What's wrong?

[Norwichshrimper]

Where is the option for "the opposition we now face are better than us"?

That is clearly the problem, but do I select "personnel" or "nothing"

I'm going for personnel...if we spent £50m on players we'd probably be a few more places up the league

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

What about 'no money available to bring in enough quality players' option?

 

[Pubey]

If 2 up top is the answer, why not 3? 4? 5? let's go krazee.

I've not seen 3 up top since Total Recall.

 

[IloveShrimp]

​No flair tactics, no flair players!

 

[HudsonNo1]

It's obvious we need someone clinical in front of goal... I still think a fully fit hunt will stick his fair share away in this division.. It's just if we have the time to wait for that day.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Nothing to do with two up top, we have almost as many shots on target they do. If it makes that much difference they should be getting far more on target.

We had 4 very good chances on Saturday. That's not stats deceiving anything.

The key point is that they convert far more than we do.

Think about it a little more. When you have two up top you have double the personnel on the pitch that were signed because they score goals. Add to that their better knowledge of movement in the final third and things open up. Its about percentages and the greater you work the odds in your favour the more likely things will come good.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I actually think we flatter to deceive a little bit. So often we'll be well on top of the game and bombard their box with crosses and runs all over the place. It looks like we're all over them, but in actual fact we're still struggling to create clear cut chances. Our crossing for a while has been very below par for me. I think certain players seem to panic when they're wide with the ball and deliver rushed crosses at chest height (Leonard is guilty of this, as is White) which are easy pickings for any decent centre half. Worrall, for everything great he does, doesn't always deliver good enough crosses and Coker can be guilty a lot of the time of not putting in early crosses when he has the chance.

All of this aside, we don't really have anyone in the box who can get their head on it since Barry left anyway. In my opinion, the key to us scoring more is to practice the living daylights out of our crossing (seeing as wing play seems to be a big part of Brown's game), to the point where not one single crossing opportunity is wasted. Couple that with signing a new target man striker who you can put your house on winning 95% of aerial battles and we might be getting somewhere.

Then I would be playing 4-4-1-1 with the big target man up front and Noel Hunt/Jack Payne just behind as second strikers. Play with two good wingers (Worrall and McLaughlin) and two overlapping full backs. This means that when we go wide and get the good crosses in, the target man can either go for goal with his head or knock it down for the onrushing Hunt/Payne.

I know it's not as easy as that. But it's frustrating at times seeing such poor crosses being delivered that nothing comes of.

Good post, alot of the time we get in the final third and just chuck in a hopeful cross. A few times on Saturday we actually got to the byline in that situation we need to be a bit cuter, try and get into the box and commit defenders.

 

[Jam_Man]

Think about it a little more. When you have two up top you have double the personnel on the pitch that were signed because they score goals. Add to that their better knowledge of movement in the final third and things open up. Its about percentages and the greater you work the odds in your favour the more likely things will come good.

Your first point does make sense, they are natural finishers so that improves the chances of the ball going in, but we have been told how Payne would rip teams apart and we should build the team around him, surely he can hit the target from 8 yards out.

The fact still remains, we are creating almost as many shots on target as the top team in the league, so we are doing something right and not quite as useless and defensive as has been claimed.

I would like to see Mooney and Hunt paired together though, it gives us two natural strikers but will mean Payne misses out.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Good post, alot of the time we get in the final third and just chuck in a hopeful cross. A few times on Saturday we actually got to the byline in that situation we need to be a bit cuter, try and get into the box and commit defenders.

Cuter is right. Add to that the amount of lost possession from lofted, slow long throws, the amount of crosses or set plays sent directly into the keepers arms with him barely moving a muscle and the huge number of times a ball suited to a target man is bombed across only to be cut out unchallenged. tweak a few of these things and the law of probability may begin to side with us.

 

[Pak Power]

What's worrying me is that we should have our team sorted by now, and not waiting to sign people when we are already in the bottom four (I know it's early doors), but we could soon find ourselves adrift waiting for Hunt to get match fit/waiting for a cheap proven hungry pacey goalscorer/ correct system.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Ive thought about it a bit more, and we are only having one shot on target less than the top team in the division, so Im still not seeing a compelling argument.

One shot less from people not signed on for goals, and as I asked and you ignored, how many of our efforts test their keeper compared to theirs testing ours? When you have that answer your stats will be worth citing.

 

[Jam_Man]

One shot less from people not signed on for goals, and as I asked and you ignored, how many of our efforts test their keeper compared to theirs testing ours? When you have that answer your stats will be worth citing.

Payne is meant to be able to score goals. The other shots came from Pigott, Hunt, Weston and Worrall.

On Saturday we had 3 clear chances test their keeper, he saved from Pigott and Hunt and Weston should have scored the header, and one that Payne should have gotten on target if not scored.

So out of the 4 on target 3 of them tested the keeper who had to pull off two good saves, plus almost let Hunts underneath him, and just one was a long range effort, plus one off target should have been on target at least.
Watch the highlights, we should have scored at least one of them, we created a decent amount of chances just didnt capitalise on them.

 

[mrsblue]

Why is it Bents pulls of wonder saves virtually every game yet down the other end their keeper hardly breaks sweat.

Honestly it's not hard,cross the ball and have bodies in the area,never let our forward become so detached from his mates.

Forwards x 2 playing yards apart and not the blinking lone guy being tormented by the CB's,absolute mental tactic especially at home.

 

[Jam_Man]

Why is it Bents pulls of wonder saves virtually every game yet down the other end their keeper hardly breaks sweat.

Honestly it's not hard,cross the ball and have bodies in the area,never let our forward become so detached from his mates.

Forwards x 2 playing yards apart and not the blinking lone guy being tormented by the CB's,absolute mental tactic especially at home.

Watch the highlights from Saturday Bentley doesnt pull off any wonder saves and their keeper does, he has to pull off two good saves to keep out Weston and Pigott, and should have had to pull off one if Payne hadnt missed the target. Bentley only has to save one long range effort.

Also, watch the highlights for the crosses, we always have at least 3 players in the box when they go in, they are getting in there.

Mental tactic where we created more chances than Swindon apparently.

 

[Pubey]

Some great saves from the Doncaster keeper (the official MOTM) as well. Bentley had very little to do.

 

[Jam_Man]

Some great saves from the Doncaster keeper (the official MOTM) as well. Bentley had very little to do.

Indeed, Bentley barely gets seen on the highlights.

I dont know why people are so entrenched in their views they ignore what there on the screen.

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

I think a few saves that Swindon's Vigouroux pulled off on Saturday could be classed as wonder saves.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Your first point does make sense, they are natural finishers so that improves the chances of the ball going in, but we have been told how Payne would rip teams apart and we should build the team around him, surely he can hit the target from 8 yards out.

The fact still remains, we are creating almost as many shots on target as the top team in the league, so we are doing something right and not quite as useless and defensive as has been claimed.

I would like to see Mooney and Hunt paired together though, it gives us two natural strikers but will mean Payne misses out.

Being told about Payne is different to Payne proving it. Maybe in time but not yet. I am all for your last point. I believe Hunt should play behind A N Other, probably Mooney, because Hunt is an experienced, intelligent footballer now as opposed to Payne who has some way to go before he is a shoe-in.

I accept also we are creating chances but never have I said we are defensive. Far from it. But two things stand out. We do not test the opposition keeper enough with said chances and yet according to most Bentley keeps us in games so the opposition must be testing us. Secondly, we have a team with too few players with goal scoring history. There is normally a reason a player does not score many. He is either Coulthirst or not a striker. well same thing really :) Making the chances must be soul destroying for the team when they have no one there to convert them.

Sorry JamMan but whatever way it is dressed up PB is the turkey here and he has had long enough to know better. I still maintain he did not do enough for us in promotion last season and it was the players collective that got him over the line when it could have been easier.

Unlike before I am not saying he has to go but if PB is staying he needs to be more adaptable and certainly think of putting someone in the backroom that knows about attack coaching. Or ask Hunt to combine coaching and playing. With his experience it could help a lot.

 

[Jam_Man]

Read points above.

Bentley barely in highlights vs Doncaster and made just one save from long range against Swindon.

Some might say he is keeping us in it but the reality is he did that against Walsall (well kept score down) but hasnt had to since.

So basically you now accept that we do create chances yet we still need an attacking coach. Personally we just need someone to just kick the white round thing in the white rectangle thing, thats all that was missing Saturday. 4 players got the ball in a position to do so and none did. Browns tactics cant account for that.

 

[onceknownasrab]

Read points above.

Bentley barely in highlights vs Doncaster and made just one save from long range against Swindon.

Some might say he is keeping us in it but the reality is he did that against Walsall but hasnt had to since.

So basically you now accept that we do create chances yet we still need an attacking coach. Personally we just need someone to just kick the white round thing in the white rectangle thing, thats all that was missing Saturday. 4 players got the ball in a position to do so and none did. Browns tactics cant account for that.

I have always said we create chances and have agreed with you many times on this matter over last season too. Yes an attacking coach or more specifically strikers coach because the chances are not converted. Its alright putting a sublime ball into the box but if nobody knows where to run/where to stand/what to anticipate, then no one will be on the end of it or not best placed to do more with it. We had a couple against Swindon that were down to poor finishing but more often our attempts are half chances, scuffed efforts or feeble attempts. We need the nous to do better.