Lack of goals was the downfall !

[eastling]

More to the point is that we haven't scored in a lot of games where our dominance in possession warranted it. Itis not always how many you score but when you score that is the key to winning most football matches. Too often this season we seen plenty of the ball and not scored to take a foothold or get level in a game.

 

[Banksy]

So 48 games played and it's all over with the club remaining in the basement division,Phil was dealt most of the cards and he was ok for the bulk of games yet to me the tactics were designed not to concede many!

Phil told the SKY commentator he was a 1 0 man and the goals conceded backed up his claim yet it was at the business end of the pitch where it all came crashing down.

Those 48 games produced a staggering feat which was in over 70% of those games this team either scored 0 or 1,This alone IMO was the main failure which was further enhanced with the 2 games against Burton with Southend striker/s not scoring once.

Corr went on a goal flurry towards the latter stages yet IMO was disguising the fact he ain't prolific in any way shape or form.When Barry was used his teammates just whacked it in his general direction in the hope he will control it whilst holding off defenders giving his mates time to get up the pitch,Now if he could do this he surely would be playing higher.

Fred is now so vastly overrated its almost la

What is required :

1) 2 Strikers who can deliver 20 goals each.

2) Creative midfielders (a la Kev) and not midfielders (in the absence of quality strikers) who are told to be strikers - albeit that does help when goals are not forthcoming.

Barry Corr (bless him) - not up to it: Freddy - not used properly but maybe finished.

Defensively we are very good but every team at every level cannot defend set-pieces !

 

[Banksy]

More to the point is that we haven't scored in a lot of games where our dominance in possession warranted it. Itis not always how many you score but when you score that is the key to winning most football matches. Too often this season we seen plenty of the ball and not scored to take a foothold or get level in a game.

Spot on Eastling !

 

[Napster]

What is required :

1) 2 Strikers who can deliver 20 goals each.

2) Creative midfielders (a la Kev) and not midfielders (in the absence of quality strikers) who are told to be strikers - albeit that does help when goals are not forthcoming.

Barry Corr (bless him) - not up to it: Freddy - not used properly but maybe finished.

Defensively we are very good but every team at every level cannot defend set-pieces !

1) Every team wants one 20 goal a season striker. When/if we get one, its more luck than anything. Constantine - amazing here, rubbish elsewhere. Graeme Jones- 40 goals for Wigan, crap here. Only a few strikers replicate a good season elsewhere.
2) Every team wants this- and again, I think we have one of the best midfields in the business. Swap Atkinson for Mark Bentley 10 years ago and we would have romped this division
3) Yeah OK. Barry led the line, won more balls than he should have, and still top scored, despite playing often in a 4-5-1. He's a warrior and a proper old school number 10.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Not sure I agree with that, we weren't able to play our normal football type of style against many of those, Burton's style epitomised many of those we have failed against.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If any team - bottom half or otherwise - is making it difficult for us to enjoy whichever tactic or style we've entered the game with then they've obviously done their homework and realised we have a lack of plan B. Whether that's the fault of Brown or the players can't be said, but either way if we're having trouble unlocking teams then it's far more likely to be down to a problem in midfield than it is a problem with the strikers.

Agree with this,

The so called lesser teams defended in numbers and hit us on the break,I think we lack guille pace and being clinical in the final third plus Phil sets up the team not to lose by playing 451,Our midfield have only Barry as the target where he is normally marked by a couple of defenders.

How would having pacier strikers help us break down defences who are sitting deep and countering? Surely there'd be no space for these strikers to run into? If two defenders are covering Corr then it's up to one of the central midfielders to create an overload somewhere else, and whichever wide-forward hasn't got the ball to be arriving late in the box. From what I've seen this season and the end of last - which, it has be said, isn't an awful lot - I'd say one of the real weaknesses is a lack of consistency on the left. Hurst is clearly one of our most creative outlets but he can't do it all on his own.

Straker came in yesterday and clearly had an impact, but he looks like a streaky player whose end product is sporadic. Identifying someone who can either replace Straker or fill in for him when he's enduring an off period must be an priority and that might just be Ellis Brown.

 

[mrsblue]

What is required :

1) 2 Strikers who can deliver 20 goals each.

2) Creative midfielders (a la Kev) and not midfielders (in the absence of quality strikers) who are told to be strikers - albeit that does help when goals are not forthcoming.

Barry Corr (bless him) - not up to it: Freddy - not used properly but maybe finished.

Defensively we are very good but every team at every level cannot defend set-pieces !

100% accurate from an ex pro!


I would be happy with 442 with the frontmen scoring 30 between them with the midfield weighing in with another 25 then add another 15 from defence =70 in total.

I fear if Phil plays the same system next season then the goal drought will continue.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If any team - bottom half or otherwise - is making it difficult for us to enjoy whichever tactic or style we've entered the game with then they've obviously done their homework and realised we have a lack of plan B. Whether that's the fault of Brown or the players can't be said, but either way if we're having trouble unlocking teams then it's far more likely to be down to a problem in midfield than it is a problem with the strikers.

Said the same thing all along this week, we needed to change the way we play because Burton had it worked out. As for Ellis, waiting to hear back as to how good he is.