Current Player #42 Steve Seddon

[Joey]

That was Brown

It was Seddon's header that went straight back into the danger zone, Brown was just ahead of him.

I didn't watch the game so won't say much about last night but it's been pretty obvious Seddon has been off it for a while and is in dire need of a rest. Hopefully Brown can play there competently for a few weeks at least, otherwise I can't understand why we didn't sign a specialist left back in the window, much less why people thought it wasn't an issue. It's not just a case of stepping in in case Seddon gets injured, it would be useful to have an option to come in in case of loss of form. If a midfielder or winger had been putting in this level of performance then they'd have been dropped but we can't afford to do it with our left back.

 

[werthersoriginal]

It was Seddon's header that went straight back into the danger zone, Brown was just ahead of him.

I didn't watch the game so won't say much about last night but it's been pretty obvious Seddon has been off it for a while and is in dire need of a rest. Hopefully Brown can play there competently for a few weeks at least, otherwise I can't understand why we didn't sign a specialist left back in the window, much less why people thought it wasn't an issue. It's not just a case of stepping in in case Seddon gets injured, it would be useful to have an option to come in in case of loss of form. If a midfielder or winger had been putting in this level of performance then they'd have been dropped but we can't afford to do it with our left back.

If Thorniley hadn't been recalled I'm sure he'd have been given a try there

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Well I wish somebody had pointed this out before now. Why the hell did you keep it a secret?

Sarcasm really is the lowest form of wit.

 

[ECYellow]

Bigger issues than Seddon defensively I think.

We need a settled back 4.

Long Moore McNally Seddon.

Can we play that back 4 game after game till the end of the season?

The back 4 is also given no protection from the rest of the side.. It was no surprise Seddon looked outstanding at the start of the season when Gorrin featured..

Last nights first goal… ball drops to the edge of the box. no CDM there.. how many goals do we concede like that?

The ball dropped too the edge of the box because that is where Seddon headed it! Back into the danger zone instead of heading the ball away - elementary defending.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Sarcasm really is the lowest form of wit.

You’re angry at Karl, not at me. I forgive you.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

You’re angry at Karl, not at me. I forgive you.

Not angry, just disappointed. You've let yourself down, your parents down, the club down ....

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Not angry, just disappointed. You've let yourself down, your parents down, the club down ....

 

[Oxford1996]

The ball dropped too the edge of the box because that is where Seddon headed it! Back into the danger zone instead of heading the ball away - elementary defending.

Just like it dropped to the edge of the box for Bannans goal for Wednesday. For Thompsons goal for Wycombe.

Think it’s a reoccurring issue of not getting the 2nd ball edge of our box.

Gorrin would mop them up.

 

[McXal]

To defend Seddon somewhat (although I am in the camp who thought he had a really poor game last night) - I thought his second half against Wigan was outstanding last week.

Admittedly he was part of some pretty shocking collective defending for Wigan’s goal - but second half he was under a LOT of pressure and stood up to it well, giving one of his best defensive performance halves of the season.

He has it in his locker, albeit clearly he is both a) more of an offensive fullback and b) visibly burnt out right now. The latter almost certainly plays a factor on a Tuesday night game on a heavy pitch in a physical game played under terrible weather conditions.

If Long’s injury has cleared up I too wonder if it’s worth giving him a couple of games to rest up and start with Forde/Williams at RB and Long at LB. Not ideal (and I think Sam’s form has suffered this season because he keeps being hauled out of his RB slot either through injury, illness or to cover someone else being injured) - but Seddon looks absolutely shot at times. The lad would really benefit from a couple of games out to refresh himself (IMO)

 

[Osei Yaw]

Seddon has played 2700 minutes in the league this season.

Forde 907. Williams 894. Bodin 624. Winnall 378. A combined 2,803.

Just frustrating we've painted ourselves into a corner again with the left back situation. We only had Ruffels there last season, and only have Seddon there this season. Feel sorry for the guy because sometimes you need to be rested for your own good, and there isn't that option for him.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Seddon has played 2700 minutes in the league this season.

Forde 907. Williams 894. Bodin 624. Winnall 378. A combined 2,803.

Just frustrating we've painted ourselves into a corner again with the left back situation. We only had Ruffels there last season, and only have Seddon there this season. Feel sorry for the guy because sometimes you need to be rested for your own good, and there isn't that option for him.

Yeah this feels like wilful stubborness from Karl, although there's only so much you can do when three or four defenders are out.

 

[Mystery Yellow]

That was Brown

No it wasn’t watch it again it was seddon, commentary from RO got it wrong

 

[unification]

Seddon has played 2700 minutes in the league this season.

Forde 907. Williams 894. Bodin 624. Winnall 378. A combined 2,803.

Just frustrating we've painted ourselves into a corner again with the left back situation. We only had Ruffels there last season, and only have Seddon there this season. Feel sorry for the guy because sometimes you need to be rested for your own good, and there isn't that option for him.

*sigh* So many of us said at the start of the season. You wouldn't start a season without a backup 'keeper or third or fourth options for CB. Why KR treats the LB position any differently is anyone's guess.

The second choice LB is our first choice RB which creates a 50% churn in defence when we have to deploy it - Long to LB and one of a number to RB. For the attention to detail shown to other positions, there's plenty of 'will this do?' when it comes to the defence.

We're at the right end of the table for our goal scoring exploits. When it doesn't quite click, three ugly looking 2-0 defeats to Lincoln, Wycombe and Accrington stand out like sore thumbs.

 

[Oxford1996]

Seddon has played 2700 minutes in the league this season.

Forde 907. Williams 894. Bodin 624. Winnall 378. A combined 2,803.

Just frustrating we've painted ourselves into a corner again with the left back situation. We only had Ruffels there last season, and only have Seddon there this season. Feel sorry for the guy because sometimes you need to be rested for your own good, and there isn't that option for him.

Our best back 4 is -

Long, Moore, McNally, Seddon.

What’s our back up back 4?

Forde - not a right back
Mousinho - old man
Brown - poor loanee
Hanson? - not a left back

Massive issue.

 

[Osei Yaw]

*sigh* So many of us said at the start of the season. You wouldn't start a season without a backup 'keeper or third or fourth options for CB. Why KR treats the LB position any differently is anyone's guess.

The second choice LB is our first choice RB which creates a 50% churn in defence when we have to deploy it - Long to LB and one of a number to RB. For the attention to detail shown to other positions, there's plenty of 'will this do?' when it comes to the defence.

We're at the right end of the table for our goal scoring exploits. When it doesn't quite click, three ugly looking 2-0 defeats to Lincoln, Wycombe and Accrington stand out like sore thumbs.

I know, I know. It's hard to fathom, isn't it? I think everyone "gets" that full back is a difficult position in our system, as you have to get up the pitch as well as defend. I think people also appreciate it's unlikely many League 1 players can do both brilliantly, and if they can then they won't be in this league for a long time. That's why I'm happy enough with Forde being the backup to Long. Long is a good defender and is alright going forward, where as Forde is better going forward and poorer at defending. It'll often be Long starting, but when there's a bit of fixture congestion and a relegation zone team is visiting the Kassam midweek, then it feels like an opportunity to give Long the night off and start Forde, and keep Long fresh for when we go away to a playoff team on the weekend. It's nice to have the opportunity, at least.

It feels like Seddon is the Forde equivalent but on the left, and we don't have that Sam Long like player for the left. Unless of course, we actually do put Sam Long there, rejig the rest of the defence, reduce the natural width on the left of the pitch whilst also giving Longy's hamstrings another 90 minutes. All the while at least 2 wingers aren't playing and may not be in the squad at all.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Yeah this feels like wilful stubborness from Karl, although there's only so much you can do when three or four defenders are out.

Most other teams would simply play one of the three or four spares.

There’s still a squad space available. Get another winger in.

 

[Mad Dog]

Our best back 4 is -

Long, Moore, McNally, Seddon.

What’s our back up back 4?

Forde - not a right back
Mousinho - old man
Brown - poor loanee
Hanson? - not a left back

Massive issue.

I agree, yet again, the defence has been massively overlooked this season.

Robbo simply does not seem to understand the need for adequate defensive options, and seems to think wingers and midfielders can simply be shoehorned in when needed, which is incredibly naive, and the fact that he hasn’t learned from the mess he made of the defence last season, is very worrying, and suggests he never will.

However, we’re still in the playoffs, and have had some great results recently, showing great team spirit and desire to win games that we would’ve lost in previous seasons, so I don’t think we should be getting too negative about things after one defeat and below par performance, it happens.

I think we all just need to accept that as long as KR is manager, we’re always gonna have defensive issues, as it’s simply not an area he considers as important as others, you could probably say the same about his attitude to out and out strikers as well!

He’s clearly a midfielder and winger type of guy, and that’s that, but let’s face it, two playoff finishes in a row, and a third looking very likely, suggests it’s maybe not as bad as some are making out!

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Seddon is a reasonable enough footballer but he’s no old school left back is he?

He melts away when run at and if you have the ‘likes of Holland’ ahead of him, you’re asking for trouble especially away from home. And guess what … we’re being targeted regularly on the left flank. Very noticeably last night.

Wednesday game this happened first half, KR had nous to change the formation and the rest was history.

I therefore wouldn’t be surprised to see 3-5-2 during a lot more games in the run-in.

Looking back at last night McNally (and Long) being out was crucial. McNally is far quicker than Brown; his pace often bails SS out.

 

[ECYellow]

Seddon is a reasonable enough footballer but he’s no old school left back is he?

He melts away when run at and if you have the ‘likes of Holland’ ahead of him, you’re asking for trouble especially away from home. And guess what … we’re being targeted regularly on the left flank. Very noticeably last night.

Wednesday game this happened first half, KR had nous to change the formation and the rest was history.

I therefore wouldn’t be surprised to see 3-5-2 during a lot more games in the run-in.

Looking back at last night McNally (and Long) being out was crucial. McNally is far quicker than Brown; his pace often bails SS out.

I can't remember a team recently that haven't targeted our left side.

It seems that the memo is to put it over Seddon's right shoulder and the opposition winger is in.

Seddon has been noticeably poor. However, i do think he lacks protection in front of him when we play Holland or Whyte in that position. It's incredible the number of times the oppo seem to have a 2 v 1 against SS.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I think we all just need to accept that as long as KR is manager, we’re always gonna have defensive issues, as it’s simply not an area he considers as important as others

And yet the one time he actually got a team promoted in his career he had a 30 year old left back with lorry loads of experience, a centre back pairing with a combined age of nearly 60, and so many options at full back that Baldock was sent out on loan as he was third choice on the right. That defence was the third best in the division and was the reason MK went from being entertaining nearly men to promotion winners.

That team scored over 100 league goals that season (and so they bloody should have with the likes of Dele Alli, Will Grigg, Benik Afobe, Devante Cole and Jonson Clarke-Harris all in one squad) so nobody could accuse them of being boring - having a good defence does not mean being defensive or sacrificing ‘entertainment’. They got promoted by two points despite scoring all the goals in the world, and that’s where the defence was the key. Just like when Peterborough finally got promoted last year despite being the division’s top scorers most seasons before that, because their defence was the fourth best rather than being mid-table at best.

Robinson knows how important the defence is, especially when it comes to getting out of this division because he’s done it, so if he’s deciding to ignore it season after season then it seems more than a bit silly. Nobody is asking for anything to change in regards to the style of play and the MK scoring record in 14/15 backs up that it doesn’t need to. Simply get an adequate left back of reasonable ability to offer cover / competition and a centre back who is experienced and capable of organising and playing 90 minutes to a decent level. That’s it.

Or keep having nine forward players competing for three spots, eight or nine midfielders competing for three spots, and so few defensive options that a couple of absences at the back suddenly means people are practically being bandaged up and put out on stretchers. Either way.