ProfitInMyPocket

They aren't world beaters but sure as hell they are efficient with the ball and the way they play out, their players more comfortable taking the ball and driving past a man too. Something we miss dearly since Scott has moved on.

First 10 the whole team were at them and since it's become little battles and we aren't winning as many as them. 

We've had some fairly good opportunities but quality of delivery is really poor. 

Love the effort but really need some clear heads when we get the ball and get forward, too many times Knight and Weimann and Bell have given the ball away with a poor pass. 

Games still there to be taken for both teams. 

And final note, put your foot through it!! Too many balls bouncing in the box giving me a nervous breakdown. 

Been competitive up until that point, what was Knight doing? Off the ball he's great but on it he's like a deer in headlights 

frontline feeding off scraps

Williams and Knight both giving the ball away every time they get it pretty much, thankful James is there to keep it calm-ish

Usual game against an Alex Neil team, fair play to them, stuck in it and made us pay. We could all see it coming.

Too many poor performances from us today. Pring, Tanner and Knight really off it.

Williams, Naismith and Dickie getting bullied a bit too much throughout.

Can't say we didn't have enough chances to win that. 

his workrate is phenomenal but Knight's passing is so poor 

got a bit hectic now

soft from Pring, cracking strike though, very similar to plymouth, letting a shot off after going two up

what the hell are these lot doing defensively, Sykes was in for about 20 seconds before the pass was played I swear

Got a few tricky players in Mumba, Cundle, Whittaker and Azaz.

Don't have too many memories of Plymouth down AG but one game with Rory Fallon causing havoc like usual sticks out.

Their lot are going to be right up for it, hopefully we can get the job done tonight. 

COYR.

Joe Williams absolute beast today and they couldn't handle Sykes. Man possessed down the right side.

Deserved to win that and saw it out well with some decent subs, all made an impact and did their job. 

Played really well this half. 

Things aren't going out way, just keep working hard and hopefully we get what we deserve.

COYR

Not shocked. Feel for NP having to be the front for this.

All we can do is get behind our lads and the coaching staff and try make a good run of this season and hope it doesn't fall off rather quickly. Take it game by game, sort the home form out and it could be an enjoyable season.

With the constrictions, squad size, injuries and reliance on youth we're gunna be in for a tough season but every season in this division has its ups and downs.

Save the frustration for the higher ups, it's their choices that have led to this and it's been coming for a long time.

Why are we complaining, it's his club. 

Think my username seems more relevant than ever, should change it to nest egg!

We may be lacking firepower up top with Conway missing but don't think that's the main issue.

Our midfield is okay if you want to pass sideways and try get the ball wide and get at fullbacks and get the ball in but if we get a new striker they'll be starved with the same service over and over.

Missing that attack minded midfield player that can get beyond their midfield and run at their defence. 

Been saying it for weeks and weeks, Scott would ride a challenge and drive 5-10-15 yards and release someone else who had more space because of the positive action.

That's what we're missing. A big mobile forward who can do the lot costs an absolute bomb in this market unless you find a gem overseas.

Our midfield is steady but we need something a little bit unpredictable in the middle. Someone who can pick up spaces in-between their defence and midfield and get us up the pitch through the middle instead of forcing us out wide every attack.

Thought Hull were very efficient but no stand out dangers. 

They remind me of Sheff U last season. Not spectacular but get the job done when they get the ball.

Thought we played really well when they couldn't break our press. Don't think that Seri miss placed a pass all game and we still created a fair few chances.

Super enjoyable game to watch and really glad we came home with something, fully deserved that at least. Possibly and probably more.

Thought another long throw was gunna fall for us at the end there. Fair play to Wells and Cornick leading the line today, both did really well.

On to the next, COYR. 

The comment in the presser about losing players and hoping the club resists - not many players would apply but it just felt like it if it was about someone it would be about Zak with his contract still up in the air.

6 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said:

One slightly ridiculous idea I wonder about - at least until new signings come in or players are fit again - is what would happen if Naismith played ahead of James and Knight.

It might be a bit of a disaster with Naismith being in the wrong position to have an impact offensively and his defensive qualities negated by teams by-passing him but the flip side is a defensive player in an attacking position might pressure opposing defences into mistakes and he might get on the ball in dangerous positions where he has three players in front of him who he can play into promising positions. 

It probably wouldn't work but I do wonder if it is a short-term fix for home games against equal or weaker opposition. 

He's the only one in the squad that I see that can draw a player and slip past them into good space, just can't do it on the run and at good pace that Scott could consistently. 

We miss Naismith massively when he ain't playing. He may make mistakes but brings a level of confidence on the ball the rest of the team don't have.

Scott would draw players to him and there's your space beyond. We don't have that right now and it's really showing. 

If we had a midfield that got on the ball more and could maneuver about instead of being static then our fullbacks and wingers could get more into games. 

No Scott to pick the ball up, drive past others and create space for the rest of our team.

I don't mind our midfield options but Knight, Williams, King and James don't bring anything like that. 

Naismith can do it a bit from deeper but further up past the half way line we don't have that.

The amount of times Scott would receive the ball, drive past a player or two ten yards further up and then release someone else who had more space because of that action gave us a real threat.

A change in formation with what we have available will just show the same issues. Sideways passing in front of a block of players who are willing to sit in and break when we inevitably can't break them down.

That's what we are missing.

Need someone strong enough to hold the ball up too as well as someone who can link up from back to front.

Even with Semenyo's sometimes poor touch, decent pace and good drive - players would bounce off him and he could hold it up. The front three across the line that we have available right now struggle to hold the ball up whatsoever.

Lost count the amount of times we got the ball to a forward player today for it to get pinched by a Brum player.

Fair play to them, have a real identity and a lot of physical players with some nice bits of quality sprinkled in. If they can keep their main players fit they'll be pushing the top six/ten for sure.

Roberts looked okay, James did his usual thing, Sykes did alright but really needs to learn to beat the front man. Max made a few good saves but kicking really poor. 

Dickie probably the stand-out again in a poor group of individual performances, and they looked like individuals today, not a team performance whatsoever.

Rest of them didn't do much at all, Williams, Knight, Tanner, Bell, Cornick and Mehmeti all letting the game pass them by. Really really poor.

Nowhere near enough quality or drive in the midfield, said it weeks and weeks ago, without Scott or Naismith to link up this team will struggle to create.

Sunjic and Bielik just in there and disrupting everything and anything. Not glamorous but letting their forward players go and do the business.

12 minutes ago, And Its Smith said:

Hopefully @Shauntaylor85 and @ProfitInMyPocket are there tonight to see Knight is nothing like Kilkenny or LJ. 

I've seen Lee Johnson and Neil Kilkenny score goals before. 

Must have really upset you since you remembered what I said, he looked a step off the pace on the weekend and let the game pass him by totally. It'll happen again at Millwall if he ain't up to standard. 

Even Martyn Woolford looked like a world beater and had a great start in the league over a decade ago and look how that worked out.

For someone who is so quick to wet the bed each week and blame someone it's quite funny how quick you come to Knight's aid. 

He's had a solid game against weaker opposition and put a lot of effort in tonight. I said in previous threads I like him but I just hope he doesn't go missing like he did on the weekend.

Need to have that effort every week in the league considering our midfield. It's all a bit too similar bar Naismith.

His performance against PNE was something Kilkenny used to pull every week and if you don't agree with that then we watch different games and that's fair enough.

49 minutes ago, ProfitInMyPocket said:

Oh no, Billy Bodin starting for them, can see it now.

Woops.

That's that then