Guest Changing Times Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 @ Changing Tyres Your last paragraph echoes my thoughts exactly. What worries me is the thought that Karanka doesn't know how to lend these "Championship Galacticos" into a winning formula and more so that we need to do that at this stage of the season. I don't agree with the midfield being a problem long term. It works and it's been a integral part of the success that's got us to this point. It fails when the players involved (principly Leadbitter) lose form which he has done over the last two months. They both seem very lethargic to me right now. @ DS give over :D Well I suppose that's better than some things I've been called on here :) I think the midfield is a problem long term although I understand why people don't think it is. You're absolutely right that's it's been integral to the 'success' that's got us to this point as it was last season. It is very good at the job it does (not so much lately but overall it has been). However the job it does isn't the whole job a midfield needs to do and this is where we are lacking. It's where we were lacking last season as well in my opinion and why we couldn't get over the line in the end. This midfield and this set up limits us. It forces us to play a particular type of game and I think it makes it harder for us to adapt when things aren't going our way. Individual form will always be a problem and I think it's obvious that Leadbitter is nowhere near his best but I think it's more than that. I've said it a lot though and I know that people disagree so I won't get into it again other than specifically about the performance last night, which was as much down to individual form as anything else. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Changing Times Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Come on DS. I'll give you Tomlin, but Vossen offered no more than Nugent does. Edit: Great summary that, CT. Only thing I'd add is that I thought De Laet had another good game. I see him being RB once Friend is back I forgot to mention him. He did some things well but I think he also got caught offside a couple of times when he really shouldn't have but overall yeah he was pretty good. It wouldn't surprise me if you are right about that and he ends up at right back. It wouldn't surprise me if Nsue ended up moving further forward if he did as well. Link to post Share on other sites
Brunners 7,982 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 De laet rb and nsue rm actually sounds like it could really work... Link to post Share on other sites
BillyWoofs_shinpad 1,884 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 De laet rb and nsue rm actually sounds like it could really work... it may sound all right, but it reads like gobbledygook :D Link to post Share on other sites
Aaron 4 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 This criticism of Leadbitter and Clayton holding back our attacking options by sideways and back passing is nothing new. As I recall last season people where berating them for the same tactics, but also berating Tomlin for playing to deep. Tomlin had no choice if he wanted to get the ball forward. Thats the difference this season. We do not have Tomlin or Vossen making the play from midfield. Leadbitter and Clayton are not going to change, they are obviously under instructions to retain possession. All opposing teams need to do to stifle our attacking options is to get numbers behind the ball in midfield. Clayton and Leadbitter will not risk losing the ball. (basically we are to predictable and we have been found out)That being the case, our front four need to work much harder in this area to take control of the ball and attack the opposition. Gaston looks to me that he has the skill and tenacity to provide the interface between defence and strike in the centre of midfield. Lets hope so. Link to post Share on other sites
Oslo_Syd 320 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Which all boils down to the fact that we don't exactly have what you would call a leaky defence, but that our midfielders and forwards are so busy tracking back that they don't go forward as often or effectively as they could. A dilemma. Ramirez and Adomah together might be the key but my feeling about strikers is that we could have Ronaldo there but if he doesn't have the service he'd be useless. Link to post Share on other sites
richmfc 41 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I wonder if we are the only team in the top 2 of any league who's fans think we play the wrong way to win anything Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Changing Times Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Probably not. Link to post Share on other sites
Aaron 4 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Fair enough, second in the league. We must be doing something right. 3 points from a possible fifteen, We must be doing something right? Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rocket 244 Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 I have no idea how we are still second after the recent string of results. We are lucky ***s, I hope this luck lasts until the end of the season. Or we could, you know, actually start playing football again. Link to post Share on other sites
"KM" 1,656 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I have no idea how we are still second after the recent string of results. We are lucky ***, I hope this luck lasts until the end of the season. Or we could, you know, actually start playing football again. If we start playing football again we'll comfortably go up. It really is ours to *** up. Link to post Share on other sites
Borodane 6,301 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I have no idea how we are still second after the recent string of results. We are lucky ***, I hope this luck lasts until the end of the season. Or we could, you know, actually start playing football again. Wouldn't call us lucky. It's just a testament to this league that all top teams drop points. Every round at least one team near the top-2 drop points. I can't see any team going on a run like we did earlier with 8 wins in 9 matches. It's going to be a slog until the final day and I don't think any team is going to cement a place in the top-2 let alone be promoted with several games to spare. Link to post Share on other sites
Oslo_Syd 320 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I have no idea how we are still second after the recent string of results. We are lucky ***, I hope this luck lasts until the end of the season. Or we could, you know, actually start playing football again. Wouldn't call us lucky. It's just a testament to this league that all top teams drop points. Every round at least one team near the top-2 drop points. I can't see any team going on a run like we did earlier with 8 wins in 9 matches. It's going to be a slog until the final day and I don't think any team is going to cement a place in the top-2 let alone be promoted with several games to spare. Have to agree with you, and it's not just Scandinavia sticking together like the Eurovision. There's a cliché in football, 'we've been found out'. The thing about the Championship is that after a few weeks everyone gets found out. If we play Rotherham, they have a pretty good idea of how we are going to play and vice versa. You only have to look at the results of the OneBoro predictions league for last weekend - very few people had more than 3 or 4 results right. It's that tight. Looking at our past results in that context, they aren't too bad. A few more wins would have been welcome but a point is better than no points. That said, we're not going to get promoted by carving out draws. Link to post Share on other sites
Tom 2,492 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 When's the Cardiff thread up? Link to post Share on other sites
"KM" 1,656 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 When's the Cardiff thread up? Once the Boro squad get back from their jollies :P Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts