If we'd taken our chances so far we would walk this league

[benjii]

Watching Norwich v Ipswich and it's obvious that our current team is easily good enough to finish around the middle of the Championship. Both of them are rubbish at the back and none of them have a player on the pitch with the standard of Lallana or Fonte.

 

So, why aren't we walking the league... IMO it's purely down to missed chances this season. Had we not missed sitters we would have beaten Orien, Rochdale and Brighton at home, for starters. 7 more points, we would be up there and looking like walking it.

 

Right now the only thing threatening our promotion is our failure to convert gilt-edged chances.

[Thedelldays]

Watching Norwich v Ipswich and it's obvious that our current team is easily good enough to finish around the middle of the Championship. Both of them are rubbish at the back and none of them have a player on the pitch with the standard of Lallana or Fonte.

 

So, why aren't we walking the league... IMO it's purely down to missed chances this season. Had we not missed sitters we would have beaten Orien, Rochdale and Brighton at home, for starters. 7 more points, we would be up there and looking like walking it.

 

Right now the only thing threatening our promotion is our failure to convert gilt-edged chances.

 

just think if lambert was putting them away...instead, the keepers are pulling of great saves and defenders clearing them off the line

[doddisalegend]

I see Holt is still putting his chances away though unlike Lambert.

 

To quote mr Delldays to me last season "Ifs and buts mean f uck all" (or words to that effect) good teams would have put those chances away we didn't hence we are eigth and Bompey are 3rd FFS

[Smirking_Saint]

Exactly,

 

This is why we seriously need to look at striking replacements in January. Both as we need goals and Connolly is past it for me.

[Thedelldays]

I see Holt is still putting his chances away though unlike Lambert.

 

To quote mr Delldays to me last season "Ifs and buts mean f uck all" (or words to that effect) good teams would have put those chances away we didn't hence we are eigth and Bompey are 3rd FFS

 

it is also clear that holt (for a big fella) is pretty mobile and moves all over the pitch...

[Smirking_Saint]

it is also clear that holt (for a big fella) is pretty mobile and moves all over the pitch...

 

And he has a cracking 'tache

[benjii]

I see Holt is still putting his chances away though unlike Lambert.

 

To quote mr Delldays to me last season "Ifs and buts mean f uck all" (or words to that effect) good teams would have put those chances away we didn't hence we are eigth and Bompey are 3rd FFS

 

Holt should have been sent off after 3 minutes and was gifted his first goal by some atrocious defending. Anyway, that is really my point; we have been hampered by Lambert's poor form and coincidental failure to convert chances by the likes of Puncheon. It's annoying because it's not something that Pardew or Adkins could really do anything about. I think we need to bring in a serious competitor for Lambert in January though as it's the sole thing jeopardising our season.

[doddisalegend]

it is also clear that holt (for a big fella) is pretty mobile and moves all over the pitch...

 

Lambert moves all over the pitch too. This season one of the reasons he's not scoring is because he is usually out on a flank or somewhere behind six of his teammates rather than up in the box looking to score where he should be.

Edited 28 November, 2010 by doddisalegend

[benjii]

Lambert moves all over the pitch too. This season one of the reasons he's not scoring is because he is usually out on a flank or somewhere behind six of his teammates rather than up in the box looking to score where he should be.

 

No, the reason is poor finishing. He's had plenty of chances he would've buried last season.

[doddisalegend]

No, the reason is poor finishing. He's had plenty of chances he would've buried last season.

 

well I did say one of the reasons. Pardew built the team around Lambert people might have complained about what they saw as a hoof it to Lambert style but in the main it was effective. Rickies being asked to play a different game under Nigel one he is not so suited to with his lack of pace how's he going to score when he's playing so deep or out wide?

[Window Cleaner]

No, the reason is poor finishing. He's had plenty of chances he would've buried last season.

 

Although I did think from a couple of incidents in the Posh game that we have so many people in the opponents box that they tend to get into each other's way.

[benjii]

well I did say one of the reasons. Pardew built the team around Lambert people might have complained about what they saw as a hoof it to Lambert style but in the main it was effective. Rickies being asked to play a different game under Nigel one he is not so suited to with his lack of pace how's he going to score when he's playing so deep or out wide?

 

He's not. He's had plenty of chances in the penalty box that he has missed.

[Thedelldays]

holt gets a hattrick for norwich

[Window Cleaner]

He's not. He's had plenty of chances in the penalty box that he has missed.

 

It's not just missing chances,it's about being where he should be. The was an incident in the Brighton game where one of the wide players got past his man and pulled the balled back to about the edge of the 6 yd box or maybe a little further out,our Rickie was running in behind it so in theory he should just have to side foot it in.But he was 3 yards short,obviously the wide men have to beat their man, look up,calculate exactly where an unfit player can get to and put the ball exactly on to that spot then.Trouble is it's supposed to be instinctive on their part and Rickie is ballsing it up with his senatorial pace.

Edited 28 November, 2010 by Window Cleaner

[MINIBARCELONASAINT]

We beat both last season, neither team has changed much.

[Window Cleaner]

it is also clear that holt (for a big fella) is pretty mobile and moves all over the pitch...

 

must be a pretty aggressive bloke as well, gets a lot of cards if I remember rightly, probably does his reputation no harm at all,having a bit of a reputation as a bit of a nasty piece of work I mean.

[benjii]

must be a pretty aggressive bloke as well, gets a lot of cards if I remember rightly, probably does his reputation no harm at all,having a bit of a reputation as a bit of a nasty piece of work I mean.

 

He was very lucky indeed not to be sent off after 3 minutes today. Ipswich were ****e at the back but the ref did stitch them up a bit.

[doddisalegend]

We beat both last season, neither team has changed much.

 

Maybe not their teams. Ours on the other hand doesn't seem like the same team it was last season at all, couldn't see us beating Norwich this season.

[saint1977]

Grant Holt showed how the number 9 role should be played today. Adkins should make Rickie watch the DVD of the East Anglian derby after training to remind him of what he should be contributing. Rickie in my opinion has more ability than Holt but needs a much bigger dose of Holt's attitude. Yes, Holt irritated our fans last year but good, that's his role as an opponent and there are far too many soft players mentally in our squad, not just Rickie, so I hope they were watching. The playing squad needs to mirror the toughness and competiveness that NC has brought to the club off the pitch. After the referee's shocking award of a Brighton penalty on Tuesday, I was yelling at our players to go down under the slightest touch in their penalty area as I was certain the ref would look to even it up. After all, Brighton were happy to do so. Our squad has ability but not enough sides fear us as we are still a bit too much of a nice team.

 

We won't finish in the top 2 without 2 new strikers - preferably Fryatt and Le Fondre. Chaplow on a perm deal and Harley from Exeter would improve the midfield and give Lallana some help and with Gobern's return to form, Morgan can have the move he clearly wants. Lambert can stay if his attitude is right but if not, he'll join Puncheon in exile.

[niceandfriendly]

This season one of the reasons he's not scoring is because he is usually out on a flank or somewhere behind six of his teammates rather than up in the box looking to score where he should be.

 

Completely agree. So many times this season I've been infuriated just by noticing Lambert out wide or outside the box when an attack is progressing.

 

Not sure whether it's tactical or laziness/not-as-good-as-last-seasonness. I'd guess at a bit of both.

[RedArmy]

if if if

 

We don't deserve to be top.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

if if if

 

We don't deserve to be top.

 

If only you'd shed that ray of light earlier...........

[The9]

It's not just missing chances,it's about being where he should be. The was an incident in the Brighton game where one of the wide players got past his man and pulled the balled back to about the edge of the 6 yd box or maybe a little further out,our Rickie was running in behind it so in theory he should just have to side foot it in.But he was 3 yards short,obviously the wide men have to beat their man, look up,calculate exactly where an unfit player can get to and put the ball exactly on to that spot then.Trouble is it's supposed to be instinctive on their part and Rickie is ballsing it up with his senatorial pace.

 

Fair point, but you actually have to "run" to have "pace". Mind you Berbatov seems to be managing without.

[The9]

Completely agree. So many times this season I've been infuriated just by noticing Lambert out wide or outside the box when an attack is progressing.

 

Not sure whether it's tactical or laziness/not-as-good-as-last-seasonness. I'd guess at a bit of both.

 

He's been out wide a lot less often than he was last season, mostly because getting out there involves some kind of movement.

[Window Cleaner]

Fair point, but you actually have to "run" to have "pace". Mind you Berbatov seems to be managing without.

 

because he just got a massive kick up the arse from Sir Alex, 6 months to prove himself or so it's said.