Some of the signings so far haven't quite clicked, I agree. This isn't directed at you personally but the yo-yoing on here and the cov fans forum on facebook, from strength in depth to poor summer recruitment, after a couple of wins or a couple of defeats is exasperating.
Last month, we won 5 in 5, this month we've done poorly. We're still finding out feet in a higher division and I would of happily taken midtable this season.
I'm not doing the whole recruitment appraisal because frankly it's boring and it's been done to death already on here but it's clear the team is still gelling.
On Chaplin:
- Chaplin, who I think will get at least 15 goals this season, is coming deep to receive the ball because our midfield is struggling to link the play from midfield to attack. Without Bayliss driving forward, the link between midfield and attack is nearly non-existent. Doyler is currently taking a lot of blame for it and I think he needs a bit of a rest but I think the biggest problem is coming from the wings.
The key role of the winger is linking up with the strikers and Hiwula and Thomas are not linking up, at all. Hiwula because he's a striker playing out of position and Thomas because he's a raw 19 year old, with frustrating end product, that just takes the shot on again and again and again - without scoring. If someone can find the stat of how many crosses or key passes have been delivered by Thomas or Hiwula this season, I would love to see it and I'm confident it will be very low.
I agree with the constructive criticism, that Chaplin shouldn't drop deeper to hunt for the ball. Firstly, because he's a poacher and we want him in the box and on the shoulder of the last defender, not stood on top of Bayliss. Secondly, because this is taking Chaplin further away from Clarke-Harris, which then makes JCH look ineffective when there's nobody to pick up his flick ons or hold up play.... but the main reason Chaplin is doing this is because of the midfield and our inability to link to attack and it's totally reliant upon Bayliss, who opposition teams are then singling out.
- McNulty (a class act) scored his 28 goals in League 2. Chaplin is playing a league above and has more goals than McNulty had this time last season.
- Chaplin's 21, McNulty is 26. McNulty has 5 years experience on the game over Chaplin. To expect Chaplin to come in and immediately take the reigns from McNulty is unfair, particularly when McNulty was on fire for the second half of the season. I was just as excited as everyone else when we signed Chaplin but we've got to give him a chance to adapt to the team and vice versa. Chaplin's 3 months into a 4 year deal and has gone from being a squad player to our central striker. I'm convinced Chaplin will come good.
