Steve Bruce - officially confirmed (as Sheffield Wednesday boss)

[wozwebs]

I thought RDM had them in for double sessions pre-season?

[Ads]

I'm wondering if RDM did his Albion trick of never being at BMH? Players certainly look like they'd never visited the place.

There's a lack of fitness but also a massive fear that leads to cowardly play. They're afraid to move the ball forwards at times and it's leading to players standing stock still, lumping it as an easy option, retreating back etc. Wins are the only cure but I can't see how this side based on that will ever win a game again.

[OzVilla]

Maybe he did, they can be in for triple sessions and it won't make any difference if they arnt doing the hard yards, the long runs, the sprints, the beep tests, the hill runs.

That's a large part of getting the stamina right. If your spending all your time in the weights section of the gym at BH you end up strong but not lean and match fit,  see Gabby as example A of our attitude to fitness.

[PaulWinch again]

The is just no cohesion between the defence, the midfield and the attack. They operate as if they're completely independent entities. The midfield is the biggest problem, because it offers no control to build attacks and no screening to protect the defence. Bruce has a hell of a job on.

[paul_e]

I'm wondering if RDM did his Albion trick of never being at BMH? Players certainly look like they'd never visited the place.

There's a lack of fitness but also a massive fear that leads to cowardly play. They're afraid to move the ball forwards at times and it's leading to players standing stock still, lumping it as an easy option, retreating back etc. Wins are the only cure but I can't see how this side based on that will ever win a game again.

The second bit is much closer to the truth of the problem for me.  I don't think the squad are as unfit as people are suggesting, I think it's easy to see big gaps and see us failing to ever win a second ball and assume it's down to fitness/work rate but I think that's missing the fact that we've started games looking like that, today we came out after 15mins rest and looked worse than we have all season.  That doesn't point to a blanket club wide fitness issue for me.  I personally think the problem is that the players are terrified so they're finding what they think is the right position and holding it as much as possible, trying to avoid taking responsibility to adapt to the game as it happens.  That why the point where we look 'unfit' is when teams start pressing us and changing their game up.

I'm not saying we shouldn't do fitness work I'm just saying that we could train them all up to run marathons and swim the channel and we'd still have the same problems because you're addressing a symptom not an underlying problem.

[VancouverLion]

The is just no cohesion between the defence, the midfield and the attack. They operate as if they're completely independent entities. The midfield is the biggest problem, because it offers no control to build attacks and no screening to protect the defence. Bruce has a hell of a job on.

Spot on.

[Villafirst]

RDM was totally the wrong appointment. Pity Steve resigned at Hull in July, not long after RDM took over. What a shambles we've become, particularly the last 2 seasons. The midfield is scary.

[Matt Collins]

I'm wondering if RDM did his Albion trick of never being at BMH? Players certainly look like they'd never visited the place.

There's a lack of fitness but also a massive fear that leads to cowardly play. They're afraid to move the ball forwards at times and it's leading to players standing stock still, lumping it as an easy option, retreating back etc. Wins are the only cure but I can't see how this side based on that will ever win a game again.

The second bit is much closer to the truth of the problem for me.  I don't think the squad are as unfit as people are suggesting, I think it's easy to see big gaps and see us failing to ever win a second ball and assume it's down to fitness/work rate but I think that's missing the fact that we've started games looking like that, today we came out after 15mins rest and looked worse than we have all season.  That doesn't point to a blanket club wide fitness issue for me.  I personally think the problem is that the players are terrified so they're finding what they think is the right position and holding it as much as possible, trying to avoid taking responsibility to adapt to the game as it happens.  That why the point where we look 'unfit' is when teams start pressing us and changing their game up.

I'm not saying we shouldn't do fitness work I'm just saying that we could train them all up to run marathons and swim the channel and we'd still have the same problems because you're addressing a symptom not an underlying problem.

Agreed. Our performances are getting worse. We didn't end the forest and Newcastle games badly.

It did seem a really obvious move to switch to a three man midfield yday. We were just getting outnumbered

Awful performance

[ozzjim]

I think had Jedinak not looked so awful and injuries taken players out we may have switched to a 3.

I do wonder if Bruce will look at the unattached list.  Still sine very decent players on it that could do a job. Osman even at 35 would offer something in midfield.  Mareilles might too. Some decent centre halves on there too. I think we need to get working on Bruce's trusted 3 5 2 to give us more through the centre of the pitch. In January I will be amazed if at least 2 central midfielders don't arrive.

[Ron Manager]

God knows what he can do in the next two months.We need physicality in midfield as a priority.Jedinak it appears is not the answer he is far too slow even for the Championship.
Free transfers have been suggested.That may well be the answer in the short term.

[john e]

have we got any one on loan who we can get back,
even for the campaign next season, Veretout  and Sanchez would both be starters in our midfield at the moment

[Salsa Party Animal]

We also need to make the ball work by keeping the ball better like a certain team in Nou Camp.  I can accept we have unfit players from previous management era, but why do we also have unfit players from summer signings.

[mr underhill]

Sanchez and Veretout have to be better than we have, trouble is, even if we could bring them back, neither would want to be here.

[nick harper]

have we got any one on loan who we can get back,
even for the campaign next season, Veretout  and Sanchez would both be starters in our midfield at the moment

Agree about Veretout. He had a really tough time last year, but as we've seen with one or two others who are playing elsewhere, the toxic environment made everyone look awful.

At least he got from box to box and had some energy. The current lot barely cross the half way line.

[john e]

Sanchez and Veretout have to be better than we have, trouble is, even if we could bring them back, neither would want to be here.

Yeah that's true
I don't think we can anyway I don't think it works like that

But like you say you would definitely have Sanchez in over Jed even with his passing and mistakes, and Veretout over Westwood would also be a given even though he didn't start yesterday

I can't believe we have left ourselves so short of midfielders, even when everyone's fit we are still short of options its rediculous