Middlesborough - Leeds United ***Matchday Thread***

[norfolk white]

I know I said 1-0 will do but Jesus! How on earth does bamford miss so much, 6 yards out free header, straight at the keeper, 2 yards out, a miss hit, I know the defender got a touch but good strikers adapt, nketiah would have buried both, then Costa gets in on the act, 2 yard blast over, we should have won 3-0 at least, as we should have against Bristol and reading, it will cost us, as all 3 teams had one decent chance to score but failed, some teams won't fail....for Christ sake score some goals and put the game into context.

[LeedsFTW]

I agree that Bamford is playing like he is mentally shot.

He plays so deep for a lone striker and always seems to have to pass the ball back when he wins it.

I noticed a lot of chances he is having to bust a gut to get on the end of them. He does do an incredible amount of work pressing and closing down the opposition. Other teams have strikers that just saunter around the pitch or have a strike partner to share the workload.

He is without doubt missing way to many chances and simple ones at that, but playing so deep with that expected workload is not helping him, I am sure of it. If we want Bamford scoring more consistently he needs to be on the shoulderif the last defender more often instead of being a fifth midfielder.

[WTF11]

I agree that Bamford is playing like he is mentally shot.

He plays so deep for a lone striker and always seems to have to pass the ball back when he wins it.

I noticed a lot of chances he is having to bust a gut to get on the end of them. He does do an incredible amount of work pressing and closing down the opposition. Other teams have strikers that just saunter around the pitch or have a strike partner to share the workload.

He is without doubt missing way to many chances and simple ones at that, but playing so deep with that expected workload is not helping him, I am sure of it. If we want Bamford scoring more consistently he needs to be on the shoulderif the last defender more often instead of being a fifth midfielder.

Agree with all that. It may be bielsas "way" to play with a single attacker, but FFS we need more than one so you can rotate, surely? Bamford has played 33 of the 35 matches this season, and 22 from last, (and his strike rate is scarily similar in both). That's a HELL of a lot of effort (and he does put a shift in every match), for one guy charged with the main scoring responsibility for the team. (Klich played over 50 games straight (albeit that the close season intervened), but has others around him who can take some of the strain).

Don't think Bielsa will change, especially as Augustin looks like being both injured and unfit, and we have less than a dozen games to go.

[whitestomper45]

[spaldy]

Now that is funny

[norfolk white]

Don't like slating the lad but it's like having a goalkeeper that does everything but saves shots (oh yeah, sometimes we have that as well, although last few games he's been sound), bamford does everything but score, and as a striker that's surely your one objective.

[BelfastAndy]

Lol....

[LeedsFTW]

Don't like slating the lad but it's like having a goalkeeper that does everything but saves shots (oh yeah, sometimes we have that as well, although last few games he's been sound), bamford does everything but score, and as a striker that's surely your one objective.

That's the point though, most Strikers role is just to compete with the defenders and put ball in back of net, you know keep the defenders honest

Bamford has to follow the ball as part of the press in the final 3rd, back track, link up the play and ump**** other things before he even contemplates the traditional strikers role.

He definitely is missing to many golden chances though and is obviously under immense pressure, especially when the rest of the team aren't exactly free scoring.

[WTF11]

That's the point though, most Strikers role is just to compete with the defenders and put ball in back of net, you know keep the defenders honest

Bamford has to follow the ball as part of the press in the final 3rd, back track, link up the play and ump**** other things before he even contemplates the traditional strikers role.

He definitely is missing to many golden chances though and is obviously under immense pressure, especially when the rest of the team aren't exactly free scoring.

I think that last bit is absolutely key. He may not have been putting all his chances away, but Bamford has scored 12 times in the championship, similar strike rate to last season (per game) with Hernandez and Harrison the closest competition (5 each), followed by Alioski and Kilch (4 each), hardly the most impressive supporting act for our lone attacker. It's no excuse for some of the sitters he's missed, but look at the howler from Costa and he's hardly been expected to fulfil the jack-of-all-trades that Bamford appears to be expected to.

Anyway, with Augustin (or should that be Allgutsin?) unfit and injured trying to get there, I suspect Bamford will have to carry on on his tod for a little while longer.

[Orgoner]

Very good!

* One of his closer efforts? *