Bristol Rovers (H)

[Leyther_Matt]

You’d be surprised how common Baxter’s positioning was in such a situation. Trafford was particularly noticeable for that sort of thing. 

[Traf]

Baxter's position is where he is told to be.

[radcliffe white]

I noticed Baxter looks over to the bench a lot like reassurance he’s making the right call at times

[Wanderlust]

Obviously folk are focusing on the defensive errors and the sending off and rightly point out that these things can happen. Nothing is certain in football and it doesn't matter how good a team is, you can always lose to a freak goal, a slip at a crucial moment a la Gerard, an unexpected worldy in the top bins, a lucky deflection, a bad refereeing decision or other stuff that is out of your control.

For me, the concern is more about what we've done with the ball going forward over the last couple of games - the bit we can control - and I think the standard has slipped slightly from the good run we were on, especially under the pressure that Pompey applied. When the quality of movement and passing that we are capable of isn't there, it causes a momentum shift and encourages the opposition to be bolder. If Dion had slotted that rebound against Pompey it could have been a completely different game for example.

We've not been at our imperious best recently and I don't know whether that's because teams have worked out how to pressurise us or a lack of confidence or overconfidence or tiredness or something else, but I suspect it's psychological in some way, because we know we can play better and on occasions create some beautiful flowing moves.

Whatever the reason, I don't want to blame this player, that player, the ref or the manager because it doesn't help in the long run. All I'm hoping for is that the team finds a return to form and starts putting together strong performances again - and if we do that, we've every chance of getting back to winning ways and renewing our push for promotion. Focus on getting what we can control right and there'll be no complaints from me.

 

[captainmed]

1 hour ago, radcliffe white said:

I noticed Baxter looks over to the bench a lot like reassurance he’s making the right call at times

Don’t want to upset Bully Boy.

[Traf]

6 hours ago, radcliffe white said:

I noticed Baxter looks over to the bench a lot like reassurance he’s making the right call at times

I think that's because this playing it out from the back is pretty new to him and he's not comfortable with it.

Excellent shot stopper, though.

[Casino]

any suggestion he was in the wrong place is valid, imo

certainly so, once santos fucked up

but, anybody blaming him has never seen us play

hes often out there as an extra defender

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Bizarre positioning for me.

The incident came from us passing it backwards from an attacking position. 

At that point, I would have expected the keeper to start to drop back and become a bit more central.

Not arsed if he's doing specifically he was told, just over egged it, or suffered a complete brain fade- it was shite.

I'm sure they'll will be looking at it though, and putting it right.

[radcliffe white]

Baxter is no issue fine tuning that’s all on the whole he’s been steady

 

[Wanderlust]

They always play a triangle with one person deepest so there are passing options and Santos was that person on this occasion. Sometimes it's Baxter deepest. But when Santos slipped and got caught, he turned to pass back - and with Baxter moving up for the sideways pass option, there was nobody left behind. The cock up was that the pass to Santos should have been better and then Santos should have hoofed it or passed it, but he got caught. He was last man but didn't know it.

[DirtySanchez]

59 minutes ago, Traf said:

I think that's because this playing it out from the back is pretty new to him and he's not comfortable with it.

Excellent shot stopper, though.

He was doing it at Hull 

Their opinion was great stopper, just don't let him kick it

 

[MickyD]

27 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Bizarre positioning for me.

The incident came from us passing it backwards from an attacking position. 

At that point, I would have expected the keeper to start to drop back and become a bit more central.

Not arsed if he's doing specifically he was told, just over egged it, or suffered a complete brain fade- it was shite.

I'm sure they'll will be looking at it though, and putting it right.

The brain fade was Santos’s. There’s no way Baxter is positioning himself for the “what if Santos fucks up!” but for the “Santos will control this and send it to me out wide!”

[Casino]

40 minutes ago, MickyD said:

The brain fade was Santos’s. There’s no way Baxter is positioning himself for the “what if Santos fucks up!” but for the “Santos will control this and send it to me out wide!”

the only way id think baxter might be even slightly at fault is if it hadnt been seen before

as they do it regular, its orders from above

no way would he be doing this regularly without being told not to

absolutely on the coaching staff that hes stood there

and absolutely on santos that he ballsed up

but santos is well in credit, hes always got the balls to have the ball, so no need to labour it

 

[Casino]

1 hour ago, radcliffe white said:

Baxter is no issue fine tuning that’s all on the whole he’s been steady

 

tbh, i think thats a bit unfair

i think hes doing very well

[Big E]

I agree with burys finest.

Like him kicking the ball to midfield despite two lads marking them. We play it the same way no matter what. 

[Casino]

2 minutes ago, Big E said:

 

Like him kicking the ball to midfield despite two lads marking them. 

is that not risk/reward though

if the 'marked' player can take the ball, and move it on beyond their pressing players, thats exactly what we are after, i think

just that it puts a lot of pressure on a div 3 footballer

[Big E]

18 minutes ago, Casino said:

is that not risk/reward though

if the 'marked' player can take the ball, and move it on beyond their pressing players, thats exactly what we are after, i think

just that it puts a lot of pressure on a div 3 footballer

I don’t think we are good enough for the risk to be warranted. We cause ourselves a lot of problems doing it. 

[radcliffe white]

14 minutes ago, Casino said:

tbh, i think thats a bit unfair

i think hes doing very well

Yes you’re right (that was hard)

on reflection he’s done very well good find by IE

[Tonge moor green jacket]

2 hours ago, MickyD said:

The brain fade was Santos’s. There’s no way Baxter is positioning himself for the “what if Santos fucks up!” but for the “Santos will control this and send it to me out wide!”

The initial slip wasn't a brain fade.

The resulting tug was.

However, would it have happened if he could see the keeper in a more regular position?

Of course no one could "expect" Santos to slip, but the keeper being there, irrespective of who decides he should be, left us wide open.

[MickyD]

1 minute ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The initial slip wasn't a brain fade.

The resulting tug was.

However, would it have happened if he could see the keeper in a more regular position?

Of course no one could "expect" Santos to slip, but the keeper being there, irrespective of who decides he should be, left us wide open.

You really are clutching at straws to prove or disprove a point. The initial slip or the resulting tug together were the very reason it was a catastrophic period of play. The tug couldn’t have happened without the slip. Santos fucked up, end of story and Baxter’s positioning wasn’t a factor.

[Stig]

1 hour ago, Big E said:

I don’t think we are good enough for the risk to be warranted. We cause ourselves a lot of problems doing it. 

Exactly my thoughts. I get this if all your players are Man City standard, but for D3 players the risk is too big for the potential reward of making it into midfield

[Casino]

Some people wont be happy til madines back

No issue with that but im equally sure the gerritoofed mob will be first whinging about hoofball

[DazBob]

I think a few need to calm down about this. It's the first time this has happened ffs.

[MickyD]

16 minutes ago, Stig said:

Exactly my thoughts. I get this if all your players are Man City standard, but for D3 players the risk is too big for the potential reward of making it into midfield

But don’t forget, whilst our players aren’t, as you point out, Man City standard, nor are our opponents Arsenal. 
These things are all relative.

[gonzo]

Fuckin ell both teams were playing it out from the back in my lads under 12s match on Sunday.

Its not just us folks.