Championship: Up & Down?

Burnley stuff us, then get stuffed themselves twice in 5 days.

Coyle out now.

So far I can't see more than mid table ..... again, waiting for evidence on the park not just hope in our hearts.
Only a few games in obviously but Blackpool look to be running away for the top slot .... leaving the rest of us to battle for 2nd & 3rd.

Just seen the Champions take three points off Leicester, the so-called joint favourites. 3 points up on Bolton already, it's gonna be easier than I thought.

KEANO KEANO

If anyone ever watches the championship they will know a team always start well just like blackpool but I assure you they won't keep it up, i'll hold my hands up if they do what we did many years back with 100 points and 100 goals but Christ we're only 3 games in.

Too early to say who will walk this league, we have taken 4 from 9 and only 3 points from 2nd spot so let's not get too down in the bloody dumps.

Not in the dumps.... but our play so far and pre-season is not reason to get excited.
Again, if we are dominating games and unlucky ...thats one thing we can live with. Right now we were well beaten by Burnley, Mostly poor against Derby and damn lucky to get a draw at home to Forest.
Side note: Swansea had 44 passes in a row at one point in the second half today. Can somebody tell me when BWFC strung together 5 or 6. We probably do now and again but it doesn't feel like it.

We play a totally different style to swansea though, obviously I would love us to play like them, there a joy to watch but coyle hasn't brought in the players to do that plus IMO they have much better coaches than us.

You say we have been lucky to beat and draw against derby and forest but I would rather play shit and take points than play well and lose.

aaron_bwfc wrote:We play a totally different style to swansea though, obviously I would love us to play like them, there a joy to watch but coyle hasn't brought in the players to do that plus IMO they have much better coaches than us.

You say we have been lucky to beat and draw against derby and forest but I would rather play shit and take points than play well and lose.

But why hasn't Coyle brought in players who can pass, when that was, apparently, one of the big factors for bringing him here?

You will have to ask the wise one that himself, though as you have said before any good player should be able to pass the ball and move.

We obviously haven't got the coaches bringing this out of the players and seem to focus more on passing the ball out wide or launching the ball long from a goal kick.

Automatic: Blackpool and Blackburn
Play-offs: Middlesbrough, Leeds, Charlton, Cardiff
Relegation: Peterborough, Barnsley, Millwall

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

aaron_bwfc wrote:We play a totally different style to swansea though, obviously I would love us to play like them, there a joy to watch but coyle hasn't brought in the players to do that plus IMO they have much better coaches than us.

You say we have been lucky to beat and draw against derby and forest but I would rather play shit and take points than play well and lose.

But why hasn't Coyle brought in players who can pass, when that was, apparently, one of the big factors for bringing him here?

Right you are laddie .... we were promised a change of style etc etc. Today we hoof it more than when Mugson was in charge.
On a side note: Today West Ham had Jussi, Nobby Nolan, Vaz Te, Matty Taylor and Big Sam in charge. They hoofed it like the good ol days ...and Jussi had one go under his body...... of course Swansea passed it all around them. Looked the same as us ....nowt has changed.

There are 10 or 12 teams in this league that could get promoted but only a couple that have stood out from the pack so far, notably Blackpool. For us to get to their level we need to sort out the defence and solve the problem of adding a defensive mid without blunting the attack - bit of a reshuffle and a few more games. We can assume that the other teams will improve by sorting out their own shortcomings. So I guess there's no way of telling where we'll end up at this stage - all we know is that after a loss and a draw some of the other contenders have already stolen a march on us.

wanderlust wrote:There are 10 or 12 teams in this league that could get promoted but only a couple that have stood out from the pack so far, notably Blackpool. For us to get to their level we need to sort out the defence and solve the problem of adding a defensive mid without blunting the attack - bit of a reshuffle and a few more games. We can assume that the other teams will improve by sorting out their own shortcomings. So I guess there's no way of telling where we'll end up at this stage - all we know is that after a loss and a draw some of the other contenders have already stolen a march on us.

True, but Coyle doesn't seem to be able to tackle the problem areas. At times teams just walk through our non-existant midfield area - that is the main thing that needs addressing.

If Coyle doesn't bring in a defensive midfielder this week it will confirm that he really shouldn't be managing at this level.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

wanderlust wrote:There are 10 or 12 teams in this league that could get promoted but only a couple that have stood out from the pack so far, notably Blackpool. For us to get to their level we need to sort out the defence and solve the problem of adding a defensive mid without blunting the attack - bit of a reshuffle and a few more games. We can assume that the other teams will improve by sorting out their own shortcomings. So I guess there's no way of telling where we'll end up at this stage - all we know is that after a loss and a draw some of the other contenders have already stolen a march on us.

True, but Coyle doesn't seem to be able to tackle the problem areas. At times teams just walk through our non-existant midfield area - that is the main thing that needs addressing.

If Coyle doesn't bring in a defensive midfielder this week it will confirm that he really shouldn't be managing at this level.

... or he wasn't able too.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:
... or he wasn't able too.

If you realised your whole season was resting on getting a holding midfielder you'd go out and do it.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote:
... or he wasn't able too.

If you realised your whole season was resting on getting a holding midfielder you'd go out and do it.

I must say I agree with this and said more or less that Coyle had to do that in January too and failed miserably.

Holden is out for who knows when, Muamba as retired, Reo-Coker left and Coyle's only brought in Andrews.

He's KNOWN he's three midfield down all summer yet only managed to get Andrews in and fart around with 'The Rock'.

As soon as he started to miss meetings and his agent demanded double salary, I thing any sensible person KNEW that this deal wasn't going to work and should have immediately moved on to his next target - but oh no, not Coyle - he wasted weeks with his 'he's on his way', 'oh no he's not' antics.

The more I see of Coyle's man management skills, the more I think that he truly doesn't have much of a clue with that part of his job either.

Remember this is the man that proudly proclaimed that he sent Holden a training top and a couple of shirts in the post to keep him motivated - wtf!

Take a couple of days off and fly to see him in America and give him them yourself - I think that would make him feel more special than waiting for the mailman to arrive!

Coyle really is completely clueless.

But who would you bring in?

I agree that he should be pursing that position strongly, but maybe he is?

At the end of the day he's only going to go after people he deems of sufficient quality, he's obviously targeted Sanchez and Spearing, maybe he thinks Vela is up to playing a role.

If he brought in any old player he'd take shit for that too.

and as for flying to see Holden, come on, you want him to be tracking players and making inquiries 24/7 but he's also got to "take a couple of days off" to go and hand a player a couple of shirts. Bit silly that really.

No I don't think it is.

He must have known BEFORE the seasons end that he needed two midfields for Holden and Muamba and shortly after it (if not before as well) three, to replace Reo-Coker.

Scouting should have been going on continuously throughout the season AND I'm sure numerous agents across Europe, the Americas and the far east would have been touting their clients to clubs like ours - so it really would not been that difficult to have come up with a list of likely targets - and I'm not talking about any old player or other.

I guess this is evidenced in the way we quickly got Andrews in and who had ever heard of 'The Rock' before we went after him?

Do you think the club's summer shopping list of proposed midfield targets consisted of just TWO players (Spearings only just come on the market since Rodgers has had the time to assess who he wants and doesn't from taking over as manager)? I don't - but then again with Coyle in charge it may very well have done!

As for doing the 'touch feely' thing of taking say three days out over the summer break to visit the clubs best player (by a mile when fit!) paid for by the club as well - then why the fuck not - I certainly would have done it - Christ I even send out the occasional private pm's on here and other past forums I've been on, to posters who I think for whatever reason may have felt a bit down or hard done by and I don't even know then from Adam!

I don't think Coyle 'tracks' all the players personally and he certainly is not the one who 'makes the enquires', so yes I think Coyle most certainly could have fitted in a few days to see Holden personally if he had a mind too - unless he thinks his knee is permanently fucked?

If you were Holden wouldn't you appreciate the effort? I know I would.

Fair enough, i do think he is.

I just think he has a limited budget and is targeting players that he perceives to be "quality" of course one mans quality is another mans shite, so that means little.

obviously unless we have inside info it's difficult to really say for sure about things, but i'd definitely be surprised if Coyle has realised this week he needs a DM.

He has Vela, he purchased Andrews and has targeted "the rock" and Spearing. Thats four DM's, assuming we get Spearing, he's got three, along with players like Pratley and Ream who can also play there. We've plenty of bodies.

I'm not saying I'm happy with the way we've done business or even with Coyle but i do think it's a stretch to suggest he isn't attempting to do any business

I wouldn't put andrews in that defensive midfield role, more of a box to box goalscorer from what was talked about before he came.

I think he's worried about playing vela in all honesty, upsetting the apple cart so to speak in case it doesn't work out with the young lad.

I'd be surprised if he didn't bring in another body before the end of the window but I wouldn't imagine the board will be happy to piss away 3million on spearing.

Well the proof is in the pudding Hipster, I suppose.

I'm sure you would agree he should have got cover for Holden - if not last summer, certainly in January - and he didn't - and it cost us big time.

He's since lost Muamba and NRC - with just Andrews in.

Yes he's got Vela - not even on the bench first two games - Ream - tried in midfield for us and I think you will agree - failed there, and Pratley who has done nothing but disappoint up to now.

My initial point was that surely Coyle has got other targets on his list other than The Rock, who did nothing other than fanny around - so why didn't he just move on to the next midfielder identified?

Yes, there are wages to be paid and maybe a transfer fee to be found but surely that's going to be the price we will have to pay because on the evidence of the first three games our current midfield doesn't contribute either in the creation of goals or the protection of defence - no wonder Knight, Mears and Bogdan have been told to lump it over their heads to the forwards!

We aren't going to get promotion with the tactics and the team we have right now - and you can gladly quote me on that.