Was the fitness of the team a factor of yesterdays performance?

We looked a little sluggish the crisp passing had disappeared. Its not the first time this has happened when we have played mid-week games maybe we need to change the tempo as its looks unsustainable in a short space of time.

Forest have only made the odd change over the last three games so we can't blame the squad depth!

 

That all expenses paid holiday in the sun didn't work did it

 

I wasn't talking about general fitness but I think you know that

 

What kind of fitness was you talking about then? :S

 

Like trying to sprint a marathon type of fitness

 

I thought our game was based on slowly passing the ball around, being patient and waiting for gaps. Now it appears that it is based on sprinting around the pitch like madmen. I've certainly not seen any of that from the majority of our players. Dawson and Perkins maybe but the rest? Not a chance. Mellis strolls around, yesterday was the first time that Harewood has broken sweat, Wiseman and Foster are immobile. And Done has started one in three games.

 

No its about closing down and retaining possession but if those closing down players are knackered we are struggling.

 

Thought that Dorothy looked worn out Saturday - but then after being the MoM(IMHO) for the last 4 games - he's entitled to an offday!! Obviously, Dawson was taken off for tactical reasons as I thought he was ok up to then!

 

you have to be fit to do that. Barcelona have the fittest players in La Liga for one reason.

Oh my god, we lose and everything in the worlds wrong. FFS. We will lose games. We will not play every game. Manchester united or manchester city play bad sometimes and so will we.

And you ask the players about there time in spain. I have and they will tell you its fecking hard work out there.

 

Dunno, but just a brief check shows that 9 players have started 10 or more league games this season - physically they should be fine, taking account of knocks/strains that they may not get time to shake off, but mentally and form wise - any drop in either means there's no opportunity to rest players. The situation's been exacerbated by 2 defenders going out on loan on the understanding injured players were coming back to fitness and the injury list we're having to put up with.

That's not excusing any lack of effort/bad displays, but it gives an insight into how the vast majority of the current starting XI are having to be on top form constantly and the manager has been limited in his oprions to change things when needed.

I know that makes me a crawly Hill bum licker, but hey ho.

 

The injury situation and how oft and how long they are out for is a worry. The effort put in to games aint sustainable playing 3 times in 8 days and then training as well.

Its rare we get 2 wins out of 3 when we have a midweek game sandwiched in and rare we put in 3 good performances though it has been done.

Too much being asked of too few.

 

Maybe so, the likes of Mellis, Stones, Cywka and Goldbourne don't look as influential as they did earlier on in the season. The players doing the majority of the running, Done, Perkins, Harewood, have been in and out of the team all season so are probably relatively fresh.

Davies is a big miss, as is O'Brien, and I reckon McNulty should come back into the fold too as well as Stones. Mido can't be too far away from at least making the bench so I reckon we do have players to change things a little bit, but I suppose Keith is damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. If he makes changes and they don't make a difference he'll be getting hounded, yet he has openly stated he can't afford to bring anyone in before someone else leaves.

 

Thems'em.

 

He dunt help hissen bringing em in with Kellitus and playing players who aren`t fit.

 

Did you not notice on Saturday forest were except for about twenty minutes from the ninety the better team.

Their tactics were spot on.

Being able to run about a lot doesn't excuse the inability to track back and cover your full backs.

 

This should say Steele, not Stones

 

Who's he played unfit ? Davies is one - cos he was nursing a groin problem early doors.

 

Marlon weren`t fit for me early doors, thought he looked oreight on Tuesday but I only see home games.

 

You're one of us now

"One of us", "One of us", "One of us", "One of us", chanted ad infinitum.

 

Instead of being at the Well on Saturday, I was instead at the Emirates (not through choice!) watching Arsenal v QPR.

One thing that was really noticeable and very surprising was the warm up.

Compared to how we warm up prior to the game, both sides made token efforts. A few drills, the old school stand in a circle stretching exercises a bit of tip tap and the keepers were even more lethargic. Julio Cesar of QPR stood between the sticks and had the reserve kick a few soft shots at him. Nothing to get his reflexes going and indeed most of the shots went in as he couldn't be bothered to dive. yet when the game started, he lept QPR in it and made some outstanding stops.

Arsenal were the other end warming up, but they did the same sort of thing for half an hour.

It does make you wonder if we're over training to the point where stamina is affected and also explains some of the issues with injuries. Not the Mido and O'Brien type which are just a bit of bad luck, but the McNulty, Cranie type ones which seem a slight niggle but then end up being months out.

You'd think the Premiership teams having bigger budgets and Wenger in particular being highly scientific in his approach to player fitness, would be at the leading curve of football science and player fitness.

For me, there's something not right. In all my time, I've never known such basic injuries keep players out for such lengthy periods of time and so many of them.

And with a squad as reliant on a handful of key players as we are, it's something I hope we can get to the bottom of quickly.