So how long has Slavisa realistically got?

[Twig]

Football is a team game, and basically a simple game.

You don't need fashionable systems, the main thing is to score more goals than the other team in a game, and it doesn't matter how you do it, as long as it's within the laws.

This is maybe especially true in the Championship, compared to the Prem- it is a harsh, unforgiving  struggle over a long season, where  there isn't much difference between the teams.

You don't necessarily need foreign coaches or players to succeed in this division.

I don't understand your final sentence. Of course you don't "necessarily need foreign coaches or players" and it would be equally true to say you don't necessarily need home grown coaches and players.  Other than a statement of the bleedin' obvious what point exactly are you making? 

[Twig]

I slated our summer transfer window but to say it's a poor squad is ridiculous yes it needs improving which we didn't do enough off but 75% of the managers in the league would give their right arm to have it.
If you could honestly say that the Cardiff, Sheffield United or Bristol City squads are better then ours then I'll take your point?

This year he has been found out yet is so tactically rigid that he doesn't know what to do apart from persist with trying to get a goalkeeper who can't do it to constantly play out from the back, play our most attacking player at left back and play Stef jo as a false nine. We do have options he's just to stubborn to change

It is nothing to do with being found out, we were "found out" in September 2016 and it didn't stop us doing very well subsequently or require a change in tactics. The problem is the loss of Martin, Malone and Aluko in the transfer market and Piazon, Cairney, Johansen and now Ream to injury. Those issues require squad changes and can only be addressed in transfer market

Even with those injuries, you telling me this team can't do well:

Button

Fredericks Kalas Odoi Soares

McDonald Norwood

Kebano Fonte Sessegnon

Kamara

Every team has injuries, and most managers have a plan B to execute if you do. Last seasons resurgence happened in October, and we were incredibly lucky with injuries.

Sorry but that team proves the point that we do not have a balanced or strong enough squad.  Fortunately it would be possible to do better.  Play Betts in goal because Button's confidence has taken a knock. Move Odoi to LB because that is his natural position and also because we have seen nothing to suggest Soares should start.  Play Madl as CB until Ream is fit because Madl is proveni n this division.  Do not select Fonte because.........well it's bleedin obvious. Do select Cairney who just happens to be our captain and best player.  Seriously what on earth were you thinking about when you proposed that side as proof that we shoud be doing well?

I was taking into account the previous post about players being injured. This isn't my chosen team.

Ah ok, well in that case I would disagree that this team should do well, it has players out of position, a weakened midfield and untried players and a pi55 poor streforce.

[RaySmith]

I slated our summer transfer window but to say it's a poor squad is ridiculous yes it needs improving which we didn't do enough off but 75% of the managers in the league would give their right arm to have it.
If you could honestly say that the Cardiff, Sheffield United or Bristol City squads are better then ours then I'll take your point?

This year he has been found out yet is so tactically rigid that he doesn't know what to do apart from persist with trying to get a goalkeeper who can't do it to constantly play out from the back, play our most attacking player at left back and play Stef jo as a false nine. We do have options he's just to stubborn to change

It is nothing to do with being found out, we were "found out" in September 2016 and it didn't stop us doing very well subsequently or require a change in tactics. The problem is the loss of Martin, Malone and Aluko in the transfer market and Piazon, Cairney, Johansen and now Ream to injury. Those issues require squad changes and can only be addressed in transfer market

Even with those injuries, you telling me this team can't do well:

Button

Fredericks Kalas Odoi Soares

McDonald Norwood

Kebano Fonte Sessegnon

Kamara

Every team has injuries, and most managers have a plan B to execute if you do. Last seasons resurgence happened in October, and we were incredibly lucky with injuries.

Sorry but that team proves the point that we do not have a balanced or strong enough squad.  Fortunately it would be possible to do better.  Play Betts in goal because Button's confidence has taken a knock. Move Odoi to LB because that is his natural position and also because we have seen nothing to suggest Soares should start.  Play Madl as CB until Ream is fit because Madl is proveni n this division.  Do not select Fonte because.........well it's bleedin obvious. Do select Cairney who just happens to be our captain and best player.  Seriously what on earth were you thinking about when you proposed that side as proof that we shoud be doing well?

I was taking into account the previous post about players being injured. This isn't my chosen team.

Ah ok, well in that case I would disagree that this team should do well, it has players out of position, a weakened midfield and untried players and a pi55 poor streforce.

Football is a team game, and basically a simple game.

You don't need fashionable systems, the main thing is to score more goals than the other team in a game, and it doesn't matter how you do it, as long as it's within the laws.

This is maybe especially true in the Championship, compared to the Prem- it is a harsh, unforgiving  struggle over a long season, where  there isn't much difference between the teams.

You don't necessarily need foreign coaches or players to succeed in this division.

I don't understand your final sentence. Of course you don't "necessarily need foreign coaches or players" and it would be equally true to say you don't necessarily need home grown coaches and players.  Other than a statement of the bleedin' obvious what point exactly are you making? 

There is definitely a preference for foreign managers, and players, especially in the Prem- so it's not obvious then that you don't necessarily need them.

Does Fulham benefit from a foreign manager, rather than a Mickey Adams say, or  foreign players with no Championship experience?

But not say that  our current manager isn't a good fit for Fulham - he has done well , generally, for us.

[General]

By the way I am fed up with hearing that Joka's tactics have been "found out", this is really lazy thinking.  Like, all the managers in the Champ slumbered through last season but finally woke up during the summer and realised that little old Fulham played possession football, playing out from the back.  I don't think so, there are other far more compelling and sensible explanations as to why we have struggled this year.

They have been found out. Don't know how you can not think this.

They haven't been 'found out' - we've dominated most teams in almost every aspect of the game this season apart from goals scored and passes into the final 3rd (mentioned on sky and OPTA), we've only lost 6 games all season out of 20 games played and some of those are unlucky losses. Meanwhile at times we've been playing with HALF, just half of last seasons team... the amount of games I can count where we've played with just 5 or 6 of last seasons team in games this year is suprisingly high.

We've been without Cairney, Mcdonald, Johansen, Aluko, Malone, Ream, Kalas and Piazon for extended periods this season - that's eight of our team from last season, with Malone and Aluko permanently gone.

And we've still got some of the best stats in most areas in the league (passing completion, percentage of possession etc)...

This notion that we've been 'found out' is bordering on the subjective absurd to put it bluntly... Where we've genuinely fallen short is up front and it's cost us hugely... We've drawn nearly half of our games played this season and had we had a proven striker up front we'd have been arguably out of site of those games and not drawn them.

You can't lose Aluko (almost ten goals and 10 assists), Malone, 7 goals and a few assists, Cairney 10 goals and 10 assists, Martin 10 goals - and then suddenly expect us to be as prolific up front and in the final third when we've replaced most of them with Fonte and Kamara... Get Real!

This is purely down to our transfer dealings in the summer which have proven to be useless we got rid of good players, great players for this league and replaced them with lesser players who don't know the league and haven't performed.

[toshes mate]

Possession football has been popular ever since the game was invented, whenever and wherever that may have been, since without the ball you cannot score which is the fundamental point of the game. 

It is demonstrably obvious that teams who possess and use the ball well do better than those who possess and use the ball less well.  To use the ball well is the art form and thus in any game a team with less possession may achieve results because they are better with their possession.  However, statistics will demonstrate that the chances of using the ball well increase exponentially with possession (the opposition cannot hurt you if they don't have possession). So retention of the ball leads to greater development of the art of using the ball well.

That Fulham are more flawed in possession than last season is down to any number of reasons you can think of or make up, including 'having been found out'.  What did we do that was so very different last season from this is thus a clue to what may be wrong and the chief culprit is 'score goals' (or use the ball well).   That is down to changes in personnel and Grandad explains how different is the side on the pitch is this time compared to last time.  You may say we committed sui-side in the summer.....

[toshes mate]

I should have attributed the changes to General and not Grandad and so I apologise to both.

[Lighthouse]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

[toshes mate]

I have half a heart for your defence of a view you have held for a long time, Lighthouse, but it just doesn't make sense if the players Fulham have are half way decent. 

Players can be taught better ball retention and better movement into spaces left behind by pressure dictated by the opposition (which is why we concede so many goals).  Ream, Kalas, Odoi, McDonald, Fredericks, Malone, Cairney, Johansen, Piazon, Kebano, Ayite (also missing from the available players list too often this season), Sessegnon, Aluko and even Cyriac were/are all sufficiently technically gifted in dealing with pressure situations (mistakes aside) as could be seen from last season.  Fonte, Kamara, Ojo, etc are still learning the arts and often running at pace to have a strike at goal when other openings may be preferable if their chance of scoring is much less than fifty/fifty.  Fonte seems lost to the cause at present but could come again.  Kamara likes his pace and power but sometimes needs to know where to move to take opponents out of the game.  Ojo is a better fit to the current team, IMO, but sometimes seems too hurried when he needs to mix up his skills set a bit.  Overall we are caught playing the game at the wrong pace at the wrong times which means teams can pressure us into errors more easily in our defensive third, in midfield or in the final third.  That is the big difference between last season and this, and it is also why we are not scoring goals.   

When we get eleven players on the pitch who follow instructions and play for the team then we will start to win games handsomely and regularly.  Possession football cannot be found out when it is done well but it does need confidence and bravery to play it to the level required.  Perhaps there are some in the current squad who are never going to be brave enough.   

[Lighthouse]

The players playing have to be half way decent in playing that role or tactics. I agree that we simply haven't players throughout the team who are able to play that way. I never say the tactics are wrong if we have players who can play them. My annoyance and frustration is simply down to the fact that we haven't those players.

Players can be trained, taught to play in a particular way. But as we have seen in Button, a player deliberately bought and picked because he is said to be better at distribution. Clearly is struggling and that spreads to his confidence in other aspects of his game.

Ideally we would have replaced or bought the players to push us on. We didn't or those players have failed to live up to their stats and or hype. But by continual use of the same basic tactics we are highlighting our shortcomings and continuing to let in goals from pressure put on us by playing at the back. We are poor at finishing as we were last season. Yes we scored more goals but created far more chances than we are creating now.

Basically do we stick with a failed tactic for the players we have? Do we change tactics and hope our players are good enough? Or do we simply wait until the players, or players brought in in another transfer window can fit the system?

Any criticism aimed at the Coach is that he is a one trick pony. Which is great with the right pony but looks pony when you have a donkey.

[Bassey the warrior]

The players playing have to be half way decent in playing that role or tactics. I agree that we simply haven't players throughout the team who are able to play that way. I never say the tactics are wrong if we have players who can play them. My annoyance and frustration is simply down to the fact that we haven't those players.

Players can be trained, taught to play in a particular way. But as we have seen in Button, a player deliberately bought and picked because he is said to be better at distribution. Clearly is struggling and that spreads to his confidence in other aspects of his game.

Ideally we would have replaced or bought the players to push us on. We didn't or those players have failed to live up to their stats and or hype. But by continual use of the same basic tactics we are highlighting our shortcomings and continuing to let in goals from pressure put on us by playing at the back. We are poor at finishing as we were last season. Yes we scored more goals but created far more chances than we are creating now.

Basically do we stick with a failed tactic for the players we have? Do we change tactics and hope our players are good enough? Or do we simply wait until the players, or players brought in in another transfer window can fit the system?

Any criticism aimed at the Coach is that he is a one trick pony. Which is great with the right pony but looks pony when you have a donkey.

Most managers favour a certain way of playing. It's a myth that a good manager can completely adapt their tactics to the playing squad.

[Lighthouse]

The players playing have to be half way decent in playing that role or tactics. I agree that we simply haven't players throughout the team who are able to play that way. I never say the tactics are wrong if we have players who can play them. My annoyance and frustration is simply down to the fact that we haven't those players.

Players can be trained, taught to play in a particular way. But as we have seen in Button, a player deliberately bought and picked because he is said to be better at distribution. Clearly is struggling and that spreads to his confidence in other aspects of his game.

Ideally we would have replaced or bought the players to push us on. We didn't or those players have failed to live up to their stats and or hype. But by continual use of the same basic tactics we are highlighting our shortcomings and continuing to let in goals from pressure put on us by playing at the back. We are poor at finishing as we were last season. Yes we scored more goals but created far more chances than we are creating now.

Basically do we stick with a failed tactic for the players we have? Do we change tactics and hope our players are good enough? Or do we simply wait until the players, or players brought in in another transfer window can fit the system?

Any criticism aimed at the Coach is that he is a one trick pony. Which is great with the right pony but looks pony when you have a donkey.

Most managers favour a certain way of playing. It's a myth that a good manager can completely adapt their tactics to the playing squad.

Well it's not a myth because it has been done. Our Coach HAS changed some things within in the system. But obviously Managers and Coaches have ways they prefer to play and they organise their players or bring in players to fit it. Just like Sanchez did. Spending lots of money to little affect.  But hopefully we have moved on and as we have a system in place  that doesn't mean that every time a manager or Coach is sacked the whole team/system needs to be changed. The club needs to bring in the right players but the Coach needs to adapt the system while he waits.

[Twig]

The players playing have to be half way decent in playing that role or tactics. I agree that we simply haven't players throughout the team who are able to play that way. I never say the tactics are wrong if we have players who can play them. My annoyance and frustration is simply down to the fact that we haven't those players.

Players can be trained, taught to play in a particular way. But as we have seen in Button, a player deliberately bought and picked because he is said to be better at distribution. Clearly is struggling and that spreads to his confidence in other aspects of his game.

Ideally we would have replaced or bought the players to push us on. We didn't or those players have failed to live up to their stats and or hype. But by continual use of the same basic tactics we are highlighting our shortcomings and continuing to let in goals from pressure put on us by playing at the back. We are poor at finishing as we were last season. Yes we scored more goals but created far more chances than we are creating now.

Basically do we stick with a failed tactic for the players we have? Do we change tactics and hope our players are good enough? Or do we simply wait until the players, or players brought in in another transfer window can fit the system?

Any criticism aimed at the Coach is that he is a one trick pony. Which is great with the right pony but looks pony when you have a donkey.

It's a fair point Lighthouse but I think SJ is trying to build a football ethos at the club based around his vision of the way he wants us to play.  I get your argument, but if SJ were to throw his hands up and say; "My players aren't good enough for my preferred style so I will go with an alternative", would be to betray the very ethos he is trying to build.
In my view the club must by now understand that he is determined to do this, so if they want to retain him they have to back him in the transfer market.  If not he will either walk or get sacked.  Personally I hope he stays and gets the backing he needs.  That would make for an exciting time!

[toshes mate]

I agree with you both, Lighthouse and Twig, although that seems a paradox.  Firstly, Lighthouse, I believe SJ has tried different things because, due to the injury roster, he has had to do so.  What we see on match days is the result of experiments that may or may not work out.  In the Leeds game, as an example, we could have won the game had our finishing of long balls been better.  Norwood can, unlike the midfield of last season, open defences up in different ways to Cairney and Johansen but his accuracy is not quite up there with the best.  But he is inventive and had got better over time.  He, IMO, is the best of the signings, and seldom gives you a reason to drop him.  The rest, save for Ojo so far, seldom give you reason to persevere with them because they do not offer a sufficient threat in the context of the team although Kamara often looks as if he'll take on the whole world if need be.

As Twig says altering things would (a) require someone who can hold the ball up in attack, and (b) a very different midfield which is not designed to hold the ball but to actually get it into undefended spaces and follow the attacks into the box.  I don't see anyone capable of doing (a) successfully and that is where alternative strategies die since we do not have a second striker capable of doing the same thing on the opposite side of the pitch a bit like Zamora and Johnson did for Hodgson.  And so opponents will simply look to cut out long balls at source or at target which is basically what they are doing with us at the moment i.e. breaking us down in our own half and making the midfield come back for the ball rather than receiving it in dangerous areas. 

I believe that if SJ is given players capable of doing the things he wants before they arrive at Motspur Park then he will serve up the delights soon enough.  We need a left back, a central defender and at least one but preferably two strikers capable of both holding the ball up and breaking into space at pace and with strength.  Given what we achieved with Martin they are not going to have to be really expensive buys but they do have to have the potential to play the game the way Fulham play it. 
     

[ScalleysDad]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

It's a good debate but.
When do we complete the circle and quote the Brentford manager who said they knew how Fulham play and they knew how to stop it by high pressing. Opposition training sessions must be a doddle and will continue to be so whilst we are a one trick donkey, pony, llama or whatever it has evolved into now.
I doubt JOka is going to leave a legacy for us to swoon over so he needs to apply some common sense, get that chip off his shoulder and plan match strategies with the materials available.
We seem to have the proverbial 'massive' game on a regular basis now but we could be twenty points behind Cardiff come tea time on Saturday.

[Forever Fulham]

It may be heresy on this thread to suggest it, but maybe Joka is sticking with certain players and at certain positions because he sees qualities in training we don't, and he figures more time in position will give them the sea legs they need to play to their potential.  Fonte was a good player before he arrived at Fulham.  That's all I'm sayin'.    Bryan Ruiz was and arguably still is the best player on his high flying Costa Rican national team, the straw that stirs the drink.  But he was never used properly during his time at Fulham and languished.  Give this manager time with his new players and lineup.  We're far from done.  He'll get it right.  Look what we almost accomplished last season.  Shall we go back and revisit the posts on this forum back then?   People were in ecstasy over how this team played.  The talk of the league.  Now to read some of the historical revisionism on this thread, such success was purely accidental, accomplishment in spite of the manager.  Come on, now. 

[Twig]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

It's a good debate but.
When do we complete the circle and quote the Brentford manager who said they knew how Fulham play and they knew how to stop it by high pressing. Opposition training sessions must be a doddle and will continue to be so whilst we are a one trick donkey, pony, llama or whatever it has evolved into now.
I doubt JOka is going to leave a legacy for us to swoon over so he needs to apply some common sense, get that chip off his shoulder and plan match strategies with the materials available.
We seem to have the proverbial 'massive' game on a regular basis now but we could be twenty points behind Cardiff come tea time on Saturday.

Well Dean Smith has left you one side short of a square there

Look at the Brentford goals:

#1 - starts with Brentford winning the ball off Kebano deep in their own half, by the corner flag
#2 - starts with Brentford winning a long ball Button has hoofed deep into their half
#3 - comes from a passage of passes starting from the Brentford goalkeeper

All start deep in the Brentford half. They didn't get anything from pressing us high, just left themselves exposed for the chances we made, which would have been more than enough to win the game had we been sensible/clinical. 

But Smith would spin it that way because it makes him sound an astute tactician.

[JoelH5]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

It's a good debate but.
When do we complete the circle and quote the Brentford manager who said they knew how Fulham play and they knew how to stop it by high pressing. Opposition training sessions must be a doddle and will continue to be so whilst we are a one trick donkey, pony, llama or whatever it has evolved into now.
I doubt JOka is going to leave a legacy for us to swoon over so he needs to apply some common sense, get that chip off his shoulder and plan match strategies with the materials available.
We seem to have the proverbial 'massive' game on a regular basis now but we could be twenty points behind Cardiff come tea time on Saturday.

Well Dean Smith has left you one side short of a square there

Look at the Brentford goals:

#1 - starts with Brentford winning the ball off Kebano deep in their own half, by the corner flag
#2 - starts with Brentford winning a long ball Button has hoofed deep into their half
#3 - starts with Brentford winning a free kick in their own penalty box

All start deep in the Brentford half. They didn't get anything from pressing us high, just left themselves exposed for the chances we made, which would have been more than enough to win the game had we been sensible/clinical. 

Even if we took our chances and won, we still would have conceded two goals. My main worry atm isn't the lack of goals, it's the defence. Apart from against Millwall I can't remember our last clean sheet. Improving the defence has to be our main priority

[JoelH5]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

It's a good debate but.
When do we complete the circle and quote the Brentford manager who said they knew how Fulham play and they knew how to stop it by high pressing. Opposition training sessions must be a doddle and will continue to be so whilst we are a one trick donkey, pony, llama or whatever it has evolved into now.
I doubt JOka is going to leave a legacy for us to swoon over so he needs to apply some common sense, get that chip off his shoulder and plan match strategies with the materials available.
We seem to have the proverbial 'massive' game on a regular basis now but we could be twenty points behind Cardiff come tea time on Saturday.

Well Dean Smith has left you one side short of a square there

Look at the Brentford goals:

#1 - starts with Brentford winning the ball off Kebano deep in their own half, by the corner flag
#2 - starts with Brentford winning a long ball Button has hoofed deep into their half
#3 - starts with Brentford winning a free kick in their own penalty box

All start deep in the Brentford half. They didn't get anything from pressing us high, just left themselves exposed for the chances we made, which would have been more than enough to win the game had we been sensible/clinical. 

Even if we took our chances and won, we still would have conceded two goals. My main worry atm isn't the lack of goals, it's the defence. Apart from against Millwall I can't remember our last clean sheet. Improving the defence has to be our main priority

Agreed our defence is poor but it's nothing to do with getting pressed high and caught out trying to play it out from the back

Yep I agree. I'm not sure what's it is. We don't seem to track people well and are often beaten by counter attacks

[Woolly Mammoth]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

It's a good debate but.
When do we complete the circle and quote the Brentford manager who said they knew how Fulham play and they knew how to stop it by high pressing. Opposition training sessions must be a doddle and will continue to be so whilst we are a one trick donkey, pony, llama or whatever it has evolved into now.
I doubt JOka is going to leave a legacy for us to swoon over so he needs to apply some common sense, get that chip off his shoulder and plan match strategies with the materials available.
We seem to have the proverbial 'massive' game on a regular basis now but we could be twenty points behind Cardiff come tea time on Saturday.

Well Dean Smith has left you one side short of a square there

Look at the Brentford goals:

#1 - starts with Brentford winning the ball off Kebano deep in their own half, by the corner flag
#2 - starts with Brentford winning a long ball Button has hoofed deep into their half
#3 - starts with Brentford winning a free kick in their own penalty box

All start deep in the Brentford half. They didn't get anything from pressing us high, just left themselves exposed for the chances we made, which would have been more than enough to win the game had we been sensible/clinical. 

Even if we took our chances and won, we still would have conceded two goals. My main worry atm isn't the lack of goals, it's the defence. Apart from against Millwall I can't remember our last clean sheet. Improving the defence has to be our main priority

Our last clean sheet prior to Millwall was v Ipswich Town on August 26th if my memory is correct. Of course as you say, the defence is more of a concern, although the forwards need addressing also. But the defence has more problems. The back Division do not play as a unit. There is little balance and no depth, as was highlighted v Brentford with the way they were able to score their goals.
We are weak in the air and at set pieces and corners. The players are short in stature and height, and there are no leaders. No communication and nobody to marshal the players.
The back four as defenders are the weakest we have had for quite a while. Also to add to our woes the problem with the Goalkeeper situation just magnifies the problems even more.
No wonder we rarely keep a clean sheet.
On top of that we cannot buy a goal, and when we do score 5 we conceded 4 in the same match just to make it interesting, you couldn't  make it up, it's all a recipe for disaster and dissapointment. If the club cannot see what the man and his dog in the street can see, then we are in deeper poo than we realise.

[Lighthouse]

But last season teams had learned that to put pressure on us deep meant were hurried and often gave the ball away. This season teams have just followed up on that and we, for some reason have decided that with less able players, to continue playing it out from the back. Now if we continue with this team in playing the same way then the same conclusion will naturally occur.

Our back 5/6 is the same as last year, not "less able players". Playing out from the back clearly makes fans nervous but it still works as well, if not better, than it did last year. Our new defensive problems occur, for whatever reason, when we do *not* have the ball, not when we do. But in any case the main differences between this year And last year are in attack, not defence. We have less able players up front.

Without Malone and with the players not as comfortable or as in form and giving the ball away more often. Our problem is that we are caught too often bringing the ball out from the back. By doing so we slow the game up, something we didn't do last season as we were quick on the break. Therefore by the time the ball reaches our front players they are well and truly marked out of the game.