Why after seven seasons do we still....

....not have an adequate defence to compete at Championship level? Five different managers, dozens of different defensive players, numerous different defensive formations and we still see the same frailties year in year out.
Sitting and watching the shambles unfold at Blackburn yesterday was an embarrassment. Without question being down to 10 men after 15 minutes is an uphill task but I doubt any other side in the league would have capitulated as meekly as we did. If Flicker saw fit to renew McNulty's contract in the summer then why did he not put him on the field yesterday after the sending off? If he can't get a game when Crainie, Nyatanga, M'Voto and Hassell are all missing then when exactly is he going to get any game time? Josh King ripped O'Brien to pieces time and time again from the first whistle to when he was thankfully substituted. Surely it was obvious to move Wiseman to full back and bring on McNulty? Also no one seems to have mentioned how truly awful Golbourne was, particularly in the first half hour or so. I lost count at the number of times he gave the ball away under no pressure and then it was his rank bad pass that put Rhodes in on goal for M'Voto to bring him down. No matter how many defenders we sign we just never seem to improve on the defensive side at all.
We have the biggest squad in living memory but how an earth we are going to keep everyone happy and build any kind of continuity with a settled side? i also fear for the youngsters like RNL and Rose because there are so many fringe players blocking their path.
Three weeks in and we really are up against it already. We really do need to somehow scrape a result against what looks like a strong Huddersfield team next Saturday and then take stock during the international break.
Some serious work on the defensive side needs to be done in those two weeks because the fixtures through September and into October look extremely daunting. It's going to be another long, tough season I'm afraid.

 

I've been wondering the same re McNulty.

 

A. because we don't have the financial capability to compete

B. it must be very difficult to attract players to Barnsley when we struggle every season

C. Because (recently, even though he's my favourite player) Bobby Hassell hasn't been playing every week, according to some, anyway.

D. because every manager his own signings and looks a bit of a tw@t if he doesn't play them or they turn out to be *****. Especially Mr Davey and Mr Hill.

 

In my opinion we have the defenders..........especially now My-vote is here.

However, on the evidence of the highlights against Blackburn........we don't have the tactics right.......OR..........alternatively the defenders are not playing as a unit

 

Well said that.

 

Agreed.

McNulty is a waste of a salary........he's nt good enough.......I know it and so does Flicker, by the looks of things?

 

So what's changed in the 8 weeks since he decided to retain him?

 

For me, nowt's changed.....McNulty is not up to Championship level.

Flicker needs to be asking himself the question " why did I retain him, if I now deep down, he ain't up to it". Otherwise, he would have played a part after M'Voto sending off?

 

mcNulty do we not think the opportunity to sign him was slightly unexpected and we might not have resigned McNulty if we knew we were going to get him.

On a wider point of our currents defenders I can only think of Cranie with the ability to play in a top half championship side. In fact over that 7 year period I would say that only Shackell and Stones have had the quality to play in teams competing at the top end of the championship.

We do not seem to have improved over the last 7 seasons. In fact we have gone backwards again after some improvements between January and the end of March last year.

In the close season we attempted to address defensive frailties by signing an international defender with 39 caps and promise in M'Voto as all 3 of our first choice centre backs have not been available at the same time it's too early to judge whether this will be successful.

 

Sorry should have read opportunity to sign M'Voto damn sausage fingers.