Not a good result against one of this division's biggest spenders, but I could have no complaints about the starting eleven yesterday. Played what is technically our best team on paper, with the players available. Reading should be there for the taking next week, and we have proved we can beat the struggling teams this season. It's clear we need an overhaul of the coaching staff. I just hope the new manager will be given the funds to invest is technically competent players, particularly defenders.
Do we need new defenders or a new manager to give them new instructions? Chambers doesn't have to lob the football forwards at every opportunity if he 's told to do differently.
I can have no complaints as to the 11 - what I CAN however and will after watching us have zero intent on scoring that first half have complaints about is a 9-0-1 formation giving Boro so much damn time / respect on the ball. Really feel they were there to be got at yesterday. While I support Mick and stress it's very difficult for us to compete over a 46 game season vs the spend of many in this league, I can and will not tolerate or be remotely happy with that kind of outlook. NO pressing from the front, just sit, let them dictate pull our pants down and score. Then we have to change game plan.......... The amount of soft goals we concede is frankly laughable. Onto the next, but wasn't happy to watch that at all.
New defenders if we want players who are comfortable with the ball at their feet. Smith, Chambers, and Knudsen are not comfortable in possession, hence why the former duo often resort to long balls. A new manager could coach them to play the ball more, but I think it's too late to bring that to Smith and Chamber's game. I guess a new gaffer could instruct them to keep it simple with short passes, but their short passing out back is pretty poor from what I see at the games. Smith couldn't even manage it when he was a younger footballer playing under Jewell's attempted "footballing" philosophy. What will need to change going forwards is the mentality we have going into some games. My impression from the Boro defeat was that we were too cautious and complacent, almost resigned to defeat from kick off. We shouldn't be doing that, regardless of the opposition, because Boro were not a particularly dangerous opponent yesterday. Yes, they had possession (because we let them) but didn't do an awful lot with it. Just enough to win the game. A shame to see the conservatism sneak back into our game after some encouraging results. Hopefully we bounce back against Reading, where I hope we have the confidence to attack.
Reading will no doubt be a different kettle of fish and we'll press higher up the pitch/ look hungry. I just wish we would every single game home and away. If you change the system / outlook / personnel as often as we've done this season ( granted injuries ) approaching half way it's very concerning.
I'm only concerned about the Reading game because we don't fare well against their style of football. Last season we lost and got a draw (thanks to a Lawrence double). Hopefully McCarthy will encourage us to attack and that, crucially, the players on the pitch share the mentality and refuse to be intimidated by the attacking, attractive style of football this Reading side are capable of playing. No complaints if we field the same side against Boro (it has the right balance and enough technical ability), but this time I hope the side are instructed to attack, otherwise we could see a similar result and performance that teams like Boro and Fulham regularly seem to inflict on us during McCarthy's last few years at Town.
