How can we get ourselves out of this desperate mess ?

[The Prophet of Doom]

It’s time to be POSITIVE now
Lamouchi has had a fortnight getting to know the players and how he wants them to play
To be fair we looked pretty solid at the back against Luton until that lapse in the what 88th minute?
I didn’t see or listen to the Hull game but it’s fine margins
Last nights result has to be taken as a huge positive with a ten man Blackpool thanks to Mad Mick getting an unexpected draw
We go into Saturdays game with a battling attitude and get stuck into them
It’s our first home game with Sabri who I’m sure can make a difference
Hopefully he’s massaging the players egos behind the scenes and we get a result ����

I have to say that when the teams directly below us share the spoils and both (with games in hand) edge closer to us it is hard to describe it as a HUGE POSITIVE, but I suppose it does make more pleasant viewing seeing the league table with Cardiff City above the dotted line.

I will predict a win over Middlesbrough - the time has come for players to stand up, be counted and deliver the goods.

[jon1959]

Left-back has been the problem as season, bar the first game or two Collins played, O'Dowda is the best stick with him, or NG if Romeo ever comes back.

Never play Simpson or Bagin again this season, they cost us many points.

Sabri should review whats going wrong and arrange for cover on our left hand side.

I didn't think Bagan had played any league games this season? Maybe I'm wrong but a combination of injury and loss of form (and maybe confidence) means he has been kept away from the match squad - and hasn't looked that convincing in his occasional u21 games. Last season he played over half the league games and scored 3. Rather than write him off the priority should be to get him back to the standards he set last year and then push on. He was iffy defensively, but as a young and inexperienced player that is to be expected. With more games and good coaching he may become the player we hoped he would. The jury is surely still out?

I agree about Simpson. Very strange signing. He might improve as a centre back - but probably won't get the opportunity. I would rather see Benjamin (or Denham when he is fit and has stopped growing!) before him. He should not be played as a left back again

[North Cardiff Blue]

I didn't think Bagan had played any league games this season? Maybe I'm wrong but a combination of injury and loss of form (and maybe confidence) means he has been kept away from the match squad - and hasn't looked that convincing in his occasional u21 games. Last season he played over half the league games and scored 3. Rather than write him off the priority should be to get him back to the standards he set last year and then push on. He was iffy defensively, but as a young and inexperienced player that is to be expected. With more games and good coaching he may become the player we hoped he would. The jury is surely still out?

I agree about Simpson. Very strange signing. He might improve as a centre back - but probably won't get the opportunity. I would rather see Benjamin (or Denham when he is fit and has stopped growing!) before him. He should not be played as a left back again

Whenever Bagan plays he's a liability, he's previously cost us many points and is always targeted, yes he's scored some goals but conceded way more, I don't rate him at all. Simpson is almost as bad it is our main weakness along with Strikers that can score, even from the penalty spot.

[Sunnysideup]

Simpson at left back 😳😳😳😳
Noooooo
Definitely our weakest position
He’s far too slow and ponderous 🤨

[Pedro de la Rosa]

The Collins myth again. Fact is City had played four games before Collins got injured - a battling but somewhat fortunate 1-0 victory over an out of sorts Norwich, a 2-1 defeat at a patched-up Reading (during which Collins looked nothing special), a 3-0 home defeat to League One Portsmouth in the cup which exposed a lack of strength in depth and a decent performance in a 1-0 victory over a poor Birmingham side.

Collins played three games. He looked promising in the two home games but bang average at Reading. His loss was a blow, but he was injured far too early in the season to draw any firm conclusions.

Agreed. We also had a winger playing there in Nkounkou, and we couldn't score then. While he couldn't defend, you'd have think that would have helped. We've got bigger issues than a left back.

I actually don't think Simpson was that bad against Hull. He looks like a centre back playing left back, and the goal was his fault (which I realise is quite a big issue) but he wasn't awful. Our issue stems from the fact that nobody in the team scores, and is capable of scoring. God knows how you solve it but lumping it into the box vs Hull was the first time I've enjoyed a spell in a game in a long time, at least we did something.

[the other bob wilson]

I didn't think Bagan had played any league games this season? Maybe I'm wrong but a combination of injury and loss of form (and maybe confidence) means he has been kept away from the match squad - and hasn't looked that convincing in his occasional u21 games. Last season he played over half the league games and scored 3. Rather than write him off the priority should be to get him back to the standards he set last year and then push on. He was iffy defensively, but as a young and inexperienced player that is to be expected. With more games and good coaching he may become the player we hoped he would. The jury is surely still out?

I agree about Simpson. Very strange signing. He might improve as a centre back - but probably won't get the opportunity. I would rather see Benjamin (or Denham when he is fit and has stopped growing!) before him. He should not be played as a left back again

Simpson is a left sided centreback and they’re supposed to be like gold dust in the modern game. This makes his weak tackle that cost us at Hull even more inexcusable.

As for the question in the thread title, we’ve got more of an attacking physical presence now, so we seem better equipped to play more of a direct game, but I still don’t think we’ve got a squad suited to that approach overall.

For me, we look like a squad that is feeling sorry for itself - I still think failing to beat a Blackpool side that we were much better than on the day had a big effect on the squad’s belief and blowing what was virtually a two against the keeper chance against Millwall courtesy of poor play by the man regarded as our best attacker must have got them wondering where the next goal was coming from (a feeling only exacerbated by the penalty miss on Saturday).

Our problem is mainly a mental one - I’m not convinced a few sessions with a sports psychologist would make a difference, but it must be worth a try.

[the other bob wilson]

Agreed. We also had a winger playing there in Nkounkou, and we couldn't score then. While he couldn't defend, you'd have think that would have helped. We've got bigger issues than a left back.

I actually don't think Simpson was that bad against Hull. He looks like a centre back playing left back, and the goal was his fault (which I realise is quite a big issue) but he wasn't awful. Our issue stems from the fact that nobody in the team scores, and is capable of scoring. God knows how you solve it but lumping it into the box vs Hull was the first time I've enjoyed a spell in a game in a long time, at least we did something.

I’d also say you should allow some leeway with Simpson because he’s not a full back and it’s an indictment of previous managers and the coaching staff that we’ve got ourselves in such a mess that he was viewed as our best option in the position at the moment.

As for lumping the ball, I thought it made us look as bereft as we do when we try and play a more considered style. Lumping it or passing it, our delivery into the penalty area from set pieces and open play was dreadful on Saturday, as it is in most games we play. The one opportunity came when Ojo knocked a so so cross over and Kaba got an assist from a Hull centreback.

[Divine Wright]

Simpson is a left sided centreback and they’re supposed to be like gold dust in the modern game. This makes his weak tackle that cost us at Hull even more inexcusable.

The guy cut inside though so I'm not sure how much this is a left footed thing or a positional intelligence thing.

[the other bob wilson]

The guy cut inside though so I'm not sure how much this is a left footed thing or a positional intelligence thing.

I’m just talking about a centreback putting in a tackle like that, it was the tackle of a slight winger caught in wrong place.

[DubaiDai]

I feel like we just have to hope something click and someone comes into form/confidence. Someone like Ojo/Philogene getting a goal or two and some confidence would really help.

I’m surprised by the manager choices so far, I’d like to see more of Davies.

The manager needs to be a bit more creative when picking his team. We let Nkounko go back early when he could have pushed him forward to left midfield. Admittedly he was hopeless at defending but he was very quick and had an excellent left foot shot.
Much better option than Ralls.
We also need to fit Davies into the team. We are becoming very predictable in the players we pick

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

After some great contributions my current conclusion to how we can get out of this impending relegation is quite simply , with this squad , we can't

It's league 1 next season

[2b2bdoo]

The manager needs to be a bit more creative when picking his team. We let Nkounko go back early when he could have pushed him forward to left midfield. Admittedly he was hopeless at defending but he was very quick and had an excellent left foot shot.
Much better option than Ralls.
We also need to fit Davies into the team. We are becoming very predictable in the players we pick

I wonder if that was partly a wage issue as well, doubt he was on a small wage. Left back is a problem though.

I guess he thinks Sawyers is going to give us more creativity when he gets sharper, I can see why he thinks it but I don’t think it will happen. I’m surprised Rino has been pushed out, I thought he may have come in more.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

I’d also say you should allow some leeway with Simpson because he’s not a full back and it’s an indictment of previous managers and the coaching staff that we’ve got ourselves in such a mess that he was viewed as our best option in the position at the moment.

As for lumping the ball, I thought it made us look as bereft as we do when we try and play a more considered style. Lumping it or passing it, our delivery into the penalty area from set pieces and open play was dreadful on Saturday, as it is in most games we play. The one opportunity came when Ojo knocked a so so cross over and Kaba got an assist from a Hull centreback.

Our set pieces and crossing was abysmal. The two short corners that didn’t beat the bloke stopping the short one in the first half was criminal. We are useless but it should be looked at.

I’d be half tempted to play Ralls as he used to be a half decent corner taker. We need to find a way to get numbers in the box and have a coherent plan of how to score. At the moment I’d settle for semi organised chaos but we’ve lost our get out of jail free card of being excellent at set piece. Even when we were dire last season, Flint and Moore etc got us out of trouble. We are in deep trouble though, we desperately needed that pen to go in.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

The guy cut inside though so I'm not sure how much this is a left footed thing or a positional intelligence thing.

He’s a centre back playing there. That doesn’t happen when you’re in the middle as much. Granted, Simpson isn’t very good but he was nowhere near as bad as it’s being made out. He’s a crap signing but we didn’t lose on Saturday solely because of him. I’d sign a centre mid instead of a left back if we could.