To the Wellens doubters....

[Thracian]

Always valued your post match observations Thrac.

Interesting perspective - much of which I agree with especially the point regarding an 'attacking coach' but the bit I have highlighted in bold........

Have a word with yourself !

Thanks Nic! Re your point, you say that now and I can understand it but there'll be people speaking differently if we do get frustrated by goal difference.

Well my attitude is not only to win but to score as many goals as you can in doing so and I don't believe we ever set about doing this.

On Saturday we showed no attacking ambition once we'd scored and even ran the game down in the last few minutes against an absolutely woeful Coventry team who seemed to lack conviction and ambition rather than ability. Why we didn't press our advantage home i don't know.

Cos it'll be ironic if someone like Southampton pips us for the Premiership because they do seem to believe in scoring as many goals as they can..

[Zingari]

Can I just say that I think Baker got Baker sent off , not Wellens

[B52]

Wellens was Wellens, fiesty and combative, mostly when it didn't much matter, wasslow in possession, and didn't threaten the box, much as usual. He did manage to stay involved and didn't give the ball away as much as usual, so for him it was a pretty decent game.

I'll return to what I said earlier, with Abe and Fernandez doing all the hard graft, Wellens had loads of space to work in and, one set piece apart, did absolutely fook all.

Still there is good news, could be West Ham fans.........

Agree with this. Wellens don't have the same impact on a game as Fernandes had against Cov. We need players like Fernandes and if I have to choose I keep Fernandes and sub Wellens during a match.

Remember that we were very lightweight in midfield before with Wellens as maestro.

[Brown Fox]

Thanks Nic! Re your point, you say that now and I can understand it but there'll be people speaking differently if we do get frustrated by goal difference.

Well my attitude is not only to win but to score as many goals as you can in doing so and I don't believe we ever set about doing this.

On Saturday we showed no attacking ambition once we'd scored and even ran the game down in the last few minutes against an absolutely woeful Coventry team who seemed to lack conviction and ambition rather than ability. Why we didn't press our advantage home i don't know.

Cos it'll be ironic if someone like Southampton pips us for the Premiership because they do seem to believe in scoring as many goals as they can..

I'll take a 0-1 away win any day of the week! Running the game down is clever, attacking until the last second and watching them possibly hitting us on the counter and scoring in injury time is stupid. So saying we didn't show any attacking ambition in the 89th minute onwards is quite silly. I also believe we scored the most goals at home in the league last season and with the addition of a striker I think we'll score plenty of goals. I think you are going slightly over the top.

[Haydos]

Thanks Nic! Re your point, you say that now and I can understand it but there'll be people speaking differently if we do get frustrated by goal difference.

Well my attitude is not only to win but to score as many goals as you can in doing so and I don't believe we ever set about doing this.

On Saturday we showed no attacking ambition once we'd scored and even ran the game down in the last few minutes against an absolutely woeful Coventry team who seemed to lack conviction and ambition rather than ability. Why we didn't press our advantage home i don't know.

Cos it'll be ironic if someone like Southampton pips us for the Premiership because they do seem to believe in scoring as many goals as they can..

Didn't we have the most 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0's last season or something similar to that?

[shen]

Thanks Nic! Re your point, you say that now and I can understand it but there'll be people speaking differently if we do get frustrated by goal difference.

Well my attitude is not only to win but to score as many goals as you can in doing so and I don't believe we ever set about doing this.

On Saturday we showed no attacking ambition once we'd scored and even ran the game down in the last few minutes against an absolutely woeful Coventry team who seemed to lack conviction and ambition rather than ability. Why we didn't press our advantage home i don't know.

Cos it'll be ironic if someone like Southampton pips us for the Premiership because they do seem to believe in scoring as many goals as they can..

By conceding less, we're improving our goal difference as well. Defense has clearly been a focus during pre-season and I suspect we will develop more promising attacking play once we've got another striker as the season evolves.

[Corky]

We will score goals, especially at home.

[Stevosevic]

Thanks Nic! Re your point, you say that now and I can understand it but there'll be people speaking differently if we do get frustrated by goal difference.

Well my attitude is not only to win but to score as many goals as you can in doing so and I don't believe we ever set about doing this.

On Saturday we showed no attacking ambition once we'd scored and even ran the game down in the last few minutes against an absolutely woeful Coventry team who seemed to lack conviction and ambition rather than ability. Why we didn't press our advantage home i don't know.

Cos it'll be ironic if someone like Southampton pips us for the Premiership because they do seem to believe in scoring as many goals as they can..

Thracian, do you not remember the number of large score lines we had at home last season? I am sure Sven wants to see us score as many goals as possible and i'm sure we will see alot of big wins at home again this season.

But can you seriously complain if we're keeping clean sheets away from home?

[Babylon]

Didn't we have the most 3-0, 4-0 and 5-0's last season or something similar to that?

Yeah but they don't count as Thracian believes we should be winning them 6-0, 7-0, 8-0.

[lcfcsnow]

I noticed we were reluctant to attack / run with the ball yesterday though so I see what Thracians saying, there was no urgency after we'd gone ahead we seemed happy to pass pass pass, it's a good job Coventry were useless.

[sphericalfox]

I noticed we were reluctant to attack / run with the ball yesterday though so I see what Thracians saying, there was no urgency after we'd gone ahead we seemed happy to pass pass pass, it's a good job Coventry were useless.

I find it amazing that we can all easily summarise what the season will behold based on one away game. Half the team have only arrived about a month or so ago. More competitive games under their belt and a little more confidence, and I bet my bottom dollar that we'll not only be combative and tight at the back, but we'll see a bit more adventure in the middle of the pitch too.

Yes we are lacking a striker with clinical finishing, and with pace and panache, but the goals will come from elsewhere too. We'll be highly dependant like last year for them to come from all across the pitch. Hopefully corners won't be an issue any more, and maybe freekicks will improve now there's a little more competition in that area.

But questioning an entire season based on one game is top of looney tree, with the danger of falling a long way down.

[filbertway]

Abe and Fernandez gave Wellens the freedon of the park today and he still created next to nothing, I find that pretty worrying....

I don't think Danns was that good today but he started out wide right, then had to try and play the support role for our lone striker, neither exactly his regular position. He tried to do a job for the team and was just about ok, no more.

Bit worrying that Sven is already trying to get 4 central midfielders into a 4-3-3.......

Is it just me that has always thought of Neil Danns as a winger rather than a central midfielder??

[okie fox]

I noticed we were reluctant to attack / run with the ball yesterday though so I see what Thracians saying, there was no urgency after we'd gone ahead we seemed happy to pass pass pass, it's a good job Coventry were useless.

I think people have forgotten how many 1-0 results MON's team ground out away from home. Then it was considered a sign of a well-organised team.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Thracian can I just ask why we are worrying about only winning 1-0 after just 1 game? Would you have preferred a 5-4 win with defensive mistakes everywhere? if we were to win our next 45 games 1-0 we would not have to worry about goal difference.

Seriously we will score goals as and when we need. Keeping the ball and seeing out the victory away from home makes sense to me. Thoroughly professional job done imo and a very good win when you consider we played 80 mins with only 10 men.

[Salieri]

Thracian can I just ask why we are worrying about only winning 1-0 after just 1 game? Would you have preferred a 5-4 win with defensive mistakes everywhere? if we were to win our next 45 games 1-0 we would not have to worry about goal difference.

Seriously we will score goals as and when we need. Keeping the ball and seeing out the victory away from home makes sense to me. Thoroughly professional job done imo and a very good win when you consider we played 80 mins with only 10 men.

Agreed. Sven promised to shore up the defence and it looks like he's done just that. I don't think scoring goals will be a major problem for us.

[shen]

Thracian can I just ask why we are worrying about only winning 1-0 after just 1 game? Would you have preferred a 5-4 win with defensive mistakes everywhere? if we were to win our next 45 games 1-0 we would not have to worry about goal difference.

Seriously we will score goals as and when we need. Keeping the ball and seeing out the victory away from home makes sense to me. Thoroughly professional job done imo and a very good win when you consider we played 80 mins with only 10 men.

We would if So'ton and West Ham win all their remaining games 2-0!!

[Stevosevic]

We would if So'ton and West Ham win all their remaining games 2-0!!

If we win all of ours 1-0, then they can't do that...

[Guest Col city fan]

Yeah but they don't count as Thracian believes we should be winning them 6-0, 7-0, 8-0.

Hehe your usual sense of humour shines through babylon

[Freeman's Wharfer]

No, he was being streetwise - as promotion-winners from this league have to be.

Credit to Schmeichel, Mills and others too for taking the hint and forcing the ref to make a decision with their strong reaction.

Agree with this. Not always been keen on Wellens but I think he brings a bit of nous to the team. For example against Blackpool (I think) a couple of seasons ago when he slipped a quick free kick through to Fryatt to score, the way he constantly buys free kicks if he has nothing on or yesterday towards the end when he dictated us keeping the ball in the corner to waste time without giving away a free kick/throw.

I think over the past couple of seasons he's sometimes suffered from others not being on the same wavelength with stuff that he's tried to do. Hopefully now, with better players around him, and more defensive midfield options to allow him to get on with playing without being the one doing the nitty gritty and breaking up the opposition's play, he'll shine. With his quotes in the Merc about competition for places I think he'll certainly be motivated to stay on top of his game. I think previously his own (some might say inflated!) opinion of his ability/worth has led to a bit of complacency on his part.

[B52]

Agree with this. Not always been keen on Wellens but I think he brings a bit of nous to the team. For example against Blackpool (I think) a couple of seasons ago when he slipped a quick free kick through to Fryatt to score, the way he constantly buys free kicks if he has nothing on or yesterday towards the end when he dictated us keeping the ball in the corner to waste time without giving away a free kick/throw.

I think over the past couple of seasons he's sometimes suffered from others not being on the same wavelength with stuff that he's tried to do. Hopefully now, with better players around him, and more defensive midfield options to allow him to get on with playing without being the one doing the nitty gritty and breaking up the opposition's play, he'll shine. With his quotes in the Merc about competition for places I think he'll certainly be motivated to stay on top of his game. I think previously his own (some might say inflated!) opinion of his ability/worth has led to a bit of complacency on his part.

Agree with this too..

[Thracian]

Thracian can I just ask why we are worrying about only winning 1-0 after just 1 game? Would you have preferred a 5-4 win with defensive mistakes everywhere? if we were to win our next 45 games 1-0 we would not have to worry about goal difference.

Seriously we will score goals as and when we need. Keeping the ball and seeing out the victory away from home makes sense to me. Thoroughly professional job done imo and a very good win when you consider we played 80 mins with only 10 men.

As you ask yes, I would. I'd at least have found it entertaining instead of nearly being lulled to sleep by so much negative, unambitious football that seems to have been designed especially for the Babylon's of this world given how much he seems to mock anyone who actually champions the idea of playing football and scoring goals. .

As for the magical 45 times 1-0, I presume you were one of the characters who said we'd win every game after Christmas and then, when that didn't work, that we'd win every game from February 1 etc.

We didn't any more than we've ever consistently "won at home and drawn away". And we didn't "seriously" have a good enough goal difference last season yet even now we don't seem to have learned that it could be worth a point at the finish.

The fact was that Coventry were awful. That we coped 10 against 11 against them for so long only emphasised the point because they still hardly raised a canter let alone a gallop.

I didn't hear more than the ocasional signs of life from the Coventry fans I was sat among. People were up and off to the concourse on absolutely any pretext, they were so disenchanted, although there's no saying Babs couldn't make a case for the brilliance of it all.

I have acknowledged several times that Sven has categorically improved our defence and that we'll concede fewer goals. We could hardly fail to improve our defence and with a centre-back as coach I'm hardly surprised it's been given priority. But even Rob Kelly had us defending stoutly enough at times. He did it by hardly played any attackers and that's exactly how we seemed to approach it again on Saturday.

In fact I'm a bit surprised our team was allowed quite so much freedom and that Sven didn't actually have the pitch marked with an extra white line to indicate to our players just how far forward they were allowed to go "and no further".

Cos anything beyond 30 yards from their goal and our front player would have to turn back, look around and physically wait for one of their players to lunge in and give us a throw in.

Even the one goal we did get was scored by our right back. And that prompted a sigh of relief, cos, Nugent apart, I couldn't imagine who the hell might score. We were just as boring as Kelly's sides except we passed the ball better.

Professional job? There was plenty of professional defending no question. But Vassell getting sent off wasn't professional, nor was Bamba's protracted altercation with the refereee and if you're really talking professional I didn't like em leaving that black lad to conduct the orchestra in midfield for Coventry without delegating someone to keep him quiet.

For the Thais considerable outlay we had about three worthwhile shots and thankfully managed to score once against a dismally poor side.

Our entertainment value was almost entirely provided by our fans behind the goal and otherwise the game itself was entirely forgettable as a spectacle. Professional? It's a good job we're not staging plays in London. It would be a short run on that evidence.

And as for Coventry - their fans said it all by saying nothing. It was like being at a funeral and well it might turn out. Cos the club looked dead and all but buried to me. Chants of empty seats, empty seats. only testified that Saturday was probably about normal for entertainment value.

[Thracian]

Thracian, do you not remember the number of large score lines we had at home last season? I am sure Sven wants to see us score as many goals as possible and i'm sure we will see alot of big wins at home again this season.

But can you seriously complain if we're keeping clean sheets away from home?

This wasn't a home game, it was another away game and another excuse for the sort of tactics by Wellens which seem to make him a hero to some. I believe in winning games with a bit of style and panache - not by running the time down and resorting to the sort of cynical gamesmanship that makes it a waste of time bothering to watch.

[B52]

This wasn't a home game, it was another away game and another excuse for the sort of tactics by Wellens which seem to make him a hero to some. I believe in winning games with a bit of style and panache - not by running the time down and resorting to the sort of cynical gamesmanship that makes it a waste of time bothering to watch.

Agree with this also. I'm a bit schizofrenic.

But remember we have only five wins away to meet the total of last season away wins.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

As you ask yes, I would. I'd at least have found it entertaining instead of nearly being lulled to sleep by so much negative, unambitious football that seems to have been designed especially for the Babylon's of this world given how much he seems to mock anyone who actually champions the idea of playing football and scoring goals. .

As for the magical 45 times 1-0, I presume you were one of the characters who said we'd win every game after Christmas and then, when that didn't work, that we'd win every game from February 1 etc.

We didn't any more than we've ever consistently "won at home and drawn away". And we didn't "seriously" have a good enough goal difference last season yet even now we don't seem to have learned that it could be worth a point at the finish.

The fact was that Coventry were awful. That we coped 10 against 11 against them for so long only emphasised the point because they still hardly raised a canter let alone a gallop.

I didn't hear more than the ocasional signs of life from the Coventry fans I was sat among. People were up and off to the concourse on absolutely any pretext, they were so disenchanted, although there's no saying Babs couldn't make a case for the brilliance of it all.

I have acknowledged several times that Sven has categorically improved our defence and that we'll concede fewer goals. We could hardly fail to improve our defence and with a centre-back as coach I'm hardly surprised it's been given priority. But even Rob Kelly had us defending stoutly enough at times. He did it by hardly played any attackers and that's exactly how we seemed to approach it again on Saturday.

In fact I'm a bit surprised our team was allowed quite so much freedom and that Sven didn't actually have the pitch marked with an extra white line to indicate to our players just how far forward they were allowed to go "and no further".

Cos anything beyond 30 yards from their goal and our front player would have to turn back, look around and physically wait for one of their players to lunge in and give us a throw in.

Even the one goal we did get was scored by our right back. And that prompted a sigh of relief, cos, Nugent apart, I couldn't imagine who the hell might score. We were just as boring as Kelly's sides except we passed the ball better.

Professional job? There was plenty of professional defending no question. But Vassell getting sent off wasn't professional, nor was Bamba's protracted altercation with the refereee and if you're really talking professional I didn't like em leaving that black lad to conduct the orchestra in midfield for Coventry without delegating someone to keep him quiet.

For the Thais considerable outlay we had about three worthwhile shots and thankfully managed to score once against a dismally poor side.

Our entertainment value was almost entirely provided by our fans behind the goal and otherwise the game itself was entirely forgettable as a spectacle. Professional? It's a good job we're not staging plays in London. It would be a short run on that evidence.

And as for Coventry - their fans said it all by saying nothing. It was like being at a funeral and well it might turn out. Cos the club looked dead and all but buried to me. Chants of empty seats, empty seats. only testified that Saturday was probably about normal for entertainment value.

Find me a quote that suggests I ever said anything like that. If you want to just see goals then perhaps you should just stick to watching the football league show as you will not have to bother yourself with the rest of the game. For me football is more than just attack, attack, attack. That was a thorough professional performance from the lads yesterday. I can almost guarantee that if Konchesky for example had been caught out by going too far forward trying to get that 2nd goal and Coventry had then equalised then you would bemoan him and demanding a return of the great Alan Sheehan!!

I suppose you are the sort of person that turns off from snooker if there is not an instant 147 break or from cricket if there is not 20 runs scored from every over. Either way your comment after 1 game just makes you look a little foolish, which in the main you are not.

[Narborough Bod]

Football of today is about winning, not being entertaining. I'd even go further and say that it's about not losing rather than winning. I don't believe this should be the case, since football is in the entertainment industry, but tough, it is.

If you don't accept this reality then get a dvd of Newcastle in the 90's and enjoy the football but not the trophies. You may love it, love it.