Chester FC V Gateshead MATCH THREAD

Yes you still have some on here saying Hughes and Astles as CB would have worked better for us. It was Astles at fault for both goals today, albeit Roberts has to take big blame for the first. Johnson had him in his pocket.

Well, our chance to impress failed. We just had no fight in us and we were all at sea for most of the game. I thought Vassell looked lively before he went off, and that changed the game imo. We just lost our width and the equaliser just made it too easy. This lead to Macca chopping and changing and I don't even know why Lloyd switched to left-back. Don't get me started on the MR Johnson (the ref). He is probably the worst ref in the league. He was just a big time Charlie, constantly making wrong decisions and breaking up the play. Also the linesman next to me got some decisions wrong too. The Gateshead player just kept moving forward to take a throw in which wasn't spotted.
Anyway, we were poor and I felt sorry for Alabi who was trying really hard to battle the Gateshead players and getting into positions. Hudson played ok too, although he had a possible head injury. The kids behind the goal made some great noise. If it wasn't for them there would've been about 1,500 in attendance. I'm so glad that we had a really good first half to the season.
Onto Maidstone next Saturday.

Hudson and astles at CB and again we concede 2 having conceded 3 in the last 2 games. The solidity in our defence and the run of consecutive clean sheets earlier on in the season was the with arguably our best player in his strongest position. Astles doesn't look comfortable with Hudson next to him, he hasn't all season. Astles is at his strongest when he has Hughes in the back 2.

You could've gone with "more like Bungle than George"

Disappointing to see Mahon leaving through the side door before the final whistle obviously not staying behind for any type of team bonding,didn't loom injured either, we really could have done with him today

Why not try Hughes and Hudson at CB , today Astles looked a cart horse and heavy one at that. I've thought for the last few games I've been at we've looked like there's no creativity going forward , a player who will run the opposition defence and make them think , like others have said we have players you would think could play alongside Alabi.

Back to a straightforward 4-4-2 for me

Yeah totally agree, Hudson and Hughes is worth going with.

Theirs also a character called George. That would tie in well.

More like Mildred than George(One for the kid's there)

That was the root of the joke in the first place.

Anyway, as long as Rod, Jane and Freddy don't turn up!

So one bad performance and the ever reliable Astles becomes the whipping boy? Unbelievable! Not his best game but much better than the usual crap performers Durrell, George, Richards et al.

I just hope McCarthy has the guts this close season to bin off the ones who failed to perform last season like Chappell, George, Richards as they are too weak for this league.

Waters had an impressive game against Forest Gump and gives width. However, now nowhere to be seen!

Agree with most of the comments in this thread.

The interesting question for Macca is why did we stop playing 442 sometime back? Our good run was mainly based on this. At the start of the season Macca said, "I'll keep it simple as players have grown up with this formation". Recently this has changed. Why?

Is it because we only have 2 fit strikers? If so, get another one in.
Is it since Iwelumo joined? If so, Macca needs to back his own judgement, and get his assistant to do what HE needs him to do. I do notice Alabi has scored loads more si CE Iwelumo joined.
Is it to vary the set up to give the opposition more to think about before the game? Can see the benefit of that, but only if it suits us, too.

Macca said at a pre season CFU meeting he wanted 4 strikers and 4 wide players so that he could rotate and substitute them to change a game. Leaving the rest to keep the shape. Today we had 4 wide players. Mahon and O'Brien weren't in the squad. Chapell was on the bench. Durrell mainly played central. Richards also on bench. So, no-one wide at all and one isolated striker.

We've tried 4231, 442 diamond, 4141, 451 in recent weeks. At home, none of these has been particularly convincing. We need to be good at home, and play attacking entertaining football, to bring in crowds and revenue. Hopefully we'll get to 50 points fairly quickly so that we can relax and play attacking football without risk.

IMO you can, Astles at fault today for at least one of the goals. Who's the say he's undroppable because he's played well earlier this season? Id try Hudson and Hughes, drop Astles and get him fitter. Good in the air, not much kop at anything else lately. Hudson and Astles doesn't work because there's no pace, Sam bails Astles out sometimes.