If we finished chances better.....

[Chapel Allerton]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

 

[Tyler Durden]

The football is fantastic, if you turn the pitch at a 90 degree angle and aren't keen on throw-ins or other set pieces.

 

[pommpey]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

But we have to be strong all over the pitch CA.

Its all very well and good having people who can finish - it helps.

But when we give opposition players too much space in the 18 yd box, fail to halt their progress through midfield, can't keep hold of the ball whilst progressing up the pitch and can't even find Sharp with a telling ball, we may as well have Vardy up front for what it is worth.

Alan Shearer and Michael Owen didn't become a very, very prolific goalscorers without a few decent players who knew what they were doing behind them. We lack that badly. Last season we could possibly count on Murphy pulling two players in and beating some into the box to crack one or two in. Now we rely on someone finding Billy Sharp. If he is being marked out of the game, where is 'plan b'?

More importantly, if there is a 'plan b', which superstar galactico is that based on?

pommpey

ps - I saw the third goal Southend got against us. What is out attacking central midfielder doing as 'last man' when we have a corner?

 

[shorehamview]

If my auntie had balls she'd be my uncle. If we'd beaten Wigan, if West Ham had been done properly, if I could pick lottery numbers properly.

Ifs and buts.

 

[Grappler]

If my auntie had tits she'd be my uncle. If we'd beaten Wigan, if West Ham had been done properly, if I could pick lottery numbers properly.

Ifs and buts.

Can't help but think that bit is the wrong way round mate!

 

[Grappler]

But we have to be strong all over the pitch CA.

Its all very well and good having people who can finish - it helps.

But when we give opposition players too much space in the 18 yd box, fail to halt their progress through midfield, can't keep hold of the ball whilst progressing up the pitch and can't even find Sharp with a telling ball, we may as well have Vardy up front for what it is worth.

Alan Shearer and Michael Owen didn't become a very, very prolific goalscorers without a few decent players who knew what they were doing behind them. We lack that badly. Last season we could possibly count on Murphy pulling two players in and beating some into the box to crack one or two in. Now we rely on someone finding Billy Sharp. If he is being marked out of the game, where is 'plan b'?

More importantly, if there is a 'plan b', which superstar galactico is that based on?

pommpey

ps - I saw the third goal Southend got against us. What is out attacking central midfielder doing as 'last man' when we have a corner?

Pretty much the story of our season, a huge hole in the middle of the park for opposition players to trot through.

And I cannot stand that sort of "backward shuffle" that we do when a player is running at us. Run straight at them and try and tackle! Don't give them time on the ball to think, force them to make a mistake, not rocket science!

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

If we finished chances better.....

....we'd be 13th on +4 instead of 13 on +3

 

[shorehamview]

Can't help but think that bit is the wrong way round mate!

Balls. Too late for an edit.

Edit - no, it wasn't

 

[pommpey]

Pretty much the story of our season, a huge hole in the middle of the park for opposition players to trot through.

And I cannot stand that sort of "backward shuffle" that we do when a player is running at us. Run straight at them and try and tackle! Don't give them time on the ball to think, force them to make a mistake, not rocket science!

Like Michael Brown used to do. He'd go at them and force them sideways or backwards.

pommpey

 

[super_pig]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

4 up?? let it go mate :0)

 

[Grappler]

Like Michael Brown used to do. He'd go at them and force them sideways or backwards.

pommpey

What would we give for a midfielder like Michael Brown today, a player with a win-at-all-costs mentality, an athlete who could take players on and score goals

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

Totally agree.

I've been banging this drum for a while now.

It actually came up in more than one *pre-season* game: We created a lot of chances but didn't put them away.

I was wondering when these chances would start being converted. They never were.

The most obvious instance from the season was Bury at home when Billy failed to convert any of his three(?) 1 v 1s.

This is not a dig at Billy.

More recently without doing anything special we could have won at Rochdale, Fleetwood(?) and Southend, and hammered Crewe 6-0.

We'd be 7 points better off at least, and a lot of people would be in a better mood.

Though there would be some loud and miserable complaints that we didn't get double figured against Crewe.

Instead Adkins is a pantomime villain twirling his moustache as he plans the demise of the club.

I think we're heading in the right direction.

 

[raul]

Doesn't this only work on the assumption that every other team is scoring from every chance they create?

 

[sheffielder]

You don t succeed at this game with if's and but's

 

[super_pig]

Instead Adkins is a pantomime villain twirling his moustache as he plans the demise of the club.

I think we're heading in the right direction.

err.. current direction is down mate??
starring kevin mccabe as dastardly and nigel adkins as muttley

 

[Gavlar]

Doesn't this only work on the assumption that every other team is scoring from every chance they create?

No of course not! Its only the blades that miss chances...................im looking forward to the next thread, "if only we could defend", followed by "if only we could play football better"..........

 

[Darthblade]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

We couldn't finish a full English breakfast, and that's been the case ever since Mr Evans went on holiday, courtesy of HMP ........ and little has realistically been done since to sort this situation other than to sign Sharp. Most sides who realistically intend to challenge for promotion have 3 / 4 strikers in the squad, at least two of which are reasonably prolific.

We have Sharp. ( please don't anybody mention the fish word ...... )

Its really not rocket science ........ if you replace departed players ( for whatever reason they departed ) with poor quality eg Woolford, Sammon etc then the Club is going nowhere !!

UTB & FTP

 

[Blade82]

ps - I saw the third goal Southend got against us. What is out attacking central midfielder doing as 'last man' when we have a corner?

The last men on corners are usually full backs. They can defend, have pace and are generally small so arn't likely to win a header when the corner comes in. Unfortunately with this system we are playing its wing backs and we had midfielders in these positions, so was left to him. The alternative would have been to leave basham or mcgahey or both back but at 2-1 down and with only a few mins to go we had to send the big men forward, Adkins would have been slated if he was seen instructing CB's to go up for a corner at that moment. Whether he should have played that system with no 'wing backs' is a more reasonable question.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

If we finished chances better ... we'd still lose because the back-door is always wide open. Sort spine of the team and back line (I think even the current defence would look much better with the addition of a big dominant centre-half leader that we've been lacking for nearly 2 seasons now) out then we might start getting somewhere.

 

[BushBlade]

It's L1. We don't create enough chances. All players miss good opportunities, even at PL level. At L1 level you need to create a lot of chances for one of them to go in. If you don't create enough you end up rueing the chances you missed.

 

[Rodley]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

Too many scoops in the Mustard Pot you pal! No room for optimism here!

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

No vitriol here Chapel Allerton (We North Leeds Blades have to stick together!) We've been poor on finishing and there have been occasions where a missed goal could have encouraged us to press on and win matches.

 

[Chapel Allerton]

Too many scoops in the Mustard Pot you pal! No room for optimism here!

The Woods these days rather than the Mustard Pot or The Regent. COYRAWW!

 

[Houston_Blade]

Recent performances haven't been that bad although the results have been. Lots of chances created that if we'd put away then we'd win games easily. Case in point the game against Southend this week and also we should've been 4 up by half time against Crewe. I'm vaguely optimistic about our chances for next season if we can improve in this area. We're playing decent football. I don't see it as all doom and gloom......*prepares for vitriolic responses*

Nige, if you've lost your voice and fucked up on Twitter don't started trawling blades forums to air your mental views. Also I didn't have you down as a Foos fan.

 

[BeatleBlade]

We need more goals from Midfield really. Last year we weren't great going forward but McNulty had a decent strike rate that would have hopefully gotten better. Now we have Billy and Che doing well.
However,both years our midlfielders haven't chipped in with nearly enough. Can't rely on your strikers all the time.