Just Back

Quoted from Gaffer58

I am sorry but does Dembele look good because the rest are crap, he hasn't really won many games on his own. Also where are all these higher level clubs desperate to sign him. Unless Slade knows he's going before Wednesday that's why he's bringing in these proven goal scorers.

No. He's just a very talented player. Can't expect a player in his first pro season to be in white hot form all year round. Struggled to get into the game today.

Just watching Newport County v Spurs. Newport a team that were terrible last season. Changed the manager and this season with basically the same players they are flying in the league and cup. They have a positive forward thinking manager who takes risks and knows how to set up his team. The problem is more our manager than the players in my opinion. We need a decent striker but the way the team is set up is woeful at times. A change must soon be coming otherwise we are getting awfully close to non league again  

Quoted from Grimbiggs

Did Ok for the first twenty minutes, with Summerfield hitting a decent effort that hit the bar, but then it was groundhog day again. Luton should have scored, but it hit their man on the line. Then the sending off came, and we never pushed on against their 10 men. Why play three centre-backs against one striker. We huffed and puffed second half, but never really looked like scoring, hitting the bar once, and the only clear-cut opening fell to Wilkes, who rather than getting the shot off, decided to try and play in Mills. Their goal came after an excellent save from Killip, but we were to slow to clear and Collins fired it home. Our attacking play is too slow and predictable, Vernam has to come back all the way to the half way line just to receive the ball. and only him and Summerfield came out with any credit today, Berrett was anonymous again. Whilst I didn't expect anything from this game, we should have done far better against ten men, and whilst they edged it, the opportunity was there to get something out of the game. We've talked about it for months, but with eight strikers, the lack of goals is very worrying. Three important games coming up were we need at least four points, and with dwindling home attendances unlikely to be above 3500 (Notts County apart) these are worrying times....UTM

Ben Davies cleared the ball off the line.

Quoted from Dogger Bank

Just watching Newport County v Spurs. Newport a team that were terrible last season. Changed the manager and this season with basically the same players they are flying in the league and cup. They have a positive forward thinking chairman who takes risks and knows how to set uprun his club. The problem is more our manager than the players in my opinion. We need a decent striker but the way the team is set up is woeful at times. A change must soon be coming otherwise we are getting awfully close to non league again  

Root cause analysis.

John Tonder would make a better Manager than Slade.  

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

John Tonder would make a better Manager than Slade.  

Would give his staff palpitations every time the opposition had the ball in our half though  

Quoted from Grantham_Mariner

John Tonder would make a better Manager than Slade.  

Post match interviews: "I thought we cleared the ball half away too many times"

Quoted from Gaffer58

If there are worse teams than us than they must be absolutely crap!!!

There probably aren't but we got points on the board earlier on in the season before we reach our current nadir.

Quoted from GrimRob

There probably aren't but we got points on the board earlier on in the season before we reach our current nadir.

good news; we still have games against many of the teams below us; each win is one of those ''six-pointers"
although, they will see it the same way

bad news; we dont look likely to win any on current form !

I wouldn't be fooled into thinking that was anything other than the half arsed inept performance that we are now used to from any side sent out by Slade.

Yes the 3-5-2 meant that we where able to move the ball around a bit more but it always will especially against a team like Luton who try and play and therefore give you more free space.  

The shape allows the 2 full backs forward but they still belted the ball in aimlessly when they had time to pause and pick someone out with a half decent delivery, when they did get in behind it was the same showing zero composure. Similar with the midfield 3, could you tell who was the holsing player and who was the attacking mid, I couldn't.

Then again they could have had the delivery of David Beckham but as we very rarely have players in the box let alone in losing markers it would have been pointless really. We bring in a lad (Verman) as a striker and he got everywhere apart from where he needed to be, in the box. Why when you have a 5 man mid field do you need a striker who says he likes playing off a big man having to link up. I just don't get it.

However none of the above is the fault of the players the blame lays at the door of Sales and "Mr Charisma"  Wilco

Slade is a manager who when we go 1 - 0 down leaves 3 CB's against 1 striker. He then brings on Dembelle who until Wilks came on played as an extra forward in reality meaning we lost the extra man in mid field thus we found it even harder to break them down.

Slade is also a manager who promotes a culture that when we are 1 - 0 down with a couple of minutes to go and we get a set piece is happy to leave one of the best headers of the ball (Collins) back "just in case" well IMHO opinion at that stage of the game you may as well take a risk as losing 2 - 0 is just the same as losing by the odd goal.

Felt for Killip as the outfield players should have reacted quicker/better to his initial save from their free kick, but these are not bad players they just need to play in a team and not a system.

Anyway another defeat another 300 mile round trip to be short changed, another weekend of seeing our former players who we let slip through our hands prosper.

I don't know why I and many others bother............ We are looking like this seasons Hartlepool I think it will be a last day drop or escape for us ironically away to VGR. Relegation sides have one thing in common they cant score goals, so what does that tell you about Russel Slade's Grimsby Town?

UTM!!

P.S. - Just a comment about today's ref, "they know the rules but don't know the game" Luton played him like a fish from start to finish.