16 Apr 2024 11:40:18
Well I'm still gutted by that display last night and have read, and listened to a load of podcasts.

Everyone is asking for SD to be sacked but I personally can't see them doing it due to the sacking cost and no-one in their right mind will take us on. So we are left with him until the end of the season.

I've also thought about formations and personally don't think we should change that either because if it was a 352 we'd probably have Keane playing (God forbid) and our wing backs would probably be Myko and Young. One is crap at going forward but can defend and the other is too old, too slow, can't defend and can't go forward. So what do we do?

I'd stay with the formation and play Myko, Branthwaite, Tarks and Godfrey (just for pace alone) , then Gueye, Doucoure in a middle 2, with Danjuma (left) , Harrison right, leaving Gomez as a number 10 and Lewin upfront.

To be fair to SD the whole team are rubbish and it's difficult to pick players but Mcneil needs dropping as he offers nothing at the mo and may be the kick up the arse he needs.

Really worried for Saturday and was before last night horror show.

What do you think team wise?

1.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 13:04:49
You're correct about Mcneil's form but having read what the lad is going through at home and still playing for the shirt (he works hard for the team) it takes amazing courage and in this wretched season for me he is already our player of the season and deserves all the encouragement we can give, well done Dwight, stay strong mate.

2.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 13:32:16
I'll never call a player out for effort if they're giving it 100%, McNeill does appear to try hard for the club. Great sympathy for anyone going through what he is, but he's part of a bigger problem, the players we've recruited simply aren't good enough. Fans are wondering why we're not playing expansive attacking football, it's because we don't have the players to do so. When we go down, which of our players will be snapped up by Premier League clubs? Two or Three?
Dyche is doing what he does, granted, not as well as he was at the start of the season. Anyone that watched yesterday can be in no doubt that we are in big trouble. We cannot change the squad (yet) but we can, and must, change the manager.

3.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 14:50:18
Reflecting on games earlier in the season TB, there were much better performances, footballing and results wise, something has radically changed both from a managers/ coaches and players perspective.
The way Dyche sets up, typified again last night, is tactically clueless. To set up with effectively only two in midfield, one of which imo is a luxury whose workrate and application leaves a lot to be desired, resulted in being totally over run by a Chelsea midfield of four combative players with energy and pace ably supplemented by fullbacks who run passed both McNeil and Young as if they weren’t there.
This resulted in our back four being pulled out of position and quite honestly Chelsea looked like scoring every time they attacked. Their superiority was supported by Pickford who has never controlled the six yard area but now fails to catch any shot directly at him and resorts to pushing the ball out into dangerous positions.
We need to control the midfield to ensure we never suffer another abysmal performance and in this respect I would play Garner, right side, with Gana, Onana and Gomes, playing either Harrison or Danjuma as support for hopefully a fit DCL.

{Ed025's Note - yeah that was very weak last night Fancy, it looks to me as though the players are not buying in to this negative approach of Dycheball mate...and why would they, i also agree on Pickford who makes the odd decent save but then he presents the forwards with a second chance by parrying the ball back into the middle of the fray which then gets put in the back of the net, i cant think of one player who had even a half decent game myself..

4.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 15:06:14
Sometimes I wonder if I am watching a different match to everyone else?

5.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 16:03:09
You thought we played well Brass?

6.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 16:20:27
No I thought we were bloody awful, I didn't see anyone giving anywhere near 100%. And as for McNeil his performances of late have been very poor. Now if this is as a result of what's going on in his personal life then the manager should take him out of the team.
We don't need him or Young in the team as neither are wingers. I mean when was the last time you saw either of them beat a man.
Play two up top and get Gomes in behind, at least he can pass a ball.

7.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 17:03:59
Pickford has been playing some kind of sweeper keeper for half a season now and I've wondered why no commentators have ever picked up on it. He actually was man of the season for the first 25 games. Some unbelievable saves. He's been told to do that sweeper nonsense and he has a big ego on him and gets cocky. He was found out but he is far from a problem for us. I'd not have any problem selling him either as I think any top flight keeper is good enough with a decent defence but I'm not going to throw him under the bus for 1.5 cock ups last night. All keepers get embarrassed a few times in their career. If their keeper did that, none of our players would have scored, it'll rolled out for a throw in.

8.) 16 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 17:10:07
3-4-1-2 for me.

Pickford

Godfrey Tark Jared

Harrison
Gueye
Gomes
Mykolenko

Garner

Beto
DCL.

9.) 17 Apr 2024
16 Apr 2024 23:37:08
I'd swap Gomes and Garner around BlueNose.

10.) 17 Apr 2024
17 Apr 2024 07:41:36
Agree Gomes has to be behind the front two.

11.) 17 Apr 2024
17 Apr 2024 18:58:43
Personally think Garner should be there due to having better mobility than Gomes. When I’ve seen him play there in the past he can thread in tight spaces as well and is definitely more of a goal threat. Gomes far too slow on the ball for me to play No. 10 and is nowhere near agile enough.

For me playing Gomes deeper plays to his strengths. He can collect the ball off the defenders with more time and give us some composure in the middle of the park, choosing when to slow the game down for us or play forward fast.