Match Thread Most liked posts in thread: Home V Crawley(Creepy) Tuesday 13th April@7.00pm

As others have said, we got what we deserved tonight. Trueman was surprised by how slow we started tonight, but if we're being honest its no different to how we've been starting games for the last month or so. Just because we lost today, its being highlighted. It took us being 1-0 down to actually have a go and play with some intent. We're passive and conservative in every game that we play and whilst its ok to approach some games like that, the fact we're doing it every week is concerning. The last two performances have been unacceptable and if fans were in, I'm not sure they would've got away with such an approach twice in a week.

Tonight though was a game that highlighted everything we're poor at. First goal a second phase of a set piece and the second goal another set piece. We're absolutely crap at defending and attacking set pieces, which in this league is suicidal. O'Donnell will no doubt get the blame from some but what is the excuse for the defense to be giving up free headers time and time again in the box?

Going forwards, unless the opposition hand us something on a plate, we're clueless and seem to make it up as we go along. Using Cook and Rowe as battering rams is painful to watch, especially so given how good this club is at turning goalscorers into ineffectual lumps. If we want to go long, play it into feet or into the body of the striker so they have a chance of controlling the ball or winning a free kick. But nope, lump it long and hope for the best. Its dumb and lazy football that doesn't suit the strengths of the players we have.

We can debate formations until the cows come home but any formation can be attacking or defensive depending on the instructions of the manager. T&S have the mentality of safety first and counter attack. Which, for where we were when they took over, is complete acceptable. But we're no longer a side threatened with relegation who need to shithouse their way through games 1-0 every week. We have a new set of objectives and it seems to me that they haven't adapted their approach to satisfy the remit of a top 7 finish. We can't approach a game like a bottom 2 side and expect to finish in the top 7. The mentality and safety first approach has to change. Whether it will or not, I'm not so sure, which is why I am not convinced yet that T&S have what it takes to make us a top 3 side next year.

 

There you go, shove your Grimsby win up ya arse. All about results eh? Well that's another shite performance that got exactly what it deserved this time. Absolute garbage.

 

Raynor describing our performance as 'uncharacteristic'. No it isn't. This performance is identical to what we turn out every week.

 

We either have to find a way of getting Rowe alongside another striker or he's a luxury we can't afford. He'll get the odd worldy, but either can't or won't put the effort into play the lone striker role. Playing back to goal is no more his natural game than it was Doyle's or Vaughan's. How many more strikers are we going to make look ineffective by playing them as target men when they clearly aren't?

 

Our performances are equivalent to Kiwomya's commentary. Its random, disjointed, make it up as you go along and hope it makes sense at some point.

 

I can handle playing poorly and losing games. It happens. Its shit, but it happens. What I don't understand is the level of caution in our play. Crawley, Carlisle, Oldham, Newport, Grimsby. Several times in recent weeks we've faced sides in poor form and not on one occasion did we start on the front foot and take the game to our opponents.

The pressure is largely off for this season now, because despite the expectations we should have going into every season, the way it panned out until December is such that playoff hopes were largely written off until very recently. There are no fans inside the ground creating any sense of tension. Its a free hit. I can't understand why we're not really pushing, getting on the front foot in every game.

T&S need to adapt- fans won't accept the type of approach we're setting out with once grounds open up. It IS Bowyer like in many aspects.

 

So, so frustrating. With Crawley's recent form we should have been going for the jugular (or as AK would say, juggler) from Minute One - using TWO strikers (Rowe behind Cook). Way too cautious, way too conservative. This was, on paper, a far more winnable game than some of those to come.

I'm not convinced about the argument for rotating either. Two games (almost) every week shouldn't be too demanding for professional athletes. Too often someone has a good game/games then gets dropped. Cook is far and away the obvious front man, putting constant pressure on defences. That omission was glaring. And whilst admittedly the Don is getting on a bit, he's been like a new player in recent games, and indeed brought an appreciable improvement when he came on.

This is a pretty poor division and it just seems such a waste. Yeah, very frustrating.

 

Their CBs are climbing all over Cook and Donaldson and the ref is letting them get away with it every time.

 

You don't go up winning by fine margins, you end up mid table which is what this team is. In truth no better or worse than 90% of teams in this division. Poor management tonight though, to waste 45 minutes when we desperately need the win thwows question out about their credentials.

 

Their number 44 in midfield really showed us what we are missing. Got stuck in early on and left a dominant mark, drove forward to set up the first goal, then dictated the pace of the play.

I hope Turnbull has his eye on him. We could really go places if he was in our team, preferably as captain.

 

Evans not tracking his runner.

Poor start again though. We play with a lack of intensity and aggression. It's back foot football instead of front foot football.

 

Rowe is not a target man. He looks like a fish out of water up front on his own. He needs to be playing in a free role alongside/behind another striker.

 

Well tgats that.. T &S biggest mistake was to brong ROD back into the side.. crap keeper, crap captian.. get rid

 

Evans offers nothing and the two home grown players look way off league 2 level at the moment. Only looked a half decent side when Donaldson and later Sutton came on, both played well. Watt currently looks lost on his own, to be fair he was at his best when Sutton and Cooke were in, no one else in midfield offers anything. I desperately want us to reach the play offs but it just doesn't feel like a playoff team.

 

Yes he is big and slow - and lazy. And terrible in the air for a six footer. But he can pick a pass, has clever feet and a thunderbolt shot. He's more of a number 10, which is why he scored several Oldham goals from midfield. His game is to float around just outside the box, come deep, link play, little triangles etc and create space for himself to unleash his shooting from the edge of the box.
The problem is that in a 4 2 3 1, he doesn't fit. He's hopeless as a lone target man. He can't play in the three because he's not a wide man and he's too slow and lazy to play in the Cooke role - he doesn't track back, so that would just leave a big hole in the middle. He needs to be the second striker, with a free role, in a 442, 4411 or 4132 formation. But T& S seem too conservative to risk any of those.

Maybe we're seeing why Oldham were prepared to let him go and why he stayed as a big fish in a small pond at Fylde for so long. He appears to be a player who can only play one way and needs the formation and tactics geared to his style - a bit like Doyle. If the managers are prepared to do that then fine. But, if not, he's a luxury who will score the occasional screamer but will otherwise contribute little and will leave others under pressure due to his poor work rate. He's looking increasingly like a square peg in a round hole under T&S.

 

It’s not the first time we’ve been flat with Rowe and Vernham in the starting line up. I understand the need for rotation but at the business end you play your best 11. By resting you assume we’ll need them for the play offs but we’ve to get there first. Start strong then change after an hour if needs be. Don’t weaken your starting line up then hope the calvary will come to the rescue. It never ever works that way. Even for top sides.

 

It is not only the players that need to up their game, The management team need to up their game the same with better decision making and a positive attitude

 

The 2 instigators(tub of lard and his assistant) have long since moved on and so should we. I have never since associated that incident with Crawley, just them 2 a...holes.

 

This is same as Saturday but apparently we can play poorly and win every game