Composure in the second half

[Maidenhead]

Don’t get me wrong we are doing enough to win these games with the quality we have.

And our difficulty to be broken down is to be admired but as far as overall performances go they ain’t grgreat.

Just as well there's no points for artistic impression then.

 

[Jan Age]

Shame you cant enjoy youre team being in this position
Makes me wonder when you actually can enjoy it

Dot get me wrong I’m happy with where we are and the gap I’m just commenting on the performances and potential for it go horribly wrong.

People on here don’t seem to want to listen to a differing opinion.

Or understand what is actual criticisms and what is comments …

Results have been good performances poor is my opinion not criticism

 

[Jan Age]

Just as well there's no points for artistic impression then.

Yep if you asked me which I would take it would be results but as a coach myself even when getting results you are constantly trying to improve performances … there’s no denying performances can be improved

 

[Maidenhead]

You can have a poor performance and score three from set prices

You can have a poor performance and not conceed.

My worry is how long we can keep getting results without the performance to go with it.

If you score 3 in a game then that's a good performance however they come about.

If you don't concede in a game then that's a good performance because it guarantees that you can't lose.

What other sort of performance do we need?

 

[Jan Age]

Jokanovic tried playing in a way that didn’t suit, Hecky went back to wilder formation I’m no coach but I reckon I could have took over from Jok, set them back up in a 352 and got better results than he managed

I’m not Hecky bashing I’m just not convinced he’s the master tactician most make him out to be, for me he’s gone back to basics with a good squad that suits, that and the inconsistency of other teams on the championship and we are where we are.

Good points well made

 

[Jan Age]

If you score 3 in a game then that's a good performance however they come about.

If you don't concede in a game then that's a good performance because it guarantees that you can't lose.

What other sort of performance do we need?

It’s a good result not performance

 

[TJB.]

Not really … Blackpool we were poor for 45 minutes …

Coventry the same.

Wigan want great either.

Don’t get me wrong we are doing enough to win these games with the quality we have.

And our difficulty to be broken down is to be admired but as far as overall performances go they ain’t great.

So we're good enough to score goals and hard to score against which has put us 2nd in the table and 11 points clear of third, but apart from that we've been shit?

We could always be better of course, but you're not going to get 11 fellas operating at 100% for every minute of every game. Just doesn't happen. There will be lulls in play and times when the opposition will have a right go at us. Again, how we ride these parts of games out has done us well.

I'd also argue that we were poor for 45 minutes against Blackpool, but we can agree to disagree there!

 

[Frank the tank]

Dot get me wrong I’m happy with where we are and the gap I’m just commenting on the performances and potential for it go horribly wrong.

People on here don’t seem to want to listen to a differing opinion.

Or understand what is actual criticisms and what is comments …

Results have been good performances poor is my opinion not criticism

Youve completely focused on what you see as poor periods during games we have won comfortably

What exactly are your expectations ? You must think this team is much better than the rest of the division seen as you said injuries and lack of match fitness are just excuses for only winning games by the odd goal

Like i said shame you cant enjoy it mate these are the good times for a club like ours and they dont come round tgat often

 

[Frank the tank]

Good points well made

Neither of those things are true
They are terrible points not very well made at all

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

Shame you cant enjoy youre team being in this position
Makes me wonder when you actually can enjoy it

Love the results but I’d enjoy it much more sitting comfortably on a two goal lead without us conceding and shitting it whilst praying that the clock would go round faster.

 

[Panini]

This is the table if, hypothetically, games ended at half-time.



We've 'gained' 8 more points from the second halves of games. There are other clubs achieving similar points but they're not doing it as the 2nd best first-half team in the whole division, we are.

Burnley have gained 13 and that's after they lost 3 at Bramall Lane. Definitely suggests they're a strong second half team. However they need to be, as they wouldn't be in the top two otherwise.

Blackburn have 'lost' 5 points. Bristol City have 'lost' 12!

Curiously only Burnley have scored more first half goals than Rotherham. The Millers have only scored 9 second half goals all season! We're on 25 FYI.

 

[Frank the tank]

Love the results but I’d enjoy it much more sitting comfortably on a two goal lead without us conceding and shitting it whilst praying that the clock would go round faster.

Wouldnt we all mate ,no ones been more critical than me during games and im sure it will only get more stressful as the season goes on but it seems to.suit us letting teams come on to us and in all those games weve won since the break teams have hardly laid a glove on us even after scoring a goal to get back into it

For the last couple of seasons weve thrown away countless winning positions but now we arent people are having a pop about the way we arent throwing awsy points
Cant win

 

[Weasel]

If you score 3 in a game then that's a good performance however they come about.

If you don't concede in a game then that's a good performance because it guarantees that you can't lose.

What other sort of performance do we need?

Can't agree with that. Teams do win when they have been poor and vice versa.

Not about to go into the debate about whether Hecky is the next Pep or the next Kevin Blackwell but teams have been playing poorly and still getting results since football was invented. We were absolutely shite against Bristol City away and yet still won with a clean sheet. Even Hecky himself said we were poor. As another poster mentioned above, poor performance, great result. Ultimately it's always about the result that really matters, but as many a professional will attest to, the better the performances being produced consistently the greater chance of you winning future games. The trick obviously is to get both.

For what its worth, I think we have done enough to win our games recently but have made heavy work of some of these at times when we could have made it much more comfortable for ourselves. Against Blackpool and Wigan we looked levels above them, missed chances and then switched off for a moment and then it was game on again. We were good enough to see them out though which is what matters. But there is always room for improvement unless you are arrogant to think we are the finished article which we clearly never will be (no one else is either for that matter).

 

[Trigger Blade]

Love the results but I’d enjoy it much more sitting comfortably on a two goal lead without us conceding and shitting it whilst praying that the clock would go round faster.

I need at least a 3 goal lead going into injury time to feel moderately comfortable.

In fact about the only time I’ve ever felt relaxed at half time was v Spurs in 1993 when we were 5-0 up and I was fairly sure that even we couldn’t mess that up. premier League too, no less!

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

I’m not Hecky bashing I’m just not convinced he’s the master tactician most make him out to be, for me he’s gone back to basics with a good squad that suits, that and the inconsistency of other teams on the championship and we are where we are

What Wilder formation? We don’t play the same way under Hecky as Wilder at all. We have 3 centre halves that’s it.
Wilder always started 2 upfront, Hecky doesn’t.
How is the midfield 3 the same? Does Hecky play a flat 3 or 2 with a “Duffy”? Nope!
We have 3 centre backs, who operate differently to Wilders so even that isn’t the same.It’s a lazy inaccurate comparison.

 

[SUFC Guy]

We won’t last more than a season in the Prem

This exactly. This squad is not a patch on the previous squad that got promoted. We will get battered week in week out unless very clever purchases are made. We have to be clever, clear any debt and improve the squad and Academy while still making a profit. Don't spunk £200m and aim to finish out of the bottom 3. If we go down then we have an even better squad to go up again.

Having said all of the above, none of it may matter if the new owners are in place within the next few months.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

The reason we don’t always comfortably see games out is simple. It’s inexperience.
Look at the team, how many of those on the pitch have closed out promotions before?
Egan, Baldock, Norwood, Billy, Enda.

Our standard midfield normally contains at least 2 kids with little experience of anything nevermind grinding out wins. Mcatee, Doyle, Ndiaye, Khadra, McBurnie Anel, Lowe, Bogle all lacking that knowledge and experience which brings belief. Our last promotion side had that L1 winning knowledge and even they didn’t always display the best game management experience see out the Championship promotion season, but they got there.
That confidence will grow as we keep doing it and by the end of the season it’ll be much improved.

 

[Norwood's 6 iron]

Our squad is in a much better place under Heckingbottom than it ever was under Wilder, younger and with more pace.
It will be even stronger once we get RND back as the balance of the team still isn't quite right.
Plus we need to be patient, if, and it's a big if, we can keep a settled side for a few weeks then we will see much improved performances.
Still think we have not seen the best of our team and yet we have won 5 on the trot.

 

[Danny_Blade]

The reason we don’t always comfortably see games out is simple. It’s inexperience.
Look at the team, how many of those on the pitch have closed out promotions before?
Egan, Baldock, Norwood, Billy, Enda.

Our standard midfield normally contains at least 2 kids with little experience of anything nevermind grinding out wins. Mcatee, Doyle, Ndiaye, Khadra, McBurnie Anel, Lowe, Bogle all lacking that knowledge and experience which brings belief. Our last promotion side had that L1 winning knowledge and even they didn’t always display the best game management experience see out the Championship promotion season, but they got there.
That confidence will grow as we keep doing it and by the end of the season it’ll be much improved.

Agree with this.

I'm being a bit pedantic but you forgot to mention Lowe for the promotions before list, he was in a promoted team last season with the Florists.

 

[JJBlade]

Yep if you asked me which I would take it would be results but as a coach myself even when getting results you are constantly trying to improve performances … there’s no denying performances can be improved

Yes
Performances create confidence
You can win ugly for a period of time without creating much confidence, but as soon as you lose one a bad run follows because confidence in the performances has not been built up.

 

[espoo blade]

It seemingly goes to shit because the opposition changes tactics, the only thing we could do better imo is to keep possession better, we need to remember that the other team we play actually want to win too and will sometimes out muscle and battle hard against us

This! Bedwetters note...there are generally two teams playing and the scoreline normally dictates how teams will set up and play or influence any tweaks in formation, subs, etc.

Do you honestly think Hecky and the coaching staff are telling the players at HT it's job done, let's sit back and soak up the pressure?! lol.

 

[Stevo]

This! Bedwetters note...there are generally two teams playing and the scoreline normally dictates how teams will set up and play or influence any tweaks in formation, subs, etc.

Do you honestly think Hecky and the coaching staff are telling the players at HT it's job done, let's sit back and soak up the pressure?! lol.

A. You know nothing about football

B. That's not what I said, please read again

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Compo in the second half

 

[espoo blade]

A. You know nothing about football

B. That's not what I said, please read again

Lol chill...maybe I quote a bit too much of what you said. I was basically saying you'd made a good point in "It seemingly goes to shit because the opposition changes tactics".

The ssecond part of my comment obviously isn't aimed at you but the bedwetters who think we're just sitting back inviting the opposition to attack and not considering that it's the oppoisition who are forcing us back.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Agree with this.

I'm being a bit pedantic but you forgot to mention Lowe for the promotions before list, he was in a promoted team last season with the Florists.

Playoff experience is something else. Seeing games out when everyone is chasing you is something else and Lowe hasn’t had that.
We’ll become more comfortable in possession and less panicky when seeing out games as we get more used to it. Lets be honest, with players like Anel, Berge, Doyle, Mcatee, Norwood, Bogle, Lowe and even Oli Mac, we’ve enough who are comfortable both on the ball and keeping the ball moving. They just have to just themselves more.

 

[dc_blade]

The thing is, the performances simply haven’t been anything like as bad as some are suggesting. We consistently create more and better chances than the opposition and that’s how you win games. The stats (and my eyes) show we’re one of the two best attacking teams in the division.

I get that we sometimes make it nervier than it needs to be. And I get that we’ve seen this team play so well at times that a workmanlike 2-1 can seem a bit disappointing in comparison. But you don’t get results like ours, consistently over a season (and more since Hecky took over), if you’re “getting away with it.” We’re just a good team.

 

[MobileBlade]

Unless we implode on a scale that only we can,

When did we do this?

 

[Big.Dane.w]

Ridiculous post
Find one quote of someone saying he is a master tactician and i will give you a free ticket for every game forever

Also if all hes done is gone back to basics then playing three number 10's and being the highest goalscorers in the league is pretty impressive basics

Im glad you think you could have done beyter than jokanivic maybe you could but explain to me how if all hecky did was go back to wilders formation then how come we were so awful under wilder ?

 

[MobileBlade]

Jokanovic tried playing in a way that didn’t suit, Hecky went back to wilder formation I’m no coach but I reckon I could have took over from Jok, set them back up in a 352 and got better results than he managed

I’m not Hecky bashing I’m just not convinced he’s the master tactician most make him out to be, for me he’s gone back to basics with a good squad that suits, that and the inconsistency of other teams on the championship and we are where we are.

You're right. You're no coach. Only similarity with Wilder set up is there is a goalkeeper and 3 centre halfs.

 

[MobileBlade]

Dot get me wrong I’m happy with where we are

Not sure about that.