5 things we've learned.

Insider

Insider

Well-known member
Not done one of these for a while. There are some things that are glaringly obvious.
1. We need to bring 2 strikers in. Lets hope Armand is safely tucked up in the BFC hotel waiting to sign.
2. 4-3-3 isn't working. Of course if we bring in Mane and Firminio it might.
3. We need to start concentrating on our strengths and stop trying to out think the opposition. Let them worry about us.
4. Following on from 3 play your form players. No reason to leave Turton out tonight and on the other side of the coin don't play your out of form players. (Sorry Sullay)
5. We obviously missed CJ but we didn't try and replace him by putting any creativity in mid-field.
 
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Number 5 links to number 1
You can have all the strikers you want but if no one gives them the ball then they won't score.
Our midfield creates nothing other than extra work for the keeper.
 
I'll keep saying it till I'm blue of face. Bring Kemp inside to a No. 8 and let him play one touch stuff with Yates, Madine and Anderson. The goal will open up in front of us.
 
1966_and_all_that said:
I'll keep saying it till I'm blue of face. Bring Kemp inside to a No. 8 and let him play one touch stuff with Yates, Madine and Anderson. The goal will open up in front of us.
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Kemp scored shit loads in the u23s league last year. I think he was 4th top scorer.
 
1 The ice man isnt injured just merely frozen out for the time being
2 The management team have learned nothing regarding substitutions (you could argue they have gone backwards now that we are introducing them 3 and 4 at a time)
3 Its always good to have a quality back up keeper (the manager obviously doesnt trust Sims and fotofit)
4 Kai Kai is currently a 1 good game in 6 player and NOT 1 good game in 4 as previously thought (He stunk the place out again last night and really needs an attitude transplant)
5 We still dont create nearly enough clear cut chances
6 Referees have sussed out the Gary Madine throw yourself to the floor routine
7 The service to the front players needs to improve but so does the actual formation (they need to work as a team not disjointed and miles apart)
8 We DO have bogey teams and never win at the New Meadow
9 The league table IS an accurate position of where we are at
10 CJ Hamilton is comfortably our best outlet and probably our most valuable asset
11 Marv is a very very good defender but cannot pass the ball forward accurately (He needs intensive training on his forward distribution)
 
1. Turton is our best option for right back. He has a football brain, can pass a the ball and defends well. It is hard to understand why so many of our fan base don’t rate him. We looked more threatening on the right when he came on.
2. We are seriously short of a central playmaker to play alongside Dougall. We had no one capable of threading a ball past their big centre halves to turn them round so we persisted in punting it forward for them to dominate in the air.
3. Related to 2, without Hamilton we never had the pace up front to run in behind them and cause them problems. A second quick forward is something we need. We failed to turn the defenders towards their own goal yesterday.
4. Gretarson is too good a player to leave out so maybe we should consider three at the back with the two wing backs as Turton and Garbutt.
5, The way things stand Ward is a better option in midfield than Robson but last night Williams ariel ability in midfield mighthave helped. I would still think Ward was needed though.

Stan53

ps
6. The standard of refereeing in our league is poor and lacks consistency. Last nights referee spoiled the flow of the game by constantly stopping the game with a dubious and over fussy interpretation of the rules.
 
Stan53 said:
1. Turton is our best option for right back. He has a football brain, can pass a the ball and defends well. It is hard to understand why so many of our fan base don’t rate him. We looked more threatening on the right when he came on.
2. We are seriously short of a central playmaker to play alongside Dougall. We had no one capable of threading a ball past their big centre halves to turn them round so we persisted in punting it forward for them to dominate in the air.
3. Related to 2, without Hamilton we never had the pace up front to run in behind them and cause them problems. A second quick forward is something we need. We failed to turn the defenders towards their own goal yesterday.
4. Gretarson is too good a player to leave out so maybe we should consider three at the back with the two wing backs as Turton and Garbutt.
5, The way things stand Ward is a better option in midfield than Robson but last night Williams ariel ability in midfield mighthave helped. I would still think Ward was needed though.

Stan53

ps
6. The standard of refereeing in our league is poor and lacks consistency. Last nights referee spoiled the flow of the game by constantly stopping the game with a dubious and over fussy interpretation of the rules.
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Massively agree on the 3 at the back with two wing backs (I dont think I have mentioned it before) We would have matched up to them last night and our players are better so I believe we would have won.
Personally I believe Williams and Dougall wouldnt be creative enough so I would play one or the other
 
Kaikai is so ineffective most of the time but pops up with something special now and again. I think I'd prefer Fonz tbh. He could be equally frustrating but headed the ball well and defended too. And on his game he could destroy a defence by running at pace.
 
Get rid of Kaikai and Robson, both lazy and disinterested. Return Woodburn to Liverpool. Play Kemp or return him to West Ham. Move Sims, Howe and Thorniley out on loan with a view to getting rid. Consider signing Walker. Bring in a creative midfielder and a clinical finisher.
Give clueless Critchley until next November to get it right. If he's still as hopeless then get him out.
 
Tangerine Pip said:
Walker was unflappable class. Still not over our outfield players allowing the goal after penalty and rebound save He requires signing up
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Did some Shrewsbury players infringe in the penalty area as the kick was taken as they were so far ahead of our defenders?
 
Such a frustrating game. I’m not going to lie when I saw the team I didn’t mind it, I liked the attacking full backs, I like Robson in with Dougall, I liked Kemp being given a chance because there’s a player there.

The biggest disappointment for me is Critch sets his teams up to nullify the opposition, which yes, against the likes of Portsmouth, Hull, Peterborough is understandable and it worked. But why do that against the lower teams? Let them worry about us. They offered no threat last night, they threatened our box on a couple of occasions but I was never particularly worried. I’m also not a fan of 11 men back from corners, means even if we clear it we are almost certainly having to prepare for a second phase of attack.

I think it’s unfair to criticise Critch tactically as there’s been games we’ve won this season because of his tactics, but he got last night wrong.
 
Robson isn't lazy but isn't an attacking mid - that's why Sunderland offloaded him as he was constantly played out of position
 
I think Gabriel is not proving himself to be a step up from Turton as a lot of posters have previously suggested. He still has the potential to improve though.
Think Garbutt offers more than Husband, so back 4 should be
Turts, Ekpieta, Ballard, Garbutt with others brought in as and when needed.
 
TANGERINETOWERPOWER said:
1 The ice man isnt injured just merely frozen out for the time being
2 The management team have learned nothing regarding substitutions (you could argue they have gone backwards now that we are introducing them 3 and 4 at a time)
3 Its always good to have a quality back up keeper (the manager obviously doesnt trust Sims and fotofit)
4 Kai Kai is currently a 1 good game in 6 player and NOT 1 good game in 4 as previously thought (He stunk the place out again last night and really needs an attitude transplant)
5 We still dont create nearly enough clear cut chances
6 Referees have sussed out the Gary Madine throw yourself to the floor routine
7 The service to the front players needs to improve but so does the actual formation (they need to work as a team not disjointed and miles apart)
8 We DO have bogey teams and never win at the New Meadow
9 The league table IS an accurate position of where we are at
10 CJ Hamilton is comfortably our best outlet and probably our most valuable asset
11 Marv is a very very good defender but cannot pass the ball forward accurately (He needs intensive training on his forward distribution)
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Agree with all points except No6, say what you like about Madine but last night’s diabolical double foul in the box was a penalty all day long. Because of his constant whinging at the referees fouls against him are often ignored.
 
1. Something needs to change up top. Even 442 hasn’t brought remarkable results, it’s only the fact it’s been slightly better than the base formations and styles we’re using in attack. I’m not sure if just one striker in Jan will change this. Somethings not right in the final third.

2. The defence is now brilliant, I know we lost last night. However I’ve said this before and I’ll stick to it now, I’m surprised when we let a goal in. Last night bar the penalty we really didn’t look like conceding. This should give us confidence that we can sort the final third out. At the start of the season in defence we looked like an amateur outfit that had met 5 minutes before the game. NC and the team have turned one unit around, they can do again.

3. this links into point 1. Players need to be played in their correct positions. Plenty have seen it, I’m just repeating an old point. We have Kai Kai, Sarkic, Anderson, Kemp, Woodburn and Robson. That’s 6 central midfielders who operate best through the middle. The style we play in effect means we have no central attacking position. Meaning these players, who are some of the most talented we have are forced out wide. Impotency follows. What frustrates me regarding this is, we have talented wide players already who struggle to get a game. Mitchell, Garbutt and even Shaw before being shipped out. This bit defies logic.

4. Walker looks like a step above this league if we can somehow wangle him on a permanent transfer that would be amazing.

5. Chizzy is a complete 🛎🔚, I can’t even join in with the attempts on here anymore to make him into a comedy clown. He’s just a cock.
 
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tangysider said:
Think Dougall and Ward could be playmakers with Virtue or Robson breaking thing up.
At moment they all try to do everything and do not complement each other.
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I dont believe any of the above mentioned are playmakers...the closest is Ward but he is learning his central role and rarely passes the ball forward
 
Insider said:
Not done one of these for a while. There are some things that are glaringly obvious.
1. We need to bring 2 strikers in. Lets hope Armand is safely tucked up in the BFC hotel waiting to sign.
2. 4-3-3 isn't working. Of course if we bring in Mane and Firminio it might.
3. We need to start concentrating on our strengths and stop trying to out think the opposition. Let them worry about us.
4. Following on from 3 play your form players. No reason to leave Turton out tonight and on the other side of the coin don't play your out of form players. (Sorry Sullay)
5. We obviously missed CJ but we didn't try and replace him by putting any creativity in mid-field.
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I agree, except for the second sentence in 1.
 
Loco said:
Kaikai is so ineffective most of the time but pops up with something special now and again. I think I'd prefer Fonz tbh. He could be equally frustrating but headed the ball well and defended too. And on his game he could destroy a defence by running at pace.
Click to expand...

Also excellent at clapping
 
62years&counting said:
Get rid of Kaikai and Robson, both lazy and disinterested. Return Woodburn to Liverpool. Play Kemp or return him to West Ham. Move Sims, Howe and Thorniley out on loan with a view to getting rid. Consider signing Walker. Bring in a creative midfielder and a clinical finisher.
Give clueless Critchley until next November to get it right. If he's still as hopeless then get him out.
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I've not seen a reason for Woodburn's absence from the squad last night but I've not been online much today.
Has a reason been given?
 
A Great January Transfer Storm should be coming- shift out those bit parts (some on loan) and get specific roles in. None of this 'he can play wide, up top, just behind, left back' crap.
 
I'm glad the last couple of fixtures have been the way they've been as they've presented perfectly to NC and the recruitment team where we're lacking. They've got to resolve our creativity and goal scoring issues (easier said than done unfortunately), it's going to be an interesting January seeing who they bring in.

I don't think we're far off having a bloody good side, the fact we're rock solid at the back is a massive weight off our shoulders. A couple of additions here and there will hopefully unlock the door and we'll be laughing!
 
Towerpower99 said:
If we had the quality of midfield loans as last year....we would be walking this league.
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TangerinePeel said:
I'm glad the last couple of fixtures have been the way they've been as they've presented perfectly to NC and the recruitment team where we're lacking. They've got to resolve our creativity and goal scoring issues (easier said than done unfortunately), it's going to be an interesting January seeing who they bring in.

I don't think we're far off having a bloody good side, the fact we're rock solid at the back is a massive weight off our shoulders. A couple of additions here and there will hopefully unlock the door and we'll be laughing!
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To be honest I think we have an equal amount of quality on the books already from last year and unless we’re bringing anyone in that’s Championship standard this January, bar one striker I think we have all the ingredients already at the club to be a success.

Not sure they’re being used in the correct way.

On paper look at the attacking options we have from midfield, scary. Unfortunately they never seem to be unleashed on the pitch.
 
Rektseasider said:
To be honest I think we have an equal amount of quality on the books already from last year and unless we’re bringing anyone in that’s Championship standard this January, bar one striker I think we have all the ingredients already at the club to be a success.

Not sure they’re being used in the correct way.

On paper look at the attacking options we have from midfield, scary. Unfortunately they never seem to be unleashed on the pitch.
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Rekt.. Imagine KDH and Connor Ronan with Dougall sitting in... Steel and flair.
 
Rektseasider said:
1. Something needs to change up top. Even 442 hasn’t brought remarkable results, it’s only the fact it’s been slightly better than the base formations and styles we’re using in attack. I’m not sure if just one striker in Jan will change this. Somethings not right in the final third.

2. The defence is now brilliant, I know we lost last night. However I’ve said this before and I’ll stick to it now, I’m surprised when we let a goal in. Last night bar the penalty we really didn’t look like conceding. This should give us confidence that we can sort the final third out. At the start of the season in defence we looked like an amateur outfit that had met 5 minutes before the game. NC and the team have turned one unit around, they can do again.

3. this links into point 1. Players need to be played in their correct positions. Plenty have seen it, I’m just repeating an old point. We have Kai Kai, Sarkic, Anderson, Kemp, Woodburn and Robson. That’s 6 central midfielders who operate best through the middle. The style we play in effect means we have no central attacking position. Meaning these players, who are some of the most talented we have are forced out wide. Impotency follows. What frustrates me regarding this is, we have talented wide players already who struggle to get a game. Mitchell, Garbutt and even Shaw before being shipped out. This bit defies logic.

4. Walker looks like a step above this league if we can somehow wangle him on a permanent transfer that would be amazing.

5. Chizzy is a complete 🛎🔚, I can’t even join in with the attempts on here anymore to make him into a comedy clown. He’s just a cock.
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Out of your 6 central midfielder's I have to tell you 5 are wingers!
 
Towerpower99 said:
Rekt.. Imagine KDH and Connor Ronan with Dougall sitting in... Steel and flair.
Click to expand...
My point was that even if those two came back tomorrow they’d be played wide of Dougall in the midfield or high and wide with Madine and CJ. They’d both be just as ineffective as everyone else.

We’re systemically lacking, we’re not lacking talented personnel.
 
Every time we lose a game:
1. The match day thread goes into meltdown.
2. The ref is shit.
3. The manager has played the wrong formation.
4. The manager has picked the wrong team.
5. We should of had several pens.
6. The opposition con the ref and he falls for it.
7. A new scapegoat is picked.
What happened to the positivity, aren't we still supposed to be work in progress?
 
AndyF said:
Every time we lose a game:
1. The match day thread goes into meltdown.
2. The ref is shit.
3. The manager has played the wrong formation.
4. The manager has picked the wrong team.
5. We should of had several pens.
6. The opposition con the ref and he falls for it.
7. A new scapegoat is picked.
What happened to the positivity, aren't we still supposed to be work in progress?
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All those things are true.
 
1.We are a work in progress.
2. We just get a bit carried away when we beat teams who are fancied, I did wonder how we'd fair against the league 1 style & we failed on this occasion.
3. Without Hamilton we don't have as much room in other areas as he takes other players out of the game when they double up or even treble, plus his balls into the box (could be better sometimes) & shots/goals. In a different way he's almost as important as Charlie Adam was for us in the Championship. We were flat when he didn't appear. But we'll have to find a way as CJ's done his hamstring as you probably know.
4. Let's not write us off just yet though.
5. Our management team need to work out a solution with the personnel we have.
 
The teams that beat us both this season and last are the ones skilled in the “dark arts”
From Wycombe last year to the Shrews last night,they have two things in common , a good “diver”, Whalley last night and managers who are well skilled at bending ref,s ears etc. I include Coleman, Cotterill, and Jackett in this group. We on the other hand look amateurish when we dive, feign injury, make throw in yards etc.
Critchley needs a crash course on the dark arts, obviously needed in this division, not as much in the championship where pure skill wins, remember Brentford, Bournemouth , etc and others that fly thro that division. If he can’t do it then I,m sure Calderwood could. Looks hard enough.
Finally most teams who get promoted seem to play 4 4 2 .
 
AndyF said:
Every time we lose a game:
1. The match day thread goes into meltdown.
2. The ref is shit.
3. The manager has played the wrong formation.
4. The manager has picked the wrong team.
5. We should of had several pens.
6. The opposition con the ref and he falls for it.
7. A new scapegoat is picked.
What happened to the positivity, aren't we still supposed to be work in progress?
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8. We just need to put it down to a bad day at the office
9. It’ll come good and anyone who says otherwise is a negative dunderhead who wants Critchley out NOW!
10. One day we’ll give someone an almighty good hiding
 
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