DaveInSA

I wasn't sure what to name this thread. But, I had a look on the Transfermrkt. We have 11 senior players OOC at the end of the year: Five of them we have options on - but would we want them all? Probably not. Which means that with zero money (unless Scott and Semenyo are sold - which seems inevitable now) we need to recruit the best part of 9 players (maybe up to 11). If we're still in this division, that means we need to have some savvy recruitment. If we get it right it could be brilliant, a new brush and all. If we get it wrong...

let me clarify for you. for me, number of bookings doesn't equal how lightweight a midfield is. I can foul the opposition all day long, but it doesn't mean I am effective. Powder puff means - easy to play through, lack of positional awareness in defending and lack of commitment to the defensve cause. It's 30-70% of a midflieders job to defend. to track runners. to make life difficult for the opposition. our midfield is weak at this. we're too easy to play through. Scott shirks his duties in the defensive half of the pitch, so does Sykes. That's 40% of your midfield not defending. against QPR this was our undoing. Ligthweight means - lack of depth as well as most of our players being below average height. We need to make up for this with guile (speed of passing and speed of feet) and shithousery. both of which we can improve.

That’s the strategy other teams use against us - apparently it’s a winning formula for them ??? In all seriousness though, our squad is totally threadbare. We have two fit CBs and our midfield is powder puff and lightweight. Plus, the players we do have fit and available have too many “off days”.

I watched Jay closely against QPR and again last night. The lad has talent to burn, seriously technically brilliant. But. I feel he has a crisis of confidence (not the only one of our players by the way). I’d love to see him play, truly play with him and vigour and whip balls in. He can do it. But something stops him.

you do know that we have zero money right?

well well stopped the rot.

if you thought THAT was awful, you never watched on saturday.

I'd really really really like to see Jay Dasilva just play. Please Jay. You have so much talent and you're not showing it. Just play. Skin your man and put the ball in the box.

oh pants. down to 2 fit centre backs.

was gonna make that comment. when semenyo got to the byline, skyes is standing still. he just needs to step away from the marker. it's basic stuff. brain dead laziness.

is tracking runners now unfashoinable.

thanks. first link was a tank game. second link was a game sounding like tank. third link was the actual game ?

anyone got a stream please?

But, while I agree with you, I mistook him for Chris Martin on Saturday . That’s how slow he was.

DaSilva's delivery yesterday was poor (at least in front of S83 in the second half). Often his crosses were either intercepted or the QPR man got a little nibble on it, meaning they were meat and drink for the other defenders / keeper.

you wouldnt have enjoyed yesterday dave ?

I don't normally start a thread, but what I saw yesterday against QPR warrants one. The defending was naiive and abysmal all at once. Not the defence. Defending. They are two totally different things. From what I saw yesterday the key problems were: easy ball over atkinson - got done every time easy 3 vs 1 on vyner (several times) - skyes was AWOL and neither scott nor williams tracking back naismith gave the bal away so often sykes and Dasilva ineffective in attack (which actually cause us defensive problems - linked to point 2) absolutely zero pace in our back 3 (and from Wilson when he came on - he didn't look fit) and in the second half, after the subs on 59 minutes, litereally nobody knew what they were suppposed to be doing - it was an absolute mess some of this is schoolboy stuff. i can forgive some of this - we know we're not a great defensive unit, but man alive we absolultley have to start at least trying to defend.by being a bit more streetwise and nasty. we're so polite and gentlemenly. can we at least learn to foul when positionally we're all at sea?

I think @Harry just stole me brain and wrote this and then gave it back to me. At the time of our goal we had momentum and QPR were all over the show. The subs ruined it. Pearson got that wrong. In the car on the way home I was wishing the R Bristol interviewer to ask him the thinking behind it. Because he clearly got it wrong. The defensive performance today was dreadful. By S82 in the first half they literally walked through us. Multiple times. We have a midfield and a defence problem. The midfield is positionally naive and the defence struggles to cover. I feel sorry for Zak, when Sykes is AWOL and the midfield aren’t tracking runners. What does he actually do against three men, which happened several times today. It’s basic stuff and the players didn’t do it today. I try think we made QPR look good. Through us being so awful. Defensively all over the place. I’ve not been for a while, and I like the look of Naismith. But someone has to give the lads head a wobble on the pitch. Too many high risk low reward passes. Way too many. And at the same time some absolute gems. Where are the leaders in the pitch? so frustrating because I think we have some good players. As a collective though, they need to look long and hard at themselves in the mirror.

i just watched the Nige interview. When he mentions Semenyo being about ready to start, there's a little glint in his eye. He knows what a special player he is. Knows it deeply and also knows that opposition defences have no clue what to do with him, mostly because Semenyo probably doesn't know himself. He's instinctive. Not coached. It's brilliant.

Hopefully Dykes doesn't get on the field. The man is a beast and would make life very difficult for our defence.

In five comments OTIB goes from a thorough tactical apraisal of how Liverpool play and why Trent Alexander Arnold is integral to the way they set up. to Joey Barton being the best manager never to win promotion from the Championship. FWIW, Southgate has a connundrum, where for all England's supposed attacking flair, we have defenders of questionable quality. I tried really hard to watch the last England game. I just couldn't really bring myself towards it. I've no passion for the team. KOYR.

They are basically friendlies. But you still should win. I don’t usually watch England games. Especially friendlies. They’re always Dier. And this performance isn’t really giving too much hope for the World Cup is it?

Seems like Swiss Tony might be able to buy his way out of league one. Sadly.

why are you posting on threads that you don't care about ?

He might have taken a job with big Nige?