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Just seen the highlights from today. Baker beaten twice from two corners for their goals.

Like most he was great first part of the season but not lived up to those standards since.  Maybe still carrying an injury? 

As much as I like the guy as a championship defender I think you can see why he isn’t a premier league player.

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Looked like Diedhiou should have done better with the first, was straight over his head and he's not moved, even if he doesn't connect if he jumps then potentially puts off the man behind him. The second all day Brownhill should be blocking that on the line if Frankie doesn't stop it. 

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Given him lots of praise this season, and also given reasons / excuses for the odd bad performance too.  Of late, since return from suspension, he’s not been anywhere near what we’ve needed (most of the time).

Big part of me says if we were to lose a CB, it would be Baker I would be happier to see go.

I don’t think I could imagine a CB pairing without Flint.  

I’ve changed!!!

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Diedhiou has been poor for the past month, I know Djuric isn’t 100% fit but how on earth did LJ come to the decision to take Djuric off instead of Diedhiou :facepalm:

Since his injury Baker hasn’t been himself, whether he’s still carrying it or he just isn’t 100% fit, but to concede the 2 like we did today was dreadful.

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I’m not sure now (or here) is the best place for rational judgement after a defeat on a Saturday night but here goes:

I still think he is probably our best central defender, but something’s clearly not right.

Villa fans said he rarely plays a full season, picking up lots of cards (QPR aside he’s not done too badly in that regard this season) and has a few injuries (we’ve certainly seen that).

Since QPR his form has been patchy, he’s been taken off at Burton when not fit and missed a number of games.

Maybe it simply is that he isn’t 100% but I think there is something else, poor form, not thinking he is in the right frame of mind, I don’t know.

It has slightly changed my opinion of him, I am no longer sure he can be relied on for a 46 game season and if he is around next year needs a decent understudy.

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47 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

I’m not sure now (or here) is the best place for rational judgement after a defeat on a Saturday night but here goes:

I still think he is probably our best central defender, but something’s clearly not right.

Villa fans said he rarely plays a full season, picking up lots of cards (QPR aside he’s not done too badly in that regard this season) and has a few injuries (we’ve certainly seen that).

Since QPR his form has been patchy, he’s been taken off at Burton when not fit and missed a number of games.

Maybe it simply is that he isn’t 100% but I think there is something else, poor form, not thinking he is in the right frame of mind, I don’t know.

It has slightly changed my opinion of him, I am no longer sure he can be relied on for a 46 game season and if he is around next year needs a decent understudy.

Add to which Graham ,  LJs  comments and obvious frustrations at his injuries and availability , almost questioning how much he wanted to be out on pitch

All very strange but something not right as you say 

Many will shout me down but nowhere near ‘irreplaceable’ for me ,

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Just now, Davefevs said:

Agree Bob

Just read  @Olé s match report 

‘ I think we have a lot of promising footballers that have a long way to go to be considered winners. Most obviously Baker, a big money signing who looks good as a unit behind the ball when things are going well, but looks like he is going through the motions at the business end of the season when opponents want it much more than him.’

 

Impression I’ve been getting from Baker - not good

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1 hour ago, formerly known as ivan said:

Just seen the highlights from today. Baker beaten twice from two corners for their goals.

Like most he was great first part of the season but not lived up to those standards since.  Maybe still carrying an injury? 

As much as I like the guy as a championship defender I think you can see why he isn’t a premier league player.

He was awful today it has to be said,if Wright would have put in that performance today then there would of been a 5 page thread on it 

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1 minute ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

Just read  @Olé s match report 

‘ I think we have a lot of promising footballers that have a long way to go to be considered winners. Most obviously Baker, a big money signing who looks good as a unit behind the ball when things are going well, but looks like he is going through the motions at the business end of the season when opponents want it much more than him.’

 

Impression I’ve been getting from Baker - not good

Me too.  I don’t go away very often, but I can usually predict Baker’s performance from his ore-match demeanour.  He has not looked good of late.

Maybe his body doesn’t cope with 40+ games a season?

We’ve gone from having a really strong pairing, envied throughout the league, to one that looks disjointed.  Baker no longer looks like he’s organising, he looks like he’s concentrating on his own game as he struggles for form.

I worry both him and Flint might not be here next season.

Maybe that back 3 of Moore, Vyner and Kelly isn’t as far away as I thought.

 

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1 minute ago, Davefevs said:

Me too.  I don’t go away very often, but I can usually predict Baker’s performance from his ore-match demeanour.  He has not looked good of late.

Maybe his body doesn’t cope with 40+ games a season?

We’ve gone from having a really strong pairing, envied throughout the league, to one that looks disjointed.  Baker no longer looks like he’s organising, he looks like he’s concentrating on his own game as he struggles for form.

I worry both him and Flint might not be here next season.

Maybe that back 3 of Moore, Vyner and Kelly isn’t as far away as I thought.

 

You don’t think he was one of the targets of the LJ ‘lifestyle’ comment do you ?

:whistle:

(I don’t know that , but would explain his public ‘frustrations’ at Bakers injuries and on tat particular occasion ‘illness’)

 

Not really overly concerned , by no play offs tbh Dave , but I have real concerns looking forward , for next season with the likely departures

 

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3 minutes ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

You don’t think he was one of the targets of the LJ ‘lifestyle’ comment do you ?

:whistle:

(I don’t know that , but would explain his public ‘frustrations’ at Bakers injuries and on tat particular occasion ‘illness’)

 

Not really overly concerned , by no play offs tbh Dave , but I have real concerns looking forward , for next season with the likely departures

 

It's not those players leaving that bothers me as much as the coaches who will be remaining 

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Naively 6 week’s ago (and even more recently than this) I thought we’d wake from our slumber, keep our play-off place, and probably fail at this point....but we’d need a bit of refinement over the summer, but certainly not an overhaul.

I may just be reacting to the reality of today’s results and recent performances, but I fear transfer window 5 (it is 5 right?) might be another big one in terms of volumes of recruits.  That’s not what I wanted / expected, and I doubt SL does either.

Teams have sussed us out to an extent.

They bypass our press (when we can trigger it - less often), and as we play deeper, they get time in the ball between our lines and in advanced areas.  I didn’t catch all the game on a stream today, but Boro advanced the ball into our final third, to their widemen, with ease in the main.  We don’t get punished centrally, but we get pushed back and back, and then of course when we do get the ball, we are penned in, or gave to play a very accurate ball forward to retain possession and then gave to get forward to support.  We are asking our players to play in a way that knackers them.

Next season we need to decide if we are pressing team or not.  You can’t do it half-hearted.  If we are going to do it, we are gonna need a defence that us happy to play a high line, or we might need to move away from 442 (or the variant we play).  That will require further signings to fit I suspect.

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15 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Naively 6 week’s ago (and even more recently than this) I thought we’d wake from our slumber, keep our play-off place, and probably fail at this point....but we’d need a bit of refinement over the summer, but certainly not an overhaul.

I may just be reacting to the reality of today’s results and recent performances, but I fear transfer window 5 (it is 5 right?) might be another big one in terms of volumes of recruits.  That’s not what I wanted / expected, and I doubt SL does either.

Teams have sussed us out to an extent.

They bypass our press (when we can trigger it - less often), and as we play deeper, they get time in the ball between our lines and in advanced areas.  I didn’t catch all the game on a stream today, but Boro advanced the ball into our final third, to their widemen, with ease in the main.  We don’t get punished centrally, but we get pushed back and back, and then of course when we do get the ball, we are penned in, or gave to play a very accurate ball forward to retain possession and then gave to get forward to support.  We are asking our players to play in a way that knackers them.

Next season we need to decide if we are pressing team or not.  You can’t do it half-hearted.  If we are going to do it, we are gonna need a defence that us happy to play a high line, or we might need to move away from 442 (or the variant we play).  That will require further signings to fit I suspect.

I’ve been banging on about it Dave but for me Famara and a high press are clearly non starters 

Totally. Agree that he needs to decide how he wants to play and recruit around that , with a squad that gives him an alternative options) for the odd occasion & off the bench 

For that reason I wouldn’t be devastated if a side looking purely at his goals made a swoop for Famara

( Thats dependent on us keeping Bobby who is pivotal to the way we executed the press brilliantly at times) 

Otherwise if we keep Famara he becomes a Off the bench / occasional option for me

or

Play to his strengths which I would suggest means leaving him to concentrate on getting in box & some decent crosses and supply

We are nowhere near any sort of plan right now

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3 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

 

Teams have sussed us out to an extent.

Boro did. When they lost possession they left 3 up front and didn't allow our back 4 time. They were forced to move the ball quickly. 

Boro then played a high line defensively. This left a lot of work for Durjic and Fam to do in and around the half way line. With all the will in the world these two today struggled with that task. They needed to operate 30 yards up the pitch to be truly effective. 

So when they lost possession, which they invariably did Boro ended up with the ball in better areas. Them two up front are nowhere near mobile enough to start the high press game. It starts with your attackers. 

Everyone seems off the boil. I wish I had an answer. We will lose players in the summer and we got January horrible wrong.

We have much work to do in all areas for everyone involved in at the club 

Stevo 

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I certainly don't view Baker as being our best defender, that accolade goes to Flint afaic.

Flint isn't perfect but he's remarkably consistent every season in terms of availability, standard of performance, and attitude.

Baker, though he can be impressive, has question marks over all 3, and these lapses on several fronts seem to be a recurring theme with him.

I can't recall a single Flint performance where you could question his 100% commitment and desire, and it would take a really bad injury (e.g. the season ending knee injury at Shrewsbury where he tried to play on for several minutes before being forced off) for him to ever be subbed.

Flint is the nearest City have got to an irreplaceable player imo.; Baker, for all his good points, is simply unreliable over a season and is therefore eminently replaceable.

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Flint has hunger and real desire @Nogbad the Bad - a ‘winner’ who you’d want to be with in any battle (With the remarkable ability to do so without rash challenges , bookings or ill discipline (Save one recent occasion !)

Priceless attributes in my book and one of the reasons he’s improved season upon season

Many will disagree but when Flint goes LJ has more than one almighty hole to fill IMHO

 

( Bobby Reid has also become almost irreplaceable - dependent on whether the high press plan is ever reintroduced)

 

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1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Me too.  I don’t go away very often, but I can usually predict Baker’s performance from his ore-match demeanour.  He has not looked good of late.

Maybe his body doesn’t cope with 40+ games a season?

We’ve gone from having a really strong pairing, envied throughout the league, to one that looks disjointed.  Baker no longer looks like he’s organising, he looks like he’s concentrating on his own game as he struggles for form.

I worry both him and Flint might not be here next season.

Maybe that back 3 of Moore, Vyner and Kelly isn’t as far away as I thought.

 

and do you know what that might not be a bad thing, have said on another post something is wrong with this team, they obviously have the skill and desire on their day, unfortunately lately that seems to be February the 29th.

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8 hours ago, BobBobSuperBob said:

I’ve been banging on about it Dave but for me Famara and a high press are clearly non starters 

Totally. Agree that he needs to decide how he wants to play and recruit around that , with a squad that gives him an alternative options) for the odd occasion & off the bench 

For that reason I wouldn’t be devastated if a side looking purely at his goals made a swoop for Famara

( Thats dependent on us keeping Bobby who is pivotal to the way we executed the press brilliantly at times) 

Otherwise if we keep Famara he becomes a Off the bench / occasional option for me

or

Play to his strengths which I would suggest means leaving him to concentrate on getting in box & some decent crosses and supply

We are nowhere near any sort of plan right now

Not only does LJ have to decide for the first team but right the way down to the kids .

 The grand idea was to coach them all in the same style so that they could move up easily to the next level .

I agree with your last sentence. There is no steady hand guiding the team it is panic aboard as LJ chops and changes trying desperately to stop the rot .

What the players need to hear is that the system works , believe in what you are doing because it is the right way . We just need minor tweaks from time to time as some are injured , fatigued or suspended but you were bloody brilliant until 2018 .

 I like LJ but have doubts. 

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