Last year Coventry finished in 9th and scored 70 goals, yet this season all but 2-3 clubs are unlikely to reach that total.

On the flip side it means teams are conceding less.

Are teams now becoming more defensive in their approach to games?

More top defenders than strikers at Championship level this year. It ebbs and flows through time but this season is particularly bad.
How we have got away with just Flemming up front I will never know. Foster is nothing special and JRod & Barnes are way past their best.
Sheff U have BBD, Brewster, Rak-Saki, Cannon, Campbell, Moore with Hamer and O’Hare behind them and they don’t know where their next goal is coming from. BTW none of them are PL level

Spijed wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 1:07 pm

Last year Coventry finished in 9th and scored 70 goals, yet this season all but 2-3 clubs are unlikely to reach that total.

On the flip side it means teams are conceding less.

Are teams now becoming more defensive in their approach to games?

Can't really speak for others clubs, but for what it's worth, I don't think we've become "more defensive", despite our amazing low goals conceded total, I just think we've put together a damn good defence.

Likely what Neville said last week, large chunks of the game is defenders just passing it between themselves and the keeper

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:21 pm

Likely what Neville said last week, large chunks of the game is defenders just passing it between themselves and the keeper

Do many teams play like that in the Championship? Would argue most employ quite a direct style. Be interesting to see I suppose.

I think it’s more the absence of quality forwards at this level.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ch ... op-scorers

Not many goals being scored tbh
Brownhill is our leading scorer and he's only 4 behind this seasons overall leading scorer

Swizzlestick wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:56 pm

Do many teams play like that in the Championship? Would argue most employ quite a direct style. Be interesting to see I suppose.

I think it’s more the absence of quality forwards at this level.

But wouldn't that be balanced out by lack of quality defending as well at this level?

Swizzlestick wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 2:56 pm

Do many teams play like that in the Championship? Would argue most employ quite a direct style. Be interesting to see I suppose.

I think it’s more the absence of quality forwards at this level.

There's only really Derby and PNE who have played against us in that way. I suppose Sunderland and Norwich were quite direct in their way.

Spijed wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 3:18 pm

But wouldn't that be balanced out by lack of quality defending as well at this level?

Not necessarily? Arguably more solid defenders at this level than previously.

dougcollins wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 3:32 pm

There's only really Derby and PNE who have played against us in that way. I suppose Sunderland and Norwich were quite direct in their way.

I wouldn’t describe teams like Millwall, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Oxford, Luton etc as tippy tappy at the back merchants

Swizzlestick wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 4:00 pm

Not necessarily? Arguably more solid defenders at this level than previously.

And most of them play for us!

When Fulham beat Brentford in the 2020 play off final the front 3 for Brentford was Mbeumo, Watkins and Benrahma.

Looking at last season:
Leicester scored 89 & conceded 41
Ipswich scored 92 & conceded 57
Leeds scored 81 & conceded 43
Southampton scored 87 & conceded 63

Big shift compared to this year.

When you look at the league as a whole only 4 teams have scored more than us... so it puts our defensive prowess into perspective ... Sheff U have scored 57 the same as us, but leaked 20 goals more .

Only Leeds have scored an armful more with 26 more, Cov 1 more, Boro 4 and Norwich 6.

So this season goals have either been harder to come by (or teams are not attacking as much).

Looking back over previous seasons the top 3 or 4 Championship strikers finish the season with 20+ goals. This season to date not a single striker has reached that figure. Hard to imagine that Mitrovic ended the season with 43.

Swizzlestick wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 13, 2025 4:02 pm

I wouldn’t describe teams like Millwall, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Oxford, Luton etc as tippy tappy at the back merchants

Not quite that, and not what they were either.

Even Luton seem to have calmed it down.