Just seen they’ve won 3 of their first 4. Bit of a cliche but don’t seem many easy games atm, at least on paper.  I’m going a deserved but edgy 2-1 win.  Still not firing on all cylinders for a while.

For me, we’re set up wrong at home. This system is all about counter attacking with pace and doesn’t lend itself too well to having loads of possession especially at home. Particularly as teams just sit in especially at the reebok. I think we need to be looking at going two up top at home, I know the personnel is the problem at the moment but that needs sorting and then getting the lads out wide to stay wide and deliver balls into the box as said many a time. It needs to be quick passing and put into danger areas, L1 defenders can’t cope with bombardment that’s how Wrexham did it last year. 

When we’re away from home it could then become a 4-2-3-1 or more conservative 4-3-3.

10 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I wouldn’t disagree with that, but just due to his height, when he’s played alongside Toal (who’s not the most physical) it does leave us looking a bit weak at centre back.

I’m surprised Forino didn’t play today considering Lincoln had that big lad up top. We’ve got horses for courses options at the back now and for me Forino has to be one of the 2 where we’re up against old school big carthorse.

But we can't cover every situation.  We played 99 minutes chasing a goal, where distribution and balance on the left was critical, winning headers in our box was almost irrelevant after the first 20 seconds.  And nothing to say that goal doesn't happen v Forino (see Stockport's 2nd).  On another day we win that game in the 2nd half and Johnston was a big part of getting us moving from the back and tidying up their rare attacks, and defending well in the 1st half (after the goal). 

They all have qualities and nothing against Forino but we need a left footed CB and it has to be Johnston or Taylor for me.  He's not perfect but he's shown he's well up for the battle.

They've fallen into the Evatt trap of EVERYTHING having to go to the wings. 

Plenty of times either Burstow or Dalby wrte screaming for a thru ball. 

Ciskoko is not the answer,  rather have schon..really not a fan 

10 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

But we can't cover every situation.  We played 99 minutes chasing a goal, where distribution and balance on the left was critical, winning headers in our box was almost irrelevant after the first 20 seconds.  And nothing to say that goal doesn't happen v Forino (see Stockport's 2nd).  On another day we win that game in the 2nd half and Johnston was a big part of getting us moving from the back and tidying up their rare attacks, and defending well in the 1st half (after the goal). 

They all have qualities and nothing against Forino but we need a left footed CB and it has to be Johnston or Taylor for me.  He's not perfect but he's shown he's well up for the battle.

Sorry, my first and second paragraphs weren’t supposed to be linked - not very clear but 2 separate points.

Agree on GJ on the left, being left footed. I’d have had Forino in for Toal today, given that big fucker for them, but then pretty sure Toal could have played Weds. Sure SS has better reasons for why he did it his way round though.

1 hour ago, Casino said:

Well

Well

Well

Im not sure Evatt ever served up owt worse than that first half

Granted, game plan went out the window

Anyway, somehow we got a point

Onwards we go, it has to get better

Soon

It was poor but it wasn't that bad.

Presume you just mean home games but eg's are Exeter, Huddersfield, Shrewsbury (0-2), Mansfield, Wigan, Cambridge (1-2), all by mid Jan.  And none of those were less than 3 days after the previous game like today.

Pleased with Sheehan and Morley’s attitude 2nd half, drove us on against the time wasting pricks. Exactly what they deserved that late equaliser. 

 

 
 

 

Weird how we've had three 1-1s in a row and all 3 have been completely different.

Today I thought Lincoln absolutely battered us in the first half. They looked bigger, stronger and faster and they should have really been more than 1 up. Few big issues for me:

-Cissoko was abysmal. I thought he looked great at Barnsley but today was all step overs and no end product. It was to the point where their right back, Hamer, stopped bothering defending and was on the right wing doubled up v Conway.

-Simons and Erhahon were way too deep. Meant there was a massive gap between the back 6 and front 4 and we couldn't link up well.

-the 10 position is ineffective with the players we have. I'm just not seeing why we can't put 3 midfielders or 2 strikers on rather than Randall or McAtee.

-our wingers do not cross the ball. All Hackett did for Lincoln was a quick check back onto his left and immediate cross in and caused us problems all the first half. Must be infuriating being a striker in this team with the ball not being crossed.

So given those issues above and a terrible first half I'm pretty pleased the second half was a complete change and we dominated: Cissoko replaced by Gale who immediately caused more problems, midfield 2 switched and both Sheehan and Morley played really well and were instrumental in putting in more crosses, 10 position was removed eventually and 2 strikers put on, and even the wingers started crossing.

We deserved the point in the end, and couldn't be better that it was Hamer that conceded the own goal in the 96th after all his time wasting.

Just now, Matt Lofthouse said:

Pleased with Sheehan and Morley’s attitude 2nd half, drove us on against the time wasting pricks. Exactly what they deserved that late equaliser. 

 

 
 

 

Yes, always a bit of added satisfaction when we scored a goal deep into the time added on for their shithousing. They weren't quite as pantomime as Crawley last year but not far off. The referee was a disgrace, from start to finish  

4 hours ago, gonzo said:

They come inside because they are on the wrong side. Then there's fuck all on.

Get them on the right sides ffs and get some balls in

 

Lincoln set up the same as us today with inverted wingers. Their guys took one step back onto their favoured foot and crossed it in straight away, every time. Inexcusable ours couldn't do the same. 

Burstow ran his knackers off today and he must be fuming at the lack of service.

7 minutes ago, Stig said:

Weird how we've had three 1-1s in a row and all 3 have been completely different.

Today I thought Lincoln absolutely battered us in the first half. They looked bigger, stronger and faster and they should have really been more than 1 up. Few big issues for me:

-Cissoko was abysmal. I thought he looked great at Barnsley but today was all step overs and no end product. It was to the point where their right back, Hamer, stopped bothering defending and was on the right wing doubled up v Conway.

-Simons and Erhahon were way too deep. Meant there was a massive gap between the back 6 and front 4 and we couldn't link up well.

-the 10 position is ineffective with the players we have. I'm just not seeing why we can't put 3 midfielders or 2 strikers on rather than Randall or McAtee.

-our wingers do not cross the ball. All Hackett did for Lincoln was a quick check back onto his left and immediate cross in and caused us problems all the first half. Must be infuriating being a striker in this team with the ball not being crossed.

So given those issues above and a terrible first half I'm pretty pleased the second half was a complete change and we dominated: Cissoko replaced by Gale who immediately caused more problems, midfield 2 switched and both Sheehan and Morley played really well and were instrumental in putting in more crosses, 10 position was removed eventually and 2 strikers put on, and even the wingers started crossing.

We deserved the point in the end, and couldn't be better that it was Hamer that conceded the own goal in the 96th after all his time wasting.

Good post.

I was really pleased he changed the shape in midfield 2nd half.

Just Sheehan at the base (6) and two in front of him (8’s) worked so much better.

Hopefully we see more of this in the future.

Great character as well 2nd half.

1 minute ago, desperado said:

Good post.

I was really pleased he changed the shape in midfield 2nd half.

Just Sheehan at the base (6) and two in front of him (8’s) worked so much better.

Hopefully we see more of this in the future.

Great character as well 2nd half.

A 6 and 2 x 8s.....

grrrrrr

Nice but he hasnt recruited for that

4 hours ago, gonzo said:

They come inside because they are on the wrong side. Then there's fuck all on.

Get them on the right sides ffs and get some balls in

 

Rightly or wrongly, wingers on the "wrong" side aren't going to change any more than bringing 11 back at corners or keepers not kicking the ball long out of their hands.  We just have to get used to it, everyone does it and we can talk about selections or tactics, but those 3 things are now set in stone for 90% of managers.

2 minutes ago, Casino said:

A 6 and 2 x 8s.....

grrrrrr

Nice but he hasnt recruited for that

I think having 4 quality midfielders it’s a great way to get 3 of them in. I think both Simons and Morley can play there, Dempsey too when/if ever fit.

I was beginning to think because he hasn’t touched this set up so far he might not use it, but that 2nd half showed he did and therefore hopefully will again in the future.

1 minute ago, desperado said:

I think having 4 quality midfielders it’s a great way to get 3 of them in. I think both Simons and Morley can play there, Dempsey too when/if ever fit.

I was beginning to think because he hasn’t touched this set up so far he might not use it, but that 2nd half showed he did and therefore hopefully will again in the future.

We absolutely must get more players in and around the penalty area and with our current starting formation we aren't looking like doing it

Maybe that change in shape is the answer

3 minutes ago, desperado said:

I think having 4 quality midfielders it’s a great way to get 3 of them in. I think both Simons and Morley can play there, Dempsey too when/if ever fit.

I was beginning to think because he hasn’t touched this set up so far he might not use it, but that 2nd half showed he did and therefore hopefully will again in the future.

The game situation and how the second half would pan out was tailor made for Sheehan to play the old Tugay role of hanging round the centre circle, picking it up every time they cleared it and starting us off again. He did it very well and was unlucky not to score a couple of times. 

Despite general improvements in midfield we are still in need of a fast strong centre half. JDC cuts inside and back so often as it is a safe move for him. He isn't very good a kicking the ball forward and his repeated fouling by grabbing is tedious, replacement RB needed. We've acquired 3 or so CF and I can't belive that any of them were atop of the shopping list, so let's hope we can get a quality CF, and soon. 

3 hours ago, Arrested development said:

End of the day if we don't want teams sitting in a low block and time wasting all game don't give shit goals away first. Garbage defending. 

Someone pull up the updated stat of how many we've conceded compared to shots we've conceded. The percentage of opposition shots going in is ridiculous. 

 

Imagine if you're a scout and asked to watch a keeper closely to decide if he's worth buying.  Well I've watched TSL for 5 games now and I've no idea if he can make saves.

Scouting report - he's tall, he can pass a wicked 30 yarder with either foot.

5 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Imagine if you're a scout and asked to watch a keeper closely to decide if he's worth buying.  Well I've watched TSL for 5 games now and I've no idea if he can make saves.

Scouting report - he's tall, he can pass a wicked 30 yarder with either foot.

If he could make saves too, he'd be in the championship?

5 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Imagine if you're a scout and asked to watch a keeper closely to decide if he's worth buying.  Well I've watched TSL for 5 games now and I've no idea if he can make saves.

Scouting report - he's tall, he can pass a wicked 30 yarder with either foot.

He made a couple of good ones v Stockport and v Plymouth on the rare occasions they got near our goal. Bit of a fluke beat him on Wed and today's looked point blank, powerful header from 6 yards. He must have saved a few for Doncaster

3 hours ago, boltonboris said:

Flipping eck. I’ll probably get jumped on again for highlighting the obvious. We’ve not been able to defend crosses for 2 years now and it’s not been addressed. It cost us 2 points today. 
 

Still lack cutting edge. Still look better when Sheehan is on the pitch. Sheehan and Simons should start together. 
 

Great that we rescued a point. It’s the least we deserved, but we really are still a little bit soft 

Its just not that simple unless we can predict which games they'll be outstanding in.  At Barnsley, both under performed, especially in that dreary 1st half.  Against Reading, Simons was championship standard, unbelievable.  Today he was back to Barnsley levels, nothing that Morley doesn't do in his sleep.  Sheehan our best midfielder today, followed by Morley IMO.  We're kidding ourselves if we know who'll play well from one game to the next.  If I had to pick one of the 4 CMs that has been consistently 7 out of 10 in league and cup this season it would be Morley.  But he wouldn't be in my starting team!

TSL was thrown under the bus for Lincolns goal.

Yes there was a foul in the build up, but our defending was shite.

Against Reading it was just a freak deflection.

 

Edited August 23, 2025Aug 23 by Burndens Bogs

2 minutes ago, ianofcleveleys said:

He made a couple of good ones v Stockport and v Plymouth on the rare occasions they got near our goal. Bit of a fluke beat him on Wed and today's looked point blank, powerful header from 6 yards. He must have saved a few for Doncaster

I honestly don't remember any v Stockport, happy to be corrected.  Can't remember any v Plymouth.  Today's was saveable, but not an "error".  Not interested in what he did for Doncaster, but I trust SS's judgement.

Against us, the keepers of Stockport, Barnsley, Reading and especially Lincoln all made several saves, its very frustrating.

8 minutes ago, worthy10 said:

If he could make saves too, he'd be in the championship?

You've lost me there, are you saying he can't make saves?  

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

You've got to be joking?  Conway was by some distance our MOTM (of the starters).  Sheehan 2nd half, best I've seen from him for about 6 months and a great reminder of what he's all about now he isn't going to be starting games when the 2 new CMs are available - outstanding 2nd half.  

But Conway, another performance way beyond the expectations anyone had of him surely, pure quality.

I was about to come back on that, but I'm glad I read on first to check I wants watching another game as I couldn't believe anyone today thinks Conway was poor.

He was essentially against 2 right wingers in the first half in Hackett and Hamer (who had decided he had no need to mark Cissoko) and battled well. I get he could have blocked the cross for the goal but I thought that was great play by Hackett to just get the cross in immediately.

And then second half he was well on top and a far better option than Cogley to support the attack. I don't understand what people were watching if they thought Conway wasn't anything other than very good today. Imagine how our left backs last season would have got on today...

2 hours ago, Under_Score said:

Poor from start to finish for me today. Shit defending tied in with slow stagnant play equalled exactly what we all expected. 

There is a foul in the build up for their goal but we need to defend that better and the keeper should save it. 

Teams have already sussed us out and have 2 or 3 players on the wingers most of the time making it impossible for them to have an impact. This is where the number 10 should be available but Randall is not the answer. I know football is about opinion and some people think he has an impact but I don’t see it, I never have. He is an awful footballer who spends his time chasing shadows and losing the ball for the majority of the match. 

if we want to go up, we need a striker and a number 10 as the bare minimum, I’d like a centre half aswell that can actually defend. 

I'm not saying Randall is the answer, and I'm as surprised as anyone that he's starting every game, but that is plain wrong.  He hardly lost possession today, I honestly think some fans write the script for McAtee and Randall before the match kicks off and what happens in the 100 minutes doesn't alter the view.  And yes he was bloody awful at Barnsley.