2023/24 Sean Dyche

"He was very unfortunate in pre-season," Dyche tells Sky Sports.

"He missed two-and-a-half weeks of pre-season. That would have maybe given him the opportunity to push on and start the season." As it was, Branthwaite only had to sit out the first two fixtures, both defeats. He has been a fixture in the team ever since.

Indeed.
You're still a bell mate x
 
Only ourselves to blame again. 5 points lost in 2 games. Very frustrating. There is more footballing ability in those players than is getting used. Its all gone long from pickford and tarkowski all the time now. We arent the best but we are more than a match for most of this league. It was only when we played through midfield that we created and we created more than enough to win that today. They just look so unsure of themselves across the midfield now. Since christmas we have changed and gone long bypassing the midfield. The whole midfield has lost confidence in their own ability it seems. The easy lay off to the centrebacks or just backwards when in good positions is getting on my wick now. I know the bigger picture and all that but the manager needs to be braver and just attack more at home. Its like we play away every week and the home record speaks for itself. It needs to change quickly. We have to play most of the teams around us at home and we need to beat them.
 
What bothers me is not so much that he's doing a bad job as much as he's not really doing enough to try to improve a team that is clearly not perfect. As an example he's gotten nothing creatively from wide players for weeks and weeks now. It's just repeated attempts to have Harrison and McNeil win 1v1, which they're not good at, and launch crosses, which they're also not good or consistent at, with no combinations or overlaps. At some point you just have to attempt something different.
This is something I agree with. Way too predictable. Get the ball out wide and fling a cross in, even from deeper positions when it’s with the fullbacks
 

I still think he's done good job overall, but his ability to improve us going forward has been poor.

It looks like players hate playing style/system.

It's percentage football that isn't really played at this level anymore.

No real patterns of play, apart from Pickford launching it or getting something from set pieces.

Defensively were much better, but he can't let the brakes off even for must win games.

I still haven't got over giving Ashley Young another 20 mins after that first half v Palace.
 
Only ourselves to blame again. 5 points lost in 2 games. Very frustrating. There is more footballing ability in those players than is getting used. Its all gone long from pickford and tarkowski all the time now. We arent the best but we are more than a match for most of this league. It was only when we played through midfield that we created and we created more than enough to win that today. They just look so unsure of themselves across the midfield now. Since christmas we have changed and gone long bypassing the midfield. The whole midfield has lost confidence in their own ability it seems. The easy lay off to the centrebacks or just backwards when in good positions is getting on my wick now. I know the bigger picture and all that but the manager needs to be braver and just attack more at home. Its like we play away every week and the home record speaks for itself. It needs to change quickly. We have to play most of the teams around us at home and we need to beat them.

I don't think we've changed that much. I think Dyche has rightly got us set up to be difficult to beat but we are the complete opposite of clinical where it matters most. In that spell before Christmas we took our chances and therefore the 3 points.

As you say, we're a match for most in that we can easily give anyone a game but the quality just isn't there from any of the forward line.
 
I don't think we've changed that much. I think Dyche has rightly got us set up to be difficult to beat but we are the complete opposite of clinical where it matters most. In that spell before Christmas we took our chances and therefore the 3 points.

As you say, we're a match for most in that we can easily give anyone a game but the quality just isn't there from any of the forward line.
I would like to see us use the pressing game we used in the first part of the season. Im all for getting the ball in their half and playing there. It suited the players and the crowd had something to get behind. Our defensive record speaks for itself its been top 4 or 5 all season. We should still be sat midtable even though we havent won a match in months. Personally it looks to me that tarkowski and pickford are starting our moves. We had 3 right backs on the bench today and he played a centreback. On the left mcneil isnt starting wide and drifting in anymore he starts in the centre. He looks to be hiding at times.The space today down our left side wasnt used by us. When we start with godfrey at fullback teams know theres not going to be an overlap. Same on the left with mcneil. Hes easy to mark when he is central but when he was drifting in from the left we look dangerous that side. The side isnt balanced. Anyway.UTFT.
 


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