No defence. No mental strength. No promotion.

[93vintage 16]

The stats-lovers might disagree, but I think we''ve got a mountain to climb.

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 1,735]

this isnt a dig at just Russell Martin but more the profile of all the central defenders on our books....all 5 of them ,including Bassong,Bennett and Turner seem flat footed and slow on the turn to anything played over the top.

I really believe that should we invest in a quick centre half who can cover and sweep up around and behind Klose, it is the difference between us finishing top 2 or not.

Its our achilles heel at the moment.

[daly 500]

Only caught half the game as the Radio Norfolk commentary was continually interrupted by adverts but seemed like a game of 2 half ''s.

[yellow 63 23]

[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"]this isnt a dig at just Russell Martin but more the profile of all the central defenders on our books....all 5 of them ,including Bassong,Bennett and Turner seem flat footed and slow on the turn to anything played over the top.

I really believe that should we invest in a quick centre half who can cover and sweep up around and behind Klose, it is the difference between us finishing top 2 or not.

Its our achilles heel at the moment.[/quote]

Maybe the scouts are doing there job.....but then again

[It's Character Forming 1,160]

[quote user="Feedthewolf"]I doubt anyone is happy with our defending this season on the whole. But why would you ONLY post when we fail to win if you''re a real fan? Keith Scott supports Ipswich Town, it''s so blindingly obvious.
[/quote]

 

Exactly

[Clint 221]

My main issue as surely we should manage the game differently at 2-0 up? 55 mins gone and looking comfortable away from home, do we really need our full backs bombing on? How many times have we seen goals conceded due to a lack of defensive cover this season? This includes the midfield as well.

People saying would they prefer the Hughton regime, well the answer is clearly no. However, Hughton''s problem is that he had no plan B and I think the same could clearly be said of Neil, albeit his teams seem unable to defend. Surely there is some middle ground? Play out attacking football by all means but once you''ve got a decent lead with a large part of the match gone, tighten up and play possession football. This however, doesn''t mean bring on Bennett and stick everyone on the edge of our box.

However good we think we are, you can''t keep relying on scoring two goals every match in order to pick up any points at all. It just won''t happen over the course of a season.

[Van wink 2,994]

Flint

"Play out attacking football by all means but once you''ve got a decent lead with a large part of the match gone, tighten up and play possession football. This however, doesn''t mean bring on Bennett and stick everyone on the edge of our box."

I agree Clint, but I think maybe we do try to keep the ball, it seems however that when we are leading the concentration levels drop off across the pitch and our passing accuracy deteriorates.

It''s a weird thing and is more in the head IMO.

[Clint 221]

I agree there is definitely a mental issue as well. The scars of relegation (two for most players) do not seem to be healing.

As soon as we concede, we fall down like a deck of cards and teams know this so they just bombard us. Sometimes we weather the storm and sometimes we don''t so keeping it right for as long as possible is vital.

[ZLF 271]

Its telling thats we are doing so well that keith now makes a (predictable) public appearance following an away draw - we simply are not losing enough for a weekly slot.

And that tells us how well we are doing as a team, yes conceding but scoring freely too, and for all the angst its the ability to sustain roughly 2 points per game average that will get us promoted - not goal difference. How often as an auto slot or play off place been gained by goal scored or goal difference - its a blue moon event.

Yet - in amongst all the jest there is a problem. however I dont agree its just a defensive one.

We have now lost a 2 goal lead at least 4 times in 2016. This season we have also seen wobbles when we have gone ahead. for me it is becoming a worrying habit / trait of this squad that needs addressing both by the manager but also the players.

Its not just a person issue from the back 4; it has happened with all of the current squad being involved. We also disappear in midfield & up front, seemingly unable to either win the ball back or retain it once we get it to relieve pressure. Yet we know that the XI are more than capable against any side in this league. So why does it happen?

I suspect it is a combination of squad mental strength, a need for greater leadership on the field and a sense that the game is month so a sub-conscious drop in intensity. Either way its something that needs addressing

[hogesar 9,618]

Pretty much agree with all of that ZLF. Something which stood out for me yesterday was the amount of times RM decided to just clear, rather than play it out.

That''s unlike RM and maybe it was in-game management on his behalf or maybe he was instructed. Did it help? Or did it, and has always been my problem about playing Bennett, just invite further pressure? There''s a happy medium somewhere.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"]this isnt a dig at just Russell Martin but more the profile of all the central defenders on our books....all 5 of them ,including Bassong,Bennett and Turner seem flat footed and slow on the turn to anything played over the top.

I really believe that should we invest in a quick centre half who can cover and sweep up around and behind Klose, it is the difference between us finishing top 2 or not.

Its our achilles heel at the moment.[/quote]Totally agree with this. Turner and Bassong you would think are on their way out, Martin and Bennett are good at this level but not certain about them at Prem level... it was heartening that we almost signed Onguéné. I would imagine that''s the kind of player we are looking at signing, and I hope it''s a priority in January.

[YankeeCanary 0]

[quote user="93vintage"]The stats-lovers might disagree, but I think we''ve got a mountain to climb.[/quote]

At the moment, it''s not even an ant hill. Perhaps you''re anticipating an underwater earthquake that results in the emergence of a new mountain in Norfolk. Now, that would be exciting. Downhill skiing in the winter to compete with the Canaries having a mountain to climb.

[Horse Renoir 1]

To a man we were lackluster all over the park once that second half started and we put the defence under too much pressure by being incapeable of keeping the ball or doing the simple things right.

I came away more annoyed at the complacency shown throughout the team than any one or two individual defenders. We''ve seen this time and time and I honestly have no idea where to point the finger or what we can do to fix the problem. It''s endemic through the whole team, no matter who plays and the manager obviously realises we''re brittle and can''t in his own words eradicate this fear factor we have when comfortable but starting to get pegged back.

We need to raise our effort levels when the going gets tough, not wilt and panic every bloody time!

[Cobain18 0]

[quote user="Keith Scott"]Newcastle showing us how it''s done. That is all. Actually just like to add, ''Russel Martin is good at this level'' ''He''s just a scapegoat''............[/quote]

Stupid comment.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

I wonder if it''s time for Bennett again. personally I like my defenders to first and foremost defend then think about the fancy stuff. I appreciate those that prefer to play out from the back but I feel this league is more about gritty defending than the swansealona way.

either way, something in our defence isn''t working.

[FenwayFrank 2,457]

You can''t just blame the defence, do the full backs get enough help ?

[hogesar 9,618]

We conceded 3 goals at Birmingham with Bennett at CB, as well as 2 against Cardiff. Not sure he''s really the answer.

[nutty nigel 7,509]

We also scored none at Birmingham. But on the plus side we didn''t drop any points from a winning position.....

[ZLF 271]

Stick with the current cb partnership for me; Bennett has trouble concentrating and positional awareness which makes him no better than the alternatives.

Add in his poor distribution (important with how much possession involves the CBs) and we are poorer as a team with him than without.

[Lessingham Canary 99]

Wonder just how many on this thread actually went to the game last night ? for me our midfield let the defence down and put them under undue pressure for large spells of the second half.

As for Newcastle, we will get better as the season goes on will they ? will Brighton and Huddersfield........... life aint so bad being a canary right now.

[TCCANARY 263]

[quote user="Lessingham Canary"]Wonder just how many on this thread actually went to the game last night ? for me our midfield let the defence down and put them under undue pressure for large spells of the second half.

As for Newcastle, we will get better as the season goes on will they ? will Brighton and Huddersfield........... life aint so bad being a canary right now.[/quote]I knew it all along, we''d have won if it wasn''t for that pesky Double Pivot!!Bring back the cracked diamond.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

reading between the lines, AN alluded to that when he said this was just the type of game we needed Howson for.

[Donkey dangler 0]

Where was Russell Martin for the second goal last night?

[Ray 111]

Exactly where he should have been, more to the point, where was the right back and why did Klose, Dorrans and Olsson lose the player who made the assist for the first. RM had him, Klose then took him but then gave him space whilst Dorrans and Olsson let him run through too.

[Donkey dangler 0]

[quote user="Ray"]Exactly where he should have been[/quote]

Where?

[Donkey dangler 0]

We need a quality CB to play alongside Klose who can also give the defence some leadership by organising the players around him and if necessary dish out some bollocking!

[Ray 111]

Donkey Dangler,

You obviously don''t rate RM, I wonder if the following encourages you to think again, RM has a higher success rate percentage than TK when it comes to winning aerial battles and yet he is approximately 3 - 4 inches shorter and that''s besides all the other things RM does to cover, etc. etc.

[Donkey dangler 0]

Ray,

You are right, I dont rate RM. If he really is winning more aerial battles it might be because he is competing against the shorter opponent who may not be so good in the air as the taller players?

One of the issues I have re. RM is that often his positioning is not good enough.

We also need someone who is better at leadership and organising the defence.

[Ray 111]

Donkey Dangler,

Firstly, I wouldn''t post that stat if it was incorrect, so no need for the ''really'' and secondly, I did not say he is winning more aerial battles, I said he is winning a higher percentage of his aerial battles and I agree he may well be up against the shorter opponent, but not always, and he is the shorter of our two CB''s.

So, given your misreading of what I wrote in back and white it leads me to believe that maybe you misread what you see on the pitch re his positioning, which imo it is better than the other defenders, yes he is sometimes out of position, just as they all are, he however moves ''out of position'' because he does far more covering for the other defenders than they do for him.

I know this has been said many times before, but why do you think he is selected by so many managers including his international manager, surely not because he is always out of position?

Regarding organising the defence, who else do you think could do this any better, I assure you TK couldn''t. Our problem, if there is one, is due to the fact we do not defend as a team, so I wholeheartedly agree we do have defensive issues, but that does not mean the defenders are at fault.

However, if you are fixed in your view then I guess nothing I write here is going to change that.

[westcoastcanary 173]

[Y] This ^^  But as you say Ray, some can''t, or won''t, see the wood for the trees.