Weathering the storm?

[TobyClark]

Yet another thread confirming we are a club devoid of ideas , Wilder has no squad plan and our bench is populated with useless fuckers incapable of trying to fill any short term void
Fancy us coming up to the Championship with just 11 players . Wilder forgot completely we might suffer injuries and suspensions , well easily done
Our one hope now is we can draw another 10 games to stay upas we cant rely on players like Basham Wright and others to step up.

Not the point, I appreciate we have players on the bench that could easily step up but the last thing we need right now is our best 11 not being able to play with the luck and results we are getting at the moment, dont you agree?

 

[Mumbo]

Yet another thread confirming we are a club devoid of ideas , Wilder has no squad plan and our bench is populated with useless fuckers incapable of trying to fill any short term void
Fancy us coming up to the Championship with just 11 players . Wilder forgot completely we might suffer injuries and suspensions , well easily done
Our one hope now is we can draw another 10 games to stay upas we cant rely on players like Basham Wright and others to step up.

Nice and balanced,no judgement calls and full of Christmassyness.x

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Agree with much of what you say although, in fairness to Bash, when both Freeman and Baldock were injured, he was asked to do a job and in my view made a decent fist of it.

In the bigger picture, we have lost the same number of games and conceded 5 more goals than Millwall and they are 17 th. which indicates to me that at least part of the formula is not working as it should and part of that has to be down to team selection both before and during the process of certain matches.

Heresy I know, but that's the way I see it.

See what you're saying about the defensive failings. And also agree with Tyler about how frustrating it is us going behind so regularly, & giving ourselves mountains to climb.

But not so sure about it being a failure of the formula/system. More so, IMO, a need for stability & continuity & sticking with preferred choices in their specialist positions (a major reason, I'd say, for sticking with Bash as right centre-back, rather than shunting him into midfield on Saturday).

It's swings & roundabouts though to a degree - where you gain in one area, you lose in another. We've got a points total now, after 21 games, that would have been good enough last season to see us 3rd in the league. Largely because we're winning so many games & drawing so a few (which, on the downside, means we're losing a hell of a high number for a side this high up in the league).

Honestly think there's no storm to be weathered, we're just sailing through routinely choppy waters.

HMS Piss the League, meanwhile are 7 points (and 9 places) off where they were at this stage last season. And their crew are revolting.

 

[itsinyerblood]

See what you're saying about the defensive failings. And also agree with Tyler about how frustrating it is us going behind so regularly, & giving ourselves mountains to climb.

But not so sure about it being a failure of the formula/system. More so, IMO, a need for stability & continuity & sticking with preferred choices in their specialist positions (a major reason, I'd say, for sticking with Bash as right centre-back, rather than shunting him into midfield on Saturday).

It's swings & roundabouts though to a degree - where you gain in one area, you lose in another. We've got a points total now, after 21 games, that would have been good enough last season to see us 3rd in the league. Largely because we're winning so many games & drawing so a few (which, on the downside, means we're losing a hell of a high number for a side this high up in the league).

Honestly think there's no storm to be weathered, we're just sailing through routinely choppy waters.

HMS Piss the League, meanwhile are 7 points (and 9 places) off where they were at this stage last season. And their crew are revolting.

Picking up on what you've touched upon Alfreton14Blade , my take is that this is about the long and short of what's currently happening. Anyone who imagined that this season would be a replica of last was clueless, but the fact that we've done so well so far is testament to the overall quality of the players we have. At the core of this is how Wilder and Knill have been able to motivate players, especially Coutts and Freeman, both underachieving players before Wilder took control.

This is a learning curve for everyone, including our management team. Of course there'll be mistakes, of course there'll be tactical decisions that puzzle us, the supporters, but Wilder and Knill will learn and improve with each game. Whatever happens this season, whether we're promoted or remain in this division, we'll have done wonders with the squad we have and the questions that are asked of us. The foot ball we play is at times superb, as is the quality of player we have throughout our squad. That's not to say there won't be changes, that's inevitable, but it's a case of evolution rather than revolution. The fact that we're currently having to confront awkward team selections shouldn't be that surprising, with the exception of Coutts' injury which was at best the result of a clumsy and amateurish challenge, and at worst you might think it was as a result of a deliberate and nasty tackle. That apart we'll come through this, and no one should doubt the quality of this team. Yes, I know we need new blood, so does the manager, but it will happen, so a little patience is needed, especially to those who prematurely ejaculate at the first signs of a solvable problem.

 

[Bladesman]

Well offensively we are not doing too bad at all:

 

[Simon88]

Next three matches will be key without Fleck, anyone got any ideas whether we will have to ride this wave of form or if we will pull out of the duck? Just thinking about how we will need to find a way to 'stop the rot' so to speak.
Opinions?

UTB

Idiot

 

[FriethBlade]

Is it possible weve been 'worked out' and we need to accept its going to get harder going picking up points unless we get a plan B on the pitch?

I love our style of football but it's not difficult to work out how we are going to play and opposing teams are now setting up to counteract us. This combined with the loss of Coutts and some dopey defending is what is costing us.

 

[LS16Blade]

Agreed - but what are your solutions?

I would start with Wright in the middle - doing nothing but just sitting, defending and organising.

Bash and JOC either side - and bollox to considering Bash for CM. We need to return to a settled 3 at the back.

UTB

Completely agree, Fulwood.

If you lose a player in one position, be it through injury or suspension, you should never (unless circumstances leave absolutely no other option - like when we lost both of our right wing-backs) try to cover it by moving another player who is already in your preferred XI, away from his best position. By doing so, you effectively voluntarily weaken another area of the team, but countless managers do it these days. The days of managers doing 'like-for like' replacements seem to be long gone.

We know that midfield has been decimated. We should not weaken defence too; that should be kept as strong as possible. Jake Wright in the middle, organising JOC and Basham, is our strongest defence in my opinion and that should not be touched. Don't disrupt the defence in order to address the midfield.

 

[Tommoblade66]

Just keep going and forget past games

 

[blade too long]

Is it possible weve been 'worked out' and we need to accept its going to get harder going picking up points unless we get a plan B on the pitch?

I love our style of football but it's not difficult to work out how we are going to play and opposing teams are now setting up to counteract us. This combined with the loss of Coutts and some dopey defending is what is costing us.

we havent been worked out
had we not got a player sent off no way bristol city would have won, weve had one indifferent display at millwall
but in every other game we just didnt get the rub, to hit the inside of a post 3 times in one game and all 3 come back out , is indemic of how this run has been
and teams finding their goal of the season against us , wolves were poor v birmingham and won , because birmingham didnt hit a screamer

we will bounce back into winning ways , the luck has to swing our way surely soon

 

[robbiez666]

conservative option:

CCV for Bash (if Chris wants to keep CCV, he has to play him. It's no use playing Wright in that position.)
Bash for Fleck.

Roll of the dice options:

1. Duffy drops back into the Fleck role. Brooks in the Duffy role

2. Carruthers in for Fleck