A sound defensive footing

if you watch Charlton v Wrexham tonight you’ll see two teams built on a sound defensive footing. Duff did the same for us.

that foundation is necessary for any team to succeed and I am sorry to say, our foundation is soft as ****.

we have some talented footballers who can, at times play some neat, intricate football leading to some good goals but the team always has an uphill battle to win games because we are so very very bad defensively.

I tried to watch the game dispassionately today. Our midfield offers the defence very little protection. The problem with that is that when you have poor defenders, they get very exposed.

it’s been the same all season and it does concern me that Hourihane has not referenced this. The defensive record is SHOCKING

we have conceded SEVENTY ONE goals in league one

that is more than pretty much every team in the league. We are lucky not to be relegated this season and to be told by our owner we have a top 3 team is beyond alarming.

we need a total clear out but more importantly we then need to build from the back. We need a midfield that protects the defence (a new defence) and then build from there.

it’s not that difficult to do in league one with a half decent wage budget as a strong organised side blessed with a bit of skill and pace in this league does well.

 

I you don't concede you don't lose.

We won the FA Cup by not conceding.

 

We need a mass clear out in the summer and need to recruit well. All over the pitch but especially in defence.

If we are playing 4 at the back, we already have too many centre backs and none of them are good enough. Roberts at a push but he can’t keep going forever. Earl has his moments but I’m guessing he will be left back anyway.

 

don't forget a good keeper !

 

100% mate.

I always think it’s a position that is overlooked a bit. A quality keeper can get you an extra 10 goals a season. Another area we are miles away in thanks to the Director of Football who is giving a very good impression of a man who doesn’t know what he is doing.

 

Our midfield / forward play and decision making is glacial. We just pass it around endlessly, with no one making a decision, or they are incapable of making something happen. Also, Cotter put some great balls into the box, but no one is there to get on the end of them, or Max xG is there to clear it, or pass it back to their goalkeeper.

 

I'm afraid for this reason MDG's time at the club needs to come to an end.

Thing with stats is, you can make them say what you like. The main stat is that he's been a mainstay in a defence that just isn't good enough, because they concede two a game.

On another note, we don't have the defenders to play a high pressing game as the club seem obsessed with. They're too slow and so it's self-sabotage.

New defence needed.

 

Bang on. I was left wondering to myself exactly what our style of play was / is

it is so easy to defend against

 

You’re right, however I have heard an interview where he does reference exactly this - he mentioned a sound defensive footing needs to be established and is fully aware of our terrible defensive record this season.

Whether he can work miracles with it, time will tell…

 

Good to hear mate!

 

That’s good then that he’s spotted it now and hopes to improve it next season when he’s been part of the management team all season and yet failed to make any inroads into improving things at the end of this season.

unfortunately it looks and feels like someone is out of their depth and lacking any experience to change anything as there’s no track record of him being in charge of a team before. We have taken a massive gamble again and unfortunately unless it pays off it’s just another gaff in a series of them tbh.

 

You need a defender to coach defending, and players capable of coaching up to the required standard

 

Yeah that's also my biggest concern now.
With the state the club are in right now, that means theres a big job needed this summer. And where do we even begin ehh, where should be our first priorities.
Conor is just starting out as a manager/coach, and that's not his fault of course, and its not a criticism against him.
But that's why I think he's not the right person to be given such a massive task.

 

We need an entirely new back 4 next season, it’s as simple as that.

non of our right back options are any good (cotter, Lembikisa, Lofthouse & o’keefe), bland has a bright future but at just 19 I think he’s a squad man for the time being or maybe needs a loan somewhere. MDG is full of mistake and just not good enough. Roberts is a way past his best. Maybe Earl is ok.

 

Aye, but it sunk the Titanic. And laid the foundations for the first world war. So swings and roundabouts.

 

I agree with all this. The worrying thing is we never have had money or time to do a proper rebuild. We have always needed a decent squad to tinker with. Right now i dont believe we have that. I do believe we need to ship 10 players out for 10 better players to come in. It wont happen.

The rate of our demise has been alarming. Im worried about the decisions we make rather than the money we have. I felt the demise was coming a few years ago but feared money would be our big issue. I never expected our decision making to be so poor.

 

36 goals conceded at home which is the joint worse in division along with Peterborough

 

Clearly the necessary total rebuild will not happen overnight, or even in one transfer window. There's an old adage that teams defend their way to safety and fire their way to promotion. So I do think building from the back is the way.

I haven't seen enough from Smith or Flavell to say that either should be starting, so there's top priority, even if it's another loan. We need to strengthen up the back 4 and probably a holding midfielder. I'm not sure Connell ot Nwakali can do the dirty work well enough.

If we can keep Russell, Jalo, Humphreys and Keillor-Dunn, I do think we can cobble together two lines of three that can compete at this level. We would then be back in the realms of tweaking.

I think a loanee keeper is very likely and I'd be surprised if plans are not already in motion there. I'd be happy with Roberts as long as we have a pacy foil for the ball over the top and Earl is OK at left back. So realistically I think we need a new centre half who can run, a proper, defensive right back and a midfield anchor who will support his defence.

A tall order but an achievable path to a competitive first XI to start next season with. Then we either need a bit of luck with someone already on the books coming good up front or the ever-elusive successful January window.

 

We have two keepers that are not first team ready/standard.. Whether they'll ever step up and make the grade is up to them.. But two reserve keepers is one too many at a club our size. One should be allowed to leave and an experienced one brought in.
The club is not a charity and if it wants to move forward, it must trim it's cloth.