League Experience.

[Charlieblade]

Our expeience of the league we are in is affecting our results. When CWAK arrived in L1, we had a ton of league 1 experience and a disjointed team with a sprinkling of talent at that level.
The Championship is a very tough league to get out of, and it took CWAK two seasons to get out of it.
The Prem is different in many ways. Higher standards of technical ability, a different, some might say, more cynical approach is required to survive, let alone achieve a high pace finish.

We walked through league 1 based on player experience and thoughtful, dilligent leadership.
The two seasons in the Championship with CWAK got us promoted, eventually achieving consistency, against sides who faltered, probably through lack of belief and indecisive management.

No doubt the many differences and intangibles of EPL will daunt us on a regular basis, as we come to terms individually and collectively, with a lack of experience at higher level. It's worth remembering that this applies equally to the players, and especially, to the management. The fact that it is such a steep learning curve may explain our tentative start and our results.

The supporters and management will experience more ups and downs in the first half of this season. I'm sure as the payers merge their individual style into the Wilder team ethos, it will come good eventually. I don't envy Wilder in this position, but i still think he will get there, even if it takes a bit longer to arrive.

 

[TaipeiBlade]

I've mentioned it in another thread, but I'll mention it here too. Not signing a CB with premier league experience was a big mistake. Jags is clearly too old and past it to be starting. Ideally, we should have got someone who has a few years in the top flight, who knows not to faff around with the ball outside his own box, and just has that extra experience of knowing what to expect from attacking teams.

I'd have gone for Calum Chambers. He's wasting his career at Arsenal and is a very good defender. Only 24, but has 8 years playing in the premier league. Can play CB or RB. He's not really playing for Arsenal, so surely they'd have been up to sell him or loan him out. He'd have been a cracking signing for us.

 

[Berlin Blade]

I’m not sure that’s correct. Our ‘league one squad’ were top of the championship in November before Coutts broke his leg. We were there because we played on the front foot, 3-4-1-2. We weren’t scared of anything in that league. I personally feel that’s how we should be approaching games now, home games at least.

Chelsea scored 5 against a good wolves side at molineux today, tomori, mount, Abrahams to name a few without premier league experience. Lampard too. And the Norwich team that beat City is their championship team but with loads of injuries. They beat them cos they stuck to their ethos.

 

[SwissBlade]

Its far too early to tell, but from what i have seen in the games so far this season we've looked excellent and the big scary Premier League which i was told to expect hasn't happened.

One thing i've noticed from watching our games and a couple of games with Norwich, including the Norwich v Man City game is that defensively, teams aren't as strong individually. When a defender is exposed, Attacking players seem to be taking advantage. Man City are surprisingly weak at the back and not as well organised i as i was led to believe. It seems when sides are organised and disciplined, then they don't expose their weaker players.

I'll make a bold statement based on what i have seen this season of United and that is defensively we look strong. There have been some individual errors, granted, which have sometimes been baffling. Not one of the goals conceded have been from our defenders not being good enough. If anything the goals have been uncharacteristic errors and we've been punished. Goals conceded so far:

Bournemouth - Set play
Leicester - Gave the ball away and got punished (can't recall the build up).
Leicester - Some failings to clear the lines properly, but the strike was a Worldie
Chelsea - Hendo Error
Chelsea - O'Connell and Egan error
Southampton - Mistake in midfield, individual brilliance combined with inability to recover

Up top has been a different story. We've created a lot of chances, many of them being excellent chances and i am sure that yesterdays chances will have been reviewed by our statisticians and they will tell us that normally Fleck and Didsy should be scoring chances like they missed.

The disappointment was that we're not hitting the target or we're taking the wrong decisions in the final third. Baldock first half, Mousset when he came on had a chance or two, Didsy and Fleck as i mentioned. It just so happens that when the biggest chance came we had a player interfering from an offside position.

 

[Keef Chedwyn]

Do they not just need experience of playing football?
If they're good enough, they'll be ok in any league.