On sale in the morning

3 minutes ago, captainmed said:

It’s the sort of game we will win in a canter, just like last season, and will tell us nothing.

Today was a test and we once again failed due to our fragile mentality. 

Exactly, and there are too many games in this league, especially at home, where we will still win, regardless. It makes us look like we go on good runs but like you say it tells us nothing. We’ll still lose the big games and when it matters and ultimately fall short.

Look at that last 15 games breakdown - other than Barnsley away you could have pretty much picked every one of those that we didn’t win. Too predictable, flat track bullies.

48 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

You're right ... except these two are amongst our best players AND he bought the fckrs and paid a lot of money.

So it's up to him to find a formation which gets an output from them. Only a man who binned Dapo would do that.

Dapo makes his Bundesliga debut tomorrow

Just now, Zico said:

Dapo makes his Bundesliga debut tomorrow

We played him left wing back 😂

Same team, drop Charles, play 2 up top, and put another midfielder in to sure up the middle.. maybe even Victor for mcatee till he gets going. 

I've lost patience with Charles, the form that served us well has gone, ignore the penalties, the cup goals and he's not working in our current team. 

No one is working effectively in the current team. 

Not sure just dropping one for another will achieve much.

Needs a re-think over formation, and a quicker approach to whatever system.

Gone sluggish.

 

3 hours ago, wiggy said:

Very disappointing today. Better team for first 25 minutes but that goal completely killed us. I do think that if we want to play 3 up front then we will need to change to 4 at the back. With the current system the 2 in the middle are being completely overrun. 

Not happening under IE, we know that, we no longer have the players as IE has stated more than once.

35 minutes ago, Zico said:

Dapo makes his Bundesliga debut tomorrow

But he couldn't make it as a wing-back so he had to go.

Edited August 24, 20241 yr by Dr. Feelgood

First half we got into some good areas, it’s just the first touch and sharpness seems way off. Second half was just dog shit. We have to find a good system sharpish

Edited August 24, 20241 yr by superkev

writing was on the wall the second we started booting it long at Leyton orient.

fucking huge warning sign that. 
 

Next league match tippy tappy against Wrexham.

 

no consistent approach . No logical build up in pre season. 
 

pre season should have been spent building a clear approach around a clear formation. 

Edited August 24, 20241 yr by Eavesy

2 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Not happening under IE, we know that, we no longer have the players as IE has stated more than once.

That’s fine. But then he has to give up on playing a front 3 who stay high the whole time. He can’t have both 

Collins or McAtee. Never both 

2 minutes ago, wiggy said:

That’s fine. But then he has to give up on playing a front 3 who stay high the whole time. He can’t have both 

Aye.

I also reckon we have enough in the defensive department to play 4 at the back. 

We certainly ought to.

3 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

Like Matete

He's quality and you're right he can take the ball in tight situations and maintain possession, he's got great close control and strength.  He'll become a regular starter, probably instead of Sheehan.  But certainly no replacement for Maghoma, he doesn't create and isn't a potential scorer.  We're missing Maghoma massively.

3 hours ago, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

The more I watch the 1st goal the more I can't comprehend what Santos was thinking..... There wasn't a white shirt anywhere near that of that excuse for a pass.

Before the goal I was thinking he was looking like his old self, winning all his challenges like swatting flies and one outstanding recovery tackle.  And his passing was faultless, then that, inexplicable in both intention and execution.  How he manages to turn it into an argument with Baxter is baffling.  We are miles from being successful if passes like that are part of our tactic and game plan, its like playing with one hand tied behind our back, giving the opposition an opportunity they don't have to earn.

We needed a quick fast start this season to put the last one behind us

Early days but it's not a great start and looks like nothing has changed

3 home games in a row now

Will get ugly in the stands if we don't win at least two

2 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Is it right that we've only won 5 of our last 15 in the league?

I'm not re-checking but I got it to 5 wins in the last 15 games, that includes Mansfield, Barnsley twice and Oxford, depends if you count them as league.

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

We played him left wing back 😂

Mostly played left of the 3 up top. 

36 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

He's quality and you're right he can take the ball in tight situations and maintain possession, he's got great close control and strength.  He'll become a regular starter, probably instead of Sheehan.  But certainly no replacement for Maghoma, he doesn't create and isn't a potential scorer.  We're missing Maghoma massively.

We ain’t… he was absent without leave until January and just about ok after January. 

I said earlier that I'm sure a different manager would get a better tune out of this group of players than Evatt currently is doing. 

Sheehan is a prime example. Like Bannan at SW, a great footballer but would you want him breaking up opposition attacks? McAtee a great forward. Shall we play him as a winger or an attacking midfielder? No! Play him as a feckin forward or leave him on the bench for tight away games.

Watching both Charltons goals, reverse the situation we score neither. We are too slow, and not direct or accurate enough with our passing. That first chance, roles reversed, ends up at Baxters feet. Second chance it would have been back to one of the back three. 

It really is frustrating watching us fanny around allowing every team we play to get back into position and shape before attempting to move forward with it.

2 hours ago, wakey said:

Started the season with renewed optimism following some of the signings. Only third league game, and already "ace, it's Saturday" has turned to "fuck, it's Saturday".

Positives - we've got some real quality players - and potential match-winners - that aren't quite clicking yet but will. 

On the other hand, I'm now 100% certain we won't go up under Evatt. 

 

However much we've improved or not improved, we don't have any more match winners than in previous years do we?  Charles is a constant over the last few seasons so no change there (except he rarely scores at home now).  We had the season when Charles, JDB, Bakayoko and Dapo were taking it in turns to score.  Plenty scorers last season and scored in every home game bar one.  But now we seem to have less without both Maghoma, and to a lesser extent CMG.  A couple of years ago Dempsey, Morley, Sheehan and Sadlier between them felt like a genuine goal threat, that midfield source of goals feels like a bygone age. Everything seems to happen 35 yards out, not in and around the penalty box.

Edited August 24, 20241 yr by Johnnyrotten

It’s only the cup but Tuesday is now big in terms of a performance, we get knocked out without a fight and Evatt will have a right job on his hands 

There was a strong case for getting rid of IE last year due to the pathetic non performance at Wembley. We have since seen in comprehensive detail how the Oxford manager implemented his tactics to nullify our threat and beat us. Plus the systematic freezing against Wigan home/away and Blackpool away. We do seem to bottle games against our promotion rivals. The board has financially invested to support Evatt. This must be reciprocated with performances and results and swiftly. I belive at the beginning of the season, it would be his last chance for promotion.  However despite the recruitment of better players, the early indications are frustratingly, that there is no plan B. And the unpleasant whiff of last seasons weaknesses are evident after just 3 games. Confusion reins regarding any successful formations. The board have been loyal to evatt but it is a business and they may want/expect better results than we've seen so far. Theirs and the patience of many supporters are already being tested?

What can I say, I told you people the problem was IE over 2 seasons ago.

 

Sorry if i sound like a phallus but it's annoying to see people parrot analysis I did back then as if it's a revelation.

 

Edited August 24, 20241 yr by Zog1
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1 hour ago, Wanderlust said:

Like every armchair manager I think I can offer a better system and selection to get the best out of this squad (see p13) but he won't change even if the game does.

The best thing he could do is to BELIEVE in the talent he has at his disposal and TRUST them to perform. Don't constrain them, free them.

He's not capable of doing that.