A Reality check

[Hardhouse44 289]

Great end yesterday to what was an awful match. Whist we huffed and puffed in the second half a bit more the truth is we never looked like scoring from open play and Ipswich did a good away job on us.

The fact is it think we are underachieving, we have players that are better than our position reflects. We are just to restrictive. Especially at home. We play so narrow we rarely if ever hit the bi-line and deliver a cross and we commit so few people to an attack that often we are crossing to one player or nobody.

Nelson gets no goals because he gets no service. We play our midfield so deep it hurts and this slow build up where each defender touches the ball 90 time before we move it over the half way line just allows everybody in the opposition to get positioned.

This leave us taking pot shots from distance or relying on free kick because we can’t break anybody down with the slow build up and under commitment of attacking players.

Luckily for us we have a guy who can hit a wonder goal from free play and free kicks and who quite frankly is carrying the teams entire attacking ambitions on his shoulders.

The mind set, the set up and the tactics are all wrong. I’m sorry I want to like the manager. Hey I do like him he seem such a nice guy when interviewed but he’s getting it wrong.

But, worst of all what makes the whole thing just too unbearable is it’s so damn boring to watch.

Correct me if I’m wrong.

[Rivvo 265]

It’s your opinion, you’re entitled to it. I don’t agree.

[Branston Pickle 4,145]

We did score from open play, though. After totally dominating the second half and creating several decent chances.

Perhaps we''re not as openly attacking as some seasons, but we were crying out for a better defence until very recently and that is part of the pay-off. Hopefully we can step up a bit, but if you''re ''bored'' you could always do something else!

[Crabbycanary3 994]

We got a point, having generally played carp. That is always a positive.

[Gingerpele 0]

I’m probably not in the best position to comment really as I haven’t seen us play half as much as I would have liked this season, but based on what I have seen and what’s happened with the club over the past couple (or more even) years leads me to believe we aren’t underachieving at all.

Slow build up can work, ive seen a few goals over the years that get so much praise from all corners because there were 30/40 passes in the build up, usually with a relativly simple finish. Relying on Maddison isn’t a bad tactic because it works quite often, but it isn’t a long term plan or ideal. Not having seen to much football I don’t want to say Olivera isn’t up to it, but his lack of goals seems to be partially his own doing as well as a ‘lack of service’ but Grant Holt, for example, despite frequently having Hoolahan feeding him amongst others created so many of his own chances.

I think what’s happening, and this is by no means an original thought is that the club as a whole is changing. And that means this season was probably always going to be a write off. If we had (I mean it’s still technically possible) gone up this season what do you think would happen next season? Probably exactly the same as what happened under Alex Neil. Which for me personally wasn’t all that enjoyable most of the time. Webber and Farke between them could create a team and club capable of winning promotion in the next couple of seasons that then has the foundations to establish themselves in the PL rather than just go up and come back down having wasted a load of money.

I think the team is adapting, some of these players are getting better and better and developing to play the way the manager wants, but to get that working week in week out is taking some time, but I think it will work. The biggest challenge is making sure it works when Maddison leaves.