Defence sorted? (9 Viewers)

GaryJones · 2025-01-21T23:34:42+0000

This is one area of massive improvement under Lampard - this really pleases me and what has almost gone unnoticed is that over the last 6 games we’ve only conceded 3 (bettered only by Burnley).
I think there is hope for this season yet!!

Londonccfcfan · 2025-01-22T00:07:06+0000

GaryJones said:
This is one area of massive improvement under Lampard - this really pleases me and what has almost gone unnoticed is that over the last 6 games we’ve only conceded 3 (bettered only by Burnley).
I think there is hope for this season yet!!

1 goal conceded in under 90 minutes...
Excluding injury time goals.

mmttww · 2025-01-22T00:14:32+0000

Not until they can keep clean sheets playing a back four. Let's give it 10 more games and see if it's the norm.

dadgad · 2025-01-22T00:18:43+0000

Plain weird that Dovin hasn’t played more….Kitch too. Both inspire confidence.

The watchmaker · 2025-01-22T00:21:35+0000

Having kitching back is massive. Cynic in me worries that maybe it is just a transfer window thing but if he is 'back' back then CB isn't the priority it once was. We are still conceding chances and to a degree Dovin is papering over cracks but that is what a top notch keeper gives you and you can see the players in front of him are responding to that.

Mucca Mad Boys · 2025-01-22T00:55:36+0000

dadgad said:
Plain weird that Dovin hasn’t played more….Kitch too. Both inspire confidence.

We kept a clean sheet in something like 75% games played with Kitching in the team (this season, albeit a small sample too), with the only game we conceded being Leeds away for a time.

When I, and others, raised this and the comparative lack of clean sheets of other defenders playing in the team (Lati and Binks), apparently it was all a coincidence.

My personal belief is that, had Robins kept faith in spine of the team of last season, he’d still be our manager.

Mucca Mad Boys · 2025-01-22T00:57:09+0000

The watchmaker said:
Having kitching back is massive. Cynic in me worries that maybe it is just a transfer window thing but if he is 'back' back then CB isn't the priority it once was. We are still conceding chances and to a degree Dovin is papering over cracks but that is what a top notch keeper gives you and you can see the players in front of him are responding to that.

Dovin is a good keeper and just needed to grow into the role. He was dropped in September for Wilson who is a solid role player, isn’t a number one we need to take us forward.

clint van damme · 2025-01-22T05:51:07+0000

mmttww said:
Not until they can keep clean sheets playing a back four. Let's give it 10 more games and see if it's the norm.

If we're winning games and keeping clean sheets why change it?

Tommo1993 · 2025-01-22T06:13:19+0000

Don’t know what, more who thought it best to keep Dovin and Kitching out. Maybe they’d still be here if they did what was right…

KenilworthSkyBlue · 2025-01-22T07:31:19+0000

I'm still not totally convinced the issues in defence have gone away. Credit to all involved last night but we were cut apart by a pretty poor Blackburn side on a number of occasions, and a better side would've undoubtedly punished us.

Frankly without Dovin we would've been 2-0 down at HT. Credit to BTA as well for keeping us in it as well. Fair play to the lads and FL for a brilliant second half showing though.

Back to back clean sheets is a positive sign and it helps both Dovin and Kitching have come into form. Having said that, due to the above I'm sceptical about returning to a back four.

Deity · 2025-01-22T07:44:01+0000

KenilworthSkyBlue said:
I'm still not totally convinced the issues in defence have gone away. Credit to all involved last night but we were cut apart by a pretty poor Blackburn side on a number of occasions, and a better side would've undoubtedly punished us.

Frankly without Dovin we would've been 2-0 down at HT. Credit to BTA as well for keeping us in it as well. Fair play to the lads and FL for a brilliant second half showing though.

Back to back clean sheets is a positive sign and it helps both Dovin and Kitching have come into form. Having said that, due to the above I'm sceptical about returning to a back four.

I think credit to Frank and his staff for getting us more organised, not least the midfield actually tracking their runners !.

Far too early to suggest this problem is fixed but certainly encouraging progress.

Gibbo · 2025-01-22T07:44:41+0000

Having looked at the highlights, the first Dovin save was good, but most Championship keepers would have saved it. It was at a good height and not that powerfully hit.

The second came immediately after he had done a really good punch out, so he had to get back up and run across - that was a great save by anyone's reckoning. However, had the header been in the corner, Dovin would have had little chance

clint van damme · 2025-01-22T07:46:55+0000

KenilworthSkyBlue said:
I'm still not totally convinced the issues in defence have gone away. Credit to all involved last night but we were cut apart by a pretty poor Blackburn side on a number of occasions, and a better side would've undoubtedly punished us.

Frankly without Dovin we would've been 2-0 down at HT. Credit to BTA as well for keeping us in it as well. Fair play to the lads and FL for a brilliant second half showing though.

Back to back clean sheets is a positive sign and it helps both Dovin and Kitching have come into form. Having said that, due to the above I'm sceptical about returning to a back four.

Were not quite George Graham's Arsenal yet but we're definitely improving.
And yes Dovin made a couple of good saves but you expect the opposition to have chances in this league, especially when you're away from home
.
People keep talking as though conceding 2 or 3 good opportunities is some massive frailty when in reality it's the norm for most teams in this league in most games.

I totally agree about reverting yo a back 4 at the moment, it's not for me.

covmutley · 2025-01-22T07:47:00+0000

Feeling more confident about our CB's. Still need cover at RB for Milan.

I think we are ok at LB.

covcity4life · 2025-01-22T07:49:05+0000

dadgad said:
Plain weird that Dovin hasn’t played more….Kitch too. Both inspire confidence.

Plain weird that some posters wanted to have a go at lampard for not bringing dovin in for his very first game rather than focus on fact lampard restored him to the starting 11!

KenilworthSkyBlue · 2025-01-22T07:49:49+0000

Deity said:
I think credit to Frank and his staff for getting us more organised, not least the midfield actually tracking their runners !.

Far too early to suggest this problem is fixed but certainly encouraging progress.

It's definitely encouraging. I don't want to be overly negative as second half especially we looked like a different team entirely.

I definitely think we are more organised and it helps having a GK between the sticks that can actually save shots.

At the end of the day we got 3 points and there's a lot to be positive about, but there's also some glaring issues which i do feel are still very much there.

Boicey · 2025-01-22T07:51:19+0000

Dovin has made a huge difference. No doubts we would have lost that game last night without him.
Thomas for Lati must be a serious option.
Bidwell is far more solid than dasilva.

And Allen has brought more than Sheaf in terms of aggression and speed to help cover the defence. He has worked well with an improving Torp.

Chris1987 · 2025-01-22T07:59:49+0000

The encouraging thing is that we had a major issue and Lampard and the coaching team are finding a way to address it. Teams will always conceded chances in this league but we do now appear to have the right players in the defensive spine in a formation which suits them . What will be interesting will be to see what happens when FL gets the opportunity to bring in his own players and whether we transition into a new formation.
But for now Dovin , Kitching & Bidwell inspire real confidence . Binks shows signs of improvement, MVE we know is quality . Would like to see Thomas return to the form of last season

Travs · 2025-01-22T08:01:24+0000

Two games ago we needed to sell the entire defence (apparently)

KenilworthSkyBlue · 2025-01-22T08:02:52+0000

clint van damme said:
Were not quite George Graham's Arsenal yet but we're definitely improving.
And yes Dovin made a couple of good saves but you expect the opposition to have chances in this league, especially when you're away from home
.
People keep talking as though conceding 2 or 3 good opportunities is some massive frailty when in reality it's the norm for most teams in this league in most games.

I totally agree about reverting yo a back 4 at the moment, it's not for me.

It's a guarantee of life, you're going to concede chances in football games. It can't be helped, especially not in this league where you're going to have considerably more defensive blunders than in the PL due to the average quality of player.

For me this season it's more the manner of chances we concede and the same mistakes we continually make. Like i said I don't want to detract anything from what was an encouraging second half performance last night but those issues are still there.

I think starting a GK that can actually save the shots he's facing is making all the difference. You'd be hard pressed to disagree that if Collins was in goal last night we wouldn't have got the three points.

And we do look more solid in parts, there's just lapses in concentration and a lack of physicality that causes us to concede chances we probably shouldn't, which does need addressing still. But great to get a clean sheet nonetheless.

TomRad85 · 2025-01-22T08:03:41+0000

covcity4life said:
Plain weird that some posters wanted to have a go at lampard for not bringing dovin in for his very first game rather than focus on fact lampard restored him to the starting 11!

Not even sure we dropped that many points from Collins' spell in when I look back at the games anyway. He looks generally unconvincing but not sure the outcome is much different in most of them, just Pompey away really, after which he was rightly dropped never to be seen again I'm sure.
Using 3 keepers this season was a bit of a shitshow, Dovin is there to stay now.

Evo1883 · 2025-01-22T08:04:26+0000

Still think thomas Is part of our best back line

Tommo1993 · 2025-01-22T08:04:33+0000

Blackburn perhaps unlucky not to score at least one of their chances, but we’re not gonna go into games conceding no chances. We’re not exactly formidable opponents but the improvements are clear for all to see.

Evo1883 · 2025-01-22T08:05:21+0000

Tommo1993 said:
Blackburn perhaps unlucky not to score at least one of their chances, but we’re not gonna go into games conceding no chances. We’re not exactly formidable opponents but the improvements are clear for all to see.

We are fucking amazing mate , make no mistake

Cally Fedora · 2025-01-22T08:06:42+0000

Biggest difference for me is that in the last year of his tenure Robins became a bit obsessed with the “be brave on the ball stuff”. This regime is prioritising “don’t concede”.

Tommo1993 · 2025-01-22T08:07:13+0000

Evo1883 said:
Still think thomas Is part of our best back line

Nah he played one pass which lacked the pace it needed and lost the ball. I’d rather be hung up on that thanks

Defence sorted? (9 Viewers)

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