Plus we weren't retaining the ball in midfield for large periods. Broom and even Pan could have done more. Its very tough mentally for defenders when there is no respite and that's when mistakes are bound happen.
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Brief Synopsis Fleetwood
- Thread starter MGM
- Start date
Conceding an average of 3 goals a game over the last 3 games; something is seriously wrong. In my opinion our defending, not just our defenders but from front to back has become very poor.
No team will win anything if they're easy to score against. we need a serious rethink and a clean sheet from somewhere.
No team will win anything if they're easy to score against. we need a serious rethink and a clean sheet from somewhere.
A 4-4-2 would be worth a punt although having sat through 90 minutes at Hillsborough and watching the Ennis/Garrick combination struggle up front, I wouldn't pair those two as I think they are too similar in terms of play. Jephcott and Ennis for me based on form on the last couple of games.
M
M
And I agree with that - and with your more general points about width. This current side has always looked most dangerous when creating out wide - particularly a combination of Mayor and Grant, or Grant and Broom earlier in the season.
It seems the ploy of pushing Edwards and Grant further up the pitch is designed to allow for more of that - but at the moment, it seems to simply be leaving us horribly exposed down the flanks at times.
This.
I'd much rather 3 points with a 'head injury', physio on, cramp, Coops haning onto ball and getting a yellow etc than 1 point. Dare I say it was naive play?
That's fair - but it's also fair to say that he is pulled back by Harrison (?) and unfairly blocked by their number 11 as the ball drops and is headed goalwards.
I think it does but is it then offside? Randell doesn't play it deliberately to the Fleetwood, so it could be argued it's an attempted block...in which case I think he's still off. Pots and pans and all that, I suppose.
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You can dare say it was football as opposed to cheating.
I'm a football supporter not a fan of cheating tbh.
People researching ball heading and Alzheimers in football and you 'support' feigning head injuries??
Maybe WWF🤼♂️ (not the pandas🐼) is more your thing?
We notched up three straight clean sheets just a few weeks back. This wingback ploy seems to be a new thing introduced since the new coaches came on board - since we started doing it we look about as solid at the back as a sheet of MDF.
Something needs to be done urgently about the defence which increasingly is looking like last season's version. Either the system or some of the personnel need to be changed. Meanwhile our attacking play still looks good and we have scored some very good goals recently. Having seen Chelsea dominating Spurs on Sunday and Argyle's defence crumbling in the last three matches I fear what may happen at Stamford Bridge - but you never know....!
I think the fact we’ve had an unsettled midfield has not helped. The defence has looked very exposed, particularly during Houghton’s dip in form. In the last month, Broom has had COVID, Camara went to AFCON, Houghton and Mayor have been injured. Leaving just Adam Randell (who has been excellent). We had a really settled side during our good run.
On Saturday I would like to see Grant moved into midfield for Broom and Law started at LWB, if Mayor and Houghton remain unavailable. He is very athletic and can get up and down the wing well.
What I would say is that even though these results have been disappointing, we’re still competitive. We’re still defending well for large periods of the game and creating chances. We had complete defensive control for most of that second half last night and kept them at arms length. But we’ve let points slip in pressure moments two games in a row. Set pieces of all things. Really basic stuff and it’s so avoidable.
A win against Doncaster is much needed and then we can get the Chelsea sideshow out of the way and focus on a very winnable run of games through February. All is not lost but we are a couple defeats away from the season fizzling out.
I have to agree. I saw Broom scurrying around after players a lot but not really getting any meaningful challenges in
Some good thinking.
Although Randell has been good it has been a lot of responsibility. If we want to get some old heads in the centre of the park, either wing back (Edwards or Grant) could step in and be replaced at wing back, by Garrick or Law respectively.
The thing about the argument that we are a solid mid table team who were over performing, is that we are now showing relegation, not mid-table form.
We've taken eight points from the last ten games.
I accept that being top of the league overstated the quality of our squad, but having got into a position where we had 36 points from 17 games, even average/midtable form for the remainder of the season would have put us on close to 80 points and a lock for the play offs.
Instead our form has collapsed to the point where we are going to need to pick up quickly to even remain in the play off hunt.
Even if you felt at the start of the season, as I did, that a top half finish would represent satisfactory progress, it would be deeply disappointing if we now fall out of the play off race altogether given where we were.
And if our current run continues, it is not going to augur well or create much of a feelgood factor for next season either.
Not that it excuses the fact we couldn’t see out a 3 1 lead but their equaliser was blatantly offside and the lino would have had a clear view.
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