What is Our Major Weakness?

[Ric-Roc]

I was gonna say do you really need to ask,but obviously a lot of people don't rate our defence.Up front to me is dire. We have scored goals mainly from midfield Simpson has worked wonders but apart from him...Nish

[qblockpete]

Think our defence is the problem, scoring goals isn't. Though many fans will make the point for the sake of it

[Bluehoop]

For me personally it's my bladder - I never used to have to take a leak at half time after a few pints but now!!

[kingo]

All three are very good on their day, BUT if a team sets out to shut us down from passing from the back, we do not have a reasonable forward who can use his head for longer passes either from the keeper or full backs. As such the ball just keeps coming back and eventually the oppo score.

[paulmason]

Team selection

[Jeff]

so if it's our defence that's the problem, you can't honestly be saying that Gorkss or Connolly are not good enough to be playing, can you? surely they are as assured of their places as Simpson, Tarrabt and Routledge, who you claimed in so many words were undroppable yesterday, and bearing in mind that Borrowdale has played the vast majority of games this season, and hasn't put a foot wrong ((c) QBlockPete, 2009) that must mean that this whole thing is Legiertwood and Ramages fault, right?

[sirpiechucker]

QPR shots at goal: 201
QPR goals scored: 29 (14% strike rate)


Cardiff shots at goal: 155
Cardiff goals scored: 33 (21% strike rate)

If we had the same strike rate as Cardiff this season we would have scored 43 goals this season. We've had chances but don't have the quality up front to score them.

Chopra has scored 11 from 33 shots, Taraabt has scored just 4 from 34 shots. Taraabt is a very good player but if he had the conversion rate of a Michael Chopra we would be sitting pretty at the top rather than in 6th.

[paulmason]

QPR shots at goal: 201
QPR goals scored: 29 (14% strike rate)


Cardiff shots at goal: 155
Cardiff goals scored: 33 (21% strike rate)

If we had the same strike rate as Cardiff this season we would have scored 43 goals this season. We've had chances but don't have the quality up front to score them.

Chopra has scored 11 from 33 shots, Taraabt has scored just 4 from 34 shots. Taraabt is a very good player but if he had the conversion rate of a Michael Chopra we would be sitting pretty at the top rather than in 6th.

What is Newcastle's strike rate. The last two games I have seen on TV, they have been outplayed and not had many chances, but still won 1-0. They loose a few like all teams do, but the seem to know how to dig out results.

[Hoopaman]

QPR shots at goal: 201
QPR goals scored: 29 (14% strike rate)


Cardiff shots at goal: 155
Cardiff goals scored: 33 (21% strike rate)

If we had the same strike rate as Cardiff this season we would have scored 43 goals this season. We've had chances but don't have the quality up front to score them.

Chopra has scored 11 from 33 shots, Taraabt has scored just 4 from 34 shots. Taraabt is a very good player but if he had the conversion rate of a Michael Chopra we would be sitting pretty at the top rather than in 6th.

great stat yet again sirpie.. Oh but wouldn't signing chopra for 4/5mil be a gamble?! Oh he's past it?! He's not proven at this level?! ... Can't think of anymore classic 'oracle' QBP partylines for Not signing a striker!!

[sirpiechucker]

Newcastle shots at goal: 183
Newcastle goals scored: 26 (same strike rate as us 14%)

They've conceded 9 fewer than we have which is conceding one goal fewer every two games meaning they have not conceded and turned draws into wins (like last night) and defeats into draws.

[qblockpete]

hoopaman,

I'll put your inaccuracies down, as not being a regular on here

[qblockpete]

Amazing how one 2-0 defeat brings the masses out in saying we need goalscorers, yet I point again to the fact we are the 3rd highest scorers in the division

I think you lot, just want to wind me up.

[Pal]

We have scored most goals against teams that probably won't finish in the top half of the table, and midfielders can get those type of goals when we are all over them. But to score goals against better sides, when we won't be dominating play, you need dedicated marksmen.
More than that we need a big tall centre forward, Simpson is no giant, and the others in our 'strike force' (apart from Dave) are rather lightweight. Harewood is the kind of player I would like to see play for us.

[scarface]

In my opinion the defence is our weakness at the moment we're letting in silly goals which teams that get promoted or into the play off's dont do.

We need to stick with two centre halves for the next few games a let them get use to playing together,we need to tighten up our marking we got away with it for a while but now the goals are drying up a bit it's starting to show our defence up.

We got away with it at derby with a brilliant comeback,let barnsley back in the game when coasting,two silly goals last wk and against leicester,palace hit the woodwork twice. We need to start keeping clean sheets do you think newcastle fans are at all bothered at the moment winning games 1-0 and grinding out results dare i say a tad boring to watch.

Football is all about winning and you aint going to do that with a dodgey defence which we have folks.

[paulmason]

Pete - As sirpiechucker said, we have scored 1 goal more than Newcastle, but they have conceded 9 fewer goals. When people say that strikers win games, that's true, but so do clean sheets and that's why Newcastle are top and we are not.

Where's Sousa when you need him (joke)