Given SU winning, it's surely now time to change our tactics and go all out to win.

We should have took off our insurance (Laurent), put Flemming behind Foster and Edwards on the right-wing at half time.

One win gets as many points as 3 draws.

Shelvey and Edwards on at halftime and we win that game

I’m not. I hope we never concede again.

We missed 3 sitters today, had 2 players get in each others way which should have been a clear header 4 yards out, and had a decent claim for a pen. Not as if we didn't create anything..

Doesn't need to be an ''either or" situation.
We have the players to both maintain a great defence (as we're doing) and, if they're used right, the players to win games.

But Parker can't put the ball in the net for them, the forwards have to step up to the plate.

Ridiculous title for a post. We need to be more clinical in taking our chances but I’m with the earlier poster saying he hopes we never concede again.

HurstGrangeClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 5:49 pm

Ridiculous title for a post. We need to be more clinical in taking our chances but I’m with the earlier poster saying he hopes we never concede again.

I understand the sentiment of the OP, and I broadly agree.

Keeping this clean sheet/unbeaten run going is overshadowing actually winning a game of football.

It’s not just about being clinical but showing an intent to win, which is questionable when a third of games this season have ended 0-0.

And yet if we’d have taken just one of our chances today, we’d have been singing the praises of keeping another clean sheet.

All hindsight but I think if Edwards starts today and Anthony is on the left instead of Foster, he probably scores a goal.

We beat Sheffield United around about Christmas, and I think that was the first of the 11 match goalless run. We've got 18 points in the next 10 goalless games.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, have only kept 3 clean sheets in the last 10 games. But they've got 22 points.

We are definitely playing below the level we need for promotion. Surely something needs to change?

Anyone else thinking maintaining our remarkable defensive record is becoming a millstone round our neck from an attacking and scoring perspective?

It’s all part of the master plan.

When Sheffield United are investigated again and fail FFP at the end of the season, they’ll award automatic promotion to us for only conceding 9 goals all season.

toooldtobegrumpy wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 7:17 pm

Anyone else thinking maintaining our remarkable defensive record is becoming a millstone round our neck from an attacking and scoring perspective?

That's my point. I understand not giving points to our direct rivals, but since the Leeds game there weren't/aren't any until SU. There's still a chance of automatic, but after today it has to be a step change in approach.

TsarBomba wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 5:55 pm

I understand the sentiment of the OP, and I broadly agree.

Keeping this clean sheet/unbeaten run going is overshadowing actually winning a game of football.

It’s not just about being clinical but showing an intent to win, which is questionable when a third of games this season have ended 0-0.

We showed intent to win today for me. It wasn't a Pompey borefest performance. We were just shite in front of goal. We can all dream of more attempts, chances created, better free-flowing football, but it isn't gonna happen every game. We did at home to Oxford & Hull recently and needed to grind out a win today: Sheff Utd did and we nearly did but for cack finishing.

HurstGrangeClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 5:49 pm

Ridiculous title for a post. We need to be more clinical in taking our chances but I’m with the earlier poster saying he hopes we never concede again.

Tbf to the OP, I doubt it's because he wants us to concede, just that to many people's opinion, keeping a clean sheet appears to be the priority over scoring goals, and playing a safety first mind set is the main reason for our lack of goals.

We should have buried at least one of the chances today, but we still weren't dominant, and we should have been more up for it, especially second half. It was a crap result, and every game we don't win from now until the end of the season will be a crap result. We know what we have to do, and when we don't do it, fans have a right to gripe. We weren't unlucky today, we were just not good enough.

I hope we don’t concede anytime soon, today we should have had at least 3 goals at least without playing well but what seems to happen is when we play 3 games in a week and play well in the midweek game we are always below par for the 3rd game i know that 3 games in a week will be tiring for some but surely the idea of a big squad is you can rotate players to keep things fresh especially now we are getting to the business end of the season. Draws are now starting to impact our season badly

The team needed freshening up today. As much as we created enough chances the finishing was tired much like the second half performance. We need to use the bench better and properly remove the handbrake

Bizarre title.

I'm also not so sure we have the quality in the side to outscore an opponent if we open up a bit more. We quite literally had multiple gilt edge chances today that we didn't take.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 8:36 pm

Bizarre title.

I'm also not so sure we have the quality in the side to outscore an opponent if we open up a bit more. We quite literally had multiple gilt edge chances today that we didn't take.

We obviously didn't have enough clear cut chances.
The problem is the fewer chances you create, the more the pressure to convert them.
Leeds, and others in the race don't worry about missing chances, because they know the next one is just round the corner. Where as Foster et al, know how few opportunities they get. The reason we miss so many is a lack of composure. It just goes round in circles. We need to up the intensity keep going hard until we get a lead, then sit back. Turning the heat up for the last 10mins is 80mins too late.

Colburn_Claret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 8:50 pm

We obviously didn't have enough clear cut chances.
The problem is the fewer chances you create, the more the pressure to convert them.
Leeds, and others in the race don't worry about missing chances, because they know the next one is just round the corner. Where as Foster et al, know how few opportunities they get. The reason we miss so many is a lack of composure. It just goes round in circles. We need to up the intensity keep going hard until we get a lead, then sit back. Turning the heat up for the last 10mins is 80mins too late.

We quite literally did have enough clear cut chances, it's just that our 7 in 56 'goalscorer' duffed two of them.

Leeds and Sheffield are tracking to only lose another 11 points between now and the end of the season.

That means we are going to have to win 9-10 of the next 13 games.

In reality there’s a very very good chance we are going to end up in the play offs.

I guess the question is do we see ourselves beating Sunderland?

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 8:51 pm

We quite literally did have enough clear cut chances, it's just that our 7 in 56 'goalscorer' duffed two of them.

Coolclaret go look at the stats that were shown before the game.

If we go up in the top two this season we will be going up with the lowest chance creation stats in championship history.

A lot of this is down to tactics and not players ability. We have got the leagues most expensive squad and I would argue at least 3 or 4 of the best players in there respective position in the league

Ridiculous post.

I don’t understand the thought process about the clean sheets being an issue / holding us back etc…

We haven’t been attacking all season, Parker has been petrified to risk losing a point almost all season. If we lose the clean sheets we probably lose the games.

The most fluid we have been in attack we probably have been (bar Plymouth and hull first halfs aside) was the opening two games when we still had Odobert and Vitinho, and the players still had a VK imprint on them.

He isnt going to change his mindset or tactics, we are so well drilled its stiffling us and when a team is organised it becomes a problem as we get fewer and fewer chances. Things will never change as long as Parker is our manager no matter how much we want it to or say it needs to.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 8:58 pm

Coolclaret go look at the stats that were shown before the game.

If we go up in the top two this season we will be going up with the lowest chance creation stats in championship history.

A lot of this is down to tactics and not players ability. We have got the leagues most expensive squad and I would argue at least 3 or 4 of the best players in there respective position in the league

We do not have 'the leagues most expensive squad' - that belongs to Leeds.

Best players in their respective positions, who are you having there?

Our xG differential is the second highest in the league. We restrict the opposition to absolutely nothing. We just can't put it in the onion bag and none of our attacking players have a track record of being bagsmen. It's that simple.

HurstGrangeClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 5:58 pm

And yet if we’d have taken just one of our chances today, we’d have been singing the praises of keeping another clean sheet.

But we didn’t, for the twelfth time this season!

Look, I get it, the defence deserves great credit, but FFS, we can’t keep drawing games 0-0 if we are to finish top 2 which was surely our aim at the start of the season!

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 8:36 pm

Bizarre title.

I'm also not so sure we have the quality in the side to outscore an opponent if we open up a bit more. We quite literally had multiple gilt edge chances today that we didn't take.

Seriously? Did you see our bench today? 20 other teams in this league would kill to have our squad.

If we ever do concede a goal there would probably be 10mins of injury time added as Traf would not know where to look for the ball.
"It's behind you....Oh no it isn't!"

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 9:19 pm

We do not have 'the leagues most expensive squad' - that belongs to Leeds.

Best players in their respective positions, who are you having there?

Our xG differential is the second highest in the league. We restrict the opposition to absolutely nothing. We just can't put it in the onion bag and none of our attacking players have a track record of being bagsmen. It's that simple.

Your finding a stat to suit your agenda.

But overall if we go up automatic we are on track to do so with the lowest chances created, the fewest shots per game and potentially the lowest ever number of goals scored. They are pretty damaging stats and suggest that we are just simply not creating enough clear cut chances.

I would also argue if we swapped managers with Leeds we would be top right now. That’s not a diss at Parker because I actually rate him and think he would do a good job for us in the prem. but fundamentally his tactics are going to result in Burnley finishing outside the top 2. (I would say odds wise we are probably looking at a below 20% chance of top two now).

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/champio ... bewerb/GB2

According to this most valuable squad in the league.

Trafford, Esteve, Egan Riley, Edwards, Brownhill I think all of them you could argue are the best in there position in the league.

jrgbfc wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 9:39 pm

Seriously? Did you see our bench today? 20 other teams in this league would kill to have our squad.

& we're ahead of 21 of the teams in this league.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:00 pm

Your finding a stat to suit your agenda.

But overall if we go up automatic we are on track to do so with the lowest chances created, the fewest shots per game and potentially the lowest ever number of goals scored. They are pretty damaging stats and suggest that we are just simply not creating enough clear cut chances.

I would also argue if we swapped managers with Leeds we would be top right now. That’s not a diss at Parker because I actually rate him and think he would do a good job for us in the prem. but fundamentally his tactics are going to result in Burnley finishing outside the top 2. (I would say odds wise we are probably looking at a below 20% chance of top two now).

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/champio ... bewerb/GB2

According to this most valuable squad in the league.

Trafford, Esteve, Egan Riley, Edwards, Brownhill I think all of them you could argue are the best in there position in the league.

Just lol @ 'transfermarkt'.

Leeds have multiple €20mill players in their ranks.

I'm listing the stat that shows that our xG differential is the 2nd best in the league.

It's only recently that we've had genuine options off the bench, played much of the season with naff all on the bench to change a game.
Edwards will start the next game, and we're still well within a shot of going up auto.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:07 pm

Just lol @ 'transfermarkt'.

Leeds have multiple €20mill players in their ranks.

I'm listing the stat that shows that our xG differential is the 2nd best in the league.

It's only recently that we've had genuine options off the bench, played much of the season with naff all on the bench to change a game.
Edwards will start the next game, and we're still well within a shot of going up auto.

We are in with a very small shot now.

Both Sheffield and Leeds are on to only lose another 11 points for the rest of the season.

That means we have to win 9-10 games out of the next 13.

It’s not going to happen. Mainly down to the fact we simply won’t score enough goals to do that.

You’re naive if you think Burnley don’t have multiple 20m players in our ranks also.

unless Parker seriously releases the handbrake the chances of going up automatic are slim at best

dsr wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 7:16 pm

We beat Sheffield United around about Christmas, and I think that was the first of the 11 match goalless run. We've got 18 points in the next 10 goalless games.

Sheffield United, meanwhile, have only kept 3 clean sheets in the last 10 games. But they've got 22 points.

We are definitely playing below the level we need for promotion. Surely something needs to change?

Since we score so few I don’t think conceding is the answer. Just means we have to score even more.

We’d have scored 3 today if our forwards could hit the target.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:10 pm

We are in with a very small shot now.

Both Sheffield and Leeds are on to only lose another 11 points for the rest of the season.

That means we have to win 9-10 games out of the next 13.

It’s not going to happen. Mainly down to the fact we simply won’t score enough goals to do that.

You’re naive if you think Burnley don’t have multiple 20m players in our ranks also.

unless Parker seriously releases the handbrake the chances of going up automatic are slim at best

Who have we signed for €20 mill then?

I'll give you a clue - it's no one.

Sheff and Leeds also have to play each other, and we also have to play Sheff United as well. We absolutely can win 9 games of the remaining 13.

deanothedino wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:10 pm

Since we score so few I don’t think conceding is the answer. Just means we have to score even more.

We’d have scored 3 today if our forwards could hit the target.

It’s not about not conceding, it’s about Parker actually going for it.

93rd minute today we had 6 players in our own half with Esteve and Egan Riley passing to each other 5 times in 20 seconds. It’s about system, Leeds would have had 8 players in the opposition half with probably 4 of them in the opposition box.

I watched the last ten minutes very closely today and nothing changed at all, same system, same tempo, just hoping Preston made a mistake

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:11 pm

Who have we signed for €20 mill then?

I'll give you a clue - it's no one.

Sheff and Leeds also have to play each other, and we also have to play Sheff United as well. We absolutely can win 9 games of the remaining 13.

We are winning roughly 1 every two games across the season (even less than that on recent form).

To win 9/10 out of the next 13 games is just not going to happen unfortunately. I would be surprised if we scored in 9/10 of the next 13 games tbh. Stats would suggest we won’t even do that. We have failed to score in 14 of our 33 games this season.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:16 pm

We are winning roughly 1 every two games across the season (even less than that on recent form).

To win 9/10 out of the next 13 games is just not going to happen unfortunately. I would be surprised if we scored in 9/10 of the next 13 games tbh. Stats would suggest we won’t even do that. We have failed to score in 14 of our 33 games this season.

We have but we've just signed a very talented attacking player and have got other attacking players back fit that we didn't previously have available for selection.

CoolClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:23 pm

We have but we've just signed a very talented attacking player and have got other attacking players back fit that we didn't previously have available for selection.

If it’s was increasing our output by 10-20% I would agree with you.

But unfortunately we are talking about increasing our output by 50% (wins).

Unless we really start going for it and throwing people forward at the end of games I really can’t see it.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:25 pm

If it’s was increasing our output by 10-20% I would agree with you.

But unfortunately we are talking about increasing our output by 50% (wins).

Unless we really start going for it and throwing people forward at the end of games I really can’t see it.

The thing is, 10-20% more attacking chances in those draws would probably result in 50% of them converting to wins...

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:10 pm

We are in with a very small shot now.

Both Sheffield and Leeds are on to only lose another 11 points for the rest of the season.

That means we have to win 9-10 games out of the next 13.

It’s not going to happen. Mainly down to the fact we simply won’t score enough goals to do that.

You’re naive if you think Burnley don’t have multiple 20m players in our ranks also.

unless Parker seriously releases the handbrake the chances of going up automatic are slim at best

Brownhill isn't a 20 mil player. Cullen, who is probably best in the league in his position, would never be sold for 20 mil. Traff and Esteve could potentially go because of their contracts and age. CJ wasn't even considered at the start of the season so we'd do well to sell for 20 mill. You're talking stats and percentages. The back of the season throws weird things up. Nobody would've predicted Leeds to not go up last season. Sheff Utd are generally considered crap and lucky most weeks. Beat Sheff Utd and they lose to Leeds then another 7/8 wins and a few draws might well be enough. Let's see.

Newcastleclaret93 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:16 pm

We are winning roughly 1 every two games across the season (even less than that on recent form).

To win 9/10 out of the next 13 games is just not going to happen unfortunately. I would be surprised if we scored in 9/10 of the next 13 games tbh. Stats would suggest we won’t even do that. We have failed to score in 14 of our 33 games this season.

Did you predict the same under Stan 99/00? If you're not old enough then look back at our last 8 games or so and see what can happen in the run-in.

Not conceding goals is one of the ways you win games because even 1 goal gets you the win
If you don’t score not conceding gets you the point that conceding would have taken away

I’m not a happy clapper but I thought today we took the game to Preston and our approach play was good for the most part. The finishing and quite often tge final call has been poor. I know there have been too many draws and goalless matches for the Clarets but I don’t think today’s draw was down to the manager - just poor finishing really. Leeds and Sheffield are higher than us because they have more balanced squads than us. We’ve not got confident in form strikers - they evidently have??

Preston are on a good run (especially at home) and I think Leeds and Sunderland failed to win at Deepdale. They are aggressive (dirty) and we were unlucky not to get a penalty.

The new lads need to settle in which can take a good few weeks.

If we conceded in the first minute of every remaining game, I’m convinced we’d end up on more points.

This team just coasts for long long periods in games, an early conceded goal would deliver the required rocket up the arse and force us to throw men forward and up the tempo.

BleedingClaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:35 pm

Not conceding goals is one of the ways you win games because even 1 goal gets you the win
If you don’t score not conceding gets you the point that conceding would have taken away

Thanks Scott.
Ps- Any other season that might be fine, this year I don't think so.

We more than likely need 2 points per game to go up. We aren't getting two points per game, so unless something changes, we won't go up.

At 75 minutes I'm sure we were all expecting a 0-0 draw. Everything about that match, including past experience, suggested that if nothing changed, we would draw 0-0.

Parker had the option (like he did at Hull, successfully, but never since) of making an attacking substitution and playing with two up top in hopes of changing something and winning the game. He didn't do that, presumably because he didn't want to change the game. He was happy as it was. It's now 12 times this season that we have gone into the last 15 minutes with the score 0-0, and we have won just one of them - and that was when a Swansea player gave us a stupid penalty. When we have all those opportunities to force a win against (mostly) unthreatening opposition, to win just 1 of 12 is - to say the least - not the form a potential promotion side should show.

Sheffield United, incidentally, have gone into the last 15 minutes at 0-0 five times. The won 3 (one of them 2-1), drew 1, lost 1, for 10 points in those 5 games. OK, they let in goals in a couple of those matches, but on the other hand they took 2 points per game. In those circumstances, isn't trying to score goals a tactic worth trying?

beeholeclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:57 pm

The new lads need to settle in which can take a good few weeks.

Not sure I agree with this. When Sunderland signed Le Fee, he went into the starting line up straight away because they knew he had the quality to change games from draws to wins at this level. And so that has proved so far. I get Edwards has been out of the Sporting team for a while now, but he is in a similar bracket to Le Fee. He should have been on far sooner today.

Ditto Shelvey, who would’ve posed a more dynamic threat especially with the pitch being as poor as it was today.

I will never be sick of us not conceding, I was getting fed up of us never creating chances which now seems to be changing. With better finishing Foster, Hanibal, Anthony and Fleming could all have netted recently. I know Fleming has but he has also missed several he should have put away. With the new arrivals and returning players I think we can still grab an automatic spot. Thought Parker would have hooked Foster off earlier today he was just never going to score.

dvalley69 wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 15, 2025 10:58 pm

Did you predict the same under Stan 99/00? If you're not old enough then look back at our last 8 games or so and see what can happen in the run-in.

Dvalley our form over the last 10 games has us joint 7th in the table.

With even Preston having more wins than us. Our current form would have us finishing circa 12 points below Sheffield and Leeds