Not hitting the heights of last season !!

[howitis]

Here we are middle of Feb and there is no doubting that we are nicely poised for an attack on automatic promotion but I still have this niggling feeling that we are not playing as well as we did at this time last year. Now I know we put on a late run last season but recent performances despite picking up a good number of points  just don't seem to be as fluid or dominating.
Not having Cairney has been massive but it feels even more then that. For whatever reason I'm not sure SJ knows his best team.
I don't want this to end up a Fonte bashing but it's very confusing to see him gett8ng repeat starts now despite offering so little in front of goal. Last year we had pace and mobility all over the pitch apart from Martin but he offered 3 things that Fonte doesn't - a few goals, ability to hold up play and to strike some fear/distraction to the opposition.
Looking forward to this weekends game and hope he starts with Mitro as a focal point and we get back to last seasons strengths of having strong wide partnerships-
Possible team
Betts
Fredericks
Kalas
Ream
Targett
McDonald
Johannsen
Cairney
Ayite/Kebano
Sessegnon
Mitrovic

[bog]

I think other teams are aware of our style and try to stop us playing. There is no doubt the next run of fixtures will show if we are good enough.


Thank you and good night


092.gif

[ffcne]

Cairney could be the key.
But think we have a bit more character about us this year
grind out a result ,scrape a lucky win ,never give up ,plan b.
Larger more varied squad.
It will depend on these next 3 games . If we are on our way. 

[cmg]

I don't want this to end up a Fonte bashing but it's very confusing to see him gett8ng repeat starts now despite offering so little in front of goal....

His 3 goals so far may be a bit of a disappointment, but he is our second best provider of assists - 5 (in 1425'), behind Fredericks - 7 (in 2790'). Perhaps that might make things a little less confusing.

[ffcne]

I don't want this to end up a Fonte bashing but it's very confusing to see him gett8ng repeat starts now despite offering so little in front of goal....

His 3 goals so far may be a bit of a disappointment, but he is our second best provider of assists - 5 (in 1425'), behind Fredericks - 7 (in 2790'). Perhaps that might make things a little less confusing.

2 assists on the stats site i looked at.I remember Qpr for Johansen ,Cardiff away for sess.
There maybe more ?

[MJG]

By this time in one season a few years ago we had a CF who had played 22 games had 1 goal and 2 assists.
He was being picked by argubly our best manager ever.
He was no fans favourite and many asked why he was playing. But the manager trusted him. I think we have to do the same here with Fonte.

[S.F.Sorrow]

I've seen posts in several different threads now claiming Fonte has 5 assists. Are people just making this up? The official club website (and every football stats website I've visited) says 3 goals and 2 assists in 25 appearances. Which is of course extremely poor for a striker. Especially when 2 of the goals were against the worst team in the league in a 6-0 thrashing.

[MJG]

I've seen posts in several different threads now claiming Fonte has 5 assists. Are people just making this up? The official club website (and every football stats website I've visited) says 3 goals and 2 assists in 25 appearances. Which is of course extremely poor for a striker. Especially when 2 of the goals were against the worst team in the league in a 6-0 thrashing.

Some sites do give it as five, problem is they include when he has been fouled and given a penalty. I suspect they do that for everyone then.

[Lighthouse]

Despite the good stats it is clear we are not 'playing' as well as we were last season. But while last season we lost a few games we dominated. This season has seen us grab three points when a draw would have been a fairer result. We do have a few forwards who can do a different job depending on what the Coach wants them to do. While I think we are too far behind to go for automatic promotion we are oddly a better squad than we were this time last season. Last season our great run squeezed us late into the playoffs. This season our good run has got us there earlier. Now we just have to stay there.

Not playing as well but getting better results  094.gif

[Fernhurst]

Thought provoking eh?
The one thing I have noticed since Sess moved up, he has been whacked a few times from behind and that is a bit of a worry.
Last Saturday the fullback appeared to be getting into him verbally also.
When we play Ayite or Kebarno they always seem to be on the half turn as they receive the ball and their tricks and speed invariably get them out of trouble.
Do not envy Jokanovic his job this weekend ........ do agree Mitro should be the focal point despite the fact his still needs games to get up to speed (probably goes for TC also).

Think there will be a few guys on their knees after this one ...... let's hope it's Villa players exhausted

[cmg]

I've seen posts in several different threads now claiming Fonte has 5 assists. Are people just making this up? The official club website (and every football stats website I've visited) says 3 goals and 2 assists in 25 appearances. Which is of course extremely poor for a striker.

I find it strange that you should think that people (i.e me) are making this up. It may not be right, but I am using available source material. I would have nothing to gain by 'making it up'.
Transfermarkt  give him 5 assists - QPR, Shef U and Cardiff. They also credit him with assists as the fouled player involved in the penalties against PNE and Millwall.
Now how logical this is is open to debate, but it does not seem unreasonable. A layer wiped out by the keeper when faced with an open goal obviously merits, some of the 'softer' awards (which includes at least one of Fonte's) are more debatable. Whatever, this is the way that Transfermarkt reckons them and that is the figure I reported.

In the long run they are only statistics and thus are not definitive measures of a players' effectiveness They do, however, provide some record of what the bloke is doing on the pitch. They are not 'made up'.

Another 'not made up' and, perhaps, more pertinent fact is that we are hitting a height 4 places higher than we were after Match 31 last season.

[FulhamStu]

We have not yet played our best and we are 5th

The reason for lack of best performance are as follows

1. Cairney / McDonald / StefJo midfield never been fully fit, this should happen very soon, fingers crossed this week.

2. New players bedding.  Targett has made a fast start but Mitro needs a few games, will get better every game.  He will be our centre forward once fully fit.   Will have now had 2 full weeks and could start Saturday.

3. As pointed out in the OP, we have not sorted our best 11, but I think Slav will now know that if all on best form and fully fit only right wing is a question and any one of Ayite/Ojo/Kebano for me.

My best front 3 is  Ayite.  Mitro.  Sess.

Our bench of

Button, Odoi, Christie, Norwood, Cisse, Kebano, Fonte, Kamara, Piazon, Ojo of which 4 can't even make the 18 is better than I can remember for a very long time.

We are in a position to improve toward the seasons end as players continue to get fitter and the new ones get up to speed with our style.   Last season we somewhat ran out of steam, this season we should get stronger.

[ffcne]

I don't want this to end up a Fonte bashing but it's very confusing to see him gett8ng repeat starts now despite offering so little in front of goal....

His 3 goals so far may be a bit of a disappointment, but he is our second best provider of assists - 5 (in 1425'), behind Fredericks - 7 (in 2790'). Perhaps that might make things a little less confusing.

A bit of disappointment  3 goals 2 against Burton (one laid on a plate )
Is a massive disappointment for me .

[Fernhurst]

I'm taking my hardware store step-up to the match.

If "you know who" goes up for a corner and scores I will leap over the barrier and take Executive Action!

[Twig]

I just don't get the Mitro love in. The OP would start him, FulhamStu says he will be our CF when fit. Why? He is slow and no amount of fitness will turn Dobbin into Shergar. I am not knocking him, he has attributes our other strikers lack, but I have seen no evidence to suggest he can be our number 1 CF.
On the question of who should start against AV I would much prefer pace. JT is old and can be beaten for pace but a slower striker like Mitro May struggle against him.

[cmg]

By this time in one season a few years ago we had a CF who had played 22 games had 1 goal and 2 assists.
He was being picked by argubly our best manager ever.
He was no fans favourite and many asked why he was playing. But the manager trusted him. I think we have to do the same here with Fonte.

Yes. The one he got off his bum in the season opener at Portsmouth was his third after 35 games. Perhaps Rui is waiting till we get into Europe.

[Carborundum]

This time last year we were beating Wigan and Forest, both 3-2 and both displays could be summarised as the good just about outweighing the bad and the ugly.  My sense is we might now be a little better than last year, but more likely we are about the same level of performance.  Everything to play for and that's good.

[FulhamStu]

I just don't get the Mitro love in. The OP would start him, FulhamStu says he will be our CF when fit. Why? He is slow and no amount of fitness will turn Dobbin into Shergar. I am not knocking him, he has attributes our other strikers lack, but I have seen no evidence to suggest he can be our number 1 CF.
On the question of who should start against AV I would much prefer pace. JT is old and can be beaten for pace but a slower striker like Mitro May struggle against him.

Why do I think Mitro will be our starting striker...? here are some reasons.

1. He will complement the other 2 forwards either side of him with his strength, hold up play and Ariel ability.

2. He is most likely to get on the end of crosses, will occupy the penalty area and be a threat at set pieces.

3. He will have been told by Slav that if he is fit and playing well he will start otherwise he would not have come.   He wants to be the Serbian striker for the World Cup and Slav will want to support that, so not only will he be very motivated, so will his head coach.

4. He will be better starting than finishing as it's then that more pace added is most effective when against a tiring defence.  I can see Kamara being our super sub.   If Mitro is not properly fit or not playing well I think Fonte will start with again Kamara being the finisher.   Games will come thick and fast and we will need to rotate to keep everyone fresh.

I have no personal love for Mitro (yet) I just think the above makes the most sense but of course I could be totally wrong.

[davew]

I just don't get the Mitro love in. The OP would start him, FulhamStu says he will be our CF when fit. Why? He is slow and no amount of fitness will turn Dobbin into Shergar. I am not knocking him, he has attributes our other strikers lack, but I have seen no evidence to suggest he can be our number 1 CF.
On the question of who should start against AV I would much prefer pace. JT is old and can be beaten for pace but a slower striker like Mitro May struggle against him.

I hope he doesn't turn into Shergar....... and go missing!!

[colinwhite]

Its  all well and good talking about one player being better than the other etc. But it comes down to finding the right balance in the side which is likely to be the most effective against particular  types of opposition.
As much as we all like pace, Kamara is unlikely to be starting matches any time soon. He contributes and causes a threat when he comes on but doesnt fit in with any particular pattern of play. Roy used to call the last 20 minutes or so of games " Hawai " football (a swedish football expression meaning every man for himself football),and left many a journalist scratching his head over his "swenglish".
But what works during the Lesser organised periods of matches doesnt always work when teams are fully disciplined during the first 70 minutes or so of games.