oldage":36pk1tca said:
The polar opposite? Error prone,can't pass and dreadful on the floor. Same as our defence last season.
Quite unfair in my opinion.
Opoku and Watts could play football extremely well for defenders.
They were better and less wasteful in possession than a lot of our other players. And as for errors, there aren't an abundance of defensive clangers that spring to mind.
Their undoing was heading out routine crosses which conceded routine goals. They lacked character, focus and determination at times and couldn't see out a win the way a Derek Adams back line could.
Their mental frailty was a corrosion that spread to the rest of the team, and even a goal or two up we could never be sure.
I think Lowe has really sat and thought about it and realised he needs good defenders first and foremost at the back - alpha male gobshite types that are willing to head bricks and tackle a rhinocerous.
An ability to control and pass a football is a secondary consideration - preferred, but not essential.
I can definitely see the style of play changing this season. Portsmouth seemed to have big physical defenders who clattered the ball away, perhaps Lowe has realised you don't need elegance at the back like Manchester City to win lower league football matches.
