Blackpool, Make or Break

[Mem]

I agree Kev, I worry about us offensively. Tippy tappy nonsense at the back. Slow, predictable football doesn’t help!

Somehow, we are 4th still and hopefully we’ll go for it on Wednesday

Warbs and Eustace are no mugs so let’s see

[gator]

I think it is just a case of the lack of depth and quality in certain positions has caught up to us, on paper we are a mid table squad but we have massively over achieved, many posts have pointed out the disparity in squad value in the top 6! It is very disappointing for us to see the team drop points to bottom teams in the division when we are in a lofty position in the table but I am not surprised, relying on the 3 strikers we have is haunting us as well as injury issues at wingback, maybe a formation change would make a difference, I have my doubts because we are not set up to play a back 4 IMHO, we will live or die with what we have! Back to the OP I do agree this is a crucial match and a loss could really add to the downward spiral, a win however will get our hopes up again albeit possibly temporarily!

[KevC59]

I think it is just a case of the lack of depth and quality in certain positions has caught up to us, on paper we are a mid table squad but we have massively over achieved, many posts have pointed out the disparity in squad value in the top 6! It is very disappointing for us to see the team drop points to bottom teams in the division when we are in a lofty position in the table but I am not surprised, relying on the 3 strikers we have is haunting us as well as injury issues at wingback, maybe a formation change would make a difference, I have my doubts because we are not set up to play a back 4 IMHO, we will live or die with what we have! Back to the OP I do agree this is a crucial match and a loss could really add to the downward spiral, a win however will get our hopes up again albeit possibly temporarily!

I think we all need an uplift under any circumstances at the moment !! Lol

[Mem]

One small positive is that the signings of Sanderson, Hendrik and Marshall could prove crucial

[QPRHoop]

Obviously I’m concerned about our recent results and performances but I’m trying not to panic. Just had a quick look and in January Fulham went 4 games and picked up 3 points. In November/December Bournemouth picked up 3 points from 6 games. They look like they will be the top 2 so it happens to every team in a season to go through a bad patch and unfortunately we are on ours at the moment. Just hope it doesn’t last too long but all it could take is one good result (a lucky win next week against Blackburn) and we could go on a decent run.

Basically I’m saying no need to panic too much as we are still in a position 21 other clubs in our division would love to be in. But a win on Wednesday would be very welcome.

[BusRider]

Understood mate but I’m more referring to the abuse to his wife and kids etc.

Chaz is struggling, no doubt and that’s why I would start Gray on Wednesday

There’s a fine line between constructive and destructive criticism

The boys are trying but it’s not happening at the moment

I just think we all need to get behind them, that’s all

Exactly why I feel bad about saying he's probably done as a championship level striker. As far as I'm concerned he is the best striker for us since Ferdinand. He has been great for us for several seasons. It upsets me that people are abusing not just him but his family, that is unacceptable.

that's why I feel bad when I say he just aint up to it anymore.

[72bus]

Charlie at times does himself no favours , 1st half yday he was constantly standing offside .When he realised the ball wasnt coming to him he'd shrug his shoulders and his body language wasn't good . Dropping deep against Millwall he kept losing the ball.. I've heard a few times he likes a night out true or untrue who knows , but how can he go so downhill so quickly he's 32 not 52 . He's not getting the basics right at times ,snaps at shots, holds on to the ball for to long , misplaced.passes . Watch him when he runs he's huffing and puffing afterwards he struggles to get his breath back .. surely Warburton sees all this

[KevC59]

Charlie at times does himself no favours , 1st half yday he was constantly standing offside .When he realised the ball wasnt coming to him he'd shrug his shoulders and his body language wasn't good . Dropping deep against Millwall he kept losing the ball.. I've heard a few times he likes a night out true or untrue who knows , but how can he go so downhill so quickly he's 32 not 52 . He's not getting the basics right at times ,snaps at shots, holds on to the ball for to long , misplaced.passes . Watch him when he runs he's huffing and puffing afterwards he struggles to get his breath back .. surely Warburton sees all this

Unfortunately MW only sees what he wants to see when it comes to Chas and Steff !!!

[Dono77]

I'd give stef more leverage than Charlie at the minute. Stef is being asked to play different roles almost every other game. He still looks good in possession, can pass long or short, can put his foot in, tries to organise the troops and has a desire to win. In stark contrast to Charlie who at 32 looks like he's 42! It's embarrassing how immobile he had become yet no one at the club seems to have the balls to drop him and tell him to get himself fit.

All we see from training videos is him playing a one two with someone and having a free shot on goal. When has he done that this season? Never.
He doesn't have the legs to make sharp runs around the box or drop the shoulder and get a shot away. He's become a pantomime villain for opposition fans. He scores and he gives it the big one to them, he doesn't score and he throws a strop or gets the hump.

Unfortunately as a team we don't play to his strengths at all which doesn't help. Stick 6 decent crosses in the box every game and he will get at least one goal. But that's not us under warburton so nothing will change for Austin. Shame how a great player is becoming a very average one at only 32!!

[stanistheman]

Yes, Austin is not playing well and looks unfit (he could probably work on these aspects), but he is no longer capable of playing as a lone striker and needs support either from Dykes, Gray or Willock, the former may be injured and miss s few more games.

The issue as I see it is that Warburton is being stubborn and won’t play to suit the players available, but instead shoehorns players into a system. Listen to his post match explanation for playing Willock at LWB. When I saw the lineup I presumed we were going to set up as a 4-3-3, but when the game began it was apparent that was not the case.

As for the importance of the next game , we MUST win it if we want to stay in the top 6 as Sheffield United and Middlesbrough have a game in hand and Huddersfield are level on points. Failure to win this or the Blackburn game (away and live on Sky = unlikely) will almost certainly see us dropping out of the top 6 (cue the negative responses to me even though others don’t as much).

I have been positive about our chances this season and was saying we can finish in the top 6, if not better (even got pre season bets on us to do so). I still think we can , but we cannot limp through the rest of the season with games against our rivals coming.

We play Sheffield United twice, Blackburn, Huddersfield, Forest, Luton, WBA, Fulham & Stoke, so it is in our hands to win or lose it this season. So Warburton has to play to the team’s strength and not waste our best attacking talent in a defensive position and if starting with Austin (better as an impact sub) then at least give him more support.

[Undecided]

To what extent are players really "shoe-horned" in a position? Surely once the game is in progress and an opportunity arises, a capable player will look to capitalise on the opportunity, and won't be hand-tied by strict adherence to the "system".

OK, so after they may need to regroup, but the must be some fluidity in play in any position.

For instance, what would be wrong with the occasional break from the "forward, along, back, along, forward, repeat, lose it" constantly adopted at the back.

[Dono77]

Something that bugged me on sat was when sanderson had the ball in the second half, he has about 40 yards of space to run into with no one waiting to close him downing yet instead he refused to carry the ball forward and instead passed it either out to uncle who had 2 people waiting to close him down or went square to dunne who was stood 10 yards away and all the runs people had made all went to waste!

Surely a pro footballer can run with the ball and then pass rather than pass standing still??

[ConorQPR2000]

Austin is good coming on for the last 20 to 25 mins of games, but you can tell he struggles now to complete a full 90 mins.

Not sure whether its possible that we could draft a free agent in on a contract until the end of the season just to give us an extra option in attack.

I personally just feel we lack a bit of cohesion at times, not sure if the signings from January have fitted in just yet.

[Undecided]

Austin is good coming on for the last 20 to 25 mins of games, but you can tell he struggles now to complete a full 90 mins.

Not sure whether its possible that we could draft a free agent in on a contract until the end of the season just to give us an extra option in attack.

I personally just feel we lack a bit of cohesion at times, not sure if the signings from January have fitted in just yet.

Exactly this about Austin. Put him on fresh for the last, say, 20 minutes when the rest have tired a bit.

[KevC59]

All the threads and comments in the last month have pretty much said the same thing, we are going round and round in circles, it all comes down to one fact, MW is the only one who can do anything about the problems we have, if he continues to stubbornly carry on with a system that A -- doesn't work and B--- he doesn't have the personnel to make work, then the outcome for this season is inevitable, down to mid table, and I think his job would be in jeopardy.

It's not over yet, we could rally and find a bit of form or a spark of something which will give us a chance of making the play offs, but that's the future, who can say what will happen, the here and now tells it like it is, and it's not looking bright, it is definitely a must win against Blackpool in my opinion