I think the problem is we have an upper champ defence with a mid league one midfield with one upper champ striker whilst kermorgant is injured.
Our weakness in midfield shows itself constantly. Stephens plays some killer balls but loses it far too much. Hollands goes missing for large parts of the game. Kerkar looks to me like that kid in school who would never make the pass but always had to have the ball till he lost it. Green I can't fault too much. Watford managed to throw a body in front of the shot about 6 or 7 times last night which blocked some potentially pretty good shots by the looks of them
I thought we was ok our delivery in again left a bit to be desired but as whole its nowhere near as bad as people make out. I the only change i would make at blackpool is evina for green and push wilson on.
Hollands may have reached the limit of his abilities and he does not have the pace that may be needed in a Championship midfield 2. However, to say he was hiding is just daft IMO> You simply to not get a much more honest, hard working pro. A real "Players player". Really hope he does not become the latest whipping boy.
i like hollands but certainly on games like last night where we really needed to zip it about to break them down, he lacks a bit of finesse and guile. Can see him making way for razak and wagstaff coming back into things on the wing
i like hollands but certainly on games like last night where we really needed to zip it about to break them down, he lacks a bit of finesse and guile. Can see him making way for razak and wagstaff coming back into things on the wing
I just think we were too direct last night. We started the second half excellently, controlling the game in their half and trying to work a clear cut chance. Even before they scored though, we started to get a bit impatient. Can't remember the build up to their second goal but I wouldn't be surprised if it came as a result of this impatience, on the counter attack. Much harder to counter attack a team who are controlling possession at a steady pace. Harder to fault the team for being impatient after Watfords second but I still believe we should have tried to stay calm.
This explains for me why we had so many shots on target but didn't score (possibly a bit unlucky to). Much more chance of scoring if you chip away for a real clear cut chance, instead of just rushing and even putting in countless amounts of crosses.
Anyway I can't worry too much, we do seem to be controlling matches a fair bit and have had bad luck in some previous games. Would definitely like to see a 4-2-3-1 though, as I've said on countless occasions.
I felt quite dispondent and depressed last night that we couldn't break down the 10 men.
Sadly I think our two visitors from the Hornets are not far from the truth.They did look a better team than the Nigels and I think they could do well once their players become more acclimatised to English football.
I agree about Hollands that he might be out of his depth in a midfield 2 in the CCC ,but he did play well on Saturday when we were set up differently with 5 accross the middle. It almost seems SCP stumbled accross the idea of 4 5 1 following Fuller pulling out of the squad at the last minute but it might be worth revisiting because of the players we have.
On a related subject we missed Jacko's set pieces and I feel since his move inside to cm he has become more effective again but like Hollands he might be better suited to us playing 4 5 1.
I'd love to know why Razak didn't appear.What was the point of him signing on Saturday thereby missing Watford away on New Year's Day and then not play him last night.
They way Zola set up - you have to change your game. It isn't the usual challenge you face and you have to accept it. Whilst we had an extra man - we were outnumbered in the box. So crosses rebounds are more likely to fall to one of theirs than one of ours - Simples really! The tactic of getting balls into the box is really a good way to counter this approcah, but you have to get more bodies in to make the odds favour you a bit more. Offside is less of an issue because the defence is playing so deep - Cort was not needed in defence so should have been told to play up front as he was doing as we got desperate towards the end.
If you keep pinging the ball in - sufficiently away from the keeper- the great thing with opponents playing those tactics is that you keep getting it back. But you have to adapt to them - not play as if you are playing a coventional eleven.
crossing poor, passing poor, shot shy. Wilson MOM imo, Kerkar frustrating and surprised he lasted the 90. Would have had him off, switched Green to the left, pushed Wilson forward and played three at the back much earlier. Hollands, as with Jacko, struggling to adjust to life in a higher division. Solly was great but square peg in round hole.
Team for Blackpool : Hamer, Solly, Morro, Cort, Evina, Wilson, Stephens, Razak, Green, Hulse, Fuller.
Tad unfair on BWP who has done nothing wrong but think Fuller/Hulse will work better than Fuller/BWP.
Kerkar frustrating and surprised he lasted the 90. Would have had him off, switched Green to the left, pushed Wilson forward
Have you seen Green playing on the left? He's appalling. He has no left foot. None. All he ever did when we played him there last season was pass the ball backwards because he absolutely could not use his left foot to move it forwards.
Solly is our best player - but tactically - he should have been to one to make way late on - Green had to stay on as he is one of the few who has the potential for real quality in his delivery.
crossing poor, passing poor, shot shy. Wilson MOM imo, Kerkar frustrating and surprised he lasted the 90. Would have had him off, switched Green to the left, pushed Wilson forward and played three at the back much earlier. Hollands, as with Jacko, struggling to adjust to life in a higher division. Solly was great but square peg in round hole.
Team for Blackpool : Hamer, Solly, Morro, Cort, Evina, Wilson, Stephens, Razak, Green, Hulse, Fuller.
Tad unfair on BWP who has done nothing wrong but think Fuller/Hulse will work better than Fuller/BWP.
I fear that if we play two strikers against Blackpool we will be murdered and it will be brutal, bloody and leave a lasting memory.
Hollands isn't the problem its asking him to be a one man midfield a this level. We will need his tackling in against good teams as it is sadly lacking in our lightweight midfield.
alan dugdale Member said October 2 Wish we'd sold Stephens. I await the, " he's our most skilful playmaker".. Blah blah. He lacks urgency, won't put his foot through the ball when he shoots and loses out to often.
If we had sold Stephens we would not have scored tonight! No one better than him in our team against a cheating Watford side. IMHO.
The way I see it we are not getting hammered by anyone infact we are yet to lose by more than 1 goal. Think a little bit of tweaking here and there combind with the confidence of winning a few games and we will be fine. COYR
Watford ended up with 52% possession in a game where they played 50 minutes with 10 men. Thats shameful, we deserved to lose. CP needs to face up to the fact that the midfield/defence has no confidence, hence the backpassing and hoofball.
Just seen the BBC stats - we had 27 shots, 16 of which were on target, yet we only scored one goal. Watford had 19 shots, 10 on target and 2 goals. Just going by the statistics I wouldn't say we deserved to lose.
Just seen the BBC stats - we had 27 shots, 16 of which were on target, yet we only scored one goal. Watford had 19 shots, 10 on target and 2 goals. Just going by the statistics I wouldn't say we deserved to lose.
But of those 16 shots on target, hardly any actually got through the defence to the keeper, as the defenders blocked them all easily.
crossing poor, passing poor, shot shy. Wilson MOM imo, Kerkar frustrating and surprised he lasted the 90. Would have had him off, switched Green to the left, pushed Wilson forward and played three at the back much earlier. Hollands, as with Jacko, struggling to adjust to life in a higher division. Solly was great but square peg in round hole.
Team for Blackpool : Hamer, Solly, Morro, Cort, Evina, Wilson, Stephens, Razak, Green, Hulse, Fuller.
Tad unfair on BWP who has done nothing wrong but think Fuller/Hulse will work better than Fuller/BWP.
I fear that if we play two strikers against Blackpool we will be murdered and it will be brutal, bloody and leave a lasting memory.
Hollands isn't the problem its asking him to be a one man midfield a this level. We will need his tackling in against good teams as it is sadly lacking in our lightweight midfield.
However we play against Blackpool, defensively or gung ho attack, we are on a hiding to nothing. If we sit back, Ince (if fit) and Phillips M will simply waltz around us. If we over attack, we get hit on the break. Blackpool is a VERY good side. However, they are at their most vulnerable, if vulnerable is the right word, when attacked. On paper we are 2 or 3 goal losers against a confident and clever side, motivated by a hard & clever manager who the team are so afraid of, that losing is not an option. If Peterborough can sum up the guts and skill to win away against big odds, then so can we. Powell needs to generate some swagger and confidence back into the side. We should go there and attack. Anything better than a comfortable win for Blackpool would be a big big bonus.
Hollands isn't good enough. That's my opinion. He's a decent player who did well last season in League One, but in the Championship we should be looking at a lot better. He's really struggled so far and I don't see him improving that much either. If he's a permanent figure in the centre of the park this season, I think we'll be in a relegation battle.
Stephens is the best we've got in there at the moment. He's done well so far, I've been impressed. He seems to be finding a lot more time on the ball this season and his passing is good.
Out wide, I'm not convinced. I think Green has done really well, loads better than last season. He should get a big run of games now and I can definitely see him improving even more. Kerkar, on the other side, meh. He's ok, but he hasn't got a huge amount of quality. He did well when he first came into the side but only because the midfield was so devoid of pace that I think anyone with a bit of pace would have looked good. However, unlike Hollands, I think he does have the potential to improve.
Razak should come into the side shortly. He's very good, I've seen a lot of the lad and I really rate him. He's a good defensive midfielder in this league, he'll do brilliantly when he comes in. He's athletically very good and should compliment Stephens. I'm surprised we got him - that says a lot about how good he is. Razak and Stephens will definitely be an improvement, although it's not the most creative pairing I've ever seen.
Just seen the BBC stats - we had 27 shots, 16 of which were on target, yet we only scored one goal. Watford had 19 shots, 10 on target and 2 goals. Just going by the statistics I wouldn't say we deserved to lose.
16 shots on target!!! Thats laughable, as Killer said if those that were going towards the goal count then yes but I count the ones the keeper has to save and he had a cigar on in the 2nd half.
in the 2nd half Almunia made a decent save from BWP after good work from Fuller, then he saved one from Fuller with his feet. He also tipped the one out from under the bar at the end. Cant think of many more.
Comments
Our weakness in midfield shows itself constantly. Stephens plays some killer balls but loses it far too much. Hollands goes missing for large parts of the game. Kerkar looks to me like that kid in school who would never make the pass but always had to have the ball till he lost it. Green I can't fault too much.
Watford managed to throw a body in front of the shot about 6 or 7 times last night which blocked some potentially pretty good shots by the looks of them
I the only change i would make at blackpool is evina for green and push wilson on.
This explains for me why we had so many shots on target but didn't score (possibly a bit unlucky to). Much more chance of scoring if you chip away for a real clear cut chance, instead of just rushing and even putting in countless amounts of crosses.
Anyway I can't worry too much, we do seem to be controlling matches a fair bit and have had bad luck in some previous games. Would definitely like to see a 4-2-3-1 though, as I've said on countless occasions.
Sadly I think our two visitors from the Hornets are not far from the truth.They did look a better team than the Nigels and I think they could do well once their players become more acclimatised to English football.
I agree about Hollands that he might be out of his depth in a midfield 2 in the CCC ,but he did play well on Saturday when we were set up differently with 5 accross the middle. It almost seems SCP stumbled accross the idea of 4 5 1 following Fuller pulling out of the squad at the last minute but it might be worth revisiting because of the players we have.
On a related subject we missed Jacko's set pieces and I feel since his move inside to cm he has become more effective again but like Hollands he might be better suited to us playing 4 5 1.
I'd love to know why Razak didn't appear.What was the point of him signing on Saturday thereby missing Watford away on New Year's Day and then not play him last night.
If you keep pinging the ball in - sufficiently away from the keeper- the great thing with opponents playing those tactics is that you keep getting it back. But you have to adapt to them - not play as if you are playing a coventional eleven.
Team for Blackpool : Hamer, Solly, Morro, Cort, Evina, Wilson, Stephens, Razak, Green, Hulse, Fuller.
Tad unfair on BWP who has done nothing wrong but think Fuller/Hulse will work better than Fuller/BWP.
Hollands isn't the problem its asking him to be a one man midfield a this level. We will need his tackling in against good teams as it is sadly lacking in our lightweight midfield.
October 2
Wish we'd sold Stephens. I await the, " he's our most skilful playmaker".. Blah blah. He lacks urgency, won't put his foot through the ball when he shoots and loses out to often.
If we had sold Stephens we would not have scored tonight! No one better than him in our team against a cheating Watford side. IMHO.
Thats shameful, we deserved to lose.
CP needs to face up to the fact that the midfield/defence has no confidence, hence the backpassing and hoofball.
However we play against Blackpool, defensively or gung ho attack, we are on a hiding to nothing. If we sit back, Ince (if fit) and Phillips M will simply waltz around us. If we over attack, we get hit on the break. Blackpool is a VERY good side. However, they are at their most vulnerable, if vulnerable is the right word, when attacked.
On paper we are 2 or 3 goal losers against a confident and clever side, motivated by a hard & clever manager who the team are so afraid of, that losing is not an option.
If Peterborough can sum up the guts and skill to win away against big odds, then so can we. Powell needs to generate some swagger and confidence back into the side. We should go there and attack. Anything better than a comfortable win for Blackpool would be a big big bonus.
Some people have no clue. I even told 1 guy who was saying 'Powell out' exactly what I thought of his suggestion. Idiot!!
Hollands isn't good enough. That's my opinion. He's a decent player who did well last season in League One, but in the Championship we should be looking at a lot better. He's really struggled so far and I don't see him improving that much either. If he's a permanent figure in the centre of the park this season, I think we'll be in a relegation battle.
Stephens is the best we've got in there at the moment. He's done well so far, I've been impressed. He seems to be finding a lot more time on the ball this season and his passing is good.
Out wide, I'm not convinced. I think Green has done really well, loads better than last season. He should get a big run of games now and I can definitely see him improving even more. Kerkar, on the other side, meh. He's ok, but he hasn't got a huge amount of quality. He did well when he first came into the side but only because the midfield was so devoid of pace that I think anyone with a bit of pace would have looked good. However, unlike Hollands, I think he does have the potential to improve.
Razak should come into the side shortly. He's very good, I've seen a lot of the lad and I really rate him. He's a good defensive midfielder in this league, he'll do brilliantly when he comes in. He's athletically very good and should compliment Stephens. I'm surprised we got him - that says a lot about how good he is. Razak and Stephens will definitely be an improvement, although it's not the most creative pairing I've ever seen.