The lack in the final third

[Blade nath]

We seem to be lacking in the final third and it's starting to get worrying.
Blackman looks lazy and quite reluctant to actually run and put himself about.
Leads to the question as to what DW see's in him, and why he continuously gets played over Miller.
We're lucky we haven't been bad at the back as we don't seem to conceed lots of goals, but the amount we score is quite worrying IMO.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

We seem to be lacking in the final third and it's starting to get worrying.
Blackman looks lazy and quite reluctant to actually run and put himself about.
Leads to the question as to what DW see's in him, and why he continuously gets played over Miller.
We're lucky we haven't been bad at the back as we don't seem to conceed lots of goals, but the amount we score is quite worrying IMO.

I don't think that's down to luck, we're simply far more defensively minded this season.
Last season we were top scorers in the division, this season we've the best defence in the division.
Last season we were confident of outscoring most teams, this season we've more confidence in defending a lead.
The full backs don't get forward very much and the midfielders don't get beyond the forwards.
If there's an opportunity of a risky forward pass or an easy option back pass, we're taking the safe option.

The main reason for this is obviously that the players aren't as good as last season and DW has stated that.
Most of his defenders are the same as last season while almost all his attacking threats have been reduced.
We outscored and outfootballed Charlton, Wednesday and Huddersfield last season but still didn't go up.
Therefore he's decided that the best hope of success this season lies in being very difficult to beat.

We've seen it before when he lost Evans for the last few matches and adopted a similar policy, so it's no surprise.
Personally I think he's got the tactics spot on for away matches but they do need to be tweaked slightly at home.

 

[Balham]

We outscored and outfootballed Charlton, Wednesday and Huddersfield last season but still didn't go up.

Unfortunately when we were facing Charlton, Wednesday or Huddersfield last season we only outscored any of them once in six meetings while they managed to do it to us four times.

That we were able to hammer teams at the bottom was neither here nor there in the final reckoning. We failed to go up because we failed to beat Charlton or Wednesday.

 

[norfolkblade]

We seem to be lacking in the final third and it's starting to get worrying.
Blackman looks lazy and quite reluctant to actually run and put himself about.
Leads to the question as to what DW see's in him, and why he continuously gets played over Miller.
We're lucky we haven't been bad at the back as we don't seem to conceed lots of goals, but the amount we score is quite worrying IMO.

I was pondering this on my way home. Miller came on and looked far more lively, far more up for it and got himself into some decent positions just by running about a bit more and caused the defenders many more problems because of it.

I would genuinely consider starting Miller over Blackman on Monday, it was that movement that we lacked Tuesday, not just up top but all over the pitch. Never thought I would find myself saying this but Williams was MoM for me, looked like the only one trying to find space when making runs for 90 mins.

 

[Darren]

Unfortunately when we were facing Charlton, Wednesday or Huddersfield last season we only outscored any of them once in six meetings while they managed to do it to us four times.

That we were able to hammer teams at the bottom was neither here nor there in the final reckoning. We failed to go up because we failed to beat Charlton or Wednesday.

I was thinking the other day that had we not conceded that last minute Simonsen calamity equaliser against Wednesday at the Lane, we would have beat then to second.

Wails and gnashes teeth,,,

 

[Sothall_Blade]

I was thinking the other day that had we not conceded that last minute Simonsen calamity equaliser against Wednesday at the Lane, we would have beat then to second.

Wails and gnashes teeth,,,

86th minute

 

[Hodgyman]

Despite previously admiring the play of Kitson and Blackwell, I thought the pair had a very lacklustre game against Walsall. There were very few times (if any) that I can remember where they worked together as a pair. They did not play close enough together for one to be able to take advantage of passes or "flick-ons" from the other.

There was a noticeable improvement in the interplay when the aforementioned were replaced by Millar and Porter. Millar, in particular looked as if he was the first striker that we have this season who could anticipate where the ball was going. After this, and the quality of his strikes at Notts, suggest to me that he deserves a start soon.

 

[Sothall_Blade]

Yep. Blackwell and Kitson were quite literally miles apart on Tuesday night