Rick, it was precisely because there was so little acknowledgement of factors other than injuries that I characterised it as "wailing". Contrast what the players themselves said (Stacey and Duffy in particular), i.e. to paraphrase "injuries haven't helped, but the main problem is we've been conceding too many goals, and that issue we've now addressed". Full on honesty on their part and no excuses. Thus my "wailing about injuries" was not a dismissal of "the other position" -- by which I understand a recognition that both factors (not to mention others too) have played a part -- but of the apparent disregard of any factors other than injuries. That being said, I note and appreciate the olive branch
What is perhaps also interesting is the interaction of those and other factors. The pace of Sargent, Sainz and Hernandez, backed up by Barnes, put immense pressure on the Cardiff defence and limited the number of players they could commit forward. Similarly, our more solid defence allowed us to attack in numbers and still defend against their counterattacks. The defensive skills of Núñez and Sara have improved tremendously and it showed in our control of midfield and shielding of the defence. Along with McLean they pushed forward to progress the ball to the attacking players who were able to put in shot after shot. That was particularly impressive in the absence of Rowe, but the balance of attack and defence was crucial throughout and it would have been difficult to achieve without Sargent and Sainz up front and Hanley in defence along with the more complete play of Sara and Núñez.
@CanaryRob If only I had the influence and public funding of the ERG ........ I have contemplated a blog; even got as far as setting up a Wordpress site. But I soon realised that, as I approach 90, I no longer have the energy to keep a blog going. Same goes for videos on Substack (one of the few platforms to survive the pandemic with its integrity intact). Which leaves your alternative suggestion of starting a new thread rather than posting as a response elsewhere. Thank you for that, I can see it might well work. And as I said to Rick, the olive branch hasn't gone unnoticed and is appreciated
