I think that however good the performance was yesterday there's one damning fact: Three times in three games we've gone 1-0 up. Three times in three games we've drawn 1-1. Three times in three games the equaliser has been an unmarked back post header. It's just not good enough. What is going on in training?
I thought the performance was pretty crap yesterday to be honest, but i would never fault the effort. WBA were just as bad - it was a game played by two crap football teams, with Watford showing some guts and WBA getting some luck at the end.
We've been conceading goals from cross balls like that all season. You really would have thought they would have managed to sort it out by now.
They even commented on it on the FL show, Potguy. They said Mariappa should've been tighter on Brunt.
True but the personal are the same in the backline usually. Maybe they are just too dim to get the message!? (I know what some of you guys think about Doyley and Mariappa...) You'd think with 2 fairly decent defenders at this level coaching we would at least look like we could defend...
in my opinion is largley a full back problem...we are not stopping enough crosses from coming in and certainly not picking up runners from the back. out of the full backs choices we have, they are either overpowered or outmaneuvered
You could say it is actualy the wide midfielders problems as a lot of the goals we have conceeded is because the opposition have doubled up on us when attacking and the likes of Cowie have not tracked their man well enough. I know Mariappa gets crucified by us (and he deserves it a lot of the time) but he is constantly faced with the left midfielder and full back running at him, the same for Doyley (though he stands too far back 90% of the time and doesn't shut down the winger enough).
Yeah I hadn't seen the highlights until just now. Looked different from where I was, he did lose his man. Still thought he had an excellent game though.
Not really, still 4 defenders and 4 midfielders... Strikers aren't going to be in their own box in open play.
All hyperbole aside, I think these posts get to the heart of the problems in back. Honestly, I don't think the coaches are confident knowing what to do and how to structure things in front of the defenders line. They end up relying on the players instincts which isn't always bad or wrong, but that method lacks the ability to adjust tactically when needed. It's nice that the goalkeeping isn't a big problem this season, isn't it?
Are you joking or just geographically insulated from the series of disasters which Loach has been at the centre of lately?
We always seem to have some sort of problem every season, last year up to a point it was home form, we were good on the road last year.
I plead insulation. I'm really going by the heat check on these boards about goalkeeping. Fairly minor compared to years past. The people have spoken!!
1-0 up against the team 2nd in the league, fighting relegation with every win counting, 95th minute with our history of conceding late goals... If I were a striker, I know where I'd have been.
