Is this season a one off down to Vals way of playing which has taken the division by surprise and fortunately suited our players strengths or is it natural progression of a well organised club? Could we have sustained this push if we had not signed Dike.? One off or not I am loving this season.
Well, for all the complaints that Morris doesn't start enough, I'd like to think that Morris and Cauley would be enough to keep us pressing on without Dike, we might just not be able to make the subs in those areas.
I think Val sees Cauley, DK and Morris as the best 3 strikers but also recognises its all or nothing starting with these 3 as Adebeyejo, Chaplin and Frieser are less likely to change a game. However the DK and Morris signings have definitely given us the push while Helik and Britain set the foundation in terms of signings
Since the January signings of Dike and Morris they have contributed 13 goals and 2 assists between them.
I've seen other teams try to match our style of play but I don't recall any teams playing like we do. Is this how Val plays or is it his way to get the best out of this team? How do we differ to other teams he has coached previously.? I'm interested how we would adapt for the Premier league or for next season if its a championship push. If Val had taken over at Sheffield Wednesday could he have got their players to play like we do or are we blessed with a unique team of players? I have got Val down as the new Messiah and not a lot to do with the clubs plan but the club did buy these players not Val so that's not completely right. Would Warnock or Wilder get the same success out of these players?
Val inherited a team that were already familiar with his style of play off the ball, and he’s simplified how we play on the ball. A well organised team, where every player knows their role will always compete.
I know struber and stendel both liked to play a pressing style but dont see much similarity to how Val plays. I do agree about the keep it simple, well organised and know their roles as key to our success.
Ive asked 6 different questions in my ramblings, Are we crap without Dike? wasnt exactly what i was getting at. My heads hurting now. In summary before i nod off. Would we be top 6 without Dike? Is this high line high press Vals only way of playing? Is val and these players just a lucky fit or is it as Conway Lee had planned all along?
No Yes Yes That's how I see it as well. As I said in my OP I am loving this season and so excited to see what happens in the run in. Another question I asked was would Warnock or Wilder do as well as Val has? I don't think they would as our success is more to do with the high press high energy than our collective footballing talent as a group of players. This is not negative in anyway I'm just interested as how the same set of players have gone from relegation fodder to play off championship challengers.?
It's a little bit of everything I suppose. Changing the style will have caught some off guard at first. Now we are in a strong postion other teams are perhaps more fearful of us and as we have see actually adapting how they play to deal with us. Also we are brimming with confidence, a great mix. Dike and Morris have both been excellent additions and helped us maitathe push and I don't think it's a exaggerated statement to say we would have less points on the board without them. Assuming we don't continue to defy the odds and are still in the Championship next season then its back to square one. Not in a bad way but we have to be realistic. Players will leave and new ones will come in. If we keep that turnover low then so much the better. We will hopefully also see the return of supporters to stadia and this too is another variable in the mix. For me success for us as a club is mid table security with the occasional tilt at the play offs. If we do go onto to make the play offs and miss out I hope our fan base doesn't get too carried away and have expectations of regularly challenging the top of the table. Of course I would love to see that and we should aim high but it always feels better as the underdog gatecrashing the party.
Agree with this. Success in the short term is one thing, sustained success is a whole other level altogether. To get there will require patience in abundance, and as we all know it's in very short supply.
