Lack of Physicality in our squad?

[Guest neesy111]

Surely some people saw we have a lack of physicality in our team tonight especially in our final 6?

[Seymour]

Our striker, no 10 and winger  (who started) are all midgets man, lost far too many aerial duals

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Going off tonight its a definite concern.

 

It's one of those stereotypical things that get written off by most, including myself, by thinking technical ability and tactics will win out, but tonight it really showed that we lack strength and to be honest desire at times.

 

 

[Mick]

We lost against Fulham because we were a shambles, it had nothing to do with the stature of our players, it was their inability to function as a coherent team.

[Mole_Toonfan]

We lost against Fulham because we were a shambles, it had nothing to do with the stature of our players, it was their inability to function as a coherent team.

 

Yep, plus I'd argue there's players we have who were just not used or unavailable which help in this department.

[Stifler]

Going off tonight its a definite concern.

 

It's one of those stereotypical things that get written off by most, including myself, by thinking technical ability and tactics will win out, but tonight it really showed that we lack strength and to be honest desire at times.

Not at all, the players who are more physical were poor. The players who are more technical didin't see much of the ball. We only made 1 physical mistake today and that was for their goal.

[Kaizero]

Already a thread on this: http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,59501.0.html

[KaKa]

[Klaus]

[Disco]

We have plenty of physicality we just don't press as we should against poor opponents.

[Ndegwa]

Already a thread on this: http://www.newcastle-online.org/nufcforum/index.php/topic,59501.0.html

 

[Sir Toon]

Too many people hoying their dummies out all over the shop.  The single reason we lost to Fulham was because the team was still in 'Summer' mode. Maybe the crowd to an extent too.  There was no urgency, no tempo, no real feeling that we were actually playing a meaningful game.

 

Yes, we need one or two more plus we have a handful to return but a head shake is needed more than anything. We'll still be there or thereabouts.

[Zero]

We should have the technical ability to pass around the pitch without the needs of physical battles here and there. The reason we lost is due to the players mentally not well prepared.  They played like we can walk the league without any difficulties.

[Yorkie]

Up front, without a shadow of a doubt. We were constantly outmuscled in the final third tonight.

[Kanj]

Shit thread from a lovely poster who's far too emotional tonight.

[merlin]

Surely some people saw we have a lack of physicality in our team tonight especially in our final 6?

Absolutely correct and I feared this would be the case before the start....we are especially light up front without Mitrovic and I always thought that his absence(for another 3 games) would mean the existing forwards would struggle to keep the ball when it was played long. Even when played to feet, Anita struggled - the only forward who looked dangerous was Ritchie although Gayle and Perez ran hard.

I fear that Ashley is probably reluctant to spend the sort of money necessary to obtain a striker of the requisite ability and in any case, it is always difficult to get these guys to drop into the Champ. Someone like Remy would have made a huge difference with his pace and skill on the ball.

Hard to see where we go from here if we cannot get a better striker/target man than we have...we are never going to concede masses of goals but we are going to struggle to score them(the m/f was also poor in creativity) ; don't forget, this Fulham side had just lost their main goal-scorer....

[merlin]

We should have the technical ability to pass around the pitch without the needs of physical battles here and there. The reason we lost is due to the players mentally not well prepared.  They played like we can walk the league without any difficulties.

You simply don't get the time to play the ball round in the Champ unless you have some really top quality players...when we went up in 92/93 we had players like Peacock, Kelly Beresford and Robert Lee ; Lee Clark was a decent player with the ball and the opposition was not as good overall as it is today in that league, so it was easier to impose a passing style on the opposition...more competition now with foreign players in the league too. You are probably correct in that some of the players had the wrong mindset but this comes dangerously close to holding the manager culpable and he is too experienced for that..!

[tgarve]

Stick in a bid for shwienstiger

[tgarve]

We should have the technical ability to pass around the pitch without the needs of physical battles here and there. The reason we lost is due to the players mentally not well prepared.  They played like we can walk the league without any difficulties.

You simply don't get the time to play the ball round in the Champ unless you have some really top quality players...when we went up in 92/93 we had players like Peacock, Kelly Beresford and Robert Lee ; Lee Clark was a decent player with the ball and the opposition was not as good overall as it is today in that league, so it was easier to impose a passing style on the opposition...more competition now with foreign players in the league too. You are probably correct in that some of the players had the wrong mindset but this comes dangerously close to holding the manager culpable and he is too experienced for that..!

 

Bournemouth

[nufcjb]

What Mitrovic brings to a side is his hold-up play, his knock downs, his strength that makes defenders commit fouls in dangerous areas. With our 3 minion forwards tonight, there was none of this. Every ball that went into their feet, with back to goal was easily cleared and any ball that went over the top was far too poor for them to chase. Clearly we lack physicality and even with Mitro, we might still lack goals.

 

If he wasn't too injury prone, would love to have Carrol back here. That's the type of striker we should go after now.

 

What's Shola doing these days?

[merlin]

We should have the technical ability to pass around the pitch without the needs of physical battles here and there. The reason we lost is due to the players mentally not well prepared.  They played like we can walk the league without any difficulties.

You simply don't get the time to play the ball round in the Champ unless you have some really top quality players...when we went up in 92/93 we had players like Peacock, Kelly Beresford and Robert Lee ; Lee Clark was a decent player with the ball and the opposition was not as good overall as it is today in that league, so it was easier to impose a passing style on the opposition...more competition now with foreign players in the league too. You are probably correct in that some of the players had the wrong mindset but this comes dangerously close to holding the manager culpable and he is too experienced for that..!

 

Bournemouth

Look where they finished last season compared to NUFC - and how they played us off the park at SJP and Dean Court..they are a better side.

[Varadi]

Definitely got pushed around a bit too much but the addition of Mitrovic and Diame will go a long way to addressing that.

[Mick]

Definitely got pushed around a bit too much but the addition of Mitrovic and Diame will go a long way to addressing that.

 

We got pushed around because we held on to the ball far too long and far too often, move the ball around and we'll not get pushed around.  Plenty of players who aren't giants can cope with physical players be moving the ball before they're under pressure.  They can do that by either making an early pass or just by moving away with the ball.  We didn't do enough of either last night and we paid for it.

[AY]

We lost against Fulham because we were a shambles, it had nothing to do with the stature of our players, it was their inability to function as a coherent team.

 

Not entirely true. Teams will be sitting deep against us, and they will be 10 times harder to break without aerial ability. Playing four midgets up front means we need combinations, runs, deliveries etc to be spot on. They wont be at the start of the season. Mitrovic will add so much to our play.

[hakka]

I don't think physicality is an issue. It sort of is if both Colback and Anita are playing centrally though.

 

Last season we looked lethargic and soft. But when Rafa got them going we looked absoluteness fine. Yesterday was a throw back to the half arsed displays from last season for sure.