BFTG - Burton

[WestYorksRoyal]

We were ok. Same as usual really, some bits where we look great and some bits where we looked a bit clueless

Forwards didn’t especially look like scoring - Azeez get to score this season isn’t he?

Prob should have had Ballard on sooner. Miss Smith still imo

Carson was a lot better. CBs looked comfortable enough despite the odd brain fart pass. Binden did quite well. Wing better than Hutch. Knibbs, Elliott and Savage worked hard without creating too much. Button barely touched it

Should have won. Poor final ball and finish so we didn’t. Fairly straightforward

Quite enjoyed the game actually, second half was quite lively. First half dominated by the protest and then the head injury, ruined the actual game (not that I’m against the protest, it was pretty effective)

^This, Reading fans "we should be beating the likes of burton" Why ?
Just to recap, for those that still think we should be challenging for the premiership.
Haven't been able to buy a player since 2021, cant buy any till 2025 at the earliest.
Playing mostly our under 21's plus some U21's on loan/frees against teams that know who to play in this league.
Oh, and we don't have a pot to piss in, what were your expectation's going into this season ?, even without the four points deduction and an owner that apparently won't even pick the phone up to Bowen.

Our squad should be beating Burton at home

Man City's squad should be beating Wolves. Pep out.

[72 bus]

Dreadful stuff. Banging long balls down the channel for Azeez to miss control over and over again. No movement or width to breakdown a team sitting deep. (Fair play to them btw they got a point)

Too many loose passes under hit and pointless flicks giving away possession.

Burton offered nothing but we were hopeless.

Azeez has no place in this side, offers nothing apart from being greedy.

[Jackson Corner]

No lack of effort just quality we have to except we need a miracle to stay up. There will be more points deducted we will not win any away games this season, we can’t buy anyone and in reality the young players are not all that.

[Orion1871]

No lack of effort just quality we have to except we need a miracle to stay up. There will be more points deducted we will not win any away games this season, we can’t buy anyone and in reality the young players are not all that.

Tbf JC, if we had Haaland and Mbappe up front you would be tipping us for relegation.

[Clyde1998]

No lack of effort just quality we have to except we need a miracle to stay up. There will be more points deducted we will not win any away games this season, we can’t buy anyone and in reality the young players are not all that.

Tbf JC, if we had Haaland and Mbappe up front you would be tipping us for relegation.

In his defence, can you imagine how bad the financial situation would be if we had Haaland and Mbappe playing up front in League One?

[Orion1871]

No lack of effort just quality we have to except we need a miracle to stay up. There will be more points deducted we will not win any away games this season, we can’t buy anyone and in reality the young players are not all that.

Tbf JC, if we had Haaland and Mbappe up front you would be tipping us for relegation.

In his defence, can you imagine how bad the financial situation would be if we had Haaland and Mbappe playing up front in League One?

I think we could maybe sell them for a few coins if we needed to. Not that Dai would.

[Snowflake Royal]

Not getting on Selles’ case here but genuinely feel great parts of our game were despite him rather than because of him I.e. thanks to individual moments of brilliance across the park. Players seemed clueless as a unit.

Bbcrb posed the question what would happen if you just threw those people on the pitch with no system and said “you’re good players, work it out yourself” suggesting they’d probably do better.

Sounds harsh because tbf there’s a lot of man managemen, encouragement, training, motivation etc which I’m sure Selles brings to the party but tbf I can see where the question came from.

I can't remember the last time I went to / watched a game and thought a manager had a plan for us scoring and winning other than hoofing it at a target man, or passing until someone does something amazing.

[Snowflake Royal]

I've already mentioned I wasn't there, but from what I've read their keeper was MOTM, we should have had a penalty and Button didn't make a save. And people are blaming the manager that we didn't win?

Nothing their keeper did was beyond the tougher end of routine.

The thing you've got to understand is there was at least a full league of difference in player quality and whilst we created chances we looked pretty insipid for large swathes. There was a lot of tripping over the ball, poorly weighted passes, misdirected crosses etc.

Had we played like 2nd half of Bolton, any of Peterborough, Exeter, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Stevenage etc we'd have trotted in 3 or 4 goals clear.

We dominated. We should still have won. There were positives to take, but we didn't play well and the set up was a big big part of that, especially first half.

[Snowflake Royal]

Button - 6 absolutely nothing wrong and not a lot to do. Dim and Mick were on his case for getting frustrated at having nothing in front of him to bowl out quickly and saying he should calm down. In actual fact he did have options to start a quick break but Burton hassled him and got in the way every time. One even ran into him and knocked the ball out of his hands. THAT is why he was agitated.
Bindon - 5 love him, mindless decision to play him RB. He got better second half, but we were trying to send all our attacks down the right first and he didn’t know where to be or what to do. He's not used to crossing or taking a man on or playing risky attacking passes. Got roasted by their 24 a couple of times.
Carson - 6 did ok defensively, althoygh not tested, not really involved first half. A couple of wicked looking crosses second half. I think I prefer this chap on set pieces than Savage.
Dean - 6 defensively solid, couple of iffy passes, didn’t have much to test him.
McIntyre - 6 looked completely composed, not tested.
Savage - 6 I really like him, but he just doesn't really impose himself enough. I'm not really sure what his role is.
Wing - 7 MotM big improvement on Hutchinson. He can get up and down. He looks to drive, can do the dirty work and he's got a solid long shot that can make things happen.
Knibbs - 6 looks good in flashes, works hard out of possession but I want to see him more involved.
Elliott - 6 very talented, but didn't happen. Too narrow, too high. Not involved enough, because nothing progressed down the right because Bindon wasn't comfortable at RB. I want to see him in the middle of the pitch turning players and bursting into space and causing mayhem.
Azeez - 6.5 nothing came off really, there were some poor decisions as usual. But he caused Burton the kost problems and looked the most lively to me. Conundrum. I see why he plays, but it's not happening.
Ehibhatiomhan - 6.5 holds up the ball so well. Strong, good feet, decent pace. Smart. Just tries to do a little too much some times, tries to beat defenders a little too intricately and in too close proximity... get the ball a little further out from under your feet and do your tricks stood a little further off and you'll smash it.

Abbey - 7 looked back to his former self, admittedly against a very weak forward line.
Ballard - 6 should have had a pen, we looked more likely when he was on.
Mukairu - 6 bit disappointing, was expecting him to be really attacking and take people on, but not so much.
Yiadom - 6 iffy, but tryingvto make something happen and on his less comfortable left side.
Hutchinson - 6 solid
Rushesha - n/a not much time didn’t notice him. Put out of position.

Selles - 4 shape doesn't work. Selection for RB doesn't work. Two slow CBs is a risk. Front libe too narrow. Unforced subs too late.


Our formation relies on fullbacks providing width because the wide players like Knibbs, Azeez and Elliott want / are instructed to be narrow and come inside. That falls apart when your LB is nervous and your RB is a teenage CB who looks like he's never played FB in his life.

Could and should have been a comfortable win. Burton were the worst side I've seen.

I'll take the draw and a cleansheet. Though I wouldn't read much into either given how bad Burton were.

[WestYorksRoyal]

I've already mentioned I wasn't there, but from what I've read their keeper was MOTM, we should have had a penalty and Button didn't make a save. And people are blaming the manager that we didn't win?

Nothing their keeper did was beyond the tougher end of routine.

The thing you've got to understand is there was at least a full league of difference in player quality and whilst we created chances we looked pretty insipid for large swathes. There was a lot of tripping over the ball, poorly weighted passes, misdirected crosses etc.

Had we played like 2nd half of Bolton, any of Peterborough, Exeter, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Stevenage etc we'd have trotted in 3 or 4 goals clear.

We dominated. We should still have won. There were positives to take, but we didn't play well and the set up was a big big part of that, especially first half.

Plenty of teams struggle to break down inferior opposition in games they're expected to win, and I go back to how inexperienced Selles and the squad are. It seems like Selles' changes were a reaction to Blackpool and made us more cautious, when actually this was a game to twist. He got it wrong, but we should expect him to learn on the job.

I think the cup wins and flashes of good play such as the last 20 against Bolton have raised expectations beyond what's realistic. It's a young, talented, inconsistent team. You can say that if staying up is the aim then we have to be beating Burton at home, but the talent in the squad means we'll probably win a few games against teams at the top too. We already have. It's not like last season where we had an untalented squad and simply had to beat the lower teams because we couldn't compete against others. I think staying up this year is enough but we'll get there through ups and downs.

[Snowflake Royal]

I've already mentioned I wasn't there, but from what I've read their keeper was MOTM, we should have had a penalty and Button didn't make a save. And people are blaming the manager that we didn't win?

Nothing their keeper did was beyond the tougher end of routine.

The thing you've got to understand is there was at least a full league of difference in player quality and whilst we created chances we looked pretty insipid for large swathes. There was a lot of tripping over the ball, poorly weighted passes, misdirected crosses etc.

Had we played like 2nd half of Bolton, any of Peterborough, Exeter, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Stevenage etc we'd have trotted in 3 or 4 goals clear.

We dominated. We should still have won. There were positives to take, but we didn't play well and the set up was a big big part of that, especially first half.

Plenty of teams struggle to break down inferior opposition in games they're expected to win, and I go back to how inexperienced Selles and the squad are. It seems like Selles' changes were a reaction to Blackpool and made us more cautious, when actually this was a game to twist. He got it wrong, but we should expect him to learn on the job.

I think the cup wins and flashes of good play such as the last 20 against Bolton have raised expectations beyond what's realistic. It's a young, talented, inconsistent team. You can say that if staying up is the aim then we have to be beating Burton at home, but the talent in the squad means we'll probably win a few games against teams at the top too. We already have. It's not like last season where we had an untalented squad and simply had to beat the lower teams because we couldn't compete against others. I think staying up this year is enough but we'll get there through ups and downs.

You can’t afford to get in a position where you're playing catch up.

Heads have already dropped somewhat from the start of the season.

We're 4 points down with the risk of more in the future and even discounting that we're barely over a point a game.

We're almost 10 games into the season and we need to start seeing things come together on the pitch. The players are good enough.

[Millsy]

I go back to how inexperienced Selles [is]

We know we're in trouble when this is the most convincing defence we can muster up for a manager.

So glad we got someone inexperienced and out of his depth in this situation.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Nothing their keeper did was beyond the tougher end of routine.

The thing you've got to understand is there was at least a full league of difference in player quality and whilst we created chances we looked pretty insipid for large swathes. There was a lot of tripping over the ball, poorly weighted passes, misdirected crosses etc.

Had we played like 2nd half of Bolton, any of Peterborough, Exeter, Cambridge, Cheltenham, Stevenage etc we'd have trotted in 3 or 4 goals clear.

We dominated. We should still have won. There were positives to take, but we didn't play well and the set up was a big big part of that, especially first half.

Plenty of teams struggle to break down inferior opposition in games they're expected to win, and I go back to how inexperienced Selles and the squad are. It seems like Selles' changes were a reaction to Blackpool and made us more cautious, when actually this was a game to twist. He got it wrong, but we should expect him to learn on the job.

I think the cup wins and flashes of good play such as the last 20 against Bolton have raised expectations beyond what's realistic. It's a young, talented, inconsistent team. You can say that if staying up is the aim then we have to be beating Burton at home, but the talent in the squad means we'll probably win a few games against teams at the top too. We already have. It's not like last season where we had an untalented squad and simply had to beat the lower teams because we couldn't compete against others. I think staying up this year is enough but we'll get there through ups and downs.

You can’t afford to get in a position where you're playing catch up.

Heads have already dropped somewhat from the start of the season.

We're 4 points down with the risk of more in the future and even discounting that we're barely over a point a game.

We're almost 10 games into the season and we need to start seeing things come together on the pitch. The players are good enough.

I guess my opinion is partly coloured by "What's the alternative"?. Nobody would currently come here in our situation, and even if we got new owners and off field chaos resolved I'm loathed to go back to the hiring and firing cycle where we rely upon a new manager bounce every season.

So we have no choice but to give him this season as a bare minimum. And I have seen enough to suggest he will come good. He's clearly an excellent coach, has fostered a reasonable team spirit and is managing the off field issues as well as we could ask.

Where he's currently coming up short is how he sets up the team tactically, but I think this will come as he works with the squad more. And it's not utterly dire. Without the deduction we'd be out of the relegation zone, and if we pick up a couple of wins the table will look very different. Our home form is good, we just need an away result ignite better form. Which is hard without overnight stays and food - perhaps we need to look off the field there too.

[WestYorksRoyal]

I go back to how inexperienced Selles [is]

We know we're in trouble when this is the most convincing defence we can muster up for a manager.

So glad we got someone inexperienced and out of his depth in this situation.

Our choice was between inexperience or a flawed record. Experienced managers with good records don't drop down to L1. No doubt if we'd appointed a manager with recent failure on their CV we'd be ready to sharpen the knives too.

[Snowflake Royal]

Plenty of teams struggle to break down inferior opposition in games they're expected to win, and I go back to how inexperienced Selles and the squad are. It seems like Selles' changes were a reaction to Blackpool and made us more cautious, when actually this was a game to twist. He got it wrong, but we should expect him to learn on the job.

I think the cup wins and flashes of good play such as the last 20 against Bolton have raised expectations beyond what's realistic. It's a young, talented, inconsistent team. You can say that if staying up is the aim then we have to be beating Burton at home, but the talent in the squad means we'll probably win a few games against teams at the top too. We already have. It's not like last season where we had an untalented squad and simply had to beat the lower teams because we couldn't compete against others. I think staying up this year is enough but we'll get there through ups and downs.

You can’t afford to get in a position where you're playing catch up.

Heads have already dropped somewhat from the start of the season.

We're 4 points down with the risk of more in the future and even discounting that we're barely over a point a game.

We're almost 10 games into the season and we need to start seeing things come together on the pitch. The players are good enough.

I guess my opinion is partly coloured by "What's the alternative"?. Nobody would currently come here in our situation, and even if we got new owners and off field chaos resolved I'm loathed to go back to the hiring and firing cycle where we rely upon a new manager bounce every season.

So we have no choice but to give him this season as a bare minimum. And I have seen enough to suggest he will come good. He's clearly an excellent coach, has fostered a reasonable team spirit and is managing the off field issues as well as we could ask.

Where he's currently coming up short is how he sets up the team tactically, but I think this will come as he works with the squad more. And it's not utterly dire. Without the deduction we'd be out of the relegation zone, and if we pick up a couple of wins the table will look very different. Our home form is good, we just need an away result ignite better form. Which is hard without overnight stays and food - perhaps we need to look off the field there too.

You seem to think I want Selles sacked. I have no idea where you've got that from.

[Snowflake Royal]

I go back to how inexperienced Selles [is]

We know we're in trouble when this is the most convincing defence we can muster up for a manager.

So glad we got someone inexperienced and out of his depth in this situation.

Our choice was between inexperience or a flawed record. Experienced managers with good records don't drop down to L1. No doubt if we'd appointed a manager with recent failure on their CV we'd be ready to sharpen the knives too.

There are lots of good managers with experience in L1 and 2. We weren't looking for a Championship level manager.

Hiring a PL coach with minimal PL management experience was a poor choice.

[Millsy]

We know we're in trouble when this is the most convincing defence we can muster up for a manager.

So glad we got someone inexperienced and out of his depth in this situation.

Our choice was between inexperience or a flawed record. Experienced managers with good records don't drop down to L1. No doubt if we'd appointed a manager with recent failure on their CV we'd be ready to sharpen the knives too.

There are lots of good managers with experience in L1 and 2. We weren't looking for a Championship level manager.

Hiring a PL coach with minimal PL management experience was a poor choice.

Exactly this.

With Selles though we ingeniously managed to find that uncorn with just the right blend of both inexperience and a flawed record.

[Snowflake Royal]

If he gets a result at Northampton, his opening 10 games are disappointing but adequate, though improvement necessary.

If we lose to Northampton, his performance is inadequate and needs significant improvement.

Given our away record, that's not a great place to be in.

There are definitely lower league managers with experience who would consider us an option with our facilities and squad, despite the dreadful situation we're in.

[WestYorksRoyal]

We know we're in trouble when this is the most convincing defence we can muster up for a manager.

So glad we got someone inexperienced and out of his depth in this situation.

Our choice was between inexperience or a flawed record. Experienced managers with good records don't drop down to L1. No doubt if we'd appointed a manager with recent failure on their CV we'd be ready to sharpen the knives too.

There are lots of good managers with experience in L1 and 2. We weren't looking for a Championship level manager.

Hiring a PL coach with minimal PL management experience was a poor choice.

Before the Wilder debacle, one name that got me excited was Richie Wellens which fits your description well.

But I think Selles was a genuine Bowen pick, who backed him because of his record with youth and his high intensity pressing style. It's not coming off yet but I think we need to back the project. He got it wrong yesterday but he's learning on the job.

You can easily imagine many "experienced" managers moaning about the lack of experience, sticking with Holmes, Hutchinson etc., That we have such a talented squad is partly because Selles has given them a chance to prove it. So that alone buys him plenty of time. There's an alternative world where Abbey, Carson, Vickers and Binden remain U21 players.

[Hound]

Think sometime tbe problem with football is a goal just changes all perception of how the match went. We had enough chances to score and should have done - Kelv, Azeez, Binden all had decent chances. The keeper made some solid saves for them

Had a goal gone in then it’s a solid performance in which we dominated throughout. If we don’t then it’s Selles to blame

I didn’t think Selles did a lot wrong. My only gripe really was Ballard should have come on sooner - but as mentioned the time when he’d normally be brought on - 50m to 65m was when we looked our most dangerous

Should have won, usual expected failings - Kelv inexperienced, Azeez seemingly unable to get a goal, Ballard small and inexperienced - main reason we didn’t

Oh other thing - set pieces not good enough. Stop the floaty shit, Get Carson or Azeez to hit them in at pace