Looking back at the team selections Malky has put out both home and away, there's barely any difference to the starting lineups. Eleven from the same 14 or so players trot out each time. So how come the difference then from home and away performances? I can't see it being travel sickness nor jet lag affecting the away results - must be something else. What about tactics, management instructions and players mindset going out onto the opponent's pitch then? Ahh, that must be it - and the opposition bloody knows it by now. They aren't afraid of us on their own patch like they tend to be when visiting us, they know what's coming. Even when they go behind, they know they've got every chance of getting it back with interest - and so it's proved. We don't put the home teams under any real pressure except when we're behind chasing the game. We need to make them fear us on their own patch like they do at the CCS. I watched a Burnley side running scared for 90 minutes at the CCS the other day. Defensive blunders, missed chances, bad ref decisions, unlucky bounces etc etc my arse! You make your own luck and we need to take on these sides playing to our strengths, not trying to subdue theirs. It just gives them the opportunity to stuff us as recent history has shown. Ringing the changes player wise is not the only answer, although a few would help. They need to be sent out away from home with the correct mindset to frighten the opposition and win the game that way - and that's Malky's job. Tactically, he's playing the time honoured safe card and it just ain't working.
a little rotation here and there will keep players fit and able to play throughout the season and avoid picking up injuries, whats the point moaning about a small squad like he did last season and then when he gets a bigger squad not to utilise it? its an interesting question, i think malky sends them out to keep things tight and not go too gung ho like we do at home, burnley were taken to the cleaners by us yet we are taken to the cleaners by a poor charlton side, despite the fact we were 1st. back to back defeats against 2 struggling sides is not good, and remember we were only bailed out against watford and ipswich - i dont see us going up as champions despite having the players and manager to do it. i read somewhere else play offs mean no promotion for us and i agree, so its autos or nothing for me, and lots of hard work on the training ground and back to basics starting with hull on saturday...
Promotion by any route would be deemed a success - I'd take that right now. I think the reasoning behind the fear of failure felt by some on here if we had to do it via the playoffs is sound. Sounds pretty obvious, but top 2 is the only way we're sure to go up - I wouldn't fancy our chances if we had to go through that playoff trauma again.
The thing was, watching the goals last night, it all stemmed from a hopeful punt into the area, and Marshall made an error...not the worst error at that stage. Jackson still had a bit to do. That started the downfall, we could have win it three or four, and have had a totally different conversation. Lets go and beat Hell!
Swamp, the point is if we don't go up as champions as you put it, then we clearly don't have the players and manager to do it. Sparky rightly says we are fielding practically the same team home and away so the difference is the manager. You say we have the manager to do it but he isn't doing it yet, is he??
I agree Red, there'll always be mistakes made, and Marshy dropped a big bollock on Tuesday after doing so well so far this season. We can all try to highlight reasons why we lost a game - Malky is no exceptiion. Equally, you can also provide reasons why we've won games - take Ipswich and Watford as examples. At Ipswich they murdered us first half and should have pressed it home in the second after they came out and battered us again. Then their defence went to pieces in the last 20 minutes through lack of confidence and Heidi got two of the easiest goals he'll ever get. Against Watford we were huffing and puffing but getting nowhere and were 1-0 down when they had two players sent off. We beat them with a penalty and an injury time Gunnar header - we blagged them. Reasonable points or just excuses - we can all make 'em (including Malky )
like all managers he's made a few mistakes, not many in my opinion, but i believe we have the quality to go up automatically..... a bit more rotation is needed to keep players fresh but if we lose then people say 'why bother changing things around?' , the only way he can win is if we stay in the top 2 all season, and thats a big ask.... i can see what your saying but i think we will not capitulate like we have done in the past........
This is football, we'll make mistakes that cost us, others will make mistakes and let us off the hook. But I do agree with MM that we have made massive stupid errors away from home that thankfully we haven't at home. Why those players are so error prone when we go away I'm not sure, but to say that is an excuse is ignoring the facts imo. We have gifted goals to teams away from home that will always make it impossible to win games. IMO we need to work harder and be much more solid away whilst retaining pace in attack away from home. We picked Cowie instead of Noone in some games, this leaves us with no natural pace (as Bellers hasn't been available). I'd like to see us go with a 4-5-1. Rudy as the striker, Whits, Cowie and Gunnar in the middle. Then Noone and 1 of Bellers, Frei or Smith on the other wing. I think HH's complete lack of movement is a real issue way from home and whilst he is a much greater goal threat than Rudy, I think Rudy could cause problems in the air, running in behind and generally harrassing defenders much better than HH. As I learnt watching Ian Rush when I was a kid, defending starts at the front. Gives us Mason, HH, Cowie etc. to change the game off the bench. Gives HH a rest for the home games too as there's no way a 35yr old is going to play 46 games. I think we need 2 out and out centre mids in with Whits because a midfield with him as 'one of the two' can be over run when it's not dominating possession. Very few championship clubs over the years have been good enough to consistantly dominate possession away from home. We can think we're going to batter everyone home and away but the truth is to top this division we need to start scratching ugly 1-0 and 2-1's away from home.
I'm happy with ugly 1-0 and 2-1 wins at home - especially the next 2 games. The sooner Bellers and Smith are back the better.
I'd take 1-0 home and away from here to the PL, my point was we need to be able to play average to ok and find our way past teams away, tbh just stopping leaking goals would be a nice start. I'd take a couple of 0-0's on the road as a start.
