The problem yesterday as I see it.....

[colinwhite]

Its very frustrating at the moment for the team and all of us fans. Watching the game yesterday and listening to Jims excellent commentary left me looking for answers like most others as to why things arent really clicking for us at the moment in the way that they did during our amazing run after christmas last season.
I dont buy the simple version advocated by the "we aint good enough ,I told you so " mob, or even the "it would have all been different with Tc fit" idea however tempting that is to believe. The "we lack a plan b " doesnt do it for me either, and neither does the "we have improved the squad but not the team ,its all down to poor recruitment and the lack of ambition in the club ", explanation. Another notion that has been put forward by many is that "teams now know how to play against us by pressing us high".
It could be argued that there is a certain amount of truth in each of these attempts to explain our lack of abillity to win home games, and  yesterdays match certainly  followed in many ways a very familiar pattern. After the game Slavisa talked about the improvement needed in both boxes. If a team has problems scoring goals then it is usually accompanied by giving away sloppy goals at the other end . One problem tends to compound the other, and increase the pressure on the whole team.
To me ,our biggest problem yesterday and in many of our recent games was lack of balance in the team. Im not putting this down to any one in particular factor or player and dont agree with notion that a few seem to think that Jokanovic is tactically poor. I think he is an excellent coach and believe he will get it right.
Norwood,Cairney and Macdonald didnt work yesterday and we lacked balance. All three wanted to put their foot on the ball and make the decisive pass, resulting in a slowing down of the play which made it harder for our forward players to move fluidly.The running of Stefan Johansen was missing in midfield and left us overloaded with  a static midfield 3. The surging runs of SJ were sadly missed as have been the efforts of Scott Malone down tour left hand side. Scott may have been hit and miss but he provided good delivery into the box for many goals scored by us last year. Preston scored the first time they got to our by-line against us a couple of weeks ago; we had at least 10 attempts to cut the ball back from the by-line without exploiting the situation,until our equalising goal yesterday.
The front 3 also lacked balance .Kamara wants to go in behind which doesnt realy suit our play at the cottage when we seldom have space to play him in. Ayete has taken over Alukos role somewhat, but doesnt put the same fear into teams as Sone did. SA had his faults but could always beat his man, as well as win the ball back high in the opponents half.
Fonte is also playing in a similar way to  Aluko (in that he is not a natural wide man) , but lacks the formers pace and trickiness in one on ones,and unpredictabillity.
Our lack of threat from wide positions from our forwards has meant that Fredricks and Sessingnon are easier to close out of the game ,with 2 opposing players usually quickly shutting down the space on the wings,and neither Fonte nor Ayete lookig to go wide beyond our full backs. Both Ayete and fonte want to get inside.
Our gameplan is basically to shift teams from side to side in order to be able to create space to threaten from wide positions with our fast full backs and forwards and get balls into the box, or to create space in the middle in order to play combinations to create shooting chances centrally.
To me this last point is crucial.The quality of delivery from wide areas, linking with good movement and runs by our attacking players into the box was extremely poor yesterday (as it has been for most of the season ).It took KMac an TC to break the mould with a quality delivery from the former and fine run by the latter for us to get the point we utterly deserved.
We also lack the movement in central positions when trying to open up  a deep lying  defense. I dont think Kamarra is helping our general attacking play( although you cant fault the guy for effort).He is inexperienced and raw in both his touch but especially in his movement without the ball. I would like to see Fonte play centrally in the next game and maybe when Soare is fit with sessingnon in front of him and our midfield trio back in place, we can regain the balance we had last year.
In our best performances last season the team was balanced , with the playing styles of the individuals complimenting one another in almost perfect harmony. That has changed and we now need to find a new balance with the players available.We arent there yet and it may take a good run of  injury free games to get there.
   

[bill taylors apprentice]

I see where your coming from!

We still dominate possession, get bodies in and around the oppositions penalty area but our delivery and finishing is worse than last season.

The failure to deliver crosses and shots that hurt the opposition creates a different kind of pressure of its own on ourselves, and it shows!

[Andyb]

we miss aluko

[Riversider]

we miss aluko

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 go and spend 5 minutes on the Reading fans forum "Hob Knob Anyone" they would happily drive him back to Fulham .
£6 million for him was an amazing bit of business.

[toshes mate]

In our best performances last season the team was balanced....

It's a good post, colinwhite, and I have picked out this quote because it is dependent upon players knowing each other, a product, perhaps, of having played enough games, in the Championship and on the training ground, to foster the required understanding or partnerships as I like to call them.  I think that has been missing simply because we sold Aluko and Malone (in addition to losing Martin which was almost a given) meaning whoever came in was not joining a settled defence or a settled midfield, or a settled strike force.  In other words the problem of forming 'a team experience' was exacerbated especially when only some of the newbies know EFL football.   We shot ourselves in the foot and that is a greater injury than even TC's knee is.

It will take time and I hope SJ can turn it around sooner rather than later.

[ffcne]

we miss aluko

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 go and spend 5 minutes on the Reading fans forum "Hob Knob Anyone" they would happily drive him back to Fulham .
£6 million for him was an amazing bit of business.

Just like Fonte was an amazing bit of business!!!.
            I would drive Fonte back to Portugal and take Aluko back .
            Total waste of money poser Rui.

[@jolslover]

"Balance" and "partnerships" take time to develop, unfortunately.

I'm sure this is why Jokanovic persists with the same tactics, to the chagrin of some on this board.

There are different types of player: Berbatovs, so good they can immediately improve any team they walk into; and Etuhus, technically limited players he can be just as useful but only if their limited skill sets perfectly compliment the other players'.

Unfortunately none of our new players are Berbatovs... but neither were Malone and Aluko. They were poor players, worth much less than the fees we got for them. The new signings can be just as useful but may need to adapt their games and play slightly limited, different roles to what they're used to.

Bit harsh to suggest Aluko is a poor player.

[ffcne]

"Balance" and "partnerships" take time to develop, unfortunately.

I'm sure this is why Jokanovic persists with the same tactics, to the chagrin of some on this board.

There are different types of player: Berbatovs, so good they can immediately improve any team they walk into; and Etuhus, technically limited players he can be just as useful but only if their limited skill sets perfectly compliment the other players'.

Unfortunately none of our new players are Berbatovs... but neither were Malone and Aluko. They were poor players, worth much less than the fees we got for them. The new signings can be just as useful but may need to adapt their games and play slightly limited, different roles to what they're used to.

Malone a poor player. Ha ,Ha Voted in team of the championship.Scored goals and assisted  in a lot of goals and one of our best last season .Ridicilous staement.

[ffcne]

"Balance" and "partnerships" take time to develop, unfortunately.

I'm sure this is why Jokanovic persists with the same tactics, to the chagrin of some on this board.

There are different types of player: Berbatovs, so good they can immediately improve any team they walk into; and Etuhus, technically limited players he can be just as useful but only if their limited skill sets perfectly compliment the other players'.

Unfortunately none of our new players are Berbatovs... but neither were Malone and Aluko. They were poor players, worth much less than the fees we got for them. The new signings can be just as useful but may need to adapt their games and play slightly limited, different roles to what they're used to.

Malone a poor player. Ha ,Ha Voted in team of the championship.Scored goals and assisted  in a lot of goals and one of our best last season .Ridicilous staement.

Inherently poor player.
We swapped him for Jazz Richards ffs.
Been crap in his career before and since.

Same applies to Aluko, released because one of our peer clubs didn't want him.

Etuhu was one of the first names on the teamsheet in a European cup final, but probably wouldn't have got into many other Premiership teams at the time.
My post is about 10% the length of the OP. Did you bother to read it before your "ridicilous" reply?

Malone a poor player Ha Ha Ha .Should have gone to Specsavers.

[toshes mate]

Neither Aluko nor Malone are poor players.  They may not be the greatest players in the world but both were capable enough in a Fulham side that actually performed at Championship winning level for a little more than half of last season.  That fact is more crucial than comparing and contrasting them with the 'newbies' who have a mountain to climb to get up to the speed of the people they replaced or reinforced.   We made life more difficult for ourselves by selling them when we could have had players like Kamara etc flying by now playing as subs for them or even alongside them.  You don't try to fix what ain't broke.

[grandad]

Radical changes in formation are called for. Our current formation has been found out. I would want to try a 3-5-2, with Kalas, Odoi & Ream the 3, Fred & Soares either side, K Mac DM, Johansen box to box, Cairney in his usual advanced position & Mollo switching from wing to wing & Kamara  up top.
Slavisa has to bite the bullet & try something different.

[Lighthouse]

I am sorry but all this boils down to are the very things that are dismissed in the opening paragraphs. The reason we are not balanced is because ........poor team selection, poor recruitment , no team improvement etc etc.

The team is unbalanced for a reason. Please read all the reasons that are not bought into for why.

[Woolly Mammoth]

It was a mistake to offload Malone, he was one of the few warriors, fighters, Winners Characters we had.
Scored goals that others were incapable of, he was a true competitor, and you need them in any team.
Apart from all the other shortcomings, our team lacks Characters and winners, and apart from Kevin Mac, how many natural leaders do we have, nil, none, naught, nobody, nothing, and that is a reflection as to why we are where we are.
As has been already mentioned, Jok also stands in the box, no animation, no passion, no sign of leadership as he rolls his eyes and turns his back on the team, so the team appears to mirror him.
Malone has never really been replaced, not even by the invisible man from Portugal.

[colinwhite]

I am sorry but all this boils down to are the very things that are dismissed in the opening paragraphs. The reason we are not balanced is because ........poor team selection, poor recruitment , no team improvement etc etc.

The team is unbalanced for a reason. Please read all the reasons that are not bought into for why.

The recruitment that you so feel is needed and the signings that we have made , coupled with injuries etc has caused the imbalance. This is a natural process and takes time to fix. Some people seem to think they have the answers ,so all I can say is thank god  you arent coaching the team!!!
Malone and Aluko wanted to go ,so their  departure was never the point of my post.
The question of being unbalanced is something Jokanovic is working on. If you really think we can find another coach that can come anywhere near Jokanovic then I would love to know who that is.
There are still people clammering for more physical players and a big Centre Half. In truth this would just unbalance us even more. Having a side that plays like we did last spring takes time to form. Some people dont seem to get that .

[Whitesideup]

AndyB stated simply that we miss Aluko. Although he wasn't the greatest of finishers, his pace and trickery was useful. It kept defenders occupied and allowed us to create spaces elsewhere on the pitch. He was part of the balance of the team that last season performed extremely well at times, and although Ayite and Kebano (and Kamara) offer some of what Aluko offered, to me it doesn't look or feel the same.... as yet. I agree with Colin that it takes time to achieve that. 

For me, we are just not creating enough threat in the final third. This is widely recognized, so nothing new. I am not too sure what we can do about it, but we need someone to create a spark, to disrupt the oppo's organized defences. I don't see a lot of this happening, even against a bottom of the league club, and one which will surely be relegated.

[Kent Cassandra]

Colin I agree with 90% 0f what you are saying. Just one question I would like to ask about is Buttons distribution. I agree with playing out from the back but I watched him against Villa and despite it being a big pitch with plenty of room his distribution was abysmal.

[colinwhite]

Didnt Joka complain about players taking the easy way out by playing back to Buttons who was forced to play it long  after the villa game?

[Kent Cassandra]

Colin there is some truth in that but villa had men standing next to defenders at the side of the area.
He tried to find Sess and Fredericks and four or five times hit it over their heads into the crowd when he was under no pressure.

[St. Andrews White]

Honestly I think the biggest thing yesterday was a all of width. All of our front three played so close to each other that there was never anyone out wide. This slowed down our play as our midfield three had no one to play incisive passes to, and meant our full-backs were ineffective because they had no one to overlap with. Having our wing men play wide with someone staying central to attack the ball and make some space would've solved so many problems yesterday.

It's how we played in the final ten minutes, and we looked so quick and dangerous then.

Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

[Southcoastffc]

Good post Colinwhite and for the most part a good debate.  2 things I'd throw into the mix: Button had some REALLY good low trajectory kicks yesterday in the 2nd half (as an aside I think he is often unfairly criticised but anyone watching the 90 mins should be able to see what I am referring to, one was to Fredericks but I can't recall the other players). Second, why do NONE of our forward players seem able to make (half) a yard for themselves to create a shooting opportunity?   It's a very basic skill.