Fantastic season, just run out of steam

[Rodley]

The players given us absolutely everything and performed beyond all expectations, but let’s be right, Europe with this squad would be caused us a major headache next year.

Moving it forward, with a limited budget, I think we need the following:-

1. A striker with pace and power
2. A midfielder like Fleck who can carry the ball forward, break lines and make through balls
3. A goalkeeper

 

[robbiez666]

I think we just ran out of ideas as much as steam tonight.

 

[bromtom]

Desperately need a creative player to play off a striker, and some confidence pills for the rest.

Today, weren't bad at all really but just no cojones about us. Easy balls, negative balls, backwards more than forwards.

 

[McGrath]

Feels a little bit like the first season back in the Championship.

Hopefully the second season will follow a similar pattern

 

[Rodley]

Desperately need a creative player to play off a striker, and some confidence pills for the rest.

Today, weren't bad at all really but just no cojones about us. Easy balls, negative balls, backwards more than forwards.

Yep we need a RCM who can carry the ball, beat a man and unlock the door. Not sure Berge is the man and think he contests the CDM position with Norwood. Either that or a Duffy style number 10 who can find space, take the ball on the half turn and slot a striker in. We saw Fleck do that once to Sharp in the second half - we need another player who can do that. I’m hoping that Swift is the man - he looks a little bit like Duffy for me.

 

[Putney Blade]

Crying out for creativity & pace.

 

[Rodley]

I think we just ran out of ideas as much as steam tonight.

We don’t really have many gamechangers off the bench, which is to be expected given we’re newly promoted.

 

[Baaaaaaa Blades]

Agree with OP
Also will say Everton defended really well imo, still an amazing season
And next season who knows! CWAK always keep us improving year on year !

 

[Stretch]

Young Duffy might have been useful tonight. We need that option going forward.

Hopefully Swift can provide that for us.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

Crying out for pace up top no where near good enough

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Yes, an excellent effort and season, but just fallen short of the dream scenario. We need an injection of quality, matchwinner type. We also need a bit of pace and a proper plan B.

We need to keep improving, so the board needs to match Chris' ambition now (as far as possible in the post-lockdown climate). If we are still lining up with McG in the first team as our creative spark next season, it will be a worry.

 

[bromtom]

Yep we need a RCM who can carry the ball, beat a man and unlock the door. Not sure Berge is the man and think he contests the CDM position with Norwood. Either that or a Duffy style number 10 who can find space, take the ball on the half turn and slot a striker in. We saw Fleck do that once to Sharp in the second half - we need another player who can do that. I’m hoping that Swift is the man - he looks a little bit like Duffy for me.

I've been saying for a while that I don't see why we play 2 up top so rigidly when we have McG who is basically a 10 anyway, bring a real quality 10 in, we can play them behind a striker if we want to, just gives us more options. A Duelofeu type.

 

[Varkanoid]

I think we just ran out of ideas as much as steam tonight.

more like no idea up front. We had the chances just didnt make anything of them.

 

[PokerBlade]

I've liked so much about Osborn but without an in form Fleck we're sorely lacking.

 

[JPSharpy93]

I think we just need to add pace and power to get to the next level, that doesn’t come cheap. The likes of St Max, Almiron, Richarlison, Walcott, Calvert Lewin, Vardy, the Liverpool front 3... have caused us problems this season...we need to threaten more on the counter, we rely too much on crab like side to side passing around the box to attack

 

[BettingBlade]

Young Duffy might have been useful tonight. We need that option going forward.

Hopefully Swift can provide that for us.

From the limited minutes Zivkovic has had, I think he has the potential to be an improvement on Moussett. He seems to buzz around more off the ball as well as just when he has it.

He certainly looks a lot leaner than Mousset too. Hopefully if he can get fit and stay fit I think he will be a welcome addition to the side.

EDIT: Think I replied to the wrong post but you get my drift haha

 

[BiggerBladeThanThou]

Feels a little bit like the first season back in the Championship.

Hopefully the second season will follow a similar pattern

Exactly that. Deflated.

 

[Roygbiv]

Feels a little bit like the first season back in the Championship.

Hopefully the second season will follow a similar pattern

It was almost identical to the 1-0 loss to Preston in our last home game of that season

 

[Ukkonen]

Yep we need a RCM who can carry the ball, beat a man and unlock the door. Not sure Berge is the man and think he contests the CDM position with Norwood. Either that or a Duffy style number 10 who can find space, take the ball on the half turn and slot a striker in. We saw Fleck do that once to Sharp in the second half - we need another player who can do that. I’m hoping that Swift is the man - he looks a little bit like Duffy for me.

A Reading fan at my work says Swift is very creative, good at passing and can strike a good free kick... but at that same time says he doesnt run about the pitch the same way Fleck does so isnt sure how he'll fit into our style of football - fingers crossed all the same.

 

[A Storm of Blades]

We still need to remember that mid-table-bang-average Everton fielded 2 players that cost a combined £110m. That’s level we’re at now.

 

[BettingBlade]

A Reading fan at my work says Swift is very creative, good at passing and can strike a good free kick... but at that same time says he doesnt run about the pitch the same way Fleck does so isnt sure how he'll fit into our style of football - fingers crossed all the same.

Sounds like he's more of a number 10. He sounds more like a Duffy where he's better at just sitting between the lines.

Having said that though, I was expecting Freeman to play a lot more in that role, so Wilder either doesn't fancy him or he is going to change the way we play and try a new player in there.

 

[bromtom]

It was almost identical to the 1-0 loss to Preston in our last home game of that season

Incoming Leon Clarke 40 yard screamer at Southampton

 

[Guesty]

I'm not sure we can really afford the kind of change you lot are talking about. Pace, creativity and consistent goalscoring are a bit out of our price range. We have to hope Wilder and Knill can jury-rig some approximation of those things again.

 

[B.Lade]

Young Duffy might have been useful tonight. We need that option going forward.

Hopefully Swift can provide that for us.

Totally agree. We struggled to break them down/create anything. Games like this next season I'd like to see us with a Duffy-type behind a front two. Fingers crossed we get the right additions in the summer!

 

[LoughboroBlade]

Players are taking a while to come out for the Lap of Honour...

 

[Bladesthorpe]

Afraid some of these great lads have come as far as they can and as we've seen effort just isn't enough. Pace lacking all over the pitch and we need CW to hopefully unearth some quality bargains. Great season with some wonderful memories but we need improvements if we don't want to struggle next season.

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

We’re starting to look like we lack some quality, teams are just low blocking us on the wings and hitting us on the break. Our play style is starting to become ineffective and I think we need to spend big in some areas yet wilder says we won’t be doing that. Fear for a relegation scrap in 20/21.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Cannot fault effort tonight but we need a player or two to give us that bit extra craft or creativity in the last third against sides that sit deep , they gave it there all but are currently lacking in the depth of squad to compete at the top end particularly with games coming thick and fast after restart.
Unfortunately the break came at the wrong time for us when we were bang in form and that’s something that you cannot recreate with a click of your fingers & certainly the break benefitted some of the others such as Spurs getting there front 2 back .
We’ve made giant strides in the last 4 years each season building off the back of the previous so I don’t think next season will be different to that .

Well done lads we’re proud of you .. UTB

 

[FTPE]

2 games removed from BATTERING Chelsea.
We have been spoilt. On our day we can beat anyone but we have been massively stretched to an extent that we can lose to anyone this late on too.

Incredibly proud of the lads!! I just want ONE last performance just to keep the fans with short term memory just what and amazing job we've done.

 

[Rochdaleblade]

I didn't think we played too badly tonight. Certainly compared with the Leicester game. We passed the ball well and created some good overlaps. Everton defended their penalty area really well. Having said that no shots on goal speaks for itself. Like the wolves game it was a tight game that always looked like being decided by the odd goal. I think that the off season is going to be interesting. It looks like mousset is going to be on his way, with maybe lundstram too. Hopefully we can hang on to our best players and strengthen in the transfer window. As people have pointed out we need a pacy striker and a creative midfielder. I don't know who is realistically in our price range