GA did that with Chair at Watford and look what happened! I think Chair is good enough to roam free, unfortunately when he looks up we have one maybe 2 players maximum in the box so doesn't have too many options. Smyth certainly has to work on his decision making though. I like the idea of Willock playing more on the right, however I seem to recall he sulks when playing out there. In regards to a battling midfielder he's called Colback and we already know how well that goes! I would like to see a front 3 with Sinclair on the left, Dykes through the middle and Smyth on the right. Chair central to ping those penetrative balls that you mention. Colback and Field to kick people and Paal to help out Sinclair as he won't track back like Smyth
Put Willock in a room full of pussy and I’m sure he would sulk. Better decisions by Chair and Smyth needed - but great effort put in. People in the box - geez, we seem to go on about it forever. When will they do it! Field and Colback seem to make more effort to get in the box. Not sure if Armstrong has the ability to distribute the ball well enough from the left, but worth a go.
For me, Chair is a great player in all respects except for decision making. And that's arguably the most important aspect! So, I'd rather have him in a more disciplined role with explicit instructions than just roaming about, doing whatever he pleases. I like him but I think successive managers have been wooed by his obvious natural ability. Or they simply haven't managed/coached him well enough into the player he can be.
Where are we going wrong at the moment? Here's my two pence: A lot of teams now play out a game plan where they let the opposition come on to them and then go on the counter. We allow teams to come on to us but then respond with a slow build up and try to walk the ball into opposition box. We are not playing we speed. And here's the reason why: When is the last time we've put a through ball through? When is the last time we've made an EARLY cross? Frey puts his hand up all the time, making runs. He gets ignored. He only gets the ball sent up to him when a defender is pressed and needs to clear it, which isn't necessarily when he wants it. What else are you lot seeing?
What I am seeing is lack of defence in front of the back 4. Our back four are good enough ifpq the space in front of them is closed down. Field is doing all he can but he can't be everywhere. We need another defensive minded midfielder. Varane is a liability.. Colback is the only other player at the club who can do that. In the same way, we conceded too many goals from that same area during corners/ free kicks.. So put one of our short forwards ( Saito/smyth) on the half way line... the opposition will need 1 or possibly 2 players back to look after them. Taking their extra player away from just outside our penalty area.
I've always found that the best tictac is to score more than the opposition Seems a simple enough idea
Think it was just 10 days or so ago when Dembele played an excellent through ball to Frey who slotted past the Millwall Keeper.
I've said it many times, the majority of our passes are to players with their backs to goal, inevitably resulting in a pass back to where it came from. Our build up is so slow that it enables the opposition to retreat into shape. We don't press in the final 3rd as a team/unit. Neville said at the weekend "modern football teams take more risks in their own area than they do in the oppositions". That sentence sums us up perfectly. We seem like a very predictable team to play against. One, lone, isolated striker and 2 men out wide who don't support him closely enough, especially if needing to press. I've joked that Celar won't score a goal this season. Give him a couple of games with Frey and I bet he would. If it means sacrificing Anderson, who babs himself every time he's a decision to make then so be it. We have to be more flexible in how we set up. I could count on one hand how many times we have played with 2 strikers in the last few seasons.
Ok but my point being is we don't do it enough. As @bobmid says here, we don't take chances in the final third. We only want to press forward with the ball if the seas part for us. But they're not going to. We can't walk the ball into the net. We have to make forward passes, through balls, looped balls and early crosses. Sometimes it's right to patiently build up play. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes we need to go more direct. Almost all our attempts are shots just outside the box when the box is loaded with players who can block them. Where I differ from bobmid is I don't necessarily think there has to be a second striker. I don't mind if we play 1 or 2 strikers. Playing 2 is useless if you don't try to put the ball through or cross it early. Having even 1 striker is useless if you don't do that. We have to justify turning up and justify the wages spent. And to do that we have to be making opposition defenses actually defend and work for their money. I'd rather lose the ball trying to crack opposition defenses than dick about with the ball all game long.
Good question mate and one that I've been toying with based on everybody being available. Nardi Dunne cook JCS Paal Field Chair dembele Saito Frey Celar It could be argued that we need more defensive cover and that selection doesn't have it but I only believe you need 2 defensive midfielders when playing 3 at the back and our main issue is not scoring goals. Defend as a 5 and attack as a 5.
I coached our local team a few years ago. (Yorkshire) will have heard of them. A team in the west Yorkshire league called Pool. Joined when they were 3rd bottom in div1 and took them to the top 5 of the premier in 2 seasons (one league below semi pro) all based around changing the shape to accomodate the players we had. Granted it's not professional but it's relative to standard, regardless. Our shape at QPR just isn't working at the moment, with the players playing within it.
Chair, Dembele and Saito are all very similar players, within reason and could cause absolute chaos interchanging positions behind strikers.
Had been thinking how Warnock's set up would have been a dream for those 3, all looking for an early ball to run forward and stretch defenses.
I don't think we dicked about with the ball much against Hull yesterday, but we still lost 1-3. Imo we played very well with both high press and quick forward passing the first 10 minutes or so before the press got more and more ragged, and the quick forward passing until they scored. 2nd half similar but not as good. They arent fit enough to press like that very long. In those periods when we played well we could'nt finish. We could'nt defend well enough either and Hull were effective. I think we have to able to keep possession at the back because we can't just play route 1 ( target man Dykes has gone too) land sometimes we need to do it to see out a game. Agree sometimes we overdo it but that is because we aren't good enough, forward players not finding space, defenders not seeing openings. We used Dunne a lot at RB for the outball, no doubt we will again.
Interesting, but I can't see El Cif going down that route, at least not yet. He does seem to have a soft spot for Andersen and I think Madsen could well be the same.
No I can't either. I think it will be much the same, 1 up top (Frey) who will get little to no service to be replaced by Celar who will get even less.
Of equal concern is how the hell do we shore up our defence ? We haven't looked remotely like keeping a clean sheet so far this season. Is going to 3 at the back a possibility ? Something has to change back there. Do we actually have a defensive coach ? Serious question
Our relatively good form towards the end of last season was built on the CB partnership of JCS and Cook, plus the conversion of Dunne into a RB. JCS is our best player in my opinion, and his signing a new contract is massive, but sadly he's a bit of a sicknote. When he isn't playing, we look so leaky at the back. The other big loss over last season is Hayden. With four at the back, you don't need two sitting in front of them, so I'd prefer to see something like a 4-1-4-1 with Field (in the absence of Hayden) as the holding player and Madsen getting forward. Dembele and Saito are exciting players, but they come into the 'tricky winger' category - great one week, missing the next - and I don't think you can play both of them together on a regular basis. Chair must start now fit, with two from Dembele, Saito, Smyth and Andersen alongside him behind the striker. These five are very lightweight as a group, though, and easily bullied. Up top, Celar has been hugely disappointing, and Frey - whilst a little better than I first gave him credit for - is a very average footballer. Who'd have thought we'd miss Dykes? I always thought that we never played to Dykes's strengths by leaving him isolated up top and perhaps the same applies with Frey. Stick Dembele up with him for the 'big man, little man' combo, perhaps. It's all a bit depressing, though, not least because there doesn't seem to be a lot of team spirit at the moment. Heads dropped way too easily on Tuesday.
