| Watching the Preston highlights again 12:46 - Feb 2 with 1548 views | Illinoisblue |
And apart from the usual stuff - missing really good chances, Hirst miss the worst but Kipre and Clarke also guilty - and giving up a sloppy goal the opposition didn’t have to work too hard for, the thing that stood out most is us getting caught out at least three times on the break. One quick ball out and all of a sudden it’s two on two. Happened at Sheff Utd last week and many other times this season. What is it about our shape or lack of that makes us so vulnerable at times? |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:51 - Feb 2 with 1429 views | MeltonBlue |
Sometimes I just question our attitude and mindset, we look surprised that teams dare attack quickly or score against us, and if they dare to defend in numbers, we really are then confused..
I really want to love this team but at this moment they make it difficult to do so..but at 19.45 tomorrow I will be all in on cheering them onto 3 points.. |  | | |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:54 - Feb 2 with 1371 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Kipre had a tough old game. Had a few good chances and got given the run around by Jebbison.
One of those days, it happens. |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:56 - Feb 2 with 1343 views | Herbivore |
Teams are sitting so deep that we have to push numbers forward to try and force overloads and work triangles to get in behind. It means both full backs are often pushed up very high and we leave the CBs to mark the striker. On Saturday, Kipre got horribly caught out a few times from very straightforward balls in behind. At times the back two seem unable to work out who is going to try and cut out the pass and who is going to cover and they both end up not really doing either. The Jebbison one first half, Kipre was initially in a position to just cut the pass out but he decided to turn back and run instead, O'Shea wasn't well positioned to get across and cover either. It's a risk we have to take to break teams down and we should be good enough to do it but sometimes the communication and positioning from our defence leaves a lot to be desired. |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:56 - Feb 2 with 1327 views | Guthrum |
Pressing high and attacking in numbers. Inevitably leaves us in a difficult position if the opponent is good at accurately going long and has fast and physical forwards to exploit that.
We tend to nullify it by not giving the ball away or by winning it back quickly and high up the pitch. If that stops working, we find ourselves in trouble.
But is isn't possible to both create an overload in attack and keep men back to defend the break. A choice has to be made somewhere. |  |
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| In my view there’s 3 issues…. on 12:58 - Feb 2 with 1265 views | Bloots |
…the main one is that our main “playmaker” is currently O’Shea.
Him and Kipre (remarkably) are largely responsible for starting our attacking patterns. This means they are playing a ridiculously high line, often 10-15 yards inside the opposition half.
Our CMs don’t seem to have the ability, or permission, to dictate play.
Add those two into the fact that Davis gets stranded up the pitch a lot and it leaves us open to a quick counterattack, particularly down our left side.
Oh, and there is a general lack of pace throughout the team. |  |
| "The holy trinity” - TWTD User (Jan 2026) |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:59 - Feb 2 with 1261 views | SuperKieranMcKenna |
I think it’s just simply a function of being camped out in the oppo half and therefore having a high line. It’s been the same all season, if you are committing so many forward to control possession, you’ll be vulnerable to rapid counters.
That said we’ve generally contained it well and our defensive record is good. Jack Clarke sometimes tries to do too much, but I’m loathe to criticise him since his goals are carrying us at the moment. | | | |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:03 - Feb 2 with 1139 views | homer_123 |
Can't have it both ways, I suspect.
On the one hand, you have to commit numbers forward against a team that's sitting, to try and gain an overload or two.
That's what the opposition want, they'll then try and hit on the break. |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:08 - Feb 2 with 1051 views | WeWereZombies |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:54 - Feb 2 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Kipre had a tough old game. Had a few good chances and got given the run around by Jebbison.
One of those days, it happens. |
It wasn't just Saturday though and I think we have to ask 'if O'Shea and Kipré are barely quick enough for the Championship then how can they possibly be fast enough to react in the Premier League (if we go up) ?'
[Edit: And would Greaves have done any better given his propensity to be played by the opposition for fouls, kicks awarded against and cards ?] [Post edited 2 Feb 13:10]
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:09 - Feb 2 with 1041 views | FrimleyBlue |
We approach games akin to many prem sides
Watching the utd fulham game, at times, man utd were inside the fulham half, their cb's were inside the fulham half. Yet you rarely saw fulham go long.
This level, we've been done a fair few times by a simple hoof with our cbs being really advanced.
We don't concede many shots at our goal, but a lot of them come from balls over the top in the run up to those shots imo.
It's just a part of our advancement up the pitch. We've also seen under KM since davis came in, he of course makes another attacking option so he's out of place a lot of the time.
Nothings massively different from this season to the promotion season in that respect other than we have missed so many chances ourselves |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:39 - Feb 2 with 761 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:08 - Feb 2 by WeWereZombies |
It wasn't just Saturday though and I think we have to ask 'if O'Shea and Kipré are barely quick enough for the Championship then how can they possibly be fast enough to react in the Premier League (if we go up) ?'
[Edit: And would Greaves have done any better given his propensity to be played by the opposition for fouls, kicks awarded against and cards ?] [Post edited 2 Feb 13:10]
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They aren't good enough for the prem.
But that is a convo for if we get there. | |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:42 - Feb 2 with 729 views | Steve_M |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:56 - Feb 2 by Herbivore |
Teams are sitting so deep that we have to push numbers forward to try and force overloads and work triangles to get in behind. It means both full backs are often pushed up very high and we leave the CBs to mark the striker. On Saturday, Kipre got horribly caught out a few times from very straightforward balls in behind. At times the back two seem unable to work out who is going to try and cut out the pass and who is going to cover and they both end up not really doing either. The Jebbison one first half, Kipre was initially in a position to just cut the pass out but he decided to turn back and run instead, O'Shea wasn't well positioned to get across and cover either. It's a risk we have to take to break teams down and we should be good enough to do it but sometimes the communication and positioning from our defence leaves a lot to be desired. |
I think the highlights showed just about everytime they did break though, it happened too often but wasn't that many times in the game. A few of those breaks started with some fairly dubious challenges that the ref let go, but the one that lead to the corner they scored from looked ok to me.
And had we defended that bloody corner properly then it's less of an issue and we probably - just about - force a win. |  |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:52 - Feb 2 with 619 views | Blue_Uprising |
I caveat below with the statement that if we finish our chances we win. Being more clinical in the current set up is enough.
However what is the ideal way to play a very deep and defensive back line (or low block if you like) in 2026?
From a non tactics expert I think a lot about the old Man U and Arsenal early 200’ssides. Breaking very quickly to not let the other team set at all.
Getting the ball wide quickly and lots of cut backs (or crosses swinging away from goal) - whereby the defenders are having to face their own goal. Chances of deflections / more corners / bad clearances falling to players on the edge of the box.
I’m thinking from a perspective that if our chance conversion stays low, creating even more chances than we do at present is needed.
It’s no doubt harder now with much better defensive coaching and set up.
Also apart from Burns /Davis we don’t really have all the players for it.
Man City can do it via very intricate fast passing in tight triangles but that’s way out of our league.
I think it leaves us in no man’s land and probably a fair few more frustrated results to come this season. Hopefully only 1 out of 4 games, rather than 2 in 4! |  | | |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:58 - Feb 2 with 534 views | RetroBlue |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:56 - Feb 2 by Herbivore |
Teams are sitting so deep that we have to push numbers forward to try and force overloads and work triangles to get in behind. It means both full backs are often pushed up very high and we leave the CBs to mark the striker. On Saturday, Kipre got horribly caught out a few times from very straightforward balls in behind. At times the back two seem unable to work out who is going to try and cut out the pass and who is going to cover and they both end up not really doing either. The Jebbison one first half, Kipre was initially in a position to just cut the pass out but he decided to turn back and run instead, O'Shea wasn't well positioned to get across and cover either. It's a risk we have to take to break teams down and we should be good enough to do it but sometimes the communication and positioning from our defence leaves a lot to be desired. |
We take far too long to get ball out of our own half. By the time we get to the half way line the opposition is all in place waiting. How about mixing up our approach occasionally and getting the ball forward quicker, Azon is no slouch? |  |
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| In my view there’s 3 issues…. on 14:00 - Feb 2 with 510 views | waveneyblue |
| In my view there’s 3 issues…. on 12:58 - Feb 2 by Bloots |
…the main one is that our main “playmaker” is currently O’Shea.
Him and Kipre (remarkably) are largely responsible for starting our attacking patterns. This means they are playing a ridiculously high line, often 10-15 yards inside the opposition half.
Our CMs don’t seem to have the ability, or permission, to dictate play.
Add those two into the fact that Davis gets stranded up the pitch a lot and it leaves us open to a quick counterattack, particularly down our left side.
Oh, and there is a general lack of pace throughout the team. |
Can we bring Jim Magilton back, he was great at starting things from the defence, so much so, he would go mad if they didnt give him the ball every time. |  | | |
| In my view there’s 3 issues…. on 14:03 - Feb 2 with 470 views | WeWereZombies |
| In my view there’s 3 issues…. on 14:00 - Feb 2 by waveneyblue |
Can we bring Jim Magilton back, he was great at starting things from the defence, so much so, he would go mad if they didnt give him the ball every time. |
'Sideways' Jim ? He might be too old now and seems to be set up with jobs back in Northern Ireland. However Cole Skuse could be coaxed out of retirement and he looks to have settled locally... | |
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 14:04 - Feb 2 with 463 views | Wright1 |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 12:54 - Feb 2 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Kipre had a tough old game. Had a few good chances and got given the run around by Jebbison.
One of those days, it happens. |
And should have scored the winner. That would have been a real moment for the season as well. | | | |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 14:30 - Feb 2 with 345 views | RIPbobby |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:58 - Feb 2 by RetroBlue |
We take far too long to get ball out of our own half. By the time we get to the half way line the opposition is all in place waiting. How about mixing up our approach occasionally and getting the ball forward quicker, Azon is no slouch? |
Whatever happened to the long diagonal ball to Wes burns when he was younger? |  | | |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 14:31 - Feb 2 with 331 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 14:30 - Feb 2 by RIPbobby |
Whatever happened to the long diagonal ball to Wes burns when he was younger? |
We don't play a left footed cb to play it. [Post edited 2 Feb 14:32]
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| Watching the Preston highlights again on 15:02 - Feb 2 with 198 views | Herbivore |
| Watching the Preston highlights again on 13:58 - Feb 2 by RetroBlue |
We take far too long to get ball out of our own half. By the time we get to the half way line the opposition is all in place waiting. How about mixing up our approach occasionally and getting the ball forward quicker, Azon is no slouch? |
I'm not sure how much of us you've watched this season but sides aren't overcommitting men forward against us and they're rarely pushing their CBs up to halfway for us to be able to do what you're suggesting. When teams have done that, for example when they've been chasing the game or have tried to start on the front foot, we've generally been very good at getting the ball formed quickly and punishing them. Unfortunately, games of football involve two teams. | |
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