Come on Town let's get our first home win of the season tonight.


This evening's #GTFC XI: McKeown, Hendrie, Pollock, Waterfall, Wright, Rose, Taylor, Clifton, Bennett, Windsor, Gibson.

Subs: Battersby, Idehen, Preston, Morton, Williams, Scannell, Green.

3-4-3?

Could be  Clifton and Wright as wingbacks

3-5-2?
Come on town

This is an observation not a criticism, but I look at Town's line-ups these days and have no idea what the plan is.

I prefer that one to the last one at the weekend. Hope to see Clifton in the middle and not wasted out wide somewhere. Bennett showed promise and still feel Gibson offers more than Green and just needs a goal to get up and running. Personally yet to be convinced Wright has enough to offer (runs down too many blind alleys/lacks quality on final ball) so be interesting to see how he does after a bit of time out.

Quoted from Poojah

This is an observation not a criticism, but I look at Town's line-ups these days and have no idea what the plan is.

I have no idea who half the players are😁😁😁

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Could be  Clifton and Wright as wingbacks

Are either of these really wing backs? Setting them up for a fall I feel. Clifton needs to be in the middle and Wright out wide further forward. If we insist on playing with wing backs then I then it’s fair to question the recruitment, or lack of, for that position.

No Mohsni again. I dont get it. To not even be on the bench

Quoted from Hagrid

No Mohsni again. I dont get it. To not even be on the bench

Particularly as it would make sense to have Hendrie as the wing back on the right and either Mohsni or Idehan as the third centre back. If we are going 3 at the back of course!

Wright on the right and Bennett on the left in a 3-5-2?

Quoted from Poojah

This is an observation not a criticism, but I look at Town's line-ups these days and have no idea what the plan is.

Is that you Mr Holloway?

iFollow playing up already, frozen picture with no sound at the moment after it was working OK   :-/

Quoted from forza ivano

I have no idea who half the players are😁😁😁

You must be Mr Holloway then

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

Could be  Clifton and Wright as wingbacks

I suspect that's correct and I'll be very disappointed if Clifton is pushed out wide to get Taylor in the team.

Never liked wingbacks, we always get exposed out wide

Quoted from RichMariner

Wright on the right and Bennett on the left in a 3-5-2?

This makes the most sense and I prefer it to the wingbacks and my suggested 343

I like wing backs when the wing backs know what they're doing. We don't have those players.

Quoted from Henryscat

This makes the most sense and I prefer it to the wingbacks and my suggested 343

3-5-2 is wingbacks??

Quoted from promotion plaice

iFollow playing up already, frozen picture with no sound at the moment after it was working OK   :-/

Same here refresh it and its fine for 5 mins then gets stuck again, pretty sure its at there end.

Yep....ifollow the same for me. I have tried 4 different browsers...works for a couple of minutes then starts buffering and freezing.

I havent had a clue what Olley is trying to do since day one. For me if he plays Clifton  and wright as wingbacks  he can go the same place as the last 3 managers . on the dole  He put this weak squad together and has not got a clue what to do with them , its ok going off at them when things dont work out  but this is what you get when you try to get kids to do a mans job .. Saying that i hope we win 3-0

GreT to read that everyone’s happy this evening.....jeeezz

Ive just rewound it back about 3 mins and fine for now as long as your not goiong to be looking at other media etc. flashing up the scores.

iPhone works fine for me as it always has. It does say it’s not supported on laptops.

Is Barrow's captain Sam Hird?

Ifollow is plop

Quoted from marinette

Is Barrow's captain Sam Hird?

Aye

Quoted from psgmariner

iPhone works fine for me as it always has. It does say it’s not supported on laptops.

Where are you reading that? Definitely is 100% supported on laptops on the GTFC site.

Gibson is not a football league player in a million years. Has the technique of a donkey

e: and that's frankly pathetic from Wright, how do you not even get it on target from that position under zero pressure ffs

I'm done with ifollow after this...just frozen picture and buffering.

Max wright misses a sitter. No excuses there. Thats garbage

At least we’ve created more in the first 10 than the last two games put together

Looking much better...

Quoted from tintowner

I'm done with ifollow after this...just frozen picture and buffering.

Same here, never had a problem before..... it's crap.

Quoted from oochiad

Looking much better...

What the footy or i follow ?

People having problems with iFollow:

Click the cog in the bottom right, select ''Quality' and then set to '720p (3000kbps)'. Might need to click 'Live' next to the progress bar to get it back to live footage and force it to buffer. Any higher seems to be buffering but seems solid at that setting.

We're creating stuff and looking dangerous which is a refreshing change

Quoted from BenBB

People having problems with iFollow:

Click the cog in the bottom right, select ''Quality' and then set to '720p (3000kbps)'. Might need to click 'Live' next to the progress bar to get it back to live footage and force it to buffer. Any higher seems to be buffering but seems solid at that setting.

Thanks that's finally got it working for me

Hovver your mouse over the bottom of the screen and click on the white progress bar....usually works for me....also in settings drop it down to the 504 setting...

My ifollow is working perfectly Pete, the football is definitely better.....I have everything crossed for a result🤞

At least we’re creating actual chances. No way Hendrie was offside, at least two to his left playing him on. Maybe dangerous foot at the keeper.

Thank you Ben

Ah when I was much younger I understood the simple formation of 2 fullbacks with 2 wing halves & a centre half  in the middle. Up front were 2 wingers, 2 inside forwards & a centre forward.  I recall it was always enjoyable to watch talented professional players with the relative freedom to express themselves. What are wing backs? I guess time, computers & stuff have caught up with me. UTM      

flipping stay onside gibson

Quoted from BenBB

People having problems with iFollow:

Click the cog in the bottom right, select ''Quality' and then set to '720p (3000kbps)'. Might need to click 'Live' next to the progress bar to get it back to live footage and force it to buffer. Any higher seems to be buffering but seems solid at that setting.

Thanks mate it's working now   :)

Quoted from Heswall Mariner

Ah when I was much younger I understood the simple formation of 2 fullbacks with 2 wing halves & a centre half  in the middle. Up front were 2 wingers, 2 inside forwards & a centre forward.  I recall it was always enjoyable to watch talented professional players with the relative freedom to express themselves. What are wing backs? I guess time, computers & stuff have caught up with me. UTM      

Ah yes! The old 3-2-5 when players kicked the ball towards (and often into) the oppositions goal (instead of backwards and into their own).  

It all went to rat excrement when the inside forwards became midfielders

Has Gibson recently got married and double barrelled  his partners name ?
Tondeur keeps referring to him as Gibson-Offside

Don't take Gibson off, I've got 10+ offsides on Bet365!

Gibson is the kid that used to goal-hang at one end of the playground.

I think Maxi was looking for a decision there 😉

Quoted from Morris Minor

Don't take Gibson off, I've got 10+ offsides on Bet365!

Bet you only got evens

Why did the ref stop play when we got possession there?

We are excrement at corners

On tactics, remember about 25/30 years ago at corners the attacking team would always put a couple on the near post to head it on into the 6 yard box, never see it nowadays, all this fancy Dan football of keep ball, we need some good old days excitement.

Great that we've got a centre half trying to ping one in from 35 yards instead of threading it through to Windsor who was in acres of space. Brilliant tactics and decision making, well done everyone.

What does Taylor actually do. Another excrement half of not testing the keeper

We are the better team, passing it better and looking more forceful with the ball but are lacking quality in final 3rd.

Some reasonable passages of play at times there, but we seem unfamiliar with the shape. Once we get into their final third no one quite seems to know what to do.

HT  0-0

My 100 lines tonight....

"I must stop predicting loads of Town players to score"  

I mean it’s better but it’s still pretty poor...decision making is bizarre at times and that 30 yard effort from a centre half summed it up...

Put alongside recent performances, that was a good half. More progressive and positive than of late and we really should be 1 up. Need to build on it and get a result that will boost everyone’s moral. Some of the cynicism on here is just boring and predictable, and from the usual moaners.

Looking slightly more cohesive aka putting 4 passes together in one go before losing it.

I’m not sure why we’re not a straight 4-4-2

Better overall though.

This is a rare phenomenon. I think Matt Green will improve us tonight.

Anyone else forgot the early kick off?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

This is a rare phenomenon. I think Matt Green will improve us tonight.

Are you mad?

2 strikers very poor. Don't think midfield have heard of channels

Quoted from MuddyWaters

This is a rare phenomenon. I think Matt Green will improve us tonight.

The only striking option that could improve us tonight is a new one. All of our strikers (including Hanson) have been absolutely dreadful all season. Gibson needs a loan and quick.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Are you mad?

Well on the way, I think 🤔

Quoted from MuddyWaters

This is a rare phenomenon. I think Matt Green will improve us tonight.

Haha, to be honest i was thinking the same.

The formation selection is working ok really until it goes to the front line where we fizzle out hopelessly.  Certainly more progressive than in the last 3-4 games but zero end product again, Wright should have hit the target at the very least with that header but aside from that too many wrong choices in that 30-40 yd range of their goal.

Gibson and Bennett not doing enough for me so far where it matters.

A better watch at least we are going forward.  :)

Quoted from mimma

Anyone else forgot the early kick off?

Our strikers

Quoted from MuddyWaters

This is a rare phenomenon. I think Matt Green will improve us tonight.

Genuinely the funniest thing I’ve read on here for ages. And I think I agree!

Ifollow HT statistics make me laugh.  We've won 7 fouls but they have only given away 6 fouls. What happened to the other one ??

Attacking the pontoon will make all the difference

WTF was Windsor doing there, came all the way back to foul their player.

Lincoln 0-2 Portsmouth....the wheels are falling off   8)

Missing foul;  foul play?

Two poor teams.

Gibson

The new Ross Hannah

Quoted from GrimRob

Attacking the pontoon will make all the difference

If you look ever so closely, you can see the seats flinching when we shape up to shoot...

Gibson

The new Ross Hannah

Gibson - Onside

Quoted from Boris Johnson

Gibson

The new Ross Hannah

1-0 Town....Gibson

Well I wasn't expecting that!!

All you Gibson haters, look embarrassed now.

Get in

Yes
Get in
1-0 Town
Gibson
🏁

Good bit of play 2 good balls and a goal

Great cross by Max Wright.

Quoted from 123614

All you Gibson haters, look embarrassed now.

Noone hates a town player grow up

Poor effort by the supporters in the ponny after the goal, which was half decent I reckon.

Quoted from Chrisblor

Gibson is not a football league player in a million years. Has the technique of a donkey

e: and that's frankly pathetic from Wright, how do you not even get it on target from that position under zero pressure ffs

Donkey 1 Barrow 0

Credit where it’s due. That was a brilliant goal.

No messing about with the ball at the back  now we have the goal

Quoted from Hagrid

Noone hates a town player grow up

Gavin Gunning? Martyn’s Butler? Peter Beagrie...

Quoted from aldi_01

Gavin Gunning? Martyn’s Butler? Peter Beagrie...

Mmm. Point taken

Quoted from Hagrid

Noone hates a town player grow up

The way you people slag off ALL of our players seems to me that you all need to grow up,  Cut them some slack ffs sonny!

Don’t do I-Follow, not a techie so wouldn’t understand how to get it to work, so therefore I’m listening to Tondeur and watching Sky, funny how other teams score in our league they show the goal but when we score all we get is a 2 sentence comment from the chap who chairs it. It’s ok,Salfords action is shown.

Stevenage, Salford and sarfend all !osing, good night for foogball :)

Bit early to get out the celebrations but we are looking tight.
Good teams don’t give away many goals and nor are we.

Still don’t have our top side out but injuries settling down and it’s not too soon to write off our playoff chances.

Phew

How on earth did that miss? Did Macca save us again?

I thought that was 1 - 1 for sure, we’re hanging on here.

Quoted from forza ivano

Stevenage, Salford and sarfend all !osing, good night for foogball :)

Scunny are currently 3 points adrift of safety with a -13 goal difference. You ok down there boys?

[img]https://media1.giphy.com/media/3o6MbdXb01PYwS3zfa/giphy.gif[/img]

Quoted from IlkleyMariner

Bit early to get out the celebrations but we are looking tight.
Good teams don’t give away many goals and nor are we.

Still don’t have our top side out but injuries settling down and it’s not too soon to write off our playoff chances.

Shut up Ilkley :) :) :)I

Mind you i fear you've jinxed it already

As a result you've made me out money on barrow double chance in order to counter your idiocy!

Come on Town we can do this.

Quoted from BenBB

How on earth did that miss? Did Macca save us again?

No, Macca didn't touch it, JT and Gary Croft keep seeing things no one else sees.

Does Preston know which way we’re shooting?

Squeaky bum time

Back pass Preston........

Whatever people may think of Tondeur’s commentary, tonight’s is 100% improvement on Saturday with the 2 school boys from Stevenage.

Great block by Pollock, we're hanging on here   ??)

We still insist on playing out from the ball out from the back, middle and front, as Crofty says we need to mix it up a bit.

Mckeown booked for absolutely no reason...

Under pressure here

Clifton gone down with cramp....good lad   ;)

5 left come on town

Quoted from promotion plaice

Clifton gone down with cramp....good lad   ;)

Not just cramp, but ‘old fashioned’ cramp according to Croft

Phew. 3 points. Get in

FT....Town 1-0 Barrow

A massive 3 points for us  

Takes the pressure off a bit now   :)

Not a spectacle but a win is a win

UTM 🏁

Very very lucky.

And breath... finished 1- 0

Good wim town well played waterfall and pollock my two man of the matches.

Not an easy win. but 3 points will do

Quoted from Boris Johnson

Very very lucky.

And Boris Johnson would know all about Lady Luck eh? 😉

Quoted from forza ivano

Shut up Ilkley :) :) :)I

Mind you i fear you've jinxed it already

As a result you've made me out money on barrow double chance in order to counter your idiocy!

Ey up
Looks like a good result. Still plenty of time to move up once injuries an team selections are sorted.

Well done town

Mind the gap   ;)

Well done for effort but some shocking naivety by our forwards in the last 15 mins.

3 points is a good result and a home win at last.

Now let's have a good cup run.

Moment of the match: Gary Croft calling Gibson "Montel Williams".

Thought Rose was impressive. Won the ball and moved it on, generally in a forwards direction too.

Not emphatic but a win is a win. Barrow in decent form, so I'll take that all day long.

Team is slowly improving with more experience in there. Good to see Gibson get a goal and hope he now starts to relax and starts to find the net a bit more.

Quoted from shaun the sheep

Thought Rose was impressive. Won the ball and moved it on, generally in a forwards direction too.

Rose is already clearly pretty much essential to us this season, especially if Clifton is getting used out wide a fair bit. Taylor and Morton in the middle without Rose or Clifton may as well just build a path from the centre circle into our box. No surprise that that's Rose back for the last two starts and two clean sheets.

Decent performance but a bit Fenty bum at the end

Back four good, Taylor decent performance, Windsor gave all but trying too hard at times, Wright looked rusty but good to see him back, Rose to me absolutely class dont recall him hardly wasting ny possession , Bennett and Gibson weaker links.
Although he finally scored the rest of his 90 mins was pretty poor, some good touches immediately followed by just giving the ball up.

Nice to see the ball moving forward a bit quicker than of late.

3 points just about deserved despite on balance but some hairy moments and in reality hardly working their keeper.

Quoted from BenBB

Mckeown booked for absolutely no reason...

He was booked for the most blatant time wasting when he chose to climb into the Osmond to get the ball when there was one behind his goal. If he was the oppo’s goalkeeper we’d be furious with his antics, he does it all the time.

Quoted from Boris Johnson

Very very lucky.

You should know shame it’s got nothing to do with Town

Good goal from Gibson a good Olly goal pleased for the lot of em & for us
UTM

I was surprised how average a team they were really. Didn't seriously threaten us bar that late shot that came back off the post.

Seeing they were Champions of The National League last year, I thought Harrogate who only came up via the play-offs were the far better team.

Good goal, 2 clean sheets on the bang. Lots of stuff to iron out but let’s just enjoy the win.

Better than the last 3-4 games but that’s by no means an achievement. Very pleased to get the win but make no mistake, we have a long long way to go.

Clifton, Pollock Rose and Taylor (who’s improved massively) the picks for me.

Ground out a win. Great interception by Pollock at the end, and the shot that bounced to Macca was a slice of luck.

Quoted from Son of Cod

Moment of the match: Gary Croft calling Gibson "Montel Williams".

Montel Jordan wasn't it or did he slip both in? Agree it was the highlight though!

Was an error laden game. We aren't very good but tonight, fortunately Barrow were of a simillar level. Can't complain, as we have much reduced income and I feel for Ollie and his small backroom team.

Football without fans is a hard pill to swallow for many reasons.

Good 3 points I don't care how we get them, wins first entertainment second any day Just keep churning them out somehow not pretty just solid.

Quoted from Ipswin

Good 3 points I don't care how we get them, wins first entertainment second any day Just keep churning them out somehow not pretty just solid.

Have you been drinking?!

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

Montel Jordan wasn't it or did he slip both in? Agree it was the highlight though!

Hahaha yeah you're right, it was Jordan. I confused myself by Googling Montel Williams after he said it.

Ollie's Radio Humberside interview - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08x9k4k

Quoted from fishboyUTM

Was an error laden game. We aren't very good but tonight, fortunately Barrow were of a simillar level. Can't complain, as we have much reduced income and I feel for Ollie and his small backroom team.

Football without fans is a hard pill to swallow for many reasons.

Small ?
Crofty mentioned that the striking coach might have to work with Gibson on his offside......

🤣🤣🤣

Quoted from Son of Cod

Hahaha yeah you're right, it was Jordan. I confused myself by Googling Montel Williams after he said it.

Genuinely made me laugh out loud. Explaining why it was so funny to the kids didn't really work though.

regarding ifollow ,if i took the timebar back a short space it worked fine

Quoted from Teesknees

Have you been drinking?!

That did make me laugh   ;D

Quoted from Ipswin

Good 3 points I don't care how we get them, wins first entertainment second any day Just keep churning them out somehow not pretty just solid.

Hate to break this to you mate but Hagrid has taken your mantle as the most negative bas.tard on the fishy

Much better tonight. Defensively we were very good.

We are a mid table team aren't we?

Don't know whether it's been mentioned but Ollie in his post match interview said Hanson hurt his hamstring yesterday morning, sounded a bit peed off to be honest and said what's going on with him.

All the players that didn't get to play tonight will be playing for the reserves tomorrow.

Quoted from promotion plaice

Don't know whether it's been mentioned but Ollie in his post match interview said Hanson hurt his hamstring yesterday morning, sounded a bit peed off to be honest and said what's going on with him.

All the players that didn't get to play tonight will be playing for the reserves tomorrow.

Hanson’s body just isn’t up to the rigours of playing professional football.

I think its time for hanson to hang up his boots,, he only lasts a couple of games now before he breaks down again, So not getting up to speed and no use to anyone anymore. It happens to all of us sooner or later . We got him a couple of years too late but then again we would never have been able to afford him back then .

The usual star men for me  Waterfall  Pollock Clifton.  Barrow very ordinary team

Didn’t plenty of us say last year that Hanson wasn’t fit enough to play more than a handful, now it seems the same is happening again.

We may as well set up the team and said as if he’s not there, when he is perhaps he’ll have a cameo from the bench when we just need to lump it forward.

Last night wasn’t easy on the eye nor was it actually very good but much like Saturday, neither side were. We took our main chance and then Barrow huffed and puffed, the one off the post was fortunate but other than that, not a lot offered.

Chopping and changing again seems to affect our flow from one game to the next and a couple of those new lads don’t look up to much still but again, may be the constant chopping and changing isn’t helping them progress.

We’ve half a chance in the cup if we fancy it but I’m not sure we will because we’ve got games coming thick and fast (so has everyone but it seems to be one of our go to complaints) and clearly still have injury concerns.

Three points was much needed though and potentially keeps the wolf away from the door once more.

It amazes me how many ‘supporters’ moan when we lose , moan when we draw and then either disappear or seemingly, give begrudging credit when we win.

I’ve always found to a certain degree at this level that the performances of teams, when they win are not a million miles away from when they don’t. I therefore don’t get carried away when we win and certainly don’t when we have a trot of bad results.

[quote=4013

We are a mid table team aren't we?[/quote]

I don't think we're that good but it's something to aim for I suppose

Quoted from horsforthmariner

We are a mid table team aren't we?

Quoted from Ipswin

I don't think we're that good but it's something to aim for I suppose

How you define 'mid-table' is debatable, but we're currently bottom of the middle third of the division - I'd be tempted to call that 'lower mid-table'. Personally, I think the way we've set-up the squad was always going to lend itself to a sluggish start - lots of changes, players slow to reach match fitness, manager slow to establish what his best eleven (or even best eighteen) looks like.

As the season wears on, and the relentless Saturday / Tuesday combinations begin to ease I think we'll improve. Not so much that we're going to trouble the play-offs, but enough to ensure we're never seriously entertaining relegation. Mid-table, I guess. And amidst the madness of the footballing and wider world right now, that'll do me for now.

Thought Williams was a class above when he came on. Great awareness, comfortable on the ball, loads of energy and got it moving so much quicker in the middle & final third. I’d like to see him in the forward 3, just behind Windsor and a.n.Other, and think he’ll be a big asset for us if he can keep fit.

Quoted from ska face

Thought Williams was a class above when he came on. Great awareness, comfortable on the ball, loads of energy and got it moving so much quicker in the middle & final third. I’d like to see him in the forward 3, just behind Windsor and a.n.Other, and think he’ll be a big asset for us if he can keep fit.

Couldn’t understand it when JT and Croft said he couldn’t get into the game, I thought he was class.

Quoted from ska face

Thought Williams was a class above when he came on. Great awareness, comfortable on the ball, loads of energy and got it moving so much quicker in the middle & final third. I’d like to see him in the forward 3, just behind Windsor and a.n.Other, and think he’ll be a big asset for us if he can keep fit.

I agree he had some good moments but, over longer passages of play, he can disappear from defensive duties. Taylor is more limited creatively but can win the ball. Bennet is surprisingly good in the air and can turn defence into attack swiftly but fades in the second half.  Lots of players with strengths balanced by weaknesses. Windsor is great battling around the opposition box but a liability in his own half.
Although more teams are trying to play ' the right way', a look at the highlights of other games week by week shows that teams who gamble with positive movement and good delivery into the box score more goals. The few set pieces we win are often a result of pressing, keeping onside and turning defenders. Hopefully, we can recapture the forward momentum of the Cheltenham game and force more mistakes from the opposition.
We have very few automatic picks in midfield and Williams can be key if others are on the same wavelength. Too often we ignored a simple pass and turned into trouble. Like Olly said, we made some crazy decisions at times.

I think the amount of free kicks we give away is a worry too, is it to do with other teams being quicker? Not fit enough? Lack of match sharpness?

Williams looked ok when he came on, I’m not sure about Taylor or Bennett but I guess it’s all about opinions.

We’re gonna have to get used to it though because there’s no indication to the chopping and changing will stop any time soon.

I guess if we pick up points in games like last nights then we’ll solidly finish mid table.

The teams in the bottom third though all seem much of a muchness.

Quoted from pontoonlew

Couldn’t understand it when JT and Croft said he couldn’t get into the game, I thought he was class.

Well it would help if JT didn't keep getting mixed up between Windsor and Williams during commentary  ;)

Personally, I thought it was a half decent performance and I enjoyed the game.

I think some have forgotten how dire it was under Jolley. It took me to my lowest ebb with Town in 35+ years. The football was awful: negative, boring and lacking any sense of purpose. I for one could never work out Jolley’s footballing philosophy and the ‘style’ he wanted us to play.

Fast forward to Holloway and, whilst still very much a work in progress, it is clear what he wants Town to do as individuals and a team, and even when performances are poor I take heart from that and a degree of satisfaction that we are moving (slowly) in the right direction.

Definitely one of those 'step forward' type performances where you can take far more positives than negatives.

At the back I thought we were rock solid.  Pollock gets better and better, whereas Waterfall quite clearly leads and is comfortable in dragging people into position by the scruff of their neck if needed.  I know Ohman started the season well but Waterfall/Pollock is our best pairing in my eyes.   Hendrie quality again and back to the form he showed in his first season.  I thought Clifton did a great job at left-back, for a lad out of position and on his weaker side he definitely didn't let it show and even offered the overlap to good effect on numerous occasions.  Whilst a benefit to the side, almost unfortunate for the player that he's showing his best form when having to fill in all over the pitch.

In the middle Rose showed his worth.  Calm, composed and just efficient.  Taylor looked vastly improved with that know-how alongside him.  He, Morton and Spokes all look decent enough in my eyes, I know some will disagree, but the lack of experience with the three of them in any combination is a concern.  It's essential we keep Rose fit.

The three behind the front man buzzed about but never really got going.  Great to see Wright back in a Town shirt, he looked fit as a flea but lacked that match edge and it showed in some of his touches.  I always feel that Wright adds a bite to the attack we otherwise lack.  He's like a terrier and is really capable of setting the tempo.  Bennett I was impressed with, showed a lot of nice touches and has an air of quality about him, once up and running I think he'll be a real asset.  Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Up top I thought Gibson was outstanding in his work-rate.  He left everything out there and delighted he got his goal.  Sadly I thought the commentary team of Tondeur and Croft were well over the top in their constant digs and snipes at him, embarrassing at times in fact.  He's a work in progress and sometimes the ball did just bounce off him or he made the wrong decision.  But despite having the three behind him not real firing and a lack of quality service, he never stopped and kept their defence occupied.  Genuinely not sure what he did to upset Tondeur and Croft but other players seemed to escape the level of scrutiny/criticism levelled at Gibson.

Agree on the Williams point, another who we need to get up to speed and keep fit.  I was excited but his signing but he's taken a while to really get going.  Last few appearances you can see his class, has that Jon Nolan like quality of carrying the ball at ease and seeing things appear in front of him.  I'd like to see him definitely making that No 10 type role his own.

The biggest concern for me is experience up top.  Unfortunately I'm in agreement with the points that we just can't factor Hanson into any thinking.  It reminds me a bit when we had Robert Taylor here on loan in the early 2000's and then on a short-term contract.  We were desperately trying to get him fit to be the focal point of attack but he just kept breaking down and it knackered up any plans.  The other experience up top is Green but he doesn't offer anywhere near the mobility of Gibson or Windsor, nor Gomis from the limited bits I've seen from him.  Even pairing two of the three up, we're in need of a striker who has a bit of know-how.

[quote=123]Definitely one of those 'step forward' type performances where you can take far more positives than negatives.

At the back I thought we were rock solid.  Pollock gets better and better, whereas Waterfall quite clearly leads and is comfortable in dragging people into position by the scruff of their neck if needed.  I know Ohman started the season well but Waterfall/Pollock is our best pairing in my eyes.   Hendrie quality again and back to the form he showed in his first season.  I thought Clifton did a great job at left-back, for a lad out of position and on his weaker side he definitely didn't let it show and even offered the overlap to good effect on numerous occasions.  Whilst a benefit to the side, almost unfortunate for the player that he's showing his best form when having to fill in all over the pitch.

In the middle Rose showed his worth.  Calm, composed and just efficient.  Taylor looked vastly improved with that know-how alongside him.  He, Morton and Spokes all look decent enough in my eyes, I know some will disagree, but the lack of experience with the three of them in any combination is a concern.  It's essential we keep Rose fit.

The three behind the front man buzzed about but never really got going.  Great to see Wright back in a Town shirt, he looked fit as a flea but lacked that match edge and it showed in some of his touches.  I always feel that Wright adds a bite to the attack we otherwise lack.  He's like a terrier and is really capable of setting the tempo.  Bennett I was impressed with, showed a lot of nice touches and has an air of quality about him, once up and running I think he'll be a real asset.  Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Up top I thought Gibson was outstanding in his work-rate.  He left everything out there and delighted he got his goal.  Sadly I thought the commentary team of Tondeur and Croft were well over the top in their constant digs and snipes at him, embarrassing at times in fact.  He's a work in progress and sometimes the ball did just bounce off him or he made the wrong decision.  But despite having the three behind him not real firing and a lack of quality service, he never stopped and kept their defence occupied.  Genuinely not sure what he did to upset Tondeur and Croft but other players seemed to escape the level of scrutiny/criticism levelled at Gibson.

Agree on the Williams point, another who we need to get up to speed and keep fit.  I was excited but his signing but he's taken a while to really get going.  Last few appearances you can see his class, has that Jon Nolan like quality of carrying the ball at ease and seeing things appear in front of him.  I'd like to see him definitely making that No 10 type role his own.

The biggest concern for me is experience up top.  Unfortunately I'm in agreement with the points that we just can't factor Hanson into any thinking.  It reminds me a bit when we had Robert Taylor here on loan in the early 2000's and then on a short-term contract.  We were desperately trying to get him fit to be the focal point of attack but he just kept breaking down and it knackered up any plans.  The other experience up top is Green but he doesn't offer anywhere near the mobility of Gibson or Windsor, nor Gomis from the limited bits I've seen from him.  Even pairing two of the three up, we're in need of a striker who has a bit of know-how.[/q

Very very good post Diehard

Quoted from Poojah

How you define 'mid-table' is debatable, but we're currently bottom of the middle third of the division - I'd be tempted to call that 'lower mid-table'. Personally, I think the way we've set-up the squad was always going to lend itself to a sluggish start - lots of changes, players slow to reach match fitness, manager slow to establish what his best eleven (or even best eighteen) looks like.

As the season wears on, and the relentless Saturday / Tuesday combinations begin to ease I think we'll improve. Not so much that we're going to trouble the play-offs, but enough to ensure we're never seriously entertaining relegation. Mid-table, I guess. And amidst the madness of the footballing and wider world right now, that'll do me for now.

This was always going to be a difficult season due to the way Coronavirus impacted on footbal, especially for us. We got a new manager prior to Christmas and a transfer window post Christmas for Ollie to strengthen the squad and impose his football philosophy. The pandemic curtailed the season and threw a lot of his plans into the air. A summer recruitment campaign with no clear or concrete indication of when the season would start. This, coupled with Covid affecting training, further upset a lot of Ollie's plans to help the players to " gel ". I know it was the same for all teams but we were rebuilding and it nearly always takes a full season for a new manager to get a team anywhere near how he wants them to play with the players he wants. If we can tread water this season, avoid relegation and stay financially viable then I will take that. The latter part of the season could prove quite interesting as it seems possible that the restrictions imposed due to this pandemic could be eased ( hopefully ) which should give Ollie the opportunity to work more closely with the squad.

Williams does indeed look like one of our best players. He's definitely a number 10 though, so quite how we shoehorn him into the current formation, I'm not sure? I'd be quite open to see us trying a more diamond sort of midfield with Williams at the tip of it. Hendrie and Preston providing the width, Rose sat in front of Pollock and Waterfall then Clifton and either Taylor or Hewitt in the middle. Windsor should be nailed on, he can play all the across that front line it seems. Then, it'd just be who partners Windsor. Hanson ideally, but that's obviously not a long term/reliable option. Edwards and Tilley the best of the rest, both similar but both a bit rash - same goes for Wright. Gibson's so raw but we're seeing flashes of decent play from him but like Windsor he seems capable of playing across that front three. Then I'm not sure about Kyle Bennett yet? Good on the ball at times, but also largely anonymous for long periods last night. Too many options up top at the moment, too much meddling from Holloway. The defensive players are carrying us at the moment, but that's because they're getting plenty of game time together.

Like Ska says, Williams should be in that front three, he's wasted in midfield as he's a bit too lightweight. The only things he did wrong last night were backing out of a few headers.

I'm assuming Hewitt's still injured? I've not heard anything about him for weeks now?

Quoted from wuffing

[quote=123]Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Definitely not disagreeing that he didn't have his best match, but his ball to Wright was the one moment of class in the whole match and essentially secured the win for us.

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Quoted from Tommy

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Couldn't agree with this anymore. every single point.

Quoted from Tommy

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Post of the week for my money! Especially the part around muting the comms.

its a little bit baffling to work out what system they are playing to at times. I must admit im not an admirer of the defence passing around, it all looks very nail biting at times, one shoddy pass and were up against it, and it eventually ends up with a pass to Waterfall who then boots it up to the strikers, who then lose it, and we lose possession. There also seems to be confusion and lack of ability to find that pass and motivation from midfield to attack, we all seem to be in slow motion, and when we are around the 18 yard line,we tend to pass back and eventually it comes back to Macca. And as for throw ins, you could leave your armchair and make a coffee before it is thrown. We really do need someone who can give us that buzz and excitement when he gets the ball, we dont seem to have anyone at the moment, Edwards can do that, but doesnt have an end product. Gibson needs to check his offside game too. Maybe in the nearest future it will click and hey presto, but its not showing to me at the moment. My laptop has fallen out with me for shouting at it, im a frustrated fan , but i guess its easy for us armchair fans to see a through ball, but its different when your on the pitch. Lets hope that it all comes to fruition to how Olly wants us to play, its certainly going to be a rollercoaster ride for us fans, and i,ll still be paying my tenner to watch the lads.