Keeping clean sheets man! Now THAT'S what it's all about!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

On the flip side to the other excellent thread, we have only kept one clean sheet in 11 games ( including Harrogate ) and only failed to score in 4 of them, many of the games we have played really poorly in too. We've only kept 4 clean sheets in 17 (including Harrogate ). Does this suggest that unlike last season where we ground out loads of 1-0's that it is perhaps our defence we should be looking at and not our attack? The pressure we withstood in some games last season was incredible yet we still stood firm and got the results. This season we have looked at sixes and sevens in quite a few games. OK we have lost Bobby, Ellis and Robbo but is our defence vulnerable?

[royalgull]

Nah I think our defensive unit although weaker than last year is still a good one for the division. Not had Lathrope for the entire season which weakened us from a defensive point early on, but our problems are in front of them. Our midfielders are all 'triers' apart from Craig and our forwards are all 'shit' apart from Howe.

[AustrianAndyGull]

Nah I think our defensive unit although weaker than last year is still a good one for the division. Not had Lathrope for the entire season which weakened us from a defensive point early on, but our problems are in front of them. Our midfielders are all 'triers' apart from Craig and our forwards are all 'sh*t' apart from Howe.

Don't hold back Royal, go on, say what you think.......................

[ferrarilover]

Thing is Andy, even if you keep a clean sheet every week, you end the season on 46 points for 46 0-0 draws. Stick the ball in the net when you have a chance and when things like last night happen (clear foul on Manse not given in the build up apparently, and conceded to just about their only shot in target, again), it doesn't matter because you're already 4-0 up.

We must have had 10 times as many shots as both Harrogate and Barnet and we've lost both games 1-0.

Matt.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I reckon that's a sensible enough viewpoint to end the thread with Matt, it died a death anyway but you're right in essence. Score more goals than the opposition and it won't matter if we concede. I wasn't passing any personal view myself on the defence just simply asking other members for theirs and to find out if they are happy with it. The attacking players get all the criticism for not scoring but do the defensive players get equal criticism for conceding?

[Plymouth Gull]

Bobby was obviously a very big loss. Eunan is looking a bigger and bigger one with each passing week unfortunately. How I would love him back right now!

[Dave]

Totaly agree Andy, so far this season the major difference hasn't been a lack of goals which I tried to put across on the other thread, last season we scored 63 goals from 46 matchs @ 1.36 goals a game, so far this season if I have worked it out right we have scored 23 goals from 16 matchs @ 1.43 goals a game so we are better off, our overall goal tally for the season was =10th best with Morecambe, yet they finished 15th and we finished 5th, why ?

Simple wasn't it 19 clean sheets last season, largely down to the communication, decision making and all round first class goalkeeping from Bobby.O, and really no wonder a Championship club came calling.

[royalgull]

Yep, put a massively false slant on where we actually were as a group, we were never a top 3 or 4 side. We won numerous games 1-0 where we were average at best, defended soundly and Bobby came to the rescue.

1.36 goals a game is rubbish it's the area we needed the most improvement and nothing happened. Now we have worse players in other positions and the same lack of options up front.

We're 7th though so LOL @ the rest of this league.

[Plymouth Gull]

Exactly. We're 7th after a very average at best start. If we can sort some consistency, who knows.