What on earth happened? (4 Viewers)

The refs performance wasn't the worst out there today. Come on stop deluding yourselves about refs!!!

Refs are no different to wind, rain and snow; just something you have to overcome.

Hobo said:

The refs performance wasn't the worst out there today. Come on stop deluding yourselves about refs!!!

Refs are no different to wind, rain and snow; just something you have to overcome.

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Was just listening to one of our old players on a Podcast. Kevin Kilbane , who spoke about Craig Bellamy talking non stop to opposition players the whole match telling them they were crap, too old, too slow, didn't make as much money as him. He also mentioned that when he played for Huddersfield b Arsenal in a league cup game , Ces Fabregas came on as a sub and kept on telling any Huddersfield player he was near how shit they were .

bigfatronssba said:

He would’ve.

Wilson was Robins’ favourite. But as he’s a injured he would’ve picked Collins over Dovin

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I very much doubt it, collins wasn't even making the bench unless someone was talking injured

The match day forum thread and likewise here are full of player frailties and acusations. 'They are shite', 'can't defend', and the list goes on. It's a player attack and nothing else?
The reality is we largely have the same players that took us to the FA Cup semi and showed us what was to come with a few tweaks close season. We all bought into that, hook line and sinker.
King made so many changes throughout the football club, but it was OK - it's going to make us play better. Then he fired Robin's who everyone on here to a man virtually agreed was wrong. No one particularly wanted Lampard as he seemed to fail at previous clubs. Yet here we are. What did you expect?

Lampard can't put a sentence together of any conviction when inteviewed. Yet Doug thought he was great during the inteview process. I do think King along with his changes seeked a big name on the basis it would generate a demand for tickets and above all galvanise the players around a legend and power us on to a top six or even better outcome. Well that works well for Rooney right?

Perhaps to be fair Lampard is no Rooney, but to suggest he had the experience to replace and nurture our squad into winners was a stretch. Lampards interview after today was tame, lacked compassion and any forthright command of the situation. It's dire.
So stop putting all the blame on the players and look at the people who are tasked with making them turn up, and play a coherent game of football from instructions given by the coaching staff, headed by Lampard.
That is what is not working. The signs were there under Robin's and the inexperienced Lampard has simply exacerbated it further.

It's a real shame as we have come so far and had all the tools in place. But, King just swept those aside.

But I suggest panic is not called for. No, this squad is strong for this league, and there is every chance it will turn around quickly starting with the next game. A few people need to look at themselves in the mirror and fix what has been wrong in the background since Dougs changes. There is a plethora of staff in every which department concentrating on one issue or another. We just need to focus and get the players to put in some hard graft and equal focus on the football without all the chatter so to speak. We can't just turn up and expect to win because we are acting like we are the bees knees all of a sudden. A few colour coded tracksuits is not going to make things happen......

Cov kid 55 said:

Where do you think we’ve improved the team. We’re worse without O’Hare (imo) and I can’t see who has improved us, although I don’t think Rudoni is a bad signing. You could say our squad overall is stronger than in previous seasons, but our best 11 is not as good as previous seasons when we had Gyokeres, Hamer, O’Hare and McFadzean, none of whom have been adequately replaced (and I accept that‘s a tough ask). That’s the reason we are where we are.

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Last season, Wright and Simms’ output was higher in the aggregate than Gyokeres in 22/23 and hes a player you’re never going to replace right away.

My critique of the recruitment is that we haven’t added new bodies to the defence or midfield. Rudoni has a higher output (xG + xA) than COH so there’s no material downgrade. In fact, it could be considered an upgrade potentially. The defenders and deeper midfielders are exactly the same set of players that finished 9th and we’ve added the likes of EMC, BTA, Bassette to the group which is a material improvement.

So we are massively underachieving and some of that is tactical/coaching but we have to face the fact that our defence is lightweight. At minute, to be hyperbolic, all a team has to do to score is get a shot on target, we’re more less conceding every other shot we get against us.

The team needs change at CB and GK. Dovin and Lifching are the obvious changes, otherwise, we need new signings in those positions.

Binks record for us as a starting CB makes for grim reading.

ptr said:

Horrendous isn’t it.

To be fair, I had heard there was a highly contagious virus going around the club this week which will have affected the players.

No excuse for Collins though because he didn’t catch that either.


Sorry…

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What is it ? Dropsy

bigfatronssba said:

According to some if Robins was still here Collins wouldn't have thrown the ball in the net for the forth

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He wouldnt have because he wouldnt have been playing under Robins. Robins new Collins was shit hence bombing him out the first team squad

One of our main problems, apart from all the horrendous mistakes we are making at the back, is that players who were playing very well last season, have suddenly shown poor form, this season.

The two notable ones are Sheaf and MVE.

They have both been linked with moves away, so the only conclusion I can come to, is that their minds are elsewhere, or that they are carrying injuries.

Whatever it is, it's really hurting us.

Mucca Mad Boys said:

Soft defence and defence goalkeeping. If Lampard does not address it, it’ll cost him his job as it did with Robins.

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Sooner the better but sadly I don't think King would sack him even if we go into League 1.

To answer the question in the thread title...Frank Lampard happened.

The Nomad said:

Sooner the better but sadly I don't think King would sack him even if we go into League 1.

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Why do you want Lampard out so much?

Cally Fedora said:

What happened? Our keeper engineered a complete momentum change

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1st goal. MVE falls over, Da Silva fails to close down quickly. Yes Collins should save it but it’s not his fault for the 2 errors leading to the goal.

2nd goal. WTF is Da Silva doing. Nothing Collins can do to save that shot.

3rd goal. Thomas fails to even attempt the header. He should be clearing that easily. Again though no idea what Collins was doing in no man’s land.

4th goal. Actually a great save originally before the flap. We had 3 defenders to 1 striker in the box. fucking clear it one of you.

Yes Collins is a poor keeper but it’s not his fault for the absolute shocking defending for all 4 goals.

Lati gets some stick but he adds a bit of composure that the others don’t. I’d drop the lot of them at the back from yesterday on Boxing Day.

Dovin / Bidwell / Kitching & Lati / Eccles.

it really is about confidence with us. Bassett has to score that 1on1. Mason really should be scoring when he hit the post. Again Bassett should have scored when it was cleared off the line. How we didn’t score 3 goals in that first half was unbelievable.

Ritchie controlled the midfield. He had Sheaf, Torp & Rudi in his pocket. We desperately need some experience not just at the back but in midfield too

bigfatronssba said:

Why do you want Lampard out so much?

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Cos he should never have got the job in the first place. We needed someone like Steve Cooper. We got Lampard cos of who he is, not what he's capable of.

ccfc922 said:

Referee overturned the momentum, then we did the rest ourselves.

Allowing an off side FK to be taken in our own half was spectacular.

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I was talking next to the guy next to me about that. He was furious.

The Nomad said:

Cos he should never have got the job in the first place. We needed someone like Steve Cooper. We got Lampard cos of who he is, not what he's capable of.

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But it comes across that you’re now hoping he fails so you can be proved right

bigfatronssba said:

But it comes across that you’re now hoping he fails so you can be proved right

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The double standards keep coming!

Lampard has only managed a few games, has brought in new coaches and has inherited a mess of a squad.

We were told that the new coaching setup would take a few months to ‘gel’, so using that logic we can’t judge Lampard until after a year.

bigfatronssba said:

But it comes across that you’re now hoping he fails so you can be proved right

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Don't know how you come to that conclusion.

I'm angry that we put in another gutless performance and I'm angry at a 'glamour' appointment, that is going to backfire spectacularly on us, similar to what happened at Birmingham with Rooney.

Doesn't mean I want us to lose games.

Sick Boy said:

The double standards keep coming!

Lampard has only managed a few games, has brought in new coaches and has inherited a mess of a squad.

We were told that the new coaching setup would take a few months to ‘gel’, so using that logic we can’t judge Lampard until after a year.

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Agreed.
I think the January transfer window will also be an indication of what sort of manager he’ll be

bigfatronssba said:

Agreed.
I think the January transfer window will also be an indication of what sort of manager he’ll be

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I can see us bringing in a couple of loans but that’ll be it until the summer.

The Nomad said:

Don't know how you come to that conclusion.

I'm angry that we put in another gutless performance and I'm angry at a 'glamour' appointment, that is going to backfire spectacularly on us, similar to what happened at Birmingham with Rooney.

Doesn't mean I want us to lose games.

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Why is it going to backfire spectacularly?

Lampard can’t help that he’s a “glamour” appointment.

Also I’m sick of the comparisons with Birmingham and Rooney. Ours is a completely different situation. We didn’t sack Robins to bring in a name

He’s going to need 2 transfer windows to sort this out and be ready for next season.

skybluecam said:

First 15 mins we we all over them, should have been 2-0 up and were knocking it around nicely.

Equaliser deflated us and then as soon as it went 2 & 3-1 we capitulated.

When we are good we can compete with anyone in the league but we struggle to even manage that for 20 minutes a game at the moment.

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Portsmouth wanted it more than us, and defensively we're about as robust as a rich tea being dunked into a cuppa.

bigfatronssba said:

Why is it going to backfire spectacularly?

Lampard can’t help that he’s a “glamour” appointment.

Also I’m sick of the comparisons with Birmingham and Rooney. Ours is a completely different situation. We didn’t sack Robins to bring in a name

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100% Robins was sacked because we were putting in perfomances like yesterday most weeks, and then the same is happening under Lampard. We might has some nice attacking talent, but defensively the "deck" is shite.

AFCCOVENTRY said:

He’s going to need 2 transfer windows to sort this out and be ready for next season.

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Just want to see Lessons being learnt. I do think this team is technically good and you see that at times but the mentality is so fragile. Experience is needed to lift the players. Sunderland have added some older players and are fair better with a very similar squad.

Will add if Brad does his job, I do think our heads don't drop in the same way but still so poor from us to give up on the pitch

I just don’t understand why Bidwell isn’t playing.
Last year if I remember correctly he didn’t start the season, but then came in and our defence and fortunes upturned.
He’s steady, puts in a shift and is an experienced head…exactly what we need on the pitch, and not prone to utter fuck ups like some of the defence.
We need some ‘horrible’ defenders in the team, who give it everything, not those afraid to put in a shift and who make constant mistakes.

stupot07 said:

100% Robins was sacked because we were putting in perfomances like yesterday most weeks, and then the same is happening under Lampard. We might has some nice attacking talent, but defensively the "deck" is shite.

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Lampard needs to get pragmatic.
Make us difficult to beat first and build from there.

We want to see nice football as much as he wants his team to play it but unfortunately the opposition arent going to let us just turn up and stroke the ball about and make pretty patterns.

First thing we need to achieve that are an experienced CB and an experienced midfielder in January.

clint van damme said:

Lampard needs to get pragmatic.
Make us difficult to beat first and build from there.

We want to see nice football as much as he wants his team to play it but unfortunately the opposition arent going to let us just turn up and stroke the ball about and make pretty patterns.

First thing we need to achieve that are an experienced CB and an experienced midfielder in January.

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Completely agree. It's how Robins turned us around that play off season, played 5 at the back with the box midfield, defensively deep with men behind the ball and played on the counter attack. We started keeping clean sheets and with Vik and Gus there was always a chance we could hurt teams on the counter.

Even yesterday all our chances were pretty much counter attacking football. It's when we try and be clever and keep possession we make mistakes.

Agreed. Dovin, Kitching and Bidwell in for Plymouth. Torp out - still not seen him do anything near enough. Eccles in. Top 3 ok

bigfatronssba said:

Agreed.
I think the January transfer window will also be an indication of what sort of manager he’ll be

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Mental to throw money at a manager who has shown no ability to get the best out of players TBH.