I have reached the conclusion we need more physical strength accross the middle line. We have too many small players with no resilience, especially the wide players, if their fancy touches don't come off they are out of the game. We need at least 2 strong players in there who can stand their ground and if necessary win the ball for us. Another strong finisher up top is still needed too. A replacement for Parslow also. The only players we have with real strength and battling spirit are Pearson, Toto, and Lenny, this is not enough.
Perhaps if some finance tied up in players who never get a game was released for one or two who would play and improve the team then maybe we might win more often.However life tends not to be so simple does it?
The point about players performing badly is still valid though. Several posters have mentioned several players that this has happened to over weeks or even months. But several posters also said long ago that these players were better quality than we had before. It would be rare that so many players in one team would simply lose form at the same time wouldn't it?
So all roads lead to the bloke in charge don't they?
I was slated when I queried why so many players had off days especially on the same day . As you say all roads lead to ?
I've been expecting Hurst (and Scott when he was here) to add pace and power to all areas of the team ever since they joined and remain surprised that we've failed to do so. Pretty much every team which has gone up since we were down in the Conference was full of solid and physical players with a bit of skill thrown in here and there. We've been slow in the middle of the park for as long as I can remember and we're not exactly lightning up front, though the arrival of Pittman and Macketh + Arnold (to a lesser extent) improved things a little there.
Still, we've got what we've got and, when they play well, we've seen that the players are mostly decent, verging on quite good on the rare occasions they are on really good form. Unfortunately, as a bunch, they just don't appear to be consistent enough and, without the physical attributes most teams seem to possess, we struggle to compete when so many players are out of form. If you look at the entire squad, I can only think of Pearson and Magnay who have been pretty much guaranteed to put in an effective performance this season. LJL is always going to work his socks off but it doesn't always come right. Most of the others have a habit of disappearing from games when the going gets tough.
For those desperate to see Hurst go because he's apparently to blame for all of the individual players' poor form, I do wonder if they seriously think all these players will suddenly become a yard quicker, better in the air and able to run further under new management? I tend to doubt it.
We'll have to see if a couple of signings can rescue our season because there hasn't been any real indication over the past month that the players are capable of lifting their game to solidify a place in the play-offs.
This is not an official forum of Grimsby Town Football Club, the opinions expressed are those of the individual authors. If you see an offensive post then click "Report" on the relevant post. Posts will be deleted at the discretion of the moderators whose decision is final. Posts should abide by the Forum Rules. IP addresses of contributors together with dates and times of access are stored. The opinions and viewpoints expressed by contributors to The Fishy are their own and not necessarily those of The Fishy. The Fishy makes no claims that information dispersed through this forum is accurate or reliable. Also The Fishy cannot be held liable for any statements made by contributors of The Fishy.