We just aren't solid enough at the back. This division has far too many pacy players that can exploit the wide areas and you need 2 wingers AND two full backs really to cover the space. Dudgeon and Elmo have both done really well but that's Rotherham, Bolton, Millwall, Leeds, Leicester, Peterborough and now Blackpool where we have failed to keep a clean sheet. I don't understand why we can't go 4-4-2, it would only mean dropping 1 centre half which with Bruce and Chester injured means nobody really misses out. For Sheffield Wednesday I'd like to see: Amos/Jakupovic * Rosenior Faye Macca Dudgeon Elmo Koren Oli Quinn Aluko Simpson You could stick that in a diamond and have Koren at the top and Oli at the bottom, or swap Koren and Quinn around, but at least that formation doesn't allow us to be exploited as badly as we have been.
We went to 4-4-2 and looked miles better both in defence and attack. I agree the 3-5-2 is too exploitable in this division for the players we have, you need a James Chester either side of the central big man for it to work and quite frankly Alex Bruce is ****, had he not just stood there ball watching for the first they may never have got it. Got to say though mcshane looked great tonight and wouldn't mind seeing him play more. 11 goals in 4 games is relegation form no matter how you look at it.
we're obviously not as good as we thought we were.. a big turnaround is needed if we're going to have an interesting season..
our problem was scoring goals, that needed addressing. with the players SB has brought in we have attacking power now, elmo, quinn, aluko. simpson is firing and we have a big german still bedding in. we no longer need such an open attacking formation as we have players who will score even if we set up a bit more defensively than the 3-5-2 amos rosie macca faye dudgeon elmo oli koren elmo simpson aluko elmo and quinn have shown enough going forward but even a decent 4 man defence needs cover down the wings. Wendies are another team with pace, do we have to be punished by them before SB sees a bit of sense?
If only we did have two of him, but having only one Elmo, he might get a bit tired playing both wings at the same time.
im not convinced by amos, not saying hes rubbish- just doesnt fill me with that type of confidence where i feel hes going to keep a clean sheet i thought on saturday he made that 1st goal far too easy, barely moved off his line to close the angle.. ive felt this way since he let a soft shot in in the friendly at donny, which i know is harsh, but im a hard man to please
Same, I said in the Brighton game he's going to get embarrassed soon by all his running out to claim the ball in close situations, which fair enough he probably saved the game with a few of those. Then I said at some point in the match today I can't remember him doing it since Brighton and then that happened Don't think he's the best keeper in fairness, distribution is terrible and makes some erratic decisions. Dont hear him commanding his area much and he's not even an excellent shot stopper to make up for it. Definitely potential to be a great keeper but he needs a lot of work and I don't think he'll ever reach the level he could. Hope this post comes back to bite me on the arse by the end of the season
I'm not convinced by him either. He doesn't come for crosses in any kind of commanding way - he was to blame for their 2nd and 3rd goals tonight IMO and he isn't comfortable kicking the ball out when a defender rolls it back to him. £2.6 Million for a German striker who can't score could have been better spent on a top class keeper
To be fair to Amos he has made three world class saves in the games against Leicester and Peterborough, i don't mean good saves i mean saves that Premier League keepers would be proud of due to his technique and staying up for longer than anyone at our level would of.
When will people understand its not the formation / systems call it what you like. Its simply the players making errors. Last night we went 4 - 4 - 2 and leaked 2 goals. No change to leaking goals from 3 - 5 - 2. The big mistake Bruce made last night IMO was not to bring on fresh legs to the midfield that needed help. Dudg went of with a knock and Oli had run out of gas. I think that IF McKenna and Evans had been brought on at 2-1 up we would have hung on to the win. Well at least for a point. But mistakes will cost you no matter what formation is used.
Bruce is an ex defender who has put together a system that gets the best out of our attacking players. This is no mean feat considering it seemed to be a complete mystery to his predecessors. The problems at the moment are mainly because our defenders are making daft mistakes because they can't fully get their heads around the new system. Like someone else said it's good we're getting the teething problems now rather than later even if it means suffering a few more games like last night. I have faith that SB is the best man to eventually sort out the defence and when he does we'll have the bonus of a good attack as well.
I made the point, last night, that Holloway had made 6 changes to his previous starts, but still had a bench that could change the game: 2 of his 3 subs scored..... Wasn't Rosie our only sub (for Bruce, injured)?
Ian Holloway for tha last 4 games has rung the changes by 6 or 7 players per game. He calls it rotation and a reaction to bad performances and results. The only complaint from Hull City fans has to be the leaking defence and mistakes. The football is as good if not the best in the championship. Blackpool only took control of the last 20 mins as we ran out of gas. Steve Bruce as manager failed to react to that. Lessons again learned for one and all. Looking at the Wendies game @: Burnley on tuesday night then Saturday could end up 6 - 6.!!! Lol.
But an experienced manager like Bruce who's spent so long in the game should have learned all these lessons long ago...
