"Attacking CBs"

[Carlton Blade]

We seem to have lost that ability to double up as often as we did early on in the year. In fact it almost never happens down the left. Bash still gets forward and tries to help Baldock but Stevens and O Connells early season chemistry has completely dissolved.

Is this a symptom of teams playing us differently? Getting burnt in games like Bristol City at home? Tiredness?

My biggest disappointment of the last 3 months is I don't think we take as many risks anymore. The thing that made us stand out early in the season was our verve and our willingness to risk at our end to try and score at theirs.

 

[super_pig]

We seem to have lost that ability to double up as often as we did early on in the year. In fact it almost never happens down the left. Bash still gets forward and tries to help Baldock but Stevens and O Connells early season chemistry has completely dissolved.

Is this a symptom of teams playing us differently? Getting burnt in games like Bristol City at home? Tiredness?

My biggest disappointment of the last 3 months is I don't think we take as many risks anymore. The thing that made us stand out early in the season was our verve and our willingness to risk at our end to try and score at theirs.

handbrake on. agree though i don't think JoC dare run forward because he's expecting Stevens to lose the ball. which he has on a few occasions with JoC marooned upfield

 

[Carlton Blade]

handbrake on. agree though i don't think JoC dare run forward because he's expecting Stevens to lose the ball. which he has on a few occasions with JoC marooned upfield

Completely agree. Bash can get forward because Baldock is so good. If you could get Baldock and O Connell on he same side you'd really have something

 

[Roygbiv]

I agree that Stevens is a big reason why O Connell isn't getting forward. Basham is getting forward but he is pretty useless with the ball

 

[Carlton Blade]

I agree that Stevens is a big reason why O Connell isn't getting forward. Basham is getting forward but it's pretty useless with it.

Bash is the drunk uncle at Xmas. You're glad he's here but you wish he wasn't quite as much of a central part of the day

 

[super_pig]

I agree that Stevens is a big reason why O Connell isn't getting forward. Basham is getting forward but he is pretty useless with the ball

typical blades that both our best full backs are right backs

 

[Carlton Blade]

We love a right back! Walker, Naughton, Lowton, Baldock, Freeman, Borbokis.

 

[super_pig]

We love a right back! Walker, Naughton, Lowton, Baldock, Freeman, Borbokis.

we don't do left backs do we
ted hemsley..umm.. err.. wayne quinn.. umm.. umm

 

[Carlton Blade]

we don't do left backs do we
ted hemsley..umm.. err.. wayne quinn.. umm.. umm

Early Quinn was great. As was early Woodhouse before he moved inside.

I'm genuinely struggling to think of much else. Roger Nilsen was ok?

 

[nopigfansintown]

We seem to have lost that ability to double up as often as we did early on in the year. In fact it almost never happens down the left. Bash still gets forward and tries to help Baldock but Stevens and O Connells early season chemistry has completely dissolved.

Is this a symptom of teams playing us differently? Getting burnt in games like Bristol City at home? Tiredness?

My biggest disappointment of the last 3 months is I don't think we take as many risks anymore. The thing that made us stand out early in the season was our verve and our willingness to risk at our end to try and score at theirs.

Having attacking CBs is completely predicated on successful ball retention. Too often now we go long and lose the ball, or don't keep it well enough when building from the back. I don't think it's a different tactical approach, just poorer execution.

 

[Rodley]

We seem to have lost that ability to double up as often as we did early on in the year. In fact it almost never happens down the left. Bash still gets forward and tries to help Baldock but Stevens and O Connells early season chemistry has completely dissolved.

Is this a symptom of teams playing us differently? Getting burnt in games like Bristol City at home? Tiredness?

My biggest disappointment of the last 3 months is I don't think we take as many risks anymore. The thing that made us stand out early in the season was our verve and our willingness to risk at our end to try and score at theirs.

Hull played with two players sitting behind the lone striker. All three pressed our wide centre halves. They aren’t going to try and beat a man in that position, too risky. Their tactics were set up to negate our formation. Without Brooks, Holmes and / or Duffy, we lack the players to break the team down. On a poor pitch quick passing was difficult. Think we’re struggling to find a switch in tactics when teams play this way against us - high defensive line, aggressive press, manmarking our ACM.

 

[super_pig]

Hull played with two players sitting behind the lone striker. All three pressed our wide centre halves. They aren’t going to try and beat a man in that position, too risky. Their tactics were set up to negate our formation. Without Brooks, Holmes and / or Duffy, we lack the players to break the team down. On a poor pitch quick passing was difficult. Think we’re struggling to find a switch in tactics when teams play this way against us - high defensive line, aggressive press, manmarking our ACM.

good points.

 

[Carlton Blade]

Hull played with two players sitting behind the lone striker. All three pressed our wide centre halves. They aren’t going to try and beat a man in that position, too risky. Their tactics were set up to negate our formation. Without Brooks, Holmes and / or Duffy, we lack the players to break the team down. On a poor pitch quick passing was difficult. Think we’re struggling to find a switch in tactics when teams play this way against us - high defensive line, aggressive press, manmarking our ACM.

It's not just last night though. As a team we have become much more risk averse than earlier in the season.

I think that's the thing that differentiated us from bog standard champ teams. Maybe it's the opponents stopping it but we definitely play differently now

 

[Wards]

Early Quinn was great. As was early Woodhouse before he moved inside.

I'm genuinely struggling to think of much else. Roger Nilsen was ok?

Chris Armstrong was good

 

[robbiez666]

Hull played with two players sitting behind the lone striker. All three pressed our wide centre halves. They aren’t going to try and beat a man in that position, too risky. Their tactics were set up to negate our formation. Without Brooks, Holmes and / or Duffy, we lack the players to break the team down. On a poor pitch quick passing was difficult. Think we’re struggling to find a switch in tactics when teams play this way against us - high defensive line, aggressive press, manmarking our ACM.

In the same way our high press last year put the fear of God into other teams last season, when someone does it to us we're all over the shop. It's about skill levels and confidence of players. Hull got at us and made us rush passes. That's why we continually gave the ball away.

 

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

I agree that Stevens is a big reason why O Connell isn't getting forward. Basham is getting forward but he is pretty useless with the ball

Completely agree.

My suggestion to fixing this with the players we've got is to move JOC into LWB and play Stearman leftside CB who is adept with the ball coming forward. It would mean bringing Jake Wright back in to anchor the back 3.

Baldock Basham Wright Stearman JOC

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Bash is the drunk uncle at Xmas. You're glad he's here but you wish he wasn't quite as much of a central part of the day

FFS

 

[penthouseblade]

In the same way our high press last year put the fear of God into other teams last season, when someone does it to us we're all over the shop. It's about skill levels and confidence of players. Hull got at us and made us rush passes. That's why we continually gave the ball away.

We also gave the ball away, countless times, under no pressure whatsoever. It was utterly infuriating, Evans I thought was the main culprit, slow and weak, but the midfield as a whole were completely useless; they all looked fucking hungover!?

Worst team performance I’ve seen in nearly two years. I was in the Hull end last night and it was a tad embarrassing!

 

[robbiez666]

We also gave the ball away, countless times, under no pressure whatsoever. It was utterly infuriating, Evans I thought was the main culprit, slow and weak, but the midfield as a whole were completely useless; they all looked fucking hungover!?

Worst team performance I’ve seen in nearly two years. I was in the Hull end last night and it was a tad embarrassing!

My knowledge of Evans is limited before we signed him, but I would have thought he'd be better in the Duffy role last night and Leonard further back.

 

[penthouseblade]

But yes, back to the OP; it was noticeable last night particularly (Stearman and JoC) were hanging back and not attacking. Really disappointing as one of our unique strengths this season has been the overlapping centre halves and they’ve gone!!

 

[Esablade]

Hull played with two players sitting behind the lone striker. All three pressed our wide centre halves. They aren’t going to try and beat a man in that position, too risky. Their tactics were set up to negate our formation. Without Brooks, Holmes and / or Duffy, we lack the players to break the team down. On a poor pitch quick passing was difficult. Think we’re struggling to find a switch in tactics when teams play this way against us - high defensive line, aggressive press, manmarking our ACM.

Players pass better than that on park pitches, Sunday morning...and Hull managed alright.

 

[HuddersfieldBlade]

What about Dane Whitehouse as a LWB. Always thought he was great when he moved back

 

[Carlton Blade]

What about Dane Whitehouse as a LWB. Always thought he was great when he moved back

Good call. Would have been an excellent wb if it had been a formation we'd played more during his career.

Jon Harley was ok as well

 

[sufcboy95]

Bash gets forward but is useless with the ball at his feet. Would put stearman at rcb and wright in the middle. Stevens doesn’t seem to have been any where near his early season form this side of Christmas

 

[penthouseblade]

My knowledge of Evans is limited before we signed him, but I would have thought he'd be better in the Duffy role last night and Leonard further back.

I knew bugger all about him! Don’t follow football (as a whole) that closely anymore. What I do know is that he has really looked the part since he arrived, comfortable on the ball, good vision, quick of thought. Last night he was totally devoid of that; and a whole lot more!

 

[stringer]

What about Dane Whitehouse as a LWB. Always thought he was great when he moved back

Might be a bit old now though mate

 

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

Might be a bit old now though mate

Stuart McCall marshalled a midfield to 2 x Cup semi finals and a PO final, aged 73.

 

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

handbrake on. agree though i don't think JoC dare run forward because he's expecting Stevens to lose the ball. which he has on a few occasions with JoC marooned upfield

I suspect they are under instruction.

I know CW has a cavalier attitude but I just wonder if he assessed that after the Villa game with the Bristol & Bolton games leading up to it also fresh in his mind.