Papering over the cracks

[JohnMcGreal]

We could and should have scored more goals but considering the standard of our performances at home this season I'm just glad we managed to score once.

A much needed 3 points, anyway.

[Claretnick]

We had people telling us this was a must win game. Then they moan when we win, you just can't win with some folk!

[Claret53]

It's amazing how people can watch the same game and have such differing views.
I thought that the football was much more adventurous and that we should have gone in 4-0 up at half time. The balance between defensive solidity and attack was much better.
For me, Cullen played exceptionally well. He broke up so many attacks and then was constantly popping up supporting the forwards.
Of course, a star striker would improve the team - as it would any team - but I was very happy with what I saw last night.

[quoonbeatz]

I thought broadly, up until we scored we were very good (although we had a particular purple patch from 15-25 minutes and as is often the way, Oxford had made the game slightly more even as we scored!). After we scored though, not for the first time this season our intensity dropped and we didn't quite get on the front foot in the same way again. In the second half whilst we forced saves, they were mostly from range and we didn't create the sort of chances inside the 6 yard box we should have done for our possession given our obvious superiority. Once again, with a bit more willingness to put the ball at risk and play forwards rather than slowing the game down and going sideways and backwards, we might of overwhelmed a team and we didn't. In the end we found ourselves not hanging on, but having to manage a game to the final whistle when we should have been comfortable long before the final whistle.

When the intensity drops on the field, it inevitably drops in the stands and frustration builds and that was apparent again last night. One those relatively rare occasions in the second half when we raised the intensity - Egan Riley's run, Foster's two or three runs, and so on - the crowd responded, as they did to Shelvey's willingness to play an ambitious forwards pass once he came on. But there wasn't enough of it and too much of the game was managerial and like supporters at Fulham and Bournemouth before us, Burnley fans are finding this a bit wearing. We can be better

Spot on

[Walton]

I thought broadly, up until we scored we were very good (although we had a particular purple patch from 15-25 minutes and as is often the way, Oxford had made the game slightly more even as we scored!). After we scored though, not for the first time this season our intensity dropped and we didn't quite get on the front foot in the same way again. In the second half whilst we forced saves, they were mostly from range and we didn't create the sort of chances inside the 6 yard box we should have done for our possession given our obvious superiority. Once again, with a bit more willingness to put the ball at risk and play forwards rather than slowing the game down and going sideways and backwards, we might of overwhelmed a team and we didn't. In the end we found ourselves not hanging on, but having to manage a game to the final whistle when we should have been comfortable long before the final whistle.

When the intensity drops on the field, it inevitably drops in the stands and frustration builds and that was apparent again last night. One those relatively rare occasions in the second half when we raised the intensity - Egan Riley's run, Foster's two or three runs, and so on - the crowd responded, as they did to Shelvey's willingness to play an ambitious forwards pass once he came on. But there wasn't enough of it and too much of the game was managerial and like supporters at Fulham and Bournemouth before us, Burnley fans are finding this a bit wearing. We can be better

Absolutely.

[Walton]

Who knows, but that scenario has never happened where three teams have got so many points.

That's why no team prior to this season has ever failed to get promoted when they have got 92 points or more.

Ok, well based on current points and games played, Leeds average 2.1 points per game, Sheff Utd average 2.033 ppg and we average 1.97 ppg.

Based on that, which team do you think is the least likely to pick up those 92 points?

[jlup1980]

I thought broadly, up until we scored we were very good (although we had a particular purple patch from 15-25 minutes and as is often the way, Oxford had made the game slightly more even as we scored!). After we scored though, not for the first time this season our intensity dropped and we didn't quite get on the front foot in the same way again. In the second half whilst we forced saves, they were mostly from range and we didn't create the sort of chances inside the 6 yard box we should have done for our possession given our obvious superiority. Once again, with a bit more willingness to put the ball at risk and play forwards rather than slowing the game down and going sideways and backwards, we might of overwhelmed a team and we didn't. In the end we found ourselves not hanging on, but having to manage a game to the final whistle when we should have been comfortable long before the final whistle.

When the intensity drops on the field, it inevitably drops in the stands and frustration builds and that was apparent again last night. One those relatively rare occasions in the second half when we raised the intensity - Egan Riley's run, Foster's two or three runs, and so on - the crowd responded, as they did to Shelvey's willingness to play an ambitious forwards pass once he came on. But there wasn't enough of it and too much of the game was managerial and like supporters at Fulham and Bournemouth before us, Burnley fans are finding this a bit wearing. We can be better.

100% agree with this assessment. I mentioned tempo a lot last night. The odd occasions we pressed as a team, or played a quick, first time ball into the final third we looked dangerous. We spent far too much time last night passing it slowly, backwards and sideways. I understand SP wants us to control the game in this way, but as timed ticked on last night you just got the feeling they'd get one chance. Fortunately they didn't, but it only takes one error and we're back to 1-1. I was expecting us to come out and hit the ground running in the second half, to put the game to bed, but we came out with a distinct lack of intent, and this is what irritates me most. We don't seem to be playing to our full potential.

[claretonthecoast1882]

100% agree with this assessment. I mentioned tempo a lot last night. The odd occasions we pressed as a team, or played a quick, first time ball into the final third we looked dangerous. We spent far too much time last night passing it slowly, backwards and sideways. I understand SP wants us to control the game in this way, but as timed ticked on last night you just got the feeling they'd get one chance. Fortunately they didn't, but it only takes one error and we're back to 1-1. I was expecting us to come out and hit the ground running in the second half, to put the game to bed, but we came out with a distinct lack of intent, and this is what irritates me most. We don't seem to be playing to our full potential.

In this 2nd half half where we had a distinct lack of intent we had 5 shots on target compared to the first half where we had 2, along with 6 corners in each half.

[ChorltonCharlie]

Once again, with a bit more willingness to put the ball at risk and play forwards rather than slowing the game down and going sideways and backwards, we might of overwhelmed a team and we didn't. In the end we found ourselves not hanging on, but having to manage a game to the final whistle when we should have been comfortable long before the final whistle.

Strange that you’re criticising our strength there. We’ve only conceded 1 goal all season when we’ve had a 1 goal advantage, which also is the only time we’ve dropped points from a winning position. It’s over 5 months ago. It’s an incredible record and is largely the reason that we still are in the hunt. It might not be entertaining, but it’s a no brainer for Parker to go more risk averse the later the game goes on. The idea that he should be looking to kill games off rather than play to the teams’ strengths is absurd. Even then, it wasn’t like last night we shut up shot. We still looked the far more likely team to score.

It’s this kind of thing that leads to the entitled comment. Criticise the forwards for not scoring, but criticising Parker for doing game management after a positive result, when that’s where our strength has been all season isn’t a good look.

[burnley007]

The table from 2 years ago today, teams separated by points.
Big difference when a team reaches it's full potential.

table.jpg (7.03 KiB) Viewed 1304 times

[RicardoMontalban]

The table from 2 years ago today, teams separated by points.
Big difference when a team reaches it's full potential.


table.jpg

Different season, different set of circumstances, different players, different performance of rivals. Is that after 31 games, or at the end of the season? If now we’re 8 points behind where we were then, not really necessitating the commons select committee treatment, is it. If the end of the season why post that now because it’s next to meaningless.

What that table also shows is how far off it the other teams were, whereas this year you have four going neck a neck. All the more reason for the extreme control and game management.

[Big Vinny K]

Just do not get the comments about last night or the over analysis either.

We should have been 4 or 5 up in the first half and the miss by Foster in particular was an absolute sitter. They also made a great goal line clearance and the keeper made an excellent save. We got to the by line loads of times and played through the lines much better than we have done recently.

Second half was much the same too - totally dominated the ball and play and again 3 or 4 big chances.

And all this against a team who were unbeaten in 9 games under the new manager.

My only disappointment really was that if we had got the second goal we deserved earlier it would have been a great opportunity to bring on Shelvey earlier than we did and possibly Edwards or Benson too. Hopefully they will get a run out on Saturday.

[brexit]

Just do not get the comments about last night or the over analysis either.

We should have been 4 or 5 up in the first half and the miss by Foster in particular was an absolute sitter. They also made a great goal line clearance and the keeper made an excellent save. We got to the by line loads of times and played through the lines much better than we have done recently.

Second half was much the same too - totally dominated the ball and play and again 3 or 4 big chances.

And all this against a team who were unbeaten in 9 games under the new manager.

My only disappointment really was that if we had got the second goal we deserved earlier it would have been a great opportunity to bring on Shelvey earlier than we did and possibly Edwards or Benson too. Hopefully they will get a run out on Saturday.

My thoughts exactly. My only concern is that can we have Edwards, Hannibal and Shelvey in a starting eleven? Does this mean Brownhill and Laurent will be relegated to the bench?

[Notsosuperstevedavis]

I have to look at from multiple angles to be fair really.

We’ve the parker angle:

He’s done a great job moulding a team from the shambles that was the end of that premier league season and getting some team spirit instilled in them from a select bunch that clearly didnt want to be here. The clubs got rid and we havent crashed and burned.

Parker has a 100% success ratio in this division and his safety first tactics are aimed at this unbelievable pressure he feels and has been put on him to get the club over the line and make it 3 clubs in 3 attempts.

The defensive record: this is going to eat us alive if we’re not careful. Like a prem team in the relegation zone, the sole focus becomes to not concede. This is where we’re at. We’re going to forget that actually going forward and taking some risks is what will win you a league. We dont get three points for a clean sheet.

Then there’s the punters: the paying fans. (Of which I am one)

It’s like watching a game of football on giant fußball table. The players are in rows and barely move. Its conjested. Theres not a single run. Wingers are static the forwards are back to goal and static. There’s literally no spark for the fans to feed off.

We’ve a wealth of players. Players that are talented but I believe playing with a parker shaped handbrake on. The most exciting thing for me last night was the lung busting run CJ made and the alarming lack of support he got after he’d taken the entire Oxford team on himself.

Its pedestrian. We game manage so much - its asking a lot of the fans to be so patient week in and week out. We were one mistake away from dropping points last night and our procrastination nearly cost us with an idiotic back pass from Connor Roberts late in the second half - when we possibly should have been managing the game. This unfortunately had gone out of the window and we looked nervous to try and keep the ball in the dying embers of the game.

We dont counter attack. Nothing is done at speed and certainly dont run in behind opposition teams. Foster had mixed reviews last night on the board. He looked tired after about 60 mins.
I’ll never understand why potential match winners are not introduced. Benny, Jonjo, Edwards could have made a positive attacking difference against a team there for the taking.

Yet we had rely on an own goal for the win. Im happy we won. But it wasnt entertaining.

[Big Vinny K]

My thoughts exactly. My only concern is that can we have Edwards, Hannibal and Shelvey in a starting eleven? Does this mean Brownhill and Laurent will be relegated to the bench?

Not sure we missed Brownhill last night that much. Thought Hannibal was our best player.
Laurent has just had 2 or 3 games now when he’s struggled a bit….think it’s good to have competition and quality on bench and at some point soon with our busy schedule they deserve a chance.
Edwards we just need to see. Foster was better last night after a poor few games and Flemming struggled. At some point soon I’d expect Edwards to be given a chance and either Foster benched or Foster play up top and Flemming benched.

Personally - other than maybe Cullen I don’t think any of our midfield or forward line are too good to not be benched. The trick will be utilising them all at the right time whilst keeping them all happy too. And also possibly using our subs sooner in some games to try and win more games than hold on for draws - last Saturday was a missed opportunity for me. When you are playing a team as aggressive as Portsmouth were in the press and looking a bit lethargic like we were then one of our big advantages over teams like that has got to be the strength of our bench.

[Spijed]

I have to look at from multiple angles to be fair really.

We’ve the parker angle:

He’s done a great job moulding a team from the shambles that was the end of that premier league season and getting some team spirit instilled in them from a select bunch that clearly didnt want to be here. The clubs got rid and we havent crashed and burned.

Parker has a 100% success ratio in this division and his safety first tactics are aimed at this unbelievable pressure he feels and has been put on him to get the club over the line and make it 3 clubs in 3 attempts.

The defensive record: this is going to eat us alive if we’re not careful. Like a prem team in the relegation zone, the sole focus becomes to not concede. This is where we’re at. We’re going to forget that actually going forward and taking some risks is what will win you a league. We dont get three points for a clean sheet.

Then there’s the punters: the paying fans. (Of which I am one)

It’s like watching a game of football on giant fußball table. The players are in rows and barely move. Its conjested. Theres not a single run. Wingers are static the forwards are back to goal and static. There’s literally no spark for the fans to feed off.

We’ve a wealth of players. Players that are talented but I believe playing with a parker shaped handbrake on. The most exciting thing for me last night was the lung busting run CJ made and the alarming lack of support he got after he’d taken the entire Oxford team on himself.

Its pedestrian. We game manage so much - its asking a lot of the fans to be so patient week in and week out. We were one mistake away from dropping points last night and our procrastination nearly cost us with an idiotic back pass from Connor Roberts late in the second half - when we possibly should have been managing the game. This unfortunately had gone out of the window and we looked nervous to try and keep the ball in the dying embers of the game.

We dont counter attack. Nothing is done at speed and certainly dont run in behind opposition teams. Foster had mixed reviews last night on the board. He looked tired after about 60 mins.
I’ll never understand why potential match winners are not introduced. Benny, Jonjo, Edwards could have made a positive attacking difference against a team there for the taking.

Yet we had rely on an own goal for the win. Im happy we won. But it wasnt entertaining.

We opened up Oxford as easily as we did Plymouth with the amount of chances we created in the first half, the only difference we couldn't finish them. Had we done so we would have been looking at a similar scoreline at half time.

[Elizabeth]

This ‘papering over cracks’ viewpoint is a nonsense based on last night’s performance. This was a dominant performance and the only real criticism is that we didn’t put our good chances away.
In no way should last night’s performance be associated with previous underwhelming ones. It needs now to be consolidated for the remaining home games of the season . The away form needs no introduction it is that good.

[Notsosuperstevedavis]

We opened up Oxford as easily as we did Plymouth with the amount of chances we created in the first half, the only difference we couldn't finish them. Had we done so we would have been looking at a similar scoreline at half time.

1-0 or 5-0. The Oxford game was static. The teams static. It’s not great to watch. While some will be a glass half full, and some half empty - it doesn’t change the fact that it’s hard to watch a team struggle to beat anyone stuck in first gear.

Coulda would shoulda - doesnt change the spectacle.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Agree with comments about the tempo pausing too many times this season, and the fear is that it will happen whenever we go a goal up, so if Foster had scored his early chance it could have been a very dull game.

Plymouth was the exception but only for 20 minutes, after the break we went back to game management.

There is a time and a place, when we are in a 2 game week it is sensible to conserve energy, but I feel that we do it too much and fans are starting to get fed up with it. The only way Parker survives to 2026 is if he addresses this conundrum, because otherwise whenever he has a bad run (either in the PL or by not winning promotion) he will be hounded out. So I hope he addresses it because he is a good manager on the whole.

[ChorltonCharlie]

Its pedestrian. We game manage so much - its asking a lot of the fans to be so patient week in and week out. We were one mistake away from dropping points last night and our procrastination nearly cost us with an idiotic back pass from Connor Roberts late in the second half - when we possibly should have been managing the game. This unfortunately had gone out of the window and we looked nervous to try and keep the ball in the dying embers of the game.

We dont counter attack. Nothing is done at speed and certainly dont run in behind opposition teams.

The first bit I've quoted you've contradicted yourself. Let's have it right. If you have a manager who's good at game managing, it is absolutely the right thing to do. The entertainment in watching your team is both about how they play, making chances, etc AND winning. The former soon gets dull without the latter. We created chances last night and there was entertaining play and we won. It might not be 90 minutes worth, but it was far from dull.

The second bit is completely false in terms of last night. It just comes across as a pre-conceived agenda. How did we score? Josh Cullen in an advanced attacking position going beyond his left forward. He got into a similar position in the second half. On that occasion he had an underwhelming first touch and rushed a pull back to no-one.

[Notsosuperstevedavis]

I’ll explain.

We game manage when we should be attacking.

Then. When winning from 80 mins plus and game managing should be appropriate, we panic, dither and fart about, nearly gifting them a goal.

And yes. We attacked and scored a goal. And we also managed the same against Swansea

But 85 mins of refusing to break the lines and watching backwards and sideways with strikers unable to do anything other than stand still with back to goal is drab

[claretspice]

Strange that you’re criticising our strength there. We’ve only conceded 1 goal all season when we’ve had a 1 goal advantage, which also is the only time we’ve dropped points from a winning position. It’s over 5 months ago. It’s an incredible record and is largely the reason that we still are in the hunt. It might not be entertaining, but it’s a no brainer for Parker to go more risk averse the later the game goes on. The idea that he should be looking to kill games off rather than play to the teams’ strengths is absurd. Even then, it wasn’t like last night we shut up shot. We still looked the far more likely team to score.

It’s this kind of thing that leads to the entitled comment. Criticise the forwards for not scoring, but criticising Parker for doing game management after a positive result, when that’s where our strength has been all season isn’t a good look.

Your premise here appears to be that there is a choice between playing to the team's strength as a defensive unit, and trying to kill the game off. I'm afraid I think that's nonsense. It was perfectly possibly last night to look to get the ball into forward areas more, and therefore create more better quality opportunities, whilst also maintaining our defensive shape and denying Oxford chances to score. The idea that a team would be satisfied with a one goal lead, with the inherent risk that presents, rather than show a little more intent to score a second, seems very odd to me. Of course, once the game has gone into the final 10-15 minutes and the lead is only one goal, it's reasonable to tighten things up. But before then, I think most managers would take the view that a second goal to put the game to bed is desirable. Indeed Parker said as much last night.

There's nothing wrong with managing a game, and our defensive record is outstanding. Last night was more entertaining than many of our games this season, and as I've said the first 30 minutes was very good. But the second half was frustrating and actually, when we dropped the tempo our passing lost its crispness and if Oxford were likely to score, it was because the edge went out of our game. We are capable of maintaining the tempo and incisiveness we showed in the first 30 minutes last night until later in the game. We didn't and it appeared last night to be a matter of design, and I don't think it's entitled to express some frustration with that - both because it leaves open the risk of Oxford grabbing a completely undeserved point, and because it short changes supporters who pay to watch an interesting game of football.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Your premise here appears to be that there is a choice between playing to the team's strength as a defensive unit, and trying to kill the game off. I'm afraid I think that's nonsense. It was perfectly possibly last night to look to get the ball into forward areas more, and therefore create more better quality opportunities, whilst also maintaining our defensive shape and denying Oxford chances to score. The idea that a team would be satisfied with a one goal lead, with the inherent risk that presents, rather than show a little more intent to score a second, seems very odd to me. Of course, once the game has gone into the final 10-15 minutes and the lead is only one goal, it's reasonable to tighten things up. But before then, I think most managers would take the view that a second goal to put the game to bed is desirable. Indeed Parker said as much last night.

There's nothing wrong with managing a game, and our defensive record is outstanding. Last night was more entertaining than many of our games this season, and as I've said the first 30 minutes was very good. But the second half was frustrating and actually, when we dropped the tempo our passing lost its crispness and if Oxford were likely to score, it was because the edge went out of our game. We are capable of maintaining the tempo and incisiveness we showed in the first 30 minutes last night until later in the game. We didn't and it appeared last night to be a matter of design, and I don't think it's entitled to express some frustration with that - both because it leaves open the risk of Oxford grabbing a completely undeserved point, and because it short changes supporters who pay to watch an interesting game of football.

The tempo in the 2nd half would have been helped by introducing some subs earlier. As you say first half was probably the most entertaining of the season in terms of clear cut chances created.

[ChorltonCharlie]

Your premise here appears to be that there is a choice between playing to the team's strength as a defensive unit, and trying to kill the game off. I'm afraid I think that's nonsense. It was perfectly possibly last night to look to get the ball into forward areas more, and therefore create more better quality opportunities, whilst also maintaining our defensive shape and denying Oxford chances to score. The idea that a team would be satisfied with a one goal lead, with the inherent risk that presents, rather than show a little more intent to score a second, seems very odd to me. Of course, once the game has gone into the final 10-15 minutes and the lead is only one goal, it's reasonable to tighten things up. But before then, I think most managers would take the view that a second goal to put the game to bed is desirable. Indeed Parker said as much last night.

There's nothing wrong with managing a game, and our defensive record is outstanding. Last night was more entertaining than many of our games this season, and as I've said the first 30 minutes was very good. But the second half was frustrating and actually, when we dropped the tempo our passing lost its crispness and if Oxford were likely to score, it was because the edge went out of our game. We are capable of maintaining the tempo and incisiveness we showed in the first 30 minutes last night until later in the game. We didn't and it appeared last night to be a matter of design, and I don't think it's entitled to express some frustration with that - both because it leaves open the risk of Oxford grabbing a completely undeserved point, and because it short changes supporters who pay to watch an interesting game of football.

Eh? We were still the dominant side and by far the more likely to score in the second half. You make out like we sat back on the edge of our own box and asked Oxford to come at us. Our style of play always involves an element of patience. It can work well, and it didn't stop working in the second half. What came back to haunt us is our season long problem of poor final ball and decision making when it counted. But the overall game management was good. You know that game management doesn't mean defensive, it just means making sure you see the game out and get the desired result. We've been excellent at that, so why be hyper-critical when yet again it worked. Whinge about the games when we didn't win and showed a distinct lack of attacking impetus, but not one we won and created plenty of chances because you had to sit there for 20 minutes with not much happening.

[claretonthecoast1882]

I’ll explain.

We game manage when we should be attacking.

Then. When winning from 80 mins plus and game managing should be appropriate, we panic, dither and fart about, nearly gifting them a goal.

And yes. We attacked and scored a goal. And we also managed the same against Swansea

But 85 mins of refusing to break the lines and watching backwards and sideways with strikers unable to do anything other than stand still with back to goal is drab

There is some nonsense posted on here most the time but this is right up near the top of the table.

Not liking the manager is fine, but basically lying to suit an agenda is really dull, if this is what you claimed to have watched 85 minutes of on Tuesday night.

[KRBFC]

We are a very 1 geared team, robotic, slow paced and we struggle to up the tempo and really attack with numbers.

So frustrating to watch football where teams score a goal then simply don’t try and score again.

Playing for a 1-0 win when it could’ve been more. When I’m a neutral watching teams like this I tend to hope they concede late and draw 1-1 because I believe that’s what they deserve for that approach. However im a BFC fan so obviously the opposite.

[TheFamilyCat]

I'm not sure I can handle watching another 15 games like last night. I really hope Edwards has something about him!

It won't be enjoyable to watch but I think this far into the season we know that isn't going to change. I'll settle for turning the nil-nils into one-nils.

[dandeclaret]

I have to look at from multiple angles to be fair really.

We’ve the parker angle:

He’s done a great job moulding a team from the shambles that was the end of that premier league season and getting some team spirit instilled in them from a select bunch that clearly didnt want to be here. The clubs got rid and we havent crashed and burned.

Parker has a 100% success ratio in this division and his safety first tactics are aimed at this unbelievable pressure he feels and has been put on him to get the club over the line and make it 3 clubs in 3 attempts.

The defensive record: this is going to eat us alive if we’re not careful. Like a prem team in the relegation zone, the sole focus becomes to not concede. This is where we’re at. We’re going to forget that actually going forward and taking some risks is what will win you a league. We dont get three points for a clean sheet.

Then there’s the punters: the paying fans. (Of which I am one)

It’s like watching a game of football on giant fußball table. The players are in rows and barely move. Its conjested. Theres not a single run. Wingers are static the forwards are back to goal and static. There’s literally no spark for the fans to feed off.

We’ve a wealth of players. Players that are talented but I believe playing with a parker shaped handbrake on. The most exciting thing for me last night was the lung busting run CJ made and the alarming lack of support he got after he’d taken the entire Oxford team on himself.

Its pedestrian. We game manage so much - its asking a lot of the fans to be so patient week in and week out. We were one mistake away from dropping points last night and our procrastination nearly cost us with an idiotic back pass from Connor Roberts late in the second half - when we possibly should have been managing the game. This unfortunately had gone out of the window and we looked nervous to try and keep the ball in the dying embers of the game.

We dont counter attack. Nothing is done at speed and certainly dont run in behind opposition teams. Foster had mixed reviews last night on the board. He looked tired after about 60 mins.
I’ll never understand why potential match winners are not introduced. Benny, Jonjo, Edwards could have made a positive attacking difference against a team there for the taking.

Yet we had rely on an own goal for the win. Im happy we won. But it wasnt entertaining.

You don't think they ran and got in behind vs Oxford? Really? Really?

[Rileybobs]

We are a very 1 geared team, robotic, slow paced and we struggle to up the tempo and really attack with numbers.

So frustrating to watch football where teams score a goal then simply don’t try and score again.

Playing for a 1-0 win when it could’ve been more. When I’m a neutral watching teams like this I tend to hope they concede late and draw 1-1 because I believe that’s what they deserve for that approach. However im a BFC fan so obviously the opposite.

I agree with your first sentence, but how can you come to the conclusion that once we went 1-0 up we didn't try and score again?

[CoolClaret]

I’ll explain.

We game manage when we should be attacking.

Then. When winning from 80 mins plus and game managing should be appropriate, we panic, dither and fart about, nearly gifting them a goal.

And yes. We attacked and scored a goal. And we also managed the same against Swansea

But 85 mins of refusing to break the lines and watching backwards and sideways with strikers unable to do anything other than stand still with back to goal is drab

It's a marathon, not a sprint!

SP hasn't had the luxury at least up until now, to have a ton of options off the bench; going gung-ho in every game flogging the lads could have been extremely detrimental to our season, especially over that intense winter period which we had.

[snapcrackleandpop]

Some food for thought - Blackburn have lost more championship games in the last 10 than we have lost in the last 100.
Not all bad is it

UTC

[CoolClaret]

Hilarious how agenda driven some of our "fans" takes are, just totally losing any sense of objectivity.

In another thread "Todays Football" or whatever, would happily heap praise on *insert media favoured football team here*, for them managing a game and coasting to victory, or even reminisce of classic Italian teams of the past and how tactically switched on they were.

Heaven forbid Scott Parker does it though!

Heck, even the messiah/very naughty boy Mr. Vincent Kompany went to a back 5 on numerous occasions in the last 5-10 minutes of a game to see it out.

[Notsosuperstevedavis]

You don't think they ran and got in behind vs Oxford? Really? Really?

No. I dont. We pass to the wings. And we inch forward.
Its akin to watching Arsenal under Wenger trying to walk the ball in. 99.9% of the time we’re shooting with oppo having the majority of the team behind the ball. Either blocking shots or crosses.

Its clearly instructions provided.

Van Gaal tried the same stuff at Utd. 30 passes before you get to the final third.

The opposition have time to have a massage and get back in their defensive position before we’re going to shoot.

[Colburn_Claret]

I don't get the complaints from the Oxford game, and I've hated some of our football at home this season.
If we work the keeper(6 saves), and keep pushing for goals, I don't care if we win every game 1-0 by an og. At least we are trying to score.
The problem for most of the season is that we have failed to work the keeper, and by our tactics, appear to be happy to not work the keeper. When you're playing Liverpool or Citeh you can make an argument for it, but not against Stoke, Derby, PNE, QPR..........

I want SP to succeed, as long as we maintain Tuesdays attacking intent, I'll back him.

[Vim Fuego]

I'm convinced some fans don't actually bother watching our games. They skip right over that part, and dive straight into condemning Scott Parker.

[bodge]

I think signing Marcus Edwards is a real statement of intent and will signal a loosening of the handbrake.

Parker in his post match interview was visibly excited at the difference he will make once up to speed and unleashed.