Mark Bowen

[Del]

I know Mark Bowen is technically the assistant manager, but surely his role on the training ground is defensive coach.... This area is the main concern for me. Again yesterday we didn't win a single header either in attack or defence and Reading could easily have scored again.

There seems to be no organisation whatsoever, and we are beyond a shambles defending set pieces. If we come up against big lumps who dominate in the air, that's just the way it is, but there is no excuse for looking disorganised when they should be working all week in training on knowing whose job is what and being clear on what to do and how to do it. This is not the case.

Surely Bowen needs to take some criticism for this as i gather, and would assume that's supposedly his area of "expertise" among the coaching staff....???

If we didn't constantly leak weak goals against, or think we are likely to conceed, we might play with a little less pressure / fear, whatever you want to call it at the other end. We may also believe that in games 1 goal might be enough to win... at present i don't think any of us think that would be the case.

The players need to take responsibility but also there should be some accountability within the coaching staff, and i can't imagine Mark Hughes is taking charge of the defence when his assistant played in that role.

[brightonr]

Difficult to believe MH is taking charge of anything at all this season, other than making up excuses.

Be interested to know whose fault it was yesterday for us waiting an hour for the team to start playing like one and dropping more easy points.

[Bluehoop]

I agree totally Del. It will be a huge huge problem next week at Stoke!
Can anybody explain the method to our defending - it seems that in the middle third of the box we are defending zonally but the full backs are designated a player to go "touch tight" with. Effectively they seem to be trying to merge two systems: it's confusing and clearly isn't working as those with "zonal roles" seem to be preventing "touch tights" from staying with their men as opposition players actually move through the zones and ours all get in each other's way rather than controlling their designated areas.

I might have it all wrong (and let's face it I probably have) but that's seems to be the "system" (I use the word loosely) they are trying to employ. Whatever it is it just aint working and they should go back to good old man for man marking for set pieces.

As for attacking corners and free kicks - I just don't see us getting on anything and would love to know what goes on in training.

Hughes should do what Wenger finally did and accept that he needs a proper expert to sort it out - let's face it, if Wenger can bring in Bould, surely Hughes can find a proper defensive coach to work with his backs?

Dare I say it would have been a role perfect for Big Mac - but there must be some living legends that could sort it better than Bowen?

[Busheyboy]

Bowen was a very average player (at best) and don't think his coaching is any better

[Del]

Bowen was a very average player (at best) and don't think his coaching is any better

Indeed. The only thing in his playing career i remember him for was missing a penalty for Wales in a World cup / Euro qualifier late in the last match (i think) which cost them qualification to their first major tournament. With the array of attacking talen tthey had at the time, including Hughes, i always found it weird he had the responsibility as his method appeared to be hit and hope....

[QPR Richard]

Del, I think you're right about how the defence is set up, and I don't believe it's possible to mix two defensive systems either. The left sided CB becomes the de facto LB when the LB is attacking, so when he then has to switch to zonal marking for corners etc no wonder there's so much confusion in our back line.