Away Game Plans

[Solihull Blade]

What were new players like?

Thought Arblaster was the pick of the bunch but he kinda faded as the match went on. McAtee was largely anonymous. Lost possession a couple of times in dangerous situations but also made one or two great passes in the first half. Doyle looked good when he came on. Looked more up for it than most. Ran around and tried harder than general malaise affecting most of the players. Khadra again didn’t make a great impression but a couple of breakaway chances in the second half could have lead to an unlikely goal. Gordon looked like a rabbit in the headlights. Every time he got the ball he invariably either took too long or passed back but he did improve as h the game went on. With the exception of Doyle and Khadra. thought all the young uns looked a bit lightweight.

 

[LewishamBlade]

Point is we’re all going on about how crap we are away from home but that isn’t always the case. We can play well but we are inconsistent. It’s not true to say we haven’t played well under Hecky. just another typical Bladey overreaction to yet another poor goalless away performance.

Fixed it

 

[Rodley]

Is this a false narrative the fans are creating? The climb in the league last year under Hecky would suggest so.

Feel like every time we don’t get three away from home now it’s going to play to this narrative

Think we had the 5th best away record last season. Not really much more to add - Hecky knows what he’s doing re: away performances.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

Need something positive at Boro to throw off any doubts and set the standard

But we'll almost certainly play for a 0-0. Which would be a shame because Boro are as weak as they're gonna be

 

[Champagneblade]

Need something positive at Boro to throw off any doubts and set the standard

But we'll almost certainly play for a 0-0. Which would be a shame because Boro are as weak as they're gonna be

I also think Boro are there for the taking.

Keeper already got a mistake under his belt in the last League game.

Defence ok but no better than last time, Lenihan for Fry.

Midfield lost Tavernier and made of McGee, Howson and Crooks looks steady but decidedly unspectacular, bordering on journeyman.

Up front a few new wildcards but Forss couldn’t get into the Brentford team for some time and this Yank they signed doesn’t really have a scoring record of any note. You’d expect Chris’ better signings are still to arrive.

I think we’ve had a far better summer in that our business is done. Disappointing as it is to lose players through injury so early, Doyle is now back in the squad, McBurnie is on the comeback trail so we still have options. Their bench looks very weak.

Play anyway near like we did against Forest away or Millwall and we can take a positive result.

 

[AnstonBlade1]

The players are doing what there being told, go to take the handbrake off and go for it a bit more.

 

[LewishamBlade]

Think we had the 5th best away record last season. Not really much more to add - Hecky knows what he’s doing re: away performances.

Let us not forget we weren’t actually terrible on the road under Slav.

Under Hecky: “Failed to score 8 times. Scored 1 or less 11 times.” As per Carlton Blade. And he only took charge of what, 15?

That’s a bad record for a team who wants to get promoted. It means you can’t afford to concede.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

If we simply approached every away game unafraid of losing, I'm pretty sure we'd end up better off

 

[mattbianco1]

Said to a mate last night that our away form is terrible. Just checked back over Hecky's time and it's very even:

W6, L5, D4

I do feel we set up to keep it tight away from home hence it can swing either way, but why should we? We've got the players to take the game to the opposition. Should have been out of sight last night

 

[blades14]

Away from home we’re shit because we’re not expected to dominate the ball so the likes off Norwood and fleck are detrimental because they can’t tackle, break up play and drive with the ball. Precisely the reason why we NEED a CDM

 

[Badger Blade]

There's nobody in this division who we should be shutting up shop against and trying to "nick one" away from home. This squad, when it feels like it (and that's the key), is more than capable of beating anyone in this league.

We should revel in going to someone else's ground and playing them off the park and sending their supporters home miserable. Instead, we're more like strangers asking whether we should take our shoes off and asking where to sit. We should be grabbing the remote, helping ourselves to the beer out the fridge and using their credit card to order a pizza.

 

[Maidenhead]

Strong at home , look pretty useless away from home since last Christmas but doesn't matter just bed wetting

Since when?

Wilder set up "not to lose" every away game after the 3-3 Aston Villa debacle.

Ocassionally the team broke the shackles as at Tottenham but that was a rarity. Most of our away points came from hanging on when we were under the cosh and then pinching something whe we got our chance a la 1-0 at Palace.

Wilder never changed anything saying "if we try and go toe to toe with them we'll get thrashed" or words to that effect.

It's deeply engrained into the philosophy of the players and staff that have been here since Wilders days and it needs to change.

This manager, and I think more particularly these players, need to realise that they are good enough to go toe to toe with anyone in this division and find the confidence to go for it from the off wherever we're playing because let's face it the pitch is the same shape and the goals are the size so the only barriers are psychological.

A lot easier for me to say than it is for them to do but I reckon that Hecky is as frustrated with it as we are.

 

[adiosmiamigo]

Yep I’ve been and we were bobbah tonight but if you think we’re crap away under Hecky have a think about Fulham, QPR and Forest. They were great nights. We can do it but only when we r

The away performances are a valid concern. Not saying we should base anything solely on tonight's output as I haven't seen it but you don't get the feeling we are likely to put in consistent performances away from the Lane.

Not sure what we do to rectify it, maybe it's more a belief/psychological barrier than anything tactical.

Sounds like Rocket Science.

 

[adiosmiamigo]

There's nobody in this division who we should be shutting up shop against and trying to "nick one" away from home. This squad, when it feels like it (and that's the key), is more than capable of beating anyone in this league.

We should revel in going to someone else's ground and playing them off the park and sending their supporters home miserable. Instead, we're more like strangers asking whether we should take our shoes off and asking where to sit. We should be grabbing the remote, helping ourselves to the beer out the fridge and using their credit card to order a pizza.

Consistency is the key,we dont have it,methinks.

 

[adiosmiamigo]

Playing them off the park? With a slow ageing midfield,strikers who cant score, i dinna think so.

 

[Snowflake]

Whilst I understand the concerns, we have to accept that most home teams will play differently and more positively than when they come to BL. As a consequence we have to play in a different way than we do at home.
It does not need to be entirely negative but it does have to take into account the greater attacking threat of the home team.
Last year’s away record was fine for promotion had the home record not been indifferent.