| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters 13:23 - Sep 13 with 709 views | unstableblue |
I've just about mentally recovered from that second half performance, well indeed much of the first half as well. The hawk kite anti-seagull device had a more structured pattern of play and shape.
What we need is some model of how we achieve wins, structured parameters for how we assess where we are, and where we are going... TA DA!:
1. HAVE THE BETTER SET OF PLAYERS
Much is made of our quality, of our potential 2 starting elevens that could challenge the league. But we have some issues in this department at present.
THE POSITIVE: Burns and Bonne look HUGE upgrades for this club in personnel (Burns in comparison to Gwion for example (bench warming at Wigan); A starting 4 of Bonne, Edwards, Celina and Burns has me very very excited.
THE NEGATIVE: KVY is not coping with his wingers, or providing the pivot that Cook's system is reliant on. Donacien is actually playing pretty well, but is defensive. Coulson is not yet consistent, and needs his partner in Edwards. The centre backs have looked good in parts, but are brand new and look a little lost - am sure they are better than Wolf/Toto. But Saturday was really poor. Evans and Harper should be top players in this league... but not sure Harper suits the system and Evans head has completely gone (see parameter 2 below).
CONCLUSION: we all think we've got a brilliant squad of players, and they on paper are better than what say Bolton or Wimbledon have; but some (KVY, Evans) just ain't living up to it, and some have simply just not settled, some look a long way from settling.
2. HAVE THE GREATER CONFIDENCE, DESIRE AND ENERGY TO SEIZE A GAME
We are shot to pieces confidence wise at the moment, "we should thrash bolton because they were in the 4th tier and our squad is great"... no chance! Football is all about confidence, energy, alongside player quality and technical set-up. COOK has a part to motivate and get their heads right. But players like Harper and Evans have lost their heads (in part because Harper doesn't suit the role)... KVY looks a little out of sorts. Players are nervous and slow at present - they are not 'running towards adversity'. We needs WINS ASAP, and SOME CLEAN SHEETS, we need to get these monkeys off our back, we need to build some belief, and then the better calibre players should reap rewards. But we are on the cusp of throwing the project away, through a lack of belief and mindset. We've heard a lot about Morsy's leadership, his mind set, is he the catalyst?!? or will he get the ITFC jinx.
CONCLUSION: Our form and how we get out of it, is psychological now! I'd play a strong team against West Ham U21s, get a win, and play much tighter/deeper in the next few games. Build up to a strong win against Doncaster. I do think ITFC as a club is diseased with underperformance and low morale, we need to break the cycle, and NOW. My fear is that we've lost the fans after Saturday, they have a part in this parameter improving, no doubt.
3. HAVE THE BETTER SYSTEM OF PLAY, SHAPE AND TECHNICAL PLAYS
Is it a decade now that we've seen teams, lesser teams, come to Portman Road and show better movement, interplay, shape than Town? years of this. I'm sick of it. It was common under Mick, to leave PR feeling outplayed, but at least we were solid to withstand it and get results. Hurst was a joke. Lambert there was no forward plan. Bolton looked better set-up than us, yet again. They exploited some of our shape issues, had a plan, and crucially had triangles of play and lay-offs we are not displaying consistently as yet. THIS IS WHERE THE BUCK STOPS WITH COOK and his coaches. I get his 4-2-3-1 system, and to fair to him he tweaked us on Saturday to fill the gap between our CBs and Deep Midfielders that Bolton were exploiting. But if we are up against stronger wingers and KVY is invariably out of form... the system starts to creak, similarly the deeper 2 midfielders are not connecting with the 10 or the wide players. Funnily Evans was doing this superbly against Morecombe and then it has died. The centre back positioning was also quite wrong. I just feel we're getting outfoxed tactically at present. NOW, a big point to make is that if Edmundson was a bit more settled and KVY not giving away clangers, we may well have won Saturday. So Cook's training and instructions are maybe being eroded by players being simply out of form, wrong head space, and not enough time on the pitch. I don't agree that two weeks on the training pitch was ideal, when Bolton had a competitive match against Burton. Bolton looked like a team who had settled their passing, and shape, and then built on the Burton display by being more threatening.
CONCLUSION: I understand the Richardson and lack of a McGreal point on our coaching depth, albeit some of the defensive frailty (5 goals!!) related to the two parameters above. But Cook's tactics need to start looking more coherent and adhered to by the players. I do think a strong number 10 and a strong defensive midfielder (which is coming) and a settled Centre Back partnership with the keeper, is going to give Cook's system much more of a chance.
I'd give Cook more time(AGAIN I mentioned 19 players coming in over the summer to a Man U client this morning, and as always the reaction is "that is impossible"). BUT time is really running out FAST. And as stated this is becoming psychological, a HARD thing to fix.
I thank you - COYB (sorry for the long read) |  |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:22 - Sep 13 with 614 views | BlueBadger |
Tl:DR - the way we can win tomorrow is if we're better than the other team. |  |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:46 - Sep 13 with 583 views | TooManyCooks |
Great post, we have the players and the infrastructure now, but the psychology and getting the players to knit is not a quick fix for anybody, but it will come, just needs more time. |  |
| hedgehog flavoured cucumbers |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:53 - Sep 13 with 564 views | unstableblue |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:22 - Sep 13 by BlueBadger |
Tl:DR - the way we can win tomorrow is if we're better than the other team. |
And how do we do that BB? sacrifice a chicken (or seagull) on the center spot before kick-off? wrap of speed in their Lucozade? 3-1-6 formation?
GIVE IN TO THE POWER OF THE MODEL, embrace the parameters - OPEN YOUR MIND
But seriously I do think being 'better' than the other team is a bit more complex isn't it? Do you know how scientific some of the methods are at the top clubs.
I sort of take Coventry as a model, far far inferior players, no ground, but got promotion, and are really holding their own now in the Championship. Just a great system/tactical set-up, siege mentality and bond in the dressing room..... BOOM! | |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:55 - Sep 13 with 544 views | BlueBadger |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:53 - Sep 13 by unstableblue |
And how do we do that BB? sacrifice a chicken (or seagull) on the center spot before kick-off? wrap of speed in their Lucozade? 3-1-6 formation?
GIVE IN TO THE POWER OF THE MODEL, embrace the parameters - OPEN YOUR MIND
But seriously I do think being 'better' than the other team is a bit more complex isn't it? Do you know how scientific some of the methods are at the top clubs.
I sort of take Coventry as a model, far far inferior players, no ground, but got promotion, and are really holding their own now in the Championship. Just a great system/tactical set-up, siege mentality and bond in the dressing room..... BOOM! |
Attack better, defend better, stop conceding stupid goals, have better players, is what it basically comes down to innit. | |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:56 - Sep 13 with 541 views | BlueBadger |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:46 - Sep 13 by TooManyCooks |
Great post, we have the players and the infrastructure now, but the psychology and getting the players to knit is not a quick fix for anybody, but it will come, just needs more time. |
It's Paul Cook I feel sorry for, that's two whole sets(probably 50+ individuals) of players that haven't had the 'psychology' needed.
I wonder if there's a common denominator? | |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:59 - Sep 13 with 524 views | unstableblue |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:46 - Sep 13 by TooManyCooks |
Great post, we have the players and the infrastructure now, but the psychology and getting the players to knit is not a quick fix for anybody, but it will come, just needs more time. |
I'm afraid time is running out; and some individual errors and constant personnel change have lost us points and hence confidence and momentum! Its all psychological now.
Cook has some share in this? should we have stuck with Wolfenden as he and Burgess were settling a bit.
But agree its not a quick fix.. and I stated everyone I speak to who isn't a rabid blue, hears 19 new players, still players being introduced 6 games in and more to come - they just state it is utter madness and an impossible task.
Only time will tell I guess. | |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 15:04 - Sep 13 with 504 views | unstableblue |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 14:55 - Sep 13 by BlueBadger |
Attack better, defend better, stop conceding stupid goals, have better players, is what it basically comes down to innit. |
Ah-Hah - so you are saying it is down to some parameters? factors... not just 'being the better team'
But to your excellent points:
"Have better players" - Totally agree, see 1 in original post
"Stop conceding stupid goals" - I think that's a LOT to do with desire, confidence, focus of players - its psychological, that's 2
"Attack better, defend better" - all down to Systems/Tactics/Shape and technical training through the week... that's 3
I knew you'd come round (tee hee hee, God I'm annoying) | |
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| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 15:10 - Sep 13 with 484 views | BlueBadger |
| Three 'thoughts for the day' my beautiful blue brothers and sisters on 15:04 - Sep 13 by unstableblue |
Ah-Hah - so you are saying it is down to some parameters? factors... not just 'being the better team'
But to your excellent points:
"Have better players" - Totally agree, see 1 in original post
"Stop conceding stupid goals" - I think that's a LOT to do with desire, confidence, focus of players - its psychological, that's 2
"Attack better, defend better" - all down to Systems/Tactics/Shape and technical training through the week... that's 3
I knew you'd come round (tee hee hee, God I'm annoying) |
Yeah, but I didn't need to swallow a Gab Morcotti book and a thesaurus to work it out. | |
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