Defensive City.

What is wrong with hitting long balls to Connolly and letting him tear the opposition apart if it works like it did today? It won us pens. Should have had three. It won’t work every week but it worked today. Well done Bowyer.

I’m sure we have other approaches lined up given Cooke, Pritchard, Ismael, Donaldson and Doyle didn’t start today. Connolly would normally be considered more of a winger than a second striker in the Wells role like today.

 

There's nothing wrong with it as an occasional tactic. But it's pretty pathetic that, with the players we have, it seems to be the default option.
We have full backs who can both get forward and cross, but are rarely passing the halfway line. We have quality wingers - Connolly and Ismail - who either don't get picked or are played out of position in the centre. Yes, it worked today but not against Salford or Carlisle. We have a gang of potentially creative midfielders - Reeves, Cooke, Pritchard, Palmer - who spent most of their time in our half as the ball flies over their heads. We have a proven PL/Champ quality striker and a promising young loanee who is very quick and works his socks off, but neither of them gets any decent supply from wide or through channels or, set pieces apart, spends any meaningful time in the opposition box.
I'd like to see some of these 'other approaches' because it seems to me that we have the players, but are choosing to deploy them in an ultra-cautious, safety first manner which stifles our creativity and makes goalscoring very difficult. We've had a run of comparatively easy fixtures and have failed to win several games that were there for the taking with a little more ambition. I hope you're correct that we will see other options deployed. But I think hoofball is Bowyer's default option and that we'll see it most of the season, whoever were playing or have available to pick.

 

I must admit, I’d like to see Wood getting forward more again. Didn’t he have some of the best crossing stats in the division earlier in the year?

 

The third wasn't a penalty, had a really good view in the lower kop. Not a booking though as it wasn't simulation. Connolly easiest Motm to give all season today cos no one else warranted above a six, including the whole Mansfield team.

 

I agree. I also think we will come undone in this negative tactic we seem to have adopted. Yes the defence is holding, but our problem is we are not set up to score goals and therein lies the problem, it is my belief that scoring goals strengthens the defence. If the defence is constantly under attack as it was today, of course there will be mistakes. If you have already banged in 2/3 down the other end you are confident and withstand the attack. Just my view for what it is worth.

 

Clearly you have an agenda against the club as both pens today were NOT hoofs forward. Its a shame for you to take that position.

 

If you had a better view than me in NW corner then fair play. He murdered them today. Whether Bowyer had pinpointed their vulnerability to pace, if Sweeney’s injury helped us, or if Bowyer fell plain lucky I don’t know, but their CB’s will be having a sleepless night after today.

 

To be fair i thought Connolly had his first decent game for a while today, the two centre backs were slow and cumbersome and were there for the taking. would have been a different outcome if the ref had sent Henley off for a second booking, it was terrible refereeing and denied mansfield a clear advantage in a tight game.

 

I must admit, when I saw his name on teamsheet my immediate reaction was ‘he’s not a striker’. Missed the Salford game (and Carlisle) so didn’t see him then if he played. Glad he proved me wrong today though as it was a MOM display against their cumbersome defence.

 

Has the asset you can't teach and thats raw pace. And on that pitch pace is more of an asset than pure skill like ismail has, the ball was bobbling all over the place at times. Shame Pritchard was missing, best threat of a goal coming from his midfield runs.

 

Yes, I like Pritchard too. He’s contributed more than Scannell did. Bowyer is starting to have good options in midfield now, so hopefully we can keep up the pace.

 

Actually, you're correct. My memory was deceiving me. Looking at the highlights video, neither penalty came from hoofs forward. One was a header forward for Connolly to run onto and the second a targeted pass. But this actually proves my point. Most of the game we aimlessly lumped it forward and created nothing, against a terrible defence. The two occasions where we played precision football in the opposition half resulted in goals. We have several midfielders who can pick a pass but most of the time they sit so deep they create very little.
Don't be ridiculous - I don't have an agenda against the club. I'm not one of those calling for Bowyer's head. I just want to see us make better use of the resources available to us. I'm not advocating we throw caution to the wind and hang the consequences. But the over-caution has led to dropped points against Orient, Salford and Carlisle, in games that were there to be won, and that could hurt us at the end of the season.

 

Bravo. What you post above is exactly why I cannot understand so many’s dismay at Bowyer. Last season was truly awful. We were a club in free fall, desperate for stability and some glimmer of hope for supporters to cling onto. Devoid of a playing squad who looked like they couldn’t careless and a club that lacked any sort of vision or hope. Within a short space of time major steps have been made to repair this. It might not be pretty and enjoyable for some, but I’d much rather be looking at our current situation with optimism of success at the end of the season, rather than preying it doesn’t get worse.

I regularly hear and read that the main thing city supporters want to see is players playing for the shirt and the club. Can we honestly say Bowyer hasn’t brought that back this season?

I recall many on here predicting we were destined for back to back relegation this season. Thankfully that looks unlikely (touch wood) and with optimism that with returning players the squad to choose from is getting stronger.

For me, I’m behind Bowyer all the way and he can keep doing what he’s doing. It might not always be pretty, I won’t always agree with his decisions - but it’s a damn site better than the club I was looking at, at the end of last season.

 

Maybe our manager doesn’t feel YOUR brand of football isnt always the way to get a result. We have become a hard team to beat and that is the basis of a team that could get promoted. In many respects we have come a long way, last season we were a weak team. I admit to being frustrated at times but if we pick up points and stay in the mix then it’s fine by me. Against Salford we were clearly the better side and it was not hoof football just lacking end product.

 

We were the better side in the first half but not the second. And I accept that it's fine by you. Each to their own. But it's draining the life out of VP. Yesterday was like a morgue. I've never seen so many people leaving a winning game looking so glum.

 

Reminds me of the well worn phrase 'I'd take a boring 1-0 every week'. Come the end of the season if it brought success you probably would but sitting through game after game of it tests your resolve when you clearly know the players we have at our disposal are capable of much better. Relying on two defensive mistakes to beat a team with the second worst in the division form over the last six games does frustrate the fans. That second half yesterday was 45 minutes of frustration, first time i've heard my young un question staying to the end.

 

looking at our next 4 away games would we be happy with drawing all of them and winning our easier home games, getting 13 points in the month??

 

Exactly this. It worked yesterday, but not against Orient or Carlisle - two teams we should have been beating, but didn't attempt to.
Of course I'd take first time promotion, at almost any cost. I just don't see why it's necessary to be so extraordinarily negative with what we've got.

 

But over the last 6 games we've accumulated less points than every single one of those teams so......