Why are we scoring more this season?

[Harry's Game]

Jack Lester has left?

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Jack Lester has left?

Yeah he left in the Summer. With Brentford now

 

[dexter101]

I think last season, we started games in a similar way, scored one and then we trusted the teams defence to see us through and for the most part, it worked.

I don't think Wilder trusts the defence as much yet and so the only way to make sure is to keep scoring.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

I think last season, we started games in a similar way, scored one and then we trusted the teams defence to see us through and for the most part, it worked.

I don't think Wilder trusts the defence as much yet and so the only way to make sure is to keep scoring.

Let's pray our defence doesn't improve then I don't want to go back to looking like we deserved a draw but jammed a win.

 

[Need4speed]

The other thing is we look a genuine threat from corners, which is the first time for a long time. A team can play crap and still score if they get there set pieces right. I think we have neglected these for too long. McGuiness a couple of weeks ago and Biden on Saturday. Games has hardly started and we were one nil up.

 

[Balham]

To me it's fairly simple:

• we have attacking threats from both full backs. Last season we had Burrows as an attacking outlet on the left but Gilchrist getting nosebleeds when in the opposition half on the right
• we have two competent centre halves - our best spell last season came in the 13 matches when Ahmedhozic and Souttar were paired
• central midfield is more settled
• two up front and two wingers getting the ball into them quickly

 

[finlaytheblade]

To me it's fairly simple:

• we have attacking threats from both full backs. Last season we had Burrows as an attacking outlet on the left but Gilchrist getting nosebleeds when in the opposition half on the right
• we have two competent centre halves - our best spell last season came in the 13 matches when Ahmedhozic and Souttar were paired
• central midfield is more settled
• two up front and two wingers getting the ball into them quickly

Agree i think you have sumed up the level we have at present we have a better squad which hopefully will get even better with the right kind of surgery in the window.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

To me it's fairly simple:

• we have attacking threats from both full backs. Last season we had Burrows as an attacking outlet on the left but Gilchrist getting nosebleeds when in the opposition half on the right
• we have two competent centre halves - our best spell last season came in the 13 matches when Ahmedhozic and Souttar were paired
• central midfield is more settled
• two up front and two wingers getting the ball into them quickly

We certainly did miss Souza during his injured spell last year and he took a while to get back up to speed as I recall. Perhaps getting rid of Jack Robinson has helped us play with more confidence?

 

[Balham]

We certainly did miss Souza during his injured spell last year and he took a while to get back up to speed as I recall. Perhaps getting rid of Jack Robinson has helped us play with more confidence?

Robinson is so poor on the ball that he doesn't need pressing. That lets opposition teams sit deeper as they know he won't progress and will instead just play the simple pass to his left back. We have exactly the same problem this year with McGuinness when he plays.

 

[Keen Blade]

IMO there’s been a pretty significant change in the way we’re setting up now. Even last season, it felt like we played in lots of little silos where players were grouped in various areas of the pitch, too far apart from each other. Souza & Peck for example worked the middle of the pitch and the closest outlets they had were either Hamer, Campbell or whoever played on the right, some 20 yards away. Those passing channels were generally clogged with defenders, so it would go sideways or backwards. Only O’Hare was capable enough to get the ball in a tight space and move forwards with it.

That seems to have changed over the last couple of months. Our defence are much closer to the midfielders, who in turn are much closer to the forwards and wingers. It means we don’t need a 20 yard pass to get the ball moving forwards (my single biggest gripe last season) - it’s probably half that now and allows us to move the ball about much quicker. Even the full backs are playing much closer to the wingers now which gives more options to move the ball around. Add in the fact we also seem to have moved the entire side a quarter of the pitch further forward when we do have the ball and pressing opposition much harder from the front when we lose it, it feels like we’re camping sides in their own penalty areas now waiting for them to make mistakes or lump it forward.

It’s still quite a small sample size, but the football we’ve been playing of late is very refreshing to see. Proper front foot, attacking football. Makes brilliant viewing.

Whilst we accumulated 92 points last season , I & most around me on the kop were asking "What's the feckin plan ?" when we gained possession.
We seemed to have no idea how to move up the pitch , let alone create many chances or score more than 1 goal.
When we were 1 up , I spent most of the game fearing an equaliser coz there was no way we could get a 2nd goal playing how we did.
Since CW has returned this season , with us clear bottom and so no real expectation other than avoid relegation ,
We're playing without fear , the players have smiles on their faces and the entertainment is ten times better.

A lot of success in football is in the mindset of the manager & players.

Just now , they have before them a goal which they know is achievable , so they are full of positivity and enjoying the task.

Last season , it was a nervous 3-way battle for autos - and they let it get to them , especially in that horrible 3-loss week.
They went from clear top to poor 3rd and , for me , it was all in the mind.

This season , I'm going to thoroughly enjoy watching them whatever the outcome.
But if they actually get close to the top 6 , I hope they are experienced enough to stick to their own style , not letting stress make them shrink into their shell.

 

[Badger Blade]

Robinson is so poor on the ball that he doesn't need pressing. That lets opposition teams sit deeper as they know he won't progress and will instead just play the simple pass to his left back. We have exactly the same problem this year with McGuinness when he plays.

With the emergence of Bindon, McGuinness might be out of the picture unless we get a load of injuries or suspensions.

He's just about OK for the odd game but its no coincidence that our best performances since Wilder came back have been when he hasn't started - very similar to whenever Robinson had played for us in the past.

It felt to me, especially when we went with 3 CB's, that Mee and Tanganga were having to babysit him and were making mistakes themselves.

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

With the emergence of Bindon, McGuinness might be out of the picture unless we get a load of injuries or suspensions.

He's just about OK for the odd game but its no coincidence that our best performances since Wilder came back have been when he hasn't started - very similar to whenever Robinson had played for us in the past.

It felt to me, especially when we went with 3 CB's, that Mee and Tanganga were having to babysit him and were making mistakes themselves.

Weirdest bit is people say McGuinness was immense before joining Luton. Hence him commanding £10m to join them. Wonder what happened? Scares me to think what we've likely paid for him.

 

[Gin&Juice]

I think that Jan Age Fjortoft’s spirit has possessed a few of our players.

The classic number 9

 

[TopBoy]

Last season we slowed play down at every opportunity, this season the opposite. Much better to watch this season now Wilder has settled down.

 

[utd4ever]

Taller players working for set prices.
Two up front helps

Competition for places up front much better.

Oh and Cannon is scoring,yay.

 

[Keen Blade]

I think last season, we started games in a similar way, scored one and then we trusted the teams defence to see us through and for the most part, it worked.

I don't think Wilder trusts the defence as much yet and so the only way to make sure is to keep scoring.

Please don't tell me he's going to go defensive once he's happy with the defence - look in your history books Chris , under "Harris - attack , attack , attack !"

 

[Carlton Blade]

We are creating more chances because we are committing more players to attacks and because we've prioritised attacking over retaining possession and 'shape'

 

[LondonBlade89]

I don’t think we’ve had an especially good way of playing or building attacks under Wilder since our over-lapping centre backs approach. The more time went on, the more it seemed we’d just caught lightning in a bottle with that. While I’m sure there’s more to it, the 4-2-3-1 we went with always just felt like more of an in-vogue formation to use more which allowed us to find roles for more creative players like Hamer and O’Hare than anything else. But we are actually looking like we may be getting back onto something recently. Would welcome @Bergen Blade’s views on this.

 

[Balham]

Weirdest bit is people say McGuinness was immense before joining Luton. Hence him commanding £10m to join them. Wonder what happened? Scares me to think what we've likely paid for him.

Luton paid a fee "rising to £10m" for McGuinness which transpired to actually be around £5m*. We took him off their hands without an accounting loss so probably paid somewhere in the region of £3.5-4m

*the £10m came from Cardiff trying to appease their fans. It was £4m up front, £1m at 25 and 50 league appearances, £2m if Luton got promoted back to the PL and a sell on fee. Very similar to Bournemouth putting out there that we paid £10m for Mousset (we didn't, we paid about half) and £18.5m for Ramsdale (we didn't, we paid £12.6m).

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

Luton paid a fee "rising to £10m" for McGuinness which transpired to actually be around £5m*. We took him off their hands without an accounting loss so probably paid somewhere in the region of £3.5-4m

*the £10m came from Cardiff trying to appease their fans. It was £4m up front, £1m at 25 and 50 league appearances to, £2m if Luton got promoted back to the PL and a sell on fee. Very similar to Bournemouth putting out there that we paid £10m for Mousset (we didn't, we paid about half) and £18.5m for Ramsdale (we didn't, we paid £12.6m).

This is good news. We've spent 3 times what he's worth rather than 5/6 times.

 

[Balham]

This is good news. We've spent 3 times what he's worth rather than 5 times.

Even that is generous. He would have been at his level in League One yet somehow ended up back in the Championship.

 

[Need4speed]

Whilst we accumulated 92 points last season , I & most around me on the kop were asking "What's the feckin plan ?" when we gained possession.
We seemed to have no idea how to move up the pitch , let alone create many chances or score more than 1 goal.
When we were 1 up , I spent most of the game fearing an equaliser coz there was no way we could get a 2nd goal playing how we did.
Since CW has returned this season , with us clear bottom and so no real expectation other than avoid relegation ,
We're playing without fear , the players have smiles on their faces and the entertainment is ten times better.

A lot of success in football is in the mindset of the manager & players.

Just now , they have before them a goal which they know is achievable , so they are full of positivity and enjoying the task.

Last season , it was a nervous 3-way battle for autos - and they let it get to them , especially in that horrible 3-loss week.
They went from clear top to poor 3rd and , for me , it was all in the mind.

This season , I'm going to thoroughly enjoy watching them whatever the outcome.
But if they actually get close to the top 6 , I hope they are experienced enough to stick to their own style , not letting stress make them shrink into their shell.

Yep last season was strange. We would scrape a win, it an non too enjoyable game but be pleased that kept us in the promotion chase, only for Burnley and Leeds to spoil even that feeling by murdering their opposition. I think the pressure built on the players culminating in the loses to Leeds Burnley Oxford and Plymouth. Our best games last season were in the playoff semi finals and the first half of the final. Then the pressure hit us again in the second half. We had no real leaders on the pitch. My worry is that the start to our season showed we still have no real leaders when the chips are down, evident in the performance at W.B.A.

 

[FTPE]

Our press is better.
And Captain press (O'hare) is stronger and sharper.

 

[Lord Eddard Muir]

 

[Bladesman]

I think the potential to score freely was there last season but we only ever really saw us hit top gear against Coventry and Boro at home then Bristol in the play-offs.

Wilder didn't want to try Brooks on the left with JRS on the right and really have a go at teams.

 

[B.Lade]

Robinson is so poor on the ball that he doesn't need pressing. That lets opposition teams sit deeper as they know he won't progress and will instead just play the simple pass to his left back. We have exactly the same problem this year with McGuinness when he plays.

One of the main issues with Robinson was the speed of playing out. He just wasn't quick moving the back. Tanganga, Mee and latterly Bindon appear to move the ball quicker, which has to be a factor I'd expect.

 

[ancientblade]

mcguinness is only just ok in a back 3 similar to robinson a bomb scare in a back 4 bindon is definetly the classier and better of the 2 and wilder is playing a more adventurous game this season than last season

 

[Simple Blade]

Interesting question. From where I sit, the significant difference is that we can commit going forward because the current full backs are quicker and can get back to stop the counters.

 

[MayorOJC]

Not sure of the stats, but feels like we're scoring much more from set-pieces this season. Must have been some change to how we set up there.

 

[CarlMcBlade]

It’s no secret that a team who can execute a decent corner kick, instantly becomes a threat to the opposition.