Saturday 26 November 2011

Who in this team runs with the ball?

One of the biggest problems with the current team is the absence of players with the ability to run past opponents. Tell me, who in the ranks has the pace or ability to take on opposition players and beat them?

Faubert should be doing it, of course, but he always seems to receive the ball when standing stock still or slows to snail's pace if running when he gets it. Once, just once, he tried to take on the full back on the outside today, and he lost the ball. The guy was summed up when, dawdling on the ball considering a cross, the ball was stolen off his foot by a Derby midfielder coming in from behind.

Second half Noble had the opportunity to break into the box, but there was no pace.

Nolan is, if anything, slower than Noble.

And Collison is on the wrong flank and so comes inside every time he receives the ball wide.

All game we looked pedestrian and heavy legged when we had the ball. Cole injected pace a couple of times and Piquionne once in the second half. Baldock obviously has the speed to trouble defenders but a hamstring injury may keep him out for some time, and anyway, we need him in the box, not working the left flank.

This team would be annihilated in the Prem because there is no pace, no guile and no flair. Of course, a kid named Montano is rumoured to have ability if only Doctor Evil would give him a go!

8 comments:

Sav said...

Spot on! We need pace and flair in the middle of the field. We don't stand a chance with this midfield line up in the Premiership. That is if we manage to get there... the first time of asking.

Tommy said...

Why bother running when you can save all that time and effort by smacking it at Carlton's head?

fred149 said...

Ill give everyone 1 guess at who Sav wants taken out of the midfield. For one I don't think faubert has been that good in his actual technical performance there is another rumour saying a young kid named brian Montenegro is scoring goals for fun in the development squad and is exactly the type of player we should be playing

Sav said...

Fred, I don't think Noble was anywhere near our worst midfielder today. In fact, if he is surrounded with the right players and he is not asked to defend, Mark can be rather useful. But he has his weaknesses which are well documented. When we are back at the Premiership he has to step it up if he wants to be in the team.

But make no mistake, none of our other midfielders were up to standard today or should I say for the last 17 games!

fred149 said...

Im torn between having ,Nolan,collison,faubert, diop in our team to partner Noble. If you play Nolan with him you need Nolan further forward as hes more of goal threat which also means Nobles passing becomes less effective and lots of other options with the other midfielders. Really think lansburys loan should be terminated though

Rab said...

When you're lumping the ball from from back to front, what need of a midfield? Which is just as well because...

Noble is slow. Collison isn't a wide player and he certainly isn't wide left. Faubert just isn't offensive and threatening enough. And Nolan has proved he can score but he doesn't offer much by way of creativity.

In the first half we had neither width nor pace and that made it all too easy for Derby, who looked to me a very poor team.

Defensively we look pretty good to me and in Baldock, Cole and Carew, I don't think we'll struggle for a gaol scorer but if I were Big Sam I'd ne looking for a spritely midfield player.

Sav said...

Totally agree Rab. Very well put!

fred149 said...

I say give montenegro or montano a run out