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To be blunt Bob, when you are fighting to overcome a pretty disastrous run of results the football is not going to be pretty as you attempt to regain confidence in your play by scrapping to get back on track. We're starting to do this but it'll take time to become more fluid in our forward movement.
I'm really disappointed in a lot of comments on this thread as I hadn't realised we'd got such a bunch of depressives on here - and you've surprised me most of all given how long you've been watching us.
The other point I'll make is that you play to your strengths and the things that have been working for you. I think we'd get absolutely battered in most games if we tried to outplay other teams in areas that are their strengths. Passing is not something we've ever been good at since I've watched Cardiff - honourable exclusions to this include Whitts and one or two others but they had other flaws to their games. You are clutching at straws if you think Gunnarsson has ever been a good passer and it's an absolute given he'll be even worse when he returns from long-term injury.
The one point I will agree with is that we need to be more in control of where the long balls are going when we're playing them out. It does seem to me that we're now aiming at Patterson a lot more from goal kicks and he is excellent at winning the headers from those balls.
I'm enjoying our football this season and I think that we'll rediscover a more fluid team game over the next few weeks. Whether that will be enough we'll have to wait and see but it's already been a season where I've seen better football from us as a team than I have in many years. I'd have thought that would have been enough to cut the side some slack but apparently not. Seems a number of our fans have 'Premiership supporter' disease already.
I'd scrap wingers.
Chuck 2 up top and play hoilett behind them.
3 central midfielders.
How do we become more in control of a long ball? You can't. It's either knocked over the head of the fullback, which turns into a footrace, or up to the strikers head, which is a contest with the central defender. I'd say that we need to be better at anticipating second balls, as that's where the joy usually comes from when the football is direct. Gunnarsson is a decent passer of the ball, he anticipates the game better than any of our midfield, and we are deeply missing him, as for movement up front, well, that's not really needed when the ball is lumped forward, Warnock wants the ball contested, and second balls picked up, that's it.
A long ball can be played to feet or into the channels where we have quick players capable of putting their back line under pressure. it doesn't always have to be in the air when it arrives at the player.
I agree we need to become better at anticipating second balls. I'd also like us to start making ourselves available for the return pass rather than being static but accept we're not looking to do that at present, other than Junior.
I disagree with you about Gunnarsson's passing ability but the rest I agree with.
If we want to keep the ball and pass it about we can. I've seen it with my own eyes..we did it against sheff weds for example.
Hoilett is dangerous so why not put him where he can create danger? NML has lost his shine, Wildschut is good and direct but goes missing for very long periods, and everyone knows we hit it down the wings so we're easy to set up against.
Maybe if Harris comes back with a bang we can stick to this formation.
Since when are we not allowed to discuss and debate on a football forum?
It's like we've got to tow the party line and say Warnock is brilliant and can do no wrong.
Our business up until this window was very good in my opinion but this window has been a little desperate in my opinion. The football quality was on the decline for me long before our Christmas slump.
Are people entitled to disagree with me? Of course they are without me calling them "Sunday league football fans"
Fair points, although I presume you're talking about the Sheff Wed home game? I thought that they gave us a mild run around in that game-no end product though. I think we may have seen the best of Mendez, he's increasingly looking like a lower league level player, his main attribute seemed to be that he didn't know what he was going to do, hence the defender didn't know what he was going to do-now, he just doesn't know what he's going to do, piss poor control, running the ball out of play etc, and I can't see him becoming more composed, he's like a really fast Leo Fortune West. In saying that, if he's done all he can for the team this season, then whatever he's been paid has been earned back in his display and goals against Villa, Wolves and Sheffield United. Hope he regains his early form.
He throws backhanded insults and presumptions in nearly all of his posts, it's like he feels the need to defend the team at all costs. This has been a good thread, only two posters have had to revert to being dismissive and making childish suggestions or comments, he's one of them.
I booked a London hotel room yesterday for four nights from May 24th. The Championship Play-Off Final is May 26th. I'm unsure whether I was being positive or negative by doing so.
Who said we're not entitled to debate? I'm presenting my view on why I think the reaction in the rest of the thread to a poor Xmas has been a bit OTT. The comment about Premiership supporters was a poor one to make as it undermines from the other points I'm trying to put over so I withdraw it.
I think this whole debate depends on where our perspectives start. Mine start from expecting nothing from this season other than to become more competitive. For me we're over-achieving hugely.
I understand that having reached this position others would now like us to start playing more 'attractively' as they perceive it. I just don't think you're being particularly fair in your criticisms as we don't have the players to do that.
No problem mate, it wasn't a dig as you're a good poster who presents good arguments to a thread.
From my perspective I have been a bit underwhelmed with the football as I said in earlier post since about October. This coincided with some big injury problems to some big players so I thought the players performed wonders to "hang in there" at the top.
I couldn't wait til the transfer window and I thought Warnock would unveil some diamonds who would prove to be bargains but he never really addressed what I felt were the issues at hand.
I'm not and probably never will be a fan of Patterson as an attacking midfielder and the only time I could ever see a role for him in that position is to shut down someone like Neves when we play Wolves.
Like others have said in this thread, I'm not expecting us to be Man City but the predictability of our play at present must be mixed up if we're gonna make the play offs surely.
NML is a quality player. He's hit bad form not helped by the way the team have been playing these last few months. Aimless balls up to the front 3 doesn't help him. If we get back to the way we were playing as a team in the first 5 games we will see NML back to his best again. That requires a midfield composed of midfielders again. Guys who can pick out the likes of NML with a pass rather than aimless hoofball.
Yes he was, but he's not a brilliant passer. His game is around work rate from what I've seen and Warnock's comments. He's pretty direct . Bringing him into the side won't make us a better passing team.
At the start of the season we also had Gunnar, Zohore and NML all firing.