I have no idea how Bridge gets anywhere near the first team set-up!!.........he turned his back on the ball today, which is something a kid of 8 is told never to do!, yet this pillock earns a living from a game he cannot play to save his life, his skill on the ball is NIL, his passing ability is garbage at best and his heading and reading of a situation is comical.

He is a full back who never puts a tackle in, and that must have been the reason why ALL Burnley's good moves and attacks in the game came down his side of the pitch, they soon realised they were only getting short-change out of Zabaleta who was being forceful in the challenge and putting himself about and also using his head to get it up and see who was available to pass to before doing so, Bridge and Barry just passed today with their eyes focused on the grass and their feet.....half of their passes were to people already marked.

Performance was pure garbage and as I have stated many times before, TIME IS UP on Hughes, he is a dead man mumbling, with no idea about how to organise the defence, team or players to perform to their maximum.

It was interesting to compare Bridge's performance with that of Stephen Jordan, his counterpart on the Burnley team, whose commitment today seemed to be an attempt to prove a point that we were wrong to let him go.
We weren't, and Mark Hughes should remember that it was because of his performance against Hughes Blackburn that we finally decided he wasn't up to scratch.
Stuart Pearce was ruthless with Jordan then.
And he was right to be

Its about time Hughes got ruthless, even if it means writing off expensve transfer mistakes

The Original Special One wrote:

Robinho_Is_GOD wrote:I have no idea how Bridge gets anywhere near the first team set-up!!.........he turned his back on the ball today, which is something a kid of 8 is told never to do!, yet this pillock earns a living from a game he cannot play to save his life, his skill on the ball is NIL, his passing ability is garbage at best and his heading and reading of a situation is comical.

He is a full back who never puts a tackle in, and that must have been the reason why ALL Burnley's good moves and attacks in the game came down his side of the pitch, they soon realised they were only getting short-change out of Zabaleta who was being forceful in the challenge and putting himself about and also using his head to get it up and see who was available to pass to before doing so, Bridge and Barry just passed today with their eyes focused on the grass and their feet.....half of their passes were to people already marked.

Performance was pure garbage and as I have stated many times before, TIME IS UP on Hughes, he is a dead man mumbling, with no idea about how to organise the defence, team or players to perform to their maximum.

It was interesting to compare Bridge's performance with that of Stephen Jordan, his counterpart on the Burnley team, whose commitment today seemed to be an attempt to prove a point that we were wrong to let him go.
We weren't, and Mark Hughes should remember that it was because of his performance against Hughes Blackburn that we finally decided he wasn't up to scratch.
Stuart Pearce was ruthless with Jordan then.
And he was right to be

Its about time Hughes got ruthless, even if it means writing off expensve transfer mistakes

That will get him sacked.

Robinho_Is_GOD wrote:I have no idea how Bridge gets anywhere near the first team set-up!!.........he turned his back on the ball today, which is something a kid of 8 is told never to do!, yet this pillock earns a living from a game he cannot play to save his life, his skill on the ball is NIL, his passing ability is garbage at best and his heading and reading of a situation is comical.

He is a full back who never puts a tackle in, and that must have been the reason why ALL Burnley's good moves and attacks in the game came down his side of the pitch, they soon realised they were only getting short-change out of Zabaleta who was being forceful in the challenge and putting himself about and also using his head to get it up and see who was available to pass to before doing so, Bridge and Barry just passed today with their eyes focused on the grass and their feet.....half of their passes were to people already marked.

Performance was pure garbage and as I have stated many times before, TIME IS UP on Hughes, he is a dead man mumbling, with no idea about how to organise the defence, team or players to perform to their maximum.

You say that in every post, its real funny, because he isn't going anywhere....

I do think he was at fault for the last two games though, or at least played a big part in us not winning.

Vhero wrote:

The Original Special One wrote:

Robinho_Is_GOD wrote:I have no idea how Bridge gets anywhere near the first team set-up!!.........he turned his back on the ball today, which is something a kid of 8 is told never to do!, yet this pillock earns a living from a game he cannot play to save his life, his skill on the ball is NIL, his passing ability is garbage at best and his heading and reading of a situation is comical.

He is a full back who never puts a tackle in, and that must have been the reason why ALL Burnley's good moves and attacks in the game came down his side of the pitch, they soon realised they were only getting short-change out of Zabaleta who was being forceful in the challenge and putting himself about and also using his head to get it up and see who was available to pass to before doing so, Bridge and Barry just passed today with their eyes focused on the grass and their feet.....half of their passes were to people already marked.

Performance was pure garbage and as I have stated many times before, TIME IS UP on Hughes, he is a dead man mumbling, with no idea about how to organise the defence, team or players to perform to their maximum.

It was interesting to compare Bridge's performance with that of Stephen Jordan, his counterpart on the Burnley team, whose commitment today seemed to be an attempt to prove a point that we were wrong to let him go.
We weren't, and Mark Hughes should remember that it was because of his performance against Hughes Blackburn that we finally decided he wasn't up to scratch.
Stuart Pearce was ruthless with Jordan then.
And he was right to be

Its about time Hughes got ruthless, even if it means writing off expensve transfer mistakes

That will get him sacked.

what will get him sacked?

We simply wont get anywhere with this clown at left back, end of!

Petrov's Left Foot wrote:We simply wont get anywhere with this clown at left back, end of!

I'm just waiting to see will Hughes be as ruthless with Bridge as Pearce was with Jordan.

There were signs in the second half that Bridge had to be given instructions from the sideline to hold his defensive position and not to be haring forward.
But that still didn't stop him being stranded in no-man's land for their third goal.

Garrido must be wondering where did it all go wrong.
He actually had been showing improvement in his defensive qualities where I would probably rank him ahead of Bridge
Although unfortunately his self-confidence is probably all shot to pieces.

Overall Bridge has been the best out of the back four this season.

From my vantage point in the SS he was as gutted as the rest of us when they got the third.

Give the guy a break I was /am not his biggest fan but last season he was perhaps 'rusty' and he has done very well this season, he's now fit and trying to forge a relationship with a dodgy back four.

yes

blue b4 the moon wrote:Overall Bridge has been the best out of the back four this season.

From my vantage point in the SS he was as gutted as the rest of us when they got the third.

Give the guy a break I was /am not his biggest fan but last season he was perhaps 'rusty' and he has done very well this season, he's now fit and trying to forge a relationship with a dodgy back four.

Sorry pal he is a liability

Goal One: Lescott is obviously to blame, but why was he covering the LEFT back position in the first place? Bridge was too slow covering a ball into his channel, and went inside to cover a run into the Centre back position...OK good awareness.

Goal Two: When Barry brought the ball out of the area the following players were behind Bridge....Given, Lescott, Zabaletta, Toure, Adebayor, Ireland, plus Barry....7 Players

When Burnley won the ball, Bridge was ahead of Bellamy and SWP, meaning we effectively had a LEFT-back as the second striker!!!!! that makes 9 Players behind him when they win the ball

It's not rocket science....he doesn't get paid £80K a week to play jumpers for goalposts stuff. HE GETS PAID TO FUCKING DEFEND.

Goal Three: Ball forward bounces off the Burnley player. Bridge then opts not to put a challenge in when looking at the player with ball, & under two yards away, before seeing the cross to Fletcher. Even at this point having looked at the cross, he WALKS....not RUNS back into the area. I'd also blame the central defenders for not covering the run from McDonald, but especially Zabaletta who should have been much deeper to cover Fletcher (?) on that RIGHT hand side.

OK I've had the benefit of looking at Football first, but the facts remain the same, everything came from THEIR right side today.

In addition to the above, just before halftime, Bridge came out of the area with the ball lost it around Midfield and WALKED BACK. Barry was five Yards ahead of Bridge and had to sprint back to cover his channel. Added to this how often is Bridge in line with the two strikers & Stephen Ireland hugging the touchline? Go through the tape and count!! HE IS ALWAYS WAY OUT OF POSITION GIVING HIMSELF A LOT, OR TOO MUCH TO DO.

There seems to be mass confusion at times with Ireland bickering with Lescott & Toure, or certainly telling them what to do. I for one cannot wait to get Onouha back and shift Lescott to left back. I thought Lescott was better today, but still shakey in the air at times.

As for Bridge, and I hope you read this sunshine...GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, HAVE A WORD WITH YOURSELF...YOU ARE A LIABILITY AND YOU COST US AT LEAST TWO GOALS, and and additional TWO POINTS TODAY.

Rant over...And Embarrased by Socrates...but I'm right!

Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Socrates wrote:Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Is that aimed at me Socrates or chaps in general? (I know what you're getting at now....I'm in 110 so he's on the RHS as I'm looking at the team. Apologies Wayne, I hold my hands up....no pun intended!

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Is that aimed at me Socrates or chaps in general?

it's that avatar mate, must be confusing - bet you get east and west mixed up as well :P)

Socrates wrote:

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Is that aimed at me Socrates or chaps in general?

it's that avatar mate, must be confusing - bet you get east and west mixed up as well :P)

=:-) ....see above thousands don't believe me tho'!...it is the Burnley RHS

Maybe Hughes tells the full backs to push up at every opportunity, and he just took it a bit too literally

No coincidence our left backs and right backs seem to be having a nightmare in the side at the moment.

I think the whole back 4 are struggling badly and we need a top class defensive coach to sort it out.

CITYTILLIDIE11 wrote:Maybe Hughes tells the full backs to push up at every opportunity, and he just took it a bit too literally

No coincidence our left backs and right backs seem to be having a nightmare in the side at the moment.

I think the whole back 4 are struggling badly and we need a top class defensive coach to sort it out.

Here Here Sir!

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Is that aimed at me Socrates or chaps in general?

it's that avatar mate, must be confusing - bet you get east and west mixed up as well :P)

=:-) ....see above thousands don't believe me tho'!...it is the Burnley RHS

haha sorry for pointing it out, you handled it with class though so much respect...

Socrates wrote:

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:

Manx Blue wrote:

Socrates wrote:Maybe if you don't even know what position he was playing you should be slower to criticise?

Is that aimed at me Socrates or chaps in general?

it's that avatar mate, must be confusing - bet you get east and west mixed up as well :P)

=:-) ....see above thousands don't believe me tho'!...it is the Burnley RHS

haha sorry for pointing it out, you handled it with class though so much respect...

Well thank you for those kind words, completely discombobulated Manx