Just back

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Not sure that I can add anything new to what has been posted so far but we did not play well in fact in the final 3rd we appeared totally clueless, we will never do anything with so little quality and so few decent shots on goal, 3 in total was it?

Thought RS was trying to be too clever with his selection & shape and why he did not start with 2 natural wide players or Jones up front when Vernon pulled up I will never know never know. Nobody ever told Bignot Sam Jones is not a wide player and clearly that message is not getting through to RS either..

After the break we clearly needed another outlet and also someone to get the ball to Dembelle who we will only see the best of when (if?) better players such as Clements, Osborne and McAllister come back as Berrett (garbage today) and Summerfield (o.k. today) did not have the class to bring him into the game. Robins changed their shape a bit and out thought Slade I feel and that gave them the ascendancy.

The first goal was a bit unprofessional by Town and arguably the ref and from their perspective a "low punch" of a goal, but a goal all the same..Really unhappy with the reaction after the first goal when our "leaders" possibly should have been focused on us and getting a good re-start than playing the blame game up until the 2nd. It says a lot when Dembelle was the one who grabbed the ball and wanted to get on with the game.

The 2nd was very similar to the Derby goal on Tuesday so clearly some work to be done on the training ground, after that both sides where going through the motions to be fair, us trying to look interested and them time wasting and being petulant at every opportunity.

Thought the ref was poor and did us a favor by sending Berrett off which will force change next week but like I say we where not good enough in too many departments to take anything from a game against a side who will probably be up there come the end of term.

I think the first 2 weeks will probably be like the rest of the season good one week poor the next with a mid table finish.

UTM!!!

You mean like Bignot.

Many of you saw the game as I did. But you shouldn't be too harsh on your players. They can only do as Slade instructs them. And like I said before the game our defence is quite solid and the midfield play well together. We have a good mix of very experienced players and young players that are coming good. But the young players will be sold as soon as an offer.comes in. Another one went this week to Swansea.

You actually dealt with Jones better than Notts County did last week. He scored 3 good goals against them. He is a young player in his first full season and should improve. So he will be sold soon.

We are not expecting to win this Division. Our hedge fund owners prefer to sell our players in the next transfer window than go for a good finish. Then we fall down the table. Oh the fun of being a football supporter.

Quoted from gytone

Agree with all that's been said, summerfield and berrett aren't good enough and probably wouldn't be playing if others were fit and available. Coventry showed everything that is wrong with football diving, moaning cheating and a very poor ref fell for it everytime, having said that they were better than us on the day and deserved the victory. Couldn't watch that every week though.

Before the game I thought Coventry would be more dangerous and look a better outfit considering the size and history of the club

They werent that much better than us I thought.All in all like you thought it was a poor game but I did think we started ok but for what ever reason fitness/lack of ability we started to do go downhill and there was not enough concerted creativity. To disjointed for me as the game wore on and  particular in the 2nd half we created little

Reasonable first half but too much hoofball and poor second half. On that performance the " Nearly Man " has nearly got a team. We nearly have a defence but with three players over thirty and considerable experience at a higher level than this then why do we concede from a " schoolboy error " and failing to deal with a " bread and butter " set piece corner? We nearly have a mid-field but why do we need one when we play hoof ball ? A year ago PH took a lot of stick on here( and rightly so ) for signing and playing two mediocre midfielders from a team that had just been relegated from the League. MB , if nothing else , realised their limitations and brought better mid-fielders in. Summerfield in particular was loaned out and the best he could manage to attract was non-league Macclesfield. The Nearly Man comes back and these same two seem to be a part of his plans to get promoted- it will never happen. Both these players should have been transfer listed in the summer - cut your losses and replace with better.
Admittedly  this was the first time that I have seen town this season but nothing I saw altered my opinion of where we will be with this manager and that is League 2.

Quoted from Rick12

Before the game I thought Coventry would be more dangerous and look a better outfit considering the size and history of the club and considering this was the first time they were playing in the 4th tier of English football

They werent that much better than us I thought.All in all like you thought it was a poor game but I did think we started ok but for what ever reason fitness/lack of ability we started to do go downhill and there was not enough concerted creativity. To disjointed for me as the game wore on and  particular in the 2nd half we created little

Coventry City.....
Football League Fourth Division (now Football League Two)
Runners-up: 1958–59

Quoted from promotion plaice

Coventry City.....
Football League Fourth Division (now Football League Two)
Runners-up: 1958–59

Fair enough.Must of read it wrong as it was a article posted sometime ago on the internet

Slade got the set up very wrong, admittedly not helped with Vernon getting injured very late on but either way he got his set up wrong, 4-1-4-1 away from home is crazy, he could have easily done 4-4-2 with Berrett shoved out wide and Jones up top with Cardwell, I know Berrett would have been in an un-natural position but Jones is more effective up front and Cardwell isn't a loan striker. And playing direct to Cardwell and at times a pint size Dembele won't get you anywhere, many at the game noticed this as have posters on here so why didn't Slade and Wilkinson who are very experienced? It didn't even need noticing as it was obvious even before kick off it wouldn't work.

Davies I thought had a decent game today, didn't deliver many, if any crosses but then he didn't have chance to go forward with Jones out wide, Clarke and Collins won most headers I thought, what is Clarke thinking with the free kick? Legitimate goal in my opinion and very unprofessional seeing our players chasing the ref around and delaying the kick off to argue with him. Dixon got raped by Jodi Jones down the left. When Dembele got the ball he looked dangerous but we hardly got the ball to his feet! Summerfield and Berrett, Summerfield was the better of the 2 in my opinion and it shows how light we are in central mid at the minute with these 2 playing together. I haven't seeked permission by The Old Codger to criticise Berrett yet so I better go to church this morning and ask God for forgiveness, I've never rated Berrett, I've said this before last season and I'll say it again now, he's technically good but to what effect?? Doesn't create enough, doesn't score enough or doesn't assist enough, too slow in thought and deed and ask any Carlisle Yeovil and York fans and they will say he is anonymous during games. I'm sorry Old Codger, I know James Berrett is a relative to you but he's not good enough. Jones is wasted on the wing, the much maligned Marcus Bignot never played him on the wing so why is Slade??

If yesterday is anything to go by then we are still too short to be promotion contenders, Central midfield has quantity but not enough quality, the wingers department is very very inexperienced, I think we lack experience in that area and up front we still lack in my opinion.

Quoted from Davec

Slade got the set up very wrong, admittedly not helped with Vernon getting injured very late on but either way he got his set up wrong, 4-1-4-1 away from home is crazy, he could have easily done 4-4-2 with Berrett shoved out wide and Jones up top with Cardwell, I know Berrett would have been in an un-natural position but Jones is more effective up front and Cardwell isn't a loan striker. And playing direct to Cardwell and at times a pint size Dembele won't get you anywhere, many at the game noticed this as have posters on here so why didn't Slade and Wilkinson who are very experienced? It didn't even need noticing as it was obvious even before kick off it wouldn't work.

Davies I thought had a decent game today, didn't deliver many, if any crosses but then he didn't have chance to go forward with Jones out wide, Clarke and Collins won most headers I thought, what is Clarke thinking with the free kick? Legitimate goal in my opinion and very unprofessional seeing our players chasing the ref around and delaying the kick off to argue with him. Dixon got raped by Jodi Jones down the left. When Dembele got the ball he looked dangerous but we hardly got the ball to his feet! Summerfield and Berrett, Summerfield was the better of the 2 in my opinion and it shows how light we are in central mid at the minute with these 2 playing together. I haven't seeked permission by The Old Codger to criticise Berrett yet so I better go to church this morning and ask God for forgiveness, I've never rated Berrett, I've said this before last season and I'll say it again now, he's technically good but to what effect?? Doesn't create enough, doesn't score enough or doesn't assist enough, too slow in thought and deed and ask any Carlisle Yeovil and York fans and they will say he is anonymous during games. I'm sorry Old Codger, I know James Berrett is a relative to you but he's not good enough. Jones is wasted on the wing, the much maligned Marcus Bignot never played him on the wing so why is Slade??

If yesterday is anything to go by then we are still too short to be promotion contenders, Central midfield has quantity but not enough quality, the wingers department is very very inexperienced, I think we lack experience in that area and up front we still lack in my opinion.

Let's get this straight - Berrett isn't a relative nor would he be in my first choice starting 11 but, in light of our lack of fit central midfielders, he's the only option. Slade seems to like him and, until McAlister and Clements are fit, we should get off his back. Thanks.

Pretty much agree with all the comments made.

Teams with a poor midfield don't win many games and don't get promoted, in fact such teams invariably get relegated.

If Slade continues to setup this team with a second-rate midfield, concede space and possession for 90 mins, the only way we're going to get out of this league is via the trap-door.

Let's be clear here, Coventry are not a great team, there will be other teams in this division who will make much better use of all the possession and space we seem prepared to allow them. Pumping long, high balls to isolated forward players incapable of holding up the ball will result in the ball constantly coming straight back at us.

Slade needs to have a long hard look at the style of play and start by building around a quality midfield, playing the ball to feet and controlling possession better.

Continue to play like yesterday and results will go backwards and so will the fans' support.

UTM

Quoted from Bradford Mariner

Pretty much agree with all the comments made.

Teams with a poor midfield don't win many games and don't get promoted, in fact such teams invariably get relegated.

If Slade continues to setup this team with a second-rate midfield, concede space and possession for 90 mins, the only way we're going to get out of this league is via the trap-door.

Let's be clear here, Coventry are not a great team, there will be other teams in this division who will make much better use of all the possession and space we seem prepared to allow them. Pumping long, high balls to isolated forward players incapable of holding up the ball will result in the ball constantly coming straight back at us.

Slade needs to have a long hard look at the style of play and start by building around a quality midfield, playing the ball to feet and controlling possession better.

Continue to play like yesterday and results will go backwards and so will the fans' support.

UTM

Don't disagree with what your saying and certainly the shape & balance was wrong yesterday but with the likes of McAllister, Osborne and Clements injured we are a position where the 2nd rate mid field is the only option. If everyone was fit then I doubt Berrett and Summerfield (who did o.k. yesterday) would get a start.