Defending.

[Lesonthewest]

While we have looked marginally better defensively of late, ie bodies on the line etc, we are far too easy to score against & as we all know have been for a long time.

Maybe when Olowu recovers there maybe a case for playing all 3 centre halves. Get Bailey in front of them & Close further up the pitch. Nixon & Mollyneux have the energy to cause problems on the flanks.  Somehow we have to stop being a soft touch defensively, gone on far too long.

[ncRover]

Olowu needs to toughen up

[Campsall rover]

Tom Anderson struggled yesterday. Kept getting turned, couldn’t keep on his feet quite a few times including the one that gave them their 2nd goal.
Bailey covered for him brilliantly at times. This lad is a very good player, I keep saying it and looks as though I will be saying it week after week.
We need to sort out our centre backs because we need Bailey in front of the back 3 or 4
Our defending of set pieces is our nemesis and has been for a long time. It has to be sorted quickly or it will cost us any chance of success this season.

[Donnywolf]

Agree with set pieces being problematic. I really dislike it when we concede corners at virtually any time in a game

We always seem to be head and shoulder shorter than most opponents

Pity Wood not taking part much as it "was said" he would be immense in that area plus would get 5 or 6 goals at the other end at set pieces

[Campsall rover]

A footnote to the above.

We need to be much much better at our offensive set pieces also.
Some the corners we take are embarrassingly shocking.

Needs lots of work at both ends of the field.
Get this sorted and we will see results improve consistently.

[Colin C No.3]

Westbrooke should never be anywhere near a dead ball situation.

He isn’t capable of judging the flight of a football.

[Chris Black come back]

Anderson and Olowu both have deals until summer 2025. Long, Wood and Faulkner have deals that are up end of this season. Whatever happens looks like we have Anderson and Olowu in defence for another season after this. Mainstays of our defence the last three seasons.

[GazLaz]

Tom Anderson struggled yesterday. Kept getting turned, couldn’t keep on his feet quite a few times including the one that gave them their 2nd goal.
Bailey covered for him brilliantly at times. This lad is a very good player, I keep saying it and looks as though I will be saying it week after week.
We need to sort out our centre backs because we need Bailey in front of the back 3 or 4
Our defending of set pieces is our nemesis and has been for a long time. It has to be sorted quickly or it will cost us any chance of success this season.

I thought Anderson was great at times and shocking at times in equal measure. He’s still got his ability as a box defender but outside the box he’s poor. A bit like Harry Maguire. Especially in the high line we’ve been playing.

[Sammy Chung was King]

To play Anderson you need two quick centre halves at the side of him. Let him take care of the aerial balls in, the other two sort the rest out.

[Campsall rover]

Tom Anderson struggled yesterday. Kept getting turned, couldn’t keep on his feet quite a few times including the one that gave them their 2nd goal.
Bailey covered for him brilliantly at times. This lad is a very good player, I keep saying it and looks as though I will be saying it week after week.
We need to sort out our centre backs because we need Bailey in front of the back 3 or 4
Our defending of set pieces is our nemesis and has been for a long time. It has to be sorted quickly or it will cost us any chance of success this season.

I thought Anderson was great at times and shocking at times in equal measure. He’s still got his ability as a box defender but outside the box he’s poor. A bit like Harry Maguire. Especially in the high line we’ve been playing.

100% agree with that.

[danumdon]

Tom Anderson struggled yesterday. Kept getting turned, couldn’t keep on his feet quite a few times including the one that gave them their 2nd goal.
Bailey covered for him brilliantly at times. This lad is a very good player, I keep saying it and looks as though I will be saying it week after week.
We need to sort out our centre backs because we need Bailey in front of the back 3 or 4
Our defending of set pieces is our nemesis and has been for a long time. It has to be sorted quickly or it will cost us any chance of success this season.

I thought Anderson was great at times and shocking at times in equal measure. He’s still got his ability as a box defender but outside the box he’s poor. A bit like Harry Maguire. Especially in the high line we’ve been playing.

100% agree with that.

This is the main problem now, Anderson traded on being the big dynamic attacking centre half who would beat any attacker to a lofted ball through brute strength and determination, it seems now this side of his game has gone and he now gets beaten very regularly in this type of tussle, yesterdays first goal was a good example, their centre forward(who played the role very well)just beat him for sheer strength, athleticism and determination, Tom never even got off the ground and the moment was lost. In isolation this would be acceptable, you can't win every duel but unfortunately the odds are now less than 30/70 this is not really exceptable for this type of defending enforcer.

His passing out of defence is not the best and he now regularly gets beaten for pace, especially on the turn. This is a massive problem for us because we don't have a direct replacement for Tom, GM obviously does not rate Wood and will not give Faulkner the chance, even when he was fit whilst all around they were going down like flies, instead opting for the likes of Bailey, Senior and even Nixon.

We have a surfeit of CH's and you could say they all have their weaknesses, Olowu just has not kicked on and is made of glass and Long is another bog standard CH playing two levels above his rank.

We are in desperate need of a Big Strong and dynamic leader, if GM wants to play Bailey and Senior then he needs this player between them.

GM has a big problem. i would give a fit and rearing to go Faulkner a go, we don't loose too much compared to now and we stand to gain plenty.

If we want to salvage anything from this season we need the conundrum sorting.(a central midfielder enforcer would not go amiss and would help this brittle defence massively)

[EasyforDennis]

Tom Anderson struggled yesterday. Kept getting turned, couldn’t keep on his feet quite a few times including the one that gave them their 2nd goal.
Bailey covered for him brilliantly at times. This lad is a very good player, I keep saying it and looks as though I will be saying it week after week.
We need to sort out our centre backs because we need Bailey in front of the back 3 or 4
Our defending of set pieces is our nemesis and has been for a long time. It has to be sorted quickly or it will cost us any chance of success this season.

I thought Anderson was great at times and shocking at times in equal measure. He’s still got his ability as a box defender but outside the box he’s poor. A bit like Harry Maguire. Especially in the high line we’ve been playing.

I must have missed the bits where Anderson was great yesterday. 1st goal yet another one conceded from a corner, back post header and where was Anderson? A couple of yards behind the Wimbledon player who headed the ball. 2nd goal. Nothing to say.

[roversdude]

I’ve still not seen the first goal, other than from the other end of the pitch, but the second was never a free kick Anderson literally got his feet tied up and fell over

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I’ve still not seen the first goal, other than from the other end of the pitch, but the second was never a free kick Anderson literally got his feet tied up and fell over

Agree I thought he was shoved but he slipped. Not sure a person can be blamed for a slip and he shouldn't have been left 1 Vs 1.

The problem Saturday was up front not defence.  Get a goal or two with all the possession and they aren't going to get the breaks they got which we didn't.  2nd was a great finish too.

[karldew]

I’ve still not seen the first goal, other than from the other end of the pitch, but the second was never a free kick Anderson literally got his feet tied up and fell over

IMO In Andersons head he was initially clearing it, then he saw the striker would get to it first! Rather than just kick the striker with an attempted clearance he tried to protect it. It’s the split second decision/caught in 2 minds/feet not fast enough. I bet he now wishes he just booted the striker and got a yellow.

Even with the defensive mistakes, most we’d of got is a point! Don’t think we’d of had a shot on target if the clock was still going now.