Men against boys...... PNE won by playing simple passes in a rigid 442 i.e. players stay in position

Weak links for us last night were the wingers yet again.......... problem is our wingers drift out of position, and alomst become central midfielders. This creates a major problem, and effectivley means we play with no width as team mates cannot be sure that winger will be in poistion.

I remember a time, when SD Barnsley team was doing ok. We played 4-4-2, JCR and Devaney worked tirelessly up and down the channels. Both of them loved to attack and created several opportunities in games by getting to by-line and playing ball into danger area or cutting inside and having a shot!!.... both managed to get 5-6 goals a piece that season too.

Whats happened.......

Secret to PNE's game last night was the wingers. They stayed out wide in their position, team mates knew where to look for them everytime....... SIMPLE!
I have no doubt that Irvine targeted young Potter as a weak link (i.e. inexperienced left back, may be nervous) and specifically told team when possible to get the ball down the right side to Parry/Sedgewick and tear him apart, which is exactly what they did.

We had some good passing moves, but fell apart in the box and looked weak! Men against boys.......
Big praise for Hume good effort and made a real difference providing quality set plays....... KO, worked very hard and won ball in the air but finishing was abysmal again..... Butterfield & Anderson did ok...... rest of em need to drop down into development squad.....

Hallfredson and Thompson must be tearing their hair out........ either to play and make a difference or to get agent to rip up contract!

I've not been anti SD so far but, after another powder puff display, not goals etc even I'm struggling to put a positive spin on things.......

Lets hope Mark Robins fancies a crack in the Championship......

 

The main difference is that...

they moved the ball much quicker than us. We are too slow in possesion. It's as simple as that.

 

RE: The main difference is that...

Its a very good point you make.
It's all well and good Davey pledging to play 4-4-2 this season but he clearly doesn't have a tactical clue how to play that system. The wingers seemed to be swapping wings every 5 minutes against Coventry and as a result were in the middle half the time. Don't know about last night as I couldn't be arsed spending another £21.
The wide men need to hug the touchline and offer proper width or 4-4-2 doesn't work.

 

RE: The main difference is that...

I get fed up of looking around the pitch for JCR!!! there are times i think he has gone to the toilet!! If i cant see/find him, how can players pass to him if they dont know where he is going to be???!!!???!!!!???!! STAY ON THE TOUCHLINE LIKE A WINGER IS MENT TO YOU CLOWN!!!!

 

Halfredson has already obviiously torn his hair out, but ....

I agree 100% that the down-turn in form has coincided with the loss of structure in midfield, which I noticed around mid-season last season. It seemed to start with the idea (not a bad one) that we needed to score goals from midfield and our best provider was JCR, who then tried to wander between the wing and 'in the hole'. It has never worked. The good Championship teams last season were IMHO no better than us in terms of player-quality, but teams who were organised and played the possession stuff well, whilst having enough threat to snatch wins - eg PNE, Burnley and Bristol City. I was at the Coventry game, but not at last night and it looks as though the lesson has not been learned at all. There was no midfield structure and no consistent possession was established. Whilst I was hoping that last night might have been different and that some individuals like Hammill, or Anderson might play a second half blinder, I was not surprised by the result.

No midfield organisation, especially no width - I noticed that, for a Coventry goal-kick on Saturday, all twenty outplayers were within five yards of the centre-circle - says it all. It means no control of games - no clear outball to play out of defence - few clear cut chances for strikers.

Optimism fading fast. Leicester away and Reading at Oakwell - what a waste of talent!!!