Sunday 12.30 KO

could they do the Double over us 

 

Isn’t a number 10 to unlock quality world class defences, this is league one and maybe more joy punting long, scrapping for second balls and getting the ball forward earlier, wingers hitting byline and pulling it back….. let’s just get out of this league and then think about fannying about with a number 10. 

5 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Isn’t a number 10 to unlock quality world class defences, this is league one and maybe more joy punting long, scrapping for second balls and getting the ball forward earlier, wingers hitting byline and pulling it back….. let’s just get out of this league and then think about fannying about with a number 10. 

wont be this season now

13 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Isn’t a number 10 to unlock quality world class defences, this is league one and maybe more joy punting long, scrapping for second balls and getting the ball forward earlier, wingers hitting byline and pulling it back….. let’s just get out of this league and then think about fannying about with a number 10. 

Indeed, a genuine second striker that gets around the no 9, picks up the second balls off diagonals or crosses would be far more use. Effective enough last we got out of this league and had (briefly) Clayton and Alf off Madine, with an attacking midfielder like Vela who wanted to get into the box. 

We didn't need to yearn for the magical 20 goal striker with that set up, 4 got 9 and Beevers/Wheater got double figures between them. 

Football's moved on now and they all want to appear as cerebral, data driven project managers in black roll necks, trousers and white soled pumps. 

18 minutes ago, L/H White said:

wont be this season now

It’s a poor league except Cardiff… anything can happen. 

4 hours ago, freds dad said:

Burstow was looking to run in behind quite a few times but we decided to go backwards instead.

Keep them guessing I say 

4 hours ago, Mounts Kipper said:

Isn’t a number 10 to unlock quality world class defences, this is league one and maybe more joy punting long, scrapping for second balls and getting the ball forward earlier, wingers hitting byline and pulling it back….. let’s just get out of this league and then think about fannying about with a number 10. 

Evatts Blackpool got beat by Bradford on Sunday described Bradford as ‘nothing fancy, just the basics of football  set plays, running hard and second balls’. 
 

Clearly his mentality has not changed. Hopefully ours has, but games over Christmas imply we we have forgotten some of the basics. Instead of moaning about pitches and too many games we should be getting back to those basics. Mansfield away SS changed things as they were expected to be physical, changed the team at Donny because of the pitch. I hope he is not going into a defensive mindset as it gives players a cop out. We were shit at Donny because the players were shit even mentioning the pitch is shit. Just focus on the basics and with the quality we have the results should come. Over complicating things rarely solves a problem. 
 

Edit - By defensive mindset I mean how we assess performances and criticism, not how we line up ! 

 

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/25738552.blackpool-boss-ian-evatt-thought-bradford-citys-win/

Edited January 6Jan 6 by Ani

1 hour ago, Ani said:

Evatts Blackpool got beat by Bradford on Sunday described Bradford as ‘nothing fancy, just the basics of football  set plays, running hard and second balls’. 
 

Clearly his mentality has not changed. Hopefully ours has, but games over Christmas imply we we have forgotten some of the basics. Instead of moaning about pitches and too many games we should be getting back to those basics. Mansfield away SS changed things as they were expected to be physical, changed the team at Donny because of the pitch. I hope he is not going into a defensive mindset as it gives players a cop out. We were shit at Donny because the players were shit even mentioning the pitch is shit. Just focus on the basics and with the quality we have the results should come. Over complicating things rarely solves a problem. 
 

Edit - By defensive mindset I mean how we assess performances and criticism, not how we line up ! 

 

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/25738552.blackpool-boss-ian-evatt-thought-bradford-citys-win/

Yon lad horsfall is out for 2 months now. 

Santos on his way...

1 hour ago, Ani said:

Evatts Blackpool got beat by Bradford on Sunday described Bradford as ‘nothing fancy, just the basics of football  set plays, running hard and second balls’. 
 

Clearly his mentality has not changed. Hopefully ours has, but games over Christmas imply we we have forgotten some of the basics. Instead of moaning about pitches and too many games we should be getting back to those basics. Mansfield away SS changed things as they were expected to be physical, changed the team at Donny because of the pitch. I hope he is not going into a defensive mindset as it gives players a cop out. We were shit at Donny because the players were shit even mentioning the pitch is shit. Just focus on the basics and with the quality we have the results should come. Over complicating things rarely solves a problem. 
 

Edit - By defensive mindset I mean how we assess performances and criticism, not how we line up ! 

 

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/25738552.blackpool-boss-ian-evatt-thought-bradford-citys-win/

I would have agreed last season but other than ACD, where is the quality that's going to create/score goals away?  I don't mean they are all hopeless, but we're kidding ourselves if we think we have better quality than the other contenders, IMO.  If our quality plus the basics will ensure results, that equally applies to everyone in the top half.  I don't see any way out of this without improving the quality.  We aren't a bit behind away from home, its more than that - conceding every game and not scoring more than 1 and hardly troubling the keeper.  It isn't a quick fix where a tweak of tactics will be the difference.

20 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I would have agreed last season but other than ACD, where is the quality that's going to create/score goals away?  I don't mean they are all hopeless, but we're kidding ourselves if we think we have better quality than the other contenders, IMO.  If our quality plus the basics will ensure results, that equally applies to everyone in the top half.  I don't see any way out of this without improving the quality.  We aren't a bit behind away from home, its more than that - conceding every game and not scoring more than 1 and hardly troubling the keeper.  It isn't a quick fix where a tweak of tactics will be the difference.

I appreciate your point but I would argue the quality we should have is in the depth of the squad. We have 5 midfield players , Sheehan, Simons, Dempsey, Morley and EE. All of whom imo would be starters in most teams at this level. 
Attacking players ACD everyone agrees despite current dip, Gale on his day, then you have McAtee who was regular at Barnsley in their play off year, Randall who was a leading light when Peterborough were doing well, Burtsows early season form was league leading, Dalby I still think there is player, Forss small glimpses and played at higher level.  
 

Very few teams if any have strength in depth like that IMO. 
 

Where I think we are lacking is the players prepared to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work and basics. The water carriers if you like and a real leader on the pitch. The fact we have a collective as our Captain shows how short we are in real on pitch leadership. 

1 hour ago, gonzo said:

Yon lad horsfall is out for 2 months now. 

Santos on his way...

He's not played a single minute for Swansea yet, has he?

50 minutes ago, Cheese said:

He's not played a single minute for Swansea yet, has he?

He came on as a sub in the 68th minute against Bristol City in November. #fredsdadstatto

1 hour ago, Ani said:

I appreciate your point but I would argue the quality we should have is in the depth of the squad. We have 5 midfield players , Sheehan, Simons, Dempsey, Morley and EE. All of whom imo would be starters in most teams at this level. 
Attacking players ACD everyone agrees despite current dip, Gale on his day, then you have McAtee who was regular at Barnsley in their play off year, Randall who was a leading light when Peterborough were doing well, Burtsows early season form was league leading, Dalby I still think there is player, Forss small glimpses and played at higher level.  
 

Very few teams if any have strength in depth like that IMO. 
 

Where I think we are lacking is the players prepared to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work and basics. The water carriers if you like and a real leader on the pitch. The fact we have a collective as our Captain shows how short we are in real on pitch leadership. 

I agree we are missing that leadership ingredient, I think most of us thought the signings of Simons and EE would fill much of that hole.   But that hasn't really happened yet.  Only playing every other game doesn't help, it will make them more interested in nailing down a place than leading and inspiring the team.

I see we have great strength in depth, but I think we are seeing evidence of the negatives of that, as mentioned by some on here, that it disrupts continuity, and for example we play Cissoko instead of Gale because we can, not because its going to improve us.

But we could have 4 players in every position, if they are all of the same standard, it doesn't help us win a game against someone like Stockport who may only have one decent player in every position, but those 11 (collectively) happen to be better than any of our 44. 

On your examples of players, I have a different opinion to your's.  I'm not trying to knock them, I respect them all as decent pro's and OK players.  In September I was convinced we'd signed above average quality.  But Dalby, Burstow, Forss, Randall, Cissoko aren't, and McAtee doesn't play.  The 5 midfielders you list are fine, agreed, but they can each be 8's and 9's out of 10 on a given day without it resulting in us scoring 2 goals away, because they aren't judged on goals.  Its not happening without an influx of goal potential for me but I'd love to be proved wrong.

5 hours ago, Ani said:

Evatts Blackpool got beat by Bradford on Sunday described Bradford as ‘nothing fancy, just the basics of football  set plays, running hard and second balls’. 
 

Clearly his mentality has not changed. Hopefully ours has, but games over Christmas imply we we have forgotten some of the basics. Instead of moaning about pitches and too many games we should be getting back to those basics. Mansfield away SS changed things as they were expected to be physical, changed the team at Donny because of the pitch. I hope he is not going into a defensive mindset as it gives players a cop out. We were shit at Donny because the players were shit even mentioning the pitch is shit. Just focus on the basics and with the quality we have the results should come. Over complicating things rarely solves a problem. 
 

Edit - By defensive mindset I mean how we assess performances and criticism, not how we line up ! 

 

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportlatest/25738552.blackpool-boss-ian-evatt-thought-bradford-citys-win/

I saw the highlights of that game, Bradford first goal was as simple as most of what they did at ours, an accurate diagonal, header down, second ball smashed in. 

They work hard, do simple things well and are physical and aggressive. Nothing wrong with any of that

1 hour ago, ianofcleveleys said:

I saw the highlights of that game, Bradford first goal was as simple as most of what they did at ours, an accurate diagonal, header down, second ball smashed in. 

They work hard, do simple things well and are physical and aggressive. Nothing wrong with any of that

That is pretty much my point simple hard working football is what this division is all about. They roll their sleeves up, we roll our socks down. 

11 hours ago, Ani said:

That is pretty much my point simple hard working football is what this division is all about. They roll their sleeves up, we roll our socks down. 

Very good, see what you did there 👏👏👏