Are we actually going to start the season with this defence?!

[Chutney]

Last season we conceded the same amount of goals as Wigan, and this year our defence is weaker as we lost Malone, I am at a loss to understand how exactly the transfer team consider this to be good enough? We start the season on Saturday and we are a LB and a CB short of a proper defence. Before losing Malone we needed defence improvements if we want to push for promotion, its clear for all to see, why hasn't it happened?!

We scraped in to the play offs last season due to the potency of our Attack, any serious promotion contenders get their defence right first as a priority, ours is currently weaker than it was last season, and last season it was a relegation standard defence.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SIGN SOME DEFENDERS :dead horse:

[Marcel_Gecov]

Last season we conceded the same amount of goals as Wigan, and this year our defence is weaker as we lost Malone, I am at a loss to understand how exactly the transfer team consider this to be good enough? We start the season on Saturday and we are a LB and a CB short of a proper defence. Before losing Malone we needed defence improvements if we want to push for promotion, its clear for all to see, why hasn't it happened?!

We scraped in to the play offs last season due to the potency of our Attack, any serious promotion contenders get their defence right first as a priority, ours is currently weaker than it was last season, and last season it was a relegation standard defence.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SIGN SOME DEFENDERS :dead horse:

You cant say that losing Malone makes us worse defensively - he was pretty suspect. Great going forward though.

Also this fallacy that it's a relegation level defence. We conceded less than both reading and Huddersfield - one of whom got promoted. We actually had the 7th best defence last season in terms of goals conceded. I agree we need bodies as I've written a few times but to say it's relelgation standard is just blatantly untrue and can be seen by a very simple Google search. 

Source: http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/championship/2016-17/best-defence.html

[nose]

In answer to your headline.
This IS the defence we are starting with.


Unbeliveable for a team that is building for the future.

[Woolly Mammoth]

All good points.
But a deceased horse and flogging comes to mind.

[nose]

Last season we conceded the same amount of goals as Wigan, and this year our defence is weaker as we lost Malone, I am at a loss to understand how exactly the transfer team consider this to be good enough? We start the season on Saturday and we are a LB and a CB short of a proper defence. Before losing Malone we needed defence improvements if we want to push for promotion, its clear for all to see, why hasn't it happened?!

We scraped in to the play offs last season due to the potency of our Attack, any serious promotion contenders get their defence right first as a priority, ours is currently weaker than it was last season, and last season it was a relegation standard defence.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SIGN SOME DEFENDERS :dead horse:

You cant say that losing Malone makes us worse defensively - he was pretty suspect. Great going forward though.

Also this fallacy that it's a relegation level defence. We conceded less than both reading and Huddersfield - one of whom got promoted. We actually had the 7th best defence last season in terms of goals conceded. I agree we need bodies as I've written a few times but to say it's relelgation standard is just blatantly untrue and can be seen by a very simple Google search. 

Source: http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/championship/2016-17/best-defence.html

Imo
Malone was exposed too often by a midfield tha did not track back quickly enough, but that is also why we scored so many.

[Deeping_white]

In our last 15 league matches, we only conceded more than one goal on 4 occasions, and one of those was the Derby calamity where it was just a write off of a match, which is not a relegation standard defence which would leak goals for fun. Furthermore, we only lost two of the games where we conceded more than one goal in that period and again one of those was Derby.

In the second half of the season the defence gelled really well and this season it's different as they're not getting used to each other, they already know how we play. I'm not saying we dont need a LB as we do need more depth in that position, but it's nowhere near as bad as you make out, as per the above statistics from MG that our defence is miles from relegation standard. We play expansive football and it's what wins us games, so unless we go and get the Juventus defence, we're always going to concede whilst we're trying to score for fun.

[Marcel_Gecov]

In our last 15 league matches, we only conceded more than one goal on 4 occasions, and one of those was the Derby calamity where it was just a write off of a match, which is not a relegation standard defence which would leak goals for fun. Furthermore, we only lost two of the games where we conceded more than one goal in that period and again one of those was Derby.

In the second half of the season the defence gelled really well and this season it's different as they're not getting used to each other, they already know how we play. I'm not saying we dont need a LB as we do need more depth in that position, but it's nowhere near as bad as you make out, as per the above statistics from MG that our defence is miles from relegation standard. We play expansive football and it's what wins us games, so unless we go and get the Juventus defence, we're always going to concede whilst we're trying to score for fun.

7th best defence for the team which finished 6th :)

An awesome CB will of course help us push that forward but still not the nightmare certain posters will have you believe. Still those are the type that could see us buy Bonucci and Rudiger and still moan that they have no championship experience.

[dhowells21]

With out style I feel we sacrifice quite a bit defensively in order to attack (with the marauding full backs for example), so whoever you put in our defence, it's always going to look a bit short.

Focus on the attack.

Plus like Marcel said, our 'bad defence' is more of a myth than a reality when you look at the facts.

[westcliff white]

we have 3 of the back four from last season and I am sure that Sess will start at left back. He and malone both great going forward and maybe not the best at the back. Fred is the same so we have no change in that for me. Dont think it is any weaker than last season, but also no better

[Lighthouse]

The problem is a very real one. We did need to improve. Hoping that we can recapture the form of the last bit of last season is as much a gamble as buying a decent defender. Ideally we all know and  the manager knew what was required. The start of the season leaves some pretending that holding onto players and bringing squad fillers and a forward in is good business. Not if we wanted to push on it isn't. We really wanted to be ready for the start of the season and we are not.

Still time to improve and Saturday will be a good test.

[Chutney]

we have 3 of the back four from last season and I am sure that Sess will start at left back. He and malone both great going forward and maybe not the best at the back. Fred is the same so we have no change in that for me. Dont think it is any weaker than last season, but also no better

This is the thing for me, its no better, why haven't we tried to improve our defence? Its so frustrating.

[Marcel_Gecov]

With out style I feel we sacrifice quite a bit defensively in order to attack (with the marauding full backs for example), so whoever you put in our defence, it's always going to look a bit short.

Focus on the attack.

Plus like Marcel said, our 'bad defence' is more of a myth than a reality when you look at the facts.

If anything it shows how good Wigan's defence actually was and if they'd had a good attack they would have probably been fine. A strikeforce of Will Grigg (certainly wasnt on fire last season - 5 goals) and Omar Bogle (3 in 12) does not keep you in the league.

[Arthur]

Last season we conceded the same amount of goals as Wigan...

True, but not a convincing argument when it's also the case that we conceded fewer goals than Huddersfield.

[bencher]

Those stats from SportsMole make interesting reading.

The following stats I found notable:

1. The top two from last season had the two lowest amount of conceded goals
2. Our goals conceded away was pretty good, but we came 21st for goals conceded at home
3. We were the best team at winning points from a losing position.

Conclusions:

1. Defence is an integral part of a successful promotion challenge (fairly obvious)
2. There's something about our style of play at home which makes us vulnerable to conceding. I would have thought it's how many men we commit to attack, but we did essentially play the same way away from home as well in a lot of games. I'm not sure on this one.
3. SJ had instilled great belief in the players in the system of play which meant we could conceded and still go on to win/draw

[Woolly Mammoth]

we have 3 of the back four from last season and I am sure that Sess will start at left back. He and malone both great going forward and maybe not the best at the back. Fred is the same so we have no change in that for me. Dont think it is any weaker than last season, but also no better

That is exactly the point, it is no better, and it's not good enough. How many goals do we have to score each game to get a result.

[HatterDon]

I don't see us having a choice, really. We either start this season with the squad we've signed or pray for the sudden reincarnation of the 1954 Hungarian national team.

Nope, not much of a choice

COYW  049:gif

[Chutney]

Siggurdson has gone, so now we only have Ream, Kalas and Madl as genuine options, surely a cb is coming in? please...

[Mullers OG]

I'm not as unhappy with our defence as others seem to be.  After an indifferent start Ream came good towards the end of last season.  He's not the first to need time to settle in and convince initially underwhelmed fans (Baird and Hayles come to mind).  Sessegnon and Odoi can more than cope at LB and the other brother might also be near the 1st team.  Madl is a more than decent cover at CB, even if injury prone.  The problem to my mind last season was further forward.  The midfield was excellent but with limited cover for injuries.  That has been rectified with Cisse and Norwood, although I'm personally sorry to see LVC going (wish him well with Brondby and Denmark). 

Much will depend on the new striker.   Ayite and Kebano are in my view excellent players.  Piazon is perfectly decent support.  Aluko provokes differences of opinion among supporters.  He's not a striker, because he can't finish and he's not really a winger.  If it's true that anyone has offered anywhere near £8 million for him their hands should be cut off in the stampede and then a second genuine striker can be sought.   

[HillingdonFFC]

Sigurdsson off , surely paves the way for an Aden Flint type dominant centre half?

[mccscratch]

I just think we are simply going to outscore enough opponents to win the league... I think SJ thinks the same thing... our defenders are pretty good going forward and in also posession. Have some faith.