Match Thread Stockport County vs Bradford City Tues 24 January @ 7.45pm

Bola reminded me of Mottley Henry with his distribution. Hopefully a one off and with us having no intent on attack we might see a different player if Hughes decides to go positive for a change.

 

They wanted 3 points as nailed on favourites according to every bookie in the country, they got 1, therefore two points “ lost”. Don’t go soft on football terminology when it suits …That’s not you.

 

I have been a big critic of Hughes this season but I think his more pragmatic approach is now paying off. The five matches before the Harrogate game we had gone one win and four losses with one goal. The change of formation has garnered 8 points from the same number of games.
The one disappointing results was Rochdale where we were on course in the first half before inexplicably dropping off in the second. If we had gone there last night and played an open game we would have come away with nothing. As for the new signings I will judge them when the shackles are off

 

Worth remembering that Bola has played 38 minutes of football this season before last night. He's coming back from a couple months out injured and has basically been told to get up to speed quickly as we have no other fit left backs. Costelloe who started as the left forward, had months out injured before throwing him into the starting 11 has been told to get fit as quickly as he can because Hughes doesn't fancy the other options. Our entire left side last night had barely kicked a ball since September.

The problem with playing the diamond against a back 5/3 like Stockport used is that its very easy to nullify if you have a brave manager who tells the wing backs to play 10 yards further up than they planned, as that pins back your wing backs, as they did with us. I cant remember Bola or Halliday bombing on because they couldn't and have o keep shape. Meaning we were very narrow and depending on long balls. It was a game Hughes couldn't lose, more than he had to win and that's how we played.

 

In which case, neither player should have been brought to the club

 

1 defeat in 5. Defence is looking more like it did early season. We could be poor for the rest of the season and still get enough points to get promoted. It's a poor division.

 

We also lost the first 3 of those 5 away games, and stemmed the blood loss in the most recent two away games.

You can't seriously be saying that was "more of the same" compared to a 3-0 away defeat at Leyton Orient? No improvements, just "more of the same"?

Listen, I get there's a bit of frustration, but I think it's misplaced. By all means we should expect more going forward, but we can't quibble about our away record this season, and to do so seems like moaning because we're a bit too emotional.

What mattered most was we stopped losing - we've done that - now we need to build.

Even more important than our strong away record, though, is our home record - with 3 of our next 4 games at VP, we need to be making sure we get at least 6 or 7 points. We probably will put in a poor performance in 1 of those 3 games, but 2 wins will be a decent haul. If we do that, will anyone really moan if we get a 0-0 draw away at Stevenage?

 

Your comment about Stevenage is the usual rose tinted nonsense, fans who want to be constantly negative about the team, come out with.

They played Gillingham recently, before their spending spree, and even their own fans said they were poor that day. Yes they won - but let's lose this "go after anyone".

Have you actually watched them?

 

Which is why it was strange bringing in these loan players at this point. If it had been in the summer, fair enough.

To loan out our settled left back and bring in someone has played very little football at any level is madness in my opinion.

If we had brought in someone like Headley who had been playing regularly at Harrogate and did look an upgrade, then fine.

 

The people defending that utter dross last night, my god, that's what happens with seasons after seasons of having garbage served up on the pitch. You've become institutionalised to crap. Was that any better than under Adams, Bowyer ?
What was the close season mantra of 2022, mediocrity isn't an option ?

Over the years and decades, 'bigger' clubs have found themselves in the basement, but they don't hang about long, the likes of Bolton and Coventry were recently here, huge financial problems, but the clubs and fans demanded more than L2, and they got it ! And sat here losing at home to Rochdale whilst whining about Refs !

The tweaks I'm seeing this January, fairly competent first team players replaced by worse, no improvement so far.
Slowly turning into Dads army.
A squad with an abundance of wide players, yet don't recall a Stockport full-back beat last night and a ball whipped in from the dead ball line.
This is the best one, leading scorer sat on bench !! Oh my word.
I'm aghast at what I'm seeing, 7th spot, plenty of time to make something out of the season, it's almost as if, the club don't want promotion!
15th Spot beckon in May

 

What on earth are you talking about? The 5 league matches before Harrogate we got a total of 6 points from and scored 5 goals. We've got a massive 2 points more from the Harrogate game onwards and have also scored 5 goals. Whilst all points are welcomed, it's hardly the turn around you are trying to suggest it is.

 

It also has Foulds ( described by someone as the one big leak in the side) 2 places higher at no.10 and Lewis (easily our best player) at no.40, so I’m not sure it should be used as the biggest arbiter of lge 2 talent.
If however,we use it as a barometer of the players in this division it also has the other 2 members of your “midfield axis” at no.132(Clayton) and no.143 (Gilliead).
Whilst stats can be made to fit any argument these are not the sort of rankings that would suggest the best midfield in the league.
A couple of teams have 2 or 3 players all ranked in the top 50/60.

I actually think that with the right players round him,Smallwood can be a massive asset.
I just seriously doubt that those players are Clayton and Gilliead.

 

When he was doing that, he was accused of leaving us too open to the counterattack. Frankly, some of our early season tactics were naive.

It's draws like last night that get you promotion, just as much as the 3-0 against Stevenage.

I also don't get why you can't see that was a tactic particularly for last night and don't see that as excellent management.

Hughes is not going to start 'parking the bus' - he's not that kind of manager. However, he has learnt over this season that if you want to success in L2 - attritional pragmatism is vital.

 

Weird moves, banking on them being able to get to speed quickly. Which is fine if you are on good form and the next games are winnable with a settled side..... but it's not settled with 4 or 5 at best understanding this new tactic, we aren't on great form with 2 league wins from our last 8, and the next 4 or 5 fixtures are against teams either in the top 7 or within a game of the top 7.

 

Foulds was great, when Wright was in front of him. Hughes was correct to deduce that he isn't ready for a wingback role (as in affect that's what the full backs have to be in a diamond)

I think Clayton and Gilliead will revel playing in a midfield with each other. We already saw last night a more purposeful Gilli and Clayton looked fine.

Look I agree stats can be misleading. I'm not convinced that Smallwood has been so much better than the rest of our players - but it is clear that there is no reason to be worried about centre mid anymore.

The vital area and has been for the past three months are the creators just in front of them.

For instance last night, we saw what happens when you have two player (Eisa and Costello) who give 5/10 performances - the ball kept bouncing back, meaning that midfield three had to earn their corn.

Derbyshire came on and suddenly the ball was sticking a bit more in the final third. Add Walker and perhaps Banks for Derbyshire and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

But, from a doing their job in L2 point of view - I no longer have no qualms about midfield or defence.

 

I have not seen the penalty claim, from last night, Hughes adamant it should have been given, but the ref's explanation to Hughes is baffling, He did not award the penalty , because our player slow down, thus drawing or looking for a foul.
God forbid you are stood still and a defender approaches you with rules applied like that.

 

but we drew 0-0 last night so everything really is amazing

 

I agree about throwing them in, but Hughes may feel that he had no choice with Walker out and also interested to see what they are made of.

Neither Bola or Costelloe were appalling - you could just tell, and this happens to Banks sometimes, that L2 is very new to them.

 

had it been given it would have been passed back into midfield

 

Put it this way, I'd argue that was as much a penalty as all those given against us - including, with bitter irony, the one Stockport got at our place and spookily at a similar time of the match.

It would have been given in the top divisions - not least because VAR would have spotted it.