I did not expect too much prior to Sunday’s game against an in-form Bournemouth. The reality of their seven-game unbeaten run had kicked in.
I wondered whether they might simply have too much for us. The first few minutes were encouraging.
I thought we made a good start and began to wonder whether we might be in for a decent afternoon after all.
Then came a moment that put us on the back foot very early.
There are mistakes that you simply cannot afford to make in the cauldron of the Premier League.
Unfortunately, we have become far too familiar with costly errors recently. Four goals conceded in our last two matches, all avoidable.
While there are plenty of other things to discuss following Sunday's 2-1 defeat, I keep coming back to one obvious conclusion.
We simply cannot continue defending like this and expect to survive.
For Hull City last week, read Bournemouth this week. Two gifted goals again.
Four moments of defensive carelessness and four reminders that, at this level, the opposition will punish you.
In the early stages, Daizen Maeda looked lively, Jaden Philogene was causing problems and there was an encouraging energy about our play.
But Christian Walton's decision to try to play his way out of trouble, rather than simply clearing his lines, changed the complexion of the afternoon.
It was a dreadful error and one that Walton will know he should never have made. There is no point dressing it up as anything else.
It now raises an uncomfortable question about our goalkeeping situation. Is it time for Kjell Scherpen to return between the posts?
Walton has been a dependable servant to Town, and I have no desire to see him publicly hung out to dry. However, sentiment cannot dictate selection in the Premier League.
Scherpen has had his own difficult moments since arriving, and Gary O'Neil clearly felt Walton was the better option.
But having made such a costly mistake, O'Neil must now consider whether a change is necessary. There is an argument that Scherpen deserves another opportunity.
Equally, there is an argument that constantly changing goalkeepers does little for confidence or defensive stability.
What we cannot have is uncertainty every time the ball is played back to our goalkeeper.
Whichever player gets the nod, I want to see some common sense. There are occasions when playing football from the back is appropriate, and others when getting the ball as far away from goal as possible is the only sensible option.
Jack Clarke's penalty briefly gave us hope, but we never quite looked capable of producing the moment that would rescue a point.
Bournemouth, who have now won eight consecutive matches in all competitions, did what good teams do. They took advantage of our mistakes and managed the game.
So, what now? The international break has arrived at a useful time.
O'Neil needs to use these next couple of weeks to address our defensive deficiencies, and I would make that the absolute priority.
We need to become harder to play against. Better organisation, greater concentration, more communication and a far greater appreciation of the danger when possession is lost in vulnerable areas.
Defending is a collective responsibility, not simply something we leave to the back four and goalkeeper.
I would also like to see some work on our starts to halves.
Conceding inside five minutes and then again immediately after the interval is simply unacceptable.
We cannot keep spending the opening minutes of each half handing the opposition a head start.
We head into the break 14th in the table, but with only three points separating us from the bottom three.
The table is starting to take shape now, and our failure to win any of our last four games should concentrate a few minds.
When we return, Tottenham away awaits us. It will hardly be a gentle introduction back.
I do not expect perfection, nor do I expect us to suddenly become a team that never makes a mistake.
But I do expect us to learn from the mistakes we make. The goals conceded in the last two games have told their own story.
The question is whether we can do something about it before four becomes eight, and so on.
Share