I don't look at a single game except burnley away, that I expect us to lose. Few we def should win, few we could win, few toughies but not banker losses. There have been green shoots in recent weeks. Defence looks better with nyatanga and ramage to come back too. My only real concern is central midfield. I'm not slating Perkins and fox for under performing as I think they are playing as well as they can. However it isn't good enough. Central midfield is where football matches are won and lost. They create space for wingers and chances for attackers. They should dictate play and take pressure off the defence. It is where 60% of a game takes place. We need better otherwise we will carry on struggling. I have been massively critical of mellis because he has under performed and not looked to put a shift in. Any player can work hard, most can improve the defensive side, but you can't teach creativity and natural talent which mellis definitely has. He can play as a more offensive central mid. He just needs a better deeper player next to him. Currently nobody at the club is good enough to play this role. And with mellis injured and off form we are two short. Dawson, Perkins, Fox, Etuhu - all are too limited to control a match. Only Etuhu is a specialist "destructive" midfielder but he has been woefully short of form this season. Unless we invest in a genuinely quality central Midfielder none of the other aspects will consistently click. Any great team is built around a good central midfielder. Look at Charlie Adam at Blackpool promotion season. Or redfearn or glavin in our team. I really hope flicker and Mansfield are looking into this and potential loans. Because post December we will be cut adrift unless we have a good Christmas period.
a positive perkins is a decent midfielder at his best , on saturday when he made them runs into box and played more attackingly he looks good , just too often he keeps ball too long and passes sidewards
I thought we'd beat Wednesday and Donny. I've given up thinking about winning. It's all about the group, the future, the loan system. And Paddy.
It all started to go downhill when the squad/team became a "group" and signings becme "recruitment stategy"
In truth I think those pre 2014 matches are make or break. Honestly don't see another miracle if we are cut adrift. We need points on the board before Christmas or we'll go down. You're right in that there are enough winnable games- Burnley and Leeds away are the toughest. Otherwise we have to fill our boots.
We are absolutely woefully weak in any sort of attacking sense from central midfield. I'd bet a few quid on us losing to Brighton away. Every year I trudge every year we get hammered. Still good night out after.
A high tempo pressing 3-5-2 formation with an attacking midfielder proved we can suceed with 2 hard working centre mids as long as you have a an effective attacking midfielder (McCourt and Mellis) Our Central Midfield is not effective enough in 4-4-2 as we have no one who can threaten a championship team attacking wise. Our only potential midfielder who would be effective is Mellis and he probably wouldnt make a good enough defensive contrubution. We need to try something else or we are going down. Teams are starting to realise our strengths attacking wise (play it down the left to O`Grady) and Mccourt on the ball and Pedersens finishing. When teams stop or reduce the effectiveness we are completly f.ucked as a attacking unit. I want tactical change but RNL being loaned out suggests not. No effective players down the middle and Flickers gone.
Perkins has been very poor this season. What frustrates me is that we have seen Steele, RNL, Dawson, Etuhu, JOB all under perform and then be last immediately dropped (not to mention Bobby not getting a look in). Perkins seems to be bullet-proof in Flicker's eyes, and to me, he is one of the main reasons why we are struggling. He's just not getting box to box, which he should be when we have Fox mopping up in front of the back 4. Perkins is pretty good at flinging his arms up and down and generally bawling at his team mates......but an effective midfielder he certainly ain't, not this season anyway.
Butland Wiseman cranie mvoto Kennedy McCourt fox .......... Cywka Ogrady pedersen We need a midfielder in there that can create and cywka out wide so ogrady can concentrate on being in the box!
I was talking about RNL going out on loan earlier and said exactly the same; it now looks like Flicker has chalked **** on the option to switch to a different formation. I really hope that Flicker has made the right decision, personally I think he is wrong.