Defensive Coach?

[bcfctim]

Our problems at the back are well publicized, but i wonder if it's quite as simple as the players not being good enough?

Defending is as much about team organisation as individual performances: holding a line, pressing as a team, marking, communication between midfield and defence as to who's picking up who and dealing with runners from midfield. In all these aspects we seem to be lacking, and this is the sort of thing that you can't just change at half-time, it needs to be worked on in training between games.

Yet even with the recent international break there seems to have been no improvements, if anything it's getting worse game by game. I don't know too much about our backroom staff i must admit, but i don't believe we currently have a specific defensive coach, or at least if we do he isn't doing a very good job!

If we can appoint someone for this role, and he gets the chance to work with the team day in day out on organisation and each player's specific roles when we haven't got the ball, then I'm sure we'll see some improvements. We've got players who can be solid championship defenders. Fontaine has been a consistent performer for us up until the last 6 months to a year, and i'm sure he still has the ability in him. I mean, at 26 he should be coming into his prime around now, so what's gone wrong? Equally with James Wilson, he was highly rated as a youngster, weren't Everton supposed to be in for him? It could be argued that injuries have stunted his development, or that he simply hasn't been given enough of a chance in the first team, but so far he's failed to live up to any billing. Even Nyatanga, he was a regular for Derby and has played numerous times for Wales yet here he's looked frankly league 1 standard. Is this really all down to the players themselves, or is there a wider issue with the defensive coaching at the club?

[Coach]

The last two goals were poor from a defensive point of view. For the first of the second half goals, just how far away from his central defender is Ricky Foster? He's in another parish! He should've seen the danger much earlier, called Albert back to cover the wide man and covered the middle. Possibly Davies could've followed his man back as you can see that when the play starts the goalscorer is stood next to him on the halfway line before sprinting into space. Maybe Skuse could've done better too.

And the third goal is just ridiculous all round, talk about ball watching. Fontaine gets dragged out to challenge the eventual goalscorer. Well, challenge isn't the right word, he puts no pressure on him whatsoever. Then when the goalscorer makes his run forward after passing, Fontaine inexplicably lets him go. Watch the football league show, you can see his eyes are on the ball and at no time does he consider that Petrov gone and completely lost him.

Even then, though, the ball is played into the front man and Carey is stood way too far off him, no challenge. Then Pearson, who looks to be in a defensive role in this phase, doesn't spot Petrov sprinting through right in front of his face and just lets him through!

A proper comedy of errors and McInnes must be tearing his hair out, it's basic stuff.

[Monkeh]

I don't think we have one at the moment we need tony adams type person at the club to teach them all the basics of defending and moving as a unit

[Frank Reynolds]

I was chatting to my Dad yesterday about this. Seems to me that it would be a good idea.

With the amount of players we have, Del and Doc must be spread fairly thin.

[Chivs]

I think with the quality of our players at the moment that the only coach that can help us is one from Peter Carroll parked in front of the goal for 90mins.

The main problem I believe is leadership. We have no players organising the team. Making Fontaine captain was (and still is) laughable.

McManus hopefully can sort some of this out but we also need someone in midfield who is going to give our players a rocket if they mess up.