Fan's View Fan's View 23/24 - No.39: Orient at home

[Jon-ioualways]

Just changed my vpn to the UK, and have been suitably depressed, all over again. Sigh.

 

[Yellow River]

My theory is that every coach has to do the same UEFA coaching badges, and follow the same coaching "rule book".
and that Buckingham follows it to a tee.
So keeping possession is better than not.
Leads to passing the ball from the back, or if under pressure, then back to the goalkeeper.
So we don't see GKs booting the ball up the pitch anymore.
We also see our attacks petering out and the ball goes all the way back to Cummings.

I think the players don't believe in this, but have to follow the tactics.
We also see all of our players back in the box or thereabouts to defend a free kick or corner, leaving nobody up front if we do clear the ball. Leads to the ball coming straight back at us again.

I haven't watched the highlights, but felt Orient were unlucky not to get a penalty in the first half. Maybe someone else could explain why as it looked a blatant foul in the box by us.

One of the awful things which the RadOx team called the earthquake was on 90 minutes when three Orient players went down injured all at the same time with nobody near them. Stevenage tactics to a tee. Is there some new rule that players have to leave the pitch for at least 30 seconds after treatment. And why didn't the ref book them for simulation?

On the point of possession. This what the BBC match stats say for the Orient game,

Oxford 49%, Orient 51%. It seemed pretty even to me watching from the North Stand.

So either the possession based tactic doesn’t work, or at least doesn’t give you any possession % advantage over the opposition. Or both teams are applying the same tactic and cancelling each other out?

 

[38yearsofpain]

Of course there is no way of proving that one way or the other, which also makes your statement codswallop. One day we will be able to jump to other worlds in the multiverse and settle these kinds of arguments for good.

You are absolutely right who knows. But there is always a but. We have moved from a team with a plan that in the most worked to a team with a plan that in the most fails. Des says his plan is to get the ball to his preferred formation of 2 wingers, but to do that he has lost the midfield battle and the weaknesses in formation have lead to kamikaze defending. We are now usually overrun in midfield, 3 against 4 or 5.
Under Manning one of those wingers always played narrow not trying to stretch the pitch. I understand his plan (is it really a plan when it constantly fails) but the current set of players cannot play it, very very few sides at our level and above can.
The one thing I learnt from managing was if the plan isn't working change it but if its working only make subtle changes. Use the assets you have to the best of their ability. Wanting to do something you are incapable of achieving is just insanity.
I said before Des arrived that we wanted somebody who would maintain what we had in the short term. Des has done the complete opposite. People have said we had injuries, indeed we did, but that was an argument for no system change not what has happened. Changing the system with depleted resources is just niave or pig headed, whichever one prefer.
I conclude we have thrown the play offs away when staying with the plan that was more likely to have yielded more points. I take the point that nobody knows but its a reasonable assumption to say it would have been better. The time for change is when its broke and when Des arrived it certainly wasn't broken. It certainly is now though.

Great report Paul, sums up the mood of the majority absolutely perfectly.

 

[38yearsofpain]

On the point of possession. This what the BBC match stats say for the Orient game,

Oxford 49%, Orient 51%. It seemed pretty even to me watching from the North Stand.

So either the possession based tactic doesn’t work, or at least doesn’t give you any possession % advantage over the opposition. Or both teams are applying the same tactic and cancelling each other out?

Interestingly those possession stats at half time were more like Oxford 40% Orient 60%. The jump in our possession stats came when we went 2-1 down and Orient game plan became hold what we have.

 

[Victor1986]

A really accurate assessment of our current plight Paul .The club seems to be lurching along rudderless with key people leaving.The playing side is in a right
mess and a heavy defeat on Saturday will pile more pressing on Des..
I wonder if there is a "gentleman's agreement " to not play Will Goodwin against Cheltenham?

 

[NottsYellow]

The stats of results under Manning v Buckingham are very telling.
Just to expand on that and prove the point how far we have gone backwards - we had one league game between the two managers, that was Orient away.
Compare Orient away in November with Saturday, two totally different games from an entertaining, win/loss and tactical position.
Just to add to the contrast of the two games, take Negru. At Orient away he cam on at 70 minutes and had a good competent, calm game but now he is well out of sorts.

 

[LowerSouth]

I didn’t boo at the end.
But I ranted and banged the steering wheel repeatedly whilst listening to Des after the game.
I’ve never been so angry after a game.
Never.

 

[uptheus]

I was surprised the fans clapped and sang Des’ name after the Wycombe game/performance, so was even more surprised why some felt the need to clap them off after this performance is beyond me.

I think it would be more telling if no one clapped as the players do their tick box exercise of clapping the fans, and just stared back at them shaking our heads in disbelief!!

I noticed Brannagan just walked off down the tunnel after the game as he appeared pissed off which I don’t really blame him, rather than doing the customary walk around the pitch clapping the fans. In fact, I would rather the rest of the team did the same as at least it would show that they are all aligned with us/fans in that they are not happy with their performance etc.

 

[TailsWeWin]

On holiday 5000 miles away we stayed up late to watch ifollow on phones.
Waste of (1) £10
(2) two hours drinking
Believe me, it was as bad there as it was in real life.
Pathetic