Clearly you are right; and This is a good post. People (on this forum and elsewhere) often over-simplify situations. The temptation for all of us is to invent snappy one-liners which purport to sum it up or take the p*ss. The defenders certainly don't seem to anticipate situations (and not only the defenders). And the situation has not been restricted to this coach. Nevertheless, if a coach has inherited some inadequates one of the things he could and should do is try to improve them as football individuals. Probably rather hard work and not so glamorous , but they are all paid lots. In the longer term, it would seem we do need some better defenders and January is around the corner. If our defending worked properly we already (until recently) score enough goals to win a lot of games. Defenders are cheaper than strikers and I think, if I were Gino, I'd put my money there first. We all love star strikers but, as Gray has inadvertently shown, they are, if they are any good, hugely expensive.
Since the start of 2016, half way through QSF’s season when the wheels started coming off, we’ve kept 15 clean sheets. That’s from 76 matches. 1 clean sheet every 5 games on average. That breaks down as 3 under QSF in the second half of his season in charge, 7 under Mazzarri and 5 so far under Silva. ( Of those 5, 3 were consecutively in his 2nd, 3rd and 4th matches in charge, so it’s actually been just 2 in his last 15). Tough old league and all that, but I think the stats show none of our recent coaches have managed to sort out our defence.
The constants during this time being Prodl, Britos and Holebas (Kaboul and Cathcart have both had injury issues the last two seasons). Time for some younger blood back there in the Kabasele mould.
We dont defend well as a team without Chalobah & Doucoure. The goal we gave away on saturday was right out of the Mazzari playbook, starting with carelessly giving it away in midfield and ending with Gomes letting in a shot he really should have saved. Every time we cleared the ball it came straight back at us and if we did clear it to a Watford shirt we inevitably gave away possesion first chance we got. Chalobah & Doucoure make such a difference protecting the back four and relieving pressure.
As It's Christmas, I just thought I would like to pass on seasons greetings to any Brighton fans who might be looking at this thread. I think you are not a bad bunch at all, and I think I speak for just about all of us here, when I say that I much prefer Sussex by the Sea, to b****y Glad all Over. Hope you stuff Crippled Alice as well as your turkey. Merry Christmas.
Perhaps the question should be how many chances would a different striker have created. I wasn't impressed with his closing down or his overall movement. Great he got the goal, hope it gives him confidence to crack on, but he still has shown very little ability and very little potential. Maybe it is the system? But I wouldn't think that bodes well for his immediate Watford career. I'll be behind him all the way, but my expectancy is declining with every match, including citeh.
