Blackpool (A)

[Wanderlust]

3 minutes ago, gonzo said:

That bit was the most frustrating.

Two 6ft+ lads bowling about upfront yet we were still trying to cut inside with no overlapping from the full backs.

As good as easy ACD is he's so easy to stop. You know he's turning inside every single time and they just overload him, so simple. 

If SS decides to go that way he needs to recognise ACD can’t cross with his right foot and Gale can’t cross with his left. Cessoko can cross with his left but seldom retains the ball to get into a position to do it. Some fettling required in the wide positions or committing overlapping runners who can cross on their natural side more.

I just have a feeling SS won’t mess with the defensive set up and will continue to play the same whilst shuffling personnel.

[desperado]

23 hours ago, L/H White said:

can't see anything other than a defeat 

likely a heavy one 

COYWM

Well at least things are looking up in terms of recent results at Blackpool 😁

My day after take on the game is one which still remains positive despite our poor trend and start to the season.

Im only looking at this season, I think it’s bonkers folk will drag up what was happening last season to judge SS.

On the game itself I thought we played well, controlled midfield, looked far more threatening than Blackpool and despite some poor decision making from the wide players, it’s great that we have this exciting option of width and pace to trouble the majority of defences in this league.

Another observation of mine is one which SS echoed in his interview. Once we go behind and are playing against a wall we can’t always move the ball forward and be direct - we’d just lose possession.

The sideways and backwards stuff we saw at the end of IEs tenure was, IMO, a million miles away from the patient build up we at times needed yesterday. A build up which often ends up out wide with lots of potential to create chances.

It’ll come - I’m convinced it will. 

[Dimron]

I haven't seen the game, just relied on a patchy commentary, some comments here about how we've not invested enough in defence.

Question... would fully fit Santos have made a difference?

[gonzo]

4 minutes ago, desperado said:

Well at least things are looking up in terms of recent results at Blackpool 😁

My day after take on the game is one which still remains positive despite our poor trend and start to the season.

Im only looking at this season, I think it’s bonkers folk will drag up what was happening last season to judge SS.

On the game itself I thought we played well, controlled midfield, looked far more threatening than Blackpool and despite some poor decision making from the wide players, it’s great that we have this exciting option of width and pace to trouble the majority of defences in this league.

Another observation of mine is one which SS echoed in his interview. Once we go behind and are playing against a wall we can’t always move the ball forward and be direct - we’d just lose possession.

The sideways and backwards stuff we saw at the end of IEs tenure was, IMO, a million miles away from the patient build up we at times needed yesterday. A build up which often ends up out wide with lots of potential to create chances.

It’ll come - I’m convinced it will. 

I think people are that scarred or highly strung on playing it out from the back they mistake anything but not a long ball as tippy tappy Evatt-Pep-ball.

 

[gonzo]

12 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

I hope the draw at least gives you some leeway in fending off the benighted orange locals. Another year slips by without nailing the Bloomfield jinx though. Not sure we'll have many better chances than yesterday. Let's hope we keep up our own long unbeaten home run against them later in the season.

Aye that was the chance yesterday.

It's more of a case of being gutted about what could've been rather than what it was.

Some things are just not meant to be.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

22 minutes ago, desperado said:

Im only looking at this season, I think it’s bonkers folk will drag up what was happening last season to judge SS.

I know I'm repeating myself but I really can't get my head around this point of view

Certainly the idea that it's bonkers anyway

The consensus was that Evatt had us underachieving and was rightly potted

SS then came in and he got us playing well, the players certainly hadn't downed tools when we came from behind to win 4-3 or when we beat the eventual league winners at home in one of the best performances I can remember for years

We were all set for finishing in the play-offs then the whole thing fell to pieces and it just doesn't matter

[SirNat80]

1 hour ago, ianofcleveleys said:

No, those in front of them need to do better, make more mature decisions and create better chances rather than having 15 brainless pot shots a game.

The defence isn't good enough to be deserted by those who need to screen it. Conway's learning the hard way, we haven't a decent right back and none of Toal Forino or Johnston have enough pace. 

I have to agree after watching their goal yesterday and the crap goals we gave away at Barnsley and Lincoln is there anyone else who thinks we have serious problems at the back and is a follow-on from previous years ? I have to say I have absolutely no confidence in that back line apart from Conway. They have neither speed of recovery, timing when to put their foot in and adopt the ' thou shall not pass ' approach or heading ability or get forward and be a threat up front ok Toal has scored one but when you think back to the Beevers/Wheater days and watch the shocking attempted headers like Johnstones yesterday it's so frustrating. Its obvious why we have such a poor defensive record yet again. Get a strong no nonsense centre half / captain material signed quickly or we will miss out again regardless of how many goals we will score at the other end.

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

Anyway, let's hope Forss can be the catalyst to get us going

He certainly could be

[Big E]

32 minutes ago, Dimron said:

I haven't seen the game, just relied on a patchy commentary, some comments here about how we've not invested enough in defence.

Question... would fully fit Santos have made a difference?

No as he is never fully fit and that was / is the problem with the lad sadly 

[Stig]

11 hours ago, Lostock Whites said:

I want to focus on us and I know that every fan believes that their team is being unfairly treated by referees.

But good god are we getting no luck or help from these referees so far. They are so so poor. It's genuinely a disgrace to the English pyramid that 3rd division referees, yes just 2 divisions below the biggest league in the world has such poor officiating.

It's not even like penalties or red card mistakes, it's just simple incompetent decisions. Twice now we've had as Schuey eluded to moments where we have pressured their defenders in a dangerous area for themselves, they go to the floor desperately, and the referee gives them the jail free card they were begging for.

It's INFURIATING.

That could be 2 goals right there Vs Stockport and today, 5 points extra potentially.

The referees have zero backbone at all, players go down when they are desperate and they oblige. But when it's our end, they never do. Blatant push in the back on Erahon first 15 seconds Vs Lincoln last week, not given, they score, cost us another 2 points.

When you have the FA apologising over 3 times already into a season in just 6 games for errors to Schuey, then you know something is wrong.

I genuinely believe as the largest fish in this pond, that officials favour the "50/50" decisions to the other smaller clubs. 

That's my opinion and is probably biased, but I genuinely believe that.

Officiating in the premier league is just as bad.

I don't hold any credence to the view we're hard done by. If we want to win yesterday the defence has to stop that horrendous goal we conceded. 

[desperado]

23 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

I know I'm repeating myself but I really can't get my head around this point of view

Certainly the idea that it's bonkers anyway

The consensus was that Evatt had us underachieving and was rightly potted

SS then came in and he got us playing well, the players certainly hadn't downed tools when we came from behind to win 4-3 or when we beat the eventual league winners at home in one of the best performances I can remember for years

We were all set for finishing in the play-offs then the whole thing fell to pieces and it just doesn't matter

IE did have us under achieving.

But he had also left a squad, which didn’t have enough about it - one paced set of clones, who responded to a new manager bounce, twice.

IMO it was never going to be sustained by any manager. Fair play to JD and SS for getting them doing what they did in the short term.

I’ll stick by the opinion that judging SS with a bunch of players that weren’t his, wanted to leave and were bereft of quality, versatility and desire is bonkers.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

11 hours ago, masi 51 said:

We would have been slaughtered if we got to the play-offs,,,Do not get me wrong i think Schumacher is not getting everything right but this is a squad growing.

Not a chance in hell are we getting hammered 5-0 at Stockport and 4-0 at home to Huddersfield

On Monday we will have players who have no chance of playing unless it is in the EFL cup  is that down to Schumacher?

They will be picking several thousand pounds up every week......The club can only do so much until all the deadwood is cleared

Why?

At one point we were odds on to qualify because we were playing very well.

That would have had to continue in order to actually qualify. 

Qualification, whilst playing well gives any team a good chance of winning them.

As it was we went shite and didn't qualify.

Can't base our prospective chances on that level of performance. 

[Dimron]

23 minutes ago, Big E said:

No as he is never fully fit and that was / is the problem with the lad sadly 

He did his best with Gilkes shouting and keeping him on his toes.

Lot of balls incoming on our right flank, need some sort of stopper 

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

4 minutes ago, desperado said:

IE did have us under achieving.

But he had also left a squad, which didn’t have enough about it - one paced set of clones, who responded to a new manager bounce, twice.

IMO it was never going to be sustained by any manager. Fair play to JD and SS for getting them doing what they did in the short term.

I’ll stick by the opinion that judging SS with a bunch of players that weren’t his, wanted to leave and were bereft of quality, versatility and desire is bonkers.

Okay, well I certainly don't remember you and plenty of others describing our squad that way for much of last season

It wasn't the dominant view at least

It might've been top heavy but it should've been good enough to finish in the play-offs and we were well set for it

[Rizlar]

Something happened behind the scenes after Darby was in charge SS did ok at first but the ship sank as they say with players suddenly being injured . 

[RUREADY2ROLL]

Gale wasn’t in front of their keeper for what would have been the winner. Goalie moans to the linesman and he sticks his flag up. Sick of these cheating cunts

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Eddie said:

No point dwelling on last season, of course results were poor and we dropped out of a promising position, but they weren’t his players and the points @masi 51 makes about injuries, players downing tools, bad attitudes and kids are all fair. If you’re negative on SS then obviously it’s an easy stick to beat him with, to bring in last season’s results into his overall record, but I don’t think anyone considering things on balance would hold them against him.

This season is where he should be judged. He’s overhauled the team and changed the system, results aren’t great but performances are generally much improved (not perfect by any means). We’re 6 matches in - let’s see where we are by 10/15/Christmas before we write him and his signings off.

I know its small comfort, and could be seen as clutching at straws, but the "improvement" so far this season is that at least there is an argument in every game that we were, if anything, unlucky.  A draw would have been fair at Stockport (the non penalty etc), and every drawn game has arguably been one we were more likely to win than lose in terms of being on the front foot/the better team generally.

Last year's pattern was that we had more luck than not, with late winners etc, and when we lost it was because we were 2nd best most of the time, sometimes embarrassingly so, the only exception that springs to mind was the Reading late pen.

Our points total/position doesn't reflect our games to date, last year it flattered us IMO.

[deeane Koontz]

Slightly concerned with the Left back area tbf. Conway positioning is a bit mad he leaves wingers in acres of space.

[RUREADY2ROLL]

Just now, deeane Koontz said:

Slightly concerned with the Left back area tbf. Conway positioning is a bit mad he leaves wingers in acres of space.

That’s Gale and Cissoko leaving the full back to roam up field

[deeane Koontz]

Just now, RUREADY2ROLL said:

That’s Gale and Cissoko leaving the full back to roam up field

Not always. It's one on one's too

[ZiggyStardust]

3 minutes ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

Gale wasn’t in front of their keeper for what would have been the winner. Goalie moans to the linesman and he sticks his flag up. Sick of these cheating cunts

He was. As in, right in front.

The officials were shocking for us, but they got that one right.

[Kane57]

12 minutes ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

Gale wasn’t in front of their keeper for what would have been the winner. Goalie moans to the linesman and he sticks his flag up. Sick of these cheating cunts

Watch it again 

[deeane Koontz]

Just now, Kane57 said:

Watch it again 

Aye, We'd be moaning like fuck if we conceded a goal like that and it was allowed to stand

[desperado]

18 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Okay, well I certainly don't remember you and plenty of others describing our squad that way for much of last season

It wasn't the dominant view at least

It might've been top heavy but it should've been good enough to finish in the play-offs and we were well set for it

I’ll admit, that you could go back to plenty of my posts pre November last year that backed Evatt and I certainly thought it was right to stick with him after Oxford - I was wrong. Me and plenty of others couldn’t have predicted how he would fall off a cliff like he did and overspend on bang average clones.

However I did also think at times the squad should have been good enough to get in the play-offs and that they were under-achieving under Evatt.

As it turned out - the squad clearly wasn’t good enough. On reflection now I’m not sure any manager could have got anything out of that squad consistently when you look at it’s poor mentality, the limited options and lack of variety it had.

Hence very harsh to judge SS on any of that. 
 

 

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

8 minutes ago, desperado said:

I’ll admit, that you could go back to plenty of my posts pre November last year that backed Evatt and I certainly thought it was right to stick with him after Oxford - I was wrong. Me and plenty of others couldn’t have predicted how he would fall off a cliff like he did and overspend on bang average clones.

However I did also think at times the squad should have been good enough to get in the play-offs and that they were under-achieving under Evatt.

As it turned out - the squad clearly wasn’t good enough. On reflection now I’m not sure any manager could have got anything out of that squad consistently when you look at it’s poor mentality, the limited options and lack of variety it had.

Hence very harsh to judge SS on any of that. 
 

 

Well, let's agree to disagree on that point

But, if he can stay fit, this Forss looks to me like a better bet than Kenny, and Christie seems to be the right sort as well

With Taylor and Dalby hopefully on their way back, the garden might be looking a lot rosier in a month's time