BORING!

[Ferrite]

I think Cox has done a really good job this season, dealing with a squad of completely new players, many of whom had no or little league experience and despite a tough start he’s got us to safety and we can look forward to a midtable finish. Our defence has really tightened up since Christmas & our away form’s been very good.

But my word we are a really boring team to watch. How many times have we failed to score? Apart from the two Harrogate games, how often have we really attacked sides and created many good chances? I get that the priority was keeping it safe and keeping us up but now we’re pretty much secure, it’s time to start showing a bit more swagger and flair. With KVV coming back to fitness and a few more options up front soon, it would be great to see the team with the handbreak off. And if we can win a few games convincingly between now & the end of the season, it would create a real buzz for next season when hopefully we’ll all be back at GP.

[cassidystash]

Absolutely right. Does anybody (Cox aside) really believe we have set up or set out, from the start, to win games. If we have then the players have not carried out instructions. I get the impression that setting up not to lose is to blame for certain players not being able to play to their strengths and being either below par or disinterested. Is it really necessary to have KVV in our penalty area defending corners? Is the first priority for the wide players (Gilliead, Green, Eisa, Hippolyte) to provide cover for the FB?
CMs is protecting the back four the main job?

[Sanfran49]

The games to go this season are not just about this season.

Targeting is alive and thriving, getting to the time when decisions need making.

[Ferrite]

cassidystash wrote:

Does anybody (Cox aside) really believe we have set up or set out, from the start, to win games

Yes, I do. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and the results this year show that it’s been working. But that doesn’t mean it’s been much fun at times (rope-a-dope at Cambridge, sitting back against Colchester, etc.). The ends justify the means for now but that won’t be the case forever….

[BigLeftToe]

Hopefully it won’t go on too much longer…they only justify the means if we’re happy being a bottom 7 club in the Football League.

2 users thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron, alcazar

[Cliff Byrne’s Right Peg]

The football on the whole this season has been turgid, and there’s no getting away from that, however you have to put the season into context.

Cox inherited the most disjointed and poorly assembled team I’ve seen in my time watching the Iron, I honestly thought we’d had it as a football league club. There’s no overstating how shit we were.

Over time he’s organised the players, got them working hard consistently, set up a mean defensive unit ( when they’re fit) and created a positive atmosphere of ‘togetherness’ which has been mentioned by the players. He’s managed to get a tune out of Loft who was dismissed almost instantly by most of us, and allowed some of the younger players such as Rowe, O’Malley to break into the first team.

Howe aside, nearly everyone signing since his appointment has had a positive influence on the team: Howard, Brown, Taft, Karacan have all contributed.

There were people, including some on here, calling for his head before the Grimsby game; if Swann proceeded to swing the axe I’m convinced we’d be sitting somewhere between Barrow/Grimsby/Southend.

When fans are back next year there will have to be an improvement in performances. At the minute we are a poor attacking outlet and cannot break teams down, Cox will know, and needs to address this during the summer. Languishing in the lower reaches of league 2 will also not be acceptable.

However, I see Cox as a long term project and hopefully he feels the same about us. We’ve had a lot instability during the last few years and it will be a breath of fresh air to see the same manager in the dugout for another season.

I hope he’s given time to prove his worth.

[Ferrite]

Completely agree with you Cliffy and I am happy to give Cox plenty of credit. I understand that performances recently have been a means to an end, that’s fine, I just hope it doesn’t continue like this next season because I think we could and should be able to do better than that.

[Sanfran49]

Turgid will not show a boost to gates after this long absence of supporters.

The decision maker needs to change their attitude. Is there a long term plan ? Now I am not so sure on.

1 user thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron

[lesgeo]

We could so easily lose five or six of our better players. Almost like starting from scratch.

2 users thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron, alcazar

[Bucksiron]

How many times have we heard complaints from supporters about the style of football we’ve played over the past few years. Yet how many would happily swap where we were under Alexander with where we are now — a lot, I suspect. Yet exactly the same complaints were every bit as loud and clear then as they are now.

Cox has so far proved himself adept at taking a disjointed squad and doing something with it, especially given the injuries he’s also had to deal with. I’m just hoping that we can continue to build in confidence for the rest of this season and progress towards challenging for a play-off place next season.

Frankly, while we’d all love to see the team playing attractive football all the time, I’ll take results over entertainment if that means we can get back to challenging for the play-offs in League One. At the moment that still feels some way off.

[Deereyme66]

The complaints from supporters about ‘boring’ football tend to come from those who are watching games week in week out and paying for the privilege (if you can call it that). They are the most qualified to pass judgement and criticise the style of football. I don’t see a problem with that. Many are also looking at the wider picture such as entrertaining football attracting fans back, when allowed. That seems sensible.

[alcazar]

As I see it, the boring, turgid football has been ongoing under several managers and with lots of different squad members.
It has certainly NOT just arrived either with Cox, or with the present lacklustre players.

No…you have to look further up and further in to find the source of the problem.

That’s what worries me. Changing manager has zero effect. New players in, old, fed up, players out…no effect.

Now I wonder what WOULD stop the rot?
Answers on a postcard to Ernest Pawn, please😄

1 user thanked author for this post.

Sanfran49

[Ferrite]

Bucksiron wrote:

How many times have we heard complaints from supporters about the style of football we’ve played over the past few years. Yet how many would happily swap where we were under Alexander with where we are now — a lot, I suspect. Yet exactly the same complaints were every bit as loud and clear then as they are now.

Remind me, what happened to Alexander?

Bucksiron wrote:

Frankly, while we’d all love to see the team playing attractive football all the time, I’ll take results over entertainment if that means we can get back to challenging for the play-offs in League One. At the moment that still feels some way off.

Doesn’t seem a particularly realistic dream, I’d rather we were fun & competitive in this division.

[cassidystash]

If a family of 4 are watching a match for a tenner and don’t think they’re getting value for money then what chance that they will return to GP, when allowed, if there’s little entertainment on offer.

1 user thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron

[Sanfran49]

Alexander has gone so lets move on. Attitude to fans started with MR, and he deserved to go as well.

You stand more chance winning if you attack than defend, how many attempts on goal against Exeter ?? Fans will not flock back and Mr Swann needs to ask himself why !

[Northumbiron]

Bucksiron wrote:

How many times have we heard complaints from supporters about the style of football we’ve played

Not as many times as they’ve been scolded by you for daring to have an alternative viewpoint.

[Heath]

Or for expressing an opinion having attended or watched the match!!

1 user thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron

[Ferrite]

cassidystash wrote:

If a family of 4 are watching a match for a tenner and don’t think they’re getting value for money then what chance that they will return to GP, when allowed, if there’s little entertainment on offer.

This is a crucial point. Everyone who used to attend games will have now found other ways to spend their time & money. Many will return but plenty won’t. Things ain’t going to be the same as in the past.

[Deereyme66]

The only things that are going to get the crowds back are a mix of good matchday experience (includes entertaining football and challenging for promotion) and feeling part of the club. Anyone who thinks it’s just about league position is a fool.

3 users thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron, Northumbiron, Cliff Byrne's Right Peg

[Bucksiron]

“Anyone who thinks it’s just about league position is a fool.”

I completely agree, Deerey, but so too is anyone who thinks that gates will improve without promotion. All football fans are known to be fickle but the moaning and groaning on this board — even when we were pushing for promotion from L1 — was unbelievable.

If anyone has enjoyed life back in the basement division then do please speak up.

[Ferrite]

Bucksiron wrote:

I completely agree, Deerey, but so too is anyone who thinks that gates will improve without promotion. All football fans are known to be fickle but the moaning and groaning on this board — even when we were pushing for promotion from L1 — was unbelievable.

I don’t agree with this. You’ve said yourself that the “moaning and groaning” was “unbelievable” at the top of League One, yet you say that gates will only improve with promotion. This doesn’t seem to make sense. In our last promotion season, 13/14, we averaged close to 4,000 at home. In the two seasons we reached the League One play-offs, the average attendance was between 4,300 & 4,500. It’s not a huge increase, is it? Especially when you factor in the bigger away followings in League One of clubs like Sunderland or Sheffield United.

Personally, I don’t really care which division we’re in, I’d just like us to be entertaining & winning more games than we lose. If that sees us finish 8th in League Two, I’d definitely take that over finishing, say, 19th in League One.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Northumbiron

[Northumbiron]

Bucksiron wrote:

so too is anyone who thinks that gates will improve without promotion.

National League 2019/2020 Average attendance: Home matches

Notts County 5.210
Stockport County 4.342
Wrexham AFC 4.057

National League Record attendance: 11,085, Bristol Rovers v Alfreton 25/4/15

As Deerey says it’s about challenging for promotion.

Attendances soon drop off if you do go up only to find yourself locked in a relegation battle the following season.

[Deereyme66]

All football fans will find something to moan and groan about, even in the best of times. I don’t think it should used as a stick to beat them with or be reminded that they can be fickle. And forums like Bru are notorious for raising and discussing things that aren’t right to supporters. Just because we were challenging for League 1 promotion doesn’t mean everything was rosy. And as I’ve said, it’s usually those that see games week in week out that are the most vocal, and they’re the best qualified to opinionate. As someone who’s barely seen any matches on ifollow this season I’ll trust there is meaningful and constructive points being made in a lot of their posts. If that entails a bit of ‘moaning and groaning’, so be it.

[Ferrite]

I wonder if Bucks ran a shop and some of his customers complained that they weren’t getting the level of service they were used to receiving, he would just write them off as moaning and groaning?

[Northumbiron]

He’d say things would improve once he moved from the side street to the High St!

[Bucksiron]

Of course gates improve when a club is challenging for promotion. Durr! The point is that gates are going to be significantly higher challenging for promotion from L1 than from L2. It’s hardly rocket science, is it.

As for “running a shop”, if a customer offered constructive criticism then, yes, I’d listen to it, but if a customer just complained for the sake of it I’d very much support my staff and tell the customer not to come back again.

The fact is that some people will never be happy no matter how good the service might be.

[Cliff Byrne’s Right Peg]

Deereyme66 wrote:

The only things that are going to get the crowds back are a mix of good matchday experience (includes entertaining football and challenging for promotion) and feeling part of the club. Anyone who thinks it’s just about league position is a fool.

This is where Swann and co really need to start pulling their finger out.

Attending football games often becomes more habit that hobby and we’ve just had the biggest break in spectating games since WW2.

There needs to be an action plan to attract news supporters, and as you rightly pointed out, keeping the hardcore fans feeling valued.

[alcazar]

Swann and Co. haven’t valued supporters for a long time.
Swann fell out with supporters even before he fell out with the council and the developers.
But hey…it’s not his fault, any of it😄

[Northumbiron]

He may well be forced to re-think that Alcy!

Killing the geese that lay the golden eggs and all that.

[Bucksiron]

Well I can correct you on that, alcazar. I’ve always supported Swann but also made it very clear that he has to carry the can for the problems the club has faced and is facing. I’ve also made it very clear that there are many areas where Swann deserves criticism.

The point I’ve always tried to emphasise, however, is that some supporters are never happy and certainly give the impression they never will be. Indeed, many of these same fans were just as critical of Wharton, whom I also supported when he was in charge of the club, yet some who did so now appear miraculously to view him through rose-tinted spectacles.

[Author]

Posts