[Football] Misfiring strikers and midfielders, who is more responsible?

[Glawstergull]

It's the players fault for missing the chance.
It's the managers fault if the same player is still missing at chance 4,8,10 because he should have been helped to change or not selected.
It's the new players fault if he misses the chance.
It's the managers fault if the new player is still missing at chance 4,8,10 because he should have been helped to change or not selected.
Time for recruitment team.
Time for Chairman to set budget and expectation.
Repeat.
Sack manager or recruitment team or increase budget.

 

[A1X]

It's a mixture of players and coaches ultimately, the strikers should have done better and the coaching should have seemingly done more to help them do better (which would include, ultimately, Potter given he is head coach and bears responsibility for first team coaching).

IMHO a new striker is needed not because they might score more but to add competition. If we assume Potter continues his tactics from the latter part of last season of two up top then there isn't a lot of competition between Welbeck and Maupay (and possibly Trossard), just because the likes of Connolly and Zeqiri aren't good enough (yet) to challenge them consistently. We already know adding competition works, Glenn Murray became a much better player after we signed Locadia (until Potter eased him out) just because he realised he was no longer guaranteed a start the next week if he underperformed.

 

[maltaseagull]

Thatcher

Well she did sort out the strikers!

 

[Guinness Boy]

"At the risk of starting a binfest". Really Icy?

It's a complex one.

Potter has far better players than Hughton but chooses to use them in a style that doesn't really suit them and there is not enough pace in the side without Lamptey. Hence our build up is often slow and our shots get blocked or deflected. Often Bissouma shoots and his long range shooting and decision making is AWFUL

The recruitment team and Potter need to work together to work out which is the easiest of those to fix - can we get quicker players who can also finish with our budget? If not shouldn't we be more pragmatic in style?

And the budget is crucial. We're not about to get one that is vastly greater than bottom six and yet Potter has been specifically hired so that we pull above our weight in budget terms v performance.

You can leave Bloom out of this though. The man's a hero and that post this morning was out of order.

 

[beorhthelm]

Other:

Strikers losing confidence
Having received the ball too slowly from midfield
Midfielders failing to contribute enough goals
Because they were often shooting through a packed defence
Because we transition too slowly
But I can't blame Potter because we're set up correctly to win games
We just need more pace (of thought and feet) and directness
And we'll have that this season with Moder established and Enoch

transition too slow and midfield contrbution has to be largely down to Potter tactics. if players unsuitable he needs to change them or the tactics.

 

[m@goo]

Well she did sort out the strikers!

 

[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

This shouldn't be a blame game because we never have the whole story so how should we know. The stature of the club plays a part, agents, the market. We can only play the players we've got and it maybe no one's fault we have what we have... that maybe the best we can hope for.

A real WB and a striker and perhaps a quicker type of GroB but can we get one?

 

[Ecosse Exile]

Other:

Strikers losing confidence
Having received the ball too slowly from midfield
Midfielders failing to contribute enough goals
Because they were often shooting through a packed defence
Because we transition too slowly
But I can't blame Potter because we're set up correctly to win games
We just need more pace (of thought and feet) and directness
And we'll have that this season with Moder established and Enoch

I voted players but it's all of this.
The xg thing looked like a noose round Maupay's neck at times last season, but if we transition quicker he will get more chances where he is at least facing the right way, our build up was so slow that he was recieving the ball with packed defences still to beat or with his back to goal, expected to turn and shoot and quite often still with a couple of defenders on his back.

Another thing i noticed, especially from Aaron Connolly, he is always looking to run behind, our midfielders rarely spot the run, preferring to keep the ball by playing a sideways pass, i'm hoping Mwepu will change that but players like Lallana and Mac Allister are already capable of doing so.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

At the risk of incurring wrath and starting a binfest, where does the blame lie?

I have seen quite a few comments which go over this fanboy’s head that somehow it’s Potter who is to blame, and a rant this morning blaming TB for being too tight fisted, which made me cringe.

So if you HAD to point a finger, where would it be pointed, or do you just roll with it?

Can we please put a line under last season and start anew? We're just rehashing old ground here.

Fwiw, my opinion is that our style of play will get the goals it deserves in full stadiums with passionate fans, and that Maupay and Connolly will each score a hatfull.

But let's wait and see eh?

 

[Robinjakarta]

Other:

Strikers losing confidence
Having received the ball too slowly from midfield
Midfielders failing to contribute enough goals
Because they were often shooting through a packed defence
Because we transition too slowly
But I can't blame Potter because we're set up correctly to win games
We just need more pace (of thought and feet) and directness
And we'll have that this season with Moder established and Enoch

Agree with this.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

"At the risk of starting a binfest". Really Icy?

It's a complex one.

Potter has far better players than Hughton but chooses to use them in a style that doesn't really suit them and there is not enough pace in the side without Lamptey. Hence our build up is often slow and our shots get blocked or deflected. Often Bissouma shoots and his long range shooting and decision making is AWFUL

The recruitment team and Potter need to work together to work out which is the easiest of those to fix - can we get quicker players who can also finish with our budget? If not shouldn't we be more pragmatic in style?

And the budget is crucial. We're not about to get one that is vastly greater than bottom six and yet Potter has been specifically hired so that we pull above our weight in budget terms v performance.

You can leave Bloom out of this though. The man's a hero and that post this morning was out of order.

Like I said up top, should be a multi-choice poll. And IMHO strongly disagree, you CAN'T leave Bloom out of this. All these people sucking off TB's teat are playing by TB's rules and to TB's budget. Would be just silly to suggest otherwise

 

[Silverhatch]

All irrelevant when Connolly gets 8 in 10 at the start of the season together with Trossard et al hitting the onion bag rather than the woodwork

 

[Baldseagull]

Potter.

I am a fan, but when there is a failing that is not attributable to one individual, the manager has to take the lions share of it. He will also be the man I credit for turning that around this season, if and when he does.

 

[Pavilionaire]

One thing is for sure. The longer we have a striker problem the more the finger will be pointed at Potter.

I really think he needs to grow a pair. This is his 5th window and yet his back-up striker options are still Locadia, Andone, Connolly, while Welbeck has not scored more than 6 Prem goals in any of the last 7 seasons and has never reached double figures in his career.

Potter needs to convince the chairman that an Edouard or an Onuachu is crucial. If he needs to sell Andone and Connolly then so be it. A more experienced manager would be kicking up a fuss; this is a striker crisis that has been enduring since 2017, although for the first 2 seasons Murray papered over the cracks.

If Potter ends up getting the sack it will be his failure to sort the striker position that will do for him.

 

[GT49er]

Potter has to accept some of the blame.
Players like Connolly are not up to the job and he has showed too much faith in him.

So you don't consider the possibility that if Potter had a better player at his disposal, he would have played him aheaad of Connolly?

 

[lizard]

So you don't consider the possibility that if Potter had a better player at his disposal, he would have played him aheaad of Connolly?

Like Zeqiri?

 

[Stat Brother]

But I can't blame Potter because we're set up correctly to win games

Oh that's surprises me.

I thought we were set up to win 9 games, draw 14 games and lose 15 games.

Or if you'd prefer that over the last 2 seasons

I thought we were set up to win 18 games, draw 28 games and lose 30 games. (are you Carol Voderman enough to see the pattern forming?)

 

[Stat Brother]

One thing is for sure. The longer we have a striker problem the more the finger will be pointed at Potter.

I really think he needs to grow a pair. This is his 5th window and yet his back-up striker options are still Locadia, Andone, Connolly, while Welbeck has not scored more than 6 Prem goals in any of the last 7 seasons and has never reached double figures in his career.

Potter needs to convince the chairman that an Edouard or an Onuachu is crucial. If he needs to sell Andone and Connolly then so be it. A more experienced manager would be kicking up a fuss; this is a striker crisis that has been enduring since 2017, although for the first 2 seasons Murray papered over the cracks.

If Potter ends up getting the sack it will be his failure to sort the striker position that will do for him.

I wonder if the deluded fanboys will be all over this like they are when I write it?

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Glenn Murray became a much better player after we signed Maupay (until Potter eased him out) just because he realised he was no longer guaranteed a start the next week if he underperformed.

I’m pretty sure you’ve re-written history there!

 

[GT49er]

Our wide players should be made to watch videos of Rangers' James Tavernier. His all-round game may not be up to PL standard, but his crosses are sublime - and more to thhe point, he makes them quickly.
There is a point about five to ten yards out diagonally from the corner of the penalty area - this is where our players stop, pass it inside and it gets fed out to te similar position on the other sifde of the pitch - and rinse and repest. Sometimes, for variation, we'll cunningly wotk thhe ball back to Sanchez.
Tavernier, as soon as he asrrives at that same spot, pings in a beautiful fast swinging centre, not too high, and plumb in the GK's area of uncertainty. A strike's dream - just a touch needed.
I'm sure someone will argue that our strikers won't be in there, ready for the cross - but the only reason they're often not in there at the moment is because they have no real expectation of getting such a cross.

So - who's to blame for our goal shortage? A combination of things, not just one reason.