Reality check...?

[PFree]

I've seen the feedback and supportive and negative comments on the back of yesterday's game but would say this...

The attraction to the game is the roller-coaster of emotions it brings, you get your highs and you get your lows, but overall, you simply hope you get more of the former.

In reality, we have been somewhat flattered by our league position, we've done well but aren't yet perhaps a side capable of the top six. We have a decent side when our top 13 or 14 players are fit but in reality, we don't have sufficient strength in depth I'm afraid - remember that other teams do as there are much bigger clubs than ours and that every game in this league will always be challenging - just look at the former Premiership names in our next run of fixtures.

The difficulty is we remain four of five players short of being able to challenge at the top? Perhaps a keeper, play-maker, striker and a decent couple of specialist wing-backs?

Anyway, for me, we need to understand that a mid-table finish this season does represent good progress, far better than last season - we have a great stadium,  good training and youth set up, strong financial position and backer and we mostly certainly are going in the right direction. I've never been a strong LJ backer but have to say we are doing okay overall, as is he, so well done to all - stay positive, the future of our club really is looking very good indeed.

Finally, the fans, moving the singing section has worked really well and I have to say the atmosphere at the Gate has been so much better this season, so there's no need to infighting, it's individual choice if people choose to stay quiet, they pay their money and make their choice, remember though that we are however much stronger together!

COYR...onwards and upwards but remember the need to demonstrate some patience and understanding along the way...

[wendyredredrobin]

Really missed patto, baker and korey yesterday.  Performance shows how important they are.

Baily and Aden atfault for the first 2 goals, I think Baker should be keeping Wright out of the team when fit.

Once these are back along withMilanand Eros, things will look brighter.

 

[Red-Robbo]

1 hour ago, PFree said:

I've seen the feedback and supportive and negative comments on the back of yesterday's game but would say this...

The attraction to the game is the roller-coaster of emotions it brings, you get your highs and you get your lows, but overall, you simply hope you get more of the former.

In reality, we have been somewhat flattered by our league position, we've done well but aren't yet perhaps a side capable of the top six. We have a decent side when our top 13 or 14 players are fit but in reality, we don't have sufficient strength in depth I'm afraid - remember that other teams do as there are much bigger clubs than ours and that every game in this league will always be challenging - just look at the former Premiership names in our next run of fixtures.

The difficulty is we remain four of five players short of being able to challenge at the top? Perhaps a keeper, play-maker, striker and a decent couple of specialist wing-backs?

Anyway, for me, we need to understand that a mid-table finish this season does represent good progress, far better than last season - we have a great stadium,  good training and youth set up, strong financial position and backer and we mostly certainly are going in the right direction. I've never been a strong LJ backer but have to say we are doing okay overall, as is he, so well done to all - stay positive, the future of our club really is looking very good indeed.

Finally, the fans, moving the singing section has worked really well and I have to say the atmosphere at the Gate has been so much better this season, so there's no need to infighting, it's individual choice if people choose to stay quiet, they pay their money and make their choice, remember though that we are however much stronger together!

COYR...onwards and upwards but remember the need to demonstrate some patience and understanding along the way...

 

You're right of course. I drove back from the game in a right old hump. I even listened to Sam FM in order to avoid having to hear Saturday Sport. 

By the time I was home, a calmer me had emerged. Who expected us to be top 6 this season? This was exactly the sort of game we would have thought was tough when we saw the fixtures come out. And, as everyone points out, the unfortunate sequence of injuries and illness hit the worst possible players at the worst  possible time. Had Patto, Smith and Baker been unavailable for Burton, i'm fairly sure we'd have coped and it wouldn't affect the result. Yesterday, we caught Leeds on a comeback mood however.

[steviestevieneville]

1 hour ago, wendyredredrobin said:

Really missed patto, baker and korey yesterday.  Performance shows how important they are.

Baily and Aden atfault for the first 2 goals, I think Baker should be keeping Wright out of the team when fit.

Once these are back along withMilanand Eros, things will look brighter.

 

Really don’t understand why some think flint should be in the side ahead of wright . He’s a much better all round defender than flint. 

[cider-manc]

I actually feel that when fully fit we have a pretty decent squad. Unfortunately the one place we are still lacking in is right back.

Pisano being injured has shown we don't have cover there and it's effected the whole defence. All of a sudden the options we have at centre back are more limited as Wright has moved out to cover right back... A silly injury to Baker in training and we are stretched. 

I don't want to be too critical of LJ as for the most part this season he has got it right... But I felt it was a massive error of judgement not having COD starting on the right yesterday. Leko provided no cover for Wright. Something that perhaps a natural full back might have coped better with... But in the first 15 minutes it led to Wright and flint being all over the place, us 2-0 down and the game pretty much over before it started.

 

[CityCiderEd]

22 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

Really don’t understand why some think flint should be in the side ahead of wright . He’s a much better all round defender than flint. 

Saiz pulled Wright all over the place and with Leko failing to track back Saiz had acres of space to run into.At times it seemed he had no one marking him at all. You could see yesterday that Wright is not a full back and Leeds knew it.

[steviestevieneville]

1 minute ago, CityCiderEd said:

Saiz pulled Wright all over the place and with Leko failing to track back Saiz had acres of space to run into.At times it seemed he had no one marking him at all. You could see yesterday that Wright is not a full back and Leeds knew it.

I agree , but I was replying to a statement that when all fit flint and baker should start at cb’s and personally I think Bailey is a better cb than flint . 

[054123]

I'll be over the moon with a 10th place finish thus yea, given our continued struggles since our return.

In order to do that we have to drop a lot of points. 

Would it be easier for everyone if we make a list now of the games we are going to lose or draw, then it won't come as a shock when it happens?

 

[CityCiderEd]

5 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

I agree , but I was replying to a statement that when all fit flint and baker should start at cb’s and personally I think Bailey is a better cb than flint . 

If Wright had played alongside Hegeler he would have struggled as well.Wright is more abrasive than Flint but as a goal scoring centre half Flint is one of my choices for the back four.

 

[CheddarReds]

So nice to see the comments above arguing which of Wright, Flint and Baker should start because most seem to think all three are good enough. 

[steviestevieneville]

28 minutes ago, CityCiderEd said:

If Wright had played alongside Hegeler he would have struggled as well.Wright is more abrasive than Flint but as a goal scoring centre half Flint is one of my choices for the back four.

 

I did say if everyone is fit. For me it would be baker and wright . Yes flint scores a few but his job is too keep them out and imo wright is a all round better defender 

[steviestevieneville]

26 minutes ago, CheddarReds said:

So nice to see the comments above arguing which of Wright, Flint and Baker should start because most seem to think all three are good enough. 

They would be if LJ played a back three but he doesn’t 

[CheddarReds]

29 minutes ago, steviestevieneville said:

They would be if LJ played a back three but he doesn’t 

In all fairness I'm not sure a back three is the answer. We struggled when we came up with Cotts and if the midfield was as open as everyone seems to think it was yesterday (I wasn't there) then we'll have similar problems. Especially in a modern back three it's vital the centre halves can defend comfortably in wide areas that full backs take up, not sure I'd fancy Flint or Baker to do that regularly.