Lack of experience, lack of pace

[Dr Balls]

More thoughts on the season so far:

Summer transfer window was nothing short of a disaster. We lost some experienced players that could really help right now &  with the exception of Kodjia, didn't sign anyone of note. And 2 that we did sign left within weeks. The departure of John Pelling as Chief Executive & the comments from Steve Cotterill suggest all was not well behind the scenes. I know the club has stressed the emphasis on youth but a few established players with experience at at least Championship level were essential & we didn't get them. In fact we have a significantly weaker squad than we had last season plus we are now getting injuries which we were able to cover last season but which will be much more difficult to do this season. We are now looking to players who spent significant portions of last season outside the first team squad and farmed out to League 2 strugglers. But at least they have pace!

Which brings me to my second point. Some of our players lack physical pace, whilst others lack speed of thought. It is clear that pace scares defences & creates opportunities. Too often this season our play has been slow & lacking incision, with static players providing few if any options. We do have players with pace & movement but we are not playing them in a way that could really hurt teams.

So in a nutshell we desperately need an experienced midfielder who can act as captain on the field especially now Korey Smith is injured. We need pace up front so that means dropping Wilbraham to the subs bench. We also need a player who can feed the attackers with good through balls & in football speak "plays with his head up". In all fairness I know that many fans think he is great but Luke Freeman is not that kind of player. Too often he is a passenger & when he does get the ball holds on to it too long, runs into a cup-de-sac & ultimately loses the ball. He needs to be forced into playing one touch football in training over and over again until he gets it. I can see why Arsenal let him go based in his performances this season. So on that basis Bobby Reid offers a better option.

Lots of work to do but not impossible and not all doom & gloom.There just has to be an understanding that what worked last season needs to be tweaked at the very least to succeed at this level, which also means defenders concentrating on defending rather than Kamikaze runs upfield. If not we are going to be in big trouble very quickly & staring at an immediate return to League 1, new stadium or not.

 

[cidered abroad]

We need a rethink on how to play 3-5-2 if that is what SC insists on using.

The back three should rarely, apart from set pieces like corners, ever go past the half way line.

The two wing backs and the defensive central midfielder should never be more than 15/20 yards from any of the back three when the opposition have the ball. In this way, we will have a closer defensive unit and give us a better chance of not conceding like we are do when sides hit us on the break.

That leaves the two other midfielder and two strikers the flexibility to move around and unsettle the opposing defence with movement.

It does leave us with less attacking options on the wings but that is a sacrifice we must impose on ourselves if we are to seal the leaky defence. It also does not impose such a physical burden on the wing backs as our current set up does.

And the eleven to play this pattern using current players if fully fit?

Back three: Little, Flint, Williams

Wing backs: Burns and Bryan

Holding midfield: Smith

Progressive midfield: Reid and Freeman

Strikers: Kodjia and Agard.

Much more pace all over the park. Remains to be seen if the top two inches of some of them can move quickly enough at this level.

[samo II]

If Korey Smith is injured, it is essential we bring in cover for his place, but even if he isn't, we are lacking in that area (that's not a slight in Bobby Reid, but he's not the same type of player).

When we were struggling in League One, probably the single most important signing we made was Wade Elliot.  He's came in and projected an authority and a calm over the rest of the team, and brought no little skill to proceeding also.

Last year we built up a head of steam with him in the side, but after suspension and injury he struggled to displace Pack, who'd come into a team which was playing with confidence, and pulled up his game accordingly.

Right now, I hope we are looking to bring in a similarly experienced midfielder, as we seriously need a similar boost again.  I know Leon Brittan was mention over the summer, and being he's barely made the pitch for Swansea so far, I can't be alone in thinking 2-3 months of him is the sort of thing we need.

[bcfcnick]

I'd love to see a younger version of Wade recruited but based on Burt's and SC's lack of success this year I don't have much hope and the Club should get Wade match fit for one last season.  I can understand why SC wanted a team of mainly home grown players and it certainly worked last year but given the salaries and transfer fees here for Championship quality players it was sheer stupidity not to have focused more on getting additional signings from the Continent. I doubt if we will be able to pick up another Wade Elliot type player in the Uk who falls into our wage structure.

It might smack of desperation but the Club should get Wade match fit and use him sensibly for the first team.  He was burnt out towards the end of last season so he would need to be used sensibly.  Definitely not for two matches a week and probably no more than 70 mins each match once he reaches match fitness. 

Not only would he bring skill on the pitch and link well with JK, I think his strong and intelligent mental approach to the game is needed to rub off on a young first team squad with a lot of players still adapting to the Championship.   I hope Wade stays at the Club for many years to come but just for this season I would like him back in the squad.  Players do have plenty of spare time hence many do their coaching badges etc so Wade can continue his current development role part time before he returns full-time to the role next season.  If he is up for it and feels he has the physical capability and motivation to reach match fitness for the Championship then it would be daft not to do it. 

The Club have looked alarmingly naive in their recruitment this season so whether they will take up a possible solution already on the doorstep is probably unlikely.   SC is a proud man and he might feel it makes him look silly or desperate to reverse a decision he made last season but, for me, it would just show he has some common sense.