Critchley (Again)

southshore

Well-known member
'I don’t think it was anything to do with centre-backs or the back four.'

His words in an interview regarding 7 goals conceded in two games. I find this deeply worrying.
 

'Blackpool boss Neil Critchley welcomes options to plug defensive leaks'​


Todays Gazette.
I like NC and I really hope he succeeds here - but it's a bit worrying if he doesn't believe it's personnel problems that have seen us leak 7 goals. His recruitment policy appears to have been a bit scattergun and he needs to realise when pretty football needs to change to something a bit more robust. His two centre back signings are impressive on paper so let's hope they are successful and that he can build a decent defence around them... and there's a day left to find someone who knows where the net is!
 
Maybe the issue is that in most games at times the Keeper, Defenders, Midfielders & Attackers are not being effective enough? 🤪
 
In my eyes the midfield and attack has been just as culpable in conceding the goals we have so far. We’re set up to press and win the hall high up the field. If we’re not defending at the top then you can’t solely blame the defence when goals are conceded.
 
I think NC has a point, if the team isn't putting away chances or creating enough direct goal oppportunities than any errors in the defence will be heightened. The defence has not been great, but then every team we have played has made dozens of errors in defence and we have not capitalised on them.
 
We shouldn’t have to score 5 goals to win a match. Of course the defence is an issue, and the lack of protection they get from midfield. Falling behind early in games is affecting confidence throughout the team, especially having a negative effect on the midfield/forwards.

The sooner we can get a settled defence with the new players, the better.
 
If we play 4-3-3 then we should be pressing/defending from the front to help the three in midfield so we need a mobile front 3. The first goal last Saturday started with their keeper and played out from the back.
 
I think NC has a point, if the team isn't putting away chances or creating enough direct goal oppportunities than any errors in the defence will be heightened. The defence has not been great, but then every team we have played has made dozens of errors in defence and we have not capitalised on them.
If any team had conceded seven goals in two home game they would statistically have likely lost both games so I'd say the defence has more to answer for than our attack albeit that isn't firing on all cylinders either
 
He's said a couple of things post-Ipswich that have been a bit worrying. We'll learn a lot more about CRitchley and the team from the players we bring in before the deadline and the next 3 games in 8 days than we will from interviews though tbf.
 
If we play 4-3-3 then we should be pressing/defending from the front to help the three in midfield so we need a mobile front 3. The first goal last Saturday started with their keeper and played out from the back.
Successful presses rely on everyone putting the work in, otherwise it completely falls apart.
Without singling anyone out, there are players in the current line up who are totally incapable of playing the high press.

I'd actually prefer us to use a low block, which incidentally, other teams are pulling off against us with ease.
 
He’s obviously saying this to the centre backs hence Marvellous coming out with his analysis of the recent great performances!

goals conceded suggest it’s either the defence under performing or the way the whole team is set up the latter being Coach Critchley’s domain or in reality both.
 
Successful presses rely on everyone putting the work in, otherwise it completely falls apart.
Without singling anyone out, there are players in the current line up who are totally incapable of playing the high press.

I'd actually prefer us to use a low block, which incidentally, other teams are pulling off against us with ease.
I was going to single players out but thought better of it. We can all make our own minds up!
 
I would like to see either Ballard or the Viking to play just in front of two centre halves. So Expetita and the Viking and Ballard in front so he can support the midfield too.
You want a centre half in front of the centre halves?

No x in Ekpiteta btw. 😉
 
Yeah the press has been shit to be honest

Did anyone see that Ipswich player Bishop i think beat 3 players who were trying to rob him in their half

Think they nearly scored from it

If you beat the press like clubs are doing to us it creates an overload for them on the counter

Lincoln also scored from it
 
Not Parking the bus, playing 4 at the back but with Ballard as a sweeper/defensive midfielder role in front of the back 4 with Robson and Anderson or Robson and Cirtue as the 2 central midfielders then Madine up top with CJ and Kaikai either side.
 
Not Parking the bus, playing 4 at the back but with Ballard as a sweeper/defensive midfielder role in front of the back 4 with Robson and Anderson or Robson and Cirtue as the 2 central midfielders then Madine up top with CJ and Kaikai either side.
More square pegs in round holes. Ballard won't have been brought in to play as a sweeper or defensive midfielder.
Virtue is definitely out.
 
Not Parking the bus, playing 4 at the back but with Ballard as a sweeper/defensive midfielder role in front of the back 4 with Robson and Anderson or Robson and Cirtue as the 2 central midfielders then Madine up top with CJ and Kaikai either side.
We can forget about Virtue for a while he's injured
 
I think people are being harsh on NC here. What is he supposed to say, the defence is awful and needs replacing? I'm sure thats a perfect way to man manage players already low on confidence. Instead he's taken the correct and intelligent approach and implied collectively responsibility for the results. We win as a team and we lose as a team. He's said exactly what I would expect of someone who knows that being a successful manager requires you to have the respect your team members.
 
I understand what Critchley is saying.
Should the keeper have made a save after the defender made a mistake?
Defenders did make mistakes against Ipswich but was a mid-fielder responsible for a mistake that put the defender under pressure and did a forward make mstake before that.
It's a team game.
Against Ipswich in particular it was an overall poor performance from which virtually no player came out with much credit.
So in that sense he's right.
 
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More square pegs in round holes. Ballard won't have been brought in to play as a sweeper or defensive midfielder.
Virtue is definitely out.
On Player Profile on Transfer Market Ballard's second position, after centre back, is defensive midfielder, so we must assume he has also played that position at some stage!
 
On Player Profile on Transfer Market Ballard's second position, after centre back, is defensive midfielder, so we must assume he has also played that position at some stage!
We have numerous players already seemingly playing in their second positions, with virtually no success. I doubt adding to it will do much to turn our fortunes around.
 
No way in this world will Ballard play midfield....
We are crying out for a centre back who can defend...
Ballard is the man
 
All the talk in the world won't alter the fact that Critchley is absolutely clueless.
A whole new squad at all different levels of match fitness with a new style of football being implemented. Throw in a pandemic/lockdown, no fans, It was never going to work over night, the likelihood was more for a poor start to the season than a good one. It is how you finish not how you start, patience is a Virtue and even he’s injured! Let’s leave SS NC and all at BFC To get on with the job in hand and see where it takes us.
 
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I had a look at the average positions from the last five games (when bored), and it’s really obvious that it’s an issue with the set up- the centre backs are too far apart, Robson doesn’t drop deep enough and the lines are too static. Once the full backs push on, we’re ripe for the taking.
Look at how Lambert, an experienced manager set Ipswich up to nail all of our obvious weaknesses from previous games. It was naive from Critch:
01DF8231-9958-495D-ACF7-74BB427BF130.jpeg



 
I had a look at the average positions from the last five games (when bored), and it’s really obvious that it’s an issue with the set up- the centre backs are too far apart, Robson doesn’t drop deep enough and the lines are too static. Once the full backs push on, we’re ripe for the taking.
Look at how Lambert, an experienced manager set Ipswich up to nail all of our obvious weaknesses from previous games. It was naive from Critch:
View attachment 3202

Ooh....down with that sort of thing!! Negative talk like that will send us down and will hardly help etc etc etc....and we don’t need Adam either!
 
I think people are being harsh on NC here. What is he supposed to say, the defence is awful and needs replacing? I'm sure thats a perfect way to man manage players already low on confidence. Instead he's taken the correct and intelligent approach and implied collectively responsibility for the results. We win as a team and we lose as a team. He's said exactly what I would expect of someone who knows that being a successful manager requires you to have the respect your team members.

What he's implied is that he doesn't see a problem with the defence. I agree he should publicly stick with his players, but I would expect more of a '...we know we made mistakes but we know what we need to do to correct them' sort of approach.
 
What he's implied is that he doesn't see a problem with the defence. I agree he should publicly stick with his players, but I would expect more of a '...we know we made mistakes but we know what we need to do to correct them' sort of approach.
Ss, you forget that NC has never had to manage players when it properly matters. This is new to him and he has to learn without a mentor.
 
I've been thinking about this since the last game and as far as I can tell the main problem is that the opposition are scoring more goals than is leading to us losing the game.
 
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