We don't have the right players with the right character - we get turned over by sides who simply battle harder. Some of our football is pretty but often largely ineffectual.
I think the main problem with the side we have is that they can't play on shitty league 1 pitches, our 2 worst performances under Bowyer have come on bogs. Our squad doesn't have any big strong players to play any other way
Sort of agree, but you have to win the battle first against these teams and earn the right to then go on and play football. In my simple mind we should have matched their 5 in midfield by leaving out Mivi and playing Dyksteel in midfield. The default ball by the defence should be the long ball down the channel towards the corner flag. If the midfielders win their individual battles, you stand a chance of winning the game.
Asking less physical players to win 1.25 battles on a soggy pitch, unprotected by a useless twat of a ref and on a soggy pitch is an ask to far. Bows got this wrong IMO. We go again Saturday.
I weren't expecting Lord Lee Bowyer to win every game or even get a play-off place tbh, it's all about next season and IF he gets the gig and IF new owners are in place and IF the new owners wanna splash out a bit as far as I'm concerne. I think they call it "the long game"
From watching the highlights of the Northampton game the biggest difference was players running passed the forwards with out the ball.
Aribo's second against Rotherham was another example.
That has got nothing to do with 2 up front, 3 at the back, fosu, Holmes or any other bollocks.
It's drive, ambition and the freedom to do so. We did this at times under Robinson but for some reason the players stopped doing it, it appears they have stopped again.
I can't believe, I don't believe, that Robinson sought out the type of players he did then told them not to do what they were good at?
I genuinely believe that this group of players play with fear, I think the pressure was lifted as we were out side of the play offs and there was lowered expectations. Hence the up turn in performance. The same thing happened last season.
Now its in their own hands the fear has returned. Of the regular first team players how many would you class as leaders of men?
You could see from his first half performance at Bristol Rovers that Zyro was fatigued, and this is the root of our problem - not enough attacking options.
Magennis offers nothing nowadays and it's just not happening for Ajose (4 great shots recently that forced brilliant saves).
Had we not been in the process of being sold, we probably would have strengthened the team with loans in March.
This season looks to have finished - Pompey, Posh and Scunny are all on our tail and it's in our favour that we still have to play 2 of them, but we are not good enough to win 2 "pressure" games and get in the playoffs - to play 2 or 3 more "pressure" games.
We don't have the right players with the right character - we get turned over by sides who simply battle harder. Some of our football is pretty but often largely ineffectual.
This. They can steam roll weak opposition but there's no fight in there at all, except maybe Pearce.
I think it was a combination of fatigue, having played three high tempo games in nine days, and too many players not being up for a scrap on dodgy pitches. I know every team in the league had the same schedule, but under Robinson these players have been playing the whole season at a stroll, with lots of easy possession. Now Bowyer has them playing a high tempo pressing game, I think he is finding out they are not quite fit enough to maintain this, especially as he used the same players for those first four games.
To play at the tempo Bowyer favours, the players would have required a harder pre-season and we would also need a larger squad to allow rotation. I didn't go on Tuesday, but on Saturday, it was clear that a few players were not making the overlapping runs they had been, leaving the player on the ball with fewer options. Chuck in park pitches, overly physical opponents, weak refs and Fosu being out and the last two results are not entirely surprising.
Comments
Asking less physical players to win 1.25 battles on a soggy pitch, unprotected by a useless twat of a ref and on a soggy pitch is an ask to far. Bows got this wrong IMO. We go again Saturday.
Aribo's second against Rotherham was another example.
That has got nothing to do with 2 up front, 3 at the back, fosu, Holmes or any other bollocks.
It's drive, ambition and the freedom to do so. We did this at times under Robinson but for some reason the players stopped doing it, it appears they have stopped again.
I can't believe, I don't believe, that Robinson sought out the type of players he did then told them not to do what they were good at?
I genuinely believe that this group of players play with fear, I think the pressure was lifted as we were out side of the play offs and there was lowered expectations. Hence the up turn in performance. The same thing happened last season.
Now its in their own hands the fear has returned. Of the regular first team players how many would you class as leaders of men?
Pearce and.........
Magennis offers nothing nowadays and it's just not happening for Ajose (4 great shots recently that forced brilliant saves).
Had we not been in the process of being sold, we probably would have strengthened the team with loans in March.
This season looks to have finished - Pompey, Posh and Scunny are all on our tail and it's in our favour that we still have to play 2 of them, but we are not good enough to win 2 "pressure" games and get in the playoffs - to play 2 or 3 more "pressure" games.
I know every team in the league had the same schedule, but under Robinson these players have been playing the whole season at a stroll, with lots of easy possession. Now Bowyer has them playing a high tempo pressing game, I think he is finding out they are not quite fit enough to maintain this, especially as he used the same players for those first four games.
To play at the tempo Bowyer favours, the players would have required a harder pre-season and we would also need a larger squad to allow rotation. I didn't go on Tuesday, but on Saturday, it was clear that a few players were not making the overlapping runs they had been, leaving the player on the ball with fewer options. Chuck in park pitches, overly physical opponents, weak refs and Fosu being out and the last two results are not entirely surprising.
Gobinson filled the squad with tippy tappy side passing midgets.
Bowyer is having to try and get the best out of what he has.
If Bowyer is here for the long haul I expect him to change the shape of our squad to something more fitting to the league we are in.