Brentford this weekend is the final match of Jonjo Shelvey’s five-match ban and the way the other four games have gone, his return can’t come soon enough.
Have we played well for ninety minutes in his absence? No, me neither. Definitely not Sheffield Wednesday or Blackburn Rovers when we were just the right side of lacklustre. Not quite awful but heading down that path.
The lack of guile and ingenuity from midfield was very evident. Without Shelvey’s influence, we were one-dimensional and not very good at that either. But if we’re truthful – and as football supporters, we are top-notch self-deceivers – this run hasn’t been just through his absence. We were out of sorts when he was in the side.
One defeat in fourteen became four in eight; the Championship proved to be a scorpion with a hefty sting in its tail. No matter what our expectations – and mine were genuinely higher than the play-offs – the season has broken them. We’re good enough to go up automatically on our good days but we’ve been decidedly average too often in recent weeks.
Losing your key player is a problem a lot of clubs struggle to overcome. You can’t fit two Shelvey’s in the team, and if you have a player equally as good, they sure as hell aren’t going to sit on the bench week in, week out, and be happy.
However, we could do with a Plan B. We’re a more than a bit predictable now and quite a few teams have worked out that if they sit deep, we lack the guile and wit to break them down. Plan B must be more than the usual meaning in football parlance which reduces it to slinging on another forward or defender.
Rather than that, we need a genuinely different way of playing. Rafa’s done well to get us into the top two – even if our expectations saw that as a minimum – with a huge churn of players in the summer.
It took a few weeks for it to gel, but this recent patchy form has been an eye-opener in certain respects.
There are two solutions for Plan B: new tactics or new players.
While we play and naturally smooth passing and moving game, there are a lot of variations to use without being overly sophisticated to the point where Rafa should be able to look at the bench and switch mid-game from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 or vice versa. We do it by fitting a series of square pegs into round holes.
I welcome the talk of Tom Ince from Derby but dipping into the market is a double-edged sword for Rafa. He has an immediate problem to solve – getting back to promotion `form – but also looking at players who will improve the side so that we stay up next season rather than becoming a yo-yo club like ‘Boro or the Mackems.
We’re on the cusp at the moment; our season could go either way. Refocus, re-find our form or be dragged back into the chasing pack. It’s about this time of year where one team usually starts to open a gap at the time. For a long time, it looked like it would be us.
Now, we might be vulnerable because of predictability. Time for Plan B to emerge.
Think about it. The Chronicle have Ryder, Douglas, Johns and Waugh on staff along with regular contributions from Rob Lee, Gibbo and Mick Quinn and still never tell us any news that is not already out there or write any interesting or insightful articles. The amateur site NUFC.com and Icedog on here get the information before The Chronicle. Seriously, what do they do all day? And Lee Ryder has worked there for more than 20 years, how come he doesn’t have any contacts at the club or even some moles? Is he that much of a tw@t? Don’t answer that 🙂
Eric Sykes(Quote)
New thread up tonight guys, at 5pm!
Jake Swinburn(Quote)
Reports say Gayle’s out for three weeks. I bet it’s longer. His former master lord Alan Pardew played him 3 weeks after a hamstring injury and he was then out for 3 months! Ring any bells? Exactly the same thing he did to Benny and then Aarons. Bloke’s a complete ******.
Not sure about the McCarthy rumours. Sure he’s a more than decent DM but he has a poor injury/fitness record. I’ll be surprised if we bring anyone in and save the cash for the summer.
There’s only one more league game before Mitro’s back and not long after Diame returns. We’ll be full strength again in 3 weeks.
georgio(Quote)
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/867630181?-11058:809:3
Could be promising?!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
reading some of quotes on the C/P site most want shot of him saying he is very poor done nothing no wonder Spurs got rid ect ect,imo hes a type of player you need to put your arm round him to get the best from him,he got love from the fans here that why he played so well
icedog(Quote)
Mark Douglas Verified account
@MsiDouglas
Make no mistake though. If Rafa isn’t given the tools to do the job…
On talk of transfer issues and Ashley intervention
kimtoon(Quote)
When asked if he still had control over transfers,he said that’s a tricky questionwhy?? Mmmmmmm
Icedog(Quote)
Ice, I have a really bad feeling about these new developments. What is it with Jabba, he just has to rock the boat doesn’t he. I bet the **** wants Pards back, probably hoping Rafa walks out so he can get his puppet back in. Or am I just being cynical ?
kimtoon(Quote)
I think Rafa will walk at the end of season if gets us up he has done the job he set out to do and then let jabba get on with it,pity but that’s the way it will go
Icedog(Quote)
Unfortunately, I have the same feeling. I feel he was betrayed. He will finish the business in hand at the moment, and leave.
funrafa(Quote)
Rafa said when he took the job toon is no longer a stepping stone,but jabba has said oh yes we are,,what a arsehole
Icedog(Quote)
Atsu motm today in a one nil win
Icedog(Quote)
Well Ive been thinking this whole jabba thing through,this carry on only happened after Carr had a meeting at a football match with jabba,has Carr put the poison in because his nose has been shoved out in transfers and his power cut,it’s just strange it’s happened after his chat with jabba
Icedog(Quote)
New thread up.
Eric Sykes(Quote)
icedog, you called it with rafa.
he was probably only going to stay one season all along
Delusional Jawdee(Quote)