Our Defence(not inc GK)

[Blue Cheese]

We have some really talented players in our back 4 yet we have more holes in our defence than a tetley teabag.

So what is the problem? I personally think we are too soft, for all the attributes our defenders bring to the table most of them are attacking attributes.

None of them are Particularly strong in the air, none of them have got a 'snide' streak in them and none of them are leaders in a sense of really being able too motivate the ones around them when the going gets tough.

We need a new goalkeeper but I'd equally say we still need a no nonsense CB. This is not a transfer thread, just wonder what others think of our defence and whether they are good enough to take us forward.

 

[daz4matty]

We have some really talented players in our back 4 yet we have more holes in our defence than a tetley teabag.

So what is the problem? I personally think we are too soft, for all the attributes our defenders bring to the table most of them are attacking attributes.

None of them are Particularly strong in the air, none of them have got a 'snide' streak in them and none of them are leaders in a sense of really being able too motivate the ones around them when the going gets tough.

We need a new goalkeeper but I'd equally say we still need a no nonsense CB. This is not a transfer thread, just wonder what others think of our defence and whether they are good enough to take us forward.

Its our system and tactics,even if we had kompany and shawcross back there we would leak goals.
Mind you it doesn't help having flappy in goal.

 

[sageyefc]

Leadership and a strong keeper behind them

 

[Verbal Kint]

Most scoffed at the idea of Scott Dann during the summer....

We would have more than 26 pts now if we managed to get him instead of Funes Mori. Nothing against Mori who has done reasonably well considering it is his first season, but at the end of day he is more suited to Premier league football.

 

[AndyC]

The problem is very simple to identify... our manager and his coaching staff have no, absolutely no idea of how to coach any kind of effective, defensive strategy or gameplan.

The manager has taken a strong, slightly boring 6th place team, added Rom on loan and got us to 5th... and we all got over excited dare I suggest blinded by attacking footie when there were warning signs there (the tonking we got at Anfield), that defensively we were a lot slacker than under Moyes.
Last season was awful, simply awful and then this season, the chickens in the 'no idea of how to defend' coop have truly come home to roost.
It's not that Seamus, Baines, Jags, Mori and even kids like Stones and Galloway don't know how to defend as a unit, they patently are not coached to defend as a unit... and there's the issue that MUST be addressed.

2-0 up Bournemouth and we nause up... looked like Brazil of the 1970s for 45 mins at Norwich and we nause up... beaten by a not that good Leicester and then we gift Stoke a win that baffled me... and we haven't got round to dropping points to Watford, the RS who were terrible, losing to City and Manu (excused that one due to the circumstances).

Stick a back five of Southall, Stevens, Ratciffe, Mountfield and PVdH behind any six of the current midfield and forwards and I tell you, we'd be winning the title inside three seasons.

We do not have a defensive strategy or mindset within the back five; we have a goalie who cannot organise his defence and is now, despite what Dithering Dougie might suggest, is wayyyyy past his best... and above all, a stubborn manager who either fails to see or cannot see these deficiencies.

I love watching us go forward, my rear end goes knit one, purl two whenever we're being attacked !

 

[Woolly Blue]

We have some really talented players in our back 4 yet we have more holes in our defence than a tetley teabag.

So what is the problem? I personally think we are too soft, for all the attributes our defenders bring to the table most of them are attacking attributes.

None of them are Particularly strong in the air, none of them have got a 'snide' streak in them and none of them are leaders in a sense of really being able too motivate the ones around them when the going gets tough.

We need a new goalkeeper but I'd equally say we still need a no nonsense CB. This is not a transfer thread, just wonder what others think of our defence and whether they are good enough to take us forward.

They need organising properly, but they also realise that sometimes you just have to bust a gut to get in a position where you can get a block in. Part of that is down to reading the game and Stones is actually good at getting blocks in, as is Jags when he's fit, but there's still room for improvement

 

[sageyefc]

Aggression aswell, only jags and funes attack the ball, rest of them half heartidly go up for aerials

 

[Blue Cheese]

Its our system and tactics,even if we had kompany and shawcross back there we would leak goals.
Mind you it doesn't help having flappy in goal.

Leadership and a strong keeper behind them

Most scoffed at the idea of Scott Dann during the summer....

We would have more than 26 pts now if we managed to get him instead of Funes Mori. Nothing against Mori who has done reasonably well considering it is his first season, but at the end of day he is more suited to Premier league football.

The problem is very simple to identify... our manager and his coaching staff have no, absolutely no idea of how to coach any kind of effective, defensive strategy or gameplan.

The manager has taken a strong, slightly boring 6th place team, added Rom on loan and got us to 5th... and we all got over excited dare I suggest blinded by attacking footie when there were warning signs there (the tonking we got at Anfield), that defensively we were a lot slacker than under Moyes.
Last season was awful, simply awful and then this season, the chickens in the 'no idea of how to defend' coop have truly come home to roost.
It's not that Seamus, Baines, Jags, Mori and even kids like Stones and Galloway don't know how to defend as a unit, they patently are not coached to defend as a unit... and there's the issue that MUST be addressed.

2-0 up Bournemouth and we nause up... looked like Brazil of the 1970s for 45 mins at Norwich and we nause up... beaten by a not that good Leicester and then we gift Stoke a win that baffled me... and we haven't got round to dropping points to Watford, the RS who were terrible, losing to City and Manu (excused that one due to the circumstances).

Stick a back five of Southall, Stevens, Ratciffe, Mountfield and PVdH behind any six of the current midfield and forwards and I tell you, we'd be winning the title inside three seasons.

We do not have a defensive strategy or mindset within the back five; we have a goalie who cannot organise his defence and is now, despite what Dithering Dougie might suggest, is wayyyyy past his best... and above all, a stubborn manager who either fails to see or cannot see these deficiencies.

I love watching us go forward, my rear end goes knit one, purl two whenever we're being attacked !

Would it make a massive difference if our fullbacks didn't bomb forward at the same time(sounds obvious) but we still lack a strong personality. Even McCarthy and Barry aren't hard men defensive midfielders, so we generally have a soft centre.

I think a Shawcross 'type' defender or a Roy Keane type midfielder and we would be so much more solid.

 

[riddick]

The problem is very simple to identify... our manager and his coaching staff have no, absolutely no idea of how to coach any kind of effective, defensive strategy or gameplan.

The manager has taken a strong, slightly boring 6th place team, added Rom on loan and got us to 5th... and we all got over excited dare I suggest blinded by attacking footie when there were warning signs there (the tonking we got at Anfield), that defensively we were a lot slacker than under Moyes.
Last season was awful, simply awful and then this season, the chickens in the 'no idea of how to defend' coop have truly come home to roost.
It's not that Seamus, Baines, Jags, Mori and even kids like Stones and Galloway don't know how to defend as a unit, they patently are not coached to defend as a unit... and there's the issue that MUST be addressed.

2-0 up Bournemouth and we nause up... looked like Brazil of the 1970s for 45 mins at Norwich and we nause up... beaten by a not that good Leicester and then we gift Stoke a win that baffled me... and we haven't got round to dropping points to Watford, the RS who were terrible, losing to City and Manu (excused that one due to the circumstances).

Stick a back five of Southall, Stevens, Ratciffe, Mountfield and PVdH behind any six of the current midfield and forwards and I tell you, we'd be winning the title inside three seasons.

We do not have a defensive strategy or mindset within the back five; we have a goalie who cannot organise his defence and is now, despite what Dithering Dougie might suggest, is wayyyyy past his best... and above all, a stubborn manager who either fails to see or cannot see these deficiencies.

I love watching us go forward, my rear end goes knit one, purl two whenever we're being attacked !

The walloping at Anfield, liking back, is more the rule than the exception. Only difference is now we can score as well.

I don't think you need two ball playing CB's. A Stones can go forward, one of the DM's can move back and we still have two defensive minded players back there.

Also they stand off far too often altering the other teams to cut through us with relative ease.

 

[Blue Cheese]

They need organising properly, but they also realise that sometimes you just have to bust a gut to get in a position where you can get a block in. Part of that is down to reading the game and Stones is actually good at getting blocks in, as is Jags when he's fit, but there's still room for improvement

I think Stones does like to throw his body in the way, kind of defence, but he seems to be out of position a lot this season trying to do everything by himself. Wish he would just be a steady eddie for a bit.

 

[Blue Cheese]

Aggression aswell, only jags and funes attack the ball, rest of them half heartidly go up for aerials

Totally agree, It's why I think we may need a big strong centre half. Someone not pretty but will defend while the others do there thing. I think our spine is a bit soft.

 

[AndyC]

The walloping at Anfield, liking back, is more the rule than the exception. Only difference is now we can score as well.

It's just as well we can score now, cos we're leaking goals like they're going out of fashion.
We NEED and MUST learn how to defend as a unit or the decent start we had is in danger of ending up as another finish out of the top six and potentially a lot lower... and that is NOT acceptable !!!

 

[Eggs]

.....this is repetitive.

 

[sageyefc]

I still stand by my view that dropping starjumps would make a world of difference, need a keeper who'll command his area, take pressure of his CB, organize them and be vocal with instructions, Howard does none of that.

There'd still be other issues but hes the big one

 

[Blue Cheese]

.....this is repetitive.

Don't join in then Eggs, plenty of other threads. Plus I'm on Holiday got to fill our time somehow. I'm focusing on the defence rather than Howard or Martinez.