I don’t think we can defend well enough to win the playoffs

[Jim Smith 2,325]

Whatever combinations of defenders we put out is just not good enough defensively and Wagner won’t allow us to play on the front foot if we get our noses in front in a game like that.

even in the scum game we nearly let them back in it in the last 15 minutes by sitting back.

Maybe Rowe’s return could allow us to put Kenny at the back with Duffy which looked our best pairing but I just have zero faith in any defence with Hanley, Baath, Gibson or McCullum (who I like generally) in it to defend well enough. 

[S_81 816]

Our defending to even make the play offs is the immediate concern. I agree McClean is better alongside one other. The only case I can make against it is if the opposition have a big lump up top and we need more height. 

[cambridgeshire canary 6,756]

Well you see over two legs we can beat anyone at the home matches

 

But away from home.. Yeah, I don't trust us to win

Edited April 10 by cambridgeshire canary

[duke63 544]

Does anyone really want to be back in the EPL, winning 5 games all season and getting hammered week in week out? Its not entertaining, its not fun and makes me lose interest in football.

I would rather we had a proper plan that might take two or three seasons but with a team that might be able to compete.

 

[Bomber 48]

10 minutes ago, duke63 said:

Does anyone really want to be back in the EPL, winning 5 games all season and getting hammered week in week out? Its not entertaining, its not fun and makes me lose interest in football.

I would rather we had a proper plan that might take two or three seasons but with a team that might be able to compete.

 

Good call

[KeiranShikari 1,423]

Yet we have a relatively decent record against the rest of the top 8. Doubt there are too many that would fancy going up against us in pressure games like the playoffs.

And yes, you're a binner if you don't want us to get promoted. 

[Fen Canary 851]

27 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Well you see over two legs we can beat anyone at the home matches

 

But away from home.. Yeah, I don't trust us to win

We’ve beat West Brom over 2 legs this season, beat 1p5wich over 2 legs, drew with Southampton over 2 legs, beat Coventry over 2 legs….

[Capt. Pants 4,263]

2 minutes ago, duke63 said:

Does anyone really want to be back in the EPL, winning 5 games all season and getting hammered week in week out? Its not entertaining, its not fun and makes me lose interest in football.

I would rather we had a proper plan that might take two or three seasons but with a team that might be able to compete.

 

That's cloud cuckoo land though. The reality is we need EPL football for the money.

Conceding goals from set pieces is damned annoying. It's even more annoying when you take one of your taller players off and leave 2 of theirs unmarked at the back stick.

[Matt Juler 155]

They'd certainly done their homework on our defence, we can never deal with corners to the back post. The Duffy for Sainz substitution in the 89th minute was daft, but would have made sense to me in the 79th after going 2-1.

[Yellow Fever 3,810]

This is a misplaced debate.

The issue is surely we don't take our chances to put the game to bed when we should.

We kind of relax - and then get caught out as all teams eventually will. 

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,138]

The annoying thing is we've shown we can defend in some games, Ipswich and Southampton at home are two examples off the top of my head but so often we go to sleep in the seemingly less important games and really like to conceed simple goals from corners or crosses where marking is the issue which is a mentality thing more than a skill thing. 

Saying that though Sheff Wednesday are a big side, we're pretty physically capeable by this leagues standards but a lot of their players towered over ours at corners and we only really had 3 tall and strong players on the pitch at that time v about 5 or 6 in their team so corners were going to be an issue. The problem last night was the substitutions that allowed them to pin us back and build pressure so they got enough corners to make a couple count. If we had more pace and movement available up top we wouldn't have been defending as much and probably wouldn't have conceded 2. I feel a bit for Wagner because Sargent coming off must have been a fitness issue and then he lost Gibbs but we had no experienced mobile players available up top on the bench so situations like this are on the people running the club less than Wagner because the squad is woefully thin. 

[JUBWICKS75 48]

Lose to Preston on Saturday and 6th place becomes a little more interesting !! Although West brom could drop out of the play offs too. 

[GRB2 34]

Ball retention is a bigger issue, we lost possession cheaply far to often last night and allowed sheff wed to get back into the game. 

[GenerationA47 758]

6 minutes ago, Yellow Fever said:

This is a misplaced debate.

The issue is surely we don't take our chances to put the game to bed when we should.

We kind of relax - and then get caught out as all teams eventually will. 

Which should be coachable, so if true makes you wonder why it’s not a massive part of their training and psychological coaching by now, 90% into the season

[Robert N. LiM 4,429]

15 minutes ago, JUBWICKS75 said:

Lose to Preston on Saturday and 6th place becomes a little more interesting !! Although West brom could drop out of the play offs too. 

 

[duke63 544]

1 hour ago, Capt. Pants said:

That's cloud cuckoo land though. The reality is we need EPL football for the money.

Conceding goals from set pieces is damned annoying. It's even more annoying when you take one of your taller players off and leave 2 of theirs unmarked at the back stick.

Cloud cuckoo land is thinking we will ever have a competitive team in the EPL.

[Midlands Yellow 4,015]

1 hour ago, duke63 said:

Does anyone really want to be back in the EPL, winning 5 games all season and getting hammered week in week out? Its not entertaining, its not fun and makes me lose interest in football.

I would rather we had a proper plan that might take two or three seasons but with a team that might be able to compete.

 

I do and Luton have showed the season doesn’t have end in the autumn when playing in the EPL. Thankfully Webber wouldn’t be the man assembling a squad to compete too.

[Indy 3,307]

2 hours ago, Jim Smith said:

Whatever combinations of defenders we put out is just not good enough defensively and Wagner won’t allow us to play on the front foot if we get our noses in front in a game like that.

even in the scum game we nearly let them back in it in the last 15 minutes by sitting back.

Maybe Rowe’s return could allow us to put Kenny at the back with Duffy which looked our best pairing but I just have zero faith in any defence with Hanley, Baath, Gibson or McCullum (who I like generally) in it to defend well enough. 

When we have a serious threat and hard working attacking closing down we can defend, as other posters say it’s when we go negative and try to defend we collapse, we just don’t have the quality CB to seriously shut up shop!

I really hope that we can sort the CB and back line out next season, whichever division we end up in, I’d hate to have Gibson, Duffy, Hanley & Baath going into next season!

[Sifive 15]

Holding midfielder would be nice hahahah ??? 

Too Comfortable last night Became complacent made errors gave the ball away in midfield. TOOO SLOW to move forwards  

however to blame the defenders doesn't seem right after watching the attacking players squander so many really good opportunities

we need real pace in all areas especially up top going beyond late in the game when opposition players are tired. 

thought Batth actually played well in defence of the defence  

  

[norfolkngood 1,087]

41 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

I do and Luton have showed the season doesn’t have end in the autumn when playing in the EPL. Thankfully Webber wouldn’t be the man assembling a squad to compete too.

no it would be the man who signed SVH which has not been the best signing  ,

I Agree Luton have shown the way in doing things 

build a squad team that as a unit are better than sum of parts ( i think we are quite away from that ) ,

our whole back four  looks Shaky  in the champs let alone as in PL maybe stacey only one 

Bolt on a few players every season , the thing with us is we will sell maybe Rowe and Sarge even if we go up ,

i also imagine Barkley and Townsend are on more money than rest of squad which i have no problem with as best players but people seem to think here that would upset the squad here ( i personally do not i think top performers should get paid most ) 

 

i think what Luton have is a solid unit , Pace , someone to control midfield , power and Fitness that's why they have done so well 

[OTBC06 44]

I actually can't remember a decent solid defence we have had for a very very long time. It would probably have Drury in there though. But really, what has been our most solid defence in the past 20 years. 

[Danke bitte 967]

This ancient argument that dates back to Roman times. Fk me. Just take a look at our chequered Prem League flirtations. We’ve always been terrible at defending. It’s written in our DNA. What baffles me is the insistence on keeping defenders well past their best and forgetting that maybe a quality DM would help? I’m so bored of reading about our defensive fragilities. 

[ricardo 7,395]

Defence has been shakey all season. Sometimes we get away with it and Sometimes we don't. It will have to be addressed whatever division we are in next season.

[Jim Smith 2,325]

15 minutes ago, Sifive said:

Holding midfielder would be nice hahahah ??? 

Too Comfortable last night Became complacent made errors gave the ball away in midfield. TOOO SLOW to move forwards  

however to blame the defenders doesn't seem right after watching the attacking players squander so many really good opportunities

we need real pace in all areas especially up top going beyond late in the game when opposition players are tired. 

thought Batth actually played well in defence of the defence  

  

I’m not specifically blaming the defenders for last night. I agree the issue was allowing them to push us back by removing our threat, dropping off. That in turn placed pressure on the defence which is generally not good enough to withstand any vaguely concerted pressure. 

[Mike w 46]

2 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

That's cloud cuckoo land though. The reality is we need EPL football for the money.

Conceding goals from set pieces is damned annoying. It's even more annoying when you take one of your taller players off and leave 2 of theirs unmarked at the back stick.

Fully agree, defending corners -rubbish, no one try's to get the ball and leaving players unmarked is unanswerable.  Second half just joggi ng around

[Fifty 45]

There’s lots to be said about shape, missing chances. But in isolation for the 2 goals last night I think Gunn was weak, the second one in particular. They have been headed in from 2-3 yards out and he’s stuck to his line on the first and misjudged the cross/corner for the second.

He’s had a great season but it’s a flaw to his game and we have got away with a few before last night. I just think anything in the 6 yard box and especially more under the crossbar like last night he needs to be getting something on the ball in. 
 

He’s a big keeper and when he does come for crosses he does well so he has the ability.
 

Appreciate this might not be popular but goalkeepers rooted to their line has always been an irritation to me

[Indy 3,307]

19 minutes ago, ricardo said:

Defence has been shakey all season. Sometimes we get away with it and Sometimes we don't. It will have to be addressed whatever division we are in next season.

Didn’t Shakey go with Smith? Little wonder we can’t defend with Shakey at the back!😂😂

But absolutely this, we need two decent mid 20’s at most CB and get rid of the high cost journeymen bought in because they used to be good! Duffy, Baath & Gibson out the door please!

Edited April 10 by Indy

[Six Pack 94]

2 hours ago, Yellow Fever said:

This is a misplaced debate.

The issue is surely we don't take our chances to put the game to bed when we should.

We kind of relax - and then get caught out as all teams eventually will. 

Not sure it's relaxing. The opposition make it to halftime, speak to their coach and come out a better team after the break. We needed to be 3 up.

Goals are not easy to put away. I think in the Ipswich/Southampton game - Southampton had about 27 shots in the 1st half but only scored 2. Ipswich recovered after the break to score 3 and win it.

[Six Pack 94]

11 minutes ago, Fifty said:

There’s lots to be said about shape, missing chances. But in isolation for the 2 goals last night I think Gunn was weak, the second one in particular. They have been headed in from 2-3 yards out and he’s stuck to his line on the first and misjudged the cross/corner for the second.

He’s had a great season but it’s a flaw to his game and we have got away with a few before last night. I just think anything in the 6 yard box and especially more under the crossbar like last night he needs to be getting something on the ball in. 
 

He’s a big keeper and when he does come for crosses he does well so he has the ability.
 

Appreciate this might not be popular but goalkeepers rooted to their line has always been an irritation to me

Wasn't he boxed in ?

[Fen Canary 851]

38 minutes ago, OTBC06 said:

I actually can't remember a decent solid defence we have had for a very very long time. It would probably have Drury in there though. But really, what has been our most solid defence in the past 20 years. 

After the Malky/Fleming vintage the next best would likely be under Hughtons reign, although to be fair we were defending with all 10 outfield players at the time