Just back

With all the extra revenue from season ticket sales and being back in the EFL we never did sign that hairs on the back of your neck striker did we.

Hope it won't cost us in the long run.

Quoted from ginnywings

Anyone got a link to PH post match please?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d3150m

The kind of night that makes you wonder why you bother with football. A long day for me that began with the first of many work meetings at 7am. Set off from Leeds about 6:15, arrived just after 7:30pm to find absolutely nowhere to park. Anywhere. Never used to be an issue, but we are operating in different times.

Finally found somewhere to park and rocked up to Blundell Park about 8 o’clock, only to find my ticket wouldn’t let me in. “This ticket has been cancelled”, said the reader. As I racked my brain as to whether I’d upset anyone at the club or whether those flares in my underpants had finally been rumbled it occurred to me that this was the game I had released my seat for while away on holidays only for it to be abandoned.

Some dícking about in the ticket office ensued and I was issued a ticket for a different seat. Having already missed much of the first half by this point I duly accepted and trundled off to investigate whether whoever was sat in my ST seat looked soft enough for me to turf out or not. Fortunately it remained unoccupied and so no awkward confrontation was necessary, but the club need to get slicker over this if they want people to proactively release their tickets when they can’t make it.

I sat down to take in the final 15 minutes or so of the first half. Town knocked it about better than we did on Saturday and I thought we looked slightly cuter in our approach at times, but still didn’t create much to get people off their seat.

I’m not going to lay into Efete; he didn’t look before playing back to Crocombe and then scuffed his pass, but he seems to be having a crisis of confidence at the moment. I believe he’s every bit a competent League Two full back; I’m not convinced he does. There was a moment before his mistake when he made a fantastic bursting run forward, received the perfect through ball and then froze, slowed, stopped and played the ball back.

I hope his goal gave him some confidence. It gave us a period of belief where, a bit like on Saturday, I felt that if we could get the equaliser we could get the winner. Like Saturday, it wasn’t to be. We huffed, we puffed, but after that initial spell we looked defeated.

There were some positives. I thought Hunt played the ball well, looking like a young Wayne Burnett at times, though his set pieces were lacking slightly. Waterfall did well too, and I thought Richardson played as well as I have seen him in a Town shirt when he came on.

There were a couple off the pace though. Crocombe’s usually excellent kicking poor tonight, and I’m not sure Maher really grabbed his opportunity with both hands. Officials poor too, but I’ve come to expect that.

All in all, I’m frustrated, disappointed but ultimately philosophical about things. This is a noticeable step up. Even middling teams like Carlisle are solid, have some quality in front and know how to manage games. Stockport, league winners last season and much more well heeled than us have found things tough.

The home form is an increasing concern, but I do believe it will change. Hurst has a lot of options at his disposal; he now quickly needs to establish the right combination. I have confidence that he will.

To add to the day’s frustration I felt tired on the drive home so stopped off at Donny Services for a couple of Monster energy drinks. They worked a treat, not only to the point that not only did I not plough my car through the central barrier of the M62, but also that I don’t think I’ll be able to contemplate sleeping for at least another 3 hours. Up again at 5:30.

But, as I said in my opening comments, these are nights that make you question why you do it. The very antithesis of the Notts County, Wrexham and Solihull games. Annoying, yet necessary for those rare events to mean what they do.  And whilst I don’t think our ascent will necessarily be an easy or smooth one, I’m still confident there are more days like that on the horizon.

UTM!

Quoted from Chrisblor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d3150m

Thank you.

Khan , JMD and Hunt where the standouts for me , and once the changes where made , and they had strikers who made runs in behind, they are much more suited to that kind of game and it was like watching a different side , felt like we could get the second , when at half time we didn’t look like get one . Maher was a bit of a let down , kept opting to try and kick the ball instead of just getting his head on it , but only just come into the side so can’t be too harsh . Effete maybe needs a game out , to re set his focus . Didn’t play badly , but Carlisle had the better chances and forced the most saves

Really liked the 4 across midfield and hope PH sticks with them. Hunts passing is brilliant, most the time he makes it look casual and easy. Khan was motm for me but tired aswell as jmd. A shame cropper is injured as Efete struggled defensively. For me I'd only make the 1 change and that's Simmonds for Richardson moving forward.
Keep the faith. Looking forward to coming to Grimsby next weekend and watching a home game, let's hope I can help break the BP curse

The first caller to Humberside on the way home nailed it. We still haven’t signed the alternative to Taylor. We’ve got three young loanees plus Orsi, who didn’t set Harrogate on fire in his first league season and, given his selections, it’s pretty clear PH either doesn’t trust them or doesn’t know how to use them.

The problem is the lack of McAtee who plays brilliantly off Taylor and the lack of either an alternative player or alternative plan.

I’ve slept on it now so I’m more level headed about it now: that was crap. There were bits that were slightly better than Saturday but not much. Taylor does a job but he can’t do it on his own - Simmonds let him down a bit. Orsi and Richardson coming on gave us a bit of mobility which worried them for about ten mins. JMD was a minor improvement on Kiernan. Khan was MOM - he needs to stay fit.

I seem to watch the same game about 15 times a season - crap ref, timewasting opposition and us not having any idea on how to get through them. That was my sixth game this season and I’ve seen one win (Rochdale) and probably two halves that have been ‘good’ performances.

Quoted from Quagmire

MOM Khan

Maher didn’t have a bad game but I’d have Smith back in on Saturday

Richardson and Orsi need to start at Salford

Effete miles away from what we need, but don’t think Cropper is the answer either (when fit)

Think we’re missing Morris in the middle of the park

Really don’t know what our best 11 / formation is - not sure Hurst does either.

While I agree about Effete,I'm not sure we can make the same judgement about Cropper as he hasn't figured much this season

We seem absolutely stuck on this 4411 or whatever you want to call it. Without McAtee, we rotate the “1” off Taylor desperate to find the winning combination and last night it was Simmonds’ turn. It failed again and I hope now we realise there is only one John McAtee and until his return, we need to find another system that suits rather than shoehorning people in to his role.

I said it on the weekend - we should have started with Orsi alongside Taylor last night. I get we like the defensive solidarity of an extra player in that space between the central pair and Taylor, but when they are ineffective in that role you’re almost playing with 10 so you’d be better off two forwards alongside each other (and look at the difference after we went that way last night).

Disappointing again but so long as we learn and adapt I can cope with that. If we line up with anything other than 442 against Crawley though I might just pull the last of my hair out.