Can't Score, Won't Score.


2 days ago we lost to Peterborough. If we were still playing now, I bet we would still be losing to Peterborough. And that makes 6 games without scoring, which is pitiful in anyone’s language.

The fact we had a lionshare of possession created more opportunities and generally looked better, all save for in front of goal is one thing. The fact without possession of the ball we are clueless is another. The stats show 50-50% share of the ball. A lot of Peterborough’s time was spent passing the ball round the back once ahead content that we'd probably be incapable of breaking them down.

And shock horror, but an Ex Forest player popped up with the goal, and another, a striker no less, put in a good showing (George Boyd and Emile Sinclair respectively)It's not just rubbing salt into wounds, but open up new wounds to pour industrial strength salt into.

There were good efforts by Forest, McCleary and McGugan forcing the keeper to make saves before the Posh scored. That said, these were saves you'd expect any keeper of any calibre to save with a fair amount of comfort.

It wasn't really a surprise to see Peterborough lead, or to see Forest floundering to the usual type of changes we make to bring on fresh legs to do no more than they replaced. The team lacks leadership on the field. No-one is urging them on in the way that Paul McKenna the formally much maligned McKenna used.

Too many players go missing and the structure, though a classical shape just seems wrong, players are not doing what they should. McGugan is static and waiting for the ball rather than looking for It., Majewski looks lost and goes missing for huge periods of time. Our main creative outlet for two home games has been Garath McCleary running at wingers. McCleary will try all day but his crossing is not always the best.

Up front, they often seem remote. At times not getting into the box. When they do have a chance to that is. Much of the time the ball being tossed up to the strikers to merely is brought back towards our net again when a hoof fails.

Where we went wrong on Saturday was Moussi not being able to play centre back. He did well considering, but he had a lapse of concentration, couldn't run back toward goal as well as look about him where danger was and before we knew it, Boyd had time to curl what was a lovely strike home. Moussi, as I say did try, but he just looses concentration too much, as do half the rest. Greening on too many occasions left a ball too short, Cunningham at times looks confused as to what to do, Reid when he comes in knows what he wants to do, but is too unfit to do it half the time.

All in all, it's almost there. Almost isn't good enough. Every position seems to be running at 50% of where it was last year in terms of ability, yet most players are the same as took us to the brink of the Premiership.

I saw the first few signs around me of people being very disgruntled with Cotterill too. His post match interview were he sounded as perplexed as anyone and had no answers won't have helped either.


I had this discussion at work the other day before the Xmas break. Of the team that was doing badly, the majority were players who played in the glory games, against West Brom, against Derby. How long ago those days now seem.

Comments

  1. Could your point regarding Leadership on the pitch be the main reason the players from last season are suddenly crap. Chambers though a good defender was making a shed load of error, was this because of the pressure? Maybe we do need a leader.. what about Greening? old head?

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