Spike Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 2 minutes ago, phil_clevedon said: We're a lot closer than we were last season, and no-one saw that coming either. That's progress and I remain optimistic for next season! Maybe but we came out this season with a new approach and for a long period it worked, but now we've been found out and LJ doesn't have anything to mix it up. I'll be optimistic if we can keep our key players, however if we miss out on the play-offs entirely I can see a few key players moving on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin_unreliant Posted March 13, 2018 Report Share Posted March 13, 2018 Seems to me that our best form of the season came when we had maximum injuries and pretty few options. Lee tried out a formation with Reid as a false 9 and it worked a treat. When the team got frazzled we had no options who could maintain the same style of play. Those players he signed in January didn't help as they didn't fit into that formation. He has been chopping and changing again now he has more options and we've forgotten what was working before. It's a mixture of poor signings and LJ failing to pick a team that matches the formation that worked so well for us last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Skin Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 @Jerseybean Great topic. Very happy with the club and the players this season. Performances have dipped, but attitude cannot be faulted. - We will grow as a squad and players like O'Dowda, Brownhill will mature more. - Think we need more quality up top. I know he hasn't really been fit all season, but still have doubts about Taylor. Woodrow and Diony not for me. Good loan from someone like Man City? - I think LJ does have alternatives to our pressing games, but just been unlucky with injuries to play it. Duric a massive miss. - Eliasson, Walsh will improve and feature more. - Given the positivity around the club I believe attracting the right players will be easier that last summer. I think young professional are wising up the fact the wages aren't everything if you don't get the right experience and education to base a career on. Better a smaller 2 year contract now at the right that gives 16 years in the game, than going for the paid one as a young pro at a basket case club with no identity or philosophy. No panic for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueredsupporter Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 On 12/03/2018 at 17:01, Jerseybean said: So with a little more than 4/5ths of the season behind us what do you think about our style of play and ‘identity’ and what do you think we need to do next to progress further? LJ has consistently pointed out that we are ‘a work in progress’ and has recently stated that if players would or could not play the way he wants they will be replaced. IMO we have been at our best and most successful this season when we have combined our high pressing game, played the ball short and accurately and played out quickly from the back. All of which has limited the opposition and enabled us to over-load the opposition and create. There have been a few games where we’ve managed to employ the best aspects of this approach for 90 minutes, others in which we have seen some evidence of it and unfortunately (particularly more recently e.g. Cardiff, PNE and Burton) games where there has been little or no signs of any of it! So I think LJ has a preferred approach / identity which relies on high levels of fitness, concentration and skill. IMO, as the season has progressed, we have increasingly lost touch with the attributes which LJ wants and which were rewarded with points and attractive football earlier in the season. There are numerous likely reasons for this including: opponents countering our approach, our high number of injuries, which has limited rotating / resting players, and the sheer physical / mental demands of our approach, especially with the extra games / demands that flowed from our great cup run. As to what we need to do to progress further, I have a very simple view. IMO we need to do whatever it takes to consistently maintain the level of our best performances for the entire season! That will mean: strengthening the squad in terms of skill and depth, holding onto our best players and having less injuries. Look forward to others thoughts. Look at Bristol Citys style over the last four games? whats the identity? that is the sort of chop and change you get with teams in trouble. to progress further that has to stop and the teams should get back to consistent selection tactics and have an identity.its also about recruitment City have brought in what??? Teflon feet to not fit the style the team had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeh Posted March 14, 2018 Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 We are moving forward, yes we are in awful form but we have a squad that can be built on, if we manage to tie down reid brownhill and bryan and add a bit more quality then we can move further forward next season, If we don't build on this then heads have to roll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted March 15, 2018 Report Share Posted March 15, 2018 On 12/03/2018 at 18:51, AshtonGreat said: Personally, I don't buy this whole injury crisis thing. It's been no worse than any other club's. And we had an excellent opportunity to buy reinforcements in January, but failed to take it. Actually, it has. Wolves have had nothing like the issues we have had- to name one. You only need to look at the number of games for example their 1st XI have played this season vs missed through injury. I don't have time to research others until later. I dare say ours has been one of the worse ones of the top sides but...again I don't have time to look into this now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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