GON Half Time Team Talks

[Arky_R]

This has been touched on already but feel like it deserves its own thread.
Is there anything in it? Are we starting to see a pattern? Cunha particularly looked very upset against Liverpool possibly on his own performance.
You have to wonder whether GON can motivate, feels a long way from Nuno and his inspired second halves.

In three of the four games below we conceded within 10 mins of starting the second half.
Brighton obviously being the biggest fail then late goals in the other two (not included Everton as we didnt concede!)

Man Utd > 76' (1-0)
Brighton > 46' 51, 55' (4-1)
Crystal Palace > 56' 78' 84' (3-2)
Liverpool > 55' 85' 91' (3-1)

Maybe its not GON and its concentration levels are just as good as have been in the past.

Lets see what the next few games bring.

 

[Royal wolf]

If O’Neil was only giving half time team talks and not pre match there may be an argument. I’m not sure what the cause for our poor second half’s are but I doubt it’s the team talks. Maybe teams don’t know how we’re going to play (being under a new manager) and then react second half to nullify us? I don’t know

 

[Northampton_wolf]

If O’Neil was only giving half time team talks and not pre match there may be an argument. I’m not sure what the cause for our poor second half’s are but I doubt it’s the team talks. Maybe teams don’t know how we’re going to play (being under a new manager) and then react second half to nullify us? I don’t know

Fitness levels poor, can not run the same gut buster 45 into 90, you cant any game, need to manage this over 90.

But Gon seems to have poor in game maanagement and tactial tweaks, not acknowledging the changes that another manager actions, and then changing appropriately. Seems to sit open mouthed wondering whats going on

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

What would 90% of coaches say at half time in the Liverpool game?

Great half lads - keep it going


10% of coaches (the best ones) would think - what would I expect the oppo to do after that first half - and be ready for it.

Great Half lads - but we need to watch out for them doing this or that and here's what we do if they make those changes.....


We have a coach who sits in the first category.

Bruno Lage was exactly the same. Watch the vids all week, set up training sessions with how they'll come out against us and have a plan. Unfortunately other teams plans change.

JL was in the 10% category. He went on to beat Liverpool 3-0 in a similar position.

 

[Tarcisio Mifsud]

I agree that the fitness of our players towards the end of the matches is a big problem, and the coach should see why this is happening. Cannot be a coincidence that we lost 4 matches on the performances of the second half.

 

[The Clock]

"Max - is it two sugars?"

"Pedro - with milk or without?"

"Jose - Hobnob?"

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

I'm not questioning his ability to motivate the team. We come out like a train, the players give everything. The Brighton half time tunnel departure did raise a lot of questions. There's no way fitness will improve, we had a good pre-season with elite fitness coaching.

I think the key things are, he can't react when the opposition change (some of this is a lack of squad options) and we can't sustain the energy levels of the first half (because no team could).

 

[Minimalist]

This has been touched on already but feel like it deserves its own thread.

I’m not sure it does….

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

"Max - is it two sugars?"

"Pedro - with milk or without?"

"Jose - Hobnob?"

Sa - Blue Smarties

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

I agree that the fitness of our players towards the end of the matches is a big problem, and the coach should see why this is happening. Cannot be a coincidence that we lost 4 matches on the performances of the second half.

If Seb Coe ran a 1500m at world record pace, his last lap would be slower than in a conventional race.

It doesn't mean he's not fit.

These players are 5 games in from a preseason where we all applauded how fit JL had left them.

They haven't been lying on a beach since then. They've been training and playing matches.

It's not fitness. It's about flying around the pitch pressing like mad for 45 minutes (to likely paper over the cracks of inefficient set up, control and game management).

Trying to outwork Liverpool over 90 minutes as a tactic - good luck with that one.

 

[wolfgar]

I watched it on tele as I couldn't travel and I must admit I had a bad feeling right from the kickoff of the second half, as to my eye we visibly dropped back and invited them straight on. Klopp was probably overjoyed. Infact the commentators even referred to this happening as us probably wanting to wait and see what Liverpool would set up with their changes. Great side obvs, but we totally handed them all the initiative and we never really able to get out again after that, just pegged back most of the half and looked totally knackered. The goals were really just a matter of time to be honest? Did anyone feel shocked.

On another day we might have got desperately lucky and escaped with a draw or even a win had Liverpool finished like some of our players do, but that was never very likely. And all this after we'd had them on toast for 45 mins.

 

[those were the days]

Don’t think under-powered half-time team talks have that much to do with it although fits the narrative for some. Seems to me like GON has prepared the team reasonably for most games and plan works for first-half but then the opposition adjust at half-time and we struggle to respond both on the pitch and via sensible subs.

If you watch back the goals we’ve conceded a lot of them are down to extremely basic errors (defender getting dragged out of position or midfielder failing to track a runner). I think it’s more a case of elite managers (Ten Haag, Klopp, De Zerbi) with better players at their disposal seeing what adjustments need to be made to expose our weaknesses when we’re playing a higher line and pressing higher up the pitch. At the moment, we’re struggling to deal with pace and movement up front as well as running off the ball from midfield and we’re seeing a bunch of goals conceded that we’d v rarely see under a more ‘handbrakes on’ formation and a different manager like Nuno say.

 

[AndyY]

Don’t think under-powered half-time team talks have that much to do with it although fits the narrative for some. Seems to me like GON has prepared the team reasonably for most games and plan works for first-half but then the opposition adjust at half-time and we struggle to respond both on the pitch and via sensible subs.

If you watch back the goals we’ve conceded a lot of them are down to extremely basic errors (defender getting dragged out of position or midfielder failing to track a runner). I think it’s more a case of elite managers (Ten Haag, Klopp, De Zerbi) with better players at their disposal seeing what adjustments need to be made to expose our weaknesses when we’re playing a higher line and pressing higher up the pitch. At the moment, we’re struggling to deal with pace and movement up front as well as running off the ball from midfield and we’re seeing a bunch of goals conceded that we’d v rarely see under a more ‘handbrakes on’ formation and a different manager like Nuno say.

Good post. And that why we need to go 3/5 at the back to cover off those basic errors and cover off people being dragged out of position. If we have 3 at the back we can still press higher up the field but drop back to a 5 when under pressure in our half and cover each other.
We also have 2 very physical central midfielders who love tackling and breaking up play in Lemina and Gomes and they can both help out defensively from midfield as well as provide the launch pad for attacks via our quick players - Neto/ Hwang/ Cunha/ Bellgarde

 

[JohnB]

United - very unlucky second half; other 3 games - very poor second half.

For me part fitness (hence 5 goals conceded before 60 mins changes), part style (sitting deeper or not tracking back); part opposition change and adapt (manager vs manager).

I'd like to see a change at HT to give us renewed energy not wait until 60 mins. If Gomes and Lemina (or Hwang per Liverpool) are not fully fit then swap at least one at half-time where we've overworked in first half - still leaves us with 4 changes over 3 sub windows!

 

[glorybox]

What would 90% of coaches say at half time in the Liverpool game?

Great half lads - keep it going


10% of coaches (the best ones) would think - what would I expect the oppo to do after that first half - and be ready for it.

Great Half lads - but we need to watch out for them doing this or that and here's what we do if they make those changes.....


We have a coach who sits in the first category.

Bruno Lage was exactly the same. Watch the vids all week, set up training sessions with how they'll come out against us and have a plan. Unfortunately other teams plans change.

JL was in the 10% category. He went on to beat Liverpool 3-0 in a similar position.

Yes this was what i was saying after Saturday's match. Getting Lage-vibes, once the opposition change tactics he doesn't appear to have any way of dealing with it.

 

[Stourport wolf]

I think GON trys to look and act like Southgate in his interviews, but still lacks the experience to carry it off.

 

[geowolf]

In the first half we played a controlled game with phases of high intensity and phases of containment. It was great really – football that’s refreshing and exciting to watch at last. The second half message would be to begin with disciplined containment - accept a very good Liverpool team would go uber-attacking and work frenetically early on so we’d need to contain, MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS, take the oxygen out of the game and gradually re-establish our control. Didn’t work, I know, rubbish decision-making but we’re moving up the learning curve. See where we are with City.

 

[SheldonWolf]

Luton is now MASSIVE!

 

[MasWolf]

Without hearing any team talks, It's hard to say whether they make a massive difference to our team. Personally, I think the issue is that his staff/our staff aren't very good at keeping players fit. If you remember the Man Utd game, it was evident that JLo and his staff had our team in top condition. Not having that intensity over the last few weeks has seriously damaged the team's fitness.

 

[Sketchead]

Squad just isn't fit enough to go the distance, plus clearly a bit of lack in belief they can go and win games in the second half IMO. Playing second halves like a terrified relegation contender, which we are, with a lack of quality attacking options off the bench.

 

[Wall heath Wanderer]

I reckon his halftime talks ate along the lines of ..

"You all look tired after running around so much, so let's take a moment to relax, drink some herbal tea and listen to this soothing whale song compilation I just downloaded.
Now, you all look much calmer, let's go into this half with positive, calm, thoughts. If the opposition are bearing down on us amd applying too much pressure, remember to go to your safe place mentally, think of calm, clear, blue waves on a peaceful beach. Think of puppies and kittens and the gentle falling of snow flakes.
Calm, now breath".

 

[Wulve5]

Scout the world for young talent like Gomez and Gonzalez then get Gary O’Neil to manage them . Says all you need to know about the idiots running the show.

 

[MasWolf]

I reckon his halftime talks ate along the lines of ..

"You all look tired after running around so much, so let's take a moment to relax, drink some herbal tea and listen to this soothing whale song compilation I just downloaded.
Now, you all look much calmer, let's go into this half with positive, calm, thoughts. If the opposition are bearing down on us amd applying too much pressure, remember to go to your safe place mentally, think of calm, clear, blue waves on a peaceful beach. Think of puppies and kittens and the gentle falling of snow flakes.
Calm, now breath".

How did you know about Gary's obsession with whale music!? I bet you also know that he performs his own stuff live under his stage name Gary O'Whale.

 

[Aimless Balls]

“During the week I prepared us for the first half hour and now I’m out of ideas. I just turn up to matches for the free water. My advice is to do something in the 2nd half differently than you did in the first half hour, that stuff simply won’t work anymore. Then maybe change it again later, I don’t know. We’ll blindfold ourselves and pick subs at random. Could get lucky. Come on you Wolves and whatnot. Where’s me tablet.”

 

[those were the days]

Without hearing any team talks, It's hard to say whether they make a massive difference to our team. Personally, I think the issue is that his staff/our staff aren't very good at keeping players fit. If you remember the Man Utd game, it was evident that JLo and his staff had our team in top condition. Not having that intensity over the last few weeks has seriously damaged the team's fitness.

Also worth factoring in Liverpool could bring on Diaz, Nunes, Gravenberch, Konate and Elliott which isn’t really a weakening and arguably a strengthening! Our bench much weaker and it makes a difference especially in games that now regularly go past 100 minutes

 

[MasWolf]

Also worth factoring in Liverpool could bring on Diaz, Nunes, Gravenberch, Konate and Elliott which isn’t really a weakening and arguably a strengthening! Our bench much weaker and it makes a difference especially in games that now regularly go past 100 minutes

Yes, very true!

 

[Glow69]

We were ****ing **** the last 3 years in 2nd half's. Come out half ***** plenty of times last season second half and also closing the first half down and conceded just before half time was a great trait.

 

[SmiffyWolf]

I am not O'Neil biggest fan but we had similar results under lopetegui and Lage . Lopetegui organised our bunch better imo but I will be honest and say the players are not good enough imo.

Pep comes in wont turn Sa into a world class keeper , or add pace and positional awareness to Dawson and Kilman , get Fabio and Cunha to start scoring goals .

Been realistic the majority of duds we have purchased is why we are where we are in the league .

Shi and Hobbs imo are not doing their jobs very well . Yes they might have their hands tide by Fosun but to appoint O'Neil and not sign a striker in the summer is laughable.

 

[Tarcisio Mifsud]

The logic is clear. Wolves conceeded 10 out of the 11 goals against in the second half. Surely that sends a clear message. Normally we are OK up to the time the 3 players in the midfield - Lemina - Gomez - and now Bellegrande - get tired.

 

[Shergar]

I agree that the fitness of our players towards the end of the matches is a big problem, and the coach should see why this is happening. Cannot be a coincidence that we lost 4 matches on the performances of the second half.

Its now a 17 man game and it is how you utilize 17 players during game time. The fitness comes from the 5 subs Maintaining the tempo. We don’t have a team or squad depth for this.

 

[Fifty Niner]

I'm not questioning his ability to motivate the team. We come out like a train, the players give everything. The Brighton half time tunnel departure did raise a lot of questions. There's no way fitness will improve, we had a good pre-season with elite fitness coaching.

I think the key things are, he can't react when the opposition change (some of this is a lack of squad options) and we can't sustain the energy levels of the first half (because no team could).

Our first game v Utd we looked sharp all game. Gone downhill since then.

We haven’t really changed our way of playing as far as I can see. It’s mostly balls out to the wings and aim for a player or players in the box. I think I’m right in saying that all of our goals have come from balls in from the wings? As Andy Townsend noted more than a year ago, the way we play requires a lot of accuracy because we don’t commit that many players into the final third.

Maybe Gaz is right that we need more structure and to leave the unpredictability until the final third. Trouble is even if we create chances we’re not very good at scoring from them.

 

[Jay Jay de Wolf]

Even with the terrible penalty decision Wolves second half display was way below par compared to the previous 5 undefeated performances...

So after a decent 1st half what happened at half time did Gary change his tactics? Or did the Wolves players come out less intensive and not ready for Sheffield United's fighting spirit second half? As they were caught out similarly in the Brighton game at home and Liverpool game too.

Hopefully this Sheffield United game is just a blip and we haven't gone back to that second half complacency again?

 

[StaffordWolf]

I just think that we've still got some way to go before we see consistent performances week after week.

My opinion is that I've now seen enough to know we're heading in the right direction, we just need to trust that the general trajectory will continue upwards with the odd blip here and there.

As for half time, I think Sheffield just came out and decided to come at us and press which they'd not done all first half which probably caught us off guard as we were previously dictating the pace of the game. From there we never really got a handle on it and everything became a bit frantic.

 

[Jay Jay de Wolf]

Even with the terrible penalty decision Wolves second half display was way below par compared to the previous 5 undefeated performances...

So after a decent 1st half what happened at half time did Gary change his tactics? Or did the Wolves players come out less intensive and not ready for Sheffield United's fighting spirit second half? As they were caught out similarly in the Brighton game at home and Liverpool game too.

Hopefully this Sheffield United game is just a blip and we haven't gone back to that second half complacency again?

I just think that we've still got some way to go before we see consistent performances week after week.

My opinion is that I've now seen enough to know we're heading in the right direction, we just need to trust that the general trajectory will continue upwards with the odd blip here and there.

As for half time, I think Sheffield just came out and decided to come at us and press which they'd not done all first half which probably caught us off guard as we were previously dictating the pace of the game. From there we never really got a handle on it and everything became a bit frantic.

I agree @StaffordWolf and hopefully you are right. Yet don't you think that Gary O'Neil would have warned the Wolves players at half time especially after missing so many decent chances 1st half to be ready for Sheffield Utd at home to come at them much stronger second half?

 

[Bryce]

This has been touched on already but feel like it deserves its own thread.
Is there anything in it? Are we starting to see a pattern? Cunha particularly looked very upset against Liverpool possibly on his own performance.
You have to wonder whether GON can motivate, feels a long way from Nuno and his inspired second halves.

In three of the four games below we conceded within 10 mins of starting the second half.
Brighton obviously being the biggest fail then late goals in the other two (not included Everton as we didnt concede!)

Man Utd > 76' (1-0)
Brighton > 46' 51, 55' (4-1)
Crystal Palace > 56' 78' 84' (3-2)
Liverpool > 55' 85' 91' (3-1)

Maybe its not GON and its concentration levels are just as good as have been in the past.

Lets see what the next few games bring.

Hire sir Alex for half time hairdryers

Money well spent

 

[StaffordWolf]

I agree @StaffordWolf and hopefully you are right. Yet don't you think that Gary O'Neil would have warned the Wolves players at half time especially after missing so many decent chances 1st half to be ready for Sheffield Utd at home to come at them much stronger second half?

I'm sure he did, however the players had already got into a rhythm for 45 minutes straight pretty much where they were dictating the pace. It's easy to tell them to beware, however when you have gotten into the rhythm of doing something a certain way it can be hard to just change.

 

[wolfslair]

I agree @StaffordWolf and hopefully you are right. Yet don't you think that Gary O'Neil would have warned the Wolves players at half time especially after missing so many decent chances 1st half to be ready for Sheffield Utd at home to come at them much stronger second half?

our second halves under him and for a short period the first ten mins post half time have been a major concern…..

He seems to struggle when the opposition make a tactical tweak from how teams like to start or played jn previous weeks as the other managers are making tweaks to expose us and he seems very weak at correcting the course when this happens on the whole so far

 

[Matt]

To be fair the main issue we had in the first ten minutes of the second half yesterday is that we kept passing the ball straight to Sheff Utd players. That gave them and the crowd confidence.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Is he too nice?? they become complacent

 

[lobodelsur]

To be fair the main issue we had in the first ten minutes of the second half yesterday is that we kept passing the ball straight to Sheff Utd players. That gave them and the crowd confidence.

Because of their more intense press. We should have been going long and using Hwang and Cunha's pace.