All down to Fleming?

[Huddy 0]

It seems to me that when Fleming plays we leek goals, when he doesnt we''re generally fine. I''ve done my research and there appears a simple solution - dont play him

The Facts

When Fleming has not started in the league we have conceded 11 goals in 10 games. Picking up 17 points from a possible 30.

When Fleming has started against so called poorer teams (stoke, qpr, plymouth plus burnley) we have conceded 15 goals in 4 games picking up 1 point from 12.

Doherty and Shackall are clearly the 2 we need to play, wake up Peter!

[macdougalls perm 0]

I hate to scapegoat but I think you are right, this has already been a discussion point amongst me and my mates. In the four (could be five) games leading up to Worthington''s departure he played in centre defence and we were shipping three or four goals per game. He didn''t play there for the next three games and we kept three clean sheets (against two supposedly better teams). He played there again on Saturday and, hey presto, we ship five goals! I think that Fleming is a great bloke and, as I say, I hate to scapegoat but I don''t think that this is a coincidence.  

[Marty 0]

can I ask, did you watch the game?

I might suggest that absence of other important players may have contributed too!!!!!

[CambridgeCanary 0]

It would be wrong to say that Fleming is the problem......but he is clearly one of the problems.  His positional sense seemed to leave him in the Prem and he has never rediscovered his compass.  Zipper made a number of telling analyses of Flem''s failings at the time and despite a brief improvement last season, it remainsd true that he is often out of positoin, drags others out as they cover him, plays too deep and always shouts at someone else when the goals go in.

Watching the goals we have conceded, it is notable how little is seen of him.....ususally because he is not where he needs to be.

I think the most significant pointer was when Grant wanted to solidify the defence towards the end of the Cardiff game.  He brought on Dublin as a centre back rather than Flem.   I would bet taht it he had had another striker, he would have played Dublin at the back against Stoke.

Flem is a legend and has played brilliantly for us.  It is not his fault he can''t cut it any longer and he should be spared the embarrassment of spoiling the memories. 

[macdougalls perm 0]

Marty,

I am only saying that in the games that he played (with those players playing) pre Grant we were shipping at an alarming rate. He doesn''t play and we keep three clean sheets. He does again and we ship five. You are right, I have only seen the home games but in those our defence has looked immeasurably more solid without him. I love the bloke to bits but I think he is past it for a central defensive role. I don''t think that he seems as much of a liability at right back but in the centre it is disastrous.  

[Nick No 36 0]

A little unfair to blame him completely.  Are you saying that one player makes that much difference?  If so then if we buy John Terry it will stop all goals conceded!  Surely it is more of a team game and if it were the case that Fleming makes all the difference, why did we not start shipping goals at Birmingham in the second half?

I am not saying he is without any blame but then I could pick out more than half a dozen others who I can say the same about.

I think, if you look back, Dion was brought on at the back against because one of Cardiffs big guys at the back moved up front at the end.

[allways travelling 0]

all you need to convince yourself fleming is unpickable any more is to re run the burnley game at home he was a total embaracement.I have noticed he is starting to get his name in the squad and coming on more often to do a job. i hope it has nothing to do with the fact he was at norwich and playing when granty was here.Old friends etc.Its a little bit to soon to slag granty of and i dont really want to but the team selection for sat when i first heard of it it seemed like april fools day .What manager in the entire football league would select andy hughes to play left wing and ahead of the impressing with every game eagle.And all this after saying i will not play players out of position.Why also would you tinker with the defence that has just kept three clean sheets and going for a record forth.I fully expected peter grant to hold his hand up and say it was his fault ie team selction was not right etc but to slate players for not doing there jobs of which some had never done before was totally wrong in my opinion.The other worrying thing is how he keeps saying if they cant do the job i want them to they will not be in my team.He said he wants them to go and play with some freedom these two things he is saying dont seem to go together he keeps on condradicting himself. the aftermatch report from him just didnt make any sence to me.I know its early days and he started with good results but how much of this was down to him he has only been here three or four days with those early results.I think its a bit worrying. 

[Huddy 0]

I used the Question mark in my post title which shows that i am suggesting that it could be all down to Fleming, not saying it definately is.

For example we only ever seem to win when Darren Huckerby plays so you could use that as an excuse, but does him not playing automatically weaken our defence. I dont think so. I''m not saying there is a quick fix, or that Doherty and shackell are blameless because when the Doc has played with Flem there have been errors by doherty. I''m just saying that it''s very suspicious that we 90% are reasonably sound at the back with Doc and shack and it goes out of the window when Fleming plays.

[ianboogie 0]

i do not think that you can blame everything on poor old fleming,i thought that it was a TEAM GAME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[7rew 0]

In defence it goes this way:

one player does not make a good defence. - the opposition pass round him.

one player can make a bad defence. - the opposition know that they have

a place to target, and so they attack it early. our over defenders have

to move to cover this weakness which leaves gaps in other positions.

Fleming does seem to me to be slow and small and imo you can only have one of these attributes now.

Personally I don''t blame everything on him, just I feel that his time has prehaps come.

 

This season I wrote off in mid september anyway, and would like to see

more of our youth, who I think are as good as flem and will get better

with games.

[The Voice of the Thorpe Area 0]

Fleming has been a loyal servant for this club, and in his day was a superb defender for this club. I don''t believe that he is good enough to hold down a regualr place in the side now, but in saying that, I think it would be very unfair and unjust to blame a 5-0 defeat on him!

[lucky green trainers 0]

don''t agree its all down to flem, that''s too unkind.  however, i reckon a better central defence partnership could have kept us up in the prem/got us into play-offs  last year. he clearly lacks pace now, would grace a decent league 1 side nowerdays.