[mini gaardsoe]

Brentford and Fulham might disagree

Both lost recently so not really

[ttree30]

We desperately need a league win from somewhere, anywhere, in the hope it’ll get us going again.

We are really in a rut, because although we’ve only lost one, a run of four points from 15 and one win in 7 (a slightly fortunate one at Blues) is actually form that would land you around the relegation zone if repeated over a whole season. And 7 games is nearly one-sixth of a season.

Of course we’ve been far better than that with our amazing earlier results, but those are now receding into the rear view mirror.

Our inability to defend successfully is particularly costly. We hardly ever keep a clean sheet, and that means our creative play needs to get us over the line all the time.

A league win is sorely needed, even if its scruffy. We are better than this, and we need to start showing it.

[Critical Baggie]

No wins in 5 now. We just look like conceding from set pieces every time. The zonal marking just isn’t working. Ajay and Johnstone at fault too. Also felt Pereira had an off day. Just can’t seem to get any rhythm going when he’s not playing well.

Take no joy out of Leeds losing at all. It’s Brentford and Fulham we should be worried about.

[BoingFlyer]

Awful defending for the 2nd goal, totally unchallenged header right in the golden zone. Keeper did well to get a hand to it.

[Mikkyk]

Nobody else has said it yet but I thought Pereira was awful second half. And after Brunt played really well last week, I thought it was crying out for him a 2-1 to create a third goal.

[BoingFlyer]

Nobody else has said it yet but I thought Pereira was awful second half. And after Brunt played really well last week, I thought it was crying out for him a 2-1 to create a third goal.

I have being saying it for a while Pereira has gone right off the boil and needs dropping from the team.

[Oldbury24]

First game this season that has left me feeling frustrated, and it showed in the players reactions at the end. Much more threat second half but some terrible decision making.....We should have been clean away well before they scored.   Charlton hassled and harried, and made it messy but we need to be better than getting drawn in.   Nothing against Townsend but I can't wait to see Gibbs and Grady back together again (If he stays), Gibbs would have slotted that chance away.   Concerns at the back yes, as we look vulnerable at that back post and how much would we love to see a keeper like Hoult plucking balls out of the air? 

However, I see no reason why we should not go on a winning run again at some point.  Leeds losing 👍 Brentford a threat let's hope they are tempted to cash in on a couple of players in the window.

[beechyboy90]

No real positives today except diangana return and goal for big ken. We architected our own downfall. We gave 2 soft goals both centre backs struggled with a young kid up top and have been off it for a while is it time for hegazi?

Sam johnstone either has a blinder or is poor today the latter. Will bond ever get a go? If we go up gk has to transfer priority

Livermore awful wonder if we should give harper a chance v stoke? Phillip's has been woefully off form for a while.couple that with diangana Injury (& potential recall) we need a winger in this month.

Brentford on a charge 7 point gap isn't much. No wins in 5 in league stoke game has become a must win

[geoff]

2 points lost yes
To many players arsing about around & inside the box
Were we lost the points in my opinion was in our heads, letting them keep winding us up with tippy tappy knocks & verbal slagging.

Maybe Pulis should give our defenders a few coach lessons on defending corners & free kicks  What the F-k am i saying

[ttree30]

No wins in 5 now. We just look like conceding from set pieces every time. The zonal marking just isn’t working. Ajay and Johnstone at fault too. Also felt Pereira had an off day. Just can’t seem to get any rhythm going when he’s not playing well.

Take no joy out of Leeds losing at all. It’s Brentford and Fulham we should be worried about.

I agree. Zonal marking’s OK if you have world class defenders who are always switched on - we’re a Championship team with Championship players. I much prefer the simplicity of man-to-man, but there are many top level professional coaches who think otherwise. So who am I?

I just keep seeing teams who zonally mark conceding time after time from corners and free kicks. Premier League too.

Agree about the chasing pack as well. But we know if we get 90 points it’s unlikely two teams get more; we have though dropped below two points a game now. The yawning gap is now a healthy cushion, but it will evaporate altogether if we have another seven games like the last 7.

[WBAinDEVON]

Both lost recently so not really

Funny that when they seem to be getting closer weekly

[alex1]

This was poor. Charlton have nothing much apart from effort.  I think Billic being a bit too loyal to HRK (despite his goal). We needed Austin and Diangana on earlier. Maybe from the start. But we didn't make the best of our dominance second half and made some poor passing decisions. Pereira's passing was not quite as accurate as usual. 

[Critical Baggie]

I agree. Zonal marking’s OK if you have world class defenders who are always switched on - we’re a Championship team with Championship players. I much prefer the simplicity of man-to-man, but there are many top level professional coaches who think otherwise. So who am I?

I just keep seeing teams who zonally mark conceding time after time from corners and free kicks. Premier League too.

Agree about the chasing pack as well. But we know if we get 90 points it’s unlikely two teams get more; we have though dropped below two points a game now. The yawning gap is now a healthy cushion, but it will evaporate altogether if we have another seven games like the last 7.

Agree with all that. But we look well off 90 points at the moment. Every team has a blip at somepoint, just hope this is worst it gets and we can start to put a winning run together.

[Adamstv]

We go back to top of the league so why do I feel like it’s a defeat. Poor defending costing us time and again  with crosses . Oh for a McCauley/ Olson partnership at the back . Anything comes in we clear..

Brentford Fulham and Forest teams to watch . Our lead is dwindling and fast

[BAGGIES4LIFE]

We’ve conceded over 30 goals this season, anyone know how many have been headers, more than 50% I would think,Slav needs to sort it out or will cost us big time.

[Baggies]

We have lost our ruthlessness and now teams can see that aerial crosses in to our box cause us to have kittens. Wish Johnstone could control his box instead of being rooted to his line, but the defence aren't doing enough to clear their lines either. Is it time for Hegazi over Ajayi?

We were the better team overall but Charlton have a ton of injuries and were still able to contain us. We have surrendered our big advantage now and i'm not sure if we will get it back. We really need to freshen the promotion push with a signing or two.

[ex coseley kid]

SJ is abysmal.

[baggies37]

No clinical enough in front of goal.  Too poor in front of our own.  About sums it up.

Have no doubt,  Brentford are firing on all cylinders.

Our only recompense is that Leeds have start there capitulation early this year.

[royhan]

No player has a divine right to keep his position - not even SJ. Bond surely deserves a chance to show what a potentially excellent goalkeeper he is.

[KN22]

No player has a divine right to keep his position - not even SJ. Bond surely deserves a chance to show what a potentially excellent goalkeeper he is.

Give Bond a chance yes by all means. I predict however that he will not prove to be an excellent goalkeeper. And before anyone responds I support anyone that the manager selects for the team but there’s something about Bond that is less than convincing. Only one way to find out though.

[Adamstv]

Watched  their Second goal  on a number of times and cannot believe the amount of time and space that the left back had to cross the ball and secondly the time and space that the number five had to run onto the ball and head at goal..I believe Johnston should have saved that because it was not powerful. Very poor all round in terms of conceding a goal

[JMullen95]

So much more complicated than Johnstone’s, Ajayi’s, Townsend’s fault etc.

Granted, the 3 players mentioned above were all absolutely abysmal today, and all played a hand in allowing Charlton to earn a point.

But the shape of the team is absolutely shocking at the moment. One attack today we had both full backs, Livermore, and all the attackers ahead of the ball as Charlton broke, which left just Sawyers, who can’t tackle at all, and the two centre backs at the back.

The gaps between midfield and defence are way too big and why can’t Robson Kanu just take a touch and lay the ball backwards to a midfielder?

[JMullen95]

Also, the old-fashioned rigid 442 we deployed in the first half wasn’t particularly nice to watch.

There’s a reason most of the most successful teams in the world don’t play it anymore.

Hopefully that’s the last we’ll see of it.

[saml30]

Another game and another goal/s conceded from a set piece. Starting to get worried about the regularity in the manner in which we are conceding from them. Also seem To have gone from scoring late goals to conceding a few late goals. The tables have well and truly turned in terms of the luck side of things

[beechyboy90]

Lost our clinical edge trying to hold on to 1 goal leads with this zonal marking system and a powder puff goalie is draft.

We should go back to going for the jugular and kill sides off. Today system was not balanced playing both hrk and Zohore meant periera didn't find his pockets.

4 points from last 5 games is relegation form. We need to get back on it. Stoke game a must win. I would take 1 of the centre backs out (could flip a coin both havent been at it for Andrew weeks) bring hegazi in. Hrk out. Zohore up top diangana back out wide. And I would give bond a go because johnstone doesnt command his box and gets beaten by shots from distance and so many headers. He's in on his distribution alone for me and that's been woeful a few weeks we should/could have been 1 down inside 5 minutes because of his faffing about