The Voice - Match preview Colchester United vs Bradford City Tuesday 16 August @ 7:45pm

Chapman from what I've been told is all about confidence. Isn't an out an out winger, technically good but not a ten like Walker is.

 

Hartlepool are 13/10 to be the the last team to score in Saturday's game.

I can't seem to find a market for Hartlepool to score after 85min.

 

People say that Ridehalgh is solid an our full back options are adequate. They are not. One footed, their always facing the direction from which the ball came from so the play is always going backwards. Their not good enough attacking wise

we play in a system with 2 CDMs. That is fine in itself, but we also play with inverted wingers. We have Angol on the left who drifts into the centre an is mainly used to get the ball to stick up front. And we have Banks on the right who only has a left foot. There is no width in the team. We need the full backs to be overlapping more but ours are all slow an are not overly technically gifted

Its too late to get replacements in an we’re fecked in terms of options as Eisa, Osadebe & Walker are currently out, so the only realistic option I see is play 2 up top, Have Harriatt playing off the target man, an get Chapman on the wing cus he’s not cut out for playing in the centre the way we play. Our attack is too narrow an he has too many players marking him for him to do anything

 

With the chance of being accused of over simplifying
I don’t mind the passing game but I want us to play it at the edge of the opponent’s box not the edge of our own box

 

I think that's it - the manner in which Angol gave away the needless free kick in the first place as well. But I didn't leave the ground frustrated or dismayed because these are individual errors that can be ironed out. Similar with the decision making in the final third, it's all small margins that can be worked on and I'm sure that it will improve as the season progresses.

I found myself comparing that performance to the feeling I had when I last left Colchester a couple of years ago after a 0-0 draw under Gary Bowyer where you could see fundamental, ideological issues engrained in the team that led to a lack of ambition and goal threat. Last night's loss was different to that where Colchester edged a pretty even game where they played well and we made a couple of key errors.

 

Agree. I was pissed off about the nature of the late goal, but I was more annoyed with the manner of our display. I absolutely support the idea of us trying to play, rather than hoofing, and I accept it may take some time. But there has to be a point to it. At some point, you need that bit of urgency and penetration. Like dancing around the ring and looking in great shape, but not throwing any real punches.

 

Thank goodness someone who understands football

 

Sorry put what’s the obsession with playing a false 10 ??????
Is it two hard to go back to a 4-4-2 system with Chapman on one side and Banks the other and have two strikers up top ........... Cook alongside Oliver ??????

 

You know what I don’t give a stuff what system is used as long as it is effective causing shots on goal and goals. At the moment for the most part we are not doing that so change is needed

 

TBF to MH, I don't think there is such a thing as a false 10.
MH clearly believes this is the right way to play. I think he'll be working on us getting better at it, rather than ripping it up and starting again.

 

Was Kane impressed though

 

Give over. For all his faults Angol is probably one of the most technically gifted players we have. He just has the heart of the tin man.

 

You can try it. My humble opinion it won't work. Just shoehorning players into a formation.

 

Being as optimistic as possible, Notts Forrest only had 1 point from their first 7 games last season. Bolton and Bristol Rovers were also crap up until December too in their promotion seasons.

Saying that, we just lost to a crap Colchester side and made them look like Man City at points. Their players could carry the ball all the way to the edge of our box unchallenged.

We have plenty of possession but we look to have poor confidence (besides Banks) so we just play it safe until someone decides to shoot from 40 yards out or cross the ball 50ft behind the goal. Taking 50 touches between passes and 30 seconds to switch play isn't exactly going to break down any team.

Smallwood escaped criticism when he was far too easy to dribble past, mis-hit balls, passed when he should've shot and had an unremarkable game. To say he's Championship quality, he certainly didn't look it last night. Gilliead was much better than him.

Angol was awful but everything he did wrong has pretty much been said. It's very worrying that we have a player like him upfront when he's too scared to break into a sprint in case of injurying himself, so instead we get to see him saunter round all game holding the ball up to no effect. Never turns his man and to top it off he dives unconvincingly. He should have been sent off last night.

Cook, Harratt, Foulds to start on Saturday for me. Let's actually have a little bit of threat instead of camping in our own half.
If we play the same as we did last night then I have a drinking game for the strictly sober folks - have a drink every time we play a through ball behind their backline

 

What players you shoehorning into a 4-4-2 systems

our normal defence
Smallwood and another midfield next to him
Banks and Chapman out wide
Cook and another up top

I am sure our front man would relish having balls played into them rather than messing about with it and going knowhere

 

Chapman isn't a natural wide player. Likes to cut back inside. If I thought we had the wide players like Reid or Marshall I'd agree with you.

 

Meanwhile we get swamped with just two midfielders as opposed to Colchester’s 5 ?

 

you think the two players are gonna sit out wide and do nothing

 

Where’ve you got this from Rog that he’s not a wide player? He’s a winger. Has played second striker at times. But majority of career a winger. He cuts inside as we play him on wrong side.

 

Most likely their wingers/full banks will be on them. Happened many times under Parky that we got overran.