Bit extreme. However the Butch Wilkins crab-like play within the current squad is not working. In the 9 games so far we are averaging 60% possession, made over 4000 passes (can't find the correct number but it's of that order) with an 85% accuracy rating. Yet scored very few goals. Doesn't that say something? Step back almost exactly one year and we beat Bristol City 4-1 at there place by playing precisely the type of game they employed in winning 4-0 at ours yesterday. Fast counter attacks down the wing with players from midfield pushing forward into the box at the same time. Doesn't that say something? [Don't read anything into this but 8 days after the 4-1 win at Bristol 11 months ago, Kit Symons was sacked.] One thing that can be said is that in the recent run of poor home results, sticking to the 'crab' has meant we've created problems of our own making. And I'll offer two reasons why - 1. As others have pointed out, opposition teams have twigged how we'll play. They therefore play a high game, cover our CBs when Button has the ball and track our central defenders 2. Too many of our players are one footed and consistently take an extra touch to get the ball onto their 'good foot' So what should change? No point in simply lumping the ball down the middle - we haven't got the height or aggression among our players for that to work. Some critics (on other forums) say the problem is because there's no movement up front. Don't hold with that. I watched players not on the ball closely yesterday and there was plenty of running into space. The problem was that either the wrong decision was made by the player with the ball or they waited too long before making the pass, allowing the opposition to regroup. My solution? Firstly, the players must take responsibility and be "smarter". Secondly the Gaffer needs to change the format. Not the phylosophy of holding possession but the shape so that we stretch the opposition. At present our midfield is too deep and too narrow.
I just wish we played with a decent tempo for the whole game. Sucjh slow play is easy to play against. I did think that Jokanovic was smarter than this. I'm surprised that he and Stuart Gray haven't sorted it out by now. I don't buy the 'not bedded in' for the new players. If you tell a player to play a certain way they should know what to bloody do. Also I thought Jokanovic bought in players that fitted with the style he wanted to play. Still depressed!
Pretty depressing day yesterday. I was confident we would do well going into the game and indeed I thought the first half was fine and unlucky to go into half time 1 nil down. We are really struggling to find goals so far. To me Martin does nothing to show that he can score goals and doesn't look match fit. I think we also missed Kalas. With the first half we had and all that possession we should have something to show from it but as you have all said the attack is so slow that we allow the opposition to get into their defensive positions and we then spray the ball back and forth across the pitch looking for that beak through that 9 out of 10 times doesn't happen. We need at times the ball in the box creating panic, we need wide crosses with people in the penalty area to receive them. If we'd have scored it would have been a different game second half. I'm working up north this week so going to go to the Notts Forest game which is going to be interesting. I hope this result does not damage us too much. We are better than last year, we can play football and some how we need to be more direct and ambitious in attack. We need Martin to start gelling in the team and scoring. It's strange really as last year with McCormack and Dembele we scored goals for fun and then undid it all with defence. Now the defence is stronger we can't score a goal.
Of to the antipodes for a month,hopefully we will improve over that period, especially with me making having a word with a local aboriginal shaman. If the unthinkable should happen ie ( 4 losses) i will be calling for Savis head along with I suspect most of the supporting fans, buts lets hope it does not come to this and our recent blip is behind us.
