Clean Sheets impressive

[1960maaan]

30 minutes ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

As for "many" regarding Joe Bryan as one of our two best defenders, this is simply wrong. Where do you get this idea from? Strange. Next to no-one regarded Joe's defending as being good enough, some were scathing about it. He was, though, one of our three best players which is why he is now at a Premier League club. The best defenders were Bailey Wright, Nathan Baker, Pisano, Magnússon and Flint. 

 

I said pretty much this last night. Bryan (IMHO) wasn't even OUR best left back last year , and I don't think we miss him. However, he is a big miss from the left side of MF, crosses , goals, runs , he was always a threat. Even at FB  , he was a threat , even if it's not his best position, WB suited him more. But that's just my opinion .

1 hour ago, RedDave said:

Goals scored in our last 8 games reads:

1, 2, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1

When one problem is solved, another is created! 

That's the £1000,000 conundrum . Get that balance right and you have a very successful season. We miss Flint in goals only, Webster is a better footballer and defender, not as good in the air but all round better. With Kalas,Wright and Baker we have options but I don't see them coming up with ten goals between them. You could lump in Pisano , Hunt , Kelly and DaSilva and you still won't cover Flints goals but.........  If we can cut out goals conceded by ten, then Bob's your Mothers Brother. 
At the moment the strikers aren't on it, lets hope for a good run soon. Looking forward to seeing Eisa added to the mix.

[Bristol Oil Services]

15 minutes ago, INCRED said:

Style of play is key, LJ obviously wants all of our defenders to be technically able to receive the ball and play out from the back. Flint is a top defender and a threat in the opposition box although limited technically but Webster is an out and out footballing centre half who he sees as pivotal in his philosophy of how we should play.

I have personally been very impressed with Webster and to have Kalas alongside him seems to be a top class pairing

Hunt is the one who appears to be the weak link, not a great defender and needs back up from those around him to protect our RB area

Webster and Kalas is shaping up to be a very good defence for us at this level, which is great. But I think we can note this and relish it, without denigrating Flint and Bryan.

 

 

[Fpcity]

11 hours ago, North Somerset Red said:

Could be that Flint and Bryan weren't actually that great at defending? 

One was ever present in a defence that shipped in goals for fun since being back in this league while the other wasn't really a LB. A change of goalkeeper has also helped 

[WhistleHappy]

4 hours ago, RedDave said:

Goals scored in our last 8 games reads:

1, 2, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1

When one problem is solved, another is created! 

That's just one-upmanship!

[Major Isewater]

13 hours ago, RedDave said:

Goals scored in our last 8 games reads:

1, 2, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1

When one problem is solved, another is created! 

If you look at the records of our promotion season to Division 1 in the seventies you will notice similar.

 I know the game has changed dramatically but the important thing is to score one more than the opposition. If they don't get a goal we only need one to get all three points.

I am happier winning by the odd goal than knowing that we need to score at least three times to get a win which seemed often the case last season. 

[JoeAman08]

21 hours ago, Kid in the Riot said:

It's actually better than that; six clean sheets from our last 11 league matches, which is very encouraging.

Yea I was thinking that. Our first 3 matches were a bit poor. After Boro at AG, something has clicked. Obviously Kalas come in after the first match. For me though, Webster has made a massive jump from preseason and the first 3 matches. Since QPR away he has been immense and has been the key to us keeping goals out. 

[RUSSEL85]

I think Webster is a better defender than Flint, but not the attacking part of his game. 

[Robbored]

15 minutes ago, RUSSEL85 said:

I think Webster is a better defender than Flint, but not the attacking part of his game. 

Better footballer than Flint for sure.  

[JoeAman08]

18 minutes ago, RUSSEL85 said:

I think Webster is a better defender than Flint, but not the attacking part of his game. 

Yea I think that too. Flint obviously part of a great defense now but in the middle of a back 3 and that suits his game. Plus playing for a manager that demands that organisation from his entire team. 

Webster though I fancy in every defensive scenario bar aerial battles compared to AF. Though Webster is actually quite good at that too just not AF level(not many in the world are). Then there is the footballing aspect which is not close. 

We really miss AF on set pieces especially attacking but think we have scored from set pieces at a not bad rate this season. Thought we ended up predictable with AF at the end. Everything tried to go on his head. 

[RedRock]

23 hours ago, North Somerset Red said:

Could be that Flint and Bryan weren't actually that great at defending? 

That wouldn’t be the Aden Flint who is an ever-present in the Middlesbrough side which has the best defence in the Championship by a country mile?

We really needed to invest a lot of that summer transfer profit on a decent oven-ready striker. We didn’t. We even let Djuric go late on without a replacement. 

While a great admirer of Webster, he ain’t going to notch anywhere near Flint’s goal tally’s. Take Reid - and to a lesser degree - Joe’s goals and assists out and we ain’t looking good going forward. Let’s hope the guys LJ trusts like Pato, Brownhill, Watkins, Weimann and CoD start finding thier goal scoring boots. One or more of these need to start banging them in regularly.

[spudski]

You've only got to look at the league table and results, to see that this season, there is not a lot of difference between most teams in the league.

So many fine margins.

Over a whole season...3 wins can be the difference between play offs and finishing lower half...it's that close.

I'm really not sure how you can guarantee those three wins over a season. So many scenarios. And so much luck can change a result.

Granted...the harder you work, the luckier you get...but to guarantee it, when everyone else is trying to do the same thing, with often bigger budgets and more experience is a tough call.

Think we are progressing very well considering everything.

Plus it's also entertaining to watch.

[Kid in the Riot]

8 minutes ago, Moor2Sea said:

That wouldn’t be the Aden Flint who is an ever-present in the Middlesbrough side which has the best defence in the Championship by a country mile?

We really needed to invest a lot of that summer transfer profit on a decent oven-ready striker. We didn’t. We even let Djuric go late on without a replacement. 

While a great admirer of Webster, he ain’t going to notch anywhere near Flint’s goal tally’s. Take Reid - and to a lesser degree - Joe’s goals and assists out and we ain’t looking good going forward. Let’s hope the guys LJ trusts like Pato, Brownhill, Watkins, Weimann and CoD start finding thier goal scoring boots. One or more of these need to start banging them in regularly.

Eisa and Adelakun coming back soon should help on the goals front too.

[spudski]

7 minutes ago, Moor2Sea said:

That wouldn’t be the Aden Flint who is an ever-present in the Middlesbrough side which has the best defence in the Championship by a country mile?

We really needed to invest a lot of that summer transfer profit on a decent oven-ready striker. We didn’t. We even let Djuric go late on without a replacement. 

While a great admirer of Webster, he ain’t going to notch anywhere near Flint’s goal tally’s. Take Reid - and to a lesser degree - Joe’s goals and assists out and we ain’t looking good going forward. Let’s hope the guys LJ trusts like Pato, Brownhill, Watkins, Weimann and CoD start finding thier goal scoring boots. One or more of these need to start banging them in regularly.

17 other teams in the league have scored the same or more goals than Boro...seems they defend very well, but score very few goals.

All about finding a balance.

Only 4 points off the top...we are doing very well considering.

[downendcity]

3 minutes ago, Moor2Sea said:

That wouldn’t be the Aden Flint who is an ever-present in the Middlesbrough side which has the best defence in the Championship by a country mile?

We really needed to invest a lot of that summer transfer profit on a decent oven-ready striker. We didn’t. We even let Djuric go late on without a replacement. 

While a great admirer of Webster, he ain’t going to notch anywhere near Flint’s goal tally’s. Take Reid - and to a lesser degree - Joe’s goals and assists out and we ain’t looking good going forward. Let’s hope the guys LJ trusts like Pato, Brownhill, Watkins, Weimann and CoD start finding thier goal scoring boots. One or more of these need to start banging them in regularly.

It is also fair to say that Boro probably have not just the best defence, but also the best team in the championship. Perhaps not by a country mile, but certainly in terms of the quality of players through the team, which is appreciably stronger than us and most championship teams.

Pullis's teams have tended to be built on solid defences, so it's little surprise that Boro's is the best in the division. It's defences that win titles, so is it a bad thing that we seem to be a more pragmatic team this season? LJ looks to be building a more solid defensive unit this season and the lack of goals conceded in the latter stages of games is a major improvement from the fragility we have too often shown in the last few seasons. It will also hopefully enable us to avoid the half season collapse we have seen in the last couple of seasons.

 

[RUSSEL85]

19 minutes ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Eisa and Adelakun coming back soon should help on the goals front too.

Looking forward to seeing Eisa again and Adelakun is a exciting prospect.

[Robbored]

24 minutes ago, downendcity said:

It is also fair to say that Boro probably have not just the best defence, but also the best team in the championship. Perhaps not by a country mile, but certainly in terms of the quality of players through the team, which is appreciably stronger than us and most championship teams.

Parachute payment help of course and they have an experienced contingent of former PL players as well.

Pulis like to sign tall players as well. When they beat us at AG I doubt they anyone under 6ft tall.

[RedRock]

1 hour ago, Kid in the Riot said:

Eisa and Adelakun coming back soon should help on the goals front too.

Big ask of these two to deliver straight away - assuming, and it’s a massive assume, LJ gets them on the pitch. Here’s hoping though. 

[FlintSaidNo]

On Flint and Bryan, I think Aden’s a very strong ‘limited defender’ (to use a football manager term). He’s tough and no nonsense but doesn’t have the technical ability of most Championship CBs. He’s pretty much the opposite of what LJ wants in a CB but fits perfectly in a Pulis side, particularly in the middle of a back 3. Joe is probably a mid to lower championship standard defensive minded LB but a prem standard LWB with his attacking play.

Basically, both players are of more than sufficient standard to play at the top end of the championship, but it’s all dependent on the style of football they’re asked to play and their role within that. I’m still of the opinion that 5 at the back would have been the best match for our players last season once everyone was fit, with Wright and Baker playing out from the back and Flint providing defensive solidity, while the 3 CBs would give Bryan the license to get forward more which would get the most out of him.

Who knows, maybe that would have taken us up, and even if not, it may have convinced Flint to stay as he would have been happier with how he was being asked to play. Then Kalas-Flint-Webster this season would be a formidable defence!

Of course, had we kept Flint we may not have recruited Kalas and Webster; this is all hypothetical. My point is that Flint and Bryan are quality players, but every player need to be in the right system to show their best.

[Davefevs]

 

[NOTBLUE]

Flint was a head it,kick it defender,and good at it too,but not a ball player.

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, NOTBLUE said:

Flint was a head it,kick it defender,and good at it too,but not a ball player.

Let's not rewrite history completely, Flint could also make a good pass when it was on .

Though not the biggest part of his game , It wasn't all long punts from the lad.

It wasn't his remit unlike our latest signings who were bought in specifically for the purpose of playing out from the back .

 

[FlintSaidNo]

22 minutes ago, Major Isewater said:

Let's not rewrite history completely, Flint could also make a good pass when it was on .

Though not the biggest part of his game , It wasn't all long punts from the lad.

It wasn't his remit unlike our latest signings who were bought in specifically for the purpose of playing out from the back .

 

He’s a professional footballer, so of course he can kick a ball, I think the point is one which you acknowledged, that his game doesn’t really involve creative passing play. It’s all relative, when we say he can’t do that we mean he’s much worse at it than the strongest parts of his game, not that he’s completely incapable of it

[Cowshed]

18 hours ago, Moments of Pleasure said:

Middlesbrough signed one of those two defenders, and seem to have a better defence this season than last. Strange?

Not really. Flint is a good defender. But you needn't take my word for that.

What is strange to me is how some posters on here do not want to, or cannot see, that Tony Pulis signing one of our defenders for a promotion expectant club like Middlesbrough might just indicate that Flint can defend. Perhaps some posters on here see Pulis as an attack-minded football coach? Who knows.

Last season, Middlesbrough's defence wasn't shabby: in their first 14 games in 2017/18, they conceded 12 goals. This season with Flint playing every minute of their 14 games so far, Boro have conceded 7 goals. 

 

Last season, after 14 games, we had let in 15 goals; this time, it is 14/14. So, going by this basic stat, it is better but by one goal in more than 1,260 minutes.

 

As for "many" regarding Joe Bryan as one of our two best defenders, this is simply wrong. Where do you get this idea from? Strange. Next to no-one regarded Joe's defending as being good enough, some were scathing about it. He was, though, one of our three best players which is why he is now at a Premier League club. The best defenders were Bailey Wright, Nathan Baker, Pisano, Magnússon and Flint. 

 

Defending is not only about the individual players involved; there is also management and coaching and philosophy and style of play and attitude to risk and emphasis and priority and organisation: none of which Flint was responsible for. 

 

 

18 hours ago, INCRED said:

Style of play is key, LJ obviously wants all of our defenders to be technically able to receive the ball and play out from the back. Flint is a top defender and a threat in the opposition box although limited technically but Webster is an out and out footballing centre half who he sees as pivotal in his philosophy of how we should play.

I have personally been very impressed with Webster and to have Kalas alongside him seems to be a top class pairing

Hunt is the one who appears to be the weak link, not a great defender and needs back up from those around him to protect our RB area

It is more than style of play. It is model of play, and they are underlined by principles. Tony Pulis has a clear model of play, boldly defined and prioritised - the priorities are principles, non negotiables. Styles change, but Pulis model will not. In Flint he bought a priority - A fine defender.

Bristol City have styles of play.  Already this season the team has played in styles. Its not clear what the model is.