expectations

[mfcjohn]

The problems I see are that GR has got a bunch of CB's that don't have the attributes to play in a back 3

Any combination of Hutch, Cooper, Wallace, or Pearce will do good or okay as a pair but not in a 3

Same with the midfield, we all know Saville is a good player, but he looks poor in a 3, same with Thompson.

The players are unsure of what they should be doing

The whole squad apart from Malone would be better in a 4-4-2, currently we have midfielders playing in defense and midfielders playing in attack, GR expects defenders to get forward and for short players to win balls in the air against cb's

The few times I have seen us play what seems to be a good line up in a 5-2-3/5-3-2, the tactics have been all wrong

I get what he is trying to do with the formation, but when the 2 wingbacks get forward and lose the ball we have a great big hole in the defense, our cb's are not quick enough to cover the space and he get hit in that area, so he tries the same formation again with 2 holding midfielders, but other teams just play around them or through them and its the same result, if I can see this why cant GR?

5 at the back will never work over a season until we have cb's with pace, and as good as Ballard has been for us, I have not seen lightning speed from him, nor have I seen him getting forward like GR had Cooper trying to do last season, he is a good player that is still learning his trade and looks solid in defense.

We currently have a team of individuals who desperately want to be a team, the only thing stopping them is the manager.

 

[T28ColdBlowLion]

Romeo probably cannot understand why Pompey and not Man City took him

 

[Life with the Lions]

Agree re: this window.

It’s a shit cliche, but I think Leonard coming back from injury could give Saville a kick up the arse and be like a new signing.

Bennett offers a lot and I am looking forward to getting him back.

Danny Mac’s return is desperately needed, Mitchell is wasted at full back.

And of course, the big man Hutch coming back will be vital. Cooper hasn’t been the same player without his partner next to him.

It’s not all doom and gloom, let’s just wait and see how this pans out…

Trouble is, by the time the players you’ve mentioned are back in the team, and have got their levels of fitness back up, where are we gonna be in the table?

If we’re in the bottom three, and there’s a gap of 6 points between us and whoever is in 21st place, that’s a lot of points to try and make up, especially if that team sitting in 21st place is still nicking the odd win and draw, whilst we keep drawing and losing!

Teams in the bottom three are usually there because they’re stuck in a rut, where players, devoid of confidence, keep drawing or losing games! It becomes a vicious circle of draw or lose (players lose more confidence), draw or lose again (players lose even more confidence), and the cycle continues!

Usually, if a team manages to get out of the bottom three, and stays up at the end of the season, it’s because the club has changed managers before points run out, and it becomes mathematically impossible to stay up!