[MK Iron]

Worked OK with Rod Fletcher.

[MK Iron]

Butler just on Humberside confirming he has the final say on recruitment and doesn’t sign players he doesn’t want.

Admitted the squad needs expanding but only with players that are ready for the first team. Seemed to discount loanees certainly young ones.

[MK Iron]

We have enough divisive and toxic resident posters without needing it from visitors.

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Siderite

[MK Iron]

It’s all immaterial anyway. Butler is going to stand or fall by his formation.

[MK Iron]

I would give Shrimpton a go because he is prepared to tackle and will give Buxton’s bully boys a bit back. On the few occasions he has had a run of games (here or Spennymoor) he starts to play a bit of football.

Not writing Scales and Clunan off but they have had many chances and dont run the midfield even in games we have won.

[MK Iron]

Fitz
Barrows Kouogan Evans (Boyce) Denton
Roberts Shrimpton Beestin Brogan
Whitehall (Fishburn) Carlton

Let’s give the midget none tackling midfield a break, save Nicholson from himself and Carlton a chance to get match fit. The ones in brackets if first choices not fit.

[MK Iron]

Suggested Scales would be good at RWB a few times but Roberts aside Barrows is the player who has adapted quickest and best to Butlers formation.

Denton is still like a fish out of water and only one of our 4 centre backs can successfully pass the ball more than 10 yards and he’s injured.

Whatever you think about our midfield or forwards our inability to play Butlers formation start with the back line. Nothing against Boyce and Kouogan. They are very decent back four defenders at this level as they showed many times last season. Denton was probably in the top 3 players for the club last season playing as a full back. None of them have the attributes to play this system. As for Nicholson we cannot keep playing someone who sends simple passes direct to the feet of opposition 3 or 4 times every game.

I refuse to join the Butler out hysteria whilst the team is top of the league but would remind him of the old definition of insanity. Keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.

Find a system that suits the players you have or go find the players that would make your system work.

At a bare minimum this would need:

A centre back with pace that can pass the ball
A centre midfield player who relishes the fight and can win aerial challenges
A right sided wingback with some pace and purpose
A forward that can play with Whitehall

That team would win this league at a canter barring serious injuries. Imagine how bad we could be if Beestin and/or Roberts pick up significant injuries.

[MK Iron]

Ignoring the vitriol that comes from Patrick’s association with our former owner he makes some good points and speaks with much experience of running very successful event food outlets.

Unlike me who’s culinary skills start and end with toast based cuisine.

[MK Iron]

Was it just me or did I spot a little bit of football being played when we went 4-4-2?

[MK Iron]

Better to be lucky than good.

Butler stays top of the league. Unbelievable Jeff.

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Rene Artois

[MK Iron]

It’s what happens at Spennymoor.

[MK Iron]

Footy food has to address its biggest single challenge. You have two fairly short windows to serve 90% of your product. From about 14:30 until just before kick off then again at half time with about 5 minutes either side.

During these times you want your staff passing out food and drinks, taking payment and moving on. Maybe having one adding food options (peas, gravy, onions etc.) and maybe another pouring drinks.

Cooking stuff and messing about with multi options is bad news for vendors and punters alike.

Menu for hot food should be no more than 5 or 6 and only things that can be batch prepared and ready to rock for the 2 peaks. No expensive catering equipment needed to keep things warm and edible for 30 minutes. Soft drinks and beer in plastic bottles. The club are surely missing out on an earner not selling beer while they can.

The few times I have had decent footy food it invariably follows these principles and the vast majority of times has been done in partnership with businesses that know how to do event food.

[MK Iron]

Hoping your wrong on both counts IFA.

Both the Iron and humanity could do with a better result tonight.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Iron-awe, Northumbiron, Siderite

[MK Iron]

Was there last year so don’t know about streaming issues. Lovely little ground though, one of the best in this league. Might have to suffer the stream tomorrow as once again work interferes with the important things in life.

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Deereyme66

[MK Iron]

We had many poor referees last season

All but one were equally poor to both sides. The fella at Spennymoor last year was blatantly biased the like of which I have never seen in 65 years of watching professional football.

[MK Iron]

Admittedly they have some games in hand but I suspect Trinity fans would swap their cup run for not being 2 points from the bottom of their league.

[MK Iron]

Forgot to mention how good Whitehall looks when he doesn’t play.

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Just Iron, Awaywego

[MK Iron]

Radcliffe did exactly what you would expect them to do given their position.

They fought for every ball and turned it into a scrap. Most of our players responded by standing still.

Radcliffe won about 85% of the many second balls. We didn’t look the fittest, strongest team at te Attis Arena never mind in the league.

You have to make your mind up when playing teams playing anti football. You either take on the fight or you pass and move around them. We did neither today.

Same examination paper next Saturday with Buxton. Except they are better at it.

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Cliff Byrne's Right Peg, mistertonmick, Ironawe

[MK Iron]

Three cheers for Deery.

[MK Iron]

Not many managers would make changes after a 6-0.

Agree Carlton needs minutes but would probably be a bit harsh on Fish.

More concerned that he plays one of them at Spennymoor and leaves Alfie in midfield. Time to show some intent away from home.

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Awaywego, cassidystash

[MK Iron]

Couple of decent home results against relegation fodder and the likely lads go from Butler out straight to trying to relaunch HMS P1ss the League.

[MK Iron]

Given Butler is not going to change formation then my (probably forlorn) hope for Farsley and beyond is to at least play the players with the most chance of making it work.

For me that means Kelly having a run at left wing back. Love Denton as a full back but he struggles as soon as he crosses the halfway line. Barrows has managed to adapt and whilst his delivery is hit and miss he does attack with pace and purpose and brings defenders out from the middle to cover his runs. The brief bits we have seen of Kelly suggest he could do the same from the left which would give us more balance and more of a threat when attacking. Also seems able to whip in a decent cross occasionally, something Denton has not really managed all season.

Second thing is Beestin needs to pair up with Roberts in midfield. They are the only 2 consistently creative players we have so let’s have Beestin where he can influence the game more.

Put Carlton or Fish up front with Whitehall and give them a proper run to get sharp and develop a partnership.

We are too easy to play against with Butler’s preferred starting 11. We have plenty of the ball in all the wrong places and don’t offer enough threat to opposition where it matters. Much as teams did with Dean’s one dimensional formation last season the rest of the league has worked out the formula. Defend in numbers, turn midfield into a scrap and wait for us to give the ball away in dangerous areas.

Tamworth could deal with that approach because it suited them fine. They defended better, scrapped in midfield better and had enough quality to capitalise on opposition mistakes.

I still think 4-4-2 is the easiest way to win this league but have to accept we don’t have the squad for the formation. Dean brought in players to suit his favoured 4-3-3 and they are the players getting picked. Nicholson aside one assumes Butler brought in this seasons recruits with 5-3-2 in mind but seems to have forgotten that system stands or falls on having really good wing backs. Let’s at least make the most of what we do have.

Final thought, for all Barrows improvement in the role I would still prefer Scales playing there.

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iron64, Cliff Byrne's Right Peg

[MK Iron]

2

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Awaywego

[MK Iron]

Feck the computer. How many goals have we scored that did not involve Beestin and/ or Roberts?

[MK Iron]

Defending from all 3 centre backs was pure comedy gold. We should probably remember that for 5 seasons that was pretty much the norm.

So far this season it has been very much the exception.

Evans by far the biggest culprit, the attempted back pass was poor but running into Nicholson who had their forward covered until he was flattened was priceless. The stupid booking that Evans got 2 minutes later for fouling a player who was running the ball over the line for a goal kick was idiotic. I would have subbed him immediately and surely deserves a club fine and a game or three on the bench.

Nicholson was next failing to cut out an aimless punt forward. Letting a simple headed clearance skim off his head slowed the ball just enough to turn a punt into a pass.

Not to be outdone, Kouogan who was having a fine game up until that point dawdled on the ball just outside the penalty area.

3 very basic errors from players that don’t normally make them is not a disaster – unless all 3 happen in the same game of course.

In the tradition of centre backs losing the plot Butler then decided to play substitution bingo and go long ball against a team we had dominated the football against.

Could we have a rule when we need a goal and go substitution crazy that our only 2 consistently creative players (Roberts and Beestin) are left on the pitch?

[MK Iron]

We need 5 defenders because their front line of one is skillful, mobile and a constant threat.

Oh hang on it’s Gerry McDonagh.

Still the bet between Nicholson and Barrows on who can give the ball away most under no pressure is going down to the wire.

[MK Iron]

Still 5 defenders Cass.

[MK Iron]

Wish we had 4 attackers Cass.

Whitehall, Beestin and Roberts. I would estimate 10% of Scales and Barrows time is spent attacking and about 5% of Clunan and Denton.

The centre backs go up for corners and long throws which create a chance about every 4 games.

[MK Iron]

The problem is our full backs are defenders. We still make Clunan play as a holding midfielder so we have 6 defensive players. If you class Scales as a box to box midfielder (half defender/half attacker) then we have a keeper and 6.5 defenders with 3.5 attackers.

If our intention was to avoid relegation this would make some kind of sense. In an away game against a promotion rival it possibly makes sense. For the other 40 games of the season it makes no sense at all.

We are unable to create sustained pressure on teams and are forced to constantly play backwards/sideways until someone (usually Nicholson) passes to the opposition. Even when our so called wing backs are high and wide enough to provide the easy out ball they are not good enough to create anything.

Feel sorry for Whitehall, Beestin and Roberts trying to make something from long inaccurate balls up to them with 4 or 5 defenders in close attendance.

Everyone is calling for the “magic bullet” goalscorer that gets 25 goals a season feeding on scraps. Harland would struggle to do that on what we would provide for him.

Whitehall, Beestin and Roberts are top quality forwards at this level and given the right service would score 20 apiece.

If Butler continues to stick to 5 at the back then how about a pair of quick, tricky EFL loanee wing backs?

While we are waiting let’s have Law and Scales playing there in the 5 upcoming (on paper) easier games.

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SODIron, Cliff Byrne's Right Peg, Just Iron, lesgeo, ironfromafar

[MK Iron]

Decent performance against a decent team. Defensively a bit rusty first 30 minutes and gave them 3 great opportunities to get shots on target. Fortunately they wasted all 3 opportunities. Rest of the game we managed them pretty well. Fitz had one regulation save to make second half.

We are so limited going forward because our “wing backs” as usual offered little to nothing going forward. Nothing against Barrows and Denton who are very good full backs at this level but wing backs they ain’t.

Still top says Butler but if we are going to win this league we need to put the likes of Rushall and Farsley away at home and at least not lose at Southport.

[Author]

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