Away Match Day Thread +++ 13/02/18 ROTHERHAM V OUFC MATCH DAY THREAD +++

Shotton may not be the manager we need but, he made a hell of a lot of sense on Radox yesterday evening.

Jerome and Nathan have been saying it as well, we lack a nasty streak. The get in their faces and make those tackles conviction. The sort of team that complains to the ref about every foul.

And why oh why do we persist in playing Thomas up front and not supplying him? How is he supposed to score if he never sees both ball and goal at the same time? We have wingers we have the players to overlap, use them!
 
Shotton may not be the manager we need but, he made a hell of a lot of sense on Radox yesterday evening.

Jerome and Nathan have been saying it as well, we lack a nasty streak. The get in their faces and make those tackles conviction. The sort of team that complains to the ref about every foul.

And why oh why do we persist in playing Thomas up front and not supplying him? How is he supposed to score if he never sees both ball and goal at the same time? We have wingers we have the players to overlap, use them!
On Saturday, a smarter team would have been on the floor complaining about some of the nudges and elbows flying around. Trying to really work the Ref and put him under pressure to make a decision. The team must be a pleasure to Ref because we don't really do much snide stuff and don't complain much.

For his lack of pace, Ricardinho is one of the few players who understands how to win a free kick and subtly foul to get an advantage. We have to become more annoying to play against, and quickly. I just hope those close to fitness can start getting into the squad on Saturday and we don't have another week of they are close.
 
Been back home from the game for an hour or so and feel dejected with almost everything to do with our club, a small minority of idiotic supporters who started disrespecting the players who were soon put in their place, 360 yellows that seemed to be there just to make the numbers up rather than trying to raise the players spirits and a team on the pitch that were waiting for things to happen rather than forcing the game and making things happen.....
If you don’t change anything, nothing will change.....
Chasing the game is not our strong point, we are a team that believes, thinks, and are probably told that they are better than they really are...
We obviously start games thinking we can win the match by just tuning up, things don’t happen that way..
Are we too nice, do we give too much respect to the opposition....!
It’s time we changed our mentality and start playing as underdogs and the only way we CAN win games is by being ugly, committed to the tackle and launch the ball into the opposition penalty area, forget the tippy tappy, side to side pretty football that seems to get us nowhere, just put the ball in the box and let the opposing teams defenders worry about clearing it and pick up the 2nd balls.....
We are going nowhere with the current mentality.....
The last five away games I have witness as follows -
* Bradford - could and should have lost 7 or 8 - 1, yes we were that poor, Simon Eastwood kept the score down...
* Walsall - 2-0 down before we started playing, poor finishing let us down to either get the draw or snatch the win, however Walsall are a poor side who will probably only just stay in this league this season.....
* Chelsea U21’s - Again showed too much respect to a bunch of kids and in the blink of an eye the game was over before the 20 minute mark, a very lack lustre performance.
* Charlton Athletic - stalemate in the first 45 minutes and a 2nd half that will live long in the minds of the 1400 or so yellows witnessing one of our best comebacks in recent history, THE HOPE AND THE BELIEF WAS BACK....
* Tonight, Rotherham - 11 individuals wearing the yellow shirt who couldn’t really string two passes together, again, 2-0 down before we knew it, a spot of brilliance to half the arrears then switching off again as the 2nd half starts and game was over long before the final whistle....
What we need is the season to end now, rebuild the team and set our stall out, which is, staving off relegation, cementing a mid table position, aiming for the playoffs or striving for automatic promotion, at present we haven’t got a clue at which target we are alluding to.......
Onwards and upwards, COME ON YOU YELLOWS........

Bit unfair. It was around 3 people for around 3 minutes. As for the atmosphere, what do expect for a cold Tuesday night up north? It's difficult when you have to watch inept performances. Having said that, it was worth going just for the quality of the goal.
 
IBR is defensively poor and gives the ball away too often. He is a downgrade on Rob Hall. You may remember that even when Hall was playing earlier in the season we lost more than we won.

Think we would do better starting with a Henry, Ruffels, Ledson, Rothwell midfield with Thomas and Napa up front.
 
So after sleeping on my thoughts and watching the Ifollow highlights - I'm even more annoyed. I didn't think Rotherham were actually that good, but they played with confidence and the early goal was great for them. As it was, if we had got back to 2-2, I think their crowd would have turned. They were pretty edgy all night even at 3-1 which I found strange for a team unbeaten for 11 matches or whatever it is.

The way we set up for that game both in formation and personnel played straight into Rotherham's hands.
* 4-2-3-1 with that starting XI will never work. Rothwell should play directly behind the striker rather than being the wider of the 3 players. IBR was very ineffective last night, if he is a winger then why don't we play a proper 4 across the middle allowing natural width rather than having to force the width because we essentially set up with 3CAM's last night.
* The two new loanee full-backs play so narrow, this must be a tactical or enforced style. It allowed Rotherham's wide players bundles of room as well as their own full-backs to overlap. I'm not sure this is necessarily a Faz thing as I commented on it after Rochdale away as well.

1st Goal - Having watched it back, I didn't realise it was actually Kane who won the header from the long throw and just ended up heading it to the Rotherham player. If you pause the video when Kane touches the ball, we have 5 players (including 3 of the back 4) around 3 Rotherham players, plus Ruffels and ASB at the bottom of the picture. 3 touches after Kane's header which looks more and more a deliberate side header each time I watch it, the ball is in the net. The header takes Dickie and Mousinho out of the game and ASB never once gets tight to Forde who lethers the ball into the net.

Eastwood Save - IBR is left to try and stop the cross and doesn't. As the cross comes in, Kane is marking 10 yards of space in all directions - again showing how narrow he plays. If Smith had missed the ball, then their big no. 5 is already in front of ASB. Incredible save by Easty.

2nd Goal - Kane has been further up field so Dickie comes out to cover at first, ball is played back inside and their player gets a shot in too easily. A good save by Easty but one of those where he ends up unlucky by picking out an unmarked player - why is he unmarked? Because Mousinho and ASB have moved over one space to cover the gap where Dickie had himself gone out to cover Kane. Midfield tracking back at fault for me here.

Our goal was a great team move - one of a few in the match where we moved the ball quite quickly and with some urgency. Too often we play lovely little 5yard passes to someone who is well marked and we lose the ball.

3rd Goal - this is just a great example of how not to defend. At no point does ASB or Ruffels get anywhere near tight enough to the winger. And Smith makes a small movement to lose whoever was marking him to begin with (Mousinho or Kane I think?). Again, when that ball comes in the box, we have 6 of our own players plus Eastwood yet still can't deal with it.

The firmness in midfield seems to have gone completley. I like Josh Ruffels but am not sure of the role he is supposed to play in this formation. At the back end of last season and the beginning of this, he had been transformed into a box to box midfielder - whereas now he seems to be playing a second holding role alongside Ledson - in my opinion that doesn't suit him.

One upfront - it wouldn't matter who we had up there, it was doomed to fail by the combination of players selected in the 3 behind. Rothwell, Henry, IBR all like to drift and dart with ball at feet which makes it pretty hard for a striker to time any runs. A half fit Wes Thomas playing in this role is no help to anyone. Mehmeti tried but isn't going to be a goalscorer at this level, that's plain to see.

So what do we do?
I'd start Riccy next match, whether that is at left-back or on the left of a four man midfield. I'd go 4-4-2 with Ruffels as the box to box CM and tell Ledson just to sit. I'd play Rothwell in the "Payne role" but playing more like an actual striker.

Eastwood
Kane Dickie Mousinho ASB/Ricardinho
Henry Ruffels Ledson Ricardinho/IBR
Rothwell
Thomas/Mehmeti.

Hopefully young Cam Brannagan can offer something different to the rest of the stockpile of same midfielders we have. Talk about piling the pressure on him straight away!

Oh and please can we have a Plan B!!! Last night was just more and more of the same, regardless of the score. Even if it's going a bit direct, just something different.
 
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So after sleeping on my thoughts and watching the Ifollow highlights - I'm even more annoyed. I didn't think Rotherham were actually that good, but they played with confidence and the early goal was great for them. As it was, if we had got back to 2-2, I think their crowd would have turned. They were pretty edgy all night even at 3-1 which I found strange for a team unbeaten for 11 matches or whatever it is.

The way we set up for that game both in formation and personnel played straight into Rotherham's hands.
* 4-2-3-1 with that starting XI will never work. Rothwell should play directly behind the striker rather than being the wider of the 3 players. IBR was very ineffective last night, if he is a winger then why don't we play a proper 4 across the middle allowing natural width rather than having to force the width because we essentially set up with 3CAM's last night.
* The two new loanee full-backs play so narrow, this must be a tactical or enforced style. It allowed Rotherham's wide players bundles of room as well as their own full-backs to overlap. I'm not sure this is necessarily a Faz thing as I commented on it after Rochdale away as well.

1st Goal - Having watched it back, I didn't realise it was actually Kane who won the header from the long throw and just ended up heading it to the Rotherham player. If you pause the video when Kane touches the ball, we have 5 players (including 3 of the back 4) around 3 Rotherham players, plus Ruffels and ASB at the bottom of the picture. 3 touches after Kane's header which looks more and more a deliberate side header each time I watch it, the ball is in the net. The header takes Dickie and Mousinho out of the game and ASB never once gets tight to Forde who lethers the ball into the net.

Eastwood Save - IBR is left to try and stop the cross and doesn't. As the cross comes in, Kane is marking 10 yards of space in all directions - again showing how narrow he plays. If Smith had missed the ball, then their big no. 5 is already in front of ASB. Incredible save by Easty.

2nd Goal - Kane has been further up field so Dickie comes out to cover at first, ball is played back inside and their player gets a shot in too easily. A good save by Easty but one of those where he ends up unlucky by picking out an unmarked player - why is he unmarked? Because Mousinho and ASB have moved over one space to cover the gap where Dickie had himself gone out to cover Kane. Midfield tracking back at fault for me here.

Our goal was a great team move - one of a few in the match where we moved the ball quite quickly and with some urgency. Too often we play lovely little 5yard passes to someone who is well marked and we lose the ball.

3rd Goal - this is just a great example of how not to defend. At no point does ASB or Ruffels get anywhere near tight enough to the winger. And Smith makes a small movement to lose whoever was marking him to begin with (Mousinho or Kane I think?). Again, when that ball comes in the box, we have 6 of our own players plus Eastwood yet still can't deal with it.

The firmness in midfield seems to have gone completley. I like Josh Ruffels but am not sure of the role he is supposed to play in this formation. At the back end of last season and the beginning of this, he had been transformed into a box to box midfielder - whereas now he seems to be playing a second holding role alongside Ledson - in my opinion that doesn't suit him.

One upfront - it wouldn't matter who we had up there, it was doomed to fail by the combination of players selected in the 3 behind. Rothwell, Henry, IBR all like to drift and dart with ball at feet which makes it pretty hard for a striker to time any runs. A half fit Wes Thomas playing in this role is no help to anyone. Mehmeti tried but isn't going to be a goalscorer at this level, that's plain to see.

So what do we do?
I'd start Riccy next match, whether that is at left-back or on the left of a four man midfield. I'd go 4-4-2 with Ruffels as the box to box CM and tell Ledson just to sit. I'd play Rothwell in the "Payne role" but playing more like an actual striker.

Eastwood
Kane Dickie Mousinho ASB/Ricardinho
Henry Ruffels Ledson Ricardinho/IBR
Rothwell
Thomas/Mehmeti.

Hopefully young Cam Brannagan can offer something different to the rest of the stockpile of same midfielders we have. Talk about piling the pressure on him straight away!

Oh and please can we have a Plan B!!! Last night was just more and more of the same, regardless of the score. Even if it's going a bit direct, just something different.
I do not think Faz has a plan B. Listening to his post match comments I think the tank is pretty much empty. If we lose in a similar fashion on Sat. I think he will come out with the same old comments. So lets NOT lose.
 
Eastwood
Kane Martin Dickie Rici
Ledson
Henry ruffs Rothwell
Thomas Ago.

Team I'd like..with what's fit .
 
I think Faz does not want the job. He just wants a "quiet" life at this stage of his career &, until the future of our club is more certain, there will be more & more of these dreadful 'performances'. I also reckon next Saturday to be a pivotal match - roll over like Rovers & we commence the inevitable slide to oblivion. Mr Eales - where are you?
 
To me, the biggest thing that we are lacking is movement and width.

We can bemoan the defenders taking too long on the ball all we want, but we can’t ignore the complete lack of options that they have in front of them.

Ledson and Ruffels are too similar. Neither are ball playing midfielders and so they rarely drop deep to pick it up off the back four, and when they do it’s unconvincing to say the least. One of them alongside someone like Lundstram would would work well, but I really don’t think they can play alongside each other in a two.

Also, we still don’t play with proper wingers. Buckley-Ricketts has shown signs of what he’s capable of, but he seldom beats his man one on one and is not quite as pacy as I’d hoped. And when we play Rothwell on the left he drifts all over the pitch and doesn’t hog the touchline like a proper winger would, so we lose the width.

We need to try to get back to basics, play with width when we’ve got the ball and get balls into dangerous areas quicker. I hope Hall is back in the first team soon, and would like to see Brannagan (who I think will be more of a ball player than Ledson or Ruffels) come into the midfield when he’s fit.
 
So after sleeping on my thoughts and watching the Ifollow highlights - I'm even more annoyed. I didn't think Rotherham were actually that good, but they played with confidence and the early goal was great for them. As it was, if we had got back to 2-2, I think their crowd would have turned. They were pretty edgy all night even at 3-1 which I found strange for a team unbeaten for 11 matches or whatever it is.

The way we set up for that game both in formation and personnel played straight into Rotherham's hands.
* 4-2-3-1 with that starting XI will never work. Rothwell should play directly behind the striker rather than being the wider of the 3 players. IBR was very ineffective last night, if he is a winger then why don't we play a proper 4 across the middle allowing natural width rather than having to force the width because we essentially set up with 3CAM's last night.
* The two new loanee full-backs play so narrow, this must be a tactical or enforced style. It allowed Rotherham's wide players bundles of room as well as their own full-backs to overlap. I'm not sure this is necessarily a Faz thing as I commented on it after Rochdale away as well.

1st Goal - Having watched it back, I didn't realise it was actually Kane who won the header from the long throw and just ended up heading it to the Rotherham player. If you pause the video when Kane touches the ball, we have 5 players (including 3 of the back 4) around 3 Rotherham players, plus Ruffels and ASB at the bottom of the picture. 3 touches after Kane's header which looks more and more a deliberate side header each time I watch it, the ball is in the net. The header takes Dickie and Mousinho out of the game and ASB never once gets tight to Forde who lethers the ball into the net.

Eastwood Save - IBR is left to try and stop the cross and doesn't. As the cross comes in, Kane is marking 10 yards of space in all directions - again showing how narrow he plays. If Smith had missed the ball, then their big no. 5 is already in front of ASB. Incredible save by Easty.

2nd Goal - Kane has been further up field so Dickie comes out to cover at first, ball is played back inside and their player gets a shot in too easily. A good save by Easty but one of those where he ends up unlucky by picking out an unmarked player - why is he unmarked? Because Mousinho and ASB have moved over one space to cover the gap where Dickie had himself gone out to cover Kane. Midfield tracking back at fault for me here.

Our goal was a great team move - one of a few in the match where we moved the ball quite quickly and with some urgency. Too often we play lovely little 5yard passes to someone who is well marked and we lose the ball.

3rd Goal - this is just a great example of how not to defend. At no point does ASB or Ruffels get anywhere near tight enough to the winger. And Smith makes a small movement to lose whoever was marking him to begin with (Mousinho or Kane I think?). Again, when that ball comes in the box, we have 6 of our own players plus Eastwood yet still can't deal with it.

The firmness in midfield seems to have gone completley. I like Josh Ruffels but am not sure of the role he is supposed to play in this formation. At the back end of last season and the beginning of this, he had been transformed into a box to box midfielder - whereas now he seems to be playing a second holding role alongside Ledson - in my opinion that doesn't suit him.

One upfront - it wouldn't matter who we had up there, it was doomed to fail by the combination of players selected in the 3 behind. Rothwell, Henry, IBR all like to drift and dart with ball at feet which makes it pretty hard for a striker to time any runs. A half fit Wes Thomas playing in this role is no help to anyone. Mehmeti tried but isn't going to be a goalscorer at this level, that's plain to see.

So what do we do?
I'd start Riccy next match, whether that is at left-back or on the left of a four man midfield. I'd go 4-4-2 with Ruffels as the box to box CM and tell Ledson just to sit. I'd play Rothwell in the "Payne role" but playing more like an actual striker.

Eastwood
Kane Dickie Mousinho ASB/Ricardinho
Henry Ruffels Ledson Ricardinho/IBR
Rothwell
Thomas/Mehmeti.

Hopefully young Cam Brannagan can offer something different to the rest of the stockpile of same midfielders we have. Talk about piling the pressure on him straight away!

Oh and please can we have a Plan B!!! Last night was just more and more of the same, regardless of the score. Even if it's going a bit direct, just something different.
We definitely need something extra in midfield..this has been a thorn since start of season really..even with a firing Payne in the end we lost him I think because Clotet wasn't getting the best there
 
Eastwood's save was probably the best I've seen live.
ASB was bad for all three goals, seemed like he didn't want to go forward.
Dickie looked decent, seems like playing in L2 has toughened him up, got psychical, other defenders take note.
Napa looked better than ISB + he'll be here next season so I'd be playing him.
Thomas just looks lazy. Might not get as many chances ASB he'd like, but doesn't work hard enough off the ball to create them. Mehmeti might not be much better but he ran the channels and allowed us to play a longer ball. Don't know why we continued to kick it toward their massive RCB when their LCB looked a lot more vulnerable.

Team on Sat
Eastwood
Kane Dickie Mous Ricardinho
Napa Ledson Brannagan/Mowatt Rothwell
Henry
Mehmeti
 
I don't think Wes is 100%, so is pacing himself through games. The story of our 3 strikers season.
 
Think I'd like us to try something like this:

View attachment 200

Think that’s to close to what we’ve had all season (formation)

If they have all trained this week if go like this
3f7dd64be2fb93359269568497fd8a12.jpg
 
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