Away to Blurrrghburn

[Worthy4England]

Just from the highlights it didn't look too bad, at least we had chances. Blackburn could have been 3-0 up at HT, but so could Bolton if Beckford had his shooting boots on.

Shambolic defending and got punished.

I'm not sure he bought any of those with him, when he transferred.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Just from the highlights it didn't look too bad, at least we had chances. Blackburn could have been 3-0 up at HT, but so could Bolton if Beckford had his shooting boots on.

Shambolic defending and got punished.

When I were a lad I used to count decent chances on the highlights to see who was the better team.

By those rules, we lost 7-5 yesterday.

Says a lot about us going forward - Beckford's chance-snatching is beginning to look almost purposeful, as if he's been told (or decided) to shoot the first split-second he can - but it also says a lot about us at the back.

[Lord Kangana]

Is it possible he's snatching at chances because he feels he's not getting the service, and he's (probably subconsciously) starting to get worried about the goals/games ratio in his mind?

Or is he carrying a niggle, so he's (again, perhaps subconsciously) wary of running at full pelt for too long lest he pull up?

he's generally a player that has got goals wherever he was, and he's a decent signing, but something isn't quite right about him. Perhpas its as simple as getting a goal to settle the nerves?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Is it possible he's snatching at chances because he feels he's not getting the service, and he's (probably subconsciously) starting to get worried about the goals/games ratio in his mind?

Or is he carrying a niggle, so he's (again, perhaps subconsciously) wary of running at full pelt for too long lest he pull up?

he's generally a player that has got goals wherever he was, and he's a decent signing, but something isn't quite right about him. Perhpas its as simple as getting a goal to settle the nerves?

Interesting. I dunno.

I don't think he's carrying a niggle. Against QPR he roared past Dicky Dunne but then shot far too early - in that Dunne was never catching him, although Rob Green was fast narrowing the angles. I thought that might be nerves - sometimes a striker who's not on form doesn't want to wait, take the goalkeeper on, force the issue.

Then he scored at Tranmere, fairly instinctively/immediately (from a clever Moritz ball), and I thought he might be off and running.

But that first chance yesterday (at the Blackburn end), after being sent through by a decent Ngog ball, he again shot as soon as he could - unnecessarily so, IMO (with the benefit of hindsight, obviously, and without the benefit of a good goalscoring record). The second chance, at the Darwen End - a brilliant first touch then a shanked second with his left for a bobbly backpass to the keeper - he also took as quickly as possible, although to be fair he was getting closed down fast so it made sense to shoot ASAP. I think in the other two examples he simply made the wrong choice.

It's very possible he's worried about not getting chances, although that shouldn't make him gobble them as quickly as possible like a tramp finding half a Big Mac.

[thebish]

Perhpas its as simple as getting a goal to settle the nerves?

he did though - and it doesn't seem to have worked!

[Lord Kangana]

Against a proper team, in a proper game.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

He's probably snatching at chances because he knows it might be the last he gets before Christmas. Most strikers seem to get goals in runs, so I reckon as LK does that one goal might get him going at his more usual result.

[LeverEnd]

He's probably snatching at chances because he knows it might be the last he gets before Christmas. Most strikers seem to get goals in runs, so I reckon as LK does that one goal might get him going at his more usual result.

He'll always be feeding on scraps given the negative and defensive way Dougie sets up.

[BWFC_Insane]

He's probably snatching at chances because he knows it might be the last he gets before Christmas. Most strikers seem to get goals in runs, so I reckon as LK does that one goal might get him going at his more usual result.

He'll always be feeding on scraps given the negative and defensive way Dougie sets up.

We weren't negative or defensive at Blackburn.

[LeverEnd]

Agreed, but that was the exception and given the result it may well remain so.

[BWFC_Insane]

Agreed, but that was the exception and given the result it may well remain so.

It certainly shows the need to protect that back four!

[Lord Kangana]

How many more defensive midfielders do we need?

[thebish]

Agreed, but that was the exception and given the result it may well remain so.

It certainly shows the need to protect that back four!

we did though, didn't we - didn't we play two of dougie's defensive midfield defensive signings in front of the back four?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Agreed, but that was the exception and given the result it may well remain so.

It certainly shows the need to protect that back four!

we did though, didn't we - didn't we play two of dougie's defensive midfield defensive signings in front of the back four?

Maybe we need some defensive attackers to defend the defensive midfielders busily defending the defenders. I despair.

Attack attack attack.

[IggyTheDawgster]

Does his body language and attitude concern anyone else or is it just me?

[plymouth wanderer]

Aye he's spot on though.... thats what I wanna see, you can see he's hurting not the same old bollocks that usually gets spouted

[BWFC_Insane]

Agreed, but that was the exception and given the result it may well remain so.

It certainly shows the need to protect that back four!

we did though, didn't we - didn't we play two of dougie's defensive midfield defensive signings in front of the back four?

In a midfield 4. Certainly less protection than when we played QPR where Ream actually had a good game in that role.

But we pushed up for a lot of the game. And we did create stuff. The issue was that at times we isolated defenders one on one. They should of course deal with that....but......

[Lord Kangana]

So, to get this straight, we need 3 defensive midfielders to protect our back 4 and goalkeeper?

[IggyTheDawgster]

Does his body language and attitude concern anyone else or is it just me?

Not really. I've wondered a few times if Dougie has lost the dressing room due to his brusque nature (I like it but I know some of the players won't), but here Pratley just looks genuinely disgusted and embarrassed by their performance, rather than deflated.

Maybe it's just me then, I appreciate he's disappointed, It's just his eyes when he's answering questions. Almost like he's not believing what he's saying himself.

Hope we don't lose the dressing room. That would be disaster.

[BWFC_Insane]

So, to get this straight, we need 3 defensive midfielders to protect our back 4 and goalkeeper?

I think we need someone to fill the space in front of the back four as it stands. Ream did that well. I think Medo could do it as well if needed.

Spearing is definitely not that sort of player, he's better being let off the leash to close the ball down and win it back and he can usually pass it well enough.