Is this a potential relegation group?

[blades_95]

The Birmingham game was dull, but we got a point against a team that will push play offs and is still unbeaten. A draw was a fair result, so to call that woeful is just exaggeration in my opinion. Had they beat us 0-4 we'd be in that territory.

Can't be arsed to do the same with every game, but Swansea are top of the league and we were the better team. Zero quality on the ball is another massive exaggeration, and the cup wins not being mentioned is convenient.

We could get relegated, we are absolutely on a downwards trend and uninspired at the moment, it's perhaps interesting to discuss the comparisons with our last relegation team, but your just going too far imo.

The performances in our first five games last season weren't all woeful and we didn't get a point. You don't regularly pick up points in this division easily, just by getting lucky.

We played really well against Blackburn to be fair, we were the better side for the majority of the game & it felt like we’d turned a corner.

I just don’t see what we’re trying to do in our performances. There’s no clear tactic other than playing for second balls.

It’s not like this is a new thing - we’ve churned out very similar performances for the past 2 seasons under Wilder, it’s just now we have a poorer squad. No Hamer to score or create something out of nothing, a defence that can’t be relied upon for consistent clean sheets. Only Wednesday lost more games than us last season. That’s why I have little faith in this changing, because the evidence of the last 2 years tell us it won’t.

 

[AWetFlannel]

So you’re pretty satisfied with how things are going then?

Given I just said "we could get relegated, we are absolutely on a downwards trend and uninspired at the moment, it's perhaps interesting to discuss the comparisons with our last relegation team", I'm not sure where you got that from...

 

[AWetFlannel]

We played really well against Blackburn to be fair, we were the better side for the majority of the game & it felt like we’d turned a corner.

I just don’t see what we’re trying to do in our performances. There’s no clear tactic other than playing for second balls.

It’s not like this is a new thing - we’ve churned out very similar performances for the past 2 seasons under Wilder, it’s just now we have a poorer squad. No Hamer to score or create something out of nothing, a defence that can’t be relied upon for consistent clean sheets. Only Wednesday lost more games than us last season. That’s why I have little faith in this changing, because the evidence of the last 2 years tell us it won’t.

We've tried a few things this season, the main tactic seeming to be direct play with two strikers on the pitch and playing off them like you said. That is a tactic and we've done it fairly consistently this season.

I don't have faith that we'll suddenly become a brilliant passing team, or storm into the play offs this season. I agree that we've sold our best players and the squad is a mess, we're on the slide. It's possible to see that without needless exaggerating though.

 

[Harry's Game]

We played really well against Blackburn to be fair, we were the better side for the majority of the game & it felt like we’d turned a corner.

I just don’t see what we’re trying to do in our performances. There’s no clear tactic other than playing for second balls.

It’s not like this is a new thing - we’ve churned out very similar performances for the past 2 seasons under Wilder, it’s just now we have a poorer squad. No Hamer to score or create something out of nothing, a defence that can’t be relied upon for consistent clean sheets. Only Wednesday lost more games than us last season. That’s why I have little faith in this changing, because the evidence of the last 2 years tell us it won’t.

It was Blackburn reserves in the League Cup.

 

[Champagneblade]

Why is it that our players are so tired? Are they up all night playing video games? Lost track of how many times Wilder said this in the post match interview. If they are tired after just 5 league games how tired will they be after 10? 15? Why weren't Norwich tired?

Because if you carelessly turn the ball over as much as we do, you then exert double the effort to then get it back.

Just a thought, how many times in the last 2 or 3 have we just gifted the ball away through carelessness?

 

[Champagneblade]

How do people think we should, with the squad we have got.
No matter your thoughts on Wilder, he can only perform with what he has.
I suspect Wilder has many similar views to us, but knows he has to work on lower budgets, which many would say is ridiculous for a team of our standing. Unfortunately we are a bog standard championship team, who occasionally surprise everybody.
Agree to much dependence on loans and very little coming from Acadamy. It would also be interesting in how many players in academies go on to play professional football in the top two leagues.
As many are saying we need a long term strategy over x number of years.

I think we have to accept that the identify we might need is one that isn’t that palatable to accept.

We go 4-3-3 and we just make it extremely hard for teams to go through us. We become that team that’s horribly to play against. Every game ends up in some turgid battle and then you get the ball wide and need Donovan or BBD to lay it ok for Bamford.

We just shit down opposition attacks and flair players by giving them no space and niggling away.

It will be ugly, defensive but potentially effective.

I’d try Phillips, Choudhury and perhaps Rothwell.

 

[Nick Jansky]

We just shit down opposition attacks and flair players

A novel tactic, but has to be better than what we are currently doing.

 

[Æthelstan]

It stinks of a midtable nothing season to me, the players and management aren't bad enough to be in the relegation fight group. However, a points deduction could very easily pull a midtable team in to the bottom 3.

The big worry is next season though. It's doesn't matter who's managing us, we're not going to be able to afford or attract decent players, and anyone who has a decent year this year will want out of a club in decline (and rightly so).

How we've managed to get in this situation is absolutely beyond belief. To have those three years in the Premier League after being a League One club, and not having anything at all to show for it, is almost criminal.

Squandering our chances is basically a tradition at this point.

 

[Mario1889]

This group of players is too good to get relegated WITHOUT a points deduction.

 

[Zeblades34]

Pros and cons of our team

Pros:

• On the surface, it looks like they want to play for each other and the club.
• Defensively more solid than last season (ain't hard like)
• Got good depth in the middle of the park
• Donovan gives us an outlet and a spark of creativity and unpredictability.
• Cooper looks back to his old self and one of the best keepers in the division

Cons:

• 4-4-2 doesn't work, spaces left to exploit all over the pitch, nor do we have the wide players or midfielders to play the outdated system
• We don't pass forward when options are on
• We don't have a lot of pace in the side generally
• Lack of creativity in midfield and forward options (except donovan)
• Our strikers finishing is poor and they're quite lethargic.
• The space in between our midfield and defence is too open. Way too easy to exploit the gaps.
• Kalvin Phillips is our most progressive footballer and he isn't fit/can't stay fit
• We give the ball away so cheaply, punts down the line or up field and landing on none causes us to do more running about
• Squad isn't fit, tired set of players after 5 games isn't acceptable
• We rarely cross the ball early when our strikers arriving in the box
• No plan b when the game is going against us
• Marking along the backline is crap

Just a quick summary. Major improvements needed. Still don't think we'll go down though