Paul B
Well-known member
- Joined
- 14 Dec 2017
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Looks to me like Mous has to come back in Dm and Long at right back. We haven’t lost any games this season where Long has started.
Looks to me like Mous has to come back in Dm and Long at right back. We haven’t lost any games this season where Long has started.
Another observation from highlights; we lack height and strength in team, especially in midfield. Worrying to see Baptiste swatted away before first goal.
That's a good point. And while I quite like that side of his game (when he is sensible about it) it really is no substitute for being a consistent goal scorer - and to be fair to the bloke he has said numerous times in the past that he has never been a prolific scorer/striker. But this start to the season has shown that without a proper striker, a team is toothless however many little triangles they play in midfield!We've been forced to take some crumbs of comfort from Mackie's notorious "shithousery" because we have had no true strikers for such a long time.
and maybe Long at FB too ... shore up the defence!got to put mous back in instead of gorrin
Excellent post. The Matty Taylor question cannot be ignored, especially as we have so many “it will all be fine when he’s fit” optimists hanging their hats on his 20-goals- a-season reputation.I agree with the Matty Taylor point, where you questioned if we will play the right way to get the best out of him like Rovers did. That's a valid ask. I do worry just a little bit that we aren't necessarily getting the players in to fit a certain style, and that we also aren't adjusting the style quickly enough once we see what we've got. Perhaps we fall somewhere in the middle, where KR wants his preferred style to work but we've signed players who, while decent or perhaps very good in some cases, don't best fit that method, and it then takes 10-15 games for the penny to drop at which point we've burned an awful lot of points. There isn't much point in us cooing over how good the squad looks on paper, or how good this or that could be once such and such is available, if it means we constantly start from the back of the pack and have to produce play-off form for 70% of the season, just to finish somewhere in and around mid-table having spent multiple months looking nervously at the relegation zone. And we could certainly do with not waiting until the week the seasons starts, or even multiple games in, to begin putting a big chunk of the squad together. Especially when several of these late arrivals are either injured or totally lacking in match fitness of any kind, to the point where August and early September becomes their pre-season. This seems to be reflected in our early points return both this season and last - we are essentially using league fixtures where points are at stake as friendlies, to get players fit but also to figure out what the best way actually is to set up the whole team. You can sign almost whoever you like late doors, they can be as quality as you want them to be, but it doesn't really matter if you're picking up well under a point a game for the first ten or more fixtures. We also have less games this season - 44 rather than 46 - so there's less time to catch up with the pack. If these rubbish starts to the season are potentially a failure of design, at least partially, it has to be looked at.
That said, I still think we will win the next two matches, which would certainly help a fair bit. Maybe that's more in hope than anything else, but six points are definitely there to be had, I think.
Exactly. And at Gretna."Anyway if Pilley were to pull out what would become of Fleetwood"
Well, I think we've seen this tale play out before, with Rushden and Max Griggs.
I believe AFC R&D are currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division Central (Tier 9, I think?). They're just a point behind Banbury United at the moment.
Also, although he may actually be the biggest t**t in the entire footballing world (which would be a hell of an accomplishment, given his competition)…..there's some evidence that Joey Barton may turn out to be a pretty decent manager. I thought Fleetwood were generally well drilled, well organized and an all-round very good team on Saturday.
and maybe Long at FB too ... shore up the defence!
Last season our form turned around after Accrington away, when we lost 4-2. For the next game Long came in at RB and we had that superb run to end of season. Defence was shored up.
Cadden may be a better player (in certain aspects) than Long, but Long is a much better defender. Long quietly goes about his business. He wins the headers when defending corners, positioning is good and just little things he does makes him an efficient defender.