Pennant - got the ball a lot today

[bigdave50uk]

Seemed very lightweight today. Kept either falling over, muscled off the ball or losing possession today.

 

Totally agree, when i watched him against psv I thought the same, i think he needs to do alot of work on his upper body strength

[SkippyjonJones]

i think he needs to do alot of work on his upper body strength

 

nah - that'll really f*** up his centrer of gravity...

[Guest snez1]

Pennant indeed had a lot fo the ball today.

 

Unfortunaly he did absaloutely f*** all with it, he was gash.

[Michael]

I wish Pennant would take corners instead of Gerrard. Gerrard running onto the ball from the edge of the box makes a lot more sense than Pennant hanging around on the far side waiting for an overhit ball.

[Ian Mc]

Thought he was always available for the ball as an outlet, and his presence kept cole from bombing forward. Unfortunately his final ball has to improve, which one would assume it will with good coaching etc. Decent display just frustrating that we ain't firing on all cylinders at the mo.

[RP]

Pennant was not in the game today.

 

Nor Bellamy.

[Maldini]

I really rate Pennant but he was awful today. The story of the game was that he had loads of possession but couldn't do anything with it.

[Guest Bernie]

Thought he was a good outlet today. Sure he didn't get much out of trying to take cole on the outside, but he was at the dentre of many of the good bits of build up play we had . Unlucky with some of Mike Riley's decisions. Certainly dwelt on the ball a little too long on occasion, but I wasn't as unimpressed as some of you. For me he is an improvement on playing Garcia out there for most gmaes, including the ones against big teams like chelsea.

[Maldini]

Thought he was always available for the ball as an outlet, and his presence kept cole from bombing forward. Unfortunately his final ball has to improve, which one would assume it will with good coaching etc. Decent display just frustrating that we ain't firing on all cylinders at the mo.

That's what was weird about his performance, he's a fantastic crosser of the ball, probably the best in the league. He had loads of chances to get the ball in today and only put in one or two half-decent chances.

[Bailo]

I thought Pennant was terrible today - and seems to tire badly in the final 20mins, done it today and on Tuesday. Odd, as he's always seemed reasonably fit before.

 

Also, Aurelio's decision-making is terrible, how many times does he have to smack the ball behind on the volley before he learns to cross it again?

[Tommy Cockles]

Just got back from the game.

 

Pennant did get a lot of the ball but his crossing wasn't up to it. A few times he seemed to slip just as he struck the ball which is either unlucky or careless.

 

He did some good things and its harsh to say he was crap. At the end of the day he was a Birmingham player, he's not going to be a world beater is he?

[Romario]

The whole plan today seemed to be to get the ball to Pennant ALL THE TIME. I think Bellamy would have done a better job out there today.

You'd swear Pennant was Figo in his pomp the amount of times we felt the need to get the ball to him all the time. He was really poor today.

[Chili Palmer]

The whole plan today seemed to be to get the ball to Pennant ALL THE TIME. I think Bellamy would have done a better job out there today.

You'd swear Pennant was Figo in his pomp the amount of times we felt the need to get the ball to him all the time. He was really poor today.

 

Rafas problem is the plan worked brilliantly excep Pennant did not deliver, I wonder how Stevie G would have got on with that amount of possesion

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

The whole plan today seemed to be to get the ball to Pennant ALL THE TIME.

 

Think that came about due to our lack of a similar option on the left flank. Pennant was carrying a big burden today and disappointed even if he may not have been as poor as some make out.

 

I would have loved to have seen a fit Harry Kewell on the left today.

[Falconhoof]

Pennant needs to have more confidence. Every time he got the ball with a chance to run at Ashley Cole he came inside and wasted his pass. He can do much better.

 

Bellamy was a luxury out there today.

[Romario]

Rafas problem is the plan worked brilliantly excep Pennant did not deliver, I wonder how Stevie G would have got on with that amount of possesion

I agree. I don't understand why he didn't change it around then. It wasn't working and the crap thing was as a team we looked completly void of other ideas. I don't see Bellamy as an out and out striker and his roll was made completly redundant lumping the ball into the box only for Carvalhio and Terry to meet it with ease time and time again.

 

Gerrard should have switched out right I think especially when they went down to 10.

[Guest sniffer]

I would have expected Pennant to have been subbed when Crouch came on. Bellamy should have been switched to the left, Gerrard onto the other side, leaving Crouch and Kuyt in the middle. I think Aurelio is too lightweight for the Premiership. Our cover is not as good as we first thought....

[Romario]

I would have expected Pennant to have been subbed when Crouch came on. Bellamy should have been switched to the left, Gerrard onto the other side, leaving Crouch and Kuyt in the middle. I think Aurelio is too lightweight for the Premiership. Our cover is not as good as we first thought....

Agreewith all that. Gerrard right Bellamy left both whipping in balls for Kuyt and Crouch. Still can't make up my mind about Aurelio. Think he'll be good cover for LB but I don't see him adding much to LM to be honest.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Gerrard was average, Xabi not even that good...

[Guest kring]

I thought he did ok today! At least we saw a lot more crosses coming from the right side.

[Guest Kev]

I thought he did ok today! At least we saw a lot more crosses coming from the right side.

 

I didn't think he was as bad as people are posting.

[Falconhoof]

I didn't think he was as bad as people are posting.

 

 

its not that he was bad in what he did, its just that tactically he was all wrong. Would it have been such a bad idea for him to try and run at their fullback from time to time ?

 

Maybe he's under orders from Rafa to cut inside every time, but we could have got a player like Malbranque or even Danny Murphy for that. The whole point about Pennant at birmingham was that he beat his man and got crosses into the box. Isn't that what we got him for ?

[Guest Kev]

its not that he was bad in what he did, its just that tactically he was all wrong. Would it have been such a bad idea for him to try and run at their fullback from time to time ?

 

Maybe he's under orders from Rafa to cut inside every time, but we could have got a player like Malbranque or even Danny Murphy for that. The whole point about Pennant at birmingham was that he beat his man and got crosses into the box. Isn't that what we got him for ?

 

He put a decent cross in for Crouch at the end that he totally f***ed up.

[Falconhoof]

One cross ?

 

Come on Kev, he had loads of opportunities to run at Cole.

[Guest soueyg]

We've missed the boat with Alves, that's all I can say.