I agree credit where it's due. But the previous 4 games proved he only has one way of playing. Regardless of squad size and personnel. If it doesn't go right and we are pressed high, unfortunately he doesn't seem to have an alternative.
I'm happy with what Robinson is doing at the moment. The team is playing some lovely and attractive to watch attacking football under him and at present I'm finding attending matches as about as exciting as it has been for a number of years and that includes under Chrissy.
I do agree that being a little one dimensional might be an issue and until I've seen us adapt during games I admit everything is not perfect.
Don't laugh but I see the same critisism levelled at KR as Wenger regularly gets. Both set their teams up to play a very specific very attacking way and struggle with any plan B should things not go their way.
I'm firmly in the camp that Robinson is the best we can get right now. He has a system and a way of playing, and he's trying to build this team into that. People get too obsessed with a formation they haven't seen before and fail to understand it's part of a larger system that he seems to be working toward, and that the system is more important. It continues to be incredibly bizarre to me that people complain that we play too much football. Surely that should be the goal? There are definitely deficiencies in our squad and in how we play, but like, well done to him for trying to play good, attacking, possession based football. I've already gone over how I think we need to improve our defensive shape and our defending with the ball, but we did that very well yesterday.
Hurst has Shrewsbury on a great run, but I'm not convinced it will last. And correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think he's coached at this level. Fair play to him, he's done well to this point and maybe Shrewsbury will run away with it and go up, but I'm not convinced given his CV that he'd be a clear improvement.
I'm happy with what Robinson is doing at the moment. The team is playing some lovely and attractive to watch attacking football under him and at present I'm finding attending matches as about as exciting as it has been for a number of years and that includes under Chrissy.
I do agree that being a little one dimensional might be an issue and until I've seen us adapt during games I admit everything is not perfect.
Don't laugh but I see the same critisism levelled at KR as Wenger regularly gets. Both set their teams up to play a very specific very attacking way and struggle with any plan B should things not go their way.
Something that was a problem with Wenger for a long time was not working on a defensive shape or what to do without the ball. That seems to have changed in recent years, and to be fair I think Karl has spent a lot of time working with the team on pressing, but I still question if we work enough on our defensive shape when we're pinned back. The first goal we conceded against Walsall is a prime example of this.
I'm firmly in the camp that Robinson is the best we can get right now. He has a system and a way of playing, and he's trying to build this team into that. People get too obsessed with a formation they haven't seen before and fail to understand it's part of a larger system that he seems to be working toward, and that the system is more important. It continues to be incredibly bizarre to me that people complain that we play too much football. Surely that should be the goal? There are definitely deficiencies in our squad and in how we play, but like, well done to him for trying to play good, attacking, possession based football. I've already gone over how I think we need to improve our defensive shape and our defending with the ball, but we did that very well yesterday.
Hurst has Shrewsbury on a great run, but I'm not convinced it will last. And correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think he's coached at this level. Fair play to him, he's done well to this point and maybe Shrewsbury will run away with it and go up, but I'm not convinced given his CV that he'd be a clear improvement.
Agree, I expect Shrewsbury to go the way of Scunthorpe last season and fade away maybe into a play off position or even miss out. It defies logic how they can go from being one of the worst teams i've ever seen play at The Valley when we were 3-0 up by half time to runaway league leaders in the space of a year. I'm convinced one bad result could spark a bad run of form for them.
I'm happy with what Robinson is doing at the moment. The team is playing some lovely and attractive to watch attacking football under him and at present I'm finding attending matches as about as exciting as it has been for a number of years and that includes under Chrissy.
I do agree that being a little one dimensional might be an issue and until I've seen us adapt during games I admit everything is not perfect.
Don't laugh but I see the same critisism levelled at KR as Wenger regularly gets. Both set their teams up to play a very specific very attacking way and struggle with any plan B should things not go their way.
the same can be said about Klopp and Liverpool's defensive problems...
I'm firmly in the camp that Robinson is the best we can get right now. He has a system and a way of playing, and he's trying to build this team into that. People get too obsessed with a formation they haven't seen before and fail to understand it's part of a larger system that he seems to be working toward, and that the system is more important. It continues to be incredibly bizarre to me that people complain that we play too much football. Surely that should be the goal? There are definitely deficiencies in our squad and in how we play, but like, well done to him for trying to play good, attacking, possession based football. I've already gone over how I think we need to improve our defensive shape and our defending with the ball, but we did that very well yesterday.
Hurst has Shrewsbury on a great run, but I'm not convinced it will last. And correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think he's coached at this level. Fair play to him, he's done well to this point and maybe Shrewsbury will run away with it and go up, but I'm not convinced given his CV that he'd be a clear improvement.
Agree, I expect Shrewsbury to go the way of Scunthorpe last season and fade away maybe into a play off position or even miss out. It defies logic how they can go from being one of the worst teams i've ever seen play at The Valley when we were 3-0 up by half time to runaway league leaders in the space of a year. I'm convinced one bad result could spark a bad run of form for them.
'He is a very clever guy tactically'. Yes he is when his one and only tactic comes off. How did that tactic work out v Plymouth, Gillingham, Wigan etc by the way?
'He is a very clever guy tactically'. Yes he is when his one and only tactic comes off. How did that tactic work out v Plymouth, Gillingham, Wigan etc by the way?
'He is a very clever guy tactically'. Yes he is when his one and only tactic comes off. How did that tactic work out v Plymouth, Gillingham, Wigan etc by the way?
So it's the managers fault every time we lose?
Nope.
Only when it's clear he was tactically out competed in certain games. He admitted it after the Wigan game. The Gills and Plymouth games were obvious. A team with a packed defence that pressed our CB's and CM's and aim to nick a goal can easily stop is from playing our way and Karl has been unable to stop that.
I think we should be better defensively with the players we've got but I'm sure this is being worked on. I would personally prefer to see Phillips start but I don't think this is a major issue.
We would benefit from another striker but if Fosu and Holmes keep scoring then this is something we can live with.
The squad has looked mid table to me but if Marshall and Reeves start playing then it might raise us a level.
Wigan are the best team I've seen in L1 this season but to be fair a lot of the teams are not as bad as many are making out. Watching the highlights of the Walsall game I was surprised at how well they were knocking the ball about.
Even the very very best teams lose football matches. It's not always going to be about failure of tactics or lack of them. It's just football and long may it continue.
Wigan that evening were the much better team. Perhaps Karl was "out tacticed" or perhaps we were just not good enough. At Plymouth we were for long periods the better team but we all know that a first goal can be a game changer and it was. Ditto Gillingham.
I do want to see us adapt into a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 during matches as and when needed and I'm not convinced KR is adept enough for that fluid transition. It's worth remembering though that we are a third teir team who are playing third teir football at just about as attractive as it gets. We will win some and lose some too but at this point I'm just very happy to be entertained for the first time in years.
'He is a very clever guy tactically'. Yes he is when his one and only tactic comes off. How did that tactic work out v Plymouth, Gillingham, Wigan etc by the way?
So it's the managers fault every time we lose?
Nope.
Only when it's clear he was tactically out competed in certain games. He admitted it after the Wigan game. The Gills and Plymouth games were obvious. A team with a packed defence that pressed our CB's and CM's and aim to nick a goal can easily stop is from playing our way and Karl has been unable to stop that.
I do understand the point and don't necessarily disagree. But when you miss chances against Plymouth and Gillingham and end up losing the game, that cannot be the managers fault.
I have admitted a concern for KR's preferred system in that he seems majorly unwilling to change it, nor do I believe that a second/third system is being worked on in training. But Wigan and possibly Walsall aside we have probably deserved more than we got in each game so you would have to say that it's working. We're playing good football and getting results. We are on 20 points from 11 games and probably unlucky it's not 22/23 at least.
Even a change of personnel in the same system can work as players play the role differently. The return of Reeves and Marshall should help, possibly Aribo will get more time too.
I think the lack of squad depth makes us very 1 dimensional
Even with more depth any extra signings KR makes would be to fit into his style of play. Makes sense really, player aren't going to want to come here purely as a plan b option.
I think the lack of squad depth makes us very 1 dimensional
the squad's ok, getting better with the return of Reeves and Marshall. 3 out of Reeves, Marshall, Fosu, Holmes and Clarke is very exciting. Konsa and Sarr both played very well at the weekend. Phillips is a decent Number 2, Lennon and Page should be back soon and Aribo is ready to step in at CM.
Other than another striker, the squads a decent one for League 1 level IMO.
I think the lack of squad depth makes us very 1 dimensional
the squad's ok, getting better with the return of Reeves and Marshall. 3 out of Reeves, Marshall, Fosu, Holmes and Clarke is very exciting. Konsa and Sarr both played very well at the weekend. Phillips is a decent Number 2, Lennon and Page should be back soon and Aribo is ready to step in at CM.
Other than another striker, the squads a decent one for League 1 level IMO.
if everyone is fit I agree other than cover for Kashi
I think the lack of squad depth makes us very 1 dimensional
the squad's ok, getting better with the return of Reeves and Marshall. 3 out of Reeves, Marshall, Fosu, Holmes and Clarke is very exciting. Konsa and Sarr both played very well at the weekend. Phillips is a decent Number 2, Lennon and Page should be back soon and Aribo is ready to step in at CM.
Other than another striker, the squads a decent one for League 1 level IMO.
if everyone is fit I agree other than cover for Kashi
Comments
By that logic no one could critic any manager, not even Fraeye.
I do agree that being a little one dimensional might be an issue and until I've seen us adapt during games I admit everything is not perfect.
Don't laugh but I see the same critisism levelled at KR as Wenger regularly gets. Both set their teams up to play a very specific very attacking way and struggle with any plan B should things not go their way.
Hurst has Shrewsbury on a great run, but I'm not convinced it will last. And correct me if I'm wrong, I don't think he's coached at this level. Fair play to him, he's done well to this point and maybe Shrewsbury will run away with it and go up, but I'm not convinced given his CV that he'd be a clear improvement.
Only when it's clear he was tactically out competed in certain games. He admitted it after the Wigan game. The Gills and Plymouth games were obvious. A team with a packed defence that pressed our CB's and CM's and aim to nick a goal can easily stop is from playing our way and Karl has been unable to stop that.
We would benefit from another striker but if Fosu and Holmes keep scoring then this is something we can live with.
The squad has looked mid table to me but if Marshall and Reeves start playing then it might raise us a level.
Wigan are the best team I've seen in L1 this season but to be fair a lot of the teams are not as bad as many are making out. Watching the highlights of the Walsall game I was surprised at how well they were knocking the ball about.
Wigan that evening were the much better team. Perhaps Karl was "out tacticed" or perhaps we were just not good enough. At Plymouth we were for long periods the better team but we all know that a first goal can be a game changer and it was. Ditto Gillingham.
I do want to see us adapt into a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 during matches as and when needed and I'm not convinced KR is adept enough for that fluid transition. It's worth remembering though that we are a third teir team who are playing third teir football at just about as attractive as it gets. We will win some and lose some too but at this point I'm just very happy to be entertained for the first time in years.
I have admitted a concern for KR's preferred system in that he seems majorly unwilling to change it, nor do I believe that a second/third system is being worked on in training. But Wigan and possibly Walsall aside we have probably deserved more than we got in each game so you would have to say that it's working. We're playing good football and getting results. We are on 20 points from 11 games and probably unlucky it's not 22/23 at least.
Even a change of personnel in the same system can work as players play the role differently. The return of Reeves and Marshall should help, possibly Aribo will get more time too.
Other than another striker, the squads a decent one for League 1 level IMO.