Dip Becomes Wobble

I always enjoy the different naming conventions with football on when things are a wobble, crisis, disaster etc. What was looking like a dip in form can officially it seems be upgraded to a wobble. These of course happen. Most teams will go through something similar. When and how it happens seems to alter the terminology.

The lack of form against Bournemouth and Yeovil has now stretched out to the game versus Blackpool. What is especially galling is that Blackpool had clearly come for a point and we still conspired to lose the game in injury time.

Ignoring the fact that the goal looks like it shouldn’t have stood. Ignoring the fact we feel we should have had a penalty (is that really such a bonus with our similar form with those) we still managed to let Blackpool score when they hadn’t really been pushing. Yes they missed an extremely poorly taken penalty (not very well struck, decent height and fairly central) but it’s not like they really pushed us.

It’s November now, and it really strikes me that even at this stage that Billy Davies isn’t sure what the best team is. That’s because we’ve never really had a fully fit squad for him to choose from. Never mind the best team but which best system to play. The 4-3-2-1 was favoured early on at times last season, whilst occasionally reverted to the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond formation we implement quite often.
So it was a frustrating game, but there is more then immediately meets the eye. My opinion, different from one or two other blogs is that we were unlucky to end up losing. It’s easy to look at things in terms of goal scoring opportunities, and Blackpool did have clearer ones, but they also looked less likely to score for periods of the game.

What was annoying was the way the striker’s role ended up being. You’d think with a big man up front he’d act more as a target man, especially with the set up of two wide men. The initial view would be that the Henderson would be the huge aerial threat from crosses from Abdoun and Mackie. In reality he was an increasingly deserted figure up front. Lansbury not getting forward as much as Majewski in the free role to play more behind the front line. Instead you see your target man often dropping deep to look for the ball. This isn’t what he was therefore. Unless his role was somehow to act as a role to gets the ball in to wide men cutting inside, but with Mackie on the right that is not likely. He’d need to be on his wrong wing to be cutting in side.

Is it the midfield the battle is being lost? Well some times. The strikers though and the midfield have a disconnect. The ball goes u the pitch and comes back when it is lost. Possession not being retained and the defence come under attack again. Chalobah was meant to seal that plug but he’s not working. Whether he prefers a different role, or as many say, he just isn’t bothered and knows what ever happens ultimately his success doesn’t rely on Forest succeeding.

But it’s more the manner against Bournemouth and Blackpool in consecutive home games we have conceded late goals to cost points. Is this complacency, or a lack of concentration, or just luck? Well that’s for Billy Davies to look into.

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