| Lack of Confidence and Confusion 10:11 - Nov 29 with 3465 views | _ |
We've hit a brick wall and I'm afraid the writing was all over it in Bolton. I said at the time I felt a lot better after that gut wrenching loss at Rotherham. At least we bossed the game and apart from the obvious concern that we're not scoring enough, we played very well.
Potter said after that game that we'd learn from the experience and maybe this played a part in the poor second half at the Reebok. We barely contained a poor Bolton side and nearly got our just deserts.
Then the dreaded international break and we all knew we were in for a tough couple of weeks with the fixture's we had coming up.
Looking back, we more than took the game to Norwich early doors, we came out of the traps a lot better than we finished at Bolton and I think the players fancied themselves to beat them. Then, the horror show starts and before we knew it we've given away 3 of the softest goal we're likely to concede all season, and all of them completely unavoidable.
Without going into detail the Grimes experiment at left back really cost us for the first and third, although why VdH wasn't commanding his defence to stay in shape for the third I've no idea. Celina's drag back to try and beat a man on our 18 yard line was just horrible as well and he's been really affected by that as last night was his worst performance in a Swans shirt by far.
Onto last night and once again we're playing well, OK, we're 5 at the back so we're not committing many players into the box and chances weren't that many, but we got some and we should've done better with at least two more.
But that Norwich game has rocked us and the boys making their way in the game need to toughen up a bit mentally. I've read this week they wanted to apologise for Saturday and they want to give something back to the Jack Army etc, the usual platitudes perhaps, but I saw Ollie come over to the East and cup his hands as if in a prayer shape and was gesturing to say sorry.
Now on the face of that, that's great, shows they care, they want to win etc.... It also shows they care a bit too much about the fans and how they may see the individual players. I'm noticing a few of the youngsters throwing their arms up in the air on the pitch. Connor has done this all season and was having a go at Ollie last night again. Dan James did the same when Fer's poor chipped pass went over his head.
There's too much worrying about what's going on around them or what's being said in the stands and not enough about just concentrating on their own performances and looking after your team mates.
But this is a confidence thing as well. When it's going well and we're winning games or playing well and the crowd is up its great. When the mood descends there kids visibly suffer. The Norwich game knocked the stuffing out of them and they looked very fragile. The only way they'll get over this is with learning from it and being coached. When we go a goal down for example, you haven't got to start doing silly things to try and get back in it immediately.
Also, the confusion.
Potter has to hold his hands up here because after nearly half the season he's played some players in so many different positions it's all been a bit bloody crazy, really. Including the goalkeeping issue and has that had an affect on both of them. Mulder looked shaky last night, he didn't look shaky in that run of 8 games.
We've had Naughton play right back, centre mid, defensive mid and even attacking mid in Millwall.
We've had Roberts play right back and right midfield
We've had Carter Vickers play right back, left back and centre half.
We've had Grimes play left back and centre mid.
We've had Dan James play right wing and centre forward
We've had Ollie play centre forward and number 10 and left wing
And we've bombed out two senior pros that could've made a real difference here and there this season in Dyer and Routs.
We're all confused because we've actually believed the rotating and tinkering were all part of a master plan. But all that's happened is we've got players who are Jack of all trades, master of none.
Connor went straight down the tunnel yesterday after having his head in his hands for 30 seconds sat on the bench. He's being asked to provide the craft and guile at right forward and it's probably not been fair on him.
How handy would it be for, let's say Dyer (or McKay for those adamant Potters doing the right thing in not playing him) to have Connor supporting him and making those runs past him, creating two no ones down the flank and getting to the bye line?! Because now it's Connor more often than not who's got the ball on the corner of the box and his only option is to chip it in for the one man we've got in the box, Ollie.
This is why they've arguing on the pitch.
Potter needs to get it in to his players they need to concentrate on their own game and not how they maybe perceived from the stands. He also needs to do the right thing by them and stop switching them around to environments they're not comfortable with or used to.
We need to get back to basics at both ends of the pitch. |  |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 14:06 - Nov 29 with 838 views | AlfieMooresSon |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 12:19 - Nov 29 by Darran |
Fair point but the bloke is constantly writing contradictory essays. One minute we’ve got a solid squad with strength in depth when we clearly haven’t. This is currently panning out exactly as anyone with a brain cell would have expected. |
Agreed |  | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 14:08 - Nov 29 with 833 views | AlfieMooresSon |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:17 - Nov 29 by _ |
I worry about our crowd and it's the one thing for definite we've got going against us this season to when we were last in the Championship. Then we had unequivocal support, now the fans are too keen to express their frustration.
This will affect the less experienced a lot more than playing regularly. |
Agreed thats why the squad needs more experience !!! | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 14:43 - Nov 29 with 800 views | 34dfgdf54 |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:12 - Nov 29 by _ |
I would like to see him pushed further up if we're going with playing Rodon, VdH and him on the same pitch
--------------------------- Mulder --------------------------
Roberts ----- VdH ---------- Rodon ------- Olsson
-------------------- Carter Vickers ------------------------
Montero ------- Grimes ----- Fer -----------James
----------------------------- Bony ------------------------------
Where Mulder could be Nordvelt.
Roberts could be Naughton
Grimes or Fer could be Celina
Montero or James could be Dyer, McKay or even Celina out in wide positions
And Bony could be McBurnie (although we're missing more and more a focal point up top) Here's hoping Bony will keep improving.
Could Carter Vickers do that destroying job so we can push the likes of Fer and Grimes, for example, further up the pitch. Think I'd rather that than an out and out 5 at the back. |
Again though Chris, you're using a centre half in midifeld to plug a gap. As we have done with Naughton. The squad is short in midfield.
Other than that I don't have a problem with the team, apart from one change which some will probably have a fit about, and that's Naughton for Roberts. |  | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:05 - Nov 29 with 782 views | Dippy |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 10:30 - Nov 29 by Darran |
There’s only one problem with some people and that’s that they thought/think we are better than what we are and refused to recognise the way the squad was decimated during the summer leaving it paper thin.
It was always going to catch up with us,there’s no way the likes of Dan,Joe etc should be playing three games a week at this stage in their careers. |
Potter's instructions are a bit odd an all.. McBurnie played in a right wing, No10 role last night.. baffling. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:10 - Nov 29 with 780 views | oh_tommy_tommy |
Playing players in their proper positions is a good starting point |  |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:16 - Nov 29 with 769 views | ploppy |
Got to agree with a lot of what's in the OP (except that the 3 first half goals against Norwich were avoidable - I'm sure that's what he meant).
We seem to have got ourselves in a bit of a mess. All of a sudden we don't know who our best keeper is - Mulder's distribution last night was shocking and he's no better at commanding his box than Nordfeldt. Despite good performances earlier on I don't think Grimes is a left back - no surprise that 2 of Norwich's goals came down our left. Roberts is being asked to play wing back and I don't think that's his game - for me he looks much better when he's overlapping from full back. Fer is starting to be a liability - he was always capable of mistakes but he used to score the odd goal and he's not doing that anymore. Defensively i.e. in our box, he's poor. When was the last time Celina had a good game? Dan James tears at defences in the first half but can't keep it up for 90mins. Wilf looks like is going to take a long time to get back to any sort of form - if ever. What do we do with Naughton? And our defending at set pieces has gone to crap again. And Asoro and McKay are looking like poor acquisitions. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:49 - Nov 29 with 735 views | dobjack2 |
Need leadership on the pitch - organising the defence, stopping heads from dropping or squabbles etc.
More to being captain or vice captain than wearing an armband. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 16:11 - Nov 29 with 713 views | longlostjack |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:49 - Nov 29 by dobjack2 |
Need leadership on the pitch - organising the defence, stopping heads from dropping or squabbles etc.
More to being captain or vice captain than wearing an armband. |
This. Fer doesn’t seem to be up to it. It’s not easy to see who would be tbh. Pity we sold Fernandez in that respect. [Post edited 29 Nov 2018 16:13]
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 16:57 - Nov 29 with 674 views | Elmo |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:12 - Nov 29 by _ |
I would like to see him pushed further up if we're going with playing Rodon, VdH and him on the same pitch
--------------------------- Mulder --------------------------
Roberts ----- VdH ---------- Rodon ------- Olsson
-------------------- Carter Vickers ------------------------
Montero ------- Grimes ----- Fer -----------James
----------------------------- Bony ------------------------------
Where Mulder could be Nordvelt.
Roberts could be Naughton
Grimes or Fer could be Celina
Montero or James could be Dyer, McKay or even Celina out in wide positions
And Bony could be McBurnie (although we're missing more and more a focal point up top) Here's hoping Bony will keep improving.
Could Carter Vickers do that destroying job so we can push the likes of Fer and Grimes, for example, further up the pitch. Think I'd rather that than an out and out 5 at the back. |
Excellent shout - CCV looked comfortable and composed on the ball last night (where previously he looked cumbersome). With the right coaching (Leon) he could be the solid foundation / deep receiver for Grimes and Fer to work their magic in the red zone.
WBA respected his physicality - just what we need in the CDM space. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 18:33 - Nov 29 with 630 views | 34dfgdf54 |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 16:57 - Nov 29 by Elmo |
Excellent shout - CCV looked comfortable and composed on the ball last night (where previously he looked cumbersome). With the right coaching (Leon) he could be the solid foundation / deep receiver for Grimes and Fer to work their magic in the red zone.
WBA respected his physicality - just what we need in the CDM space. |
We don’t really have the time to be coaching him into a position, he’ll be gone next year. Plus, would Spurs approve him playing out of position? Or is it while he’s here, it’s none of their business? Not sure how that works with loan signings but he came here to gain experience at centre half.
We’re putting square pegs in round holes to cover a specialist position. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 18:43 - Nov 29 with 620 views | Catullus |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:46 - Nov 29 by jack247 |
With regards to Bony and being a focal point, I don’t know why we don’t do it.
I don’t agree with starting him at the moment, but when we bring him on, why don’t we mix it up a bit and play to his chest or fizz balls into his feet and let him bring his strength and control into play. Let Celina, James, McBurnie etc make runs off him.
He’s like a passenger with a few genuine moments of class per game at the moment. We aren’t playing to his strengths. |
The youngsters will need a break from time to time even if it's only a substitution on the hour. Even seasoned pros suffer from burnout.
People do need to recognise that we really aren't that good, not consistently good and Darran is right in my opinion.
I don't like seeing us get beaten but we can't keep making excuses for them. This is a grown up league, usually rougher than the EPL, with sh/t referees too. Either stand up and be counted or make way for someone who will, that goes for all of them. The problem being some of our squad are not and will not be used which really limits Potters choices.
I'll take mid table obscurity right now thank you. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 20:33 - Nov 29 with 562 views | Loyal |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:14 - Nov 29 by _ |
Going up would be a disaster.
I can't begin to tell you how ridiculous that is.
But for one if we were good enough to go up we'd be good enough to improve in the Summer to give the EPL a crack. |
It's only the fact I know you have been a lifelong follower of the club home and away for years like me that prevents me from thinking you only came along in the last few seasons.
We need to draw breath, ok, if we did go up, ok, we go up, but I'm not at all convinced the yanks or whoever will supply anything like the funds required to just stay up let alone not be completely embarrassed, that's the disaster I refer to. |  |
| Nolan sympathiser, clout expert, personal friend of Leigh Dineen, advocate and enforcer of porridge swallows.
The official inventor of the tit w@nk. | | Poll: | Who should be Swansea number 1 |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 20:57 - Nov 29 with 542 views | _ |
We've lost to the top and third in the league FFS. Some of the comments here are laughable. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:06 - Nov 29 with 537 views | A_Fans_Dad |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 20:57 - Nov 29 by _ |
We've lost to the top and third in the league FFS. Some of the comments here are laughable. |
I see, so the other 3 losses don't count then, one of them to the bottom team. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:16 - Nov 29 with 529 views | _ |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:06 - Nov 29 by A_Fans_Dad |
I see, so the other 3 losses don't count then, one of them to the bottom team. |
They didn't provoke this type of garbage though did they Einstein. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:36 - Nov 29 with 506 views | jacksfullaces |
surely its all about expectations.
if we are building for the future then take a few hits against the more established teams as parr for the course.
if we are treading water on a low budget then take a few hits against the more established teams as parr for the course.
if we are doing either of those things then expecting to be at the sharp end of the table feels likes a contradiction in terms.
looks like its a bit of a reset season for all ...perhaps the going back to basics also extends to the stands ..
difficult to know if there is a long term plan, but if building around the youngsters is the comfortable option for those supporting the board, then lets see what the transfer policy is in january.
until then a bit of analysis on the team in front of you as per OP seems fair enough. and without a huge downside. unless we go on a calamitous run. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:46 - Nov 29 with 500 views | Brynmill_Jack |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:49 - Nov 29 by dobjack2 |
Need leadership on the pitch - organising the defence, stopping heads from dropping or squabbles etc.
More to being captain or vice captain than wearing an armband. |
Not one of the senior players has shown any leadership in the past few games. If we could get anyone in on loan in January I hope it's a hardened centre midfielder who is a natural leader, someone for the boys to look up to, hopefully more than one. Neither Fer or VDH are anywhere near the leaders they ought/need to be at the moment. It's a shame we had to sell Fede, he was quiet but led by example
As much as I malign Ash sometimes this was his greatest attribute. A born leader. |  |
| Each time I go to Bedd - au........................ |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:04 - Nov 29 with 489 views | jackrmee |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 12:20 - Nov 29 by LeonWasGod |
Agree. If people can look past who the poster is, it's a perfectly sensible post and there's nothing there that we can't see for ourselves.
I'd argue it's not necessarily a bad thing to have players used to playing in different positions. But on the flip side stability has well-known benefits. You didn't get Brendan faffing around with our promotion team last time we were in this league (every player knew his role and they more often than not clicked like clockwork on the ball). |
I agree, but it's early days for GP and the squad. I'm sure in our next promotion season Potter will have a settled team and every player will know his role too  |  |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:06 - Nov 29 with 486 views | PozuelosSideys |
We are very wasteful in games. We create a lot but miss a hell of a lot of chances. This happened particularly against Rotherham and again against WBA (slightly less so against Norwich). We could be 2 or 3 up before teams even get into the game if we were more clinical. WBA created bugger all apart from the corners, then we were forced to chase the game. Heads do noticeably drop when we concede though.
Not particuarly worried, as it will come. |  |
| "Michu, Britton and Williams could have won 3-0 on their own. They wouldn't have required a keeper." | | Poll: | Hattricks |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:15 - Nov 29 with 467 views | jackrmee |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 13:17 - Nov 29 by _ |
I worry about our crowd and it's the one thing for definite we've got going against us this season to when we were last in the Championship. Then we had unequivocal support, now the fans are too keen to express their frustration.
This will affect the less experienced a lot more than playing regularly. |
Totally agree. And this insignificant, minute, forum, which nobody takes any notice of, was in The Birmingham Post this week.
If they're printing our comments up there, there is definitely more people taking notice of fans' opinions through this site than people realise. It is effecting things.
People all around me in the ground moaning and criticising. It's not good. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:19 - Nov 29 with 462 views | jackrmee |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 15:16 - Nov 29 by ploppy |
Got to agree with a lot of what's in the OP (except that the 3 first half goals against Norwich were avoidable - I'm sure that's what he meant).
We seem to have got ourselves in a bit of a mess. All of a sudden we don't know who our best keeper is - Mulder's distribution last night was shocking and he's no better at commanding his box than Nordfeldt. Despite good performances earlier on I don't think Grimes is a left back - no surprise that 2 of Norwich's goals came down our left. Roberts is being asked to play wing back and I don't think that's his game - for me he looks much better when he's overlapping from full back. Fer is starting to be a liability - he was always capable of mistakes but he used to score the odd goal and he's not doing that anymore. Defensively i.e. in our box, he's poor. When was the last time Celina had a good game? Dan James tears at defences in the first half but can't keep it up for 90mins. Wilf looks like is going to take a long time to get back to any sort of form - if ever. What do we do with Naughton? And our defending at set pieces has gone to crap again. And Asoro and McKay are looking like poor acquisitions. |
Barefacedly negative...
but unfortunately also absolutely true  | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:32 - Nov 29 with 444 views | jackrmee |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 10:30 - Nov 29 by Darran |
There’s only one problem with some people and that’s that they thought/think we are better than what we are and refused to recognise the way the squad was decimated during the summer leaving it paper thin.
It was always going to catch up with us,there’s no way the likes of Dan,Joe etc should be playing three games a week at this stage in their careers. |
Very much agree with you and the OP here.
I do think though, that the best players are able to play week in week out from a young age. Some of our players have the potential to become VERY VERY good players, so let them play as much as possible I say. They won't regain their confidence sitting on the bench. We just need some of our nice play to come good and confidence will be flying again. | |
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| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:32 - Nov 29 with 441 views | jasper_T |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 21:46 - Nov 29 by Brynmill_Jack |
Not one of the senior players has shown any leadership in the past few games. If we could get anyone in on loan in January I hope it's a hardened centre midfielder who is a natural leader, someone for the boys to look up to, hopefully more than one. Neither Fer or VDH are anywhere near the leaders they ought/need to be at the moment. It's a shame we had to sell Fede, he was quiet but led by example
As much as I malign Ash sometimes this was his greatest attribute. A born leader. |
van der Hoorn's only just turned 26 and missed a good chunk of his career to injury and being stuck on the bench. Played as much senior football as Jay Fulton, who we think of as one of the kids (bit higher level overall tbf). It's a big step up in responsibility for a guy who's played >30 games a season only once before.
Ash was loud but how effective his leadership was is up for debate. The first to lose his head or let it go down in a crisis. | | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 23:00 - Nov 29 with 419 views | LeonWasGod |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 22:06 - Nov 29 by PozuelosSideys |
We are very wasteful in games. We create a lot but miss a hell of a lot of chances. This happened particularly against Rotherham and again against WBA (slightly less so against Norwich). We could be 2 or 3 up before teams even get into the game if we were more clinical. WBA created bugger all apart from the corners, then we were forced to chase the game. Heads do noticeably drop when we concede though.
Not particuarly worried, as it will come. |
We wouldn't be us without wingers who can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Sinclair was an abomination. Something wrong with that one. |  | | |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 23:05 - Nov 29 with 413 views | PozuelosSideys |
| Lack of Confidence and Confusion on 23:00 - Nov 29 by LeonWasGod |
We wouldn't be us without wingers who can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo. Sinclair was an abomination. Something wrong with that one. |
Exactly..i reckon thats the difference as well. If Dan James was putting his chances away and putting his final ball on a plate like SS was doing, then we would be near the top of this division. The rest of his game is good.
Small margins. We arent there yet, but we will grow into it. | |
| "Michu, Britton and Williams could have won 3-0 on their own. They wouldn't have required a keeper." | | Poll: | Hattricks |
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