Completely agree with this. Emmanuel was dangerous coming forward last season and linked up well with Wilks. Coyle was good, particularly defensively, and became undroppable to be fair, but Emmanuel was hard done by in the first place. I’m hoping he gets a few games to show us what he can do.
The centre backs aren’t good enough. We’re crying out for a Curtis Davies-like to play alongside Greaves, because I think there could be a player in there. The current partnership looks weak, naive and I cringe every time the opposition come anywhere near our box. I don’t back them, and that’s a big problem in the Championship. Docherty has been a passenger this season too. I was excited to see him in the Championship, but he looks weak and nervous. Always looking for the safest pass. Clearly Honeyman was a big influence on him and others last season. Desperately need him back fully match fit.
Docherty,passenger?? Totally disagree.Without his engine and determination we'd have got naff all tonight. All about personal opinion of course but I'd have him one of the first on the teamsheet..
Yep, we look like this all the time. We clearly want to build from the back but we're so bad at it it's ridiculous. Always looks like there isn't a pass on for us except for the keeper. Don't know what the answer is and more importantly, neither does McCann.
There is top class quality in a number of our young players. They're just being hung out to dry by a lack of experience, leadership and direction. Derby were ****ed yet still retained/signed Davies, Stearman and Jagielka as 3 centrehalves. We sign 1 or 2 of those and maybe don't sign a loanee and a perm from midfield that just added to the numbers and maybe we produce another Maguire from Greaves, Jones or even A Smith. All 3 are decent. Just need a guiding hand through games. Instead we sign a kid from Man U who has all the talent and inexperience in the world. Surely we could have found a way to bring in a senior pro to bring our lads on for the same money as a couple of loan fees and wage contributions to Premier league academies?
It won't happen under McCann, but I think this squad is begging to be played as a 3-5-2. ------------------------Ingram----------- --------Bernard-----Greaves---Jones---- Coyle----Doc-------Thudd--------Honeyman -----Elder ----------KLP/Smith------Magennis/Eaves-------- That would allow us the option of having a back three or a back five depending on possession, two (yes, two) strikers and width when required. Thudd doesn't need to push on, he can act as a foil for the back 3 (a sort of...pivot, if you will) and allow Honeyman and Doc to go forward and be creative. You could put Cannon in there for the last 15 if Huddlestone doesn't last the 90. We need a link between attack and defence, you could see Coyle and other defenders looking for that pass and like you say, it just wasn't there so the only option is the stupid diagonal ball which, correct me if I'm wrong, has yet to actually connect with the intended target, let alone actually start an attack. That should be the go to for me, we have all the depth to back it up too, with Emmanuel and Fleming as back up WBs and McLoughlin and plenty of striker options depending on the opposition, plus Williams and Wilks should we need to tweak it for extra width. We've got options in the midfield with Cannon, Moncur and Smallwood too.
Good guess, although if this was a detective drama , that would be the slip up that would implicate you in the murder…knowing that information without getting told… haha
Positives - didn’t lose - scored - it’s midnight & I’ve only just got in - beer n that Negatives - everything else
It would seem logical to take the initiative tactically for once, rather than reacting too late as usual. Grant really hung on to make that second change tonight. If he'd done it earlier, eh? Who knows....?
I missed the first half due to working late the ****s let me in to watch the second half ffs why didn’t they stop me They had Keogh at the back didn’t they? He didn’t make one single mistake second half! Did he first half? Cos I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game where he hasn’t made at least 2-3 goal scoring chances for the opposition That’s how little we troubled them Blackpool played 4-4-2 Lavery scored I knew he would From Ireland semi pro wasn’t he!? We can’t be expecting to compete with the likes of Blackpool and non league players can we? Meh
Firstly, I support the team, that's why I get up at 2 am to watch the game. I am sure the players are giving their all, there is no doubt about that. Your comments about effectively me criticising the players because of my argument against the owners is nonsense. IMO, for the most part until the last 10 minutes we move the ball so slowly it gave Blackpool all the time in the world to deal with it. Even though we had a lot of possession, we did very little with it. Who do I blame the coach, who doesn't react to how the opposition is playing. They went 442, 4 in midfield, we had 3 in midfield, and why did Greaves and Jones look on many occasions that there was nowhere to pass the ball, because we were outnumbered in midfield. Did McCann change it, no, only in the last 10 minutes after Coyle was sent off, and by default he played 2 up front and 3 at the back after bringing Bernard on. Without Honeyman and Tom H in the side, we are short of quality in the mid-field, but the coach has to give the players on the park the best chance of succeeding, and IMO we were lucky to get a draw, and it was only by chance that we ended up with 2 forwards up front.
Maybe Coyle was annoyed that the 3 match suspension would let Emmanuelle in meaning his 3 match miss might be longer...