Coventry at home

Another loss that pretty much condemns us to another season of League One football.

Overall we played slightly better with more ball on the floor passing. The Jackson red card and Downes' bans have affected the last couple of games as they have both been a loss to the team.
Nolan was ****, Judge was ****, Chambers was ****.
Bishop carried the ball well and Skuse was probably the more influential of the midfield three with some decent forward passes from Cole today. We did play better but still lack the killer quality to score goals.

So that was it, play off hopes gone and another season where injuries have taken away the best players we have for long periods. It's the same bloody story every year!

 

That's 4 games in a row lost by a single goal, three of them at home and we didn't score in all three, are there seriously any fans out there still saying with our squad we should be promoted ? We can't score for Christ's sake, all the approach play means absolutely nothing if you don't score and if you can't score you can't win.
LG 2 standard so called strikers and one pub team standard striker who can't score either and can't win headers because " that's not his game ",
This has been going on all season not just since Norwoods injury and Jackson's idiotic behaviour and suspension, what a bloody shambles.

 

Better Second Half,but FFS starting with Sears up front on his own was inviting them to beat us.He could easily have left out any one of Dozzell, Bishop, Judge or Nolan without weakening the team and played Simpson from the off. It would at least have given us a chance of scoring,let alone winning.

 

All things said and done, this is yet another example of a better coached team coming here and getting the win.

Coventry have clearly got a system in place and a great manager in the dugout, but that is a poorly owned, effectively bankrupt team. With all respect to Coventry, we shouldn’t be looking to this poorly run team as inspiration for how to get out of the division, yet they’ve played us four times this season and we haven’t beaten them once. Absolute disgrace.

There are many issues with this club, but sacking this inept manager and planning for next season should be the priority.

 

I've been jumping between thinking that the structure of the club dooms any manager to failure, Lambert is at least developing (or using) the youth, so theres little point in changing manager and looking at Lambert's failure on the pitch and looking forward to a change.

I think Nuggets has just convinced me. The manager is supposed to manage the hand he is dealt. He's failed to meet any expectations, either survival or rebound. Even his efforts to repair the background feel paper thin.

 

Failing a dramatic (and completely unlikely) turnaround,he's now dead man walking.

 

Lambert has somehow achieved the feat of performing the worst of all of Evans' managers and our form is currently that of a relegated League One side.

We will need to win all eight of our remaining fixtures to have any chance of making the play offs and we are a few points away from being mathematically safe at the other end, so it's now about next season, which depending on what happens between now and August will be the difference between mounting a promotion challenge, dropping into League Two or forcing some major changes.

The most likely scenario is that Evans sticks to his guns and Portman Road becomes progressively more ugly until something gives in the Autumn.

 

I went yesterday and whilst the result was disappointing given the circumstances an already weak squad (in my opinion) was obliterated by injuries and suspension playing the top team in the division we standard of performance was pretty good. I went with a Chelsea fan who watches them regularly and he said he was impressed by our quality we just lack a bit of punch up front, which given the circumstances is understandable.

The team yesterday was completely unbalanced but I don't know what choice Lambert has got. I think Klopp and Pep would struggle with this squad. Yesterday we had a Left winger at RB, 5 Centre Midfielders (1 of which just came back from a short injury, 1 who's played very little football over the past 4 years and just coming back from another injury, 2 have also had long term injuries 1 of which has very little experience) then up front our only senior striker is making his 2nd start since an injury lay off for over a year.

Alot of fans saying we should have put Simpson on so Freddie has support upfront but we are having a go at Lambert for not playing a player who has only made 1 league appearance in his career and when he did come on it was quite obvious to see why he didn't start, despite Simpson's stature, the diminutive Sears actually lead the line better than he did, not saying he won't in future but you could just see he was a bit like a rabbit in the headlights.

I thought the substitutes actually negatively impacted on the momentum yesterday which is another stick we could beat Lambert with but when you look into it he subbed the injured Garbutt and 2 players who have played very little football in Bishop and Sears.

I get the frustration with Lambert but for me if we changed manager I really don't see how it would be any different. The squad is completely unbalanced and full of players who've had long term injuries or have very little first team experience or experience at this level and higher. For me that's not Lamberts fault and he is not the reason why we are where we are now it's due to years of under investment and stagnation. I cannot judge his tenure until he is able to make a few more signings and improve the squad. The start of the season was superb but we had a forward 2 which clicked and that makes a hell if a difference unfortunately with injuries and and reliance on just 2 players that was never going to be able to be sustained and without having a threat upfront it becomes very difficult to get results.

 

The player ratings:

Norris - I prefer Holy as he gives me more confidence with balls coming into the box however I understand given the height of our team Lambert wanted a player better with his feet to stop as many long balls up top
Edwards - Works so hard in the RB position and really scraps away at his opponent, good performance only negative was he missed a few headers and sometimes needs to be a bit defensively stronger but that's not surprising for a player whose favoured position as on the LW
Woolfenden - sometimes lapses in concentration but he is going to be a great player
Chambers - he really looks past it and a weak link. All passion and no substance, considering he is the most experienced player on the pitch he looks like he's learning the trade, didn't win many headers and got caught out of position far too much. These things are meant to come with experience (position and body strength) but it's like he's gone backwards
Garbutt - okay performance
Bishop - lots of running brings something different to the team. Sometimes loses the ball but he is a risk taking midfielder.
Skuse - decent performance mopped stuff up and kept the ball moving. Sometimes needs to show a bit more responsibility to take the game to the opposition.
Dozzell - showed some nice touches and passes but definitely needs more first team experience. Is too static, for a player of his talent needs to move more and offer himself for the ball.
Nolan - decent performance, did some good things and some bad things
Judge - decent performance, was really trying to take the game to the opposition even if he didn't do anything spectacular, he worked hard and always wanted the ball
Sears - despite his stature I though he did pretty well upfront by himself, he actually looked better playing upfront by himself than he does as a wide striker. Movement was good and was working the CBs well. He did just desperately need someone up front with him. I think him and Norwood would form a decent partnership upfront together.

Earl - came on at LB but you can definitely tell he's a CB
Simpson - I actually felt any momentum we had in the game went when Sears went off. Put himself about but it's clear he needs to understand the game more and how to use his strength but that will only come with experience
Dobra - didn't really get into the game when he came on

 

If there are deficiencies in the playing squad it's in large part because of Lambert's decision making - he's had 18 months and three transfer windows.
If we have a raft of injuries it's in large part because of Lambert's training and fitness methodology.
If we concede goals like we did against Fleetwood it's because Lambert selected Chambers over Woolfy.

Sure, Evans' underinvestment doesn't help our cause but Lambert has been an unmitigated disaster.

 

Edwards is one of the players in the squad with the highest potential for scoring goals - and we've got him playing at RB.

 

On the whole I'm most fans think Lambert has done okay in the transfer market. But I'm also sure Lambert wanted to do much more than sign a young CB on loan from Preston in the last transfer window. He's also stated he wasn't happy with the amount of transfer dealings in the summer (we had 2 fit first team strikers).

I also sat near to the bench yesterday and obviously we don't know what goes on behind closed doors but it certainly didn't look like the management team had lost the confidence of the players. Lambert was also living every moment down there, showing so much energy on the line (more energy and urgency than the players at times)

 

https://www.greenun24.co.uk/ipswich-town/the-verdict-ipswich-0-1-coventry-1-1-6551044

Think this article sums up quite well the dilemma we find ourselves in currently

 

I imagine that ME sees things pretty much the same way, which is why we’re in such a mess. Lambert has just signed a 5 year contract so he obviously isn’t that upset with the resources available to him.

 

Thought with the players we had playing yesterday, we could have played 3-5-1-1 with Skuse as the 3rd centre back, this would given a lot more license for Edwards and garbutt to get forward on the wings. Chambers should be coaching rather than playing and I have no idea what Nolan brings. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him have a good game. Our midfield are shot shy and as soon as we went 1 down, I had a feeling that would be the end of the scoring. Lowest the club has ever been and Lambert has to take at least a share of the responsibility. He was the 1 that decided to both postpone game

 

Leaving aside all the negatives of MMs reign, one thing it does show is that managers can be successful using limited resources. Indeed if were saying the club is that rotten than the start of this season shows the same thing.

How much of the revival of the youth conveyor belt is out of necessity over merit is debatable but it certainly feels like there are lots more options for Lambert to call on when injuries hit. Tactics training and line ups are all Lambert, and individual games swing on those three things.

So in conclusion. Lambert's had enough time, there is no evidence of anything pointing towards success. Time for a change. But the change has got to be the right one.

 

I can understand the argument that we don’t have many players available at the moment. The absences of KVY, Downes, Jackson, and Norwood have been particularly noticeable over the previous few weeks. However, this decline in form isn’t a temporary blip, it’s been happening for the best part of six months now, all on Lambert‘s watch. We are bottom of the form table over the last nine games. Nine games! As bad as we might think this squad is, it shouldn’t be nowhere near that bad. And going back to the point about this being a long-term issue, I’ll say again but four wins in 27 odd games, that’s relegation form and it should not be acceptable in a division with generally such a poor standard.

 

Underfunding of this squad and long term injuries has certainly been longer than 29 games. Infact it preceeded this manager and the previous one.

I really don't understand how people think it would be any different if we changed manager. It's like moving the deck chairs around on a sinking ship.

 

Because there are many examples of progressive, forward-thinking managers that can take an average squad and get them punching above their weight - in spite of terrible ownership and a lack of money. We even played and lost against one of these teams, Mark Robins’ Coventry, on the weekend.

 

Like Paul Lambert of 10 years ago?