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Post by Woody on Sept 8, 2018 20:47:45 GMT
Good attacking performance with Dudley leading the line well. However defence was poor. Smalley was shocking. A new right back is a must. He looks way out of his depth. Were the defence bad or did they appear to be bad because midfield didn’t track back? I know for sure that Mahon doesn’t. The defence were that bad, our managers should consider calling Mr Horan, Baynes etc. We are extremely poor on the right side of our defence
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Post by sqzl on Sept 8, 2018 20:59:49 GMT
Were the defence bad or did they appear to be bad because midfield didn’t track back? I know for sure that Mahon doesn’t. The defence were that bad, our managers should consider calling Mr Horan, Baynes etc. We are extremely poor on the right side of our defence Or we could give the lads we hve more of a chance. Smalley came here from a lower level with a brilliant reputation, Moran hasn’t had much football consistently. Alarm bells today -yes, but remember we’re 6 games in with a brand new side, and for Smalley in particular he’s had to pretend to be a wing back for three games, and in his best position at right back for three. Needs time.
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Post by btb on Sept 8, 2018 21:04:26 GMT
The defence were that bad, our managers should consider calling Mr Horan, Baynes etc. We are extremely poor on the right side of our defence Or we could give the lads we hve more of a chance. Smalley came here from a lower level with a brilliant reputation, Moran hasn’t had much football consistently. Alarm bells today -yes, but remember we’re 6 games in with a brand new side, and for Smalley in particular he’s had to pretend to be a wing back for three games, and in his best position at right back for three. Needs time. I think you’re right but we’re reaching the point or more importantly the management are reaching the point where it’s shape up or ship out. We’re not far away from having a team on today’s performance, but it’s becoming obvious where the weaker links are.
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Post by billyw on Sept 8, 2018 21:08:08 GMT
Not sure i agree re Smalley he played really well in parts my main concern was center backs not winning a single header and looking fragile - needs improvement I noticed that as well, every time Bradford had a corner they found the head of one of their own players. Fortunately they couldn't take advantage.
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Post by sqzl on Sept 8, 2018 21:31:02 GMT
Or we could give the lads we hve more of a chance. Smalley came here from a lower level with a brilliant reputation, Moran hasn’t had much football consistently. Alarm bells today -yes, but remember we’re 6 games in with a brand new side, and for Smalley in particular he’s had to pretend to be a wing back for three games, and in his best position at right back for three. Needs time. I think you’re right but we’re reaching the point or more importantly the management are reaching the point where it’s shape up or ship out. We’re not far away from having a team on today’s performance, but it’s becoming obvious where the weaker links are. I take that point and yeah maybe it’s clear who’s struggling but we are certainly not in a position to be shipping players out and expecting to attract anyone better. Financially we’re strapped still, even with the Murphy cash, playing budget wise we are tight.
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Post by Churton Blue on Sept 8, 2018 21:46:22 GMT
Excellent entertainment with many positives to enthuse about. Showed good character to come back from the setback of the early goal and the equaliser at 3-3. Liked what our front six did and I think you have to accept that the defence will lack cover given the players we have.
We do have problems in defence but you have to give some credit to Bradford. Johnson and Wroe have plenty of League One experience and they were playing 4-2-4 as often as we were ! Great to see match with so much attacking intent.
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Post by btb on Sept 8, 2018 22:45:07 GMT
I think you’re right but we’re reaching the point or more importantly the management are reaching the point where it’s shape up or ship out. We’re not far away from having a team on today’s performance, but it’s becoming obvious where the weaker links are. I take that point and yeah maybe it’s clear who’s struggling but we are certainly not in a position to be shipping players out and expecting to attract anyone better. Financially we’re strapped still, even with the Murphy cash, playing budget wise we are tight. Agreed, I can’t see where there is any free budget but I guess that’s the manager’s problem. They will be seeing what we’re seeing and it’s down to them to solve it. A club of our stature, whilst not expecting to win the league or even go up, should not have players who aren’t good enough for this level. The good think is, after today, we’re not a million miles away.
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Post by thebluecamp on Sept 8, 2018 22:55:05 GMT
Morley doesn’t paper over the cracks in his post match interview and said it was car crash defending at times and if some players don’t cut out the mistakes then they won’t be playing for us any longer. He also praised Luke Jordan, but it sounded like he has come to us on the promise of a contract, but there isn’t any money in the budget to pay him at the moment. This is where I think us fans need to try and help with the squad builder to avoid another Tuton scenario. If we come across a decent young player, then we should be looking to tie them down in case they earn us money in future. Where can I find Morley's post match interview ?
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Post by Jack on Sept 8, 2018 23:30:34 GMT
Not sure i agree re Smalley he played really well in parts my main concern was center backs not winning a single header and looking fragile - needs improvement Howson won everything, thought he was class today. Doing the work of 2-3 men at times. Moran had a tough day though. I like Howson, but I thought both he and Moran were bullied by their centre forwards. Lost the vast majority of aerial battles and it caused us problems. Grand is our best defender by a mile, I think we'll cut out some of the silly errors when he moves back into the middle.
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Post by Anders on Sept 8, 2018 23:51:38 GMT
Despite the praise being heaped on him last week I mentioned in the match thread that Moran didn’t really win the ariel duels he should have. I do like him, could be very good indeed but he definitely needs to strengthen up more and dominate in the air. Tidy player but wasn’t his day today.
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Post by Harry Lime on Sept 8, 2018 23:54:52 GMT
Our best centre half pairing is probably Grand and Livesey. Despite the Telford performance.
I suggested putting Moran at right back a few weeks ago. He could be a Heneghan type full back. Thomson is worth a thought too.
If we play Hughes, Mahon and Mooney we will always leave gaps somewhere in the midfield. Two centre midfielders can't cover all that ground. If we have a lot of the ball, it's less of a problem. When we don't have it, the defence will be under more pressure.
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Post by sqzl on Sept 9, 2018 0:31:02 GMT
Despite the praise being heaped on him last week I mentioned in the match thread that Moran didn’t really win the ariel duels he should have. I do like him, could be very good indeed but he definitely needs to strengthen up more and dominate in the air. Tidy player but wasn’t his day today. Moran is a very young player too, he will learn a lot from the likes of Grand. Personally think Grand is one of our best players, experience but not past it.
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Post by South Wirral Blue on Sept 9, 2018 0:58:56 GMT
Basic organisation is the main problem at the back and awful decision making. Our defenders are pretty abject by any standard and shouldnt be encouraged to try anything remotely clever like Smalley did. Basic defending is the only way that unit will look anything better than Sunday League.
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Post by johny9 on Sept 9, 2018 7:13:23 GMT
We Looked really good going forward and could have scored a couple more but the defence was everywhere I think Livesey and grand are our best cb’s but the full backs is an issue . Smalley looks so far out of his depth at the minute it’s scary ! I would love to see how many goals conceded have come from our right hand side ! Maybe he needs more time and will come good but the errors he’s making are Sunday league errors , that backpass first half and needless corner 2nd half are just 2 I remember ! I’m undecided on the goalkeeper at the minute , I know he’s made a couple of mistakes but overal seems ok on crosses and looks a decent shot stopper so will give him more time and would much rather 2 new full backs than a goalie . One thing that has struck me so far this season is the gulf in class between this league and the one above , havnt seen a decent team yet . Telford were ok in parts but their goals came from mistakes and when we put it on them in the 2nd half we could have scored a couple
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Post by midfieldgeneral on Sept 9, 2018 7:21:22 GMT
There is a massive gulf in class between this league and the Conference. Out of all the leagues we went up from last time, the junp from Conference North to Conferenxe was by far the biggest
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Post by Si on Sept 9, 2018 7:42:55 GMT
There is a massive gulf in class between this league and the Conference. Out of all the leagues we went up from last time, the junp from Conference North to Conferenxe was by far the biggest You would never have got a game like that in the Conference. Even though we have been cack the last couple of years we didn’t take too many hammerings, but in this league it seems like there is lots of high scoring games which is likely down to defensive errors.
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Post by tarvinblue on Sept 9, 2018 8:18:30 GMT
There is a massive gulf in class between this league and the Conference. Out of all the leagues we went up from last time, the junp from Conference North to Conferenxe was by far the biggest You only have to look at some of the players excelling at this level who looked abysmal in the conference - with a bit more time on the ball they look like world beaters. Overall levels of ability are low in this league as are pace and decision making, meaning players like Mahon can begin to stand out again. It's all about physicality and the ability to take advantage of mistakes. We haven't been getting beat because the other teams have been better more because we have made far too many mistakes which have been punished.
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Post by Rio Doherty on Sept 9, 2018 8:25:53 GMT
My match highlights:
Enjoy!
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Post by iandychesterfc on Sept 9, 2018 9:14:09 GMT
Front 6 superb, back 5 awful.
My summary.
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Post by dmcnally on Sept 9, 2018 9:24:11 GMT
A fantastic game to watch and hugely encouraging in parts, but still major alarm bells ringing over our defence. The balance is definitely still off - it was really easy for BPA to get to the edge of our box and that spells danger. When Roberts is back, I'd be tempted to get 3 central midfielders on to try and win that battle. Also big gaps still down the side of the central defenders at times. Yes we won, and we won with some great style going forward, but on another day those whipped crosses over our 6 yard box will cost us. A lot of it stemmed from Moran and Howson, they didn't win nearly enough of their battles with the centre forwards and they were always picking up the second ball. Simon Grand though! What a player he is, we need to get him back into the centre of the back 4 and we will instantly become tighter. Smalley knows he was nowhere near it today, and I'd agree that a little spell out of the team will probably do him good, I'd be having a look at Thomson to start against FCUM. Enough of that, the positives were how lively we looked going forward. In Mahon, Dudley, Hughes and Mooney we must have one of the most dangerous front 4s in the division. At times, they were unplayable. Dudley is going to score 20 for us this season, he's such a neat footballer - always getting the ball out of his feet and ready to pull the trigger. Was delighted for him to get on the scoresheet today because he totally deserved it. Mooney showed what we all suspected was in his locker, a really promising performance and Craig Mahon reminded me of the player we had 2 years ago in the good start under JM. He was sensational today, his goal was exquisite, sent two of the their defenders to the corner shop and was able to finish it. IF we can keep him producing that, I can't see many better footballers in this division. We mustn't be too harsh on ourselves, but we're very much a work in progress. BPA are clearly a good side and we hit them for 5. The cliche in football is that putting the ball in the net is the hardest thing to do, and we look like we'll do it with regularity. Tightening up at the back is a priority, whether that means our full backs tucking in and holding back a bit, I'm not sure but something has to change. We can't outscore every opponent, there'll be days where it just doesn't click and at the moment you cannot see us keeping a clean sheet. I'm not absolutely convinced that 3/4 of our back 4 today are quite up to the standard, but we'll see as the season progresses. Great game, delighted for the managers and now it's so vital we back it up with a good win against FCUM. We showed today that we're more than capable of competing, I'm glad to see BM referencing the defence not being quite good enough today - with a bit of tweaking we could be a really good side. Agree about 3 centre mids. I’d go 433 Tuesday with Roberts back. Mooney and Mahon earned their right to be the wide men with Dudley through the middle. COYB.
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Post by Wortleyblue on Sept 9, 2018 9:25:12 GMT
Front 6 superb, back 5 awful. My summary. You're probably right but Id take a 5-3 win over a 0-0 anytime
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Post by RonD on Sept 9, 2018 11:33:11 GMT
Just watched Rio's highlights. Looked a stonewall penalty from our spec on the Harry Mac . . . but side on never a pen! Never mind, we'll take it!
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Post by dmcnally on Sept 9, 2018 11:37:00 GMT
Just watched Rio's highlights. Looked a stonewall penalty from our spec on the Harry Mac . . . but side on never a pen! Never mind, we'll take it! Was never a pen. Didn't leave my seat and when the ref blew I thought he'd point the other way and book him for simulation. Comical but we'll take it.
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Post by Lobster on Sept 9, 2018 11:55:17 GMT
There is a massive gulf in class between this league and the Conference. Out of all the leagues we went up from last time, the junp from Conference North to Conferenxe was by far the biggest You would never have got a game like that in the Conference. Even though we have been cack the last couple of years we didn’t take too many hammerings, but in this league it seems like there is lots of high scoring games which is likely down to defensive errors. Which kind of means it might not be that big a deal if we can’t defend. I suppose the point is that you’re not going to score five every week but you might still concede two or three.
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Post by midfieldgeneral on Sept 9, 2018 12:28:25 GMT
You would never have got a game like that in the Conference. Even though we have been cack the last couple of years we didn’t take too many hammerings, but in this league it seems like there is lots of high scoring games which is likely down to defensive errors. Which kind of means it might not be that big a deal if we can’t defend. I suppose the point is that you’re not going to score five every week but you might still concede two or three. Its a difficult one. The obvious way of sorting it out defensively, would be to play 2 holding midfield players in front of the back 4. Make sure that the two centre halfs dont get seperated or too exposed and dont push the 2 full backs up at the same time Kevin Keegan gung ho style. Perhaps Livesey in at right back and play 4 centre halfs across the back 4 Pulis style or give Thompson a go at right back. Everyone seems to think 4-4-2 is a simple system. I found it the most difficult, to coach. because it is about getting the balence right and drilling players into their roles and responsibilities within the system.
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Post by chesterken on Sept 9, 2018 13:06:55 GMT
The defence were that bad, our managers should consider calling Mr Horan, Baynes etc. We are extremely poor on the right side of our defence Or we could give the lads we hve more of a chance. Smalley came here from a lower level with a brilliant reputation, Moran hasn’t had much football consistently. Alarm bells today -yes, but remember we’re 6 games in with a brand new side, and for Smalley in particular he’s had to pretend to be a wing back for three games, and in his best position at right back for three. Needs time. I can’t help but like Smally as bad a game as he had he was celebrating in front of the Harry Mac at the end of the game as if we had just won the FA cup😂.
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Post by hbomb on Sept 9, 2018 13:35:22 GMT
Random one but is it me or our highlights always one of the last to be put on the national league website? Quite a few are up already but ours can be a day or 2 later. I know they are volunteers and I couldn’t do better myself so I don’t want this to turn into a slagging match but I did wonder if there was a practical reason. Ie lack of access to equipment, working patterns.
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Post by cfcfundraising on Sept 9, 2018 15:02:12 GMT
Morley doesn’t paper over the cracks in his post match interview and said it was car crash defending at times and if some players don’t cut out the mistakes then they won’t be playing for us any longer. He also praised Luke Jordan, but it sounded like he has come to us on the promise of a contract, but there isn’t any money in the budget to pay him at the moment. This is where I think us fans need to try and help with the squad builder to avoid another Tuton scenario. If we come across a decent young player, then we should be looking to tie them down in case they earn us money in future. A reminder that we have just launched the Claim Your Turf initiative - all proceeds from this go towards Squadbuilder for the managers to strengthen the squad.
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Post by btb on Sept 9, 2018 15:21:54 GMT
Or we could give the lads we hve more of a chance. Smalley came here from a lower level with a brilliant reputation, Moran hasn’t had much football consistently. Alarm bells today -yes, but remember we’re 6 games in with a brand new side, and for Smalley in particular he’s had to pretend to be a wing back for three games, and in his best position at right back for three. Needs time. I can’t help but like Smally as bad a game as he had he was celebrating in front of the Harry Mac at the end of the game as if we had just won the FA cup😂. I think he needs to relax a bit and concentrate on the basics of the game. You would think he has to be a better player than that yesterday. I think we all thought he'd get hooked at half time but the management obviously didn't want to completely destroy him and are going to stick with him. As you say Ken, the lad obviously loves it, great to see him at the end of the game celebrating.
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Post by MPW on Sept 9, 2018 21:33:55 GMT
The issue with Dom Smalley and possibly Shenton could be that they can’t deal with the larger crowds and expectation that comes with it. I think Morley aluded to this in his post match interview.
Time will tell, but I doubt that the fans getting on their backs at every opportunity will help them.
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