Chester FC V Woking MATCH THREAD

I quite liked what Bignot had to say about the game. Admitted the performance wasn't there and said we need to at least make sure we don't lose if we play like that. Briefly mentioned that they might have been a bit fresher from having a game at the weekend but didn't harp on about it or use it as an excuse. McCarthy would've rambled on for ages about how the players, coaches, coach driver etc were so desperately disappointed about Saturday's postponement and we're still licking our wounds and blah blah blah.

What we need to do is get out of the mentality that everything's against us. We've had some bad luck this season, but we've also ridden our luck for all it's worth to amass the small number of points we've got. McCarthy never stopped going on about the Solihull postponement and how it had disrupted our preparations. When the rearranged fixture came round, we were sure to lose it because we saw it as an inconvenience and didn't want to be there. We've got to make sure we don't do the same with Eastleigh. I saw Halls (perhaps jokingly) tweeted complaining about now having to go to Eastleigh on a Tuesday night. Tough! Don't moan about fixtures - they're all a chance for you to play well and pick up points.

We will stay up.

Just putting it out there so I can reflect on it in a few months.

To be honest apart from the 12th place finish season and up to Christmas last year we've struggled to compete in a virtually full time league with part-time amateurish preparations. I thought Woking were part-time, but they looked like a well-prepared full-time team last night. I'm obviously going to give MB time to stamp his authority on the team, but I feel we'll be in the Conference North before that begins to happen apace. I left with my lad after the second goal went in (he does early shifts), but I got the distinct feeling as I passed MB in his technical area that he looked like he wanted to be elsewhere. If he keeps us up this season he will deserve the Freedom of Chester.

What an honest and accurate post. McCarthy being retained is the most appalling thing that could have happened, and yet those who complained long and hard about his retention were pilloried by far too many on here. Similarly, when Maguire has been criticised the same defenders spring to the fore, with nonsense implying it's "nothing to do with him, the board make the decisions". An orchestra plays all the music but it's the conductor that "orchestrates" the whole show!
Forget the unbalanced squad brought in, just look at the good players released merely for having an honest opinion.
Forget Lupus as the mascot, we need an ostrich mascot as an homage to the many happy clappers, the board included, who got us into this predicament by burying their heads in the sand for far too long.
Marcus Bignot will need to have the ability to feed our largest crowd since we reformed with only a few loaves and fishes if we are to avoid relegation. Perhaps being able to walk on water would also help!
All those that got the club into this state remain. Don't forget McCarthy was only their employee.

It will be interesting to see what MB does after that. It was as bad as it could be.

Only Astles and Rowe-Turner played well. McCombe, Lynch and Shaw did about ok. Hannah and Dawson tried hard.

James looked like he'd been drugged. Hardly controlled anything all game. What happened to Aki's runs into the channels against Maidenhead? He didn't do that once last night. Despite there being space behind their back four as they pushed up?

We tried to spread our midfield, but just ended up being overrun in the middle, and no pace out wide.

The lack of options for MB is frightening. No cover at the back. Five central midfield players. No pace on the wings, except Chappell. Four strikers who either aren't fit or consistent.

MB will either turn this around and prove himself to be proper manager, or he won't. I don't share DCMcNally's optimism about staying up. There don't seem to be many bad teams down there. It could be touch and go.

Strangely after all those negative comments regarding the squad, I don't think it's that far off being a reasonable team. A few changes here and there would make a huge difference. Let's see how MB and the players react at Tranmere and Kiddie. They're even bigger games now.

I don't think it was terrible and I've seen us play much worse. But we were still comfortably second best and Woking thoroughly deserved the points. MB was spot on in saying that its games like that where we're not quite at it where we've got to make sure we don't lose. I'd say if Halls didn't kill us then I'd have fancied us to get a point out of that. The concerning thing is still the fact that teams out pass us and have far superior movement. When Woking had the ball last night they had 4 or 5 players all on the move and making themselves available and dragging us out of position. When we get the ball the movement is completely static and we either hoof it or pass it to someone who has a man on their heels. We have got to be more streetwise than that, but we have no width so it becomes easy for teams to mark men and nullify the attack. As another poster pointed out, what worked against Maidenhead was balls in the channel to Aki and then getting midfield runners involved but it didn't happen last night. Aki was well marked and didn't take his marker away from his position enough, and Woking pressed Dawson in possession fully knowing that he's one of the few that can spray some passes about given time and space. The single most concerning thing is the lack of competition in certain areas, which we have JM to thank for, and can only be rectified by hoping for a Bob Gray style cup run.

2nd best from start to finish, we had a few chances but Woking were solid, organised and much quicker to the ball. Only my 2nd game of the season but from what I've seen there are a few players carrying a bit of weight. The fitness was no where near Wokings and you could tell that even in the first half.

He always give his best but last night when he ran to get the ball he had 5 yards on the attacker and he caught up to him instantly. Also noticed he was wobbling around a bit, not seen that even with our players in the Evo-Stik. 

Just seen the Vanarama highlights. The second goal was as much to do with a crap half arsed attempt by Lynch as the rubbish back pass by Halls. Watch it again. The back pass is underhit but if Lynch is slightly quicker (would help if he lost some weight) and then goes for the ball with his right foot he would play it out of play easily. Instead he goes with the wrong foot, easily gets there first but then plays it straight against their player. Totally avoidable rubbish from both players.

We were badly second best for 30 mins and then came back into it giving some hope for the second half. Had Astle's header gone in when we were getting to grips with them in the second half we may well have held on or even nicked it. Up to that point we had atually made more chances than Woking, whose goalie was very good indeed [apart from his Wayne Brown impersonation on clearances]. Halls' error was awful but the back four were clearly under orders to play through Lynch if they had no other option [well, Pep does it....] so a mis-hit pass at some point was always possible.

However it was noticeable from the off that Woking's team looked to be far better conditioned and athletic than us and for most of the match they were a yard faster in thought and action. No one could complain at the result. Much remedial work to be done. Like many posters I am also concerned about the lack of quality. Neither full back can defend though NLT looks useful as a winger; both CBs are lumbering but full marks to Astles for commitment and effort, he was by far our MoTM IMO. Akin is too lightweight on this evidence and Hannah is not up to match sharpness. Shaw had one to forget and was clearly frustrated when he was pulled off. Not helped by having his partner pushed onto the right flank and having to do too much on his own to hold midfield together. Dawson was crowded out but had a couple of good touches. Davies, as noted, was out of his depth but Mahon had looked a bit of a headless chicken before Davies replaced him.

MB has some hard work ahead of him and needs to crack a whip; it will be a big test of his ability and I guess a few well-chosen words and a dose of hard work may upset a few complacent souls. Not before time.

90% Halls' fault I think. Lynch maybe could've done a bit better, but you don't expect a suicidal backpass like that. He barely even looked where he was kicking it.

It has to be said that if Astles header had been an inch the other way, we'd have levelled the game at a time when we were pushing on and on top. Not denying that Woking sounded the better team overall but we've got to keep it in context. MB has definitely improved us and will continue to do so.

I still don't think this is a relegation squad, and I'm confident we'll be well away from the drop zone come April. You can't overstate the negative impact JM has had on our start to the season, it's resulted in an unbalanced, unfit squad. Bignot will turn it around, but it will take time.

The initial pass from McCombe to Halls was behind him, Halls dealt with it badly and played a poor pass to Lynch but a decent keeper would have put the ball out of the ground  I'd score it 20% McCombe, 30% Halls and 50% Lynch.

The dog's abuse that Halls received by supposed fans around me was disgraceful. He struggled as did others but didn't deserve that.