Shrewsbury Town (A)

[JimmyRiddle]

Matete is better further forward. Morley, Sheenan and Matete should be the 3. 

[London Wanderer]

Rant over

 off to the pub to celebrate. Wasn’t even going to drink today 😄

Well done to everyone who went there, did us proud 

[London Wanderer]

.

Edited February 15, 2025 by London Wanderer
Double post

[Johnnyrotten]

12 minutes ago, Wanderlust said:

Missed the Shrews second goal. WTF happened?

To be fair cracking cross by that bloke that always scores from the edge of the box, he's got a wand of a left foot, easy finish at back post.  Then Desmond and Murphy played keep ball for 2 minutes and didn't give them a kick.

[wakey]

great second half after looking dire for much of the first half.

Only a couple of games in, but I'm already getting that calm, confident feeling that SS will sort it when things aren't going to plan.

Happy days, time to get wankered.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

16 minutes ago, CambridgeBWFC said:

Not bad for a bunch of light weight shit bottlers and a manager who keeps tweaking the system.

 

Seems he is still learning what they are capable of physically, and what formation will best fit for such games.

Lolos has been used before now- hes tall(ish), but wasn't on the bench iirc.

Is he spannered or just out of favour?

 

[Lostock Whites]

Isn't it just refreshing having a manager that is proactive and is capable of acknowledging a problem and then making radical changes to provide a solution?

Schumacher's super white armyyy!

[Johnnyrotten]

32 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Give over.

McAtee was the devil incarnate at until half time, and through out the previous weeks.

Today was about tactical changes and better management. 

 

Not sure what you mean there mate, everyone has their own opinions but I thought he played OK 1st half and anyone forcing the keeper into a good save from a header from open play represents an improvement on any striker since JDB at Derby 😀  Some decent hold up play too (admittedly comparing to a low bar set this season).

Today wasn't just about tactical changes etc, we don't win that game without 3 fantastic finishes, we created at least as much at Reading but couldn't finish that day.  Coming from behind to win away is rarely down to just a tweak by the manager, the players have to perform better too.

Edited February 15, 2025 by Johnnyrotten

[Zico]

There's a lot to be said for changing the formation mid game

SS seems to have the aspect of game management sussed

[Johnnyrotten]

18 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Orient last lost a league game away, on the 26th October. 

Not sure they have lost any away game since then.

Yes, they're in great form.  

From Tuesday, they've got 3 aways in 8 days, at Wrexham, Bolton and Birmingham!

[Tonge moor green jacket]

1 minute ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Not sure what you mean there mate, everyone has their own opinions but I thought he played OK 1st half and anyone forcing the keeper into a good save from a header from open play represents an improvement on any striker since JDB at Derby 😀  Some decent hold up play too (admittedly comparing to a low bar set this season).

Today wasn't just about tactical changes etc, we don't win that game without 3 fantastic finishes, we created at least as much at Reading but couldn't finish.  Coming from behind to win away is rarely down to just a tweak by the manager, the players have to perform better too.

We couldn't get the ball first half. 

It wasn't working. Without those changes, and no doubt a bollocking, do you, or anyone, believe it would have changed?

I don't, and that has to go down as a great bit of tactical management. 

Of course the players did well for him, however it seems they needed the change to initiate it.

Similar issue is there with 5 at the back, and only one "defensive" midfielder.

At least SS is now recognising when it isn't working and doing something about it.

Last mon wasn't.

[bwfc4ife]

26 minutes ago, Cheese said:

Do none of you negative-heads ever feel daft after calling all our players absolute shite, and writing us off before half a game has been played? I'd feel embarrassed if I were you, but you do it over and over again. 🤦‍♂️

I’m one of them, I said he was shite first half along with Randall and to be fair they both were (along with the others). With Mcatee, we haven’t seen anywhere near enough to be convinced that he’s worth starting. Second half today though, credit where’s it’s due he finally turned up and even looked a real handle with balls over the top. Clearly Schuey and Evatt before saw something in him. I like his passion but haven’t seen hardly anything from him so far until today. 
 

Hopefully this will give him some confidence and he’ll kick on from here.

[gonzo]

Good job games are 90 mins long ey lads

 

[Johnnyrotten]

3 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

We couldn't get the ball first half. 

It wasn't working. Without those changes, and no doubt a bollocking, do you, or anyone, believe it would have changed?

I don't, and that has to go down as a great bit of tactical management. 

Of course the players did well for him, however it seems they needed the change to initiate it.

Similar issue is there with 5 at the back, and only one "defensive" midfielder.

At least SS is now recognising when it isn't working and doing something about it.

Last mon wasn't.

Agreed with that for 1st half hour, but not last 15 minutes of 1st half, we'd already improved and deserved to be level IMO (despite the ref ignoring most times they assaulted us in their half).

Still not sure what the "give over" was in response to.  I've re-read my post in case there's anything I said that could have prompted it, and I'm none the wiser!

[paulhanley]

Looks like we've got what we needed - a manager who actively manages a game of football and intervenes decisively when things are going down the wrong path. 

Suspect he picked that starting XI with physique and height in mind. Understandable against an Ainsworth team. If he hadn't already learned we don't really have enough of either in the squad. 

What we do have though is a lot of talent and if it's carefully channeled it can reaps dividends. 

We live in a footballing world drowned by statistics and sometimes you can over-analyse. The fan glancing through the League 1 table could suss our bottom line/ultimate problem - we concede too many goals.  If SS can sort out that side of our game we're seriously on to something, whether this season or next.

Onward and upward.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

26 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Agreed with that for 1st half hour, but not last 15 minutes of 1st half, we'd already improved and deserved to be level IMO (despite the ref ignoring most times they assaulted us in their half).

Still not sure what the "give over" was in response to.  I've re-read my post in case there's anything I said that could have prompted it, and I'm none the wiser!

Criticising other midfielders as not being anywhere near as good as the three you mentioned.

We've had many combinations and far too often they haven't worked. 

Other teams have worked out how to combat that system, and we've now got someone flexible enough to deal with it.

[Cheese]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0krht7r

[onefinfrandsen]

Loved ainsworths post match interview, very complementary towards us.

[Cheese]

1 minute ago, onefinfrandsen said:

Loved ainsworths post match interview, very complementary towards us.

 

[maaarsh]

1 hour ago, Wanderlust said:

My point entirely.
That said, SS was accredited with the tactical nous and flexibility to make THIS squad successful just as much as Evatt was berated for his tactical naivety and inflexibility - hence my comment.

 

1 hour ago, Wanderlust said:

I think my question has been answered. 
Tweaks at HT instead of 70 minutes - what was needed, when it was needed.

Glad we can put away the tiny violins for saint Ian now.

12 points from 15 since we got rid - thank goodness he didn't hang around any longer - onwards and upwards.

3 teams from 6 for 4th-6th now and we're looking more likely than not in my book.

[Rizlar]

It’s so refreshing to see a manager make tactical tweaks throughout the game and they must have got a bollocking  at half time because different side in the second half. 
Shout out to McAtee took his goals well hopefully this gives him a boost he needs.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

I think we might continue to see Matete in that further forward role

[Johnnyrotten]

10 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Criticising other midfielders as not being anywhere near as good as the three you mentioned.

We've had many combinations and far too often they haven't worked. 

Other teams have worked out how to combat that system, and we've now got someone flexible enough to deal with it.

OK fair enough, just opinions.

I stand by what I said that I think we're weaker without Matete/Sheehan/McAtee if Tomo/Randall/Vic are the replacements.  Irrespective of formations and systems, we need to have our better players on the pitch as much as possible if fit/fresh, and there can't be a lot of argument about those 3 examples surely.

[Winchester White]

I am starting to think Randall is a home player at the moment. He's clearly got a football brain but when you need to dig in and thrash out a game, especially usual away then he's not the guy to do that imo.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]