One paragraph in your report tells in a nutshell why we fail to develop a coherent team strategy to enable us to win games ..
You report ( quote ) “ no shortage of possession at times, they appeared to be largely lacking a basic pattern to what went beyond the sideways pass and occasional long ball from Rooney “
We’re loosing games because there isn’t a basic pattern of play beyond the sideways pass and long ball from Rooney.. full stop !
Opposing managers every game know full well there’s no plan to play for , hence they allow us possession to wait the long ball from Rooney which fizzles out aimlessly..
Rooney should be our “ midfield general and creative player “ taking the ball from the goalkeeper and back line of defensive players, to keep the ball at his feet working forward until he makes ground in the opposing teams half .
It’s basic routine stuff … make your best players keep possession until they see an opportunity to shoot at goal or pass the ball to a colleague better placed to shoot at goal .
I wonder what the hell they do in training sessions.. so damn frustrating having no plan of action from the Management Team ..
Getting promoted this season is becoming a distant pipe dream for sure ..
Ps . There is a way out of this .. play Sarcevic as midfield general, push Rooney forward in a goal scoring position AND sign a young League striker with a record of 20 plus goals on his CV not prone to injury for weeks on end …