Should gus have started at the front & worked back

[Davemania]

Have to say everything has been done correctly and is going in the right direction although we aren't going to be any great shakes this year, need another few transfer windows to become big time players in this league imo. Absolutely right to try and shore up the defence first though. We still carry a few very weak links espc in centre mid and up front but it takes time to improve the squad cant be done in one swoop. This year maintaining a decent level, a few more quality additions and we're contenders. I am sure this will happen with time, might be the following season when it really starts to tell though

 

[Davemania]

A valid argument

So did somebody forget to tell the Swindon team that they should have been worried.

We played our full strength defence which included 3 of our 4 new players & we conceeded 3 goals against a newly promoted league 1 side.Uu
I accept that we were missing 3 probable starters (crofts,Buckley,mckail smith) but dosent that make my point we have shored up the defence & we still let in 3 without looking like scoring ourselves

Im struggling to see how dunk is ahead of el abd tbh, he's been pretty shocking at times, el abd looked like a rock to me end of last season. Id have him first choice cb, bit mystifying and worrying as It makes me doubt the judgement of the management. Same goes for the persistance with dicker. It seems obvious to me that he's a seriously weak link through the centre, isnt it obvious to everyone? Like theres a big hole in central mid where we should have a strong, energetic midfielder. Been said before, many times but I dont think ive seen a slower professional footballer in my life, slow of pace, reaction, thought, everything, harsh but true. We were much more solid early last season with vincelot yet now hes out in the cold. Strange judgement and decisions at times, just adds to an uneasy feeling

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

The dictator started at the back last season,last season our defence were excelant. this season he has started at the back again, why ?. Do we not need to score goals to win games for fucks sake .

Last year he bought: Hoskins, Buckley, CMS, Lua Lua, Harley, Vincelot. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only defensive player there is Vincelot.

That suggests to me that Poyet went into the season with the intention of being attacking. It was only once the season started and it became clear that our midfield couldn't exercise the control needed to a)protect the defense and b) give a platform to unleash our wingers and strikers, and that our defense(in particular the full backs), stripped of the midfield dominance and ball possession that protected it in league one, was struggling to cope with Championship level attacks that Poyet became more defensive. It didn't help either that we had two goalkeepers who didn't seem to understand that they could leave the 6 yard box thus pushing the defense and, therefore, the midfield further and further back. Which, in turn, either isolates the strikers or forces them to drop deeper and deeper too.

This season by signing a quality keeper and two decent full backs the back five is comfortably more solid than last year and should be able to cope far better with any attacks it faces this season. Particularly so now that the midfield has finally got a quality player to partner Bridcutt. The midfield should now be more competitive meaning less pressure on the defense and freeing up the attacking players to do what they do best.

I'm sure you're going to point to the Swindon game as some sort of comeback. There are probably several conclusions you can draw from that but for me, a key one is the importance of Crofts and midfield. It's absolutely vital that we have quality in the centre of the pitch. If we can compete there then I am confident with the quality we now have at the back and the quality we already have attacking wise we won't be too far from having an excellent season. To that end I wouldn't be averse to signing another quality centre midfielder. A team of:

Kuzszack; Bridge, Greer, El Abd, Bruno; Bridcutt, Crofts, new signing of comparable quality to Bridcutt/Crofts; Vicente, Barnes/CMS, Buckley

would be both defensively solid and potent in attack.

Not that I don't want another striker. The more options we have the better.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

A valid argument

So did somebody forget to tell the Swindon team that they should have been worried.

We played our full strength defence which included 3 of our 4 new players & we conceeded 3 goals against a newly promoted league 1 side.
I accept that we were missing 3 probable starters (crofts,Buckley,mckail smith) but dosent that make my point we have shored up the defence & we still let in 3 without looking like scoring ourselves

It was a cup competition and the only cup that Poyet has any respect for is the FA cup. A couple of years ago we played Orient in the Paint Pot trophy and conceeded 2 goals in August to go out. A few months later, we played them again at home and won 5-0. Don't judge this season's games by a cup game.

 

[Notters]

It was a cup competition and the only cup that Poyet has any respect for is the FA cup. A couple of years ago we played Orient in the Paint Pot trophy and conceeded 2 goals in August to go out. A few months later, we played them again at home and won 5-0. Don't judge this season's games by a cup game.

Amen to that. I'd forgotten the Orient fact.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

Barnes, Buckley, Crofty, LuaLua, CMS, Vicente could all potentially get 10+ each this season. We can score from anywhere - Bruno, Calde and Bridge are likely to chip in too. I don't think there will be many low score lines at all this season, but a striker would be an icing on the cake.

I would love for you to be right

 

[Jack Daniels]

A valid argument

So did somebody forget to tell the Swindon team that they should have been worried.

We played our full strength defence which included 3 of our 4 new players & we conceeded 3 goals against a newly promoted league 1 side.
I accept that we were missing 3 probable starters (crofts,Buckley,mckail smith) but dosent that make my point we have shored up the defence & we still let in 3 without looking like scoring ourselves

Forget Swindon. I don't think we tried that hard. One game, hopefully a wake up call.

The real test starts today.

 

[Acker79]

It doesn't matter how good your attacker is, if he is alone up front, while a lower quality defence and midfield struggle to keep the ball/do anything with the ball, it's a waste. However, a stronger defence and midfield can make an average attacker seem better by simply doing their job so well he only has to finish things off.

 

[Rugrat]

Last year he bought: Hoskins, Buckley, CMS, Lua Lua, Harley, Vincelot. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only defensive player there is Vincelot.

That suggests to me that Poyet went into the season with the intention of being attacking. It was only once the season started and it became clear that our midfield couldn't exercise the control needed to a)protect the defense and b) give a platform to unleash our wingers and strikers, and that our defense(in particular the full backs), stripped of the midfield dominance and ball possession that protected it in league one, was struggling to cope with Championship level attacks that Poyet became more defensive. It didn't help either that we had two goalkeepers who didn't seem to understand that they could leave the 6 yard box thus pushing the defense and, therefore, the midfield further and further back. Which, in turn, either isolates the strikers or forces them to drop deeper and deeper too.

This season by signing a quality keeper and two decent full backs the back five is comfortably more solid than last year and should be able to cope far better with any attacks it faces this season. Particularly so now that the midfield has finally got a quality player to partner Bridcutt. The midfield should now be more competitive meaning less pressure on the defense and freeing up the attacking players to do what they do best.

I'm sure you're going to point to the Swindon game as some sort of comeback. There are probably several conclusions you can draw from that but for me, a key one is the importance of Crofts and midfield. It's absolutely vital that we have quality in the centre of the pitch. If we can compete there then I am confident with the quality we now have at the back and the quality we already have attacking wise we won't be too far from having an excellent season. To that end I wouldn't be averse to signing another quality centre midfielder. A team of:

Kuzszack; Bridge, Greer, El Abd, Bruno; Bridcutt, Crofts, new signing of comparable quality to Bridcutt/Crofts; Vicente, Barnes/CMS, Buckley

would be both defensively solid and potent in attack.

Not that I don't want another striker. The more options we have the better.

That was a good read, cheers! Agree with pretty well all of it