Is there a quality gap in the side

[4-p]

Quite a few times today Bruno and David gave away possession by playing an easy ball inside and being shocked that someone wasn't there.
Vicente did a similar thing last season a few times and learned to look first to minimise it.

It looks like some of the players of immense quality on paper who've played at top levels, instinctively play a game that many of the other players have no concept of.

This is why our possession game is disjointed and unsuccessful currently.

Players like Bridcutt, Hammond, Barnes, LuaLua, Greer... Don't seem to get it.
Bridcutt's getting there tho.

I think that's why Gus likes Dicker even tho he's not looked good from our point of view.

For the same reason that David, Bruno, Orlandi & Dobbie haven't looked as good as they are on paper.

Maybe they need time to gell, maybe we need better quality coaching staff or maybe they'll just 'click' one day and it'll be beautuful.

Either way it can't go on like this, as a team we're looking lost in possession & we're not defending from the front;

lack of leadership on the ball or too many leaders maybe?


We need to get back to basics, keep their back line high so we've somewhere to run into, pile on the pressure when they have the ball in our half and the centre backs have to get the ball to the feet of our striker(s):
Greer to Macca, back to goal, first time ball to a centre mid, who's facing the right way and can send either winger or striker with an easy ball down the channels.

Chelsea did it for years and not just with Drogba up front. seeing as Gus us playing the Ranieri 451 I'd expect that move to happen a lot but it doesn't.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The quality is there but the consistency isn't. Our players are very skillful but can't produce the same quality week in and week out. If they could, they'd be Premiership players. All we need is for 3 or more to be off form and we can't win a game.

 

[bhawoddy]

We have some decent players but the team selection and tactics are miles off IMO especially at home. Three midfielders who all play the same way. No real width unless Buckley starts. 1 striker up front who gets SO isolated its embarrassing. This is the Gus way! Like it or "go home".

I could understand this set up away but at home it just hands the advantage to the away side. IMO he sets up not to lose every match rather than trying to attack teams and win the game.

 

[Titus]

It wasn't until he was subbed that I realized that Lopez was playing.

 

[jackcgull]

Nope. Just need to put gilt-edged chances away. We had a couple yesterday plus half a dozen merely decent chances

 

[4-p]

We have some decent players but the team selection and tactics are miles off IMO especially at home. Three midfielders who all play the same way. No real width unless Buckley starts. 1 striker up front who gets SO isolated its embarrassing. This is the Gus way! Like it or "go home".

I could understand this set up away but at home it just hands the advantage to the away side. IMO he sets up not to lose every match rather than trying to attack teams and win the game.

Gus wants the false 9 to work but I'm not sure he knows how to implement it.

Our passing game in theory is just a passing game, we're not drawing them out of their box the make room for our selves, like a false 9 should.

 

[blockhseagull]

We started so well this season and were getting the best out of CMS by playing some good balls over the top for him to chase and also getting players closer to him from wide or midfield.

However yesterday and in the previous couple of games the space between our midfield and striker whether it be CMS yesterday or Dobbie has been shocking. It's exactly like last season and if I can see it why can't Gus ? CMS was isolated yesterday and looked more like the frustrated striker he did last year rather than the confident goal scorer he did a few weeks ago.

Away to Burnley when Crofts got injured, Gus surprised me by throwing on Buckley and actually attacking and I finally thought the penny had dropped. However now we seem to be becoming more and more negative and cautious by the game. The even bigger worry is we played three central midfielders yesterday and still didn't control the midfield.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Nope. Just need to put gilt-edged chances away. We had a couple yesterday plus half a dozen merely decent chances

Nailed it.

 

[APACHE]

The biggest problem, not one of yesterdays 3 central m/fs has a goal in them or the pace to get up with CMS.

 

[Wilko]

The biggest problem, not one of yesterdays 3 central m/fs has a goal in them or the pace to get up with CMS.

Indeed, if only we had a young midfielder who likes to get forward, score goals and has quality #JFC

 

[Weststander]

Some fantastic confidence in our squad here.

B'oro, who spend very little thesedays, came to 'fortress' Amex, and outclassed us with their positive counter-attacking football, and superior passing and receiving.

Woodgate, Bikey, Emnes, Bailey, McEachran, Leadbitter & Co spent 70 minutes appearing to be the high-spending home team.

A real reality check in the last month regarding the Albion's mediocre squad .

 

[perseus]

Smash & Grab or Refined Elegance (or Guile)?

It is not instinct (maybe intuition after experience and practice and awareness). Even the great Brazilian sides sometimes appeared to be tasking it easy, but it was an illusion.

But there is still going for suicide balls which is why Bryan Robson used to get injured and Liverpool players did not so much (at that time).

With pressing game, I think teams have to pace themselves top avoid chasing shadows against passing teams. One problem is (especially Ipswich) is the opponents defence cover space in front of players so the through pass has to be spot on.

PS: Our play with the midfield 4-4-1-1 is too much like Capello's style (arguable). Probably a good idea away from home, but I am sure we would be better with two up front and a winger (lop-sided classic 4-3-3) at home. Or 4-4-2 (with a little and large striker pairing). Maybe, I am old fashioned.

But as I always say, you can only play on one wing at a time, so two wingers is ridiculous unless we are playing Aldershot, San Marino, or Palace.

Our strikers do not have guile, neither Barnes or Macca. In the absence of guile, power or clinical play would do. Speed and energy they may have. I would love to see a trickster (Jimmy Greaves like striker: who?) paired with a powerful clinical player like Charlie Austin (who is an out and out striker rather than a complete player: not much good at anything else).

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Some fantastic confidence in our squad here.

B'oro, who spend very little thesedays, came to 'fortress' Amex, and outclassed us with their positive counter-attacking football, and superior passing and receiving.

Woodgate, Bikey, Emnes, Bailey, McEachran, Leadbitter & Co spent 70 minutes appearing to be the high-spending home team.

A real reality check in the last month regarding the Albion's mediocre squad .

What evidence do you have that they spend very little? Aren't they still getting parachute payments?

 

[perseus]

What evidence do you have that they spend very little? Aren't they still getting parachute payments?

Nope. Parachute payments have only recently been extended to three years. The whole system is clumsy. Needs a rethink, although the principle is just about sound (arguable).

 

[JCL666]

The quality is there but the consistency isn't. Our players are very skillful but can't produce the same quality week in and week out. If they could, they'd be Premiership players. All we need is for 3 or more to be off form and we can't win a game.

+1

I get the impression that some people on NSC think that consistent players and goal scorers are EVERYWHERE and are affordable to most Championship sides.

 

[pishhead]

Some fantastic confidence in our squad here.

B'oro, who spend very little thesedays, came to 'fortress' Amex, and outclassed us with their positive counter-attacking football, and superior passing and receiving.

Woodgate, Bikey, Emnes, Bailey, McEachran, Leadbitter & Co spent 70 minutes appearing to be the high-spending home team.

A real reality check in the last month regarding the Albion's mediocre squad .

High spending? Really, how much did Boro pay for Emnes? And Jutkiewicz who was injured?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The only quality gap is in the ability to score goals. It needs to be properly addressed if we're going to progress much further. If that means spending serious money, then so be it.

 

[perseus]

The only quality gap is in the ability to score goals. It needs to be properly addressed if we're going to progress much further. If that means spending serious money, then so be it.

Very black and white. Next season, clubs will have to live within their means which mean no high wages in the Championship.

Premier League Parachute Payments: Updated Footy Finance

Our larger gates might give us £8 million a year ahead of Bolton and Blackburn and Blackpool but they get £16 million a year parachute payments, if those figures are right.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Very black and white. Next season, clubs will have to live within their means which mean no high wages in the Championship.

Depends how badly Bloom wants the Premier League. Given next season's restrictions, he'll either have to spend big in the January transfer window or rely on some truly inspired signings up front. Because the current crop of forwards appear to be no more than average for this division.