ITK’s (2 Viewers)

Legia Sky Blue said:

The point is that when players are not picked (for usually good reason) some supporters conveniently forget their faults that led to them being dropped in the first place. Dasilva made a lot of defensive errors last season that directly led to goals and received a lot of heavy criticism - possibly including from you. He made a horrendous pass from defence at the end of yesterdays goal which he was very fortunate didn't lead to a goal - did you see it?

On that basis Dasilva isn't 100% certain to be first choice from now on, as he's as likely (more likely maybe) to cause us to concede a goal as Bidwell. The likelihood is that he might well replace Bidwell in the next match, but once he makes a few howlers you will be calling for him to be dropped and replaced by Bidwell. The real shame is we didn't make a go at signing McCallum, because in truth neither Bidwell or Dasilva currently fill me with confidence, but between the 2 I feel more comfortable defensively with Bidwell in the team than Dasilva.

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Our full backs play very narrow for some reason. Bidwell sometimes is up the pitch much higher than MVE as Wright is the best forward outlet. The defensive co-ordination seems all at sea.

Da silva isn’t a full back at all and against pacy teams like Watford away he’d be targeted. Theres no doubt we would have been better getting a left sided defender but the real issue is Dasilva is here to stay as he’d be impossible to ship out

GIMOC said:

you are predicting the future based on the past rather than the present

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No, I’m predicting the future based on the fact that whenever this manager hits a sticky patch he finds a way out of it and that I genuinely believe that this squad of footballers is capable enough to push on and do better

I was crucified and called a ‘Super fan’ and ‘Happy Clapper’ for saying exactly the same at this point last season and I turned out to be right, and I will be again - come back to it

GIMOC said:

money is irrelevant it’s what you bring in and in what positions

money doesn’t guarantee success

everyone knows we needed more in the middle and it wasn’t addressed

balance of the squad isn’t great and that’s showing on the in

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Matt smith said:

I wouldn’t have. Bidwell has been at fault for nearly all goals conceded.

not knee jerk at all, anyone can see he’s not been good enough

offers nothing going forward too, not technically good enough to play a possession based style, time for JDS

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To say Bidwell is at fault for nearly all the goals is totally wrong.
Against Stoke Eccles and MVE could have cut the ball out that was played into the middle. Binks was hopelessly out of position which left Bidwell stuck with both their striker and Baker so 4 were at fault there.
Oxford first goal Simms doesn’t clear it nor does Lati and their CB scores a good goal. Bidwell wasn’t anywhere near it.
Their 2nd goal Torp loses his man then when he catches up fails to put a simple tackle in just backing off. Bidwell is out of position diving header is going wide hits the striker in the stomach and ball goes into net. Arguably offside but a fluke. At fault Torp and Bidwell
Bristol cross from corner ball headed out wonder shot on the volley from their full back but their player is offside but goal given. Bidwell again is not at fault.
Norwich. Bidwell is marking Slimane ball is played to Stacey on the overlap Wright doesn’t follow his man. Bidwell tries to cut off cross Binks makes poor clearance to Sainz whose deflected shot goes in. At fault Wright Binks and Bidwell.
Bidwell is partly to blame for what’s happening but not solely. He very rarely has any cover in front of him. Wright generally does defend or track back as such we are constantly open on the left side. This is no different from last season. A high percentage of our goals conceded come from out left hand side whether Bidwell or DeSilva are playing primarily because we are very weak defensively as a team on the left.

JoeCCFCPUSB said:

His defensive qualities are good he just can't pass a ball six yards. We play out from the back and Thomas simply can't do this. So you either don't play out from the back and play him or you buy a centre back better than him with the ball at their feet and can defend on par with Bobby.

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This can't be right. How does anyone get to play in the Championship and not be able to pass a ball a few yards? These people are close to the top of a very tall pyramid with an extremely wide base.

itsabuzzard said:

This can't be right. How does anyone get to play in the Championship and not be able to pass a ball a few yards? These people are close to the top of a very tall pyramid with an extremely wide base.

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Beats me.

I've never understood why pros at this level appear to struggle to do the basics over and over again.

Same with throw ins. How, why do we lose possession so often when we take them? We can't throw it to feet, it's often waist or chest high or thrown so high it skims off a players head aimlessly. Its pathetic to watch.

Bad Boy said:

Beats me.

I've never understood why pros at this level appear to struggle to do the basics over and over again.

Same with throw ins. How, why do we lose possession so often when we take them? We can't throw it to feet, it's often waist or chest high or thrown so high it skims off a players head aimlessly. It’s pathetic to watch.

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Because they’re up against the best as well so it evens most of the skill difference out. Watch some of the videos that come out occasionally of even average pros playing against amateurs. They look like Messi on crack.

Bad Boy said:

Beats me.

I've never understood why pros at this level appear to struggle to do the basics over and over again.

Same with throw ins. How, why do we lose possession so often when we take them? We can't throw it to feet, it's often waist or chest high or thrown so high it skims off a players head aimlessly. Its pathetic to watch.

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Given how bad we are at them I'd rather just have MvE or Thomas hurl it down the line and get us further up the pitch.

shmmeee said:

Because they’re up against the best as well so it evens most of the skill difference out. Watch some of the videos that come out occasionally of even average pros playing against amateurs. They look like Messi on crack.

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I take your point shmmeee but when pros at our level can't do the basics with plenty of time and space and no challenge coming in then you have to ask yourself why?

Control the ball, look up, move with the ball, pass the ball these are all basic tasks that everyone of us that has ever played the game at any level have been told and shown countless times.

The truth is that players are coached and coached to do a specific thing nothing more nothing less. They are not taught to think for themselves, take charge of a situation, change anything, it's a do what I tell you to do son mentality.

Bad Boy said:

I take your point shmmeee but when pros at our level can't do the basics with plenty of time and space and no challenge coming in then you have to ask yourself why?

Control the ball, look up, move with the ball, pass the ball these are all basic tasks that everyone of us that has ever played the game at any level have been told and shown countless times.

The truth is that players are coached and coached to do a specific thing nothing more nothing less. They are not taught to think for themselves, take charge of a situation, change anything, it's a do what I tell you to do son mentality.

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I guess at the top level it’s consistency. Can you do that 100/100? 90/100? That’s the difference really.

My bugbear is one footedness. And not being able to take a long throw. Surely these are learnable skills we could teach anyone yet it doesn’t seem to happen. Who knows?

I don't think our throw ins are as bad as they used to be. I also think that on the whole Thomas is decent at keeping possession. I think this is where a couple of instances of both get stuck in the memory and have us believing they happen all the time.

My bugbears are mostly to do with corners. Firstly when they get mishit by the taker, and secondly when we cram everyone into the 6 yard box when attacking them. I get that the idea of this is to do with cramping the keeper's room, but surely by congesting the goal area with our own players and then having the opposition markers there too, then there there is less room to get a clear chance at goal? Surely it would be better to have one player on the keeper, one player running to the near post for a flick on, but everyone else running in from deep so the ball can be attacked when moving forward, rather than from a static position. That ought to also make it more obvious when a defender grapples one of our forwards, whereas at present with the congestion in the penalty area it is easy for a ref to miss the dark arts with so many bodies in the same area.

Legia Sky Blue said:

I don't think our throw ins are as bad as they used to be. I also think that on the whole Thomas is decent at keeping possession. I think this is where a couple of instances of both get stuck in the memory and have us believing they happen all the time.

My bugbears are mostly to do with corners. Firstly when they get mishit by the taker, and secondly when we cram everyone into the 6 yard box when attacking them. I get that the idea of this is to do with cramping the keeper's room, but surely by congesting the goal area with our own players and then having the opposition markers there too, then there there is less room to get a clear chance at goal? Surely it would be better to have one player on the keeper, one player running to the near post for a flick on, but everyone else running in from deep so the ball can be attacked when moving forward, rather than from a static position. That ought to also make it more obvious when a defender grapples one of our forwards, whereas at present with the congestion in the penalty area it is easy for a ref to miss the dark arts with so many bodies in the same area.

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So how come you me and countless others see this and yet coaches and managers don't?

Bad Boy said:

I take your point shmmeee but when pros at our level can't do the basics with plenty of time and space and no challenge coming in then you have to ask yourself why?

Control the ball, look up, move with the ball, pass the ball these are all basic tasks that everyone of us that has ever played the game at any level have been told and shown countless times.

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"Control the ball" Ellis Simms has been at professional clubs since 2017 under many different coaches and he still cannot trap a ball properly.I sometimes wonder what these coaches do .
As for throw ins since O' Hare has moved we are lost no movement.
The crowded penalty area problem I notice is our own ,every one back no outlet.Leave 2 of our faster players left and right on the half way line needs 3 to mark them.