Just back and a bit more..

If Slade thinks we were far superior then he wants a refund from Specsavers. With statements like that the man proves he hasn't got a clue-he is not fit for purpose and as for having an assistant possibly a carer would be more beneficial.

Quoted from ginnywings

One thing that crops up in every game is how many free kicks we give away, which indicates players who are slow in thought or deed, and in some cases both. Seem to be on the back foot a lot and lose more first balls than we win. We are also very easy to score against and i can't remember many goals that the opposition have had to really work to get. Two poor sides that didn't have enough nous to win the game and the Dembele love in is fading fast. All fart and no follow through. Give DJ a start and get Jones back in the side. He's the only consistent scorer we have.

Agree about it being two poor teams. I do think as poor as we were we created easily enough chances to win the game and should've been comfortably in front by the 2nd half. The football is certainly not pretty.
Feel for Dembele last night because he was unlucky when he thumped the inside of the post and he put in the best cross of the season for Hooper to fluff his header.

Whilst it was excrement, it was good to see us come from behind twice and Matt should've won the game in the end even though that would've been more than we deserved.  
Not great value for money if you paid 20 quid though.

Summerfield was our best player but to me that shows how garbage we was.

Quoted from jonnyboy82

Summerfield was our best player but to me that shows how garbage we was were.

Sorry Johnny just on edge a bit this morning

Regarding ginny's point about free-kicks, I'm in agreement. OK, last night their players were going down like a pack of cards at the slightest hint of a touch, but we still gave them a heck of a lot of opportunities to whack the ball into our box and cause a potential threat with their height at the back. I'd say it isn't as much the defenders doing this as the midfield and strikers with Dembele particularly guilty of trying to get a foot in when the ball isn't in a threatening position but also isn't there to win. After our second equaliser last night, we had enough time to put them under some pressure but immediately gave away a couple of stupid fouls in their half which allowed them to calm down and put it into our half.

I think Slade is a percentages type of manager who thinks Charles Hughes was on to something, hence the desire for us to get the ball forward quickly. Problem is that we're not backing up the strikers well enough to be successful at this so we're not picking up enough of the second balls when it is hit long and we're also not using the ball intelligently enough either. Very few balls into the corner to run on to of the sort we saw in the Slade Mk. I era.

I agree that we need to pass the ball a bit more, but I've not seen anything to indicate we're nearly accurate enough at this to play a tippy-tappy sort of game.

I have to say that the comment earlier in this thread that Dixon is one of the worst passers we've ever had is just ridiculous. If anything, I'd say one of his strengths is that he's comfortable on the ball and decent at passing. His weakness is a relative lack of pace.

I think his distribution is woeful sorry Maringer. Everybpass is to an opponant or out of play

I'm with Maringer on this one. It wasn't the best of matches but it's 4th tier football. That's not an admission that we should just accept rubbish but I don't think the game was far too dissimilar to many others in League Two. IMO we were the better side and deserved the win (without being spectacular). All ifs and buts, but had it not been for a goalkeeper error or a good second goal we'd have come away with another win and for me a similar level performance to Crewe and Yeovil.
...Having said all of that... I do agree that we don't seem to have a particular style or game plan which is concerning. It all seems a bit 'keep going and we might score'. Slade still doesn't seem sure of his starting 11. I think Hooper has been unlucky to find himself out of the side in recent weeks and showed again last night what he can do. Imo he's our liveliest centre forward. I don't know whether he was forced off and I know Vernon soon followed but I don't think Vernon and Matt should ever be on the pitch at the same time. Not because of their ability but just because of what they offer.
Mckeown, Davies (Mills fit?), Dixon, Clarke, Collins, Dembele, Woolford, Berrett, Rose, Jones, Hooper in a 442 for me on Saturday. Harsh on Summerfield who I don't think had a bad game last night. It's gonna be a real struggle because they are a more dynamic, better coached side brimming with confidence there's no doubting that. We'll have to be right up for it so hopefully the gate will be up and play a part.

If we can't beat them then we are in trouble. Their centre backs were very poor and the only decent players were Comley and their left mid who looked the best player on the pitch.

We were equally as bad. Summerfield was the best of a bad lot and thought Hooper did ok.

I'm getting a nasty feeling that we are actually excrement.

Quoted from barralad

I couldn't go tonight due to illness but have spoken to three people who did who independently said that Summerfield was our best player. How did he play in your view?

He was no worse than anyone else in a town shirt mate and put in far more effort than most as always.He isn`t great and playing alongside JB doesn`t help because neither are creative

.....
will try and offer my more considered thoughts, however, my post last night still stands for an overall summary....

Summerfield - passed the ball forwards with intent at times, actually giving the strikers and Dembele the ball to feet..
Clarke and Collins - steady but no particular test for them from the opposition
Davies - too many free kicks given away when he simply just barges into the back of players who are presenting no goal threat
Dixon & Woolford - zero influence on our ball retention or attacking play...its like having Robertson & Monkhouse...two aging players who cant outrun players and dont have the legs to even try....Woolford needs an overlapping full back to feed, Dixon needs a speedy tricky winger in front of him. With those two in the starting line we instantly lose a whole attacking option and have to rely on the opposite wing.
Dembele - bright moments ending in little end product, trying too hard probably but when the attacking width sits squarely on your shoulders then perhaps thats why
Hooper - made his goal out of nothing but not alot else, probably due to service and his partner for the night
Vernon - not alot of service to suit his capability, tried but just not capable of creating goals in that sort of style
McKeown - howler for the first, down his throat and straight through him but not alot of other.
Berrett - didnt really notice either way

Tactics - it is either a direct instruction from Slade to hit it long and then hopefully pick up the pieces....or the back four have so little option from the midfield they have to either go backwards and let Mckeown hit it or long or they just do it themselves.

Post Edit - oh and FFS can we please sort out the fking throw ins !!! We dont have a long throw in the locker so why do we persist with pretending we do ?? Every single attempt last night fell about 5 yds short of our players....either the player has to start closer to the thrower or we just scrap it...it didnt work 1000 times last season and it isnt going to work this season either if we carry on as is.

Either way up its uninspiring and 2000 less on the home gate since the opening home game speaks volumes considering  the defined target from the board/manager/club is play off / promotion.

The Fans arent buying it John.