However well we play, whatever lead we get, we will always be let down by this defence. On paper it's not good enough and it certainly isn't good enough in reality.
I'm really quite happy with our midfield, wingers and attack. We could get bloody Rhodes tomorrow and we'd still draw every game 1-1 if we're lucky.
Was a good performance today generally as a team and we really seemed to create a lot of good chances and were unlucky at times, but at half time how could I possibly be happy. Any other stadium in the division the fans would be happy and sniling at half time knowing they were 1-0 up. I'm just not. Not against anyone, especially not Reading with their decent attack.
Such a shame we have an awesome attack and midfield for this division but aren't gonna achieve anything cos we'll always be sweating on defence.
And another thing. We concede about a trillion penalties. Why does Bogdan never save any? Or even get close. I haven't got the confidence I used to have with Jussi about that.
Why can't we just get Dawson, or any competent centre back? Tired of literally all of our goals being individual defenders making mistakes.
Sorry this is so nnegative. I'm just depressed. They got my hopes up. Like every week...
Whatever we do
posted on 12/8/13
It's not ideal, but with Mark Davies and Andre Moritz to come in, spearing and Medo in front of the back four and one of those 2 picking up the ball and playing the football, up to N'Gog or Beckford and wide to Eagles and Chungy, I'm as happy as I could expect to be with the midfield.
All the goals we ever concede seem to be defensive errors though. Wheats shouldn't be handling it in the way he did. Missing the header and it hitting his arm is clumsy at best.
posted on 12/8/13
How can anyone moan about Bogdan not saving a penalty after his performance on Saturday? Unreal.
posted on 13/8/13
A performance like that is the least he has to do to prove himself to me after the amount of shockers he had last season. And my point about the penalties still stands
posted on 14/8/13
Well you wrote, "why does Bogdan never save any [penalties]". I remember him saving one from Rooney at Old Trafford. So I don't think it stands to be honest.
I'd like to see Bogdan save more penalties, who wouldn't? Of course. But I've never heard of a goalkeeper in the history of the game being dropped because they don't save enough penalties.
I can't even agree with your broader point about our defence being poor so far. We've conceded two goals, one was a lucky deflection and the other was a penalty.
We restricted Burnley to three shots on target, the deflected goal and two weak efforts from outside the area.
Reading hit us well on the counter attack in the second half on Saturday and could well have scored, say, two goals from open play. But what happened? Our goalkeeper played well and saved their shots.
So I don't agree thst our defence has been poor so far
posted on 14/8/13
LH - Balanced well thought out, and correct again!
posted on 14/8/13
He saved one last season aswell. but that really wasnt what i was getting at. The never was an exaggeration. I didn't mention dropping him for it, but the amount of penalties we concede, especially last season, where it was week in week out for a period, I'd expect a better percentage.
Conceding poor quality goals is the hallmark of a bad defence. You look at the best teams and defences, usually they concede good, well played or well struck goals.
The burnley goal may well have been a lucky deflection, but if you're happy with how the whole sequence of play for that goal was defended, then I couldn't agree. Literally school boy defending.
The Reading goal was a penalty, that we gave away. We can't hide behind the fact it was a penalty. And yet we could have easily conceded another penalty.
If Bogdan hadn't had a fantastic game, which he certainly did, we could have conceded a couple more goals. We were opened up fully for that Le Fondre chance, and the lad should have scored, and thy saw a few more very good chances.
My point was that we never look safe from a clumsy error etc. it's easy to look at it on paper and come to the conclusion that we've only conceded 2, but I've watched us for both games, along with most of pre-season and last season and I have formed these opinions.
posted on 14/8/13
I have no issue with Bogdans shot stopping. It's his communication to his defence and command of his box that sometimes let's us down. Note I said sometimes!
posted on 14/8/13
Even the best goalkeepers fail to save penalties, its why players hate taking a match to a shootout.
You mention the period last season where we conceded alot of goals to penalties. Surely the solution is for our defence to up their game and stop conceding silly penalties in the first place.
posted on 14/8/13
Look at Jussi
Many called for him to be replaced admitted he wasn't the younger version we first brought to our old home at Burnden.
Taken out of our team with a poor defence and put into a team down sarf with a better defence and he looks good again.
We just need a defence which is capable and understands their goalkeeper isn't shouting instructions for nothing.
posted on 14/8/13
Wanderers Forever.
Yep, that's really what I was getting at with this article. The defence is just clumsy. It's just be a bonus if our keeper could occasionally dig them out the dog...
I don't wanna make this article about the goalkeeper, but there's more spillage in our box since 2012 than a tea party on a trampoline... I actually think all round in most aspects of his game he's a very average keeper.