| One goal in open play in last 7 games. 10:20 - Mar 10 with 3019 views | Dubtractor |
Our lack of attacking bite has been mentioned many times, but that stat, in one of our better runs of form, really is pretty damning.
Cook really needs the chance to spend some time in training with this squad to work on this.
As has been mentioned numerous times, we need to take more risks, and we need players to take a bloody shot when things open up on the edge of the box. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 10:28 - Mar 10 with 2967 views | Radlett_blue |
A grand total of 3 shots on goal in 90 minutes last night. What a time to be alive! |  |
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| Brenner is fast developing his own catchphrase.... on 10:29 - Mar 10 with 2964 views | Bloots |
...."he thought about having a shot"
What a club. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 10:38 - Mar 10 with 2944 views | Steve_M |
The positive take on that is that is we have at least worked on our set pieces, we weren't even scoring from those a few weeks back. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:05 - Mar 10 with 2889 views | ghostofescobar |
The players are too low in confidence, and probably ability in many cases, to take risks at this point, plus they've had two years of PL's coaching, which was obviously not about high tempo, risk taking football. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:08 - Mar 10 with 2881 views | Dubtractor |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 10:38 - Mar 10 by Steve_M |
The positive take on that is that is we have at least worked on our set pieces, we weren't even scoring from those a few weeks back. |
Yep, that's a plus for sure.
Mainly made this post to put our improved form into context, we still weren't creating much but edged a few games by being good off the ball mainly.
I thought we played very well against Hull FWIW, but overall the same problems have persisted throughout. | |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:18 - Mar 10 with 2860 views | Darth_Koont |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 10:38 - Mar 10 by Steve_M |
The positive take on that is that is we have at least worked on our set pieces, we weren't even scoring from those a few weeks back. |
Agreed. Sometimes these things are statistical anomalies but looks like we’re much more purposeful at set pieces in recent times – from the balls in to the players looking to get on the end of them.
If we can keep that up while finding a bit more purpose and direction in open play then we should be much better set for a play-off challenge.
Too early to tell how much Cook has done there but I thought at least it was noticeable that even with one striker last night we were getting midfielders up to and closer to Norwood than was the norm before. But need a few more games of that to conclude there’s been a genuine shift. [Post edited 10 Mar 2021 11:19]
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:28 - Mar 10 with 2821 views | Steve_M |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:08 - Mar 10 by Dubtractor |
Yep, that's a plus for sure.
Mainly made this post to put our improved form into context, we still weren't creating much but edged a few games by being good off the ball mainly.
I thought we played very well against Hull FWIW, but overall the same problems have persisted throughout. |
It's always been a frustration with Lambert that the basics have been so sporadic, at times we've looked well organised and confident enough to the point that margins start to go in our favour - first few weeks of this season - but when that's changed we revert to repeated basic errors.
Get the basics right more often than not and there is a platform to play more expressively on but also the basics include being a threat from set pieces. The reaction to a second defeat in four days - even with the same performance - would certainly have been less objective.
Not that Hurst's teams did the basics he made so much about in pre-season either. McCarthy's did most of the time, it's why we could be on a bad run and then grind out enough points to drag things back again. We just haven't done that for the last three years. | |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:28 - Mar 10 with 2823 views | SomethingBlue |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:18 - Mar 10 by Darth_Koont |
Agreed. Sometimes these things are statistical anomalies but looks like we’re much more purposeful at set pieces in recent times – from the balls in to the players looking to get on the end of them.
If we can keep that up while finding a bit more purpose and direction in open play then we should be much better set for a play-off challenge.
Too early to tell how much Cook has done there but I thought at least it was noticeable that even with one striker last night we were getting midfielders up to and closer to Norwood than was the norm before. But need a few more games of that to conclude there’s been a genuine shift. [Post edited 10 Mar 2021 11:19]
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Part of me thinks we ... deep breath ... really miss Jon Nolan. Frustrating and often ineffective in other areas of the pitch but he *does* make those well-timed runs into the box better than anyone else we have, as we saw earlier in the season. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:30 - Mar 10 with 2810 views | Radlett_blue |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:05 - Mar 10 by ghostofescobar |
The players are too low in confidence, and probably ability in many cases, to take risks at this point, plus they've had two years of PL's coaching, which was obviously not about high tempo, risk taking football. |
But didn't most of us enthuse about Town's improved style of play when PL first arrived, even though we kept losing? | |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:41 - Mar 10 with 2795 views | Fixed_It |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:28 - Mar 10 by SomethingBlue |
Part of me thinks we ... deep breath ... really miss Jon Nolan. Frustrating and often ineffective in other areas of the pitch but he *does* make those well-timed runs into the box better than anyone else we have, as we saw earlier in the season. |
Paul Cook says he's a player who he has followed and admired for a while. I think the two would suit eachother. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:42 - Mar 10 with 2789 views | SamWhiteUK |
At what point does a goal go from being from a set piece to from open play? |  | | |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:00 - Mar 10 with 2763 views | davblue |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:28 - Mar 10 by SomethingBlue |
Part of me thinks we ... deep breath ... really miss Jon Nolan. Frustrating and often ineffective in other areas of the pitch but he *does* make those well-timed runs into the box better than anyone else we have, as we saw earlier in the season. |
Sounds like he's going to be a big part of it from what Cook has said.
We need to be better off the ball with our run making and Nolan if we can get him wired again, is the one capable player in the squad like you say. |  | | |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:06 - Mar 10 with 2737 views | GlasgowBlue |
He needs play to our forwards strengths. Jackson and Norwood were a good pair last year. I don’t think they’ve played a single game as a starting pair* this season. Which is bizarre.
*Jackson in the wing doesn’t count. [Post edited 10 Mar 2021 12:45]
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:11 - Mar 10 with 2733 views | JakeITFC |
*Technical football analysis warning* - are many of our players actually good at shooting?
Of the lineup last night I’m not convinced by any of them really - Norwood is a patchy finisher at best, Lankester isn’t in any kind of form, Edwards/Dozzell/Bishop all seem pretty powderpuff in front of goal and Downes isn’t really that type. I think we are team full of quite nice footballers but are missing some real drive to get in the box and take a risk. |  | | |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:23 - Mar 10 with 2695 views | Parsley |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:11 - Mar 10 by JakeITFC |
*Technical football analysis warning* - are many of our players actually good at shooting?
Of the lineup last night I’m not convinced by any of them really - Norwood is a patchy finisher at best, Lankester isn’t in any kind of form, Edwards/Dozzell/Bishop all seem pretty powderpuff in front of goal and Downes isn’t really that type. I think we are team full of quite nice footballers but are missing some real drive to get in the box and take a risk. |
I don't think any of them are natural finishers but Edwards and Bishop were both scoring at the start of the season and Lankester has had a couple so those 3 behind Norwood is probably our biggest goalscoring threat at the moment. Arguably Judge could replace one of them as his goal threat has picked up recently. |  | | |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:27 - Mar 10 with 2679 views | Metal_Hacker |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:28 - Mar 10 by SomethingBlue |
Part of me thinks we ... deep breath ... really miss Jon Nolan. Frustrating and often ineffective in other areas of the pitch but he *does* make those well-timed runs into the box better than anyone else we have, as we saw earlier in the season. |
I quite like Nolan (yeah I know sorry) but I don't know who we'd sacrifice to sneak him in
I think he's great with those late runs in the box, his sideways passing is quiet annoying but if it goals and bodies in the box supporting the front man ..... |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:42 - Mar 10 with 2635 views | Dubtractor |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 12:11 - Mar 10 by JakeITFC |
*Technical football analysis warning* - are many of our players actually good at shooting?
Of the lineup last night I’m not convinced by any of them really - Norwood is a patchy finisher at best, Lankester isn’t in any kind of form, Edwards/Dozzell/Bishop all seem pretty powderpuff in front of goal and Downes isn’t really that type. I think we are team full of quite nice footballers but are missing some real drive to get in the box and take a risk. |
I want to disagree with this, but that they are professional footballers unable to execute a half decent shot from distance is hard to refute.
Amazing really. | |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 13:23 - Mar 10 with 2569 views | TieDyedIn95 |
We are terrible at creating and that looks even worse when we consider that we have about 13 midfielders on the books. It's just not a productive midfield or set up, to the point when do play very weak sides we still fail to create loads of chances and someone like Norwood needs 5 shots for every goal he gets. |  |
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| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 14:02 - Mar 10 with 2508 views | longtimefan |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 11:30 - Mar 10 by Radlett_blue |
But didn't most of us enthuse about Town's improved style of play when PL first arrived, even though we kept losing? |
Indeed. I’ve always thought many people see what they want to see when it comes to football. Hopefully this time the difference will be real. | | | |
| One goal in open play in last 7 games. on 15:46 - Mar 10 with 2381 views | BtreeBlueBlood |
Luckily we have started scoring from corners and free kicks! We were bottom in that! |  | | |
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