what are our tactics?

[IanMcL]

There is no press. Just the odd player running towards a player with the ball, who has other free man to pass. Another player approaches that player etc. All too easy and disconnected at our end.

No evidence of cohesion.

If you play all young players, then the bad times are really bad for them. Experience and conviction is missing.

We have reached Sean Dyche"s Joe Hart/Tom Heaton moment, just for the change sake.

[dandeclaret]

They seem determined to get 5 very attack minded players on the pitch in a 4-1-2-3 formation. Each time that's been played, we've been wide open and lacked shape.

Either you need a more defensively capable wide player (Like JBG) or you have to remove Berge or Amdouni, and have to have some legs in there - which in the current squad means Brownhill has to play.

Cullen is finding this level a step to far, because of the general abilities of players he's up against, but also the fact that the players that sit and stop him playing are better at it. I think against Chelsea he had 24 attempted passes - that's incredibly low for him, and for any player in the position he is in.

I'm also not taken by the goalkeeper - I haven't seen any area that he excels at presently.

Fundamentally though, I think we just have a weak spine through the team - there's no experience in the side at this level, and very little game management. Hopefully VK finds a way to change it soon, but the open-ness that we have feels unsustainable at this level.

[jrgbfc]

This is complete nonsense.

Football has absolutely not had inflation three fold at all.

Dyche didn’t set up to not win - always tried to win games - you don’t play two up top to not try and ‘win’ a game. The only obvious example I can think is when we have been really short and maybe twice played five at the back.

Dyche had a few players and added to it with clever frees and also sold Austin to start the season.

VK benefited from a lot of Dyche’s ways and players and a lot of the incomings were managed to be financed because of some sales of players that Dyche developed

Just like Dyche benefited by Eddie Howe leaving him the likes of Trippier, Ings and Ben Mee. Players it's highly unlikely Dyche would have ever gone for.

[Spijed]

Just like Dyche benefited by Eddie Howe leaving him the likes of Trippier, Ings and Ben Mee. Players it's highly unlikely Dyche would have ever gone for.

Ben Mee is definitely an SD type player if ever there is one.

[steve1264b]

We are missing two players Muric (Not a dig at Trafford but he doesn't have the range of passing) and Tella.

Muric played a lot of diagonal balls for Tella with his pace to run into the space behind defences, got a few goals from that last year.

Last year we gave the ball away a lot in our half but mostly got away with it, not in the premier league. I think teams are giving us the first 10 minutes encouraging us to start passing it about at the back and then pounce forcing the mistake.

[CoolClaret]

Just like Dyche benefited by Eddie Howe leaving him the likes of Trippier, Ings and Ben Mee. Players it's highly unlikely Dyche would have ever gone for.

Aye that Steven Defour as well, proper unlike Dyche

Oh wait.

[Anonymous Claret]

They seem determined to get 5 very attack minded players on the pitch in a 4-1-2-3 formation. Each time that's been played, we've been wide open and lacked shape.

Either you need a more defensively capable wide player (Like JBG) or you have to remove Berge or Amdouni, and have to have some legs in there - which in the current squad means Brownhill has to play.

Cullen is finding this level a step to far, because of the general abilities of players he's up against, but also the fact that the players that sit and stop him playing are better at it. I think against Chelsea he had 24 attempted passes - that's incredibly low for him, and for any player in the position he is in.

I'm also not taken by the goalkeeper - I haven't seen any area that he excels at presently.

Fundamentally though, I think we just have a weak spine through the team - there's no experience in the side at this level, and very little game management. Hopefully VK finds a way to change it soon, but the open-ness that we have feels unsustainable at this level.

Agree with all of this. From what I have seen Trafford is a better keeper than Muric but he is not in the same league as Heaton or Pope when they were here. I would stick with him because I am less keen on the alternative.

I would feel a lot more confident if we had a midfield 3 of Cullen, Browhill and either Berge or Amdouni.

The full backs need some protection also and JBG would be ideal if fit. I haven't seen enough of JBL/Redmond to see if they can play there but I have seen enough of Koleosho, Odobert and Tresor to know that they really struggle when we don't have possession.

We desperately lack a strong spine and experience. Last season even though he was quite young THB was very vocal and had good leadership qualities, add Cork to CM and Barnes up front we weren't short of leaders through the spine. Although Cullen or Brownhill are given the armband I don't see the strong leadership as with the 3 players mentioned above.

[Shaggy]

Aye that Steven Defour as well, proper unlike Dyche

Oh wait.

Give it a rest stop being overly sensitive about a past member of staff.

I’m sure people are more interested in your opinion on our current situation/tactics/personnel ( providing its agenda free ) and

[Big Vinny K]

We're clearly no longer a passing team, we were out passed by one of the most direct teams in the league today and that has been the case most matches.

We're not direct, we don't press, we don't go down the wings and whip crosses in or slip balls through the middle.

What is the plan?

I agree that it is not clear at all as to what we are trying to do.
Listen to Ben Men’s podcast with Ben Foster and he is very clear that Brentford put a massive amount of focus on set pieces. In fact their player bonus system is linked to it. Before the game I thought that this was where we were probably going to lose it due to our lack of height and the injuries and bad form we have at the back.
But they didn’t even need this as they cut through our midfield like a knife through butter time and time again. This is a team on a pretty bad run of form and who have not won at home this season….and they should have beat us by 7 or 8.

Unfortunately whatever tactics we are trying I don’t see VK or Bellamy as the type of people who will change this quickly. And we are also hampered by injuries and the type of players we have in our squad.

We are too exposed in too many key areas of the pitch in terms of options as to who we can play.
We have people calling for Massengo - a player who has hardly made our bench, cost virtually nothing and who I doubt many people have seen play more than a few minutes. And the only reason fans want to see him is because they are clutching at straws that somebody in the squad can sure up the midfield.

Right now I think we are missing leadership and experience (we are missing lots of other things too !).
I’d play Jack Cork and Brownhill. Once Roberts serves his ban if Ekdal and Beyer are not back I’d play Taylor as centre back and so we can drop Al Dakhill or O’Shea before their confidence is completely shot.

And then we have to play only one of Berge or Amdouni and whichever one it is they need to help Foster and start running beyond him and getting somewhere near the box when he pulls out wide (Foster has been great and he’s looked good when he peels off wide but we invariably have nobody in the box)

In terms of which wide men to play were to start !!……who knows what we have got amongst the 8 or 9 players who can play out wide ? Personally in the context of above and the lack of game management and experience we are sadly showing in most games I’d play Redmond if JBG is not fit. And on the other side I just do not see why Zaroury is not being given an opportunity. But if he is just not showing it in training then Benson when he is fit and until then Larsen seems to have shown enough to warrant a start.

Tactically not sure where we go - it’s too simplistic to say let’s get back to how we played last year as it’s not possible in this league for our full backs to do what they did last year (and do we have the players anyway ?). But that said there are elements of last year I do think we could get back to like players breaking the lines and trying to press teams more.

Gonna be very tough and won’t get easier when transfer window opens either as we will lose our best player this season to African Nations Cup.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Just throwing this one in there but it doesn’t help a young, new squad in a new league and often new country when we are only at mid October and most of the squad have already disappeared twice for nearly 2 weeks on international breaks. That, plus an injury and suspension crisis too along with a nightmarish run of fixtures and 2 League Cup ties and a postponement to fit in midweek.

He’s had a lot of curve balls already. The only bit I worry about is keeping confidence up on the pitch, the stands and the boardroom.

[Spijed]

I think 2021-22 season 4 pts from 10 games but he hadn’t spent £100 million boosting an aging squad nor were we heading to shipping over 90 goals in a season

I think we got 4 points from 10 games in 2014-15.

[Elizabeth]

Tactics obviously are important but that is not the most pressing thought in my mind.

I can't move on from how inadequate the players were on Saturday.

Two ageing full backs( Roberts plays like an old man) and 2 central defenders who are out of their depth at this level due to their young years.

The 2 wide men might as well not been on the pitch and certainly in Tresor's case shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11 for a long time.

Amdouni is simply a wild cannon, you do not know what he is going to do at anyone time and possession breaks down a lot when the ball comes to him.

I sense a breakdown between the players and the management team. I think this is because Kompany may be asking them to do things they simply cannot do.

I'm not sure there are any answers for the next couple of games other than try a player who is past it at this level and deploy Berge where he is most effective. Additionally pray that the two central defenders who might make a difference make a speedy recovery and play Zaroury.

It's a mess !

[StayingDown4Ever]

Just throwing this one in there but it doesn’t help a young, new squad in a new league and often new country when we are only at mid October and most of the squad have already disappeared twice for nearly 2 weeks on international breaks. That, plus an injury and suspension crisis too along with a nightmarish run of fixtures and 2 League Cup ties and a postponement to fit in midweek.

He’s had a lot of curve balls already. The only bit I worry about is keeping confidence up on the pitch, the stands and the boardroom.

Has all this just been sprung upon us?

No - just poor planning then if we are really using this as an excuse.

Even the postponement was part our own doing in that we could have just reversed the fixture but chose not to.

[bumba]

Has all this just been sprung upon us?

No - just poor planning then if we are really using this as an excuse.

Even the postponement was part our own doing in that we could have just reversed the fixture but chose not to.

We couldn't reverse the fixture due to premier league rules

[brexit]

Put players on the pitch who we will sell at the end of the season.
Kinda like those glamorous gran competitions at Butlins.
We are no longer a football club we are football flippers.

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

You forgot the lad from Boro too

Which boro lad?

Just remembered another one:

George Boyd £3m

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

Walter’s crock from stoke another £3m

Making £144.5m so far there must be more.

[boatshed bill]

Tactics obviously are important but that is not the most pressing thought in my mind.

I can't move on from how inadequate the players were on Saturday.

Two ageing full backs( Roberts plays like an old man) and 2 central defenders who are out of their depth at this level due to their young years.

The 2 wide men might as well not been on the pitch and certainly in Tresor's case shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11 for a long time.

Amdouni is simply a wild cannon, you do not know what he is going to do at anyone time and possession breaks down a lot when the ball comes to him.

I sense a breakdown between the players and the management team. I think this is because Kompany may be asking them to do things they simply cannot do.

I'm not sure there are any answers for the next couple of games other than try a player who is past it at this level and deploy Berge where he is most effective. Additionally pray that the two central defenders who might make a difference make a speedy recovery and play Zaroury.

It's a mess !

Ever thought of taking up novel writing?

[Elizabeth]

Ever thought of taking up novel writing?

I think I could write a comic book for you bill