Last three home performances.

[Harry's Game]

Putting results aside the last three home games have created the beginings of a worry for me, namely teams have worked us out, we struggled to break Bury and Shrewsbury down and Walsall employed exactly the same tactics and also had the advantage of keeping 11 on the pitch and made us look very ordinary at times tonight.

We need a bit of a rethink with our home tactics, a bit more paced and movement, we looked very one pace until Chapman came on.

 

[Oreyt]

There were moments (not loads, thankfully) that were a tad....*lowers voice*....Adkins.

 

[SteveBlade]

Every attack ends with us fannying about down the wing and getting in easy to defend crosses, very predictable.

 

[Bladey McBladeface]

I get you, but we still created enough chances/moments to win the game comfortably.

The opposition also hardly got a sniff.

 

[BigBed]

It's time Wilder got the strap-on out, cos the hairdryer and whip aren't working!!!!
Time to fuck em up hill n down dale Chris lad!

 

[Harry's Game]

There were moments (not loads, thankfully) that were a tad....*lowers voice*....Adkins.

First half hour was a tad Weir

 

[Ricky]

Yep, it's enough to worry now. The warning signs were there from the previous two home games.

And our narrow pitch isn't helping very much.

I still expect us to be good away from home though.

 

[yorkshirecoast]

That was shocking tonight. Ok - we had no luck with the disallowed goals but to lose against such a poor side who had one shot is really poor.

1st half was Adkins-like with too many slow, sideways passes and barely a shot on goal. 2nd half was better but our lack of quality was so frustrating.

Some abject individual performances from EEL, Freeman, Lafferty, Clarke and Sharp.In fact only Duffy emerged with any credit.

After Saturday's disappointment I expected much better. We've had a good run but this result has been coming and we need to bring in some better quality in January otherwise we face another play-off lottery.

 

[Antonb]

Midfielders Fleck and coutts need to take more responsibility getting into the box and having a shot. To many side wards passing . I also felt we looked a little tired , but I still think we deserved something from the game. Second half we were much better than them but are build up play was a little slow at times, giving them time to get back in numbers.

 

[bornablade]

Chris Wilder 's said he wants to progress in the FA Cup to at least the third round. I think he needs to treat this weekend's match as experimental using different formations, in particular up front. Play Lavery, Sharpe, Done, Clarke and Chapman at different stages in the game. Even if we are well beaten a successful partnership may come out if it to see us through the final 4 games of the year before the JTW opens.

It's been said on another thread the chances created in the last 4 games to goals scored shows quite easily where the problem lies. No player should be an untouchable.

 

[South Bucks]

I didn't go tonight but heard the commentary and sounds like a familar story continued from a couple of recent matches I've seen. Lots of possession and ponsing around at the edge of the box and flanks but no good service and no one who can take a quick early shot and shoot hard and accurately. Other teams have sussed us, park the bus and hit them on the break, they can't shoot properly.
I watched the bundesliga highlights yesterday, most of their goals are 5 or 6 incisive forward passes from the goalie then a quick shot on goal before the defenders are back where they want to be. Lots of goals per game. Who wins the more world cups ? Why do we need 30 passes and go nackwards and sideways at the slightest opportunity ? Possession wins nothing, players who get quick early service and can shoot hard, accurately win matches over there (and here - just ask leicester). Who can shoot well on our side ? Very frustrated when we seem to think possession is the end game. Sir Keith understands.

 

[Roygbiv]

Every attack ends with us fannying about down the wing and getting in easy to defend crosses, very predictable.

So frustrating how many times it's happened in the past 3 home games. I'm hoping now we have a break of some sort Wilder irons out the issues on the training ground. It's obvious that almost every side are going to come and sit back now but we have to find a way round it. I recall teams doing it to us in the triple assault season around January when teams seemed quite frightened of us. We struggled for a few games then too but managed to overcome it.

The Swindon game is huge. The pressure will be on big time

 

[Sheffsteel]

In the last 3 games the opposition have basically given up on the midfield battle.

And they've defended very deep on the edge of their box.
That's normally a recipe for disaster but we've struggled to break down a packed defence.

You can easily say we've been unlucky
But the worrying thing is we've been unlucky in all our last 3 matches and away at Charlton
After a while you can't blame bad luck.

 

[Bladey McBladeface]

I'm gutted but let's not get too desperate.

If we played that game again 20 times then we would lose it only once.

Yes, teams are sitting deeper, but we still had a missed penalty, 2 disallowed goals, one cleared off the line, etc. If those go in (as they should have) we're all happy and lauding our dominance.

 

[grafikhaus]

We had so many shots and crosses blocked tonight that it's more than coincidence - more like our players dwell that split second too long. Our crosses are mostly hit and hope - outward curlers that will always favour the defenders. Dropping Done and playing the utterly useless Clarke was baffling, as was waiting 70 minutes before making the first sub. It took precisely 30 seconds of the second half to see that we could easily be 0-2 down, so I can't fathom why Chapman - and Done - weren't on much earlier.

As the game went on, we became more desperate and a lot of our play was embarrassing.

Not just 'a bad day at the office' - this result has been on the cards for 3-4 games.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

Why do we need 30 passes and go nackwards and sideways at the slightest opportunity ?

Might have been a misspell but nackwards is the perfect description

 

[Hackblade]

We are dominating games and creating lots of chances. Never mind, these things happen.

 

[Pittsburg Blade]

We had so many shots and crosses blocked tonight that it's more than coincidence - more like our players dwell that split second too long. Our crosses are mostly hit and hope - outward curlers that will always favour the defenders. Dropping Done and playing the utterly useless Clarke was baffling, as was waiting 70 minutes before making the first sub. It took precisely 30 seconds of the second half to see that we could easily be 0-2 down, so I can't fathom why Chapman - and Done - weren't on much earlier.

As the game went on, we became more desperate and a lot of our play was embarrassing.

Not just 'a bad day at the office' - this result has been on the cards for 3-4 games.

Could be right about Clarke. He's done very little to impress so far. Still seems unfit.

 

[Slim Man]

How many times do we want to cross it in before we realise we aren't winning anything in the air?

Be more inventive. Be quicker. For fucks sake SHOOT FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX!!!

 

[billyblademan]

So frustrating how many times it's happened in the past 3 home games. I'm hoping now we have a break of some sort Wilder irons out the issues on the training ground. It's obvious that almost every side are going to come and sit back now but we have to find a way round it. I recall teams doing it to us in the triple assault season around January when teams seemed quite frightened of us. We struggled for a few games then too but managed to overcome it.

The Swindon game is huge. The pressure will be on big time

Let's not forget that at Northampton last season teams will have done the same, and it didn't seem to stop them. I think one thing we do need to work on is turning half chances into actual chances, and forcing more saves from the goalkeeper, particularly given the pretty average standard of them in this league.

 

[zablade]

I don't think we need to change tactics too much but we may need to change the strike force, I am sure Sharp will come good again but I don't think either Done or Clarke look a suitable partener in this formation, we could try Chapman up top or give Lavery a chance..

...alternatively there may be a certain Welsh man available in January....

 

[South Bucks]

Thanks Pittsburg, I appear to have created a new adverb "nackwards" - which means to pass the ball in a direction no where near the goal and to cause no threat to the opposition for no reason whatsoever and then be surprised and get balled out when you get beat.

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Every attack ends with us fannying about down the wing and getting in easy to defend crosses, very predictable.

It was very predictable, their defence was lapping it up by the end of the game. We could have mixed it up a lot more tonight, a few balls over the top would have posed a few different questions for their defence, alongside taking Sharp off and putting a bit of pace on (Done or Lavery) to take advantage of being more direct.

Going forward the strikers would certainly benefit from having wide players who could put some decent balls into the box.

 

[Stretch]

It's a tricky one because the 3 5 2 has worked so well until recently and we are still out playing everyone we come up against. It's just that final pass, touch that seems to have gone south.

The strike partnership is proving problematic so maybe we should side step it for now and go with 4 2 3 1, which was one of CW's favoured formations previously. Play one striker with Duffy, Chapman and Scoogs buzzing around behind him. This system may favour Clarke as the hold up player with the creativity behind.

Fuck knows? Not remotely panicking but things have gone a bit flat and just need a little shake up.

 

[SB_90]

Sometimes luck is just not on your side. Yes we are Guilty of overplaying at times which ive noticed in Shrewsbury Bury & Walsall, but it always going to be tough to anything else when these teams. Come parked the bus to such extent. I would say they no interest in attacking just 10 men around the penalty box. As the only attack i can remember was the goal, which a long goal kick & walsall player got a toe on

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Every attack ends with us fannying about down the wing and getting in easy to defend crosses, very predictable.

We seem to get in positions to cross then our players think " Now I need to pick out that player in a red and white shirt ", instead they just swing a boot at it and hope that it goes somewhere near.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Putting results aside the last three home games have created the beginings of a worry for me, namely teams have worked us out, we struggled to break Bury and Shrewsbury down and Walsall employed exactly the same tactics and also had the advantage of keeping 11 on the pitch and made us look very ordinary at times tonight.

We need a bit of a rethink with our home tactics, a bit more paced and movement, we looked very one pace until Chapman came on.

I totally agree. I think Shrewsbury and Bury stumbled across those tactics through necessity. But others will have been watching. Walsall knew if they kept defence packed and hoped to catch us on the counter we'd struggle. And we did.

I'm going to be boring now and repeat once again what I posted on here BEFORE the season started. Go and get that young kid from Chesterfield, Ariyibi. He's a bit raw but he's rapidly fast and tricky and players like that can cause panic amongst defenders. It was exactly what we needed to do last night. Run at them, at speed, with the ball, get around the back of them. But instead the only thing we seemed to do was keep hooking crosses into the box for them to gobble up.

 

[FlamingLip]

Frustrating and agree last night allows a bit of worry. Wilder has some work to do. Being toothless and vulnerable at home isn't allowed if serious about making a push for automatic. Losing like that is simply not good enough and has to now be a rarity.

positives are it gets rid of any unbeaten run record pressures and should also smash any complacency in either the dressing room or the stands. been a few recent posts regarding 'championship' standards based on one off games. well last night's one off match puts us streets behind, so let's not get a semi over next season just yet.

Last night showed we've plenty of room for improvement in pretty much every department, and that's considering this season not next.

 

[Darthblade]

Regrettably ........ we are displaying why the current squad is not good enough for a top two spot, even in this mediocre league.

Even the "first eleven" are not good / consistent enough for a top two finish and beyond the first eleven there is little quality in the squad.

We certainly do not have a "game changer" to bring on when plan A isn't working and teams inevitably "park the bus".

The last three home games have been quite poor performances generally and particularly in the "final third" of the pitch. Lots of domination of the ball, lots of good moves and the quality in midfield is evident, but the worrying inability to transform dominance into goals will cost us dearly over the season ..... evidenced by Charlton away. The vast majority of our crosses are very poor and either hit the first man, or fly way over everyones head.

The strikers need to look long and hard at themselves, because there is not one single striker at the Club who is delivering the goods consistently and that includes Sharp. Frankly, he should be fined two weeks wages for the penalty miss last night !!

The pairing of Sharp / Clarke does not work and needs to be scrapped now and the two wing-backs whilst doing ok, are prime areas for strengthening in January, together with a big strong fast goalscorer upfront.

The last three home games in particular, have evidenced the real need to strengthen key areas of the squad on 1st January ....... whether there will be any funds forthcoming will be interesting

Not a knee jerk reaction to another poor performance last night ..... I've been saying this since August.

UTB & FTP

 

[I should coco]

The strikers need to look long and hard at themselves, because there is not one single striker at the Club who is delivering the goods consistently and that includes Sharp

Good point.

12 goals in 20 games is a very poor return and is in no way"delivering the goods consistently"

Very poor!