Most worrying aspect......

...for me yesterday was Wilson failing to mention the blindingly obvious shortcomings of our midfield. I've been saying for weeks we are too lightweight and desperately need an experienced ball winner in there. The better sides in this league will dominate the middle against us just like MK did yesterday. We have some good forward players at our disposal but you can't play if you can't get and keep the ball. Right back and obviously the keeper need sorting too. A few raised expectations will have been lowered by yesterday and that's probably no bad thing. This league is a hell of a lot tougher than many think.

 

Why is it worrying that Wilson didn't mention it? Do you expect him to give a detailed break down of all our shortcomings after every match?

 

Well he mentioned the lack of ball retention up top so why not? The glaring weakness is that we do not have a ball winner in the middle. It's not a secret and I'm sure opposition managers know it.

 

Because he probably doesn't want to knock a bunch of youngsters confidence by publicly stating they're not up to the job. Abbot was there to be the ball winner yesterday - he didn't do a great job. But he's probably not going to feel too great if his manager comes out in the press afterwards and says that we didn't have enough bite in the middle of the pitch. In the real world if I had a bunch of 20 and 21 year olds working for me who had a bad day, the absolute worst thing to do would be to send an email around the whole company pointing it out and saying how we were thinking of replacing them. Just because Danny doesn't point something out in an interview doesn't mean he doesn't know it, or isn't trying to address it.

 

After what Ben said, I'd be very surprised if we've not got at least two loanees in before the month is out, and holding midfield seems the priority.

 

Right back must be a priority for me. Feel sorry for brown playing out of position. Never been a RB.

 

Doesn't need Danny to knock players confidence, the crowd do that. Davis was getting a lot of abuse because of his kicking out of play and cheering when he got one right.


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Absolutely bang on that mate 100%

 

I think he was being selective with what he was prepared to criticise about the team's performance in public, that's all. What's said in a press conference will be nothing like what's said behind closed doors in the dressing room. I don't see what's to be gained by berating young, inexperienced lads in public, even if they've played poorly and the manager may believe they deserve it.

 

I'd be happy if he prioritised a centre-back or right back and then put Cranie in the needed midfield role. His best position for me IMHO.

 

On Wednesday, that's where I'd play him. But then, I've always said he's a midfielder. He's also our best centre half though. Bobby Hassell in there would have been an idea. He's still available int he?

 

The problem yesterday was the lack of numbers in midfield. You've got to have genuinely outstanding players to play 4 in midfield because most have 5. We came up against a good team with more men in the middle. We were overrun when they were in possession, and when we had the ball they closed off all the options.

Abbott wasn't great but I was surprised that Danny thought he alone was the problem at half time, it was the system not him. The full backs were poor but they had no protection from our narrow midfield on one side and the desperately poor Jennings on the other (be needs to up his game).

Maybe the second goal just before half time meant Danny felt he couldn't sacrifice a forward, but he needed to go either 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 straight away. I thought it was tactics that cost us, and many of the poor performances stemmed from that. Particularly our giving the ball away which was as much to do with lack of options as anything else. Although Brown certainly doesn't look a right back and the two up top should not start the next game.

But Danny will get it right.

 

Ah no, we like our pound of flesh.

But ******* bang on.

 

That really wound me up yesterday. The ironic cheering was just pathetic and said more about those doing it than the way Davies was playing.

 

I was furious about this too. Getting on the lads back clearly won't help. I don't see the point its not even to make a point to the manager as DW knows he's second choice.

 

Cue the moans that that will force our own players out of the side. Digby is miles off it based on Saturday's showing.

 

It wasn't tactics. It was the lack of a player who could go toe to toe with their number 22.