Thoughts after Tuesday

Having had time to stew on it a bit (and actually bother to register on the new site) I thought I'd give my thoughts on Tuesday and the season so far in general.

I think preseason was bad for us in a sense, as the effectiveness of a passing style is quite dependent on the work ethic and pressing of the other side. In preseason no team are going to put in 100% closing people down and therefore we had more time on the ball and were able to pass our way around teams which is something we have not had in the season proper. I think this gave us, the fans, and possibly the players and management a false picture of how we would do and how the system would work. Now it seems that we don't have much of an idea once we get to the halfway line. I hope that this is just an initial shock and that we will be able to adjust.

Having said that, there are certain things that have stood out from watching the home games so far:

1. Doyle and Addison. I don't think that we will be able to work well as a passing team with these two both playing. Both have a natural tendency to sit deep, and if things are not going entirely our way this can lead to the more attacking 3 of midfield getting somewhat isolated and lacking support. Also Doyle has clearly been told to play in more of a box to box role rather than as a straight DM, and at times has looked lost. We know that Doyle is more than capable of doing the dirty stuff, but he can also take more than 2 touches on the ball and play a forward pass unlike Addison. Don't get me wrong, I think Addison has plenty to offer, but feel he may be more suited to CB.

2. Perkins. I like his work ethic, but he is clearly not a winger. I would like to see him tried in CM alongside Doyle away from home, with Butterfield ahead of them, Vaz Te and O'Brien out wide and 1 up top. At home I think Doyle and Butterfield should be tried as a CM pairing.

3. McEveley. I remember that last season he started badly and improved to the point where he was playing quite well before he got injured. Maybe the lack of match practice is telling. I wouldn't mind seeing McNulty have a run at LB though, Brighton fans seemed to rate him and in preseason he looked to be decent on the ball.

4. Keith Hill. The man seems to be honest and hardworking and I get the feeling that the past couple of weeks may have been as much of a shock to him as they were to us following a good preseason. I have no doubt that he will work as hard as possible to put things right. Whether we have the squad depth and resources to stay up remains to be seen.

I was guilty like many others of getting a bit carried away with preseason and thinking we might have a chance at a top half finish. I'm now seeing things more realistically and think within the next few games we will see whether the players and management are able to cope with the realities of a league in which we are a gulf apart from the top teams in terms of budget, and as a result quality of players.

 

Well considered post mate,I agree with most of that,I wasn't carried away by pre-season myself,and was very relieved that
we played pretty well against Forest,although it makes me wonder how good/bad they will prove to be.I think Hassell has to return,and as you say can't see a midfield role for both Addison and Doyle,it's important to get Doyle back to the form he showed last season,especially as Addison is only temporary,Vaz Te,Haynes and Davies should give us more up front than last year,but I'm struggling to find where O'Brien is going to be of any use...I've tried hard but I really can't see him coming good for us.It would be nice if McShane was on the list,hopefully KH's after match comments about him were just a smokescreen,
I don't honestly think we're much weaker than last year as far as personnel goes,hopefully Hill is a good manager and can put
right the faults we've seen,as I think the main problem has been tactical.......we'll see.