redintheface wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:24 am
Whatever type of midfielder - defensive, ball - winner, creative, box to box, etc, etc is on the radar the bloke has to be able to get those around him to play at a higher tempo than we do now. The whole set up is too ponderous and allows the opposition to set up against us.
I know its premier division, but after watching the last few minutes of the Arsenal v Burnley game, plus the highlights showing the impressive 23 year old Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos, running at the Burnley defence, struck it home to me what a slow, predictable and plodding team we are now.
Little to no flair with hardly any players with pace in the midfield and wing areas to run at defences. Things need to change pretty soon if we are to avoid a season of struggling. As to bringing in a ''Midfield player'' well needs to be better than what we already have if he is going to make any impact at all !
Last edited by Sid Bishop on Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:24 am
Whoever it is, one player is not going to suddenly make this team tick. A good midfielder, of course, would make a difference, but there are many other things to address in this side. In my opinion.
Things to address - here are mine
1. Getting the front two to score (shoot quicker lads, perhaps)
2. Teach Brophy to use his right foot (not that he is anything but exciting with one foot but....)
3. Speed up play from midfield
4. Get some width into the team
5. Teach Ling and Widdowson how to curl a cross around a fullback
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:24 am
Whoever it is, one player is not going to suddenly make this team tick. A good midfielder, of course, would make a difference, but there are many other things to address in this side. In my opinion.
Things to address - here are mine
1. Getting the front two to score (shoot quicker lads, perhaps)
2. Teach Brophy to use his right foot (not that he is anything but exciting with one foot but....)
3. Speed up play from midfield
4. Get some width into the team
5. Teach Ling and Widdowson how to curl a cross around a fullback
@DuvB and @CCH
Agree and IMO, add onto that, a manager with a bit of know how and passion who is able to get the best out of the players that we already have and fire up the team to play some good attacking and exciting football. Also teach and inspire Brophy to use his talents to the full by providing far better crosses and final balls to the central attacking players.
Ross; "We are very, very, very close to getting something done over the next couple of days. We had conversations with a club on Friday and Saturday and depending on how quickly we can get the paperwork done we may potentially have him by the time we play Mansfield and if not, hopefully done by the weekend."
My fear is this new guy, is being brought in to add to the numbers in a smallish squad, as opposed to a player thats better quality than we have at the moment, and who will go into the first 11 immediately
we will see soonish
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:24 am
Whoever it is, one player is not going to suddenly make this team tick. A good midfielder, of course, would make a difference, but there are many other things to address in this side. In my opinion.
Things to address - here are mine
1. Getting the front two to score (shoot quicker lads, perhaps)
2. Teach Brophy to use his right foot (not that he is anything but exciting with one foot but....)
3. Speed up play from midfield
4. Get some width into the team
5. Teach Ling and Widdowson how to curl a cross around a fullback
If we want to speed up play stop passing to Ling. He takes up some good positions wide on the right but when he gets the ball just holds up play then makes a short pass backwards. Momentum gone.
Yes, agree Sid, and with other comments in the above too. Was thinking exactly the same about Brophy. Most of his training should be taken up practicing with his right foot! Think how much more effect he would have in his game if he can get this right. Only crossing a ball. Not hard. Yes, and more movement in the box. As mentioned it's all too predictable. Tactics need to be looked at and confidence instilled into this side to give us that spark which we are lacking. I think we are a team going through the motions rather than having that conviction and will to win. I'm all for giving Ross a little more time, (but not that long if things don't go well) so we'll have to see....
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:24 am
Whoever it is, one player is not going to suddenly make this team tick. A good midfielder, of course, would make a difference, but there are many other things to address in this side. In my opinion.
Things to address - here are mine
1. Getting the front two to score (shoot quicker lads, perhaps)
2. Teach Brophy to use his right foot (not that he is anything but exciting with one foot but....)
3. Speed up play from midfield
4. Get some width into the team
5. Teach Ling and Widdowson how to curl a cross around a fullback
If we want to speed up play stop passing to Ling. He takes up some good positions wide on the right but when he gets the ball just holds up play then makes a short pass backwards. Momentum gone.
You can't pass forward if there's nobody to pass fkeward too. I'd rather he kept possession than kick it straight out for a goal kick.
Did you not see his cross to Wilkinson on Saturday?
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 10:24 am
Whoever it is, one player is not going to suddenly make this team tick. A good midfielder, of course, would make a difference, but there are many other things to address in this side. In my opinion.
I think it will make a massive difference.
We'll still be vulnerable to shots from distance, we'll still lack squad depth, but our starting 11 will be there or thereabouts with a hard man alongside Wright and reverting back to 4-4-2.
I noticed your first post about Woodyard, made yesterday evening on this thread, and think that's a great call. Trouble is that a couple of League One clubs may get in our way.
(1) Lincoln City - where he is regarded very highly after his 2 years there before joining Posh./
(2) Gillingham - "Fatty" Evans was the Manager at Posh when they signed him and would have had some input into the decision at the time. Also Woodyard is from "that part of the country" - Gravesend.
Hope you are right and you get the kudos you deserve for making the call first.
To Cream.
Don't forget I'm talking as a team, not individually. If you're saying that bringing in one good midfielder is going to spark the whole team into a different mentality , then I disagree.
OK, maybe the wrong word, mentality.
The whole team knitting together and with the confidence and will to win character that good teams have. (Ie:going a goal down, and turning the game around - something we never do). One player is not going to change all that - not even Adams.
What has happened to getting some quality loan players from premiership (spurs) championship teams by the way. I noticed that macclesfield had 4 from the championship last weekend. Not asking for the central midfield player to be a loan signing but surely a loan forward has to be better than Alabi on the bench.
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 12:41 pm
OK, maybe the wrong word, mentality.
The whole team knitting together and with the confidence and will to win character that good teams have. (Ie:going a goal down, and turning the game around - something we never do). One player is not going to change all that - not even Adams.
'something we never do', he says three games into a league season where we've only gone behind once, following a championship winning year where we did all the time.
We have 4 points from the first three games, one more than we had this time last season. Can tone down the fatalism a touch.
Chief crazy horse wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 12:41 pm
OK, maybe the wrong word, mentality.
The whole team knitting together and with the confidence and will to win character that good teams have. (Ie:going a goal down, and turning the game around - something we never do). One player is not going to change all that - not even Adams.
We are clearly missing Justin in the dug out and Jobi on the pitch, if that's what you're getting at, I agree.
We were pretty good at turning games around last season, so I wouldn't say it's something we never do.
redintheface wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:24 am
Whatever type of midfielder - defensive, ball - winner, creative, box to box, etc, etc is on the radar the bloke has to be able to get those around him to play at a higher tempo than we do now. The whole set up is too ponderous and allows the opposition to set up against us.
Little to no flair with hardly any players with pace in the midfield and wing areas to run at defences. Things need to change pretty soon if we are to avoid a season of struggling. As to bringing in a ''Midfield player'' well needs to be better than what we already have if he is going to make any impact at all !
Not sure it’s about a lack of pace ( ie foot speed) Sid,to me it’s more around the tempo at which we play and the ball is moved around - appears to be a lack of urgency if you like. Agree 100% that whoever the new boy is, he needs to be capable of starting and not just there to bolster the squad.
I agree we miss a player like Jobi, foot on the ball, control and all that.
As regards to turning games around and quoting me back, 'something we never do'. A case of nit picking here, I think.
redintheface wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 8:24 am
Whatever type of midfielder - defensive, ball - winner, creative, box to box, etc, etc is on the radar the bloke has to be able to get those around him to play at a higher tempo than we do now. The whole set up is too ponderous and allows the opposition to set up against us.
Little to no flair with hardly any players with pace in the midfield and wing areas to run at defences. Things need to change pretty soon if we are to avoid a season of struggling. As to bringing in a ''Midfield player'' well needs to be better than what we already have if he is going to make any impact at all !
Not sure it’s about a lack of pace ( ie foot speed) Sid,to me it’s more around the tempo at which we play and the ball is moved around - appears to be a lack of urgency if you like. Agree 100% that whoever the new boy is, he needs to be capable of starting and not just there to bolster the squad.
When do we ever see midfielders running at the defence and going past opponents, when do we see wingers or wingbacks running at the defence, beating the opposing fullbacks on the outside and then whipping in decent crosses ? Its all such a slow, predictable and plodding tempo. Wingbacks ( ? ) if you can call Ling and Widdowson that, rarely if ever taking their man on, just the predictable check back pass. Brophy with his runs, then rarely an end product. All too slow and predictable, as the saying goes ''No guts, no glory'' We need a bit of the old ''Lazarus'' swagger and gutsy adventurous play. Crowds will not keep coming for the present ''dross'' being served up. So much that is wrong at present, I am sure that if Danny or Jobi was in charge, things would perk up a bit.
1. Getting the front two to score (shoot quicker lads, perhaps)
2. Teach Brophy to use his right foot (not that he is anything but exciting with one foot but....)
3. Speed up play from midfield
4. Get some width into the team
5. Teach Ling and Widdowson how to curl a cross around a fullback
If we want to speed up play stop passing to Ling. He takes up some good positions wide on the right but when he gets the ball just holds up play then makes a short pass backwards. Momentum gone.
You can't pass forward if there's nobody to pass fkeward too. I'd rather he kept possession than kick it straight out for a goal kick.
Did you not see his cross to Wilkinson on Saturday?
I saw him do a couple of decent things on Saturday. Had a decent game. But I cannot understand the tactics of having him wide on the right, in acres of space (RE at one point was waving at Ling so he could receive the past from teammates) only to see him get the ball, in space, and do very little with it other than wait around for others to come across and receive a short pass. Pointless, ineffective and slows the whole game down. I would much prefer him just sometimes to use the time and space to attack, even take on a man. And for the record how many of his attempted crosses just hit the defender.
People criticise Widdowson but at least he has a go at taking on people. Ling is a very passive player, good in parts but overall not very effective. Frustrating is a word I would use, that and predictable.
Not a criticism of Ling, he is what he is, but not really suitable for what is being asked of him, yet.
MasterDirkTurk wrote: ↑Mon Aug 19, 2019 2:29 pm
The new signing is mustard. He will walk into our current central midfield. Looking forward to this one
