loz
President
Plenty of blame to go round for that performance. Ron for holding us back for years, the players for not executing well (and tbh not looking like they're that bothered in some cases), Kev for some really questionable subs and tactical setups, and anyone involved in recruitment.
What stuck with me after a while was how longstanding some of these issues are and why i think it's reasonable to criticise KM for this one (i'm usually much more towards the Kev defending camp). Some pretty consistent features of his reign though:
- struggling against low blocks
- struggling against physical centre halfs
- lack of pace in the team
- late/arguably overly defensive subs
you saw all that come to a head in the second half where we'd have the ball in the final third or close to it. attacking in the 3-1-6 pattern that we usually do, with every option a) marked closely, and b) not making enough runs/movement to disrupt the defensive pattern. It looked so easy to defend against and it was no wonder players would rather recycle possession rather than attempt a risky pass to a player in no space - the guys next to me kept shouting 'forwards' at the players but there was rarely any decent forward options on. Eventually someone would toss it into the middle without much quality and it would get cleared.
KAF and Leon aren't world beaters but are the only players at the moment who look capable of breaking a defensive line either with quick passes or runs. When they come off we look toothless - we did at Sutton and we did again on Saturday. As to how we fix it? my best options are some combo of:
short term - be prepared to keep KAF and Leon on for longer or at least one of them. retry the 3 up front with 2 out of 3 of Walker/Bonne/Kendall playing wide of a target man. I doubt anyone has much confidence in Walker as the answer atm but his better performances this season have come playing more towards the left where he can get into pockets of space. Revert to a back 3 to get Gus further forward - we did have several crosses in the first half that were inviting an attack at the far post but nobody making that run.
longer term - recruit some wide attackers with pace who will run between defenders/take players on and stretch low blocks. Calum Powell and Jack Wood are the closest we've had in the squad in recent years but we'd need a formation shift to a 343 or 433 (whether from the start or as an option later in games) to accommodate it. Or hope we can unearth someone like a Pepple who can unlock defences themselves with their physicality or pace. easy stuff! :D
What stuck with me after a while was how longstanding some of these issues are and why i think it's reasonable to criticise KM for this one (i'm usually much more towards the Kev defending camp). Some pretty consistent features of his reign though:
- struggling against low blocks
- struggling against physical centre halfs
- lack of pace in the team
- late/arguably overly defensive subs
you saw all that come to a head in the second half where we'd have the ball in the final third or close to it. attacking in the 3-1-6 pattern that we usually do, with every option a) marked closely, and b) not making enough runs/movement to disrupt the defensive pattern. It looked so easy to defend against and it was no wonder players would rather recycle possession rather than attempt a risky pass to a player in no space - the guys next to me kept shouting 'forwards' at the players but there was rarely any decent forward options on. Eventually someone would toss it into the middle without much quality and it would get cleared.
KAF and Leon aren't world beaters but are the only players at the moment who look capable of breaking a defensive line either with quick passes or runs. When they come off we look toothless - we did at Sutton and we did again on Saturday. As to how we fix it? my best options are some combo of:
short term - be prepared to keep KAF and Leon on for longer or at least one of them. retry the 3 up front with 2 out of 3 of Walker/Bonne/Kendall playing wide of a target man. I doubt anyone has much confidence in Walker as the answer atm but his better performances this season have come playing more towards the left where he can get into pockets of space. Revert to a back 3 to get Gus further forward - we did have several crosses in the first half that were inviting an attack at the far post but nobody making that run.
longer term - recruit some wide attackers with pace who will run between defenders/take players on and stretch low blocks. Calum Powell and Jack Wood are the closest we've had in the squad in recent years but we'd need a formation shift to a 343 or 433 (whether from the start or as an option later in games) to accommodate it. Or hope we can unearth someone like a Pepple who can unlock defences themselves with their physicality or pace. easy stuff! :D
