Next Four Games

As a person I quite warm to Artell, clearly he’s an intelligent bloke, arguably too intelligent, he seems hard working, open & clearly is values led.

As a football manager I just don’t get what he’s trying to do. He came in got the team playing out and it fell over quickly. Then we change shape & style with 3 CBs & it started to look better and we started picking up points, we then seemingly abandon what has kept things tight against 2 of the best sides in the league.

The manner of the last 2 defeats looks like we’ve once again regressed.

Quoted from Theimperialcoroner

Don’t think he’s moved away from it, Wood and AG offered very little in midfield meaning Clifton and Hume were covering too much ground. Also their 34 and Telford ran us ragged with quick transition on an almost unplayable pitch in the 1st half. Pete Wilde has got them performing well.

You were there so I’ll bow to your opinion but then it’s extremely concerning that in the clip of the second goal I’ve seen you can’t see either of our full backs at any point even though we gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch 30 yards from our goal.

Let's not forget that we have just played 2 of the much better sides in the league, and both have made us look severely wanting. Wrexham comfortably saw off the excellent Mansfield yesterday, and Barrow are in great form, especially at home.

Now we are back to the less capable teams, I'm hoping for a much better showing. We are still in a better position than the three teams below us...for now.

Results have mainly gone our way for the last few rounds of games, but yesterday they didn't, FGR apart. That is bound to happen some weeks, and it could swing back the other way on Monday. If it doesn't, then we look at it again.

I've gone from optimistic, to fairly optimistic, to slightly anxious over the last four games, but the crunch is now coming with games running out fast, so buckle up folks.

Quoted from mariner91

You were there so I’ll bow to your opinion but then it’s extremely concerning that in the clip of the second goal I’ve seen you can’t see either of our full backs at any point even though we gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch 30 yards from our goal.

It was because in this 5-3-2 we've been playing recently there's absolutely zero width offered by the strikers and central midfielders, so it's up to the wing backs to provide it. Artell also mentioned (correctly in my view having been at the game yesterday) that Barrow would be sitting in a low block and that he'd instructed the players to either go over or around it rather than trying to play through the middle.

Presumably owing to those instructions some of our better transitions came from playing cross field balls to either Hume or Clifton in advanced positions up the pitch. That however is a tactic which is completely undone by midfielders and centre backs giving the ball away in dangerous positions (as happened for both of the first two goals).

If you're playing three CBs I don't think it's that complacent to allow your wing backs a bit of freedom to get further up the pitch when you're in possession, but that does rely on their teammates being competent at controlling and passing a football, which is apparently too much of an ask for a lot of this town squad.

Quoted from Chrisblor

It was because in this 5-3-2 we've been playing recently there's absolutely zero width offered by the strikers and central midfielders, so it's up to the wing backs to provide it. Artell also mentioned (correctly in my view having been at the game yesterday) that Barrow would be sitting in a low block and that he'd instructed the players to either go over or around it rather than trying to play through the middle.

Presumably owing to those instructions some of our better transitions came from playing cross field balls to either Hume or Clifton in advanced positions up the pitch. That however is a tactic which is completely undone by midfielders and centre backs giving the ball away in dangerous positions (as happened for both of the first two goals).

If you're playing three CBs I don't think it's that complacent to allow your wing backs a bit of freedom to get further up the pitch when you're in possession, but that does rely on their teammates being competent at controlling and passing a football, which is apparently too much of an ask for a lot of this town squad.

Yeah which is kind of the point I’m making. Against MK Dons the full backs only got forward when the ball was moving forward, they rarely moved ahead of the ball. You’re absolutely right that we don’t have the centre backs or midfielders capable of keeping basic possession consistently so especially against the better teams it makes no sense to push the full backs on miles ahead of the ball. We know full well that we’re likely to give it away in our defensive third multiple times each game so minimise that risk.

With competent players you can push your full or wing backs on, like Barrow did against us at BP (wasn’t there yesterday). The problem is that you can count on one hand the number of competent FL players we have.

Quoted from mariner91

Yeah which is kind of the point I’m making. Against MK Dons the full backs only got forward when the ball was moving forward, they rarely moved ahead of the ball. You’re absolutely right that we don’t have the centre backs or midfielders capable of keeping basic possession consistently so especially against the better teams it makes no sense to push the full backs on miles ahead of the ball. We know full well that we’re likely to give it away in our defensive third multiple times each game so minimise that risk.

With competent players you can push your full or wing backs on, like Barrow did against us at BP (wasn’t there yesterday). The problem is that you can count on one hand the number of competent FL players we have.

I totally agree with you and have mentioned it somewhere else, he's trying to push the full backs further forward than before. Yes they had to push forward to provide width but only with the ball or from behind the ball, they started from more of a FB position and we were defensively a back 5.

He also tried changing the team to his favoured back 4 for the 2nd half v Gillingham and we looked bad there too.

The more his way is played the worse we get in my opinion.
He's under massive pressure again now so hopefully he gets back in his box v Bradford.

Next Saturday's game at home to Newport will tell us if we will stay up or not.

Colchester are home to Wrexham

FGR at home to franchise FC

Sutton at home to Stockport

If it all goes to plan we could be all but safe, but football is funny stuff and never goes to plan.  Here's hoping just for once it sticks to the form book

Quoted from mimma

Next Saturday's game at home to Newport will tell us if we will stay up or not.

Colchester are home to Wrexham

FGR at home to franchise FC

Sutton at home to Stockport

If it all goes to plan we could be all but safe, but football is funny stuff and never goes to plan.  Here's hoping just for once it sticks to the form book

Win the next two and we get to 45 points. Can't see FGR getting near that. And its a tough ask for Sutton too.  This time next week we will have a very clear idea of our chances of staying up.,