That little bit of luck...

[BS4 on Tour...]

10 hours ago, spudski said:

....anyone else thinking Injuries could be the turning point in our season?

With Pisano, Diediou, GoN, Hegeler out for pretty much the rest of the season...

I thought the recent club announcements suggested that Diedhiou and Hegeler would be back in January? And the most recent Pisano update said he’d be back in February? Have their situations moved on to the extent that they are out for the whole season?! If so, apologies, I must have missed that...

[ScottishRed]

1 hour ago, spudski said:

Don't you think Brownhill and Bryan have defensive qualities as well as offensive?

I do yes, but I think both are inclined to be more forward thinking than defensive and I can see them both being keen to get involved in moves going forward and if that move broke down we would be very exposed against team with pace.

A proper defensive midfielder would help in that formation - which is one that I like as I prefer to take the game to the opposition - but currently I don't think we have one good enough in the squad.

There is an argument that we get one of those in during the window, I have no idea who, rather than a creative player, and try to win games with pace and numbers rather than guile.

We also without doubt need more firepower, I am not convinced there are enough goals in the team, as things stand.

[Major Isewater]

13 hours ago, JonDolman said:

I don't think we lacked work rate. I can't think of one player that didn't seem to be trying as hard as ever.

We lacked ' spark ' as a team. Preston's high press allied to their cheating  disrupted our tempo and we never got out of third gear .

Saying that I think knocks and fatigue are beginning to kick in. LJ and the coaches have a lot of work to do to maintain our promotion push . 

[RedM]

1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

We lacked ' spark ' as a team. Preston's high press allied to their cheating  disrupted our tempo and we never got out of third gear .

Saying that I think knocks and fatigue are beginning to kick in. LJ and the coaches have a lot of work to do to maintain our promotion push . 

I agree. For whatever reason I don't think most of them left the field having given everything. I'm not saying they gave in totally but I think they knew they were outdone, they looked like they accepted it, expected it and didn't look surprised or particularly gutted at the final whistle. Very odd match.

And then the comments basically saying we didn't follow orders. As mentioned before probably down to no real leader making sure this didn't happen. I think they know eachother well and trust eachother but although they can play well together and win as a team it looks like they might have a fault that they can fail together too? I can't explain this very well, someone will understand I hope and put it better, or am I totally getting this wrong. It's a psychological thing as much as a physical thing.

[spudski]

24 minutes ago, RedM said:

I agree. For whatever reason I don't think most of them left the field having given everything. I'm not saying they gave in totally but I think they knew they were outdone, they looked like they accepted it, expected it and didn't look surprised or particularly gutted at the final whistle. Very odd match.

And then the comments basically saying we didn't follow orders. As mentioned before probably down to no real leader making sure this didn't happen. I think they know eachother well and trust eachother but although they can play well together and win as a team it looks like they might have a fault that they can fail together too? I can't explain this very well, someone will understand I hope and put it better, or am I totally getting this wrong. It's a psychological thing as much as a physical thing.

I understand what you're saying 'M'.

It does bother me that we don't have any 'leaders' on the pitch. We certainly come across as a team of 'nice guys'. All well and good being a close nit group and being in it together...but on the pitch, when all the shananigans start, you need people to step up and get your point across.

Too many times this season we've seen teams come here and time waste, feign injury, go down all the time....conning the ref and getting in his ear. Our lot do and say nothing.

How many times did Preston stand in the way of our free kicks? Literally stood in front of the ball. Korey often just looking at the opposition saying nothing...bloody kick it at him. Get him booked. They'll soon stop when that happens. But we do nothing...just stand there and except it.

When their players are surrounding the ref and badgering him...who of our lot is putting our point across? No one.

We've got some big lumps in our team....Wright, Flint, 'The silent Assassin' Baker....which says it all. Those lads should be way more vocal and get in the oppositions faces imo.

 

 

 

[RedM]

@spudskiExactly. They need to take the attitude when needed of 'we're at home. We want to play football and we are going to do so. So take your cheating tactics elsewhere and stop playing the Ref'.

I was really fed up of the number of times they stood blocking when we wanted to take a free kick quickly, then arguing and looking disgruntled when they were moved. How can they think he was stood in the right place. As I said before the Ref ruined the game as much as the Preston players. How does a Ref from Lancashire get given the game anyway?

[Esmond Million's Bung]

22 hours ago, spudski said:

He's had loads mate...played well at Fulham, but imo, he's too indecisive, slows our play down, and always er's on the side of caution. Too many backward and sideways moves, when there is a very decent chance to break through the lines and still be in position to cover if we lose the ball.

As for muscles...Smith doesn't tackle or use his body to out muscle players. He shadows and follows and tracks...but often gives way too much space.

I've used the phrase before...he's like a Jack Russell on a leash....snapping at you, but he never actually gets to you...or very rarely.

I disagree with what you say about Brownhill...him and Odowda have been excellent this season.

I will just pick out one part of your post, please point out where I said about Brownhill over this season, other than he is a huge talent, what I said was about Tuesday night where he looked like a rabbit lost in the headlights.

The team you think is worth a try would get absolutely battered ala last season at our worst, Magnússon was 7 minutes late from playing in Russia and will probably be on his way in either January or June because it's obvious LJ does not trust him but you want to replace arguably the best left back in the championship with him but as luck would have it LJ picks the team and also realises how good Smith is and how important he is to the team and whatever signings are made in January he will be still be first choice.

[bristolcitysweden]

If the players new what they were doing wrong why did they not adopt during the game. Bullshit talking as always.

[Curr Avon]

On 22/11/2017 at 17:55, JonDolman said:

I don't think we lacked work rate. I can't think of one player that didn't seem to be trying as hard as ever.

Absolutely right. We lacked creativity and guile, especially in the first half. Preston's back four defended on their 18 yard and found it easy to cope with the repeated high balls to Djuric, leaving little or no space behind for Bobby to run into on the rare occasions that the Italian nodded his way. Our best bet was to use the flanks, but Pato and Bryan's lack of fitness and sharpness made it easy for the opposing full back and O'Dowda was woefully underused on the right.

In hindsight, Djuric should have stayed on and dropped deeper, to draw out his marker, with Taylor and Reid alongside in a 4-3-3.