I am the first to admit that I can be quite negative when things aren’t going to plan. On a recent podcast, found here on YouTube and on bcfcfanzine.com, I may have let my instantaneous feelings loose a little. However, I am not often one to moan for the sake of moaning. As my co-host Chris will vouch for, I am usually a glass-half-full person when it comes to the Blues; he is usually the one who delves into the negative side of supporting our club.
With that now out in the open, I have decided to write about why I’m feeling negative currently and why I am becoming increasingly jaded by this season.
It has absolutely nothing to do with how things are at the club as a whole. The hard work Wagner and Knighthead are doing behind the scenes, simply to make St Andrew’s a pleasure to attend, as well as the unveiling of plans to build a ‘world-class’ stadium, are major reasons to be excited as a fanbase.
My issues are with the current brand of football we are being treated to. With some of our attacking talent, we should be creating and, in turn, converting chances. However, the team seems lost in the belief that possession is the standard and that losing possession is a crime. I love watching teams completely destroy others with fluid, some might say sexy football; however, in a league like the Championship, we are being found wanting. Teams have outplayed us (particularly away from home) without really having to muster much of a fight.
Whilst our home record looks stellar when you say we have only lost one game there all season, the actual stats of six wins, five draws and one loss paint a slightly different picture. It looks more like a team that has become afraid of losing at home, and even more alarming is the fact that we already look on the back foot away from home.
Signings are going to be key. I believe the main issue we have is Davies’ lack of options due to limited squad depth, combined with his blind faith in some players who look absolutely knackered, Paik being a prime example. Solis looks like he will be getting more minutes in midfield, and I see this as a huge positive. However, Doyle seems to be the one who is often sacrificed in terms of rotation, despite frequently being the source of our best play in transition.
Paik looks like a shell of the Rolls-Royce centre midfielder he is, and I can only put that down to the sheer number of minutes he has played; he hasn’t suddenly become worse overnight. This previously happened to Cochrane, and it looks like we are currently so light in certain areas, centre-half, for exampl, that this could also become the case for players like Klarer, who are ever-present.
Let’s finish on a positive. I can see the work being done to strengthen the squad. We are spending solid amounts of money on Carlos Vicente and Jhon Solis, and we have also identified that Koumas and Cashin were not what we needed in this team at any point; they were more of a hindrance than a help. I believe we need another centre-back, ideally a left-footer.
I trust this board and I am trusting in Davies, but something has to change for us to progress in the Championship in the way Wagner and Co. will be expecting.
Keep Right On
Andrew