Just back

Much better.

For the first home game this season, we didn't look second best and deservedly won. Thought Osborne had a great full debut at the back and the others in defence were solid too. Woolford looked a little off the pace but you can tell he's a decent player. Reports of Hooper's sh1teness are greatly exaggerated, thought he had a good solid game, but for me the MOM was the goalscorer Rose, who i thought had an excellent game. Puts out a lot of fires and always seems to be where the ball is, which is a good sign in a player.

Vernon made us tick much better up front and he is a very clever footballer. He was missed in his absence. Dembele had some good moments but the end product isn't there from him yet. Matt looked a handful for their tiring defence and looks to be a decent change striker.

All round, much more balanced and with a better game plan. Not sure if Crewe were average or we made them look average, but apart from one scare, they didn't really threaten. We didn't look like a side which will be at the wrong end of the table on the showing today. Promising.

Great all round team performance and a much needed win, hard to pick... but stand out performers for me....Osborne and dare I say it...Hooper.

Much better - especially Hooper - Woolford, though rusty was a massive improvement on Kelly. Rose & Berrett always looked to have options today and therefore we kept the ball better. Hard to pick out an MOM - probably Osborne for me though Clarke looked more comfortable with him than he has with Collins.

Glad to put that bogey to bed.

Much improved. Happy.  
UTMM

Good to get the win and what sounds a better performance.

So much better than the previous home games. Difficult to single players out in a very good all-round team performance. Macca made a great stop late on in that one on one, only bettered by Osbourne's straight after which prevented a certain goal. Both full backs did their defensive duties well and Mills was extremely unlucky with the effort that hit the bar. Osbourne was immense at the back and must surely start next week. It is hard to see Collins and Clarke starting together any time soon. Rose looks a real find and Woolford will get fitter and better. Vernon led the line well and Hooper was a revelation. He put himself about, had plenty of good touches and his movement was much better. Crewe had no idea what to do with Dembele.
If I'm being picky I thought we should have had more shots when in good positions but we did more than enough to win the game.
Two up front simply has to be the start point, at least at home. Not much evidence of hoof-ball today.  

Absolutely agree with Barralad.

Deserved winners today. Lots of good performances about but I'll give MOTM to Rose. A good start to the season for him and looks like he might be important. Hope he can lose the yellow card he keeps getting because we'll miss him. Really good work rate from Vernon and Hooper - the latter being rightly criticised for lacking effort in recent games but he's set himself a high bar to maintain today. We look so much more comfortable and threatening with two up front and I feel we have missed Vernon's work ethic in the time he's been out.

It wasn't completely brilliant. I still think we should have signed a left sided defender. Dixon is very no frills and I think that was apparent a couple of times today. We still lack athleticism and pace at the back but I was impressed with Osbourne today - very old school in his no nonsense approach and a bit quicker than our other centre halves.

I didn't think Crewe were very good at all. There must be aome awful teams about in the league if they went into this unbeaten! Ref wasn't the worst despite having to blow two full time whistles. A clean sheet and eleven men finishing a game was unexpected this morning but it makes me feel a lot better about this season if only for this week!

Finally I hope the injured player is ok. You could tell it was a bad one by the speed at which the medical staff were called for and the oxygen came on.

Yes agree with everything said massive improvement, better finishing and final ball would have seen us clear by a bigger margin.

Looked better with two players up front plenty of chances.

At the back Clark.Mills and particularly Osborne looked very solid.

Rose is looking better every game and took his goal well.

Macca made a couple of crucial saves when called upon.  Dembele was almost unstoppable the ball seems glued to his feet just lacking a finish but it will come.

Sat in the main behind the dug out must say their manager was a real twhat for once the officials seemed unbiased but he was constantly nagging at the fourth official.

Agree with previous comments. Rose is an important player for us. The work he does to stop attacks is immense. Plus today he had more options up front and out wide and played some good passes . Good debut from Woolford, given he has not played much for a couple years. Did a good interview after the match. Clearly has much to offer and is likely to get a few goals when he is up to speed and settles in. I can see him and Dixon making a good partnership on the left. Also and excellent debut by Osbourne almost faultless display and my MOM. Dembele again did well with some trickery and is definately more of a threat out wide. Having Vernon up front was a good outlet and brought the best out of Hooper who was everywhere today. After all the criticism well done JJ you have raised the bar.

Hope their player is ok. It looked serious at the time but the officials and medics responded well. Their physio was giving him mouth to mouth until the oxygen arrived.

What a difference to last Saturday, thoroughly deserved win against a side unbeaten until today.
We made them look ordinary with our pace and workrate.
The back four played as a unit with Clarke and Osborne missing nothing, and the latter has surely done enough to keep his place next game. Berrett and Woolford didn't make any mistakes of note and Rose and Dembele were at times, almost unplayable.
Up front Vernon and Hooper were onto everything and looked dangerous.
Even the three subs were straight at it when then came on, especially Jaiyesimi and Matt who both look to be full of pace.
My MOM would be Rose I think followed closely by Macca who had one of his best games for a long while.
One other thing of note, I thought that's the best refereeing performance we've seen for a long time.

UTM

One little thing for me is the way we sat back in the last ten minutes inviting pressure when we didn't need to. We jjust retreated to our own box.

Other than that we played well with two upfront.

Quoted from oldun

Hope their player is ok. It looked serious at the time but the officials and medics responded well. Their physio was giving him mouth to mouth until the oxygen arrived.

One of the stewards said after the game that their lad went straight to hospital, regaining full consciousness in the ambulance. It did look very bad. Their physio was on almost before the ref. had stopped blowing his whistle.

Quoted from oldun

Hope their player is ok. It looked serious at the time but the officials and medics responded well. Their physio was giving him mouth to mouth until the oxygen arrived.

Mouth to mouth without chest compressions? He was more likely talking into his ear as you keep your sense of hearing longest when unconcious.

Quoted from mimma

One little thing for me is the way we sat back in the last ten minutes inviting pressure when we didn't need to. We jjust retreated to our own box.

Other than that we played well with two upfront.

I think that's a natural thing to happen when you've been on a bad run of form. If you're only up by one goal, you probably don't have the confidence to go looking for a second goal and would rather sit on what you have. If we can get a bit of form and confidence then hopefully that will improve.

Some really interesting comments on here tonight. It would be good to hear from some of those who were very worried in the build up as to whether the performance suggests the team is heading in the right direction.

Deserved the win as Crewe were poor. First goal is vital at this level and we were well worth the lead and then were well organised defensively with Osbourne being the standout while still threatening on the break.

Hooper and Vernon are much better in a two as well, best to judge them like that than up front on their own with nobody near them, especially when they're not out and out goalscorers.

I can finally take a peek at the league table now  

I don't what to say. Sounded like a 4-4-2 formation? Crazy idea - will never work.

Didn't think much to Crewe and if they are likely to challenge we are certainly in with a shout. Porter for them has been scoring for fun but looked very slow and lethargic. The lad Cooper who destroyed us at Gresty Road last season looked a bit lightweight and a tantrum case!

Town were well worth their win IMO and the much maligned Hooper and Clarke both did well. Last week I read about the lack of leaders. When the crowd was quiet you could hear Clarke shouting, organising, cajoling.

Rose was very good but again a stupid stupid yellow card. Stay on your feet man!

Vernon led the line extremely well especially after a few weeks out.

Feeling a bit more positive about trips to Mansfield and then Stanley.

Couldn't fault anyone today. Hooper my star man .Osbourne added the missing ingredient at the back Collins is going to have a job to get back in-even our friend Berrett had a good game especially first half. T oday they made Crewe look a very ordinary team  indeed. This is the first time I've complemented them---well done lads and also to Slade for changing  the tactics

Katie Osborne had a good game then, centre back starter?

Quoted from barralad

Some really interesting comments on here tonight. It would be good to hear from some of those who were very worried in the build up as to whether the performance suggests the team is heading in the right direction.

I was never unduly worried as it was only four games into the season and the team is still developing. We had two full debuts today and one as a sub, so the team is still taking shape. Obviously, it gets a bit twitchy when you lose three straight but Crewe looked no great shakes despite being unbeaten and at the top end of the league. There were many predicting a battering by Derby that didn't happen and again, most were predicting a defeat today, which again didn't happen. It's the way footy fans are though isn't it? Lose three and we are heading for relegation. Win three and we are heading for promotion. I think we have enough decent experienced players to be comfortable and an equally experienced manager. Whether we have enough to threaten the top 7 will remain to be seen.

Much improved today and quite an enjoyable game. Good performances all over the pitch. Standouts were Hooper and the two centre halves. Thought Rose and Berrett complimented each other nicely. Dembele was a threat every time he got the ball.

On seeing Hooper play in the last two league games I think a few people on here have made twits of themselves. He looks decent, runs the channels well and has some quality.

well that was a nicer, calmer drive back to Newark ,i thought we were superb today ,every player worked hard and the 442 was exactly what was needed, back 4 were superb and I think Collins will struggle to get back in the side ,was worried about the midfield before the game but they did very well especially Rose who was everywhere .up front we looked a real threat , Vernon was superb as was JJ,Dembele had there left back on a plate all afternoon but took some harsh treatment for his trouble(hed best get used to it).Woolford looked a bit rusty at first but you can tell hes a good footballer and got better as the game went on,DJ and Matt did well when they came on causing havoc with their pace,only criticism and its only a small one is that they need to pull the trigger sometimes rather than look for another player.Feeling a lot better about the season ,roll on Mansfield UTFM

We were stronger and more physical than them Vernon being the difference, I did not think Crewe were up to much and looked like a team that started the season well but will fade, on the other hand we looked today like a team that is starting  a winning run

I'm quite happy to admit that I wasn't impressed by Hooper till today - might I also suggest that one or two should eat a bit of humble pie regarding James Berrett who was very good today, particularly in the first half. It was clear that Vernon and Hooper created more opportunities for passes by better movement. Also think that Paul Dixon is bedding in nicely and I'm sure Woolford will with more game time.

Quoted from barralad

One of the stewards said after the game that their lad went straight to hospital, regaining full consciousness in the ambulance. It did look very bad. Their physio was on almost before the ref. had stopped blowing his whistle.

He did not go straight to hospital, ambulance crew would not leave until he was stabilize, which was about a further 15 minutes.

Hope the lad has a speedy recovery.

Nice to see the Crewe fans join in with the minute applause.

Good performance all around.

UTM

Well what a difference a 4-4-2 makes! Much more organised, much more threatening and much more cohesion. I really hope this is how we go now at home! Decent performance with room for improvement is how I would describe it but plenty of positives.

Macca 7/10-quiet game for him but when called upon he made a brilliant save when one on one

Mills-6/10 did some really good things, but then made some stupid mistakes also. Can do better but decent enough

Osborne-8/10 outstanding, composed, won everything in the air and has that bit of pace too. If we can keep him fit, we have a brilliant centre half

Clarke-7/10 much better , won everything in the air and organised well

Dixon-6/10 did get better as the game went on but needs to do better and doesn't fill me with confidence. Still looks off the pace IMO

Dembele-7/10-good performance, made things happen and assisted for the goal

Rose-7/10 strong, mobile, adds energy and scored the winner. However he sometimes dallies on the ball and this nearly cost us today! If he can cut this out he can be a big player for us!

Berrett-6/10 didn't do a lot really? Kept us ticking over I guess but no threat going forward, gave the ball away cheaply too allowing them to break. Surely Clements, osborne, jones are better options when available

Wooldford 6/10-looked rusty, but a fairly competent performance and
something to build on

Vernon-7-10 must be a nightmare to play against. Caused havoc. If only he could guarantee 10-15 a season he would be superb.

Hooper-7/10 decent, held up well at times, looks a threat when he has it at his feet. Hopefully he can get double figures

On a completely separate note I cannot wait to see Rose and J.Osborne in CM together.

What happened with their penalty that wasn't near the start? JT on Hullberside said it was a definite penalty and the refereee was only 5 yards away.

Quoted from wigworld

What happened with their penalty that wasn't near the start? JT on Hullberside said it was a definite penalty and the refereee was only 5 yards away.

Never a pen. Ball was won cleanly and their player made a meal of it. Rightly booked for simulation.

Quoted from UFindusMariner

On a completely separate note I cannot wait to see Rose and J.Osborne in CM together.

So we've won a game with a 442 with a sitting CM and you want to play 2 attacking CMs? You must play a lot of FIFA or Champ Manager!

If we're playing 442 with Mitch Rose in CM and Hooper plays like he did today then there won't be a place for Sam Jones let alone Jamey Osborne.

Compared to the last few games "better"...........selection, shape, cohesion, work rate, heart, communication, desire, tenacity, intention, passing, ideas, away fans (on 7 mins) and referee.

Still a massive work in progress but as per the above today was much better in every department  I reckon and despite the odd scary moment the lads deserved all 3 points.

Macca -  Good if not commanding, why he does not come for crosses but is brave enough to go down at a strikers feet

Mills - Good game defended really well, if only he could show some more composure going forward

Dixon - Best game for Town so far

Clarke - Looked more assured with a quicker partner and organised well

Osborne - Top class, quick, good communicator and reads the game well enough to get in front of players

Rose - Again best game for Town, man of the match IMHO

Berret - FFS

Dembelle - Great attitude and added some really good touches

Woolford - Million miles away from fitness but gave it a go.

Hooper - Looking better each week and if he gets a run he could catch fire

Vernon - One of his best game for Town

Subs - OK

Ref - Best of the season in the league home or away.

Also good to see some of the Slade signings that the experts on social media said where crap before they kicked a ball or after a coupe of games do better.

Like I say still a work in progress as you would expect. Crewe gave us a lot of space especially when the game opened up in the 2nd half and if the side was further on it's journey we may/should have got another to close the game out. Additionally the focus needs to be about getting the ball on the ground which to be fair they did do better today but at times went long when players close by where available.

So "better" day at the office, well done Town!

UTM!!

P.S. - If someone can tell me what James Berret brings to the side I would really appreciate it as I can't see he adds any value whatsoever based upon today, when everyone's available we have "better".  

  
  

Your being very harsh on Berrett there. Almost picking him out for the sake of it. He had a good game today as they all did

Incredibly harsh. Can't really think of a bad performer today for Town. I've been trying to keep a log of the worst player to see who gets the blame the most as decided by the just back threads and today is the only one where I can't see a name nominated. In fact if anything it's gone against the trend today!

I am doing one for the MOTM too before I get accused of being negative!

Berrett is looking the part this season. He was excellent today.

We were so much better than I've seen us at any point this season today, we looked compact and very difficult to break down defensively and very quick and energetic going forward.

McKeown - excellent, made one really good one on one save and another where he rushed the player and pushed him away from goal. Caught crosses and set plays well. Didn't have any other saves to make.

Mills - probably our weakest player, he looked very vulnerable to me. He played their man in at one point in the second half and their winger beat him a couple of times. He looked good going forward often and made a couple of good tackles. He would have been our best player for the last couple of games, which shows our improvement today.

Clarke - best game for us by a country mile, very dominant in the air and didn't get beaten on the floor. He organised his defence better as well I thought.

Osborne - my MOM, made a couple of really good last ditch challenges and was completely no nonsense. He's unbelievably strong and much more athletic than our other centre halves. Didn't try to play fancy football but played simple passes and booted it when necessary.

Dixon- again by far his best game. Very good defensively, as I like full backs to be. He made some really good challenges and tracked a couple of good runs and stopped them before they caused problems. Not particularly athletic but can certainly deliver a cross.

Dembele - not his best game, looked very quick and exciting and can beat men easily but his final ball (except the goal) was generally lacking. Certainly a very exciting player and I'm sure he'll develop as he's only ever played about 6 professional games.

Rose - again the best game he's had for us. A good shout for MOM. Unbelievably energetic and fit, he won an awful lot of tackles and he's worked out he's an athlete not a football and played accordingly, so he didn't play fancy passes but played simple and a couple over the top as their centre halves were very very slow and Hooper easily did them for pure pace a couple of times.

Berrett - standard Berrett game for me. Which is not a bad thing. He was very tidy, kept in shape very, won a lot of headers for a lot of midfielder and was always available to take the ball from wingers, centre halves or the strikers.

Woolford - understandably rusty, showed some neat touches and ran at his full back on a couple of occasions, he has undoubted quality and I'm certain a run of games will only help him.

Hooper - another contender for MOM, ran their centre halves raggid and just before we scored he had one of them on the floor with no idea what to do. Strikes me as very much a confidence player and that wonder goal gave him a lot of that.

Vernon - showed that we badly missed. By far the cleverist striker we have, he makes space for others and holds the ball up well. A good comeback game In my opinion.

The subs did what they had to do, except that awful attempted ball over the top by DJ at the death.

Cliche time:- Football is a team game and Berrett gave a good account of himself in a very good team performance. Personally I don't want much more.

I really don't get all this Berrett hatred. The midfield played well today.

Osborne, Rose and Hooper excellent. Clarke, Mills, Vernon and Dembele good. Didn't think Berrett was brilliant today but he's getting involved this season, which is a massive improvement on last year. Not sure Dixon was all that good today either but he's been steady.

Dembele is mesmerising to watch but he needs a better end product (I know he got the assist today!)

First game of the season for me, for various reasons.  I have read all the reports on earlier games.

JJ Hooper must have been played by his twin brother as he was very good. He got better by the minute in the second half, holding the ball up well and playing others in.

442,great. Vernon has always been effective when I have seen him.  His intelligence, aerial ability and power and influence are underated.

Really enjoyed the game, performance and result.

We need to shoot more when in the penalty area.  And when defending the lead in the last 10 mins, leave at least 1 man up.  We did not and the ball just comes straight back.

We thought that there was an Asian wedding part getting ready in the corner of the Osmond before HT.   It was the energetic girl dancers in decorative dresses about to come on.  

I know I'm a James Berrett fan but FFS, Hurst and Bignot played him as a left winger and, yes, he was excrement as a left winger. Put the bloke in his position and he plays to his ability - remember, he played over 200 games in League 1 as a central midfielder. He loses the ball in possession sometimes but he very rarely misplaces a pass.

Sorry gents re Berret I just don't see it, I get that he keeps things tidy, agree with that but I just don't see that he adds other than that, I know he can play.

Hagrid - Why would I pick out a player "for the sake of it" ? .

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Sorry gents re Berret I just don't see it, I get that he keeps things tidy, agree with that but I just don't see that he adds other than that, I know he can play.

Hagrid - Why would I pick out a player "for the sake of it" ? .

Sorry - if you don't get that the midfield duo Rose AND Berrett were instrumental in a pretty decent team performance today, then you really don't understand football. 'I know he can play' - what does that mean? More important, Slade rates him and plays him in his natural position.

I want to give some credit to Crewe . They played a very good game of one touch football -as expected - for twenty minutes whilst Town played hoof ball for this period and had lots of supporters around us shaking their heads. When the penny dropped that they themselves could actually play the game as intended a completely different match occurred. I don't know what triggered this turn about but they have now set themselves a standard to maintain and proved a large chunk of moaners and doom merchants wrong.Those of us who did turn out (there were less than 4k town spectators) were treated to a very good competitive game and hopefully we have turned the corner. Yes there were a few rough edges as would be expected of a newly put together team but the improvement was there for all to see.

Note- Very impressed at the rapid attention to the Crewe man down with credit to the ref for seeing the urgency, unlike some others that have been here.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Sorry - if you don't get that the midfield duo Rose AND Berrett were instrumental in a pretty decent team performance today, then you really don't understand football. 'I know he can play' - what does that mean? More important, Slade rates him and plays him in his natural position.

Because I have seen him play H&A on numerous occasions and play well like he did at Cambridge last year where he ran the game and scored the winner.

To say that "I don't understand football" Just because I don't share your opinion regarding a particular players contribution to the side is very patronizing to be honest. Then again last weekend it was Ginny that copped it from you because he didn't agree with you on something so why would I expect any better.

Quoted from Stranger in the Park

I want to give some credit to Crewe . They played a very good game of one touch football -as expected - for twenty minutes whilst Town played hoof ball for this period and had lots of supporters around us shaking their heads. When the penny dropped that they themselves could actually play the game as intended a completely different match occurred. I don't know what triggered this turn about but they have now set themselves a standard to maintain and proved a large chunk of moaners and doom merchants wrong.Those of us who did turn out (there were less than 4k town spectators) were treated to a very good competitive game and hopefully we have turned the corner. Yes there were a few rough edges as would be expected of a newly put together team but the improvement was there for all to see.

Note- Very impressed at the rapid attention to the Crewe man down with credit to the ref for seeing the urgency, unlike some others that have been here.

Yes very prompt action. I may have heard this wrong as I did not see it but listening to JT and RS on the wireless apparently Rose put the ball out to use his inhaler and the ref got Crewe to play it in back to us.

I thought the ref and both linesmen had good games today.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Because I have seen him play H&A on numerous occasions and play well like he did at Cambridge last year where he ran the game and scored the winner.

To say that "I don't understand football" Just because I don't share your opinion regarding a particular players contribution to the side is very patronizing to be honest. Then again last weekend it was Ginny that copped it from you because he didn't agree with you on something so why would I expect any better.

Why is it patronising? You put FFS alongside James Berrett in your review of the game and expect the anti Berrett brigade to slap you on the back. The bloke played well today, as did the whole team - get off the bandwagon and give the man some credit. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong about Hooper - he did good today but he wasn't the only one!

Well, I'm not one of these who thinks we can only be successful playing 442. But we looked a lot more comfortable in our system today than in any of the other games I've seen this season.

We tried to play more football from the off I thought, even if a lot of our passes early on were underhit or sloppy. And when it did have to go longer or more direct, having two up top meant it wasn't gobbled up by their defence as easily.

The other advantage the two up immediately gave us was that we weren't surrendering a big chunk of the possession share. When we have one up top we allow the opposition to have the ball at the back and patiently build play up. Hooper and Vernon often stopped their keeper being able to even give it to his defence in the first place.

1st half we looked pretty solid but didn't really create anything. Great to get the goal from a Dembele cross as I've thought for all his good approach okay, his end product has been poor in the last few weeks.

2nd half they had a couple of breaks forward but generally we contained them very well again. Clarke had his best game for us and Osbourne was fantastic - so dominant.

Mills defended brilliantly but put us in trouble with a poor ball from the main stand touchline to the middle of the pitch trying to force it with his right foot when his feet just weren't set for that.

Rose was very good but there were two moments that Slade will probably speak to him about. Firstly, his yellow card - absolutely ridiculous decision from him to slide in like that, especially considering our recent red card troubles. Secondly, with 5 minutes to go he dwells on the ball in the middle, turns into pressure, loses the ball and they counter on us. Slade was going bezerk on the touchline. Game management and decision making for both points. But otherwise he was very good.

Berrett was alright but I'd still have Clements in over him when he's fit. Could do with putting a bit more fizz on his passes and being more decisive at times when in decent areas.

Thought Woolford looked a footballer. A little short on match sharpness, but he was looking to feed it into the strikers feet and moved into some decent positions.

Hooper impressed me. Thought he was ok last week considering the service he got but today he was a handful. I don't see all the positive comments on Vernon today I'm afraid. I thought he won next to nothing in the air (something Hooper has been slated for recently), ran the ball out of play on the left when we had a decent break on, and 2nd half couldn't get his shot away despite having a 10 yard head start on their recovering defender. Wasn't awful by any stretch, but can't see him being a starter when everyone is fit and ready.

I thought today's subs actually made us stronger with DJ and Matt coming on. As Slade said afterwards on RH, the strength in depth showed in that we made changes and didn't lose anything, if anything being stronger.

Relieved to get the win as pressure would've started to mount had the winless run one on much longer. But it was well deserved and gave us plenty to build on. Positive day.

HERTSGTFC quote; "Macca -  Good if not commanding, why he does not come for crosses but is brave enough to go down at a strikers feet?"

Not sure about the crosses thing but I can fully identify with it as an old lower Sunday league keeper! I never went for crosses unless I was pretty certain I was going to get it but I didnt like it much. Diving at the feet of an on rushing striker was a completely different thing though, I bloody loved it despite many a kick in the head!!! Just the "crazy to be a goalkeeper" mentality I guess.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Why is it patronising? You put FFS alongside James Berrett in your review of the game and expect the anti Berrett brigade to slap you on the back. The bloke played well today, as did the whole team - get off the bandwagon and give the man some credit. I'm pleased to say that I was wrong about Hooper - he did good today but he wasn't the only one!

I think it's patronizing because everyone is entailed to an opinion and just because it does not align with someone else's opined it does not mean that you "don't understand football".

To say I was expecting "the anti Berrett brigade to pat me on the back" is a really cheap shot that you cannot substantiate, It may even indicate that you know nothing about social media which thrives on posters having differing opinions.

Quoted from Badger57

HERTSGTFC quote; "Macca -  Good if not commanding, why he does not come for crosses but is brave enough to go down at a strikers feet?"

Not sure about the crosses thing but I can fully identify with it as an old lower Sunday league keeper! I never went for crosses unless I was pretty certain I was going to get it but I didnt like it much. Diving at the feet of an on rushing striker was a completely different thing though, I bloody loved it despite many a kick in the head!!! Just the "crazy to be a goalkeeper" mentality I guess.

Cheers for that, I thought that bit of keeping from Macca was excellent today as their striker did not expect him to be so assertive plus he made a really good second effort to send their player wide..

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I think it's patronizing because everyone is entailed to an opinion and just because it does not align with someone else's opined it does not mean that you "don't understand football".

To say I was expecting "the anti Berrett brigade to pat me on the back" is a really cheap shot that you cannot substantiate, It may even indicate that you know nothing about social media which thrives on posters having differing opinions.

And you accuse me of being patronising? Suffice to say I use social media at work and am more than aware of its' sometimes divisive outcome. As far as Berrett is concerned, I see enough ability to get behind him rather than put a petty 'FFS' next to his name.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

And you accuse me of being patronising? Suffice to say I use social media at work and am more than aware of its' sometimes divisive outcome. As far as Berrett is concerned, I see enough ability to get behind him rather than put a petty 'FFS' next to his name.

Shall we call this a draw?

Overall a fair better performance at home,industrious, gutsy, determined and battling, rather than showing any great creative endeavour. Osbourne and Rose were the standouts for me, and i think given time Dixon and Woolford can create a decent left-sided partnership. Woolford will be fitter and sharper over the coming weeks, and it's hard to see Kelly getting much of a look in now. Dembele tried a few tricks, but his first touch let him down a couple of times today, an average game for him by his standards. Hooper worked well with Vernon, proving that we need two upfront. And whilst Berrett turns back and slows the play down to much, that was his best home performance. Crewe didn't look much, and apart from a couple of scares in the last ten minutes, and a decent save from Mckeown, they didn't cause us to many problems, and it's hard to see them being any better than a mid table side. So to conclude, more positives than the previous home games, everybody battled hard and put a shift in, and whilst theres still alot of hard work to be done, we for once actually looked like a team. Hopefully the performances and consistency we need, will take us up to the next level.....Onwards and upward UTM.

Football is all about opinions,

Nobody can say they are right and you are wrong,

We are not managers so we should respect Slade is more experienced than us fans,

So if he thinks a players deserves his place in the team,

We should think do we know better than him ?

First game of the season and wasn't expecting too much tbh after the hammering the teams been getting over the last couple of weeks .
Well done lads if you're reading this . Difficult to single out any players for praise as I thought everyone gave 100% . Should've won it more comfortably as Crewe didn't offer anything really but happy with the 3 points .
Standout players were osbourne who won everything, hooper who chased everything and nearly got a goal and dembele who looks a real find . So many clever touches on the ball  to beat his man was brilliant to watch and always got himself back to do his defensive duties .
Don't know what all the panics been about !!

Quoted from Tommy

Well, I'm not one of these who thinks we can only be successful playing 442. But we looked a lot more comfortable in our system today than in any of the other games I've seen this season.

We tried to play more football from the off I thought, even if a lot of our passes early on were underhit or sloppy. And when it did have to go longer or more direct, having two up top meant it wasn't gobbled up by their defence as easily.

The other advantage the two up immediately gave us was that we weren't surrendering a big chunk of the possession share. When we have one up top we allow the opposition to have the ball at the back and patiently build play up. Hooper and Vernon often stopped their keeper being able to even give it to his defence in the first place.

1st half we looked pretty solid but didn't really create anything. Great to get the goal from a Dembele cross as I've thought for all his good approach okay, his end product has been poor in the last few weeks.

2nd half they had a couple of breaks forward but generally we contained them very well again. Clarke had his best game for us and Osbourne was fantastic - so dominant.

Mills defended brilliantly but put us in trouble with a poor ball from the main stand touchline to the middle of the pitch trying to force it with his right foot when his feet just weren't set for that.

Rose was very good but there were two moments that Slade will probably speak to him about. Firstly, his yellow card - absolutely ridiculous decision from him to slide in like that, especially considering our recent red card troubles. Secondly, with 5 minutes to go he dwells on the ball in the middle, turns into pressure, loses the ball and they counter on us. Slade was going bezerk on the touchline. Game management and decision making for both points. But otherwise he was very good.

Berrett was alright but I'd still have Clements in over him when he's fit. Could do with putting a bit more fizz on his passes and being more decisive at times when in decent areas.

Thought Woolford looked a footballer. A little short on match sharpness, but he was looking to feed it into the strikers feet and moved into some decent positions.

Hooper impressed me. Thought he was ok last week considering the service he got but today he was a handful. I don't see all the positive comments on Vernon today I'm afraid. I thought he won next to nothing in the air (something Hooper has been slated for recently), ran the ball out of play on the left when we had a decent break on, and 2nd half couldn't get his shot away despite having a 10 yard head start on their recovering defender. Wasn't awful by any stretch, but can't see him being a starter when everyone is fit and ready.

I thought today's subs actually made us stronger with DJ and Matt coming on. As Slade said afterwards on RH, the strength in depth showed in that we made changes and didn't lose anything, if anything being stronger.

Relieved to get the win as pressure would've started to mount had the winless run one on much longer. But it was well deserved and gave us plenty to build on. Positive day.

Absolutely spot on with this assessment tommy. Excellent points about rose, berrett and vernon in particular. Looks like we watched the same game Anyway 😏

Well a much improved performance yesterday than previous weeks, we seemed more organised than what we have done and hopefully this is now a turning point, I wouldn't say an excellent performance but it was a solid and professional one, Osborne in particular at the back excelled and Collins may have a job forcing his way back into the team, I thought Mills defended rather well but technically I thought he quite poor, gave the ball away in the 2nd half in a dangerous position and got dispossed quite a few times. Clarke looked more comfortable next to Osbourne than he did next to Collins and Dixon looked solid enough, Dembele just needs to work on his end product and Rose and Berrett did a job in the middle of the park, Woolford as expected looked miles short of match fitness but aside from giving the ball away after 5 seconds he looked competent, I'm sure as he gets fitter he'll get better and should do well for us, I have to say I thought Vernon had a poor game which is probably down to lack of match fitness and Hooper looked much more improved, maybe he needs to be a bit quicker with releasing the ball, whether that be a shot or pass but he gave their back 4 something to think about, Matt also looked short of match fitness when he came on so he should get better with games.

we've won 2 games this season and Vernons played in both. I said last season he was under appreciated and i think he does a lot of work unnoticed. I think he is a very intelligent footballer and we look a better side with him in the team. But all about opinions isnt it

Quoted from Davec

Well a much improved performance yesterday than previous weeks, we seemed more organised than what we have done and hopefully this is now a turning point, I wouldn't say an excellent performance but it was a solid and professional one, Osborne in particular at the back excelled and Collins may have a job forcing his way back into the team, I thought Mills defended rather well but technically I thought he quite poor, gave the ball away in the 2nd half in a dangerous position and got dispossed quite a few times. Clarke looked more comfortable next to Osbourne than he did next to Collins and Dixon looked solid enough, Dembele just needs to work on his end product and Rose and Berrett did a job in the middle of the park, Woolford as expected looked miles short of match fitness but aside from giving the ball away after 5 seconds he looked competent, I'm sure as he gets fitter he'll get better and should do well for us, I have to say I thought Vernon had a poor game which is probably down to lack of match fitness and Hooper looked much more improved, maybe he needs to be a bit quicker with releasing the ball, whether that be a shot or pass but he gave their back 4 something to think about, Matt also looked short of match fitness when he came on so he should get better with games.

The reason Hooper had a better game is that Scott Vernon occupied their defence to make room for Hooper to play off him. Front men shouldn't be judged on how many headers they win or even the number of goals they score as long as they make chances for their team-mates.

I do like Vernon and I agree he is under appreciated by fans, he's a players player rather than a fans player but yesterday I thought he was poor, first half he was alright but 2nd half I just don't think he did as well.

Quoted from Hagrid

we've won 2 games this season and Vernons played in both. I said last season he was under appreciated and i think he does a lot of work unnoticed. I think he is a very intelligent footballer and we look a better side with him in the team. But all about opinions isnt it

It is about opinions but, without the likes of Vernon, players like Dembele don't have the space to weave their magic. And you are spot on, it's noticeable how our best two performances (& wins) have been the games Vernon played.

Vernon's intelligence/experience as a footballer showed through to me.

He doesn't win towering headers but he sure makes sure the defenders don't either, which normally results in the ball staying at the top end of the pitch rather than it being back towards our back 4.
The way he occupies defenders gives so much opportunity to others. I suspect Jamille Matt will do the same, he looked a real beast.

Surprised Tommy felt Vernon was poor, he got a standing ovation from those around us

Quoted from barralad

Some really interesting comments on here tonight. It would be good to hear from some of those who were very worried in the build up as to whether the performance suggests the team is heading in the right direction.

Well,  nobody has been more critical of the results so far, so for what it's worth I thought we looked more of a unit. Rose had a great game and also Osborne ( ? ) at the back. There was a lot more from Hooper and I think last weeks goal has done him a power of good. Although Berrett had a reasonable game I think Rose deserves a better player alongside him to make a more dynamic mid-field . Dixon did ok but reminded me of Andrew last season , when he took a while to really settle into the game. Certainly , on yesterdays performance, we are heading in the right direction and at the end of September we could be in a more healthy position in the league.

Quoted from Cloudy

Vernon's intelligence/experience as a footballer showed through to me.

He doesn't win towering headers but he sure makes sure the defenders don't either, which normally results in the ball staying at the top end of the pitch rather than it being back towards our back 4.
The way he occupies defenders gives so much opportunity to others. I suspect Jamille Matt will do the same, he looked a real beast.

Surprised Tommy felt Vernon was poor, he got a standing ovation from those around us

I wouldn't go as far as to say he was "poor". Thought, much like Berrett yesterday, he did ok but could've done better with quite a few things. Just an average 6/10.

If we are to stick with 2 up front it'll be healthy competition having Vernon (who I do appreciate what he CAN give us) and Matt (looks a handful but too early to judge him technically) vying for that target man role.

I think Vernon put in a good shift yesterday especially after a few games out at this early stage of the season. I like his work ethic across the pitch. He's a good hold up man as opposed to a target man bringing down long balls so the more we get the ball to his feet the better.

I guess the question no arises that after a better performance yesterday in the final third will Jones be straight back in next week or will RS go for a bit of continuity for a game or two more?

Personally, Vernon impressed me yesterday. He's 'unspectacular' but he's incredibly clever with how he works and uses his body to unsettle the defence - this noticeably freed up more space for Hooper and I feel it's coincidence that (in my opinion) JJ had his best game for us yesterday. Vernon isn't the type of forward who's going to drop into midfield, pick the ball up, and run at the defence but his presence is just as valuable for applying pressure. It also prevents clearances from coming straight back at us as he challenges in the air, and this gives us an outlet and more time to reset on the transition.

I think we should start with the same 11, a bit of continuity and also a positive message to those who got the victory

Vernon always puts a real shift in even though he looked short of match fitness (obviously) he still gave his all. This gave Hooper a lot more freedom and he flourished. We kept their defence very busy and with Dembele,Rose.Woolford and D.J. all causing problems.

Crewe flattered to deceive but apart from a couple of lapses our defence looked solid. Osborne looked very good indeed and is very strong and quick.

Hope this is the start of good spell now certainly restored some faith in the stands.

As I said last night, I thought Mills was good. Cut out several passes, made a fantastic tackle in the second half and put in some lovely crosses. Obviously made a shocking pass that put them in but I don't remember many chances from them coming down our right hand side!

Also, I'm having a real dilemma putting Sam Jones back in the team! Can't really swap him for Hooper or Rose after their performance, swapping him for Vernon means we have to change how we play and swapping him for Berrett means we lose a bit of shape. The only other option would be putting him on the wing but he isn't very good out there.

He's shown petulance when he's played this season, presumably because he doesn't want to play out wide, but I do think that he's one of our best players and the only natural goal scorer in the squad.

Quoted from Grantley

Also, I'm having a real dilemma putting Sam Jones back in the team! Can't really swap him for Hooper or Rose after their performance, swapping him for Vernon means we have to change how we play and swapping him for Berrett means we lose a bit of shape. The only other option would be putting him on the wing but he isn't very good out there.

He's shown petulance when he's played this season, presumably because he doesn't want to play out wide, but I do think that he's one of our best players and the only natural goal scorer in the squad.

All of that - and after getting himself a three game ban, surely it's up to him to earn his place back in the team?

Berrett had a good game for me , especially 1st half when he bossed the midfield

Funny how opinions differ.

I thought we were much improved with two up top but don't think we were as good as many seem to. We were certainly the better team in the first half and generally controlled the game. Vernon's efforts allowed Hooper to show some more ability on the ball and we had more of a threat up front than at other times I've seen this season.

However, they quickly took over midfield in the second half and we struggled to get the ball clear at times - no coincidence that we committed almost twice as many fouls as them which meant we needed to do too much defending. I thought Rose was pretty poor for much of the last twenty minutes or so and was well off the pace, often punting the ball forward aimlessly. If he was struggling to breathe then that could explain it, but they broke past our midfield too easily several times and it was only some good defending which saved us.

The big plus was that we defended very well against a team with quite a few big players who were awkward to deal with aerially at set pieces. Their best chance came from a bit of luck as a hacked clearance fell straight to Porter with Mills caught out of position. Thankfully, McKeown and Osborne were on hand to make excellent blocks.

My biggest frustration was that we made too many bad decisions which were just unnecessary. Most of their attacking chances came from us losing possession for no reason as several of our players were caught dwelling on the ball for no reason. Going forward, we managed to butcher some really good counter-attacking opportunities through poor passes or decisions and we really should have made their keeper make some saves given these opportunities.

Despite these criticisms, it was much more encouraging but we need to cut out a lot of the needless errors as we are likely to be caught out by the better teams if we do the same against them.

All in all, nobody had a bad game which has to be good and Clarke certainly performed better alongside Osborne so that's probably put Collins on the bench for now.

Cautiously optimistic but hoping for a big improvement yet as there is certainly enough ability in the team for us to get a lot better.

Quoted from Grantley

Also, I'm having a real dilemma putting Sam Jones back in the team! Can't really swap him for Hooper or Rose after their performance, swapping him for Vernon means we have to change how we play and swapping him for Berrett means we lose a bit of shape. The only other option would be putting him on the wing but he isn't very good out there.

He's shown petulance when he's played this season, presumably because he doesn't want to play out wide, but I do think that he's one of our best players and the only natural goal scorer in the squad.

To build on a good result and improved performance we need to stay "as is" for a bit I think otherwise all these players who have not played that much together won't gel. I guess the only thing that may impact things is if Slade wants to play one up top away, personally I would stick with e side/shape from yesterday next week, and yes before the Old Codger chips in that does include Berrett.  

I also agree that despite the odd error Mills looked like he was really focused on his defensive duties I would have loved it though if that attempt in the 2nd half had sneaked in.

On a different aspect from yesterday. The attendance was around 1000 lower than the corresponding fixture at the same time last year and with a similar number of visitors.

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

Berrett had a good game for me , especially 1st half when he bossed the midfield

His best 45 minutes at Blundell Park - less in the game 2nd half when Crewe came at us.

Just woke up !!

Had a long day on the beer yesterday pre and post match.....pre match chatter was pretty depressing all round, picking the bones out of the England match and lamenting Slades tactics and performances to date....

team news arrived....ooohhhh two strikers...4-4-2 ? At home ?? ...a change we have all clamoured for....the mood was lightened instantly....

As for the game....completely dominant IMO, Crewe hardly saw the Pontoon end first half...noticeable the play was much further up the pitch, the back line was 20-30 yds further forward as a unit which helped condense the play, gave the midfield more options to play to feet which they did, gave Crewe less space to play with and our midfield were also on hand for the second balls and drop offs from the front two.

All in all very comfortable day, a couple of squeaky bum moments at the end which McKeown did superbly with but not to take all three points would have been a travesty.

Highlights for me..Crewe fans singing "we only get sh1t refs"...thought that was our song !!  Rose rock solid in the middle.

Post match chatter was polar opposite to pre match, all very happy and positive.....hopefully Slade will consider this as a much more effective game plan and move away from the lone striker more often.

UTM

Much improved performance yesterday that will hopefully instill some much needed confidence. We looked a lot more solid at the back with Clarke and Osborne absolutely outstanding. No disrespect to Danny Collins but this has to be the central defensive partnership going forward, they looked like they had played together for years. Mills looked his usual self, very good going forward and is starting to develop a really good understanding with Dembele. Dixon is defensively sound, but he frustrates the life out of me with some really sloppy passes, also contrary to what others have said his crossing is poor, so many times yesterday he couldn't clear the first man. But having said all that his main responsibility is to defend and there's no issues on that front.

For me though the main reason for us looking better defensively is Mitch Rose. I can't state enough how much I rate this guy. He does so much work in that area in front of the back four, intercepting passes, tracking runners, winning tackles and blocking shots, but not only that the lad can play a bit too. Late on in the second half he knocked a couple of lovely balls over the top for Hooper to chase. He really does knit this team together and he's only in his early twenties so Dembele might not be the only playing asset this club has. Rose's partner in crime James Berrett had the best game I've seen him have if I'm honest. He also gets through an incredible amount of work, most of which is unseen, and he looked composed on the ball as well. A couple of sloppy moments late on that I'm sure the Berrett haters will be all too aware of but we can forgive that.

Out wide Dembele gave us his usual unpredictable excitement, and very credible work rate. He is just a consistent end product away from being a complete winger. Woolford on the other side looked understandably short on match fitness but you could see there was enough there to warrant his signature, he looks like an old Alan Buckley style winger in that he's more interested in playing tricky little one two' rather that skinning his full back for pace.

Up top Scot Vernon made the difference big time, he allowed Hooper to play facing the goal rather than with his back to it, he did all the donkey work for him, battling defenders, holding the ball up and laying simple passes off. He doesn't win much in the air but he doesn't really need to as his all round game gives enough. Hooper looked much more comfortable playing with a partner, running in behind and working the channels really well. He's a threat, and with a bit more match sharpness and confidence he'll only improve.

Overall a better performance and we looked so much more comfortable and dangerous playing a 442. Tough game next week but I think we could hurt them on the counter attack.

Interesting how we all watch the same match but can see things completely differently.

On the positives nobody had a poor game and some early season fears i.e. Re Hooper, and to a lesser extent Dixon, may have been dispelled. Like Herts I am not a Berrett fan but agree with others his first half was his best at BP whilst he has been with us, however, thought he faded second half and still not sure he is a defensive midfield player as tackling is certainly not his strength. Also very late in the game thought he was guilty of a naughty studs down the shin tackle which he was lucky the ref did not consider more serious. Also agree with Maringer, that Crewe were allowed to get beyond our midfield two a bit too easily on more than one occasion. However, disagree with Maringer re Rose who I thought played some excellent long balls and only hoofed it once in my recollection near the end which happens.

Vernon is also a guy who can to a lesser extent divide opinion. Accept, he is an intelligent player, with good movement, good close control and great commitment, however, he rarely wins a header, his distribution in the first half was poor and his lack of pace in the second half resulted in two great opportunities to score not even ending with a shot at goal. That said he played an important role yesterday but was a 6/10 at best. If Matt/Asante can be a younger quicker version and Hooper plays like yesterday we may be very useful going forward as all wide options on show yesterday plus Tombola give us pretty exciting options with Woolford looking a decent footballer, the others all having great pace but need improvement re their final ball.

At the back liked Osbourne, however, against the grain maybe after yesterday I would like to see him play with Collins rather than Clarke as this will give us much better balance re right/left foot which should help our shape.

However, will accept that these eleven deserve another go next Saturday.

Also strange when we win at home how often we say we were playing a poor team. I believe we should know from last season that sides in this division can be very unpredictable and inconsistent but also how important getting that first goal really is. Go one down at home and sides sit back, are hard to break down and can be dangerous on the break especially given the lack of pace in our back four.

With the players we still have unavailable we have reason to be optimistic that we will come good and IMHO we may have to wait a while for this to happen but feel we will have a very good second half of the season which will see us push up the league.

The best performance of the season that's what i expect from a Slade team they pressed great, fought for the lose balls for once, was always in Crewe's faces all game, Osbourne was the best player on the pitch by far, Hooper ran the channels well looked a lot more energized.

Mills got up the pitch well whipped in some good balls, Clarke should have scored from a great berrett corner, Dixon had a good game best game by far, Rose got stuck in reminded me of Paul Bolland yesterday.

Berrett did okay his best game for the club he does a lot that goes unnoticed unlike Rose who's gets stuck in Clements can get goals from midfield, berrett"s does get missed what he provides at times.

Woolford showed more in 60 mins then Kelly has shown in 5 games, Woolford was going to be rusty no pre season but in a month's time will be a good asset to us once he's match fit, Vernon did well holding the ball up brings others into play nice, Hooper was excellent ran the channels for once could be threat up front now with Vernon, Matt and Hooper to choose from.

I think Sam Jones would struggle to break into the team at the moment, DJ is a good impact player late on with his pace, also Bolarinwa can do that role aswell.

I do think late on we can get bypassed in midfield Crewe on a couple of occasions just ran from midfield untouched and Chris Porter should of buried his chance aswell.

All around very happy with the hard work and commitment shown by the team.

The dfrerance about todays game  is  that for long periods we took the game to them instead  of sitting back,until Davies was brought on.

Quoted from HertsGTFC

I think Vernon put in a good shift yesterday especially after a few games out at this early stage of the season. I like his work ethic across the pitch. He's a good hold up man as opposed to a target man bringing down long balls so the more we get the ball to his feet the better.

I guess the question no arises that after a better performance yesterday in the final third will Jones be straight back in next week or will RS go for a bit of continuity for a game or two more?

I'd like to see Jones used in the position that he was used to prior to coming here, ie attacking mid-fielder.

Quoted from rancido

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I'd like to see Jones used in the position that he was used to prior to coming here, ie attacking mid-fielder.

Same TBH, would you go 4-4-2 with Rose as the holding player?

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Same TBH, would you go 4-4-2 with Rose as the holding player?

I'm all for attacking football but think that would be suicide with Sirriki, Woolford and Jones in a midfield 4.

Two tough games coming up at Mansfield then Stanley. Stay in the game and break with pace, power and purpose

I think it would be good to stay the same next week. I am sure Jones will force his way in at some point but "unchanged" has to be the way for me.  

Quoted from Cloudy

I'm all for attacking football but think that would be suicide with Sirriki, Woolford and Jones in a midfield 4.

Two tough games coming up at Mansfield then Stanley. Stay in the game and break with pace, power and purpose

If we go 4-4-2, then Jones has to be in the 2 not the 4 which would be very unfair on Hooper.

Agree I don't think we could play Jones in central midfield two in a 442.

When people have said before about him playing as an attacking midfielder, I think it would've been in the line of 3 in Gateshead's 4231 they always seem to favour.

Jones is too good to leave out IMO. You don't leave one of your best players on the sidelines, especially one who has his goal threat.

How would you set up/ selection Ginny with Jones back in?