We were poor, but

[HillmortonBlade]

As I said in the shoutbox, there's every chance we get weaker rather than stronger in the transfer window.

What have these last few weeks shown, if not the fact that we have players capable of challenging for promotion but not the squad? So some of our erstwhile promotion rivals might try to cherry pick our better players, who might themselves think they have a better shot of going up by moving. It's happened to us before.

Which of our best players are impervious to having their heads turned by more money?

 

[originaltrueblade]

Time for the PRINCE to carry out his promise

 

[The Fox]

We're lucky that the injury to coutts and suspension for fleck coupled with the realisation that spirit and momentum can only get you so far has been realised just short of the jtw . Ultimately we need a bit more quality and quantity of quality . The recent run isn't a disaster but it's a wake up call .

 

[Gimli]

Ah so it's Lundstram's fault - of course.
Forget the last few games where he's looked one of the best players on the pitch and revert to scapegoating.
Only in S2

 

[alcoblade]

Ah so it's Lundstram's fault - of course.
Forget the last few games where he's looked one of the best players on the pitch and revert to scapegoating.
Only in S2

He wasn’t bad at all today, in my view. Carruthers was awful.

 

[zablade]

Surely we will strengthen in January, but when in January? We play the pigs on the 12th that is ten days into the window, there can’t be a bigger incentive than that?

If we are serious then I hope we have our targets identified and deals agreed ready for day one of the window

We generally fanny about until the final day and then fail to “get them over the line”

 

[Gimli]

He wasn’t bad at all today, in my view. Careuthers was awful.

Agree. If people are going to single out players for criticism, at least pick the right one.

 

[Guesty]

Ah so it's Lundstram's fault - of course.
Forget the last few games where he's looked one of the best players on the pitch and revert to scapegoating.
Only in S2

He may not be the worst player in any one game, but we lose nearly every time he plays.

 

[Deadbat]

He may not be the worst player in any one game, but we lose nearly every time he plays.

Sadly that is a real concern. There gets a point where we have to try something else. People are saying we need his type of player for the formation we play but we are conceding goals and not scoring or looking like scoring as many so would it be so bad to say play Basham in front of back four and play Duffy and Brooks. We are losing anyway so why not try it? We may lose the ball a lot but equally we might create more.

 

[IOM Blade]

Carruthers and Basham made Lundstram look like Pirlo.

 

[bertieblade]

Does seem ridiculous when we have two of the highest scorers in the league but we did not create a chance today
The reason being that we usually try to score the perfect goal and for this we need players like Duffy and fleck coutts and brooks to unlock doors
Without them we have no one to play the wing backs in to enable us to get round the back or slide Clark or sharp in
In other words all our creative players are out and if they stay out we will not score goals as our strikers are in the main finishers not creators
Clark however can create his own

 

[sufcboy95]

As much as I love the bloke, Sharp doesn’t offer anything to the team anymore, think it’s time to give Donaldson a run with Clarke for a few games

 

[robbiez666]

Sadly that is a real concern. There gets a point where we have to try something else. People are saying we need his type of player for the formation we play but we are conceding goals and not scoring or looking like scoring as many so would it be so bad to say play Basham in front of back four and play Duffy and Brooks. We are losing anyway so why not try it? We may lose the ball a lot but equally we might create more.

Could work if Fleck could play, but I'm not sure we have enough decent midfielders to flood the middle. We would also have no width. I think we're kind of screwed at the moment, whatever we do. Every formation, has glaring weaknesses. I can see why Chris wants to stick with the current formation as the wingbacks are our main threat (or should be).

When Fleck is back, maybe:

--------------Moore
CCV Stearman Wright JoC
-------------Basham
-------Lundstarm --Fleck
---------Duffy--Brooks
-------------Clarke

Give both Dufy and Brooks free roles and licence to go where they please. Pull opposition defences around. They would both need to provide the width though as it's a very narrow formation. It relies on Fleck and Lundstram making runs through the middle as well.

It would rely on Lundstarm and Fleck collecting the ball deep from the defence and Duffy and Brooks always being on the move and making themselves available for the pass.

 

[8lade]

I don't like coming on this forum after we've lost because of the stupidity of comments from normally sane people.
Putting it into even more perspective

Missing our 4 most creative players today. We won't be as weak as this all season. 1-0 today would've been expected.

was the first common sense on this thread. FOUR, FOUR, FOUR, just let that sink in before demanding more players for more money, which was what got us to be a team on our knees in the first place.

 

[Fanny magnet]

I don't like coming on this forum after we've lost because of the stupidity of comments from normally sane people.
Putting it into even more perspective



was the first common sense on this thread. FOUR, FOUR, FOUR, just let that sink in before demanding more players for more money, which was what got us to be a team on our knees in the first place.

You do know we haven't win in 5 games don't you?
FIVE FIVE 5 YES FIVE ?

 

[YouFUMS]

He's too slow ,his passing is awful He puts himself under pressure by trying to play out of tight spots when he isn't good enough to do that and he gets took out of the game defensively by not seeing danger quick enough

Go on...admit it...You've cut and pasted that comment from your contribution to the thread about Coutts from 18 months ago, haven't you?

Some folk need a scapegoat like a babbi needs a comfort blanket.

 

[Gimli]

You do know we haven't win in 5 games don't you?
FIVE FIVE 5 YES FIVE ?

And you do know we are still 6th (SIXTH) and in the playoffs?
Despite not winning in 5 (FIVE) games.

 

[jt64]

We're paying a huge price for not getting the players in we needed in summer.

We had an entire section of our first choice eleven out, along with an alternative that we often use in that position. They were replaced by someone who we did bring in on the summer, Basham playing out of position, and Carruthers. We wouldn't expect to need to use all of them at the same time, and it certainly didn't help that two of them were way below par today.

 

[Fanny magnet]

And you do know we are still 6th (SIXTH) and in the playoffs?
Despite not winning in 5 (FIVE) games.

Yeah
I'm fucking delighted mate
Even better we are TEN YES TEN POINTS above the truffle hunters

If you would have offered me that at seasons start I'd have snatched your arm off
My point is though I think people aren't just talking about today's performance when four players were missing

 

[Fanny magnet]

Go on...admit it...You've cut and pasted that comment from your contribution to the thread about Coutts from 18 months ago, haven't you?

Some folk need a scapegoat like a babbi needs a comfort blanket.

Don't think I ever said a bad word about Coutts
If you can find one then I stand corrected
I've only commented on lundstram because he's had a run of games and I'd expect to have seen a real picture of his capabilities by now
At least carruthers excuse us he hasn't had much gametime

 

[bladesmanluke]

I’d pay the going rate rather than trying to get it on the cheap, missing out and ending up with something inferior.

I’ve read some bollocks on here in my time, but this takes the biscuit.

There’s nothing inferior to a Snickers. Horrible chocolate bar.

 

[Tom Bott]

how poor the squad is in terms of depth.

Good enough to escape from the hoof of Div 1.

FFS.

 

[Tom Bott]

There’s nothing inferior to a Snickers. Horrible chocolate bar.

Except for a sprint rather than a marathon.

Off back to Mars now.

I'll get my coat.

Cad u bary later.

 

[Tom Bott]

You do know we haven't win in 5 games don't you?
FIVE FIVE 5 YES FIVE ?

How many games did we fail to win when Lord Wilder took charge all those........................................months ago.

Imagine if we continued unbeaten reched the Prem and got hammered for 8 games with no win.


GET REAL>

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I heard commentators yesterday sympathising with the pork for their "injury crisis". But they still had a first eleven playing who cost £24million and a bench costing £8million.

That's far too much money for a bench. Those plush red leather Audi seats at Old Trafford didn't even cost that much!

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Time for the PRINCE to carry out his promise

and behead the infidels on here?

 

[I should coco]

The complete lack of ambition from the Board - and all that bollocks about not paying more than we think a player is worth - is hurting us now we have a few injuries.

We want overpayment and we want it now!

Gerrumoverpaid and gerrumin.

So total has our collapse been that we may not make the top half.

LOST!- One sense of perspective. Last seen four weeks ago. Reward if found (paid in sour grapes).

 

[Punk Blade]

As I said in the shoutbox, there's every chance we get weaker rather than stronger in the transfer window.

What have these last few weeks shown, if not the fact that we have players capable of challenging for promotion but not the squad? So some of our erstwhile promotion rivals might try to cherry pick our better players, who might themselves think they have a better shot of going up by moving. It's happened to us before.

If only the club had the foresight to tie our better players to long term contracts so we tell rival clubs to naff off.

He may not be the worst player in any one game, but we lose nearly every time he plays.

Can’t the same be said of Stearman?

 

[super_pig]

If only the club had the foresight to tie our better players to long term contracts so we tell rival clubs to naff off.


Can’t the same be said of Stearman?

the solution is not stearman OR wright
it is stearman AND wright

 

[Punk Blade]

the solution is not stearman OR wright
it is stearman AND wright

That’s a radical idea. What does the rest of the defence look like? I don’t see either of them doing the marauding overlapping wide CB role, so do we have those two with JOC sometimes carrying through the middle, or go with a four? And would that be JOC and Bash giving us height and defensive solidity at FB or Baldock and Stevens giving us attacking threat from FB?

Considering how we’ve gone from never giving the opposition the ball to leaking goals constantly, and missing Coutts to glue the whole system together, should we go back to a basic well-drilled 4-4-2 / 4-4-1-1 while we get some reinforcements in?

‘Everyone back (except Coutts) solid defensively’ version

Moore
Bash Stearman Wright JOC
Baldock Lundstram Fleck Stevens
Duffy
Clarke

‘Going for it late on’ version

Moore
Baldock Bash JOC Stevens
Brooks Duffy Fleck Thomas
Clarke Sharp/Don
​

Obviously there needs to be someone in for Fleck for the next two games, perhaps Duffy deeper and Brooks in the defensive lineup and Lundstram stays in the attacking version.