Zog1

How can anyone play that role for us right now? nobody is passing to them, no crosses are coming into the box for knockdowns from the target man. Our no10's might as well go to sleep.

ofcourse a no10 has no role if nobody passes to them.

Will Duberry do anything but try a long shot everytime. Just pass it once christ!

433 or 4231 is all we're getting from SS, and he'd be a fool to change it to 442 now, we've spent the best part of easy £5 million recruiting for 4231, he just needs to make it work. We need 2 things: - Time to gel - For our wingers to show a bit of variety. We have target men and a no 10 use them or move aside for someone who will, as we can't be playing 422.

The amount of times on Saterday they were leaving the far corners of the pitch undefended because they knew our wingers would cut inside to shoot was criminal. It's so easy to defend against. If just one time ACD takes it wide their defenders will think twice before commiting to defending the inside shot, which then has the impact of making attacking inverted easier, it opens up space for the shot or even playing a short pass to the no10 (imagine that) making a late run into the box. This lack of versatility is ultimately what crippled Evatt's team. Having watched the last few games it just feels like we're chasing stats again, really hope this isn't the case and SS pulls this out.

Watching us Saturday i felt like i was watching us play 4-2-, (4 defenders and 2 wingers) there was next no play though the middle especially in the first half. This was us almost the entire game, ball gets to winger, he cuts inside to shoot, hits their player and it goes out for nothing. It's so predictable and makes things easy to defend against. The 2 times (out of atleast 30 times we get it on the wings) they do look for the pass to Randall and later Morley and boom we almost score. We need some variety from our wingers otherwise this isn't going to work. We talk about 18 shots and 6 on target but we run the risk of sounding like Evatt with his possession stats. Only 2/3 were proper attempts.

First is an easy save for a competent goalkeeper Second is a 1/2 chance with a shot from a difficult area. Third we have 4 men in the box and 3 just outside it but rather than trying to find one of them with a cross from the outside or a short pass, he's looking for a shot, in the end it comes to nothing. These are just 3 examples, it was happening on the left and right wing all game, no wonder our no 10's look rubbish, we're making things so f**ing difficult.

When you play a no 10 the idea is that they're there to play the final pass or to make dangerous runs into the box. If the wingers aren't passing to them it doesn't matter how good or bad they are. Our wingers seem too focused on going inverted to try and shoot from the edge of the area. These are just a few from the extended highlights, time after time this sort of stuff happens. 1:46 - why shoot 6:54 - why try and do a wonder pass...pass it to Sheehan. 7:36 - just pass there are 3 players unmarked on the edge of the box and he's trying to line up a wondergoal.

Inside wingers aint working. Too many 25 yard attempted wonder shots. They need to channel Morais.

Took them long enough

This having 2 inside wingers up top ain't working. Randall and Burstow might as well sit down and have a sleep.

We're almost playing with 10 men because the way SS has the team set up Randall is being bypassed.

All Dubbery and Cissoko seem to do is to try and score wondergoals from 25 yards, they never cross and almost never work it in or make the short pass into the box.

He did an interview a few months ago saying exactly what happened. I thought he come across quite well. It wasnt really his choice.

Early days yet but that Sarcevic bloke looks top class, perhaps one we should sign

Dont think injury is going to be the issue this year many still believe it is. Even amongst the players people still see as sick notes.

Training again with the first team, off on fitness due to having had no pre season, maybe back for Blackpool or Rotherham in the cup.

Conway did not play him on look at this, he was onside anyway.

McGoldrick is 38 he aint lasting 90 mins week in week out. SS has come out and said his team is built around pressing and counter attack, for that to work, they need to attack us.

Looking good for us this weekend all our rivals for promotion bar Cardiff got a draw or defeat.

He didn't because he can't, it's not in him and it's what we need from that position.

A few notes. We drew with Barnsley home and away in the 2023-2024 season. Being a goal up and getting a red card at 53 mins ment they just put 9 men behind the ball and held on, probably did them a favour, as we'd have ripped them apart on the counter when their legs got tired. While we did draw level, we've got to get better at breaking down teams that do that and putting them to the sword. I'm starting to get fustrated at the inclusion of Sheehan in the starting 11, i just dont see what he offers, he looks like an alien in this team totally out of place as the game bypasses him.

The reality is after the force of nature that was Big Sam left, we were poorly run by Gartside, things that Sam had set up at vast cost, in some cases, like his scouting network, sports science team and academy all atrophied behind the scenes. Maybe we always were poorly run by Gartside and Sam was just good at covering it up. After Sam we got in a host of inexperienced lower league managers were brought in with their own ideas with their own staff. First thing they did with 10's of millions in transfer kitty...bring in Championship players, players from newly relegated teams, players from regular bottom 6/7 teams like Birmingham, Hull, Porstmouth, and Villa. The outcome was inevitable. We become a dumping ground for players, a Championship team in the Premier League. The fact we had future Premier League winner Marcus Alonso in the team in the Championship being kept out the team by out of position Sam Rickets and knackered Paul Robinson, it's enough to make you go mental. I always found it weird we got Sammy Lee and then Megson, then Owen Coyle, not a hint of top flight equivalent managerial experience. Like why Megson and not pick a random 2007 Premier League manager like Martin Jol or Juande Ramos. What was the plan? what did they think would happen?

Like SS said, when he was at Plymouth, 3 of his 4 strikers got 10 goals each. This isn't about stand out performances its about a team performance and winning! Bye bye Ego ball.

I'm conviced the reason people think the defenders from last year are so bad is literally down to Evatt's inability to understand tactics above an elementary level. League 1 isn't hard... not really. Simple back 4, a hard bugger in the middle, a passer next to him, and 2 wingers and lump to aim at. Under Ian Ego, we had a midfield with 3 passers (none of them bad players just not the right mix) that was never going to work. If we'd have had a Simons or Erhahon in 2023-24 we'd have been promoted.