The midfield from hell (6 Viewers)

[shy_tall_knight]

We finished with a midfield of fleck baker bell and jennings. Jennings has IMO been poor all season and had a nightmare first half today. Fleck had a reasonable game but is still too unfit to be fully effective. Baker has had a good season but was dreadful today regularly dispossessed and plays too many champagne passes and stands back and is prepared to allow cyrus to do all the running. Bell is and always has been a complete and utter waste of a salary and contributed nothing. That midfield represented no goal threat and created nothing for cody & callum.

As for Bailey he can go and do one, since his return from injury no passion or desire. Frank IMO tried but was subbed.

 

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[TrueSkyBlueLiam]

Jenno reminds of of Clinga. Shit passer, never goes forward, shit defending too. No point in him being here. Bailey disapointed too. Very sloppy, not aware enough, just isnt good enough. God knows why SP wants him on a permanent deal. Fleck was too slow and uneffective today but can do so much better. Baker was by far out best midfielder, but he still wasnt at his best. Moussa tried his best but wasnt as useful as usual. BellEnd needs to f*ck off outta here. Waste of time, effort and wages. The reason we arent scoring many goals is cus of this useless midfield. Wilson and Cody tried their best but with no help they had no hope. We have great young players like Barton and Thomas stuck on the bench so that these useless pricks get a agme. Sort it out Pressley!

 

[Ccfcisparks]

Jenno reminds of of Clinga. Shit passer, never goes forward, shit defending too. No point in him being here. Bailey disapointed too. Very sloppy, not aware enough, just isnt good enough. God knows why SP wants him on a permanent deal. Fleck was too slow and uneffective today but can do so much better. Baker was by far out best midfielder, but he still wasnt at his best. Moussa tried his best but wasnt as useful as usual. BellEnd needs to f*ck off outta here. Waste of time, effort and wages. The reason we arent scoring many goals is cus of this useless midfield. Wilson and Cody tried their best but with no help they had no hope. We have great young players like Barton and Thomas stuck on the bench so that these useless pricks get a agme. Sort it out Pressley!

Do you know that SP wants Bailey on a permanent deal or is this more gibbeirsh from yourself Liam?

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Midfield unit was poor as a whole today, Barton added another dimension against Donnie (although I didn't go to Walsall, where I suspect 2 games in 3 days would have caught up with him and Fleck).

If I was to rank our midfields performance in order, it would be something like:

Baker (terrible passing, few good tackles and dribbles)
Fleck (couple of good bits of skill and vision but several awful passes)
Jennings (worked hard and broke up play but makes an error for every good thing he does)
Moussa
Bell
Bailey (why?!?!?)

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

What was the point at bringing Bell on, may as well have have stuck a tree out on the left hand side. At least he couldn't do any damage there

 

[stupot07]

Midfield unit was poor as a whole today, Barton added another dimension against Donnie (although I didn't go to Walsall, where I suspect 2 games in 3 days would have caught up with him and Fleck).

If I was to rank our midfields performance in order, it would be something like:

Baker (terrible passing, few good tackles and dribbles)
Fleck (couple of good bits of skill and vision but several awful passes)
Jennings (worked hard and broke up play but makes an error for every good thing he does)
Moussa
Bell
Bailey (why?!?!?)

Phew....we obviously did watch the same game!

I disagree about Barton though, it was more down to the fact Donny didn't press us at all first half - Barton and fleck were given the time and space they need to be effective.

 

[stupot07]

What was the point at bringing Bell on, may as well have have stuck a tree out on the left hand side. At least he couldn't do any damage there

Fortunately Clive Platt doesn't play for us anymore...

 

[shy_tall_knight]

we have all seen enough of bailey to know that he is capable of so much more but lacks desire currently and with a midfield 5 we would expect a couple of dogs of war but bailey & jennings were the peace pusseycats.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Fortunately Clive Platt doesn't play for us anymore...

He was obviously pants, as is Ball, but today showed that you either need a target man with some ability with his back to goal to hold the ball up, or a genius like McGoldrick who can make things happen, if you are going to play one up front.

 

[stupot07]

we have all seen enough of bailey to know that he is capable of so much more but lacks desire currently and with a midfield 5 we would expect a couple of dogs of war but bailey & jennings were the peace pusseycats.

Yep, added to that is the fact fleck wants to play deep so often the most advanced midfielder was Jennings...

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

And on Barton, Stu, at least he has passing and technical ability that means he can at least make something happen in a game; Jennings and Bailey are one dimensional dogs of war who often forget to put their teeth in. In our midfield, the problem is finding the balance; one presser/ball-winner isn't enough, two is too many as they lack creative and goalscoring ability. Two or three times the ball broke to Jennings in shooting positions and he either crapped himself or shot limply; I'd take the ball breaking to Barton in that position over Bailey and Jennings every time.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Yep, added to that is the fact fleck wants to play deep so often the most advanced midfielder was Jennings...

And there we go, we kinda agree on that!

 

[shy_tall_knight]

Against Donny and today we created very few opportunities. Our midfield do not get forward enough in sufficient numbers to make things happen. jennings shot in the first half was not a serious effort just catching practice for their goalie

 

[sw88]

For me, its either an injury thats messing up Baileys play, or hes been told theres no point in trying to play for a contract, and he just thinks 'fuck it'. Personally, I had high hopes for him this season and think there is an injury tere thats hampering his game. Doesnt strike me as the type to intentionally fuck things up.

Jennings hasn't really set the world alight. I was all for signing him in the summer. But he hasn't impressed at all!

Moussa is too inconsistant, so fits in with this crop of players. He can have blinders, but can also have poor games. And no matter which hes having, he always gets subbed. Why, one has to wonder.

Baker, hes a tryer. Fortunately though hes came up with the goals this season, which is some thing all our former 'tryers' have failed to do: Simpson, Morrell etc. without his goals, i wonder if fans would have turned on him this seasons. He might have 15 goals, but hes had some pretty terrible games too!

Fleck, the juries out for me. Came to us clearly lacking fitness. Does have great vision and passing ability going for him though.

Bell, too early in his Coventry career to tell. Is he into double figures for CCFC appearances yet

 

[stupot07]

And on Barton, Stu, at least he has passing and technical ability that means he can at least make something happen in a game; Jennings and Bailey are one dimensional dogs of war who often forget to put their teeth in. In our midfield, the problem is finding the balance; one presser/ball-winner isn't enough, two is too many as they lack creative and goalscoring ability. Two or three times the ball broke to Jennings in shooting positions and he either crapped himself or shot limply; I'd take the ball breaking to Barton in that position over Bailey and Jennings every time.

But Barton doesn't want to play there, he said that his preferred position is the deep lying central midfielder and e reason he struggled early in the season because he was played out of position in the hole.

From the CT after the donny game -

“I’m delighted that I have been able to play in my main position,” said the former Preston player who fits effortlessly into Steven Pressley’s total football ethic.

“I came here because Andy Thorn wanted to pass the ball. Then he went and Mark Robins came in and he liked me as a No.10, just behind the striker, but that wasn’t my position.


"I played there for Republic of Ireland Under-21s but that wasn’t my position, you know, so I have been very frustrated this season.

“The new manager has come in and asked me what my favourite position is and I told him the holding role where I just want to get on the ball and play, and he put me there in the 21s against Derby last week and I showed him what I can do.

“Unfortunately Steven Jennings has picked up an injury and it has given me my chance. I’m quite lucky because Jenno has probably been one of the most consistent players this season but hopefully I have gone out and shown him that I can do that job.”

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And there lies a problem, we all thought fleck and Barton were that attacking player but both like to play deep, as do bailey and Jennings.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

I'd say Jennings was the deep lying midfielder today though, so those chances should be falling to Barton if he plays in his preferred position. And I betchya he'd have pinged one of them into the top corner!

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

And Bailey is meant to be pressing but from high up the pitch with Fleck having essentially a free role where he can float and do the most damage. But with Bailey playing so poorly the whole thing fails to work anyway, he just didn't press today.

 

[stupot07]

I'd say Jennings was the deep lying midfielder today though, so those chances should be falling to Barton if he plays in his preferred position. And I betchya he'd have pinged one of them into the top corner!

I'd agree that Jennings should have been the deep lying player, but he was the most advanced for the majority of the first half in particular, with fleck dropping in.

 

[stupot07]

And Bailey is meant to be pressing but from high up the pitch with Fleck having essentially a free role where he can float and do the most damage. But with Bailey playing so poorly the whole thing fails to work anyway, he just didn't press today.

You have to press as team, not rely on one man. They were all poor today....

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

But I think Fleck was dropping in more as we didn't have a passer there like Barton to build play with some tempo; Jennings doesn't have the vision to be a deep play-maker, or the skill/shooting to be an AM..he's a general workhorse/tackler, so I think I'd make him play Bailey's role and have Barton in the Carrick position and Fleck doing whatever he sees fit to do. We haven't seen the best of Fleck by a country mile, but he looks a lot more motivated by his kinsman; if we can keep him and get him fit, he could yet be the player for us that we thought he would have been when we signed him.

 

[stupot07]

But I think Fleck was dropping in more as we didn't have a passer there like Barton to build play with some tempo; Jennings doesn't have the vision to be a deep play-maker, or the skill/shooting to be an AM..he's a general workhorse/tackler, so I think I'd make him play Bailey's role and have Barton in the Carrick position and Fleck doing whatever he sees fit to do. We haven't seen the best of Fleck by a country mile, but he looks a lot more motivated by his kinsman; if we can keep him and get him fit, he could yet be the player for us that we thought he would have been when we signed him.

He was dropping in vs Donny. It is obvious that's where he wants to play because its the area of the pitch you get more time and space. The time fleck has played in the attacking role he has struggled.

I agree re: Jennings, we need to either play baker there and sign a pacy winger or sign someone to play that role.

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

No, I think he was dropping in as he was intelligent enough to see the space and the opportunity to get on the ball and dictate play. He's not a DM, he's not an AM, he's a player with no position.

If you've ever played Football Manager, the players are rated in the DB from 0-20 in terms of proficiency in a position. 99% of players have a 20 for their "natural" position; every so often you find a guy who has 19 at most in any position-they don't have one, so they need fitting in some other way. Fleck is one of those players IMO, Roy Wegerle was another. With Fleck his role probably has to be a central role with licence to roam. That's his role now, and we're getting more out of him there than we were as the man behind the striker or the LW.

 

[stupot07]

But that's because he always drops deep, it is in the deep areas he looks effective, he doesn't offer enough in the final third to allow him 'no position'. In fact of you have an attacking midfielder and a deep midfielder that third midfielder is key in the transition from defence to attack, and ideally needs to be more of an energetic box-to-box player a bit like cleverly (you mentioned carrick/Barton)

We will not get out of this league with him and Barton in the midfield.

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

The most annoying thing for me since Pressley has came in is no width in midfield. People are just getting in each others way, none of the wide players want to run in behind the full backs and we don't stretch teams. Brentford were comfortable in defence pretty much all day except for 30 s in thw first half, it's too slow and pedestrian like. All the midfield want to receive the ball from deep meaning there is no one further forward to make progress up the pitch.

It's frustrating as I think these were all problems that we were slowly seeing go away under Robins that are creeping back in now

 

[torchomatic]

Bell delivered the best corner I've seen all season. It went into the six yard box onto the head of one of our own players. Hallelujah! McSheff and Baker haven't managed that all season.

What was the point at bringing Bell on, may as well have have stuck a tree out on the left hand side. At least he couldn't do any damage there

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Bell delivered the best corner I've seen all season. It went into the six yard box onto the head of one of our own players. Hallelujah! McSheff and Baker haven't managed that all season.

It was good, bent it like Bell does, but it was pretty much all he did! His foul in the LB area raised a chuckle I suppose.

 

[covcity4life]

Men against boys.

They were superior in speed and strength

Shit midfield performance

 

[skybluesteve76]

Jenno reminds of of Clinga. Shit passer, never goes forward, shit defending too. No point in him being here. Bailey disapointed too. Very sloppy, not aware enough, just isnt good enough. God knows why SP wants him on a permanent deal. Fleck was too slow and uneffective today but can do so much better. Baker was by far out best midfielder, but he still wasnt at his best. Moussa tried his best but wasnt as useful as usual. BellEnd needs to f*ck off outta here. Waste of time, effort and wages. The reason we arent scoring many goals is cus of this useless midfield. Wilson and Cody tried their best but with no help they had no hope. We have great young players like Barton and Thomas stuck on the bench so that these useless pricks get a agme. Sort it out Pressley!

Clingan was an excellent passer!


Simply the best
Better than all the rest

 

[stupot07]

Men against boys.

They were superior in speed and strength

Shit midfield performance

Yes! We are firmly on the same page today!

 

[sw88]

Bell delivered the best corner I've seen all season. It went into the six yard box onto the head of one of our own players. Hallelujah! McSheff and Baker haven't managed that all season.

Its the first time in a long while we've looked dangerous from a corner!

Before he came on, we had two terrible free kicks, one from Baker and another from Fleck i think, that went straight to their keeper with not a player near him (us or Brentford, the keeper had that much space). If only Bell was on then!

It was good, bent it like Bell does, but it was pretty much all he did! His foul in the LB area raised a chuckle I suppose.

I was worried he was gonna injure himself with that challenge!

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

He probably has, SW!

 

[TrueSkyBlueLiam]

Do you know that SP wants Bailey on a permanent deal or is this more gibbeirsh from yourself Liam?

Its on the rumors page i look at sometimes. Theres a list of players SP apparently wants and who could be leaving. And its common knowledge Cov want him to stay

 

[TrueSkyBlueLiam]

Clingan was an excellent passer!


Simply the best
Better than all the rest

He wasnt. Last season he did nothing right, not even passing

 

[LJC_CCFC]

Jenno reminds of of Clinga. Shit passer, never goes forward, shit defending too. No point in him being here. Bailey disapointed too. Very sloppy, not aware enough, just isnt good enough. God knows why SP wants him on a permanent deal. Fleck was too slow and uneffective today but can do so much better. Baker was by far out best midfielder, but he still wasnt at his best. Moussa tried his best but wasnt as useful as usual. BellEnd needs to f*ck off outta here. Waste of time, effort and wages. The reason we arent scoring many goals is cus of this useless midfield. Wilson and Cody tried their best but with no help they had no hope. We have great young players like Barton and Thomas stuck on the bench so that these useless pricks get a agme. Sort it out Pressley!

Jennings is nothing like Clingan...he is the right footed Michael Doyle. Avoiding last season, Clingan had three solid seasons with us and his passing was at times very good, when he got injured for 3 months every season our form would dip. Both Jennings and Bailey were immense when Robins was here, but both have tailed off as the season has finished for us...would sign Bailey but for no more than 100k. Fleck has shown in recent games why he was so highly rated as some of his passing, short and long has been superb. All this bollocks about him being unfit/fat is ludicrous, it's his fecking natural body shape...he is stocky! I'm nowhere near the biggest advocate of Bell, but the lad has been out for nine months, hasn't started a game yet and the 25 he got today was the most all season. Don't judge til he gets a pre-season in him. Barton rolled his ankle in training hence his non appearance on the bench. The pitch is a huge reason why we are struggling with fluidity atm as it is shocking. No one should be able to comment on Pressley until this time next year...as these are not his players, give him a chance to regroup and rebuild and get his philosophy through to the players. Finally you Liam should sort it out...try actually watching the game next time as you personify the typical city fan...moan bitch moan even when we are playing well...shove your negative mentality up your arse, it gets the club nowhere

 

[Nonleagueherewecome]

Agree with a lot of that, but no way is Fleck fully match fit; any player who gets injured in pre-season or early season is playing catch up, and whilst Jennings has got gametime to catch up, Fleck never really has. His only real run of games came on the left, which isn't his best position, and he didn't complete a game-he was usually off by the hour mark at the latest. If we can sort the pitch out so it is suited to our style of play, Fleck with a full pre-season behind him playing in his present role will be an absolute revelation.

A lot of that can also be said about Barton.