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Post by riochforthereebok on Feb 29, 2024 13:47:13 GMT
What needs to change What do we need to do differently What do we have to do to score FEBRUARY Bolton W - 2 D - 3 L - 2 F - 10 A - 12 Pts - 9 So that’s 9/21 points Cambridge W - 2 D - 0 L - 5 F - 8 A - 9 Pts - 6 The above includes our 2-1 win at their place Portsmouth bagged 13/15 points Barnsley bagged 11/15 points I was optimistic for a 1-1 draw v Wigan, that went pear shaped After Blackpool, I thought, ok, we reset and we really go for it at the DW and come back to The ReeMacSheet with the points Wigan had other ideas So after Wigan, what? Do I predict another 1-1 draw v The U’s of Cambridge or has Evatt revolutionised the whole playing system and we go at them from the off?? Who knows??? I’m. not hopeful of the 3 points, that’s for sure and if we do lose this, what does that tell FV and Sharon about their esteemed leader?? With Pompey v Oxford Derby v Port Vale Peterborough v Exeter Wycombe v Barnsley, it could be said that Derby and Posh have the greater chance to bag maximum points, but footballs not that predictable is it🤔
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Post by OohMac on Feb 29, 2024 16:06:07 GMT
That's the issue now. If he goes same team, same style(he will) and it doesn't work it will be so frustrating. If he does a 180 and plays 433(he won't) and that fails then we really would be panicking.
I'd say what needs to happen is that Collins and Bodvarsson need to be in for a few weeks at least no matter what.
He needs to be able to know which wing backs are at it. Which midfielders are going ticking.
The cream needs to rise to the top and the XI needs to pick itself and only injury, real fatigue, suspension should change that. I'm going to contradict myself because I've always said horses for courses but now we're in every games a final. So whatever team we'd pick for a final pick it. Let the opponents worry about us.
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Post by whitesince63 on Feb 29, 2024 19:02:02 GMT
What do we need to change or do differently to score? Let the players actually do what they need to do. These are not kids they’re experienced players but they just look so constrained and scared to try anything that might not work in case they upset the managers plans so they just don’t risk it. There’s absolutely no individuality at all except an occasional moment from Paris. We just need to take the brakes off, let good players play. They know the system but it’s too rigid and stereotyped with no individual element allowed which must stop. Players should be encouraged to shoot, run into the box not sideways round it and I don’t 5hink it really needs to be much more than that to transform the team.
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Post by kenglowhite on Feb 29, 2024 19:45:51 GMT
While agree with much of that '63, I cannot see how a wing back could be so constrained by his manager that he wouldn't try to get round his full back in order to make a centre. Ogbeta did this better in the second half than Dacres-Cogley, who passed inside or backwards throughout, never attempting a dribble. His usual interchange with Jones was stifled for some reason and that is why our play has lost fluidity in recent games. If these services aren't working, services to midfield and strikers are seriously disrupted. Williams on the left has been severely missed. I know we all think he is not a great defender, but he really can get round the back of defenders on his left, or cut in on his right as required. (It seems he has not made it to the highest level, because he is injury-prone, and that is why Evatt was able to take his signing). I also feel Evatt needs to make greater use of Forrester, possibly in defensive midfield, and at the expensive of a misfiring striker. We have seen his attacking appetite and he is capable, too, of good defending. Finally, if Cogley continues to go off the boil and the Liverpool loanee Ramsay is not making it, it does make me wonder if Evatt has been premature in sending young Matheson off to Ireland. He, in his few games, has shown a great propensity to get round the back of a defender.
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 1, 2024 10:28:51 GMT
Spot on that Kenglo can’t disagree with one word of it. When he’s fit Williams is definitely the best LWB we have and as you rightly say JDC has been a shadow of himself recently and for me needs a break. I’d bring Forrester back in instead of Jones and move Geth to RWB. My big problem is though that we have nobody in the middle to take advantage of crosses when they do come in. The strikers are rarely where they should be because they’re pressing defenders in Evatt’s high block instead of getting in the six yard box. I know Evatt likes to keep the ball low but for me we miss that big physical presence up front, someone that the others can feed off and who would be a presence at corners. We get lots of corners but how often does anything ever come from them? Not very often is the answer and we need to change that. I’m afraid if we keep on with the same stuff as Wigan we’ll come up against the same problems of a Cambridge side that will just keep everyone back and let us pass ourselves to sleep and hope to mug us just as Wigan did. I’d rather have 30% possession and win the game that 70% and lose it but obviously the manager doesn’t agree with me! ☹️
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 1, 2024 12:22:36 GMT
So what’s the script with Dion then??
I thought he was being mentioned for a return v Pie Eaters
I try to look at all angles to get some comfort for them 2 poor results and also the fact the February was a bloody shambles.
On the 30th January, (and a day after Blackpool knocked us out of the BSM) we were 2nd in the league, having just thrashed Carlisle 4-1, we’d played 27 games (Pompey 29 and just 2 points ahead - Derby played 29 and just a point behind)
So, roll forward to a January transfer window with 4 new signings and played another 7 games, we now sit ‘joint 2nd’ behind Derby on 66, but 7 points behind Pompey who are calmly, luckily, ambling along to pick up the trophy (my word, they’ve had some luck winning games with 1 shot on target)
Barnsley are a game in hand away from cementing 2nd spot, so we might not face them at all in the playoffs after all😬
So in essence, after the incoming signings, we are actually worse off!!
Also, why is it that we’ve now had this possession based borefest for 2/3 seasons and all the comments that are in their hundred’s alluding to this fact, why then has nobody like Mark Illes or Jack Deardon raised the subject with Evatt and pointed him to the dismaying comments from supporters about this.
When folk like me are baying for Evatt’s blood, it’s out of pure frustration that we have the quality talent to do far far better than we are being offered and yet Evatt sticks to his only only plan (Plan A)
That’s probably why I do believe there will be a different manager out there that could do much much better with these players than Evatt (probably Nathan Jones but that ls not happening)
I cannot stagnate any longer with Evatt and failure this time should see him gone as I personally don’t want any more of this boring, goal less, possession based football
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Post by kenglowhite on Mar 1, 2024 14:59:18 GMT
I think those comments are a bit harsh, Rioch. For instance the type of football you are disowning is actually the style which has got us to the promising position we are in. The fact that there has been a decline is most likely due to injuries, certain players losing form and confidence, and , YES, Evatt not quite shaking the dice successfully enough to achieve compensation. I get sick of inane requests for a "Plan B", when the original plan just needs a bit of polishing. As I said above, wing backs and defensive midfield are the essentials for getting back to where we were, and I will judge Evatt on his ability to rectify those areas, while agreeing in the absence of Charles( and before) he has failed to solve the striker problem.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 1, 2024 15:29:14 GMT
I think those comments are a bit harsh, Rioch. For instance the type of football you are disowning is actually the style which has got us to the promising position we are in. The fact that there has been a decline is most likely due to injuries, certain players losing form and confidence, and , YES, Evatt not quite shaking the dice successfully enough to achieve compensation. I get sick of inane requests for a "Plan B", when the original plan just needs a bit of polishing. As I said above, wing backs and defensive midfield are the essentials for getting back to where we were, and I will judge Evatt on his ability to rectify those areas, while agreeing in the absence of Charles( and before) he has failed to solve the striker problem. Fair argument Ken Although if you only have 1 plan (A) with no requirement for a back up plan (B) then you have a one dimensional manager playing predictable and easy to suss out one dimensional football You are right, this type of football has got us to where we are, but other teams within this period have either overtaken us or out run us. Clubs like Sheff W, Plymouth, Ipswich, prob Pompey & Barnsley now and also, more than likely to be, Crewe, Mansfield, Stockport, Wrexham with exciting marauding expansive forward attacking football. All clubs have injuries, loss of form/confidence, you can’t polish the original plan if the person polishing doesn’t want to!! Since his appointment, his football principles have stayed the same and that can be a good thing, but if I’m bored with this uninteresting, unexciting, possession based football and it is not for me, I have to shout up He also ignored pleas from the fans on many occasions when we were asking for goal scorers, as far back as 2020 with Doyle up front on his own I’d like to think that when Randell, Dion, Johnston CMG and the rest of the injured are back, we might just get back on track. Might be too little too late to be in the autos but Evatt’s a gambling man, so watch this space
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Post by OohMac on Mar 1, 2024 15:45:06 GMT
Turn it on its head Rioch. If we win our game in hand we go 4 behind Pompey. If we beat Pompey at our place we go 1 behind. Don't be engraving any trophies just yet.
Pompey had a similar run a few weeks ago, they really could have been out of sight but failed to win games you'd expect and the ones they did they were very lucky. Dodgy penalties, late late goals.
We do need to be better though no doubt about it. We have got Barnsley, Derby, Oxford, Pompey, Posh all to play. Stay unbeaten away and win the home ties and the seasons far from over.
"I hope no one is stupid enough to be writing us off yet" said Clough. Hope we can get some of what he had for the next 8 weeks. I hope the message to JDC and Ashworth if they Start is we don't want to see you in our half. Stand on the half way line and attack, attack.
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taddy
Apprentice
Posts: 6
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Post by taddy on Mar 1, 2024 18:30:30 GMT
For me Collins needs a sustained run in the team he won't get up to speed sat on the bench. My preference would be to partner him with JDB as for right wingback i would like to see Jones and Forrester at right side of the back three JDC needs a bit of a rest he's been very good most of the season just seems to be running out of steam. The return of Williams will be a useful addition he gives a different dimension and the addition of his throw in's is useful. We just need to up the tempo and be more circumspect in when and where to deliver the ball or shoot in attacking areas.
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Post by OohMac on Mar 2, 2024 7:37:47 GMT
I don't know why the RWB is not more interchangeable. Especially at home with 70% possession. When JDC has run his socks off just give Geth a nod to cover. He sits back, Geth goes forward. Give the left side of opponents no respite.
They all lack that 6th sense to know when they are needed at the back and when they aren't. Cambridge will come and park thier double decker but you can bet Toal Santos and Jones will remain deep. Why not one, Jones or Toal say I'll step up and do the Campo role which means GT can play further with Dempsey and the front two don't ever drop back?
I can't make a case for Vic anymore. We need potency and our best finishers on every game. Without a doubt JDB is the best finisher and Collins (from clips) has the best outside the box shot on him. Them too up front and whoever plays wing backs get forward. Defence can cope with Cambridge counter.
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 2, 2024 8:00:10 GMT
Lots of interesting points raised on here and ways to vary what we’re seeing but at the end of the day there’s only IE who can make those changes and from what I’ve seen he’s reluctant to do that. We’ve seen in the time he’s been here how slow he is to make significant changes so I don’t think we should expect anything too radical from him. It’s going to come down to the players picking to up their game and there are certainly a few who can do that. JDC and Jones on the right have been poor and we’ve had little or nothing down the left other than a few runs by Ogbeta and a goal from Ashworth since we lost Williams. I wouldn’t say Randell was a world beater but he does add something different and can at least use both feet going outside or coming inside to cross or shoot. Collins has to be better than we’ve seen so far although even Gas fans reckoned he was a shadow of the player from last season. Hopefully it’s just temporary and he can return to form? Missing Dion has been a big factor and losing the recent bright form of Carlos is yet another blow but we do still have enough in the camp to bounce back if players just pick up form. Cambridge will park the bus today so it will probably be another long slog unless we can find an early goal to maybe force them out a bit because they need the points as we do. We should win this but if we don’t and it’s just more of the same I fear a big backlash coming against Evatt and rightly so.
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Post by davidm on Mar 2, 2024 9:23:01 GMT
Most definitely a must win game today
The 2 abject performances this last week have knocked us badly.
It has also brought an extreme amount of criticism.
We are still in a good position but, I accept, we do need to pick up and start today with a convincing performance.
I expect the back 4 – Coleman, Jones, Santos & Toal – to remain the same but expect changes at wing back.
Dacres-Cogley and Ogbeta were both dreadful on Tuesday. Maybe it is time to see what this Liverpool £4M kid is like on the right and I expect Williams to return on the left if fit (otherwise bingo-balls rotation with Ashworth back).
All this talk of Sheehan on the brink of a suspension could mean a rest for him with Thomason, Dempsey and Maghoma in midfield.
Upfront, I would have Collins and Bodvarsson although the manager seems to favour Adeboyejo. On Tuesday by the way, how ridiculous was it that Bodvarsson never touched the ball in 25 minutes of play. Not really his fault – just dreadful build-up play.
Other than a 4-0 win at Carlisle, Cambridge’s results have been awful recently – 5 defeats in the last 6 but, mind you, they did play Stevenage, Peterborough, BWFC, Portsmouth and Cheltenham in those defeats so maybe we shouldn’t read too much into it.
As most people expect, they will probably be ultra-defensive so we need to get our attack moving better and, in my mind, it revolves around the wing backs. Both right and left were awful on Tuesday. Dacres-Cogley could not play a forward pass or get a centre in – just all backwards and Ogbeta, who got loads of space down the left, wasted nearly every centre with wild centering.
We need to get rid of this casual defending that has struck us recently and develop attacks in their penalty box not the sideways passing on the halfway line.
I think we will win – 3-1
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Post by kenglowhite on Mar 2, 2024 10:10:47 GMT
Regarding today's selection, would I be mistaken in thinking that some of our best performances and victories have been with Morley in the team?
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 2, 2024 12:24:22 GMT
3-1 davidm???
I’d be happy just to see A GOAL, 3 would be super, smashing, wonderful
If we do score, it’ll be a fortuitous ricochet or an own goal😬😬😬
Please prove me wrong, but whilst Evatt is in charge,home bankers are a thing of the past
Actually RTF, what’s our odds for a goal?? And what’s our odds for scoring before 30 minutes??
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