Did today unlock 4-42 for us?

You're a solid bloke. Don't post often enough though.

I hope my optimism holds water too. I just feel that way out. I understand the worries of others, but at the same time, I think we're going to be getting better over time. Whereas in past seasons, we've been struggling with a squad that had nothing in it. You look back to the last lot who were relegated for example. There was very little there. These lads can only improve. I know fans want things instantly, but it isn't that simple, not even for Hecky.

Look at Bristol City. Towed at the bottom of the league last season, now look at them after a year under their belts. Time is key. Patience. And Christmas is a time for joy. We'll be fine. Trust me.

 

I think 442 helped us defensively as it ment we pushed up and pressed when not in possession. We looked more defensively solid than we have in a long time. This may not work against the sides in the top half of the table who have a lot more quality.

From a attacking perspective it made next to no difference. Once again we looked devoid of imagination and quality in the final 3rd. Thiam did nothing of any real note. Bradshaw worked hard like he always does but missed the one chance he got.

Going in off the back of 5 defeats I think it was still a good well earned point. Next Saturday looks very tough, two home games of Christmas and a trip to Sunderland on new years day, a crucial period and we need to find some goals.

Thought the support was magnificent, constant backing.

 

Also the small matter of them spending nigh on £10 million

 

Davies was excellent yesterday no doubt. Just shows what he is capable of and if he can find a greater level of constitancey he will be a very good keeper.

 

I think we have got progressively worse this season rather than better. There is still time to change things round we have a massive task ahead but a fantastic head coach so all isn’t lost yet.

 

Great defending , but we gave the ball away too easy and struggled to pass ball in midfield . Need a few signings in January to improve the quality and the team

 

I look through their squad and can’t see many big name, high cost players. They’ve been through struggles and that patience is now bearing fruit.

 

They spent big on that lad up front £6m.

Otherwise their spending this year is about on par with us. They sold Tomlin for £3m and spent £1m more than they brought in. Doesn’t at all surprise me Certain people can’t bring themselves to admit LJ turned us around after that bad run, and has now turned Bristol City into genuine promotion contenders.

 

They paid £5 million for one didn’t they?! As much as we spent on 10 plus punts.

I hope Hecky does get afforded the patience that Johnson got at BFC and later at BCFC. But let’s not kid ourselves that he hasn’t added more quality and spent money. We need to add more quality too as we are sorely lacking in it certainly in an attacking sense - we cannot retain the ball and we create very very little. As I said last night being solid is a start but need to win games and means scoring goals - which I can’t see how we will without some extra quality.

The Brentford match last season was very similar - they had lost of possession without really hurting us and we had the quality to score two goals. We don’t have that quality now.

 

They did get about £12m for Kodjia and a few back for Tomlin.

And I agree totally regards quality. Hecky will agree too. We were no better as a team last season, we lost just as frequently but the draws we turned into wins through that bit of quality made the difference. Like you say, at Brentford last year, Cardiff away, games like that where we weren’t on top but had that cutting edge.

I’m sure we will be looking to rectify that in January. Let’s hope we do because I think the group would flourish if they had a bit of ruthless help up top.

 

That lads been injured for ages, but to add some balance to the argument Brownhills doing well for them. We couldn't offer him what they can.

 

Bang on that. Davies was my man of match yesterday, but not because he had to pull off any world class saves, but because he was of the required standard whereas the rest weren't.

Brentford are exactly the same as they were last season, we're weaker

 

Four weeks ago we had scored 23 goals in 16 games, the 12th best in the division. What are we doing differently for the goals to dry up completely. Can you (or anyone) put their finger on it?

https://www.statbunker.com/competit...&end_date=18-11-2017&start_time=0&end_time=90

 

It's difficult to say off the top of my head because the team has been swapped and changed so much over the season.

Quite a few games in our recent run of 1 defeat in 8 coincided with Isgrove being in the side though.

10 goals came from 3 games against Sunderland, Millwall and Burton. All huffed and puffed but eventually rolled over.

So many players in our midfield that can play well, but getting them all to play well for more than a spell and all in the same game is proving a real problem.

 

It’s not just up top. It’s in the centre too. Although I’m afraid players of his calibre come round about every 15-20 years for us...

 

I sometimes think our midfield is like an obscure mathematical equation, where:

CH > ( GM + BP )
and
JS > (JW + GG )

The answer might be 3 (played together in the middle of a 451). But there's also an invisible SM floating about somewhere, and I'm not quite sure where it fits.

 

I listened to the game on iFollow and most times that Gardner's name was mentioned it was followed by the words "poor ball". I think he did win possession of the ball on a number of occasions but on the whole he contributed little to the game. Obviously I can't comment on his positioning or his work rate etc.

 

First some generalities. When you change as many players as we changed during the summer, you expect the team to settle slowly. That process is helped if you can keep a fairly settled team and a settled formation. There have been too many changes of personnel and only some of those have been forced on Hecky by injury. There have been too many changes of system and combined with the changes in personnel, it has made it very hard to find a rhythm or confidence. Hecky was not helped by missing out on McBurney who, I believe, was key to the way that he wanted to play. There is no balance up front with the players who he has been left with. We hear lots that Hecky has watched our opponents, and has come up with a plan and a way that he wants to play against them. But our opponents are no different. They will be watching us and they will devise a way to play against us. The problem is that we have been rumbled.

I only go to home games, so the rest of this is based upon what I see at home, and specifically our last 3 home defeats. The Cardiff game was unlucky. They did not amend their tactics for us. They simply played a containing game and hoped to get a bit of luck, which is just what happened. However, in the next game Leeds rumbled our 4-1-4-1 system by pressing high. They forced us to take a challenge in our half - or hit the ball long. It was such a comprehensive defeat that Hecky was forced into a major change of systems and big changes take time to settle. He knows that he does not have the players to play an attacking 4-4-2, so against Derby, he opted for a defensive 4-4-2, with Williams and Gardner protecting the back 4. Of course, that means that we have to hit the ball long in order to bridge the gap from our deep midfield to our isolated front two, but he felt that he had to get some clean sheets to act as a foundation. Of course, as soon as we lose a goal, the game is up for those players in that system.

OK, three home games is not much evidence, and the question is a big one, but I think Hecky is playing for time. He has a lot of key players injured and he hopes that he will be able to strengthen in January. Until then, we will be scrapping for every point, and our strategy will be based upon keeping clean sheets, even at the expense of providing entertainment and goals.

 

Who's injured? Isgrove? And wouldn't say we have any key players injured as I don't think we have any key players.