Fulham v Swansea City

[Yankee_Jack]

For this March, our back line was ill conceived and misconfigured and this condition was exposed badly by Fulham. We play Naughton in some role that defies definition as the center of a back three. As a sweeper working with two stay at home CBs this would work (rendering Downes redundant), but our LCB and RCB play high and adventurous with Downes dropping as necessary …. And Downes has his own defensive deficiencies.

Other failings notwithstanding in the lead up, the ultimate death blow on each of the three goals was their #9 isolating and going one-on-one with Naughton. A mis-match of biblical proportion. Naughton is not a CB. He was out-sized, out-muscled, out-positioned and badly isolated as the last man. Tonight’s game tactically cried out for a true CCB to counter their #9: Cabango, Cooper or Bennett. Competent prematch analysis of the competition would have informed any competent coach of the challenge and risks ahead. Cooper (the player) would have dealt with this handily. Martin played Naughton on the presumption that his system would prevail …. And instead his system was badly exposed with the player he selected to be its key stone … Naughton. Not Naughton’s fault, he was set up to fail.

Martin compounded his tactical gaff by not recognizing the situation on goal #1 and fixing it by swapping Cabango and Naughton as somebody suggested in the thread. A simple natural adjustment for those two players. Not to fix it after goal #2 is criminally negligent.

Nothing wrong with being an evangelistic believer in your system providing if it doesn’t suffer the arrogance of blind faith. Anybody can fuck up, it’s how we move forward humbly absorbing the lesson being taught. Martin was either oblivious to what was going on or deliberately chose to ignore it and persist with his plan. I’m not sure which is worse.

Martin … when the people watching the match can see the train wreck looming in the distance and you don’t …. WTF dude. For two years we suffered with Andy Pandy, Martin is starting to impersonate a Flower Pot man. The training ground is where you practice. Matches are where you earn points. When things are obviously out of whack, fuck the plan, fix the problem.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

On a positive note, Paterson’s goal was a positively delightful piece of opportunism and finishing. So many things could have gone wrong, but he held it together and gave a clinic on scoring in such a situation. Game by game, all things considered, he’s making key contributions. If only others could step up.

 

[ivoralljack]

We have. Obafemi and Laird.

Oba can't use any pace he's got when he's not playing. Will concede that Laird does have some pace. He can also beat a man on occasion.

We have more than one player who can play smart through balls. But I have no idea why they don't do that more often then they do.

I see very little evidence of this. If they could do it, they would. But they rarely do, so I conclude that they can't - at least consistently.

I don't think the lack of creativity is our main problem. It's our back line. We are leaking too many goals.

I do think it's our main problem. We rack up our possession stats by sideways and backwards passing. Opponents are happy to let us play in front of them whilst they shuffle about organising themselves. But the moment we get into danger areas they usually snuff us out. Our shots and shots on target make for pretty dismal reading. Poor Piroe, and Cullen when he came on, had sod all to work off because no one had the nous to provide service to them.

As for our defence, that is also lacking. But what can we expect when we play a slow cumbersome CB at RB and a nippy but lightweight RB at CB? Those positions should have been reversed in the starting lineup and certainly within the first few minutes of play when it became obvious what was happening.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

We fail to cross early and cross well. Pedestrian passing a threat does not create. We're not making their CBs work early and hard. We're not making their keeper stress on crosses early and hard. We have Piroe who can score with his feet and his head - no crosses no goals - do we really expect him to score from outside or the edge of the box on opportunities of his own making. Same goes for Cullen when he's on the field.