A bit of perspective

A week ago we'd just drawn away at Norwich in a match where we played absolutely superbly. We'd also played very well in four of the five games before that. One week and two poor performances later, we haven't suddenly become a bad side. We all knew with the age and experience of the side, days and indeed weeks like this would happen during the season. Just doubly gutting it's happened live on TV against L@#ds. We just need to chalk fck under it, forget about it, and move on. The first half today was probably as bad as I've seen us play since the relegation season in 2014. But importantly, it's not defining of the season so far.

 

Suddenly? We are a terrible side. Team is like watching a conference side
Didnt enjoy any aspect. Slow. Weak. No leader no drive nothing

 

I don’t think we are a terrible side. I do think we are at best a top 6 L1 side managed by a championship manager.

 

So you didn't enjoy Birmingham home, or the performances at Hillsborough and Carrow Road? Millwall away? Burton we weren't great by all accounts but we still did enough to win comfortably. We'll not go down this season, which was the aim in August. Chill.

 

But luckily there are teams in the league who would finish mid-table in L1 at best, so I think we'll more than likely be OK come May.

 

We have won our relegation scraps so far so need to continue to outperform Burton, Bolton And birmingham. Can’t help thinking Birmingham will improve though.

 

We aren't a bad side in general, but we were f**king terrible today.

 

We're not a bad side in general but a few performances aside we've been dreadful at home for too long. I don't know why we misplace so many passes and consistently fail to put the right ball in at the right time but it's been happening for a while now, since those 3 home wins at the start of last season. We also give teams above us way too much respect. If our home form doesn't improve we're only going one way.

 

That is very true. But the nature of that defeat, along with Cardiff, is the troubling thing. We didn't go out to win either game.

Hopefully we can improve, and go back to the football that served us so well last year. Losing is bad. Losing without trying to win is unacceptable.

Youthful exuberance is a major asset. But we nullify that by sitting back and playing long balls to Bradshaw to lose. No hiding place today - 1 to 11 were woeful and the tactics were equally bad.

 

Good post. I’m afraid we can’t go back to it as we don’t have the same calibre of player where is needed. We’ve tried to replace Conor with a donkey, a show pony, a can’t be arsed and a nowt player. All four together don’t come close.

 

Norwich were on a terrible run, as were leeds. No positives as far as I'm concerned.

 

Perspective is 4 home wins in just short of a calendar year.

It's also 0 goals and 0 points from our two home games.

It's also 1 point and 1 goal from our three biggest league rivals so far as players have wiltered under the pressure of the biggest occasions.

 

Inevitable with what happened. It’s a minor miracle we aren’t bottom

 

Championship manager??

 

You honestly think we weren't trying to win? We were poor no doubt, and I'd also say that Leeds played very effectively. Put us off our stride, harried us, didn't let us settle on the ball in the first half at all.

 

Keeping it in perspective, the team are young and still gelling.
Yes, we were pants today. Out-thought and out-fought by a team who will finish in the top 6.
Equally so for Cardiff, but they were just lucky to take the 3 points.

Whilst disappointing, they aren’t our battles this season.

A game without Hammill won’t do us harm. We have to play Hedges. Barnes needs to take a good long look at that 45 minutes and apologise to his team mates. Whilst often our MotM, he was lucky to stay on and potentially cost us that second goal.

That said, lots of players not at the races today. I struggled to pick an outstanding player, but Fryers and Hedges were the only candidates for me. They have to start closing down in their half far more quickly (like we used to)

Hopefully they can turn it around for the next two (far more important) games.

 

Can you honestly say you saw intensity and endeavour in that performance?

 

I think we just weren't allowed to play, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. It's quite difficult to show intensity and endeavour when you can't string three passes together. Leeds were very well organised, and we were atrocious.

 

Hedges started on Tuesday. He was awful

 

Apologies I'll clarify my point. We set up to contain leeds. At home. Team who had lost 8 of their last 10 and were coming off a 4-1 spanking.

I understand playing 4-5-1 away - hoping to get a goal on the break. But at home it invites the away team to take the initiative. I would prefer we played a variance of it but more 4-3-3. Let our fullbacks deal with their wingers and make their full backs deal with our attackers. We invite their fullbacks to attack playing 4-5-1 and Bradshaw is a mile away from any support.

I get Hecky playing 3 in midfield. With what he had to work with.

Not trying to take the game to the opposition is criminal at home in my opinion. Unless you're playing a really really good team. But we weren't. We were playing Leeds.