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Match Thread Coventry City - Millwall FC Match Thread - Tuesday 20th Jan (3 Viewers)

  • Thread starter Nick
  • Start date Jan 18, 2026
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Ccfcisparks

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,751
Gibbo said:
It's nothing to do with Lampard's strategy, high blocks, low blocks. Or any of that. That is just excuses.

It's just that JDS and Kitching are emphatically not good enough defenders for a team at our level and with our pretensions. And any amount of good passing or nifty footwork does not change that. Thomas has made himself good enough this season and MVE always has his speed to bale himself out.

Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team

I used to like KItching, but how can you when he makes so many errors and lacks the speed to get himself out of trouble
Click to expand...
With all respect that is not true
 

mmttww

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,752
Gibbo said:
Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team
Click to expand...

Both of them have been almost ever presents in the team that's top of the Championship so can you show your working on this one?
 
Reactions: MusicDating, Shannerz, blunted and 3 others

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,753
shmmeee said:
You are about the fourth person to repeat back to me the idea that we are prioritising attack over defence and to you I say: yes?
Click to expand...
No, the point is actually our defence isn’t that bad in the first instance and that you over fixating on what other teams defences are doing is irrelevant because we’re the top scorers in this league by a massive margin.

Oxford and Pompey actually have top half defensive records so using them as an example was misleading.
 
Reactions: clint van damme

Shannerz

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,754
shmmeee said:
You are about the fourth person to repeat back to me the idea that we are prioritising attack over defence and to you I say: yes?
Click to expand...
I think the point is that this is the manager's general preference, and not a reflection on the quality of our defensive players.

This squad is capable of playing defensively.
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete

David O'Day

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,755
mmttww said:
Both of them have been almost ever presents in the team that's top of the Championship so can you show your working on this one?
Click to expand...
I'd like to see it to as what he has said is mostly bollocks.
 
C

coop

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,756
David O'Day said:
Didn't it come from Rudi's terrible attempt at a dive?
Click to expand...
Yes correct I got it wrong
 

Nuskyblue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,757
I think our defence is generally fine individually, it's the openness in the middle of the park and our lack of pressure on the ball in certain situations that has been causing us problems.

For a large portion of the game (the middle 60 odd minutes where we looked particularly shit) on Tuesday our "midfield" consisted of only Josh Eccles.

Keep playing like that and we will get carved to bits.
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete and Skyblueabo1111

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,758
Gibbo said:
Only a blind partisan can not see that neither is good enough for a top of the Championship team
Click to expand...
Yet somehow we are top of the league and actually went five games without conceding earlier this season. And in the league 6 of the goals we've conceded have come in the games JDS missed or wasn't on the pitch. He has only missed 3 matches and 74 minutes. It's quite evident that both are good enough and that's why the team is top of the league with an exceptional goal difference.
 
Reactions: JSL, CovRes, blunted and 2 others

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,759
Nuskyblue said:
I think our defence is generally fine individually, it's the openness in the middle of the park and our lack of pressure on the ball in certain situations that has been causing us problems.

For a large portion of the game (the middle 60 odd minutes where we looked particularly shit) on Tuesday our "midfield" consisted of only Josh Eccles.

Keep playing like that and we will get carved to bits.
Click to expand...
It’s clearly tactical and like any system, there’s trade offs. We can’t lockdown the defence without compromising the chance creation.

We really should have scored 2 more goals than we actually did against Millwall and arguably Leicester too.

We’ve conceded 5 goals v Ipswich and 3 v Birmingham in December. People are letting one bad month alter their entire perception of the defensive unit as a whole.
 
Reactions: Shannerz and CovRes

COVKIDSNEVERQUIT

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,760
Watch ITV highlights this morning I couldn't believe my eyes they actually watered the pitch before the game, do they not check the weather forecast, because I could have told them it would have pissed down all through the game.

And I watched the Under 18s play the night before, pissing down with rain again all through the game, the pitch is fucked.
 
Reactions: wingy

Nuskyblue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,761
Mucca Mad Boys said:
It’s clearly tactical and like any system, there’s trade offs. We can’t lockdown the defence without compromising the chance creation.

We really should have scored 2 more goals than we actually did against Millwall and arguably Leicester too.

We’ve conceded 5 goals v Ipswich and 3 v Birmingham in December. People are letting one bad month alter their entire perception of the defensive unit as a whole.
Click to expand...
I get all that butI think we're probably good enough to create dangerous situations without leaving ourselves wide open. We lack the pace and physicality to pull it of.
 

Mucca Mad Boys

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,762
Nuskyblue said:
I get all that butI think we're probably good enough to create dangerous situations without leaving ourselves wide open. We lack the pace and physicality to pull it of.
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Do we lack though? We're top of the league. If we get promoted, we'll definitely need more physicality because that's what the step up in quality demands. We've played the same way all season albeit minor tweaks here and there.

When we lose the ball in those situations, we give up lots of space out wide and our defensive players all retreat to narrow shape to protect the box. Fans don't really like that but the 'meta' in football atm is to pack the central areas. A goal like Millwall's on Tuesday was a high level cross and finish, defensive systems can't stop individual brilliance 100% of the time.

All the talk about how 'open we were' in the last two games is fixating on the perceived negatives. Overall, both performances were high quality and we deserved to win both games.
 
Reactions: Hutch11 and Shannerz

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,763
mmttww said:
Both of them have been almost ever presents in the team that's top of the Championship so can you show your working on this one?
Click to expand...

Ben Wilson won the golden glove you know.
 

mmttww

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,764
shmmeee said:
Ben Wilson won the golden glove you know.
Click to expand...

if Ben Wilson won the Golden Glove but doesn't remind us all about it by wearing actual golden gloves to future Legends Days, did it even happen?
 
Reactions: wingy

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,765
Mucca Mad Boys said:
Do we lack though? We're top of the league. If we get promoted, we'll definitely need more physicality because that's what the step up in quality demands. We've played the same way all season albeit minor tweaks here and there.

When we lose the ball in those situations, we give up lots of space out wide and our defensive players all retreat to narrow shape to protect the box. Fans don't really like that but the 'meta' in football atm is to pack the central areas. A goal like Millwall's on Tuesday was a high level cross and finish, defensive systems can't stop individual brilliance 100% of the time.

All the talk about how 'open we were' in the last two games is fixating on the perceived negatives. Overall, both performances were high quality and we deserved to win both games.
Click to expand...
Just letting Femi Azeez cut inside at will seemed suicidal to me but you’re right about these trends which catch on whether they make intuitive sense or not.
 
Reactions: wingy and mmttww

Shannerz

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,766
Nuskyblue said:
I think our defence is generally fine individually, it's the openness in the middle of the park and our lack of pressure on the ball in certain situations that has been causing us problems.
Click to expand...
We also have a nasty habit of giving it away cheaply.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,767
Brighton Sky Blue said:
Just letting Femi Azeez cut inside at will seemed suicidal to me but you’re right about these trends which catch on whether they make intuitive sense or not.
Click to expand...



Apparently crosses are pretty low % chances so the old “stop the cross” instruction is less important than blocking off space in the area.

However our entire attacking game plan is “get crosses in” make it make sense.
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete, wingy and mmttww

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,768
shmmeee said:
View attachment 48548

Apparently crosses are pretty low % chances so the old “stop the cross” instruction is less important than blocking off space in the area.

However our entire attacking game plan is “get crosses in” make it make sense.
Click to expand...
It's just players like Azeez, Jack Clarke etc their whole MO is to cut inside and shoot or cross, and they're rather good at it. So quite why you'd want to just let them have at it, I'm not sure.

Traditional wingers getting out wide and whipping crosses in is a bit different but again, you are just inviting players to run in the box unopposed. Like a lot of these 'meta' tactics, I think the further down from world class/the less superior to the opposition you are the less you should be playing around with them.
 

Mcbean

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,769
Brighton Sky Blue said:
It's just players like Azeez, Jack Clarke etc their whole MO is to cut inside and shoot or cross, and they're rather good at it. So quite why you'd want to just let them have at it, I'm not sure.

Traditional wingers getting out wide and whipping crosses in is a bit different but again, you are just inviting players to run in the box unopposed. Like a lot of these 'meta' tactics, I think the further down from world class/the less superior to the opposition you are the less you should be playing around with them.
Click to expand...
This is what exactly Mason Clarke and Saka can do - always rated Clarke and can’t understand why Scumberland sold him
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete
C

Cally Fedora

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,770
shmmeee said:
View attachment 48548

Apparently crosses are pretty low % chances so the old “stop the cross” instruction is less important than blocking off space in the area.

However our entire attacking game plan is “get crosses in” make it make sense.
Click to expand...
Personally I think the don’t stop crosses narrative is just disguising the fact that our full backs can’t and won’t defend. But if we’re being honest our forwards are good enough to compensate so we’ll take it.
 

Nuskyblue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,771
Brighton Sky Blue said:
Just letting Femi Azeez cut inside at will seemed suicidal to me but you’re right about these trends which catch on whether they make intuitive sense or not.
Click to expand...
Letting him cut inside was not a major concern, players wandering unmarked into the box unmarked in very dangerous positions more so...

Since December we seem to have been found out a bit, no harm in tinkering to readdress the balance IMO
 

Nuskyblue

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,772
Mucca Mad Boys said:
Do we lack though? We're top of the league. If we get promoted, we'll definitely need more physicality because that's what the step up in quality demands. We've played the same way all season albeit minor tweaks here and there.

When we lose the ball in those situations, we give up lots of space out wide and our defensive players all retreat to narrow shape to protect the box. Fans don't really like that but the 'meta' in football atm is to pack the central areas. A goal like Millwall's on Tuesday was a high level cross and finish, defensive systems can't stop individual brilliance 100% of the time.

All the talk about how 'open we were' in the last two games is fixating on the perceived negatives. Overall, both performances were high quality and we deserved to win both games.
Click to expand...
I think this goes back last the last two games tbh, possibly back to December. I think fatigue may be a part of it possibly, we seem less busy off the ball and slow to get back when possession is lost. You really need to run hard in a system like this (or foul before the attack begins).

And I'm not saying throw the baby out with the bathwater, a twerk here and there is all we need. BTA coming back in for Rudi may actually improve our defence and attack, I can see him staying more central than Rudi, also he works like a bastard!
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete and paulcalf

Shannerz

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,773
Nuskyblue said:
a twerk here and there is all we need.
Click to expand...
 
Reactions: Nuskyblue, clint van damme and mmttww
W

wingy

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 22, 2026
  • #1,774
Speedie's Head said:
I'd be happy to give him the assist too, that was a top save from Haji.

It's still 2 assists all season (and one from JDS, was it zero last year or one maybe) but that's what EMC needs to do to improve his game, Giles for example has 8, I think. Granted though he does score and his strength in the box is an asset too.
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That's quite a
Brighton Sky Blue said:
It's just players like Azeez, Jack Clarke etc their whole MO is to cut inside and shoot or cross, and they're rather good at it. So quite why you'd want to just let them have at it, I'm not sure.

Traditional wingers getting out wide and whipping crosses in is a bit different but again, you are just inviting players to run in the box unopposed. Like a lot of these 'meta' tactics, I think the further down from world class/the less superior to the opposition you are the less you should be playing around with them.
Click to expand...
So Emc's reluctance to take a pop is down to confidence?
Unless it's around 10metres out Max?
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 23, 2026
  • #1,775
Cally Fedora said:
Personally I think the don’t stop crosses narrative is just disguising the fact that our full backs can’t and won’t defend. But if we’re being honest our forwards are good enough to compensate so we’ll take it.
Click to expand...

You think several top level managers have made it up to protect Jay Dasilva?

I mean it’s a take.
 
Reactions: Sky Blue Pete and Ccfcisparks
C

Cally Fedora

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 24, 2026
  • #1,776
shmmeee said:
You think several top level managers have made it up to protect Jay Dasilva?

I mean it’s a take.
Click to expand...
No, I mean the fans have made it up as a thing.
 

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 24, 2026
  • #1,777
Cally Fedora said:
No, I mean the fans have made it up as a thing.
Click to expand...

What asking defenders to defend narrow?
 
C

Cally Fedora

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 24, 2026
  • #1,778
It’s not defending narrow. Usually it’s ineffectually hanging a leg as cross after cross is put in. You are determined to have the CH’s as the issue. They’re not. They’re exposed on a regular basis.
 
Reactions: shmmeee

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
  • Jan 24, 2026
  • #1,779
Cally Fedora said:
It’s not defending narrow. Usually it’s ineffectually hanging a leg as cross after cross is put in. You are determined to have the CH’s as the issue. They’re not. They’re exposed on a regular basis.
Click to expand...

What are you on about?
 
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