I'm just taking in the comments from Jokanovich regarding the game at Wolves and I like what he's saying, it's what we've all been saying on and off for the last 2 years. Stop dropping deep and player higher up the pitch. “We put our defensive line so high, we decided to try and play in the opposite half because it’s better to defend at this level. At the end we are a little bit disappointed." “It’s important for us to be more solid, more confident and in some kind of situation, a little bit luckier in front of our goal and follow the plan to play the football in the opposite half. To try to be brave, and that is it. I expect in the future we are going to be a little bit luckier and win the games.” Jokanović admits he is still searching for the winning formula but believes his blueprint of controlling the game in opposition territory will prove to be a successful one. “I change because I am here 12 or 13 days and I try to find my way,” continued Jokanović. “My team is not playing the same was as Fulham played before. If you want to ask me how I am going to change the results, if this is the question, it’s more or less what we tried to do today." It still doesn't help when in each of the last 3 games the opposition have scored one blinding goal against us. Onwards and upwards, the much needed win is just round the corner I think. It will happen. Even Woy took a couple of months to get the team going. In Slavisa I trust!
I've kind of excused Lonergan the first two but there's no way he should have let last night's from 30 odd yards and nobody blocking his sight get past him. And ... there's equally no excuse for players that turn their back/duck under shots as happened for all three. You wouldn't have seen Roger Brown or Simon Morgan do that back in the day. As Slavi also said elsewhere about the current lot, "bunch of softies".
The 3rd goal took a deflection en route. A while back that would have ended 5 - 0 I still have optimism
What we don't have is a midfield who can help their defense. the likes of Duff, Karagounis, Sidwell and Dejagh used to put in a shift for the defense in getting back to double up in defense to harass the opposition, especially when the Reither and Riise went forward. At the moment we don't any defensive minded players, our wingers such as Kacaniklic can't or won't defend. During the summer I'm sure most of us came on and said our 2 areas we had to get players for were center half and defensive midfield. Well we only got Mattila for DM and how many times has he played ? Our midfield are too light weight, only O'Hara can battle for balls, the others are muscled of the ball. With all the slow monotonous possession we play opponents are happy to regroup in defense while we knock the ball sideways and back, then all it needs is a opposition to hassle our midfield and our passing goes south and we lose the ball in poor areas.
Super Mcbride.... I agree with what you say and we are missing a strong DM badly but I also agree with the previous that I like what Jokanovic says about playing higher up the pitch in the oppositions halve more. Like you say it is easy for the opposition to regroup when we have possession in our own halve and pass it sideways but not so easy to do that if we we win possession in there halve and play it sideways out wide to the wing. We have actually played pretty well last two games and I like what I hear and see from the new manager, I know it's not what people want to hear but the rest of the season is pretty much going to be about Jokanovic trying to get his style of play on this team and also trying to stay up and then go again next year hopefully this time with the right man/tactics/style in place
You've got it in a nutshell SuperBri. People talk about how organised we were under Roy, forgetting the work rate of the guys in the middle harassing the opposition into making mistakes. They talk about the dribbling skills of Mousa Dembele (the first one), forgetting how often he tracked back, winning the ball in the left back position. And others. Currently we have way too many in the squad who merely shadow players and worse, in my view, too many who follow the ball and don't anticipate the opposition play. As Pirlo said, "Football is played with your head, your feet are just the tools" - probably posted that before but it can't be said often enough. Trouble is, reading the game is not something easily taught on the training ground. What can be taught however is awareness of gaps; getting into them and be available for a pass or covering back if someone goes forward. Hopefully Slavi can instill more savvy!
