Very fair point, BS.
I would settle for GKs commanding the six yard box and a further two yards besides.
I do not recall goal-line hugging by Howard at his previous teams – I’m pretty sure I’d have noticed.
I have been getting increasingly impressed with Beestin over recent weeks but did not foresee that he would play so well with Spence. Perhaps a lot had to do with the larger number of available options for both players with more experience around them.
Hope this is not just a flash in the pan.
A real CM partnership would be a huge boost.
Most games are going to be rather tougher than yesterday’s opposition, though.
What’s more, the bench is going to look very strong in the coming months.
Ah, Torps.
I can recall the FA cup game at Pompey.
I commented to my companion that Torpey won every header that day and sent the ball in the direction of a Scunny player but Sheringham won every header and put it to the feet of a Pompey man.
Put a Torps alongside what we have at present and the wins would flood in.
If we can stay in this division and hang onto our better players – the whole squad will be much more mature next season.
I reckon that we’ll be looking upwards.
I am starting to wish I was still keeping records on referee marks.
What a wretched bunch they have been this season.
Bottling that sending off; clearest penalty of the season – not given; a host of namby pamby decisions.
So many free kicks given for nothing or next to nothing. As they say – “It’s a man’s game!”
Clarke finding it tough. Wouldn’t even risk another 10 minutes.
Brown looking match fit.
System largely working.
Can Kev make it through til the end? He’s looking decent.
I agree Cass but would take it a step further.
I have seen something of merit in every player signed.I can understand why they were brought in.
I might go as far as to say that we have not brought in bad players at all but just ones who are desperately in need of the kind of development we are currently unable to offer.
That is not to say that every player is capable of reaching the required standard, of course.
As repeated so many times: messing with systems helps nobody; a defensive mindset is ultimately destructive; playing out of position when lacking experience tends to be detrimental; the experience alongside required to bring players on is largely absent.
We do not have a shed-load of poor players but we do have hordes who are extremely under-cooked.
I am not contradicting myself when saying most of the new signings are less than they ought to be. This may be for the reasons stated or because they lack the necessary personal toughness and grit.
Time will tell.
In a perfect world, we could have a Bishop, a Bara or – best of all – a Crozzer. All of these guys possessed an easygoing, natural authority. Spot on about Paul Hayes.
In our current position, how can we possibly attract that sort of guy to the club? That is the question.
We could spend a lot of dosh on someone who is over the hill and hope that they stay fit, I suppose.
I am pinning a lot of hope on Brown and Howard to do this at the back but the midfield cupboard is bare.
Leadership is certainly not about ‘just shouting at people’. We are talking about that, yes, but I have previously mentioned reading a game and the need for intelligence. A bit of leading by example is no bad thing.
As the sergeant-major said, “Excuse me, young chap, but would you be so kind as to try just a little harder to come to attention alongside all the others?”
(Incidentally, the best collection of teachers I worked alongside was in a comprehensive school principally serving a trio of pit villages.)
Ferrite – the services take some right bunches of no-hopers and drill them til they learn to: follow orders, act instantly, demonstrate some guts, learn to innovate and, if necessary, go to war.
I am far from convinced that we have a load of poor players – but we do have a number who are: slow-thinking; settling for second best; unable to raise their game. They need a kick in the pants.
Having taught in both the state sector and the private – I can tell you that, for me, the single largest reason why state schools get poorer results is that the independent sector is considerably less tolerant of failure.
Of course, there are other factors but that is the crux of the matter.
I think we should have reached that point where KVV should start and see how long he can last. It may be 90 minutes.
If that can happen, surely it is a question of whether we ought to be playing McAtee or Olomola alongside him.
I do not see Loft as being as poor as some make out – he may improve beyond measure working inside a settled and meaningful structure. We have seen too many lone centre forwards fail ‘playing one up top’.
Hallam has to fit somewhere into the thinking and planning even if he does not necessarily oust McAtee or Olomola.
Spence is a decent enough defensive CM and at the moment, just pips Beestin who I reckon may well eventually be the better player.
It matters not which way I view it – I just cannot get past that giant hole in the middle waiting for an intelligent midfield general.
A true leader there – doesn’t even need to be a brilliant player – will transform this current shambles.
If we lose at Oldham, whatever the individual errors themselves turn out to be – the odds are that they would not have happened with a proper organiser bawling his lungs out, reading the game and playing drill sergeant.
.
The defensive mindset is the underlying toxic problem which has seen our deterioration.
Managers seemingly all fall into this same trap. The reason why is unfathomable without resorting to wild conspiracy theories.
Normally, pushing forwards means that you are defending in the opposition half but slow-thinking defenders have admittedly made that difficult this season.
Even so, the more time spent defending – the more time to allow ever more balls into our box. Even a good defence would be troubled.
I cannot believe where we keep our back defensive line. We are not especially vulnerable to defence-splitting passes – happily – so why defend so deep?
We are still trying, very foolishly, to get 10 outfield players behind the ball at set pieces.
Leaving our fastest forward on the halfway line means opposition have to leave two back as they can’t risk a one on one.
Two outcomes. One is the opportunity to launch counterattacks. The other is to have an extra man when defending.
If Fallon sees it so clearly, why do our management team not get it?
I was interested too by Newey’s comments on ‘lazy defending’. Wild challenges instead of interposing self between forward and the goal. Proper tracking of forwards needs a great deal of work in training.
We do not have too many poor players.
We do have a lot who are: inexperienced, underdeveloped, played out of position, however.
Quite a few of these lads could have made the grade playing off a proper SPINE!
Howard – 6
Brown – 5 (But will get better.)
Butroid – 5
Cordner – 2
Bedeau – 5 (Just too many misreadings of the play + mistakes.)
Spence – 6
Gilliead – 7
Taylor – 5
Green – 6
Turan – 4
McAtee – 5
So. Seven out of my 11 are classed below par or worse. That’s how you lose at home to a non league outfit.
Cordner must be dropped and replaced by Rowe. It’s a no-brainer even if Cordner is available on Tuesday. Cordner has ability but looks to me that he lacks bottle. Send him back if humanly possible. Looked decent enough when first arrived …
Ref: One more out of that stable who gives no allowance for fair contact. It has been happening every bit of the season. Some of the penalties we’ve conceded have been laughable by officials BUT – still our fault. You don’t give the man in the middle the opportunity to make a decision. Assume he is going to be a half wit.
The reffing is getting weaker rather than stronger.
Mike and Tom are talking PURE sense. Tom Newey spoke with great wisdom today.
For me, the ref was distinctly below par – just about holds onto a 5.
What got me again was the lack of intelligence showing in the side.
November 8, 2020 at 11:54 am
in reply to: Team.#197051
