I like peanuts, prefer roasted to salted, not keen o peanut butter tho, but saying that peanut kitkats aren't too bad
No mate, salted everytime, roasted are cack! But to be serious, I do not care where we get the players from if they are of the needed quality, I am certain there are plenty of players,m not even in the lower leagues that are good enough, it is just that we dont sign them , Peterbro` do !!
I compare football teams to a band. All players specialise but a good band starts with a solid rhythm section. If the bassist and drummer are a tight unit you are more than 70% to having a good band. if a team has a tight solid defence that doesn't leak goals it take the pressure off the midfield nor does the attack feel pressured to have to chase lots of goals because they know we will concede loads. A weak defence means the midfield has no confidence in pushing forwards and so the midfield ends up back virtually in their own area and so the attack becomes completely isolated inviting yet more pressure on the defence. An unbridgeable gap develops between defence/midfield and the attacking forwards who then have to track back. Not been for some time living abroad but I remember this scenario season after season at Oakwell. Panic stations time after time with BFC inviting the teams onto us instead of pushing out. More often than not this led to us conceding goals. It ain't that hard. SORT THE DEFENCE!!
Oh dear, It would appear that, without having been this season, nor having.... ...any background in football other than as a spectator everything I have read since I started this thread bears out my original hypothesis and subsequent analysis of the problem. i.e. 'same old same old'-Too big a gap between the midfield and forwards inviting pressure onto the defence). How is it then that I and others (who have and probably know a lot more about football than me) have the ability to identify the causes of the problem when highly paid 'professionals' seem incapable of addressing the fundamentals. I think part of the problem is, for all his tough talk, Flicker is a nice guy who tries to be everyone's mate and do the best by them. Unfortunately some players won't respond to that so he has to become a real manager, toughen up, and adapt his style according to each individual's character or else he will get walked all over. MR FLITCROFT: I have heard you speak on radio, I have seen your analysis and post match comments in video reports and based on those I am sure you are a more than capable manager so PLEASE stop tinkering, address the basics, stop giving misplaced loyalty to certain players whilst ignoring others more deserving, and make the tough decisions that a manager has to and I am sure it will all come good. End of rant!
To be fair, I think Flicker realised the defence needed improving, and has addressed this, hence the signings of M'Voto and Nyatanga. It's just that with Cranie and Nyatanga injured, and M'Voto suspended, he can't pick his best defence
...the problem is though, based on recent showing, it is not so much about the "best defence" but our only defence. We seem to have a large(ish) squad but when certain key players are unavailable (like the aforementioned three) it appears that our 'strength in depth' is pretty non-existent.
I think if any team lost 3 of their back 4 (or back 3 in our case!) they'd struggle too. But I do get what you're saying.
