Aiming for fourth?

[foreverblue]

It seems strange but apart from the complete meltdown against Fulham we seem tactically to be of a mindset to seek 4th place. By that I mean win games at home and ensure a draw away. This seems to be regardless of the opposition.
Just doing a quick calc, it you win at home and draw away you end up with 76 points. That's historically 4th place.
What I don't quite get is why this apparent default position is not altered to consider the opposition. Are we really so insecure away from home STILL (considering last season) that we don't look at Birmingham as a team to be ripped apart?
Is this the fundamental problem with the squad. Is it a subconscious fear in the players, in the management or in both?

I truly believed the whole point of making wholesale changes to the playing staff was to drive out any tendency towards insecurity. But now we seem to building it back in.
I am all for a strictly tight midfield away to a perhaps half of the premiership teams. Birmingham are not in that half in my opinion.
I don't see how we can score breakaway goals away if you have no one to connect the attack with defence. And if we are to counter attack then I honestly don't see how we are to do this without the creativity of Ireland frrom the get go. SWP can run at guys but he can't pick the pass that releases Bellamy into the channel at breakneck speed and be there to follow up on the edge of the box.
We are going to lose some more games this season, I have no doubt. There is no problem with that. It is all about progression. But not setting ourselves up to beat poor teams is shameful. How exactly are the strikers supposed to score goals if the likes of Ireland, Robinho, Petrov are not on the pitch AT THE START.
How exactly do RSC, Bellamy and Tevez create their own opportunities? Do we need all on the pitch at the same time?

Really frustrated.

[Socrates]

I was disappointed when I saw the teamsheet today but was still optimistic after I saw their teamsheet and realised how inferior they were on paper. We really should have done better regardless of selection but I agree that the sooner Ireland is back on song the bloody better!

[dazby]

To those at the game, are the midfielders making themselves available for a pass or are they being lazy forcing the defenders to hoof.

Short passing seems to be out of fashion with us at the mo.