Your one piece of advice to Critch this summer

Ghost_of_Max

Well-known member
Critch says he wants as much feedback as he can get on last season so he can evaluate where we are and what we need to add or do differently next season and so what would be your one piece of advice?
 
The midfield lacks both creativity and impetus. We need 2 CM’s. One who can get on the ball, dictate the tempo of the game and move it around the park and another who can pick up the ball and drive forward with it and get into the oppositions box at every opportunity. Too many times did deliveries into the box end up not finding a Tangerine shirt. That’s due to a lack of numbers in and around the box and a lack of quality in the passes themselves. The 2 CM’s needed will make a massive difference to this problem.
 
Have a proper break because jaded, knackered managers are a common problem.

And my second would be, change the formation! We've laboured to break teams down with 442.

433, 4231, 3421, whatever.
 
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Critch says he wants as much feedback as he can get on last season so he can evaluate where we are and what we need to add or do differently next season and so what would be your one piece of advice?
Probably from the hierarchy of the club, management staff & players. Not people on AVFTT.
 
I like LA1 and Jack's thoughts.

CM has to be highest priority IMHO. If, as seems apparent, we're losing Josh Bowler then our width next year will be more about passing through defences, rather than running through them. Purely as examples, the likes of Charlie Kirk and Owen Dale - both decent players with skill on the ball but not really dribbling runners. Some weeks, well drilled defences won't cough up much opportunity against that so we have to have more threat through the middle.

I've no problem with us playing out from the back, but we need to be much sharper at it. The majority of teams in the division do it now, which basically means everyone is offering an opportunity to play themselves into trouble if pressed hard, us included. We should look to pick them off around their own area, like they do to us. Get the high press going again., we've noticeably dropped off that in the last few months, maybe because we're scared of over committing and getting hit in the spaces it'll leave behind the front.
 
To make sure Grimshaw is not sold at whatever cost and to ensure he is the number 1 and NOT Maxwell.
We got him for nothing last year and we’re completely incapable of replacing him if we sell him for £££ that can also be used to build other parts of the team?

Get a grip, people
 
Urgently need more quality free kicks in the attacking third and also better corners. A change from the persistent throw-ins down the line would also be a breath of fresh air! Finally, leave at least one man up-field when the opponents have a corner.
 
Yep definitely..does seem incredible how average we are at set pieces…it’s pretty basic stuff really..
We watch the WSL every week on TV, and every team appears to have players who are excellent at both corners & free kicks, & there is no shortage of players who can shoot from well outside of the box. Why did we struggle doing this last season? Kirk has improved things, but he's not yet a Charlie Adam etc.
 
Seems a bit vague.
All the best inspirational statements are....


But seriously one immediate improvement that really annoys me and many others is...

Try something different from a kick off.

Every time we K.O we go back to the defender who launches it up, most the time losing and completely wasting it.

I don’t mind it to mix it up but every time?

Surely passing it about a bit or trying a different type of ball forward, clever plays.

Keep the ball getting many a touch...

Or let one of the best dribblers like Bowler that we had run at them from the off.

Or try and burst at them passing with 1-2's.

So many things you can try.

The one we do just seems very easy to deal with and uninspiring.
 
Use the loan market better. We brought in Dujon (great), Wintle (good but short term) John-Jules (dreadful) and Kirk (in and out the team but decent).

Preston’s three best players were loanees and the reason they finished above us
Yes. Better loanees. Notts Forest have five and they did okay!

Keinan Davis (Villa)
Philip Zinckernagel (Watford)
Max Lowe (Sheffield United)
James Garner (Manchester United)
Djed Spence (Middlesbrough)
 
The midfield lacks both creativity and impetus. We need 2 CM’s. One who can get on the ball, dictate the tempo of the game and move it around the park and another who can pick up the ball and drive forward with it and get into the oppositions box at every opportunity. Too many times did deliveries into the box end up not finding a Tangerine shirt. That’s due to a lack of numbers in and around the box and a lack of quality in the passes themselves. The 2 CM’s needed will make a massive difference to this problem.
Is the problem here that because Critch uses wingers the two midfielders have to be defensive? Perhaps one out and out winger (Josh last season), and a free-ranging no. 10 (Anderson) in a loose 4-3-3 might be the answer.
 
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