I don't think theres much between them if I had to choose I'd go for goals you don't win without scoring and the moment its hard to see where all the goals are coming from. Two weeks to the leauge starts and we three big players short is a little worrying!
Last season we scored 48 and conceded 74. A player who contributed 25% to the goals scored column has left the club but much of the clueless defence is still here. Nowt to worry about though.
I know many don't subscribe to this view, but I'm pretty content with the defense. Our problem is scoring and creating and I felt the same last year going into the season but thankfully Butterfield stepped up and shone. If we can score and create it puts pressure on the opposition and they may not pressure us on the ball as much or attack in waves knowing we are pretty toothless. I think we need a creative midfielder still and more quality up top. If we play 4-5-1, I think we look better with a holding midfielder, an old fashioned all round midfielder (a la Drinkwater) and someone to unlock the doors. Our midfield personnel are very defensive apart from Mellis so if he got injured or didn't click straight away there is going to be a huge reliance on players out wide and also Davies, who with Mido being out for a while is pretty much uncontested for the main strikers role. I reckon we'll get 2 players in one on loan, maybe for the season,and one permanent signing.
Of course it was a problem. But I believe our midfield was a major factor in that defence conceding so many. If we can't keep the ball and dictate play the opposition can hurt you. hence why I believe that we are missing that element. The 2nd half of the season our heads dropped and we couldn't score for toffee.
In the 99/00 season we conceded about 70 goals and finished 4th in the league. While a sturdy defence woulda bew preferred, it's goals that win games. And tbh unless Davies has a good season, I can't see where the goals are gonna come from. You've said it yourself that we conceeded about e same in e first half as we did in the 2nd half of the season, yet we finished what, 10 places lower, that's because the goals dried up.
As I have said before this is another myth. We conceded 36 in the first half of the season and 38 in the second half. Defensively we were consistently ***** throughout the season.
Proving my point that if we had scored goals at the same rate in the 2nd half of the season we would have been mid table or higher.
More quality further forward is what's needed. Not just 'scoring' - yes we could do with a finisher but you need to create the chances in the first place. Mido will finish a few. Chances as well as meals I mean. (not that he'll appear much before November). So a bit of class in advanced areas, whether it be a wide player, central midfield player or what they now like to call a 'number 10', the deeper, second forward, improves the team immeasurably. Better and longer ball retention will assist the defensive figures as much as owt else. The players who were here last season have championship experience now - and so some of them, admittedly I doubt all, will improve. We barely had Butterfield and vaz te in the same team last year and when we did only one was in form. We only ever had one 'star' performer in the side at any one point, and we did fine, IMO, until we had neither. the second half of the season was something between abysmal and unacceptable. I honestly think we might be one signing away from a decent enough championship side. But I'm yet to see that signing. I believe in fairies, the Easter bunny, and Keith Hill.
No it doesn't. You said "But I believe our midfield was a major factor in that defence conceding so many". This is clearly not the case as my little stat proves.
I'm not going to argue with you. You have your view, I have mine. Leave it at that, I'd like to see the thread evolve with lots of opinions from others, not just yours and mine.
I agree with you, but the midfield bit is a bit misleading. We lost all our cutting edge. It's not a case of Dawson/Perkins doing anything differently, it's just that if they don't have an outlet or we miss chances then it's always going to add more pressure to the defence. I'd be more than happy still conceding the same amount of goals next year as long as we start to score plenty more, like we were before January.
One decent signing could make us an average Championship team, we have face facts that at present we are a poor Championship team and a long way off a decent one!
Neither I'm sure once the season has started I'll spend 9 months gnashing my teeth about our failings in both areas, but I'm buggered if I'm going to start worrying about it now. I'll leave that to Keith Hill. Meanwhile I'm enjoying the Olympics.
There is no point; Conan has made his mind up that we are utter ***** and doomed to finish bottom of the table with a record low points tally and a record high goals against column. He is by some distance the most negative poster on this forum.
Incorrect. I'm just the least blinkered. I'm actually one of the more positive people on here. I think we have a potentially great club that could and should be doing a lot better. I just refuse to accept that the ***** we are seeing at the moment is something to be grateful for. On this particular thread there is no point arguing with me because what I am saying is 100% factually correct - our defensive record was equally poor throughout the season regardless of who was playing in midfield. Unlike other people I have also backed the club financially.
Scoring goals is more important. Last season, the defence was average at best. But once we got Vaz Te, Butterfield and Davies firing, we more than made up for our defensive shortcomings. Unfortunately, once we lost 2 of that trio, and replaced them with tripe, those shortcomings were made more apparent. Peterbrough away is a prime example - we defended badly, but had the firepower to see us through. West Ham at Oakwell meanwhile - we defended badly, and had **** all going forward.