This defeat is mainly on Farke's tactical skills. His rotation plan is wrong: he should have started rotating three weeks ago, resting one or two of his preferred 11 for a match or 45 minutes. Yesterday's five changes (Meslier, Gray, Kamara, James, Struijk), only partly out of strict necessity, was too many. Same happened against Stoke, rhythm disappeared.
Also agree with those who mention lack of width, creativity and shots from the distance as explanations. And, oh, obviously Piroe need to be our CF. Rutter and Summerville should play at LW and no. 10 and/or vice versa - that would add to the creativity.
What a boring match that was. I'm glad I had been in Birmingham drinking from 1.30 watching that game sober and bloody cold would have been horrible.
I could manage Leeds United as well as Franke is at the minute. Go a goal behind and put all the strikers on, job done. Franke has a lot of credit in the bank with me for how he managed a very tricky start to the season but he is spending it rapidly at the minute.
why does it take us 45 seconds to take a throw in when we are losing?it gives the opposition defense time to get organized.
why can't we take a decent corner/free kick?
These are basic things that should be sorted out on the training pitch.
when we have the ball on one flank and there is a player in acres of space on the opposite flank why does it take us 3 or 4 passes to switch play and by then the space is gone.
The narrow play from the full backs and wingers boggles my mind,he have decent full backs who can overlap & stretch play(Spence was brilliant at Boro & Forrest at this) but we continue to play narrow,making it really easy to defend against.we have to mix it up-be prepared to play wide and get to the touch line for a pullback/cross.Ironically their goal was created by a winger hugging the touch line
our plan b is throw on every attacking player we have,it only worked in one game,mostly they just get in each other's way.
I like Piroe but we need a proper number 10 who can create for games like this.
teams figured out how to get a result against us a couple months ago and we haven't adapted- almost 70% possession and 1 shot on target is poor.
What I don't understand is how Farke and his team of MANY (with their coaching badges/qualifications, experience of being Championship winners on a couple of occasions, working with the players on the training ground 4 times a week, watching COUNTLESS videos of opposition etc etc) can't see what forum posters can see.... surely he needs to be SACKED after 4 out of the last 5 games have been played so narrow with awful performances each time playing the same way.
It is so simple to see for some posters who know far more than Farke and his team.....
Sometimes it is not th coaching team but the players themselves that are doing it. When you play elite level in any sport, sometime bad habit are created when you are successful at something. I put it in examples.
Summerville, while his scoring form as been above average this season it has caused him to now continue to try and do the same thing again again but has forgotten that it was ability to create via crosses outside by the byline that opened the inside space in the first place.
Rutter, while his one on one turning of his man has been up with some of the all time legends. He has forgotten that it was his quick 2 touch pass and move and receive that originally cause defenders to try and tight up on him in a one on one sense but now he looks for straight away causing defenders to team defend him via funnel type positioning.
Gnonto, his gunhoe attack a defender on the outside and quick shot or cross came on the back of always looking forward but also from movement outside in. Now he is trying to do the same but from inside without first creating that forward momentum up and wide.
James, speed and movement without the ball his where he gets his chances but instead he is slowly trying to play thinking football. He did the same at ManU and it got him dropped and sold. He goes back to speeds and movement and his chances open up again.
It is bad habits that destroys team oriented football and coach all over the world find it hard to fix once they start.
I don't think it's restricted to not just one thing/cause. The coaching staff should also intervene to what is in front of them. For instance Byram was tucking inside a lot and was closer to marking Cooper's man rather than their winger. Byram gave his opponent so much space and time, it's hard to understand that our coaching staff didn't notice it or rather didn't seem to intervene.
It was clear who was their dangerman and we simply didn't react to it.
Same happened at Preston (Gray), same at Ipswich (Byram), I'm quite sure it happened on a few more occasions to both our FB's.
It shouldn't be to hard for the coaching staff to pinpoint (scouting) the opponents dangermen.
Away from home our wingers are rarely "hugging the touch line", yesterday I hardly noticed any overlapping from Byram, going forward at least Spence did that severa timesl.
Summerville, Rutter often seem to try and run/wrestle themselves past several defenders (they double up on them). This means other players like Piroe, Gnonto the midfielders should be able to use/take advantage of the freed up space, but with us being so narrowhave it doesn't happen.
Away from home it looks more and more like Piroe does not know what he is meant to be doing, is he overthinking it?
Yesterday also saw several of our players simply miscontrolling the ball (when in a good position), it happened to Rutter, Summerville, James and Gnonto (the latter several times).
Like I said before those who haven't played on regular basis are nearly all looking rusty. Can we afford to give them the time to get fully matchfit/sharp?
Hate to say it, but with PB it looks like he hasn't played in years, his touch is awful, his awareness is gone, his positioning (running offside) often wrong...
Another stat that works against us, is that we hardly have any shots from outside the box (when we do they're of target by some margin).
There simply isn't any threat or enough creativity from midfield.
West broms left CB could mark Summerville, Rutter, Byram all by himself. Their right CB could mark Gnonto, Piroe, by himself. Their striker could mark Cooper, Rondon, Ampadu, Gruev all by himself. Basically we are that narrow that 3 players could defend against us by positioning themselves correctly creating a funnel.
The area between the edge of the 18 yard box and the sideline. The area wingers and fullbacks are supposed to cross from has now seen for the season Leeds united putting at totaly of 29 crosses in. Last in the league by 23 crosses. That is just a example of hoe narrow we are. Simple answer why team can defend against us.
Every through in the West Brom half today was slow and thrown backwards.
When narrow like we have been for past 6 games. You can not move very much in there as you end up in each other's way causing the ball to either stick and slowly move backwards or be turned over.
If I am a striker and see 2 CB centre circle width apart. I know that with 5 to 10 steps I can position myself to cover and forward pass to the CM left and right and also stop the angle forward pass to FB. I do not even have to work hard as I just play the angle passing lanes. Selected timed press can even cause easy counter attacking turn over.
Another poor result and toothless performance, one like we've seen far too often on our travels.
Like Soopa said, we certainly seem to become unstuck when we face a strong physical side. Not helpfull turning out with a few too many lightweights on our side.
Can't understand why Byram tucked inside so much, leaving plenty of time and space for his opponent.
The role Farke sees for Piroe doesn't work (at least away from home it doesn't), Gruev wasn't great and Kamara to me is the better player.
Most of the other players who started today were hardly convincing, it's not like they made a claim to start the next game.
Very little in terms of creativity or sharpness.
Someone like PB looks so lost and out of sink...
Finally, please LUFC don't put on those nighties ever again.
We'd have been absolutely fuming if that pen was given against us.... Gnonto was already on his way down and got his feet and shooting in a mess AGAIN!
But have to say that this ref is very poor. Gives us nothing but when a Brom player falls over it's a foul, it's all a laugh. Anything like the pull on Gnonto happens in our box and there's only 1 outcome.
By the way, I didn't realise that in England the retirement age has moved to 70+.
Having said all of the above, we'll need to be much better and stronger.
Nothing sticks up front, and using Piroe again in that position is about as effective as it's useless.
This defeat is mainly on Farke's tactical skills. His rotation plan is wrong: he should have started rotating three weeks ago, resting one or two of his preferred 11 for a match or 45 minutes. Yesterday's five changes (Meslier, Gray, Kamara, James, Struijk), only partly out of strict necessity, was too many. Same happened against Stoke, rhythm disappeared.
Also agree with those who mention lack of width, creativity and shots from the distance as explanations. And, oh, obviously Piroe need to be our CF. Rutter and Summerville should play at LW and no. 10 and/or vice versa - that would add to the creativity.
What a boring match that was. I'm glad I had been in Birmingham drinking from 1.30 watching that game sober and bloody cold would have been horrible.
I could manage Leeds United as well as Franke is at the minute. Go a goal behind and put all the strikers on, job done. Franke has a lot of credit in the bank with me for how he managed a very tricky start to the season but he is spending it rapidly at the minute.
Play offs, oh dear.
that was frustrating to watch.
too narrow, too slow, too predictable.
why does it take us 45 seconds to take a throw in when we are losing?it gives the opposition defense time to get organized.
why can't we take a decent corner/free kick?
These are basic things that should be sorted out on the training pitch.
when we have the ball on one flank and there is a player in acres of space on the opposite flank why does it take us 3 or 4 passes to switch play and by then the space is gone.
The narrow play from the full backs and wingers boggles my mind,he have decent full backs who can overlap & stretch play(Spence was brilliant at Boro & Forrest at this) but we continue to play narrow,making it really easy to defend against.we have to mix it up-be prepared to play wide and get to the touch line for a pullback/cross.Ironically their goal was created by a winger hugging the touch line
our plan b is throw on every attacking player we have,it only worked in one game,mostly they just get in each other's way.
I like Piroe but we need a proper number 10 who can create for games like this.
teams figured out how to get a result against us a couple months ago and we haven't adapted- almost 70% possession and 1 shot on target is poor.
What I don't understand is how Farke and his team of MANY (with their coaching badges/qualifications, experience of being Championship winners on a couple of occasions, working with the players on the training ground 4 times a week, watching COUNTLESS videos of opposition etc etc) can't see what forum posters can see.... surely he needs to be SACKED after 4 out of the last 5 games have been played so narrow with awful performances each time playing the same way.
It is so simple to see for some posters who know far more than Farke and his team.....
West broms left CB could mark Summerville, Rutter, Byram all by himself. Their right CB could mark Gnonto, Piroe, by himself. Their striker could mark Cooper, Rondon, Ampadu, Gruev all by himself. Basically we are that narrow that 3 players could defend against us by positioning themselves correctly creating a funnel.
The area between the edge of the 18 yard box and the sideline. The area wingers and fullbacks are supposed to cross from has now seen for the season Leeds united putting at totaly of 29 crosses in. Last in the league by 23 crosses. That is just a example of hoe narrow we are. Simple answer why team can defend against us.
Every through in the West Brom half today was slow and thrown backwards.
Well I didn't enjoy that one bit
A lower league team to play in the feck all cup and a Birmingham side that can't buy a win think I will highbanate
Bamford.....Why bother?
We're just not very good at the moment; unfortunately, the Ipswich game was a one-off, it seems.
We'd have been absolutely fuming if that pen was given against us.... Gnonto was already on his way down and got his feet and shooting in a mess AGAIN!
You turned up in time but Leeds ain't yet
We're not very good again! Do you think anyone still wants Gnonto? I'd take anything for him now!
Another "big physical" side (read: dirty cloggers)
we haven't got the nouse to get out of this league.
We're in the raspberry ripple kit.....
I'm not feeling the love tonight
Eureka Steve - you are the IT master....