Nudgers Notes .......... Birmingham

Watched ont tele.

Fantastic turn out by TARN supporters.
1200 on a Tuesday night in Birmingham is an indication of what this club might achieve given a bit of success in this league.

As for the match.
Its 24 hours since the match and I’m still feeling concerned at what I saw.

Previously I’ve said that the results are likely to be a rollercoaster ride in the first 10 matches or maybe up to Christmas - as the young players and the team gets to know the ropes in the Championship.
But it was evident against Birmingham that it maybe beyond a few of those player to actually improve.
This includes Thiam and probably Williams.

Just like Charlton - Birmingham continued to attack down our left.
In the first 5 minutes Birmingham players raced pasted the on looking Thiam and Williams.
Any good build up play came to a grinding halt when the ball got to Thiam.
Williams is a hard worker - but he’s not up to the Championship - not yet anyway.

Also McGeehan had a stinker.
He breaks up opposition play ok - but his distribution is often dire.
If he dosen’t improve soon then he has to be dropped to under 23.

So if there are three players not up to the task then Barnsley were basically playing against Birmingham with only 8 Championship level players.
In saying that Barnsley were the better team throughout the match - but lacked any sign of a cutting edge.
Woodrow was out injured and was greatly missed.
He’s back against Luton.
But what happens if he is out for a long while?

A significant moment during the match was when Daniel sent Appo Halme on as a centre forward.
The owners might not yet realise that you cannot make do or mend in the Championship.
If you don’t have the available players for the job - then you are relegated.
I, along with most, thought that Kieffer Moore had been sold because he didn’t fit into Daniel s plans.
Halme on as a centre forward killed that theory.

Daniel has to try and put together a team from all these players - because the mix of players playing now just isn’t working.

On this showing Birmingham will definitely be bottom 6 at the end of the season.
They were shockingly poor.
So where does this leave Barnsley?

 

I only saw one attack down our left, which Mads swept up. Agree with most of the rest. Up to that point all balls into the box were long throws from Roberts, or free kicks.

Brum have some players we could never dream of signing. I don't see them as anything other than a top end mid table side.

Watch the game again & prove me wrong, please. Easy to target Williams, who had f-all support from a static Thiam

 

I agree regarding Thiam, his contribution last night was nothing short of pathetic. I would’ve subbed him at half time. In the circumstances I think Williams has performed very well, as Birmingham’s #2 was a handful, and Thiam did not help defend against him at all.

I’d also consider dropping Thomas as well, as I think his overall contribution this season has been negligible. Yes, I know he got the winner against Fulham, but I’d struggle to think of any other positive contribution. The passing in our midfield last night was frighteningly bad, with very simple short passes going astray; not necessarily to the opposition, but just misplaced so that the receiving player has to check their run to collect the slightly wayward ball. It slows everything down. Against Fulham the passing was quick and accurate. Where has it gone?!

The contribution of Bahre last night, like Thiam, was non existent. This is particularly worrying given his captaincy role. I don’t see any leadership qualities there, and I have to question Daniel’s judgement in that appointment.

Saturday’s game against Luton suddenly seems like a ‘must win’, which is ridiculous in August. It’s tempting to think about dropping McGeehan, maybe for Styles, but maybe the incentive of playing against his former club will be the spur that he clearly needs.

It’s been the start that most of us expected. It’s a tough league and we have lots of new players. We’re not the only ones struggling though. Tonight I had cause to be driving back from Stoke on Trent and I was listening to the live commentary of their game. They’re in a worse situation than us, and with higher expectations.

 

If Williams plays against Luton then just take note how many attacks they have down our left.
Charlton targeted our left.
And so did Birmingham.
Sibbick is going from strength to strength on the right and is looking like a good find.

 

Most teams are stronger down one side than the other - this is normal. A better measure is to look at how each team normally plays and if its normally the right, then your argument about targeting our left would seem somewhat flawed.

 

Williams was far less a passenger than Bahre last night.

 

Their man at rightback, no2, Wes Harding was the standout player on the field that night. Particularly in the first half. He crossed for the second.

 

Bahre and Thiam were both very poor. Thought Williams did ok. Sibbick is a work in progress and doesn't offer enough going forward. Couldn't understand Wilks being dropped, especially with Woodrow missing. Chaplin didn't have the strength to hold the ball up and provide an outlet, whereas Wilks might have...

 

As someone who has spoken up for Bahre on numerous occasions when he has been IMO unfaily criticised I can only say on this occasion he had a 'stinker' Apart from a couple of decent incisive passes his contribution was woeful. As for captaincy, unless it is something to do with language and Stendel needing a German speaker as an intemediary to communicate his intentions to players during the match I can see nothing to suggest that Bahre is captain material. That said I cannot see any real leaders emerging although given the age and inexperience of the players that is not surprising. We need a Redfern and like others say regularly at least one experienced player with a number of years Championship experience to marshall the troops and steady the ship (oops!!! sorry... mixed metaphor)

As I said in a previous thread, perhaps the owners are waiting to see if the current squad approach is working and if it is not may relent a little and provide Stendel with the tools he needs.

 

... or worse. The owners might think he's not up to the task and invite him to leave.
He's in his final year and we all know what happens to final-year-non-signers.

 

I thought Thomas assisted Chaplin in his goal.last week?

 

I think the owners at some point will have to tweak the transfer policy.
We don’t know for sure - but the rumour is:

Pinnock - wanted to move back to London area.
Big loss.

Davies - wanted higher wages - no loss.

Lindsey - wanted higher wages - on evidence of his performance against Preston - Big loss.
Solid performance even tho they lost.
But in saying that we have some great replacements.

Kieffer Moore - I believe he wanted to stay but the club was offered decent money.
Now this is an area where the owners could have tweaked the transfer policy and offered Kieffer more money to stay - it dosen’t seem as though this happened.
One things for sure - we haven’t replaced Kieffer with a similar type of old fashioned centre forward. A presence that we need sometimes eg against Birmingham.
The presence of Kieffer would likely have succured us 3 points at Birmingham.

 

For once I actually agree with you totally

 

Our main problem (defensively) imo is not disposing the ball quickly enough when played out to McGeehan from the back.
This inability to act creatively when on the ball in some form of positive play is causing these Laurel and Hardy slapstick defensive catastrophes.
Apart from that our lack of creativity in the attacking department (a recurring problem, I know) rendered us unable to properly have a go at their goal.

They're a good side though and losing early and learning the lessons might not necessarily be the worst thing in the long run

 

Kieffer didn’t want to stay at all. He’s spent all summer pushing for a move for 16k a week, that’s why he didn’t go to Germany. Can’t blame him but we shouldn’t have sold or at least if we did like you say we should’ve got someone who can perform a similar function in the team

 

I’m reading a few giving Thiam stick about not supporting Williams, am I imagining it or did Thiam not go & play alongside Chaplin for the majority of the game & it was Bahre who was playing left wing? Could’ve sworn that’s what happened after the first period of the game.

 

When we defend we go 451.

 

It didn’t look like that to me & if a side counters us quickly surely the emphasis is on the left winger to get back to cover the full back. There simply wouldn’t be time for a striker to get back to the full back

 

Mama needs games. We know he has it in his locker.
Thomas has scored a winner against the best side in the division and then assisted Chaplin against Charlton so he's weighed in during his first four games as a BFC player.
Bähre too has played his part and he's captain for a reason. I trust the coach.
Saturday is not must win.

 

If there is a problem with the team as a unit then from what I've seen so far its the midfield. It's too weak, not dynamic enough, doesn't support the attack well enough and exposes the defence too much. I'm very much a 'dont panic Captain Mainwaring' person overall, but for me that's the issue that could be addressed much better. I think overall the defenders have done well fitting in individually. The attack has been starved of chances though. Just my take early on..