Form away from home

[ohmelads]

Teams have been scoring past Reading for fun, even Bolton and Sunderland. They have conceded 15 goals in their previous 4 games, surely here was an opportunity to let Milner and N'Zogbia torment their full backs and give Martins and Owen some service?

 

Instead we line up with 4 central midfielders, no wingers.

 

If anybody needed brought back down to earth it was Sam Allardyce, who looked pretty sheepish in the second half when he belatedly brought on N'Zogbia and Milner to try and rescue the game. Smith was accommodated too, Mike Ashley will be happy to know.

 

Sam needs to stop trying to be clever. He clearly fancies the idea of us grinding out 'professional' 1-0 wins away from home, and settling for the bore draw if need be, but the other team often has other ideas.

[Mick]

 

Really?  How many of the last 20 away games have you been to?

 

I've been to more away recently than home, how many have you been to?

[Skeletor]

Teams have been scoring past Reading for fun, even Bolton and Sunderland. They have conceded 15 goals in their previous 4 games, surely here was an opportunity to let Milner and N'Zogbia torment their full backs and give Martins and Owen some service?

 

Instead we line up with 4 central midfielders, no wingers.

 

If anybody needed brought back down to earth it was Sam Allardyce, who looked pretty sheepish in the second half when he belatedly brought on N'Zogbia and Milner to try and rescue the game. Smith was accommodated too, Mike Ashley will be happy to know.

 

Sam needs to stop trying to be clever. He clearly fancies the idea of us grinding out 'professional' 1-0 wins away from home, and settling for the bore draw if need be, but the other team often has other ideas.

 

A good point. It seems to become ingrained on all our managers that they need to get our team keeping clean sheets at all costs. At the end of the day the most important thing is to win; Clean sheets are just a bonus.

[Liam Liam Liam O]

 

Really?  How many of the last 20 away games have you been to?

 

I've been to more away recently than home, how many have you been to?

 

Enough, including the away friendlies.  The point of the 20 games number was that thats how long it is since we kept an away clean sheet, so to say its not a bigger problem than winning away is just not true

 

If you have been to so many away games surely you'll realise the problems it causes not keeping a clean sheet for 20 or so games

[Magpie]

Personally think it's got something to do with the way these types of teams play ie. take the pressure and hump it forward, stopping us from playing. Think it'll be a totally different ball game when we go to the likes of Portsmouth etc. who will also play football.

 

Still no excuse really though, got to beating the likes of Reading if we want to progress!

[ohmelads]

When we're playing a side inferior in terms of football quality to ourselves (and whatever anyone says, we have more quality in our side than they do), surely it makes sense to encourage an open game? We seem to be going to places like Reading and Derby and thinking "right, roll your sleeves up lads, if they want a battle they can have one". We're playing right into their hands, espescially when we're hacking balls forward to the two smallest players on the pitch.

 

Teams at home are always under pressure from their own fans to get forward, this represents an opportunity for a team with quick movement and skillful players to counter attack. Wingers are essential to a good away performance, because they will lead the breakaway, they will put fear into the opposition. Today I got the feeling this game was lost before it had begun, when I heard we were playing without wingers. All of our football was played in front of the Reading back four, we never got in behind them. Defending stuff in front of you is easy.

[Dave]

When we're playing a side inferior in terms of football quality to ourselves (and whatever anyone says, we have more quality in our side than they do), surely it makes sense to encourage an open game? We seem to be going to places like Reading and Derby and thinking "right, roll your sleeves up lads, if they want a battle they can have one". We're playing right into their hands, espescially when we're hacking balls forward to the two smallest players on the pitch.

 

Teams at home are always under pressure from their own fans to get forward, this represents an opportunity for a team with quick movement and skillful players to counter attack. Wingers are essential to a good away performance, because they will lead the breakaway, they will put fear into the opposition. Today I got the feeling this game was lost before it had begun, when I heard we were playing without wingers.

 

Aye, that's EXACTLY what they want us to do, and where we fail. It doesn't help that many clubs see us as a major scalp still and so do their fans. So the atmosphere gets going, spurring on the home team further...

[Mick]

 

Enough, including the away friendlies.  The point of the 20 games number was that thats how long it is since we kept an away clean sheet, so to say its not a bigger problem than winning away is just not true

 

If you have been to so many away games surely you'll realise the problems it causes not keeping a clean sheet for 20 or so games

 

The point about 20 games since we've kept a clean sheet proves that it's not as important as scoring, we've won in those 20 games without keeping the score down to zero.

 

Keeping a clean sheet gets you 1 point, scoring more than the opposition gets you 3.

[Guest toonlass]

Something needs to change with our away tactics and quick. Its the mackems away next and if we go into that one thinking we can play like we have done at Derby and Reading we will not be a happy bunch of bunnies. Today seemed to be a case of accomodating Geremi just because he is captain instead of playing Milner on the right. Sam needs to get this sorted and quick!

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

[Dave]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Do you actually care about us losing, or just being able to come on with your 'I told you so' shit?

[Mick]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Who said Allardyce would change a winning home team for away games?

[McCormick]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

 

If only shepherd was there, then we'd have won.

Good post Ne5, insightful as always

[Liam Liam Liam O]

 

Enough, including the away friendlies.  The point of the 20 games number was that thats how long it is since we kept an away clean sheet, so to say its not a bigger problem than winning away is just not true

 

If you have been to so many away games surely you'll realise the problems it causes not keeping a clean sheet for 20 or so games

 

The point about 20 games since we've kept a clean sheet proves that it's not as important as scoring, we've won in those 20 games without keeping the score down to zero.

 

Keeping a clean sheet gets you 1 point, scoring more than the opposition gets you 3.

 

Not really, if we'd kept a clean sheet in more of those 20 games we'd have won more no doubt.

 

Keeping a clean sheet guarantees you a point, but improves your chances of getting three.  It also makes it easier to outscore the opposition as well.

 

Our problem seems to be that we need to get 2 at the least to win away from home, usually 3, so whats wrong with trying to reduce that to only needing one?

 

Going back to the post I criticised though, i still say its bullshit that keeping a clean sheet seems to have more importance than scoring a goal, because it just doesn't.

[Mick]

 

Do you actually care about us losing, or just being able to come on with your 'I told you so' s***?

 

Pointless question, you know the answer.

[Baggio]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Aye, imagine if Allardyce tried to play a defensive game like he did today with with Bramble, Moore, Carr and Babayaro.

 

Good post, mate.

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

 

If only shepherd was there, then we'd have won.

Good post Ne5, insightful as always

 

Not necessarily, unlike some people, I always said that Shepherd didn't actually play so wasn't responsible for playing shit in a couple of Cup Finals, for instance.

 

I've been saying for a year what the problem with the team is, and it isn't so simple as buying a few better defenders. If you still can't work it out, have a look. Unless you intend to continue acting like a bit of a dope.

 

 

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Aye, imagine if Allardyce tried to play a defensive game like he did today with with Bramble, Moore, Carr and Babayaro.

 

Good post, mate.

 

Has the defensive record improved ?

 

 

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Do you actually care about us losing , or just being able to come on with your 'I told you so' shit?

 

43 years is enough proof for you is it ?

 

 

[Mick]

 

Not really, if we'd kept a clean sheet in more of those 20 games we'd have won more no doubt.

 

Keeping a clean sheet guarantees you a point, but improves your chances of getting three.  It also makes it easier to outscore the opposition as well.

 

Our problem seems to be that we need to get 2 at the least to win away from home, usually 3, so whats wrong with trying to reduce that to only needing one?

 

Going back to the post I criticised though, i still say its bullshit that keeping a clean sheet seems to have more importance than scoring a goal, because it just doesn't.

 

I agree that we should be trying to keep a clean sheet, I just don't think we should disrupt the team against Reading to attempt to do that.  I also think that Allardyce does think that keeping a clean sheet is more important than scoring, he's virtually said it in the quotes I've seen.

[Skeletor]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

 

If only shepherd was there, then we'd have won.

Good post Ne5, insightful as always

 

Not necessarily, unlike some people, I always said that Shepherd didn't actually play so wasn't responsible for playing s*** in a couple of Cup Finals, for instance.

 

I've been saying for a year what the problem with the team is, and it isn't so simple as buying a few better defenders.

 

 

 

I agree some what but not totally. Our defence looked awful home and away last season. This season our defence looks quite good at home, it's just the tactics and mentality that is putting our defence under too much pressure away from home.

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

Who said Allardyce would change a winning home team for away games?

 

pass

[Mick]

 

Aye, imagine if Allardyce tried to play a defensive game like he did today with with Bramble, Moore, Carr and Babayaro.

 

Good post, mate.

 

[JH]

At the end of the day, if we want to be a winning team, we have to act like a winning team. That's putting the best 11 men on the pitch and going for the win.

 

You don't see the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool going away from home and trying to keep the game tight and grinding out a result like we do.

 

At the end of the day, we should have kept the same formation/possibly even team as Monday night and approached the game in the same way. With Owen and Martins, we had the ability to run them off the park but we failed.

 

It's less about giving them a fight, more about winning some days.

[NE5]

We've strengthened the defence like many people said we should, but our defence isn't any better.

 

Some of us correctly said what the biggest problem was a year ago.

 

 

If only shepherd was there, then we'd have won.

Good post Ne5, insightful as always

 

Not necessarily, unlike some people, I always said that Shepherd didn't actually play so wasn't responsible for playing s*** in a couple of Cup Finals, for instance.

 

I've been saying for a year what the problem with the team is, and it isn't so simple as buying a few better defenders.

 

 

 

I agree some what but not totally. Our defence looked awful home and away last season. This season our defence looks quite good at home, it's just the tactics and mentality that is putting our defence under too much pressure away from home.

 

At last, a proper post and not some drivel and other things accusing me of being happy when we lose

 

First line of defence is to keep good possession, up front. The good teams play controlled possession football. Players like Martins, on an off day [and he has too many] lose the ball too often putting you on the back foot. Not just blaming him, the lack of width and pace in midfield doesn't help either.