Mobile midfielders that can pass a ball

[Richy Rich]

Why is it that every season we never seem to sign anybody in midfield who is mobile and can keep the ball.

Every year we go into the season where we see teams just running past us the middle of the park yet nobody in charge seems to notice.

We seem incapable of identifying anybody from the lower leagues or abroad who can do the job (who isn't going to break the bank). It's always lets throw the wages at a injury prone 30+ year old who can barely move that has been on the list of players for the last 5 years.

 

[ekke287]

Norwood was great when he had time and protection, the same for Coutts to an extent.

We were more solid with Peck when he had an enforcer next to him in Souza, and last season with Riedewald.

The problem we have now is that we have too many defensive mids that they’re tripping over each other.

Remember when we had Souza and Choudhury playing as 2 DCMs? We had nothing to offer as they’re too similar.

Currently Peck is out of form and Arblaster is building to fitness. Outside of that the rest of the options are defensive and, to me, not mobile enough to actually be a threat. We want a Jairo to stop an attack and lay it off to someone to move the ball forward. That’s not happening.

Our only creative outlets now are COH and Donovan, so to have any chance of feeding the strikers, they need to be in the team.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

Will Smallbone should have been our midfield gamble. He's excellent at ball retention, and gets on it a lot

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Norwood was great when he had time and protection, the same for Coutts to an extent.

We were more solid with Peck when he had an enforcer next to him in Souza, and last season with Riedewald.

The problem we have now is that we have too many defensive mids that they’re tripping over each other.

Remember when we had Souza and Choudhury playing as 2 DCMs? We had nothing to offer as they’re too similar.

Currently Peck is out of form and Arblaster is building to fitness. Outside of that the rest of the options are defensive and, to me, not mobile enough to actually be a threat. We want a Jairo to stop an attack and lay it off to someone to move the ball forward. That’s not happening.

Our only creative outlets now are COH and Donovan, so to have any chance of feeding the strikers, they need to be in the team.

If they are both fit, I would go with Jairo and Phillips all day every day… But that is a very big if.

 

[BazWainwright]

Why is it that every season we never seem to sign anybody in midfield who is mobile and can keep the ball.

Every year we go into the season where we see teams just running past us the middle of the park yet nobody in charge seems to notice.

We seem incapable of identifying anybody from the lower leagues or abroad who can do the job (who isn't going to break the bank). It's always lets throw the wages at a injury prone 30+ year old who can barely move that has been on the list of players for the last 5 years.

That's just it though, isn't it?

Of the prominent five first squad CMs at the moment, who is the playmaker?

Peck: Greatly lauded but frankly nowhere near as good as the press headlines make him. Limited in creativity, anchored to the centre circle, gash distribution and easily bypassed.

Rothwell: A clogger. Struggling with mobility and reading the moment (turned into a clay statue for their second yesterday), can't hit the target with a shot and again, limited in capability. Unlikely to get 'a' goal this season, never mind five or six.

Riedewald: An international and demonstrably capable when the rub of the green is going his way. Propensity to disappear for long spells however much like Soumare or Berge.

Arblaster: Another player who if you read the graffiti on here, should be the next Kante or Pirlo. Long term injury, long term recovery, even longer term grace period to re-hit his capability. Currently looking way, way below standard.

Philips: Back here on loan, and possibly because no other club would cash their chips in on him. We've seen what he can do ... he has played deservedly at the top of the pile and for England. But even a game in, everyone has worries about him given he soiled his kecks against Wednesday and never appeared after that. And - like Gus - he can't do it all on his own. He sits deep and starts the attack from his passes. After it leaves his feet he isn't responsible for what happens next unless he gets the ball straight back. Saw him heading out from defence yesterday and being the blocker around the box. Water carrier he isn't.

So we are where we are. We need one of them to step up and help O'Hare go on the attack and make defences work, because with three of those lot stretched across the pitch and not venturing forward, we remain habitually impotent and shy of attempts on goal.

 

[steve26272]

What’s worrying is that with Choudhury coming back we seem to be adding to our existing squad with players we’ve already had

The exact players that failed to get us out of this league, just a year or 2 older

Let’s put the same ingredients into the cake, and hope it tastes better

Only some of the nicer stuff has gone now, so will taste like shite only worse

 

[Davalon]

Sideways and backwards everywhere we go........

 

[bruce]

What’s worrying is that with Choudhury coming back we seem to be adding to our existing squad with players we’ve already had

The exact players that failed to get us out of this league, just a year or 2 older

Let’s put the same ingredients into the cake, and hope it tastes better

Only some of the nicer stuff has gone now, so will taste like shite only worse

I think that is because Wilder's primary aim is not promotion. It's avoiding relegation.

 

[BazWainwright]

I think that is because Wilder's primary aim is not promotion. It's avoiding relegation.

And in truth, fair play to him.

When he took over we were rock bottom and we avoided the drop.

I think even we know that this squad wouldn't make the playoffs, let alone autos and certainly never get past the trapdoor that the playoffs swing open when we make it that far. We don't have a squad of players who can play good football together, there's no overall leadership and individual responsibility on the pitch and we play bland, easy to counter football. Three points from nine is relegation form across a season and here's the crack - we don't even look like we can win a game, even against newly promoted Bolton Wanderers who at least have won a game.

It's easy to be negative, even if you are in the top two. Hell we were negative 18 months ago when we were in the top two and started losing games and dropping into the playoffs. But it is also easy being realistic to know that the crisis backstage is affecting what is happening on the pitch and the shower of incompetents running the club need to take responsibility for that and own it, and support Wilder keeping us in this division.