Poor start or more of the same?

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Dr Bob
Middle-Aged Spread
Posts: 1064
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:16 pm
Location: Nottingham

Poor start or more of the same?

Post by Dr Bob »

Having only seen the Derby game before heading on holiday I have had to follow games via Ox Mail tweets and the match day forum on The Other Place. Something that struck me in the first game was that 10 of 11 players were with us last season. I think I read the same about last night. But the last few weeks of last season we were poor, ending up outside the playoff places having been very well positioned for most of the season.

It is also clear that we have still to get in new FBs, we have little in the way of pace and we still have too few players with much physical stature.

So, is what we have seen so far simply a continuation of the falling away at the end of last season? Or with more and more bigger teams in the third division resulting in our par position dropping to somewhere around 8 to 12 or so in the table?

Or is KR losing the plot and needs to be replaced? A lot of discussion on the other place flagged up last night's post match interview on RadOx. Is this a new bad run, somehow different from the end of last season and a sign that KRs time is coming to an end?

At least I still have a couple more days of sun, warmth and Alpine splendour to distract me. Never sure about must wins this early in the season but I might have to get a pass from Dr U to watch on Saturday.
Isaac
Dashing young thing
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Joined: Thu May 18, 2006 9:32 am

Re: Poor start or more of the same?

Post by Isaac »

I've seen most of each League game. Our poor starts to the season seem to be the norm, which is disappointing. Robinson certainly has a weakness for liking skillful, but fragile wingers and then playing them before they're fully match-fit (Browne last season, Murphy this) so they get injured again. We still lack a bit of strength and/or height in the middle of the pitch. I'm not convinced by either of our full backs, I'm surprised Brown hasn't been picked ahead of Seddon yet - who seems to play everywhere other than left back.

On the plus side, history under Robinson shows we'll probably improve - I thought the 2nd half against Lincoln was the best attacking play we've put together, albeit with some very weak finishing. Although I'd caveat that by saying most of our good play went through Browne and now he's injured.

McGuane has been excellent so far, Goodrham looks promising and I like Findlay, it's just not quite as fluid as it was, which again makes me question whether they're getting pre-season correct. The late signings of players don't help, but as Dr Bob mentioned, 10 of the 11 starters at Derby were here last season (9 out of 11 against Lincoln) so it shouldn't be down to a lack of familiarity.

It would be mad to get rid of Robinson just now, given the backing he's had and the generally consistent relative success, but there has to be questions about whether he can actually get the club promoted. Only the owners (whoever they are) have the answers to that, given they are the ones who know how much we're spending relative to everyone else in the league.
Shoobedoo
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Location: Behind the bike shed

Re: Poor start or more of the same?

Post by Shoobedoo »

I'm absolutely fed up with the same mistakes being made in every transfer window. Robinson himself admitted after the Blackpool playoff defeat that we needed more power in the side, and has done absolutely nothing to sort that. Instead he continues his obsession with signing injury-prone forwards at the expense of strengthening the defence and defensive midfield. McGuane may have papered over the gaping void in front of the centre backs thanks to his outstanding early season form (and bloody hell I hope his injury isn't too serious) but I'd much rather see him in the engine room with CamBran and a proper enforcer behind them (eg. Camara from Plymouth). And just don't get me started on how threadbare the fullback positions are, or how isolated Matt Taylor has been up front.

Despite the football being entertaining at times (and occasionally exceptional), we've been on a gentle downward trajectory since the capitulation against Wycombe at Wembley. Robinson needs to fix this urgently, or I fear this trajectory will accelerate. We are miles away from being a top six side as it currently stands.
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