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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 17, 2024 13:55:11 GMT
More reflections on yesterday. Mightily disappointing but a repeat of many times this season when “nobody in the stadium could say we deserved to lose” etc etc from the manager. What does” we have a process” mean? Defensively, we were adequate because Derby were limited but, and it’s a might big but, we are so poor defending set pieces. Their centre half should have scored in the first half – totally unmarked 6 yards out from a free kick. Somehow, despite his height and strength, Santos cannot defend high balls into a crowded box. He should be dominating and winning high balls like yesterday. I don’t care who should have been marking who, he is our giant centre half and need to win headers. And why do we have all 11 back? It is too crowded. The wing backs were poor. Only the occasional cross went into a dangerous area. Ogbeta put a good cross in for Bodvarsson’s header but also put some dreadful centres in. Defensively, Ogbeta is not good. Wilson just took him on and skinned a few times in the second half. Midfield, we were too slow in our movement. Yes we had possession but Derby had everyone back by the time we approached their box. There were too many passes that were just hit too hard or just off target. Upfront, Bodvarsson was OK but Collins was crowded out of the game. For all our “superb” possession stats, we do not get many shots in. The substitution of Bodvarsson for Jerome was ridiculous. We took out the only player causing Derby any worry. It seems so pre-planned in that the manager cannot react to the situation as it is in the match. 70+ minutes, we must sub a striker or both strikers regardless. The subs who came on were poor. What has happened to Morley? Overall, for all we question how we lost, the fact is WE LOST AGAIN. We now need a miraculous finish to the season. Our matches:- - Stevenage - Away - Reading - Home - Bristol Rovers - Away - Portsmouth - Home - Shrewsbury - Home - Port Vale - Home - Peterborough - Away Derby’s matches:- - Northampton - Away - Blackpool - Home - Portsmouth - Away - Wycombe - Away - Leyton Orient - Home - Cambridge - Away - Carlisle - Home Can we catch 4/5 points up in them? Honest answer?? Now’s I’ve had time to come down from the clouds Looking at those games, Derby have 4 that could be classed as toughies in Blackpool, Leyton Orient, Portsmouth and Wycombe whereas we have 3 in Stevenage, Pompey and Peterborough . That last game of the season us v Posh, Derby v Carlisle, I think I’ve now got to concede that it’s all over for us in the autos and we negotiate the play offs Can we really honestly blame the loss of Charles, Nlundulu, Vic and CMG as our reasons for failure when they were hardly lighting the sky up with their goals. I think Haaland would struggle with Evatt’s system It makes me so angry though when I think of the draw at Northampton, the home draw against Charlton and the way we capitulated against Exeter and there’s 9 points we should have had
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 17, 2024 19:08:13 GMT
No point getting angry rioch, we just have to accept what’s happened and hope that we can still make the championship. I Just hope the players don’t spend the international break fretting about yesterday and instead come back fired up and looking to put it right. To be fair we can still win every game we have left to play so let’s put all our efforts into that. Everyone still has tough games to play so nothings final yet. Ok it’s unlikely now that we’ll make the autos but you never know with football. 😁
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 17, 2024 23:37:31 GMT
No point getting angry rioch, we just have to accept what’s happened and hope that we can still make the championship. I Just hope the players don’t spend the international break fretting about yesterday and instead come back fired up and looking to put it right. To be fair we can still win every game we have left to play so let’s put all our efforts into that. Everyone still has tough games to play so nothings final yet. Ok it’s unlikely now that we’ll make the autos but you never know with football. 😁 I’d be just as happy to see a goal
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Post by OohMac on Mar 18, 2024 6:58:11 GMT
It's again a case for me of "dominating or being allowed to play our way because other managers know its ineffective" I'll say this as I always do. 4 seasons for Evatt now. Same mistakes. Still can't score from, or defend from a corner. Evatts done well. But he's been given full autonomy. He's been backed far more than Lennon, Hill especially could ever dream of. Nothing rash but I don't think we should go into next season with Ian. I think his next club will determine if he's the real deal or not but my guess is honestly not. I think that’s a bit cruel OM because I think we have to remember that IE is still a very young and inexperienced manager in real terms. He will learn from this and I think is intelligent enough to know that he has to develop his methods and also learn one very basic fact, that it’s goals that win football matches not pretty football.🥴 Well that's it. Great quote "you never loss in football, you win or learn" and frankly even though he's young he's not learning. It's same mistakes. Isn't he bored of his post match "we dominated the game today but didn't take our chances" Question. Why aren't we taking our chances? Games like this and Wigan the importance of just one scrappy goal from a corner could be huge at the end of the season. Only Toal seems to be a threat. Why is that? Said lots but Ian rather lose his way than win ugly. Be genuinely interest to see who Evatt goes to next and how long they persevere with him for. And yes it would be a huge risk for us. It would be a whole new set up. Evatt, Atherton, Gilkes all gone. Perhaps Markham too. But I don't want a team of yes men and jobs for the fylde boys anymore. I understand giving him more time,until Christmas as you say, but sacking him at Xmas but mean real panic appointment. Best time has to be summer. How much budget would you give Evatt if we are still L1? They money spent on Collins, Charles, Mendes Gomes means we're unlikely to want to spend on a striker. But JDB, Jerome will be off.
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 18, 2024 9:25:26 GMT
I know it’s tough sticking with things OM but nobody can deny that progress is being made and that we still have an excellent chance of promotion this season, bot automatically and via the play offs. Of course the goals side could be better, we’ve missed some silly chances and oh what wouldn’t we give for a SJM or Andy Walker but we don’t have them so we have to make do with what we do have. Obviously Dion being injured then just as CMG looked like he was filling a striker role he got injured too. Add Victor who I thought was just beginning to click with AC and but for injuries things could have been very different. No team can lose all their first choice strikers and expect to continue unaffected and that’s not even accounting for the defensive losses we also had. I think we’re in a good place playing some cracking football and even though missing them, still creating good opportunities. As you say both Bod and CJ will be away in the summer and maybe even Victor and Dion, who knows, but we certainly need to look at the forward line wherever we are next season because it doesn’t deliver when it matters for whatever reason and that’s what really counts.
Ultimately it will come down to money because good strikers cost big money which we don’t have. You’d hope the likes of Connor Carty will come though and maybe Inwood or others in the B Team but obviously nobody knows. My only real gripe with Evatt and I don’t know whether it’s him or FV directing it, is we don’t go for experience always preferring youth that we can sell on. The only important thing this season was promotion and if ever there was a time to bring in some experienced, hardened older heads this was it. The likes of Danny Ward or Ashley Barnes. I know they would need bigger wages but both would have added something missing up front. Same in defence as you say, we’re absolutely bobbins from set pieces and corners. I know Evatt’s not an “aerial threat” man but there’s no question that from those positions many goals are scored and we just don’t. Maybe Evatt will learn from this and heaven knows he needs to but I’m prepared to give him the time to.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 18, 2024 10:09:16 GMT
If I was Evatt, I’d be demanding that his players ‘shut their gobs’ after the matches, but how can the gaffer explain that to his players when he’s hardly a good advocate himself
Printed in BIG BOLD LETTERS on the Derby County dressing room, a comment from Josh Dacres Cogley following the 5-0 demolition of Oxford, the comment read
“TAKING IT” in reference to Bolton’s approach to the Derby game and “GOOD LUCK TO THEM” which apparently ‘fuelled inspiration’ and why wouldn’t it
Post match comments also said “it was a day where substance triumped over style’ which perfectly sums up our approach
I hate going into the international break, but it’s even worse on the back of a defeat and a very bruising defeat at that.
I think it’s a done deal I really do and when Derby do Northampton (a given) and we are 7 points adrift, it’s going to be difficult keeping up motivation for the 7 games we have left, knowing that it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference even if we were to win them all, which will be very hard.
So, I think it’s fair to say that we ‘probably’ have 10 games left IF we make the play off finals. Have we got any good news on players returning (Dion Vic CMG ?? )
Evatt will be here next season so I don’t think there’s much point in moaning about it, I’m just beefed because all these other managers I’ve mentioned are overtaking him at speed and he could get overtaken by Challinor and Clough next term
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Post by chip on Mar 18, 2024 12:00:58 GMT
Well said rioch I am in the same boat as you, I think Ian has got the safest job in football because he got us out of the Forth Division but in his own words our main aim is promotion automatic if we can but we will take the play-offs if we have to. He will never ever change the way HE plays and I'm sorry but as I said before we need to win ugly because I'm fed up with this let's hear it for the boys sing as loud as we can even if we get beat bollocks anyway I'm going on melt down until Good Friday COYWM
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steve
Apprentice
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Post by steve on Mar 19, 2024 13:22:55 GMT
Hi Everyone,
I'm in need of two client ID'S that I could use to take my grandad and uncle to the portsmouth home game for his 70th birthday. Unfortunately, they created there accounts after the 14th March and now I can't assign them tickets. If anyone isn't attending I would really the help.
Thank you
UTW
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 19, 2024 17:28:50 GMT
Hi Everyone, I'm in need of two client ID'S that I could use to take my grandad and uncle to the portsmouth home game for his 70th birthday. Unfortunately, they created there accounts after the 14th March and now I can't assign them tickets. If anyone isn't attending I would really the help. Thank you UTW Hi Steve, I’m not sure of the significance of your date 14th March but would have thought there was more than ample time before the Pompey game to get you both registered?
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Post by OohMac on Mar 20, 2024 10:30:48 GMT
Well said rioch I am in the same boat as you, I think Ian has got the safest job in football because he got us out of the Forth Division but in his own words our main aim is promotion automatic if we can but we will take the play-offs if we have to. He will never ever change the way HE plays Not so sure. If these backers are in place then Sharon may take a backwards step soon. If Evatt gets criticised think he's well capable of doing a Keith Hill and talk himself into trouble. And I think if the club accepts a bid for Rico at some point it will properly push the managers back up. If Santos gets a bid of say £1M+ it won't be up to Ian. It will be investors deciding if that's right for the club. Heard they can't or won't sack him because he's a shareholder which is nonsense. He has B shares and a few. Which he can keep or sell back when he goes. Whatever he prefers. In the last 3 months Evatt has seen a number of his decisions backfire and he seems to have lost confidence (but not prepared to admit it). I don't think he has the energy to do this league again.
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 23, 2024 17:08:08 GMT
Well would you believe it…..
Derby coming unstuck at Northampton losing 1-0 And they had their influential defender Sonny Bradley sent off as well
Why couldn’t we do that to them when we were on top against them
Does that hand back the initiative to us I wonder, or will we foul that up as well🤔
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 23, 2024 17:18:54 GMT
Well would you believe it….. Derby coming unstuck at Northampton losing 1-0 And they had their influential defender Sonny Bradley sent off as well Why couldn’t we do that to them when we were on top against them Does that hand back the initiative to us I wonder, or will we foul that up as well🤔 I don’t think it hands the initiative back rioch but it certainly means the automatics are definitely back on. With Blackpool and Portsmouth as their next two games it’s certainly going to rattle the Rams. I looked on their forum this morning and they were all super confident they were going to win which is always dangerous. You just can’t predict results as the finish line appears and no game is easy. Nerves play a huge part but I know one thing, I’d rather be chasing than looking over my shoulder. We still have to win our games of course but the way we’re playing at the moment I think if we can just improve on the finishing we can still do this. Stevenage only getting a draw also helps so what a great day today. 😁
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Post by whitesince63 on Mar 23, 2024 17:50:57 GMT
Oh dear, even better it seems Mendez Lang has done his hamstring, so that means both he and Gayle missing a few. The Rams fans aren’t feeling so cocky now so if we can bring our A game in the remaining matches we’ve every chance. 😉
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Post by riochforthereebok on Mar 23, 2024 21:15:12 GMT
I’m struggling to gloat at Derbys defeat as I think it really does highlight that the business end of the season is a real leveller, when results will surprise
That said, If we don’t beat Stevenage, then we don’t deserve to go up
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Post by OohMac on Mar 24, 2024 8:56:11 GMT
It couldn't have gone better with defeat and a red but I guess that's the beauty of having a 4 point cushion. It allows for an off day so it's still in thier hands.
Also on form, Barnsley and Posh are still there and our last game of the season looks ever more dangerous.
We now know that 6 points over Easter is an absolute must and I'm not confident in going to Stevenage. But we must play it like a final. Ad we do all our games.
Really negative I know but we have the skill for promotion but not the mentality.
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