Just back

It gives me no pleasure but ?I felt that tonight would be a very frustrating one. Southport not won away for ages, not scored a goal for 4 games, in football these things change and to be fair they were up for it and did not look like a bottom 4 team. On the other hand we were second best most of the time, midfield never got a grip on the game so the support and service to the front was poor. We did not win second balls, gave it away too easily and failed to get round there defence. Forget blaming the forwards the general play was not good enough. Don't blame the team selection, most on here went with the same line up. It is difficult to explain why we struggle in some of these home games, we started slowly and they took the initiative and we never lifted our game. Key players like Brown found it difficult to stamp any authority on proceedings , passing and ball control was below par. In the end Southport deserved to win and our friend Brodie, who I thought played well rubbed salt in the wounds. Football can be cruel, so we gave to to Dartford, play better and try to get 3 points. I do agree with Paul Hurst that not having Arnold on the bench to provide another attacking option was unfortunate.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Agree with Magnay, guess it's all my fault?

LOL yeah!  I was willing them to play well cos you were going......

took my 5 year old lad for the first time tonight and how he managed to sit there for 85 mins without saying 'I want to go home' is beyond me!ha. Absolute dire performance with no penetration whatsoever. The strange thing is I genuinely believe this squad is good enough and more than capable of getting out this league. Have always backed hurst but sadly now even I have to admit I think he has took the team as far as he can. We might scrape play offs again but just feel when it comes down to it he lacks the tactical nous to change and adapt his teams to suit the type of game it is. A really worry for me is when you look across at the dug out and he looks completely uninspiring and lacking any sort of motivation and this rubs off on the players. Hope I am wrong and we go on a run and we get right in the mix but im afraid with this sort of inconsistency its going to be another disappointing season.

Quoted from BIGChris

He sure does but I am sure he didn't tell the midfield to play in a line across the pitch and never even attempt to make a run beyond the strikers. We lined up like a table football team

Players too have to take responsibility.

You could tell after 10 mins that  when we had the ball Southport would have 8 behind the ball, we were too slow to get at them, passed it in front of them. If players can't do anything to change things on their own then the manager should have changed it much sooner. Even switching the wide men over, moving Nielson ( who was very lucky not to get a red card) into a totally free role, take Parslow off  and play another striker. The fact that neither the players or the manager tried anything until it was too late says it all.

BTW I can't stand coffee

Surely it's not what about the manager tells the players to do or not do.  If so managing would be easy.   I would tell my defence not to concede. I would tell my midfield to dominate possession and break up every attack. I would tell my strikers to score with every opportunity they get. If we don't win every game with ease, I then say it's because the players did not follow instructions.  It's about the manager getting the players to play the way he wants them to or changing it around if they can't. Surely most people can see that Hurst has built a good squad. In my opinion, better than last seasons. The fact that we are where we are is down to the fact that he can't motivate/manage them surely ??  

Quoted from BIGChris

He sure does but I am sure he didn't tell the midfield to play in a line across the pitch and never even attempt to make a run beyond the strikers. We lined up like a table football team

Players too have to take responsibility.

You could tell after 10 mins that  when we had the ball Southport would have 8 behind the ball, we were too slow to get at them, passed it in front of them. If players can't do anything to change things on their own then the manager should have changed it much sooner. Even switching the wide men over, moving Nielson ( who was very lucky not to get a red card) into a totally free role, take Parslow off  and play another striker. The fact that neither the players or the manager tried anything until it was too late says it all.

BTW I can't stand coffee

Well try joining the dots then Chris.  

Sure the manager doesn't send the players out to play in a line across midfield, but Pete is right, they're his players. How many times do we accept "the players let the manager down"? Ultimately it's the manager's responsibility if the team don't perform.

Mixed feelings.

Hate to say it but Southport came with a gameplan and looked a decent side on the night !
I wouldn't even say they played for a point.
They defended en masse (3 at the back soon turned into 5) yet passed it quickly and were direct.

What they did (that we didn't IMO) was to use the space and stretch play.
Hurst says we didn't move the ball quick enough,  
Sure he's right but for me, too many times we failed to move the ball out wide.
At times you could have played the game on half the pitch lengthways !
One time we moved it quick into the space, Lenny was through (albeit not a gimme IMO)

It's not like it's a new phenomenon as I said v Chester...
"But for me there were a few occasions we could have switched play better."

What summed it up was Neilson in acres 2nd half with his both hands aloft.
I notice it didn't stop Southport pinging it into the space.
Tbh Brodie showed the way to go running the flanks.

1st half we passed it ok but not enough "runs in behind".
I actually think Mackreth had a decent game, I'll give him MOM.
Perhaps he could have run at them sooner.
But you can't blame wingers if players don't have the vision to spread the ball.
tbf I thought Clay was the best in this regard.

Agree with JT it was an underpar performance but also agree with Hurst, some did well.
I'd say Nsiala, Mackreth and Pearson were the best.
Thought Disley showed some experience when he came on.
Thought Magnay, LJL and Parslow were disappointing.
That said I agree with JT, it would have made zero difference had Oates started.

Not gonna labour the defeat from an offside set piece, more the fact we've failed to "unlock" again.
I know it aint easy (and some will just look at "Southport" and the defeat) but we looked short of ideas.
Either you have runners in behind defences (very few took a chance on this IMO)
Or perhaps Hurst needs to give AB a bell or find a Tony Rees type forward.

One other gripe I've got which I've seen for a while...
When Macca is rolling the ball outside the penalty area 5 or 6 Town players are stood static.
Everyone should be sprinting out.
Even with minutes to go defenders are stood at the back when they should be racing forward.
Not gonna let frustration get the better of me after 1 disappointment, but Southport just looked quicker to me.

To be fair thought we competed and defended well until switching off from the corner.
And had they not cleared one off the line it may well have been different.
Fine lines in football...

For me, we need a pacey left winger (if we didn't already)
I'd like to say had we had pace down BOTH flanks we'd have won.
But even then, not sure it tells the whole story.

Not panicking however, I won't at all be suprised if we beat Dartford and Altrincham...

But yes, unlocking teams is becoming a concern.

Simple problem.
Southport had not won an away game for over a year.
They had not scored for 4 games
We had just put a string of good results together
A hated ex player was up front for them

as soon as the commentator mentioned the first 2 facts I said, right thats a 1-0 defeat coming up.

Same old same old lack of consistency of the last couple of years.

Quoted from BIGChris

Dover Nuneaton and Southport will all be fighting relegation IMO and we have failed to beat any of them at home!.

I don't think Dover and Southport will go down.
I'm not excusing the issues tonight but until we realise
a) teams make it difficult for us at BP (defensive opposition + poor performance = co-incidence ?)
b) this league is full of suprise results where anyone can beat anybody

we'll always be jumping to histerics on the basis of "league position" (regardless of manager IMO)

What people perhaps forget is we've beaten and got results against the better teams.
Bristol Rovers, Gateshead, Halifax, Kiddy
Suffice to say "league position" is such a bad indicator as to not be worth using in the BSP IMO.

If you're suggesting Southport looked like a bottom 4 side tonight Chris, I'd seriously question whether you were even at the game.
That said, it's interesting people are saying Magnay did well and Mackreth didn't - I see it completely the opposite way.

Quoted from BIGChris

Too slow too easy to play against and no brains to change anything. Dover Nuneaton and Southport will all be fighting relegation IMO and we have failed to beat any of them at home!.

I don't blame PH for the team he sent out but the players need a rocket for there lack  of nouse and movement. I would be critical as to why we didn't change shape and/or personnel much sooner. We were so predictable.

Best team won

PH sent them out there with his game plan so he needs a rocket but he will never get it from you.
Why criticise him NOW for not changing shape/personnel when things are going wrong because he never does EVER

I have to say, based on that performance, I'm surprised that Southport are struggling so much. They looked a lot better than Dover and Chester to me.

Perhaps that's as well as they can play at the same time as being as bad as we can play?