Russell IN

[Withdean Wanderer]

Nope, EVERYTHING in football comes from the midfield. Whether it's defensively or going forward you have to have a solid centre. We haven't got that. Dicker is a class player and although I don't rate Crofts he's not a total embarrassment. The problem is neither can take the game by the scruff of a neck and dictate it so that it all goes the way we want it to. We have to get someone who can put their foot in AND play a pass. Crofts can put his foot in and Dicker can play a pass but we can't carry two people to do one man's job. Get an all-rounder like Carpenter and I reckon we'd be a different team.

My take on the defence: Our full-backs are great and Virgo is good but Elphick is too error-prone. Swap him for Tunnicliffe and we'd be solid I think.

My take on the forwards: We're too reliant on Forster. Noone else can score - Murray (not interested), Dickinson (not in the right place often enough) and Hart (just embarrassing now) won't cut it. So I agree with you it's a problem, but if we had a midfield contributing our forward line wouldn't look as bad.

Dicker is a class player at looking composed on the ball, which is why everyone is creaming themselves over him. The problem is, he isn't actually very good at attacking teams, and he's pretty poor defensively too. He certainly hasn't got much of a range of passing.

However, Crofts is a vast improvement on anything we had last season - his end product is a bit limited, but he's strong in a challenge and can play the ball forward, and also has a mean shot on him. We've got an abundance of wingers, two of which have played in the Championship, while Bennett looks absolute quality. Crofts and Dicker between them aren't world beaters, but as said above, they don't get bullied by teams, and there's a little bit of everything there, particularly in Crofts as I see it.

Nope, the problem is that we don't really have a right full back other than Whing (average), McNulty is only just back but has yet to show his ability defensively (instead looking impressive going forward), Wright doesn't seem good enough at this level and with Virgo/Tunifcliffe/Elphick in defence you've got 3 players who are good on their day, but very prone to costly f***-ups, making them no better than 'average' in reality. Behind them, your mate Michel is hardly breathing confidence in the team either, looking particularly dodgy at crosses at the moment.

Extending on what you've said, up front, we've got Forster (who while still being quality, is old, has goal droughts and can't be relied on for 46 games), Murray (one of Knight/Bloom/Slade's big cock-ups, if a player wants out and is going to sulk about it he should be transfer listed - a crying shame though as he's a class act), Hart (the only good thing about him is his crossing, and we don't have a target man), Dickinson (as you say, doesn't look like much of a sniffer) and Davies (shit in front of goal, basically).

So yeah, for me he midfield is decent enough, for now, but it's the defence and strikeforce there are BIG weaknesses with.

 

[Chesney Christ]

I agree with your assessments of Crofts and Dicker, but where I differ is that I see those exact reasons as being behind our downfall. Dicker is composed but doesn't defend well and neither can he create. Crofts runs and looks busy but actual end product is almost nil. .

But aren't you just describing the majority of centre midfielders in League One? Most fit into one of the two categories you described. If they could do everything (like an Essien or a Gerrard) they would be playing a higher level.

Its all about a top class striker for me. If we had a reliable 25-a-season striker, we wouldn't even be talking about the midfield. Look at the midfield we had when we won the Div 2 title. Brooker/Jones-Oatway-Chippy-Harty. Now Charlie was a hard little fucker and a good tackler, but hardly Glenn Hoddle on the ball. Was he really any better than someone like Crofts? Probably not, but his deficiencies were hidden in a team with a shit-hot striker and solid, reliable defence. Chippy was fantastic but Brooker and Harty were both worse players than Bennett and probably about as good as Coxy/Thornhill/Arron Davies etc.

Chuck Danny Cullip and Bobby Zamora into this current side and we'd be in the top 4/5.

 

[Chesney Christ]

Scrap that in fact, forget Cullip. Zamora alone and we would be right up there in my opinion.

Zamora and Forster up front....... what a strikeforce.

 

[sam86]

In Slade we trust.

 

[Rodfox]

Top post, let slade continue. With this kind of form, just think where we'll be come Xmas.

Go russ' go russ, darling

 

[wigman]

Top post, let slade continue. With this kind of form, just think where we'll be come Xmas.

Go russ' go russ, darling

You are Palace in disguise.

 

[BLOCK F]

All this worthy posting is fine,but we face a very tough few weeks/games and if by Christmas we are no better off,it will surely mean adios to Slade and the rest of the 'management'team.Who knows,contingency plans/talks may well be under way already.
WE HAVE TO FACE THE FACT THAT THE PLAYERS WE HAVE GOT ARE NOT PLAYING TO THEIR POTENTIAL.....a management problem,and if they are, then we have signed the wrong players....a management problem again.
I fear that time is running out for Russ.

 

[maidstoneseagull]

Getting rid is not the right thing to do at the moment and don't think that time will come this year either.

 

[Paul Skinback]

We at Selhurst think he's doing a rather fantastic job

 

[Hiney]

Hiney agrees with TCB

Shock horror

 

[Icy Gull]

I also agree with TCB on this

 

[Bwian]

Do you still think Palace will go down tho Badg?!

The World lives in hope SJ, The World lives in hope.

 

[Bwian]

We at Selhurst think he's doing a rather fantastic job

As we celebrate Tango Man's achievements with similar gusto! Long may that continue

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Nail...on...the...head.

Great post that needs to be laminated by every Albion fan and read when they are at the point of posting another "Slade Out" post.

I said last weekend that we need a midfield leader - it still seems to be true and you were at the game and have raised it again. Hopefully we'll be mid-table by Jan and then a couple of cute buys and we're in the play-offs.

 

[Martinf]

Great post Badgemeister.

 

[theonesmith]

Just to redress the balance......

Nothing that went wrong today was Russell's fault. Has everyone forgotten it's only 13 matches since King Russ saved us from certain relegation? Had you offered anyone walking out of the away end at MK Dons in April the chance to be 19th in the third division come October they'd all have taken it because, quite simply, without Slade we'd be a lot nearer 19th in the FOURTH division right now. Surely that alone has earnt him a bit of time before the idiotic hounding of a manager that we seem to love so much starts?

For what it's worth, I look at our team and I see a lot more good players on the pitch than we've had for a number of years. What we LACK is leaders/experienced pros in the key positions, hence we concede silly goals. We desperately need a top drawer central midfielder to run the game for us and we need a striker who knows where the goal is regularly. Reliance on a 37 year old is not good - as brilliant as he is, he can't do it for 46 games. Murray needs to go, Hart needs to retire and Dickinson has talent but isn't a prolific scorer - I'd trade the lot of them for someone we could depend on in front of goal. Today I thought we played far superior football to anything Tranmere could offer - in fact, we're a much better side than them full stop. The problem is our weak midfield means we get bullied a bit in the most important area and that allows even shite like Tranmere to dominate us at times. We haven't got anyone who stands up to be counted in there - as good a player as Dicker is he's no ball winner.

But we ARE progressing from the last couple of years. It just doesn't happen overnight. We are attracting better players and we are becoming a more professional club. We are, without doubt, going in the right direction, but it's a long process. Changing the manager puts us back to square one in that. So what we have to do is back someone through some tough times and hope he can complete the job in the long-run. Going on what I've seen this season, I think Russell can

What? But I never agree with you? But, that, where did that post come from?

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

RS got his tactics wrong today , the players were mediocre and if we had been playing against a decent side we would have been on the wrong side of a hammering. OGH & Muzza up front were ineffective and Big Dick was stripped off waiting to come on when we got the penalty , then went back to sitting on the bench after we had scored. Muzza then got a 2nd yellow and the chance of an equaliser drifted away. Too much hoofball and misdirected passes let Tranny back into the game midway in the 1st half and how the lino didn't flag for a blatant offside for their 1st goal I will never know. Tranny's 2nd goal was a decent shot from about 25 yards out after he had turned Cox a couple of times. It feels like I threw £90 down the toilet to watch this tosh display from a side that played just like it did last season when MA was in charge.

 

[Stoo82]

Agreed Slade in for me.