Why can't we create?!

[TBM]

It was a sarcastic comment due to the haircut. In saying that, Huddlestone hasn't done much at all for Hull with exception of his two last games.

1 goal, 1 assist in 19 games? Hell yeah...set the world on fire.

lol his role isn't to assist or score

It's like complaining that your full backs haven't scored 10+ goals this season

Uh? Tom Huddlestoe is a midfielder, right? So what's that to do with full backs and blah de blah?

He's a defensive midfielder. His role is to break up play and supply balls to the more creative players in the team

But you knew that

[AirRaidSiren]

lol his role isn't to assist or score

It's like complaining that your full backs haven't scored 10+ goals this season

Uh? Tom Huddlestoe is a midfielder, right? So what's that to do with full backs and blah de blah?

He's a defensive midfielder. His role is to break up play and supply balls to the more creative players in the team

But you knew that

Correct, but so is Karacan

[TBM]

Karacan, the man known for his assists and goals.......

[AirRaidSiren]

Karacan, the man known for his assists and goals.......

7 games, 2 goals, far outweighs Huddlestone
Karacan hasn't waited two years to cut his hair either

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Guthrie is like a spinning top he does not know whether to go backwards or forwards and when does make his mind up it is too late as the players that were in space have been closed down.

We miss Karacan who has energy, goes box to box, tackles and closes players down.

[Pandoras Box]

Personally it was summed up for me when Guthrie had a free kick about 5 yards into the opponents half (with Pog ,Sharp etc waiting for the cross). A Forest player stood ten yards in front of him. Guthrie turned round, passed the ball back 15 yards to Cummings who then passed it back further to Pearce(?) who then lumped it up field with all his might to land at the feet of the Forest player that had been standing 10 yards in front of Guthrie.
You couldn't make it up.

[Sanguine]

Guthrie is like a spinning top he does not know whether to go backwards or forwards and when does make his mind up it is too late as the players that were in space have been closed down.

We miss Karacan who has energy, goes box to box, tackles and closes players down.

People really need to start opening their eyes. This isn't what is happening, in general. Our players are static, rarely in space.

[Esteban]

We do everything too slow. That is why.

Exactly that. Ball needs to be whipped in quicker in that final third. We allow teams to close us down... And back we go.

Agreed and I think this stems from the whole side sitting too deep. As someone else pointed out, it is Guthrie's job to drop a little deeper and collect the ball from the defence, but because our starting point is so deep, it drags the entire team backwards and invites the opposition on to us. I presume we sit deep because we have a lack of pace at CB. It's far too easy for teams to press us high up the pitch and as a result, the ball is always going sideways or backwards.

We need a new CB with some pace and that for me is our biggest priority, followed closely by a new LB. Unless of course Hector is the CB we've been missing.

[RoyalBlue]

Guthrie is like a spinning top he does not know whether to go backwards or forwards and when does make his mind up it is too late as the players that were in space have been closed down.

We miss Karacan who has energy, goes box to box, tackles and closes players down.

People really need to start opening their eyes. This isn't what is happening, in general. Our players are static, rarely in space.

This is so very true. The thing I liked about Jake Taylor when he came on against Forest was that he was making some very good runs off the ball but his teammates seemed blind to them, despite the fact that on several occasions he was shouting and signalling with his arm.

[Esteban]

Personally it was summed up for me when Guthrie had a free kick about 5 yards into the opponents half (with Pog ,Sharp etc waiting for the cross). A Forest player stood ten yards in front of him. Guthrie turned round, passed the ball back 15 yards to Cummings who then passed it back further to Pearce(?) who then lumped it up field with all his might to land at the feet of the Forest player that had been standing 10 yards in front of Guthrie.
You couldn't make it up.

I noticed this too, I think it might have been McCarthy who kicked long in the end, but that's neither here nor there. Whether that was a poor decision by Guthrie or a result of the training sessions the players take, I'm not sure. It was a complete waste of possession though.

[bcubed]

Guthrie.

He picks the ball up in deep positions and central positions, yet how often does he come forward with the ball and look for the through-ball, or to slip it out wide? He only ever seems to slow the pace down, which is the opposite to what Adkins has stated he is asking of the team. Guthrie is slow to see what's around him, and then that moment passes us by, and he plays it sideways or backwards. Lack of urgency and vision and it holds us back.

Did you notice the difference Taylor made when he came on? Coming forward with the ball (an instant improvement), being aware of what was around him and he made use of it by feeding the left side. We immediately looked a lot brighter, and started giving Forest problems - largely through Blackman who was very impressive today.

I'd like to see more of Taylor in this side. That someone that can link midfield with attack - something we have been missing for far too long!

Agreed Taylor looked positive when he came on, but how come Guthrie is looking so poor?
A few weeks back everyone was full of praise for Guthrie (player of the season already sewn up in many minds) so what's changed? In my view it was that he plays much better with Baird behind him allowing him much greater freedom - getting further forward and making less mistakes In critical areas
And maybe making him captain hasn't helped either

[Sanguine]

Guthrie can't 'bring the ball forward' if he doesn't have a central midfield partner to pass to. He can't thread a ball down the wing if McCleary is static. A ball-playing midfielder will only be as effective as the players around him. Want him to start searching for the killer ball? I'm sure if he did, he'd get criticised for being too 'Hollywood'.

It's a small sample, but at the Bournemouth game I counted 5 instances in the second half where Guthrie got the ball near the centre circle and Williams was either nowhere near him, or marked. Twice he was static on the right on the halfway line, another time stood still behind a Bournemouth midfielder, another time Sharp was deeper than him.

[Agent Balti]

The general problem seems to be movement. Only Blackman actually seemed to want to move into space against Forest. McCleary often places himself where he is marked or drifts inside to another equally marked position. Often both our wingers (whoever they are) are unbelievably high up the field in an already congested area...so no wonder Guthrie is playing 'hail mary's' into the box. Not saying it's not Guthrie's fault, but often we have 4 players across the 18 yard line, but none of them are in space!! Our full backs aren't as mobile as we would like. Cummings hasn't got a clue once he gets over the half way line (and even Gunter had to 'forget' that he wasn't a full back against Forest, but at least he was willing.)

The Pog has and does drop deep (therefore marked), and Sharp or ALF don't seem to have the nous to try and create any gaps for a midfielder to rush onto...this is because either a) the wingers are static (see McCleary) or b) Oh..there is no runner from centre midfield due to Williams and Guthrie being too withdrawn (and/or, one is reluctant to leave just one central midfielder to cope when we invariably lose the ball. Often Chalobah/Reid/Patterson were running rings around us as a result.)

Only when Drenthe was (sort of) behind the front two did we seem to have any kind of movement, but he just floated anywhere where the ball was really. One of our worst aspects is the constant 'sand wedge' type pass that's attempted by Pearce and Kelly up to the Pog or Sharp. It's rather aimless and I can't believe this is trained as a tactic. It's sodding awful and rarely works. In fact, Pearce may as well just give the ball to anyone else frankly, as he just cannot pass the ball.

[3points]

Guthrie can't 'bring the ball forward' if he doesn't have a central midfield partner to pass to. He can't thread a ball down the wing if McCleary is static. A ball-playing midfielder will only be as effective as the players around him.

Gunter and McCleary hug the touchline too much and are too far away (especially Gunter). When Bridge was playing, he was always Guthrie's outlet ball as a) he was in a good position to receive it and b) Guthrie knew he would do something with it unlike Gunter. I think Gunter is a terrific athlete, but he isn't that comfortable on the ball when he does get it.

[Simon's Church]

Create with the heart; build with the mind

[Royal Biscuitman]

A midfield partnership - this can be two players of lesser ability than those we currently have, but players who play as a unit and don't drift back to defence (Guthrie) or play the ball sideways all the time (Harper... er I mean Guthrie) and insist every ball goes though them.

As it stands, Guthrie plays too deep and our strikers end up on the wings - Just go back to basics, 4-4-2 and when we get that right, build and tweak it bit by bit.

[bcubed]

A midfield partnership - this can be two players of lesser ability than those we currently have, but players who play as a unit and don't drift back to defence (Guthrie) or play the ball sideways all the time (Harper... er I mean Guthrie) and insist every ball goes though them.

As it stands, Guthrie plays too deep and our strikers end up on the wings - Just go back to basics, 4-4-2 and when we get that right, build and tweak it bit by bit.

You're right - we need the right combination
Guthrie alongside Baird - he looks like player of the season
Alongside Williams - gash

[FridaysGhost]

We can't create because we have 'Players Droop'.

[URZZZZZ]

in the last 5 games including this one we have had 14 shots on goal, that is oxf*rd shocking
average shots on target in last 5 games is 2.8
prior to this game the average was 3 shots on target per game
in the last 10 games we have had 30 shots on target, meaning an average of 3 on target each game
in the last 12 games we managed 37 on target with an average of 3.08
its getting worse lol

[TBM]

5 shots
0 on target