Eddie

I’ve more and more come round to @Johnnyrotten’s view that there is no set formation or line up that will solve the problem. We all have our views on what should change when things aren’t great, but often they’re then tried and also fail. A lot of it comes down to the inconsistency of individual players and whether they deliver on any specific day (that being said, Donny was clearly the wrong set up). However, having said all of that I think we’re naive away from home and given the fact our 2 first choice wingers are injured, and others aren’t stepping up, I can’t understand why he doesn’t go back to what shored us up at the start of the year and play a 352 with wingbacks. It puts Conway and Tutu in their preferred spots. It means you don’t need to rely on any poor combination of 2 from our centre backs, it means Kenny can play up alongside Dalby rather than having one of them in the 10 role or on the wing and it means we can have Sheehan in a 3 man midfield, which we know is where he’s best. There will always be the inconsistency of player performances, especially with a group of L1 players, but putting as many square pegs in square holes would at least give them the best chance in the first place.

I’m not having it either that Stockportways is buzzing - their last 8 W2 (Northampton and Wigan at home - Wigan had 2 sent off) D2 (Orient at home and Luton away) L4 (Lincoln away, Stevenage away, Burton away, Bradford away) They will be shitting it. Games in hand mean nothing until you actually get something from them. They’ve played 3 teams in that run that are in the top 8 and lost them all - it doesn’t bode well even if they do get in. Stevenage ways might be happy - they’re Jekyll and Hyde though. Tend to win at home and lose away. 7 wins and 5 losses in the last 12 I reckon it’ll be Us, Bradford, Plymouth and Stockport and you could give us all the same odds to win to be promoted.

Fair point, and I’ve no idea how hard the others have had it. I still have zero concern that we won’t make the play offs though (I have considerable concern about how good we’ll be in them!)

It’s probably not the time to have this discussion because clearly everyone is still rightly pissed off with that game and so emotions are high. We’ve got 7 games left, if you look at the form table for the last 5 games - Plymouth are going like a train and would be a worry, Stevenage have 1 more point than us, every other team (ignoring Lincoln) that are in the play off mix have less points than us. Our form is a concern in terms of having a chance in the play offs, but linked to my other post, there aren’t enough clubs in form that it’s enough of a concern for us to drop out of them altogether!

I’ll try again This is nothing to do with my views on our own team or ability. It is a reflection on how strange this league is that I expect most team’s fans in the top half of the league will be in a similar mindset to us.

True, but as we well know they’re only worth something when you get points from them. They’ve got 7 points from 7 games - there’s no guarantee they’re worth anything to them. I think they probably will stay in but I guarantee their fans are in a similar state of pissed off as us. Again - this is not meant to be an excuse for us

It wasn’t meant to be. I literally said that it’s no excuse for our shower of shit. It was simply a reflection.

Mad this league, this is no excuse for our own shower of shit but other than Lincoln (and likely Plymouth), almost every set of fans in the top 8 or so will be saying the same at the moment. Cardiff far from firing (but relaxed as nobody is chasing) Bradford as bad as us Stockport genuinely looking like dropping out of the play offs Huddersfield can’t put a run together Then you’ve got the chasing pack all losing as many as they’re winning. There won’t be many [insert club]ways in a positive mindset at the moment!

Starting to become a Christmas style blip. Hope we snap out of it before too much damage is done

First one I’ve not managed to watch in a long time - I’m glad I’m not based on what I’m reading

😂😂 this is becoming ridiculous - let’s just buy all of Doncaster’s players, they’re amazing.

The Porsche?

I agree you can’t class Conway in the same bracket as Christie but that statement is just not true. Since the start of the season he’s less and less attacking and will often take the easy ball backwards. I’m also not convinced that he’s ever got up to full match fitness - all season he’s looked shagged in the last 20-30 mins of a game, which doesn’t help.

Couldn’t be more spot on. Sometimes there’s nothing the manager can do about it - tonight every bit of it is on him. Christie needs to hang his boots up now, he’s embarrassing. So to not only play him but put Burstow in front of him was a horrendous idea - that right side was as bad as I’ve ever seen us put out for a game. Then you’ve got Dalby playing in the 10 role - we can’t even launch the ball because it’s going over his head and being lost by Kenny. Dempsey isn’t a centre mid, and if he is it isn’t alongside Sheehan. As for Conway - I don’t know where this love in comes from. Tutu is a better full back. To not only set up that way, but then watch it until the 65th minute to change it was mental, it was so fucking obvious. Then he does change it and takes the only player on the pitch off that can get hold of the ball and make things happen (Sheehan) but leaves Dempsey on who is knackered, on a yellow and nowhere near as good on the ball. He also can throw Burstow on because he’s used him up trying to play as a right winger from the start. I’m not for one minute making this more than just about tonight, but taking tonight in isolation, that’s fucking shocking from the manager. Oh and what the fuck has happened to Toal - the guy was a calamity. Absolute headless chicken. Final point. If you’re going to start Rodrigues in one of the last 2 games, how do you come to the conclusion that the right one was Rotherham away and not Donny at home? Another nuts decision, he’d have been so much more effective today! Fuck it, we’re still going up but that was an unbelievably frustrating way to spend a Tuesday night (and the ref is a massive twat too).

Classic first half performance - shite. Christie needs to retire, it’s embarrassing and Burstow is no winger - we may as well not have a right hand side

Wouldn’t surprise me if Forino is just rotation, Toal clearly was at the weekend so no reason that Forino won’t be. Does look a bit soft on paper but it’s a very decent attacking unit - we should have enough! Dalby hat trick

Bit of generalisation, you’re right. Although I’ve lived here for 34 years and hate the winter

Burstow’s header against Blackpool would disagree 👀 I’m in danger of bigging him up to be better than I think he is here. I just think people need to keep a sense of perspective.

He’s a 23 year old winger from Barbados. I get it, we want to see every player go flying into tackles to show how much they care, but if you don’t understand that he’s not going to be that player, that he’s not going to potentially get a shocking injury to get a Rotherham keeper sent off then your expectations are way out of line with reality. I’m far from being his biggest cheerleader but he’s an easy target and in my opinion gets way more stick than he deserves. Some of the shit that was being thrown his way from behind me on Saturday was lunacy - he was being blamed for stuff when the ball was with our right back. He’s young, he’s a 3rd division winger, he’s inconsistent, he’s probably hating the winter here and it’s his first season in England. He’s also got 5 goals and 2 assists in the equivalent of 15 full matches. Is he perfect, no, was I fucking fuming with him when he wasted about 4 chances in the last 10 minutes on Saturday, yes - I just can’t understand the amount of shit he gets relative to his output this season.

Most of it has been well covered by now so I won’t repeat those points. Set up was wrong but I could see what he was trying to do. The no. 10 just does not work, we’ve tried it with plenty of players and RR is the best of them and it still didn’t work. You weaken Dalby’s effectiveness and gain nothing in terms of midfield stability. Gale gets all sorts of criticism. His decision making was woeful yesterday but anyone questioning his attitude - look at his reaction at the final whistle, we were watching him and he went straight over to the bench and sat in the dugout looking like he was about to cry. He knew he’d had a bad game and had the chances in the last 5 mins to create a winner - I reckon he also can hear the crowd on his back. I would start Kenny and Dalby up top for every game from now on. It’s a proper partnership and with the pressure off re top 2 or dropping out of the play offs, as much time as possible playing together will give them the best chance to win us the play offs. Conway isn’t a full back. Someone else has said it but with CBT injured and Apter looking pretty shite, I’d be tempted to go 5 at the back (especially away) and use Conway and Tutu as wingbacks. This team doesn’t know when it’s beaten. Granted we didn’t get the 3 points but no team will feel comfortable having a lead against us, even at 2-0. Bodes well for the play offs.

Reading were garbage at their place and we’d hammer them at home. I’d actually rather play them than Stevenage personally

Seeing as Lincoln have definitely now gone, it’d be good to see them beat Stockport in the other early kick off to help make sure we finish at least 3rd/4th. They're also in a right blip with 4 points in 5 games. Lose today and they’ll be wondering whether they can cling onto a play off spot - must admit, I wouldn’t mind seeing them drop out and being replaced by Reading or Stevenage.

They’re going to send it long, I want to see Forino start - not sure what that means for GJ / Conway. Would also start Gale on the right and Burstow up top with Apter and Kenny dropping to the bench.

It’ll be sold out by the time it kicks off tomorrow if we’ve only apparently got 150+ left now. I think early kick off and train issues will be the biggest reason as to why it didn’t all go in the first few days (as most do) but there’s also no doubt that some will be a bit more picky now that it looks like it’s guaranteed play offs.

I have no expectation that we’ll get auto promotion. However, if we were all but done and then got 4 points in 4 games, including losing to our title rivals whilst 3rd place are [11?] unbeaten - we’d be just starting to look over our shoulder. If nothing else, it stops these last 10 games being exhibition matches and keeps us on our toes.