I've been reading a few post talking about how we miss Maynard! I agree he is a big loss but we can't put this down to a lack of strike force! The truth is that our defence is costing us these away games! Bristol City, Crystal Palace and now Charlton combined have scored 12 goals against us! Shocking! Yet we have scored 8 goals in these games that is a good goal ratio in my eyes
Reasons why I couldn't listen to the game last night, and have to rely on the reports I've read since. Forget the actual scoreline - these away games aren't one offs! They follow a familiar pattern all too often. Defensive errors or lack of attacking prowess masks the real problem - we are going into these games with the wrong mindset. We regularly take the lead, 2 goals last night, 2 in front at Palace and again in front at Bolton. Then we defend poorly and pay the price. Lots of suggestions on here about attack being the best form of defence and there's got to be something in it. Should we attack from the back or defend from the front? No question in my mind. Push up and play the game in their half - attacking from the back is the best way to utilise the player options at Malky's disposal. Looking at the starting 11 and the bench - why do we persist with Don Cowie and leave Gunnar sitting it out until too late? Where was Velikonja as an option? Like McPhail, Don is a far better option to close a game down at the end rather than stifle it from the start. Noone apart, we have no pace up front. Frei and Kimbo were supposed to be the solution but we're sorely missing Bellamy. Smithy's absence is arguably just as big a blow to the team overall. Velikonja could be an answer short term to test the opposition defence - for Christ's sake Malky, give the boy a go.
No probs Glam - but where is everybody? Perhaps I'm being too analytical and depressive again? So we lost an away game (another one), but don't bloody hide away and sulk on here........... I tend as much as anyone else to over-analyse every bloody game to the point of suicidal tendencies. Come on guys, let's have a chat and think about the six points we'll take against Hull and Boro.
Looks to me like there is not enough protection in front of the back four enabling opposition mid fielders and full backs to pile forward in support of their attack. The ploy of playing 2 wide men is not working so maybe a more solid middle 3 is needed - Whitts, Gunnar and Kiss maybe if Cowie's lack of pace and tendency to wander has been found out. Also, Macca played over 70 minutes for the Development Squad on Monday - could he return to play in front of the back four and release Whitts to play further forward and be the goal threat we know he is? The other problem could be not enough cover is being given to our full backs with Noone, who is great going forwards, not being so good at covering back. This is where we miss Smith and Bellers who will track back, Smith in particular. I doubt if these 2 will be ready for Saturday so Malky has to work with what he's got. Is it time for Gestede to start a game? Again he came on and laid on a late goal but is this because HH has battered the defence and they are tiring. He will win more air ball by being 6 ft 3 as opposed to HH's smallish 5 ft 10 but does he offer as much around the pitch as HH and get stuck into defenders? As for Velikonja he should be on the bench at least to give a different option up front. Like most I'm stunned by what happened last night although I did give a warning in an earlier post that sod's law this could happen to us when we all saw it as a great opportunity for 3 points - enhanced by us easily going 2 up. Time for Malky to circle the waggons, give out all the bollockings needed (and there will be many), put last night behind us and move on to the very tough game against Hull on Saturday. They will be very confident after their win last night and being level on points with us. Now is the time to show what we are made of and send them packing back to Humberside. The motto must be "do unto others as the ba$tards have done unto us!!!" Last point, Marshie has saved our bacon quite a few times this season so he was due a mare - and had it with knobs on last night. Does Malky say "Okay, forget it and get back on track" or "You dickhead, you gave them the first, cocked up another and gave them all the encouragement they needed to batter us - you're dropped!!!" and give Lewis the chance he has waited patiently for. A tough one I know but to be dropped would shatter his confidence completely, personally I wouldn't drop him yet. Very last point, we need to rise above this as Newport have done. Lost in the cup to no marks from Yate, lost their first home league game last week and came out last night to thrash Cambridge 6 - 2. That's the way to get things back on track!!!
The injury to Maynard is for ever. The injuries to Smith Bellamy and Mutch are taking too long to heal. He keeps telling us we have depth so where is it? What about Gestede vilkonia (Spelling) and the other guys? They can't do any worse. I'm getting too old and depressed to wait yet another year.
Got to say Sparks I almost completely agree with all you have said in this post and a few others on different threads. This is a simple law of averages thing if you sit and let teams come on to you then you invited more and more pressure, The more pressure you invite the higher the chances for mistakes blunders and or lucky goals have to occur. It’s no coincidence that these types of gaols happen less when we play an attacking game and put the other team under pressure. Malky we need to start to go for it a bit more from the start in away games. Personally I am getting a bit fed up with a 20 minute all out attack attitude when the games already lost in these types of games. We should be pushing right from the off we have the players that can do it so lets do it!!!
Isn't that what we did last night to go 2 up and then went back into our shells. Probably had instructions to keep it tight until half time - ooooppppsss!!!!!
But that’s the point in it BFB we can all see it so why cant the coaches Management or players. We go 2 up and instead of going for the kill and go on to smash um 4 or 5 nil we sit back again try to defend and let them back in. Then once we have let them back in we seem to think right keep it tight for 5 now and bang invite pressure again. It’s about time we played to our strengths and continued to play that way until we have smashed the side we are playing or until the ref pulls us off um. I personally think we have the firepower to put anyone to the sword provided we go for it the only time we have looked like we were in trouble is when we slow the tempo or sit back.
Personally i would like to see Kiss and Gunnar in the engine room as both players can mix it up a bit, would give whitts more freedom. Cant really comment on Mutch as he hasnt played all that much.
ccfc Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't it tend to be the norm in football that when a side (home or away) is 1 or 2 or even 3 up as half time approaches they batton down the hatches to preserve the lead going into half time before kicking on second half? What we couldn't legislate for on Tuesday was Marshall dropping a glooper for their first and poor marking for the second. These errors let Charlton back in and they came out full of confidence second half taking the game to us. Also watch any game and you will see ebbs and flows for both teams. It is physically very hard to dominate a team for a whole half. At some stage you need to sit back a little to recharge batteries before going again. It happened against Burnley between our first and second goals and again at the start of the second half. I'm not defending (pity somebody didn't defend better at Charlton) the tactics just that is how football goes, it is simply rarely possible to dominate a whole game. And, of course, sh!t happens - mostly at our away games. Ronny "Mutch hasn't played much" Like it.
Bluey - I agree, I don't think we need to "dominate" a game, just not allow ourselves to be dominated is more to the point.
Blue I get you and you are right you can’t go full pelt for 90 minutes but what we can do is go and kill a game off when we have done the hard work. Correct Marshy who by the way has been top class so far this season dropped not 1 but 2 clangers. That said we let them take over when we were in control we turned the ball over to easy they wanted it more. It is at times like this that we should have gone full pelt put them on the back foot not sat back and give them more hope and confidence that’s my point. I think that is more the point I am trying to make Sparks your right. When I say go for it I don’t mean we have to be all guns blazing for the whole 90 minutes and of course any team worth there place in this league will try not to be controlled for the whole 90 minutes. With the fire power and pace we do have, when a team starts to build up a bit of pressure we should look to snatch the initiative straight back. Obviously you can then slow things down again keep the ball pass it around what ever. What I am not liking is we seem far too happy to sit of teams and concede not just possession but more importantly territory to.
Valid points R2D2. This all about pressing on and taking the initiative away from opposition sides. Battening down the hatches and allowing them to come on to you may be the classic Italian defence that worked so well in Serie A for decades, but this is the Championship. Hudson and Turner are no Maldini and Cannavaro. We do not possess the virtual certainty at the back to guarantee it being leak-proof and that's the problem at this level. There are no world beaters in the Championship, but all teams have their respective strengths - ours this season is definitely going forward not dropping back. There'll always be mistakes made, but to squander 2 goal leads at Palace and Charlton was mainly down to encouraging the opposition to have a go at getting it back - and they did with interest. To come away from both those games without a single point is unforgiveable and shouldn't be allowed to happen again.
