Physicality / Dynamism / Will / Aggression......

Caesium137

Caesium137

Well-known member
Is this our biggest 'miss' as a squad?

With our budget we're not going to afford the best of the best skills wise to out play teams week in week out, with an expensive goal machine up top to take our created chances.

I really think our lack of physical ability holds us back. We don't really have any physically imposing players, the lack of set-piece goals from centre halves is probably part of this, we get over-powered and over run in midfield, we seem to be a bit 'soft' in many situations. We really lack a leader to boIIock them on the pitch and drive us forward. I think a lot of bog standard slightly physical champo teams see us as a soft touch.

I would like us to sign a centre half, centre mid and striker who can A; implement 'Wilderball' at a decent skill level, and B; be big, nasty and tough enough for the physical and mental battle that some games become.

I quite like Howson but I think he is part of this problem, same with Fry, same with McGree and all of the forwards obviously.

To be clear I'm not condoning a load of 6' 3" brick outhouses / thugs. I still want them to be good footballers.

I'm just sick of us looking weak, one paced and out fought at times.

We lack a bit of the nastiness and edge that you need in some games, our game management or 'shlthousery' is pretty poor too.

I assume it is the will and desire to compete when the chips are down that Wilder was talking about with his 'attitude' comments. But I think a lot of our players just can't compete physically enough to do that.

I lost count of the number of times that our players bounced off theirs yesterday, or a Preston player double marked barged through two of ours with the ball.

Other than Uche do you think many opposition teams look at our team sheet and think ' I don't fancy marking him'? Or are worried about being given a hard time and some hard tackles by one of our starting 11?

Hopefully this can be addressed somewhat in the summer.
 
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Absolutely bang on. And Uche - how we could have used his physicality when our insipid forwards were easily bullied on a regular basis in the last 3 months. So surprising he was released. He was never going to be a goal machine but might have assisted others. Coburn is the only one with any ability to hold the ball up. Connelly, Balogan, Siliki and Sporar aren't going to be a problem next season as they'll be long gone.

Crooks is presumably there to add some strength but the game passed him by yesterday and not for the first time. He was a passenger. His mistimed tackling across the season makes it no surprise he got 15 Yellows.

If McGree is to be a part of the future in our midfield he'll have to grow a pair or some more bulk. He may have more vision than some but being so easily dispossessed is a serious problem.

Jonny Howson is approaching the twilight of his career and whilst I hope he is offered some sort of extension he isn't likely to be a lynch-pin for much longer.

Whatever Tav is - it's not a left wing back. Since Wilder now doesn't seem to rate Bola he'd better find someone who IS.

At the back McNair can't be the future beside Fry and Djksteel. If he isn't used there (if and) when we get a commanding CB (hopefully a-la Pearson) he might be back in midfield. But if not is he one of the 'surprising announcements?

We've somehow outperformed our ability this season and perhaps some of that is down to Wilder. But at times (and certainly yesterday) we looked exactly like a team in 14th position, which is where we started.
 
Caesium137 said:
Is this our biggest 'miss' as a squad?

With our budget we're not going to afford the best of the best skills wise to out play teams week in week out, with an expensive goal machine up top to take our created chances.

I really think our lack of physical ability holds us back. We don't really have any physically imposing players, the lack of set-piece goals from centre halves is probably part of this, we get over-powered and over run in midfield, we seem to be a bit 'soft' in many situations. We really lack a leader to boIIock them on the pitch and drive us forward. I think a lot of bog standard slightly physical champo teams see us as a soft touch.

I would like us to sign a centre half, centre mid and striker who can A; implement 'Wilderball' at a decent skill level, and B; be big, nasty and tough enough for the physical and mental battle that some games become.

I quite like Howson but I think he is part of this problem, same with Fry, same with McGree and all of the forwards obviously.

To be clear I'm not condoning a load of 6' 3" brick outhouses / thugs. I still want them to be good footballers.

I'm just sick of us looking weak, one paced and out fought at times.

We lack a bit of the nastiness and edge that you need in some games, our game management or 'shlthousery' is pretty poor too.

I assume it is the will and desire to compete when the chips are down that Wilder was talking about with his 'attitude' comments. But I think a lot of our players just can't compete physically enough to do that.

I lost count of the number of times that our players bounced off theirs yesterday, or a Preston player double marked barged through two of ours with the ball.

Other than Uche do you think many opposition teams look at our team sheet and think ' I don't fancy marking him'? Or are worried about being given a hard time and some hard tackles by one of our starting 11?

Hopefully this can be addressed somewhat in the summer.
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Couldn't agree more .
Not just Preston .
Our players are too lightweight and have been pushed around in many games this season .
 
I would agree we have been way to soft for a long time. Look at luton and Huddersfield to me they ae not better technically at all but have managed to get to the play-offs because of their physical style of play. Problem with going that way is it doesn't work after you get promoted.
 
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Diego said:
Maybe not, but he’s never gonna start in a Wilder team and he will be sold. I hope we make the right signings this summer
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Whilst I totally agree there's been games we've been chasing goals in the run in where I think he would have caused more problems for opposition centre halves coming off the bench than Balogun and Connolly have. But he's obviously not the answer.

I agree though, it is much more difficult to get a physically imposing striker for Wilderball with the running/pressing they're meant to do.
 
Diego said:
I hope we make the right signings this summer
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Twine and Riis?

Always the risk that one won't make the step up and the other is a one season wonder of course.

Not to worry, our record on improving strikers and doubling, or even tripling their goal output after signing for us is legendary.......
 
Glover_elbow said:
I would agree we have been way to soft for a long time. Look at luton and Huddersfield to me they ae not better technically at all but have managed to get to the play-offs because of their physical style of play. Problem with going that way is it doesn't work after you get promoted.
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The article does state he wants more physical footballers, not just kick and run merchants. Just look at he physical stats of some of the squads in the prem, plenty of 6 ft 2 or bigger players who can actually play.
The physicality of the game is still a major factor and we are too lightweight
 
Our players always improve by not playing...in our heads anyway, most are simply not good enough...Uche isn't the answer
 
Caesium137 said:
Is this our biggest 'miss' as a squad?

With our budget we're not going to afford the best of the best skills wise to out play teams week in week out, with an expensive goal machine up top to take our created chances.

I really think our lack of physical ability holds us back. We don't really have any physically imposing players, the lack of set-piece goals from centre halves is probably part of this, we get over-powered and over run in midfield, we seem to be a bit 'soft' in many situations. We really lack a leader to boIIock them on the pitch and drive us forward. I think a lot of bog standard slightly physical champo teams see us as a soft touch.

I would like us to sign a centre half, centre mid and striker who can A; implement 'Wilderball' at a decent skill level, and B; be big, nasty and tough enough for the physical and mental battle that some games become.

I quite like Howson but I think he is part of this problem, same with Fry, same with McGree and all of the forwards obviously.

To be clear I'm not condoning a load of 6' 3" brick outhouses / thugs. I still want them to be good footballers.

I'm just sick of us looking weak, one paced and out fought at times.

We lack a bit of the nastiness and edge that you need in some games, our game management or 'shlthousery' is pretty poor too.

I assume it is the will and desire to compete when the chips are down that Wilder was talking about with his 'attitude' comments. But I think a lot of our players just can't compete physically enough to do that.

I lost count of the number of times that our players bounced off theirs yesterday, or a Preston player double marked barged through two of ours with the ball.

Other than Uche do you think many opposition teams look at our team sheet and think ' I don't fancy marking him'? Or are worried about being given a hard time and some hard tackles by one of our starting 11?

Hopefully this can be addressed somewhat in the summer.
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Obviously Wilderball is long gone, we are streets ahead in terms of our build-up, passing and moving and controlling the games with possession.....


But I still think we're lacking in these attributes.
 
Caesium137 said:
Is this our biggest 'miss' as a squad?

With our budget we're not going to afford the best of the best skills wise to out play teams week in week out, with an expensive goal machine up top to take our created chances.

I really think our lack of physical ability holds us back. We don't really have any physically imposing players, the lack of set-piece goals from centre halves is probably part of this, we get over-powered and over run in midfield, we seem to be a bit 'soft' in many situations. We really lack a leader to boIIock them on the pitch and drive us forward. I think a lot of bog standard slightly physical champo teams see us as a soft touch.

I would like us to sign a centre half, centre mid and striker who can A; implement 'Wilderball' at a decent skill level, and B; be big, nasty and tough enough for the physical and mental battle that some games become.

I quite like Howson but I think he is part of this problem, same with Fry, same with McGree and all of the forwards obviously.

To be clear I'm not condoning a load of 6' 3" brick outhouses / thugs. I still want them to be good footballers.

I'm just sick of us looking weak, one paced and out fought at times.

We lack a bit of the nastiness and edge that you need in some games, our game management or 'shlthousery' is pretty poor too.

I assume it is the will and desire to compete when the chips are down that Wilder was talking about with his 'attitude' comments. But I think a lot of our players just can't compete physically enough to do that.

I lost count of the number of times that our players bounced off theirs yesterday, or a Preston player double marked barged through two of ours with the ball.

Other than Uche do you think many opposition teams look at our team sheet and think ' I don't fancy marking him'? Or are worried about being given a hard time and some hard tackles by one of our starting 11?

Hopefully this can be addressed somewhat in the summer.
Click to expand...
I 'liked' the post a year ago and much of it is just as true today, particularly the bit about leadership and physicality. We're still bullied by less able teams on a regular basis. At the back we are still slower than Continental drift. We've been fortunate to have turned around the scoring problem this time by way of Carricks reprogramming of Akpom and two valuable loan forwards. Coburn will return and it will be interesting to see how he has developed.
 
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