Too many average players

[GreasyChipBeattie]

doing too many average things.
We don't have a team of footballers, we have a team of triers.
We look fitter than last season, but that's about it.
Feel free to archive this and reference later in the season if I'm wrong, but unless we change tack and get the players in to be able to do it, they might need to make play-off qualifying places down to about 12th!

 

[FriethBlade]

Talking of average we'd be better off with an 'average' 6ft 3in CF on the pitch if we are going to persist with Cooper hoofing it long most of the time. How many balls did Bamford and Cannon win in the air or hold up from those long kicks?

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Unless Kalvin Phillips comes back in as a midfield colossus, bossing middle of the park and spraying accurate passes to our wide men and strikers….We’re fucked.

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

I think there’s a player in Romelle Donovan - he’s still only 19 - he’s showing flickers of talent. I just hope he can show more attacking threat and continue building a partnership with Seriki a’la Brooks.

Phillips will be an interesting one. Swap him in for Peck.

I’d try:

Cooper
Seriki Tanganga McGuinness McCallum
Riedewald
Donovan Phillips Rothwell
Ohare
Bamford

Riedewald provides extra protection.
Ohare has free rein in the 10 role.
Encourage Phillips to feed COH/Bamford.
Donovan/Seriki is the outlet.

 

[Keen Blade]

Talking of average we'd be better off with an 'average' 6ft 3in CF on the pitch if we are going to persist with Cooper hoofing it long most of the time. How many balls did Bamford and Cannon win in the air or hold up from those long kicks?

A crude & clueless strategy with Cannon being Cannon and Bamford being unusually poor (that new baby has knackered him).

 

[FriethBlade]

A crude & clueless strategy with Cannon being Cannon and Bamford being unusually poor (that new baby has knackered him).

But even with Bamford at his best hes not really a "target man". If we've decided we are going to use the long kick from the GK a lot we have to have someone up front who can challenge the opposition CBs and win the ball at least some of the time. If was a futile tactic yesterday and despite Birminghams CBs winning everything in the air we continued with it right through the game

 

[Keen Blade]

But even with Bamford at his best hes not really a "target man". If we've decided we are going to use the long kick from the GK a lot we have to have someone up front who can challenge the opposition CBs and win the ball at least some of the time. If was a futile tactic yesterday and despite Birminghams CBs winning everything in the air we continued with it right through the game

Yep - and we kept our big guy on the bench.
Did Wilder know that Brum had 2 CBs who towered over our strikers ?
Is that why he told our lot to hoof it long in the air ?
I mean , come on !
The man is an imbecile these days.
Apart from one thing.
He knows the owners can't sack him.
Club is riddled with incompetence at every level.
Which hurts us a lot more than it hurts them.

 

[FriethBlade]

Yep - and we kept our big guy on the bench.
Did Wilder know that Brum had 2 CBs who towered over our strikers ?
Is that why he told our lot to hoof it long in the air ?
I mean , come on !
The man is an imbecile these days.
Apart from one thing.
He knows the owners can't sack him.
Club is riddled with incompetence at every level.
Which hurts us a lot more than it hurts them.

I dont mind us playing long ball football if we are set up to play it. I loved it under Bassett. However we are playing it with a team full of players who were signed to play the passing game.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

However good Sydie and Blaster maybe individually….Together they are as weak as piss.
I’m praying for a fit again Kalvin Phillips…Or anyone remotely similar to Vinnie Souza.

 

[Tom Bott]

Bamford being unusually poor (that new baby has knackered him).

Did Wilder know that Brum had 2 CBs who towered over our strikers ?

Could have been a combination of both of course, Their number 5 was all over Bamford anytime he tried to come near the ball.

Wilders fault though that Birmingham have such a dominant defence.

 

[Borbokisfreekick]

We have an awfully assembled squad, not all Wilder’s fault, but he’s had two windows now and also signed Cannon.

And aside from Jairo, we are the only club in the top two divisions to have a fully British / Irish squad. That says it all about how modern and effective our recruitment is and Wilder’s outlook. Even Bolton and Lincoln have a more diverse squad than ours.

 

[luffenhamblade]

In many ways we are getting what we deserve after our response to the “awful” 24-25 season! We’ll never know what would have happened if Wilder had been supported rather than sacked but we do know where we are now. Hopefully yesterday wasn’t a taste of what’s to come.

 

[Keen Blade]

Could have been a combination of both of course, Their number 5 was all over Bamford anytime he tried to come near the ball.

Wilders fault though that Birmingham have such a dominant defence.

No , Wilder's fault that we kept hoofing up to our strikers - doesn't he see what's happening in a game or can't he think how to correct it ?

 

[ATL Recs]

Talking of average we'd be better off with an 'average' 6ft 3in CF on the pitch if we are going to persist with Cooper hoofing it long most of the time. How many balls did Bamford and Cannon win in the air or hold up from those long kicks?

Wasn’t just cooper though was it our defenders constantly playing it long
Obviously instruction as per last season

 

[54yrblade]

No , Wilder's fault that we kept hoofing up to our strikers - doesn't he see what's happening in a game or can't he think how to correct it ?

We didn't have the players, quality, wit or coaching/ management to sort it yesterday.

 

[ATL Recs]

I dont mind us playing long ball football if we are set up to play it. I loved it under Bassett. However we are playing it with a team full of players who were signed to play the passing game.

And they can’t pass

 

[calcalcal]

Talking of average we'd be better off with an 'average' 6ft 3in CF on the pitch if we are going to persist with Cooper hoofing it long most of the time. How many balls did Bamford and Cannon win in the air or hold up from those long kicks?

I think brum forced us into that a lot as they were faster and stronger and pressed well. We look a bit lightweight

 

[lepton blade]

We were an average Championship side last year. This season, the side is weaker and the division appears to be stronger.
We probably do need a centre half but after watching that shocking performance yesterday, I’d say we have more pressing priorities.
Right now, I’d settle for not going down and that seems to be the the ambition of the owners.

 

[HIBGIA]

We were an average Championship side last year. This season, the side is weaker and the division appears to be stronger.
We probably do need a centre half but after watching that shocking performance yesterday, I’d say we have more pressing priorities.
Right now, I’d settle for not going down and that seems to be the the ambition of the owners.

Nail on head there, next two years of the following: -

1) Attempt to stay in the league.
2) Do best deal that they can with the previous owner on the final sale price (anything over £70m, which they have allegedly paid already will likely be exposure upon resale).
2) Try to get new investment (part sale of club, but above needs to be sorted first).
3) If within two years (max), no investment, then resale of the club at the current championship value (I think WBA was sold for something reportedly like £69m?).
4) Within this time frame Wilder will need to get the son in law either a new deal or sale to a prem club.

Yesterday will be much the same over this period.

 

[Edgar Allan Poo]

Thread title sounds like a really shit Jason Donovan song.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Talking of average we'd be better off with an 'average' 6ft 3in CF on the pitch if we are going to persist with Cooper hoofing it long most of the time. How many balls did Bamford and Cannon win in the air or hold up from those long kicks?

A Kiefer Moore type of player maybe?……Doh!

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

We hear too often of culture carriers.

I get it, if your squad consists of Bash, Billy, Norwood, Baldock, Courts, Didz, Henderson...demanding standards.

For all the focus that we still supposedly place on this, who's carrying the culture at the moment?!

 

[Keen Blade]

We were an average Championship side last year. This season, the side is weaker and the division appears to be stronger.
We probably do need a centre half but after watching that shocking performance yesterday, I’d say we have more pressing priorities.
Right now, I’d settle for not going down and that seems to be the the ambition of the owners.

Nail on head there, next two years of the following: -

1) Attempt to stay in the league.
2) Do best deal that they can with the previous owner on the final sale price (anything over £70m, which they have allegedly paid already will likely be exposure upon resale).
2) Try to get new investment (part sale of club, but above needs to be sorted first).
3) If within two years (max), no investment, then resale of the club at the current championship value (I think WBA was sold for something reportedly like £69m?).
4) Within this time frame Wilder will need to get the son in law either a new deal or sale to a prem club.

Yesterday will be much the same over this period.

I think WBA sold for £49m

 

[AnstonBlade1]

Unless Kalvin Phillips comes back in as a midfield colossus, bossing middle of the park and spraying accurate passes to our wide men and strikers….We’re fucked.

That would be ok if we had any wide players…

 

[HIBGIA]

I think WBA sold for £49m

Could be? I thought that I just remembered something on the lines of £70mish? Anyhow, the current owners are likely exposed on resale value. The previous owner will not go away lightly, I think that most of us can agree to that!

 

[CarlMcBlade]

That would be ok if we had any wide players…

Yeah I know, big assumptions being made there…But there’s nothing wrong with wishful thinking.

 

[TJ blade]

I think brum forced us into that a lot as they were faster and stronger and pressed well. We look a bit lightweight

Brum bullied us all over the pitch! And they'll not be the first to do it this season, we're a soft touch sadly.

 

[Sean Thornton]

I dont mind us playing long ball football if we are set up to play it. I loved it under Bassett. However we are playing it with a team full of players who were signed to play the passing game.

And too many with no pace.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Could be? I thought that I just remembered something on the lines of £70mish? Anyhow, the current owners are likely exposed on resale value. The previous owner will not go away lightly, I think that most of us can agree to that!

Reported as £60m for 88%.

 

[Bladethebrian]

I think there’s a player in Romelle Donovan - he’s still only 19 - he’s showing flickers of talent. I just hope he can show more attacking threat and continue building a partnership with Seriki a’la Brooks.

Phillips will be an interesting one. Swap him in for Peck.

I’d try:

Cooper
Seriki Tanganga McGuinness McCallum
Riedewald
Donovan Phillips Rothwell
Ohare
Bamford

Riedewald provides extra protection.
Ohare has free rein in the 10 role.
Encourage Phillips to feed COH/Bamford.
Donovan/Seriki is the outlet.

Peck over Riedewald all day long