Identifying the problem

[gurujuan]

Amid all the recriminations following another, do nothing deadline day, it's important to keep some perspective. Yes we badly needed reinforcements, particularly up front, but all is certainly not wrong, and we are not without hope. Outside help will have to come, probably at the first opportunity in January, and heaven help us if we get any injuries to our forward players in the meantime.

So what can we do to help remedy the situation? Well firstly, it's quite simple to identify that there seems to be a major difference between our home form and away form. Perhaps there isn't? Earlier in the season, when most felt we were flying, our home form was still patchy. We started losing games, perversely, when pushed a little harder to win them. A few subtle changes, intended to make us more of an attacking threat, actually had the effect of making us more vulnerable against the better sides. Away from home, where we remain compact, we rarely look like losing. Yes we haven't won for a while, but an away win never looks far away, which is something you couldn't say about the games at Hillsborough. People talk about making Hillsborough a fortress, however, this is unlikely as we don't really have the attacking resources to take the game to our opponents. We are better equipped to keep things tight and hope that we can ****** something.

My thoughts are, that we should go back to what we were doing at the start, and approach every game the same, whether it be home or away, at least until we can bring in better attacking players. Stay compact, keep possession and don't try and stretch the game. We will draw a lot, but we will win moe than we will lose.

Edited November 28, 2014 by gurujuan

[mike312]

At the beginning of the season we were playing 451 with Nuhiu on his own up front. Once May came in Gray decided to fit both him and Nuhiu into the team and we started playing 442 and the results started to slide. Also the injury to Hutchinson has had an impact as he is clearly class. I don't think we have the midfielders to play a two at the moment unless Lee finds some form or Hutchinson comes back. The problem is do you play Nuhiu who is the best we have at holding the ball up and bringing others into the game but couldn't hit a cow's arris with a banjo or do you play May who is lightweight, relies on through balls and intelligent players around him which we don't seem to have? Me? I'd play 4-1-3-2 with Semodo in the anchor role, three attacking midfielders/ wingers (Drenthe, Helan, Maguire, Maghoma, Stobbs, Lavery, McGugan take your pick) and both forwards. I would also give Maguire a run up front.

[gurujuan]

At the beginning of the season we were playing 451 with Nuhiu on his own up front. Once May came in Gray decided to fit both him and Nuhiu into the team and we started playing 442 and the results started to slide. Also the injury to Hutchinson has had an impact as he is clearly class. I don't think we have the midfielders to play a two at the moment unless Lee finds some form or Hutchinson comes back. The problem is do you play Nuhiu who is the best we have at holding the ball up and bringing others into the game but couldn't hit a cow's arris with a banjo or do you play May who is lightweight, relies on through balls and intelligent players around him which we don't seem to have? Me? I'd play 4-1-3-2 with Semodo in the anchor role, three attacking midfielders/ wingers (Drenthe, Helan, Maguire, Maghoma, Stobbs, Lavery, McGugan take your pick) and both forwards. I would also give Maguire a run up front.

It's partly that yes, but in fact we still continued to win games playing a 442 system, as you say to accommodate May. My preference is 451, but the 442 system we played earlier worked because May was playing out wide pretty much. So in effect, it was 451. I realise you are not going to get the most out of May playing him out wide, but that's our dilemma. We don't have an ideal partner for May and he's too lightweight to play up on his own. Until we find another forward, we really need to go back to being more compact, whether that means playing May wide, or somebody else.

Edited November 28, 2014 by gurujuan

[IstillhateSteveBould]

We played 451 with Nuhiu up top just once didn't we? At Brighton. The rest of our good run featured May and Nuhiu as a partnership.

The problem is, there's only so long you can get away with playing Coke and Semedo in midfield together, without the lack of creativity becoming an issue.

We've missed Hutchinson big time. Lee has far more freedom to influence the game further up the pitch when hutch plays. There's nothing wrong with Lee and hutch as a 2 with Nuhiu and May up top, and i don't think there'd be much wrong with Lee, hutch, then McGugan behind May.

Our lack of depth means if our first 11 doesn't play, we're going to struggle.

[gurujuan]

Mate

We played 451 with Nuhiu up top just once didn't we? At Brighton. The rest of our good run featured May and Nuhiu as a partnership.

The problem is, there's only so long you can get away with playing Coke and Semedo in midfield together, without the lack of creativity becoming an issue.

We've missed Hutchinson big time. Lee has far more freedom to influence the game further up the pitch when hutch plays. There's nothing wrong with Lee and hutch as a 2 with Nuhiu and May up top, and i don't think there'd be much wrong with Lee, hutch, then McGugan behind May.

Our lack of depth means if our first 11 doesn't play, we're going to struggle.

Mate, you might be right about the personnel in midfield, but the greater limitations lie further ahead. Nuhiu and May are simply not a partnership. Individually they have plenty to offer, but as a striking partnership, I'm afraid it just doesn't work

[Flat Owl]

I would allow McGugan to settle into the midfield before we start re-inventing the wheel.

Plenty to be encouraged about in the performance vs Huddersfield including less reliance on getting the ball out wide to pump hopeless attempted crosses to no-one in particular.

In my view we were truly unlucky last weekend - not only clutching at straws when the referee refuses penalty appeals which were often the only real chance in past games.

We were much more direct with the ball and created substantial chances.

With McGugan, we are now where we should have been in late August/September having sat on our hands transfer wise for the last 8-10 weeks hoping that Lee and Hutch would make the difference - they won't because they were/are too defensive or lacking confidence.

We have a top 6 defence and now at long last some potency in midfield, let's see if we can continue where we left off last weekend.

[Guest wilyfox]

Our form will turn and the goals will start to go in again, no doubt. We're not the first to suffer a drought like this - won't be the last either. They often resolve themselves as form fluctuates.

[since59owe]

If I was given the chance to advise SG I would say block the goal in training, too leave only a 2ft strip at both sides

[Guest Gershwin]

Amid all the recriminations following another, do nothing deadline day, it's important to keep some perspective. Yes we badly needed reinforcements, particularly up front, but all is certainly not wrong, and we are not without hope. Outside help will have to come, probably at the first opportunity in January, and heaven help us if we get any injuries to our forward players in the meantime.

So what can we do to help remedy the situation? Well firstly, it's quite simple to identify that there seems to be a major difference between our home form and away form. Perhaps there isn't? Earlier in the season, when most felt we were flying, our home form was still patchy. We started losing games, perversely, when pushed a little harder to win them. A few subtle changes, intended to make us more of an attacking threat, actually had the effect of making us more vulnerable against the better sides. Away from home, where we remain compact, we rarely look like losing. Yes we haven't won for a while, but an away win never looks far away, which is something you couldn't say about the games at Hillsborough. People talk about making Hillsborough a fortress, however, this is unlikely as we don't really have the attacking resources to take the game to our opponents. We are better equipped to keep things tight and hope that we can ****** something.

My thoughts are, that we should go back to what we were doing at the start, and approach every game the same, whether it be home or away, at least until we can bring in better attacking players. Stay compact, keep possession and don't try and stretch the game. We will draw a lot, but we will win moe than we will lose.

Good post, G. Positive and balanced.

[Guest Gershwin]

At the beginning of the season we were playing 451 with Nuhiu on his own up front. Once May came in Gray decided to fit both him and Nuhiu into the team and we started playing 442 and the results started to slide. Also the injury to Hutchinson has had an impact as he is clearly class. I don't think we have the midfielders to play a two at the moment unless Lee finds some form or Hutchinson comes back. The problem is do you play Nuhiu who is the best we have at holding the ball up and bringing others into the game but couldn't hit a cow's arris with a banjo or do you play May who is lightweight, relies on through balls and intelligent players around him which we don't seem to have? Me? I'd play 4-1-3-2 with Semodo in the anchor role, three attacking midfielders/ wingers (Drenthe, Helan, Maguire, Maghoma, Stobbs, Lavery, McGugan take your pick) and both forwards. I would also give Maguire a run up front.

 

Well said. As others have posted, the impact of Hutchinson absence is hard to overstate. Massive. He's a quality midfielder and Wednesday were right to take a gamble. 

 

p.s. you're right about Nuhiu, but what is a cow's arris? Is this one of those terms from the rural backwaters of Oughtibridge or Worrall? 

[OxonOwl]

cockney rhyming slang

arse becomes 'bottle and glass' which becomes bottle, bottle becomes aristotle, which gets shortened to arris

[tomhollywood]

We are a good counter attacking team which is why we are good on our travels but the home fans don't have the patience and/or brains to watch that at Hillsborough.

 

Not the most pretty to watch but if it gets results then it doesn't bother me.

[FlyingOwl]

I still reckon 4-3-3 is the way forward.

Westwood

Palmer

Lees

Loovens

Helan

Lee

Semedo

McGugan

Maguire

May

Drenthe

[FlyingOwl]

We are a good counter attacking team which is why we are good on our travels but the home fans don't have the patience and/or brains to watch that at Hillsborough.

Not the most pretty to watch but if it gets results then it doesn't bother me.

How many times have we scored on the counter this season?

Definitely not scored a counter attack at home anyway. And you wonder why we don't have the patience for it? Every time I've seen us counter at home not a single player has the bottle to take it all the way. They end up stopping and, inevitably, play the ball back. Or they dally too much, run around in a circle and then lose it (Maghoma).

[Woodie]

I still reckon 4-3-3 is the way forward.

Westwood

Palmer

Lees

Loovens

Helan

Lee

Semedo

McGugan

Maguire

May

Drenthe

Agreed, our best team we could possibly pick for tommorow.

[The Dukeries Owl]

I still reckon 4-3-3 is the way forward.

Westwood

Palmer

Lees

Loovens

Helan

Lee

Semedo

McGugan

Maguire

May

Drenthe

 

I don't think that is a bad shout. Whatever way we line up keep the back 4 (obvious) the important thing is those three in the middle as we are not getting midfield players in attacking positions because 2 of them have to worry about the defensive stuff and old Jose will never get past the half way line.

 

The only worrying thing about the front 3 is that Maguire and Drenthe are nailed on for yellow cards and always at risk of 2 of them.

[whyte_owl]

We are a good counter attacking team which is why we are good on our travels but the home fans don't have the patience and/or brains to watch that at Hillsborough.

 

Not the most pretty to watch but if it gets results then it doesn't bother me.

 

You have to be brain dead to watch it and it doesn't get results.  

[McRightSide]

There are 2 main reasons:

1. Injuries - we have a good team and a poor squad. We can't afford to have our best players unavailable

2. Opposition - teams have worked us out and we are now struggling to break them down. They've given particular focus to Nuhiu and it's showing.

For me we need to do something a little different - Something similar to the away win a Hull a couple of years ago

All is not lost people.

[The Dukeries Owl]

There are 2 main reasons:

1. Injuries - we have a good team and a poor squad. We can't afford to have our best players unavailable

2. Opposition - teams have worked us out and we are now struggling to break them down. They've given particular focus to Nuhiu and it's showing.

For me we need to do something a little different - Something similar to the away win a Hull a couple of years ago

All is not lost people.

 

Just one point. For that game at Hull we played two pacey wingers up front, we now have no pacey wingers, unless you count Helan as such.

[McRightSide]

Just one point. For that game at Hull we played two pacey wingers up front, we now have no pacey wingers, unless you count Helan as such.

I believe that We played 3 upfront and Helan was one of them

I'm not suggesting we do exactly the same, I just feel we've lost the element of surprise.

But we could play Helan, May and Drenthe as a front 3. It would certainly pose a different challenge