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Quoted from billybigbollox

I've not posted in a couple of yrs or so now. ...Dale were well worth the win tonight for sure.
Plus points for me we're Welsh and Hess I like alot, Cook and Charles will be good players for us and was good to see the two young lads get a few mins both showed pace which at any level kills defenders hopefully they can eventually push for league starts .

The not so good parts
The players seem to be finding the shape side of the formation hard MJ was having to constantly talk the players through were he wanted them to be etc!!!!
Hooper disappoints me everytime I see him he is rather lazy or not a clever player at all I've never seen him anticipate what might happen or try to dominate his marker he is a big strong lad with no power or hunger at all !!
Jolley will need time and a couple more transfer Windows to get us were he wants us !!!!
UTFM

Yep to be fair Jolley has already made reference this previously this is still very much a new team and a WORK IN PROGRESS.

With Cook and Vernam up front, I think we missed out on signing Akinde,would of been an ideal signing to feed our 2 strikers, and with us now being short in midfield, I reckon we could of given Diz a game or two when injuries arise, lets hope MJ gets a couple of loanees in this week. Its not a crisis yet,early days, but we do need cover, and a hefty striker number one on the list.

Regarding Hooper, I don't think he's lazy and he does a lot of running but has a bit of a languid running style. One thing which is clear is that he's not great at putting himself about against the big central defenders as it's not his game. No coincidence that his best spell last year came playing out wide with Cardwell doing a lot of running and putting pressure on the central defenders in the middle. This is what we've been lacking this season from what I've seen.

The only excuse for charging those prices in the run up to the Lincoln game is if Rochdale insisted on it. Even if a discount would have only had a marginal effect it would have been a nod to the 850 who supported the team so well at Macc. We are a developing squad dependent on young players and a new coaching staff.
I accept that a cup run is pie in the sky and that a midtable finish would be relative success with this board and 4-5000 crowds.
FG would have struggled at times last night and Macc would have lost heavily.    

The next two weeks are absolutely crucial because the current squad looks a couple of key injuries away from a relegation scrap.  Equally so it looks a couple of key additions away from a very good side.

One obvious issue is the lack of a centre forward, an old fashioned No 9.  Simply put someone who can make the ball stick.I don't think we necessarily need a 20 goal a season striker, we just need someone who can hold it up and work the line to bring others into play.  Cook is never an out-and-out striker, it's just not his game and you're not going to get the best out of him in that role.  

Midfield is fine in terms of individuals but it looks to lack any real system other than Welsh, who was excellent, sitting in front of the defence and then a mis-mash of individuals in front of him.  

The defence looks far too slow for my liking. I thought Davis did a respectable job at right-back, but it looked obvious to not be his strongest position.  Whitmore I like, he's strong and commanding, I think he'll get better too.  Collins didn't have the best of games, there's already a little bit of murmuring asking if his legs have gone but I think it's more a case that the whole left hand side is exposed.  Last night the left hand side of our side consisted of Collins, Dixon, Woolford and Hooper.  That's practically pedestrian, we're asking to be attacked down that side with anything that remotely resembles pace.  It was no surprise that their soft opener came down that side.

I'm hopeful Jolley can bring in some quality additions in the next two weeks but if not he has to pick a system that suits what he's got.  I appreciate the 4-3-3 variation worked on Saturday but it most definitely didn't work last night, we looked lost.  Rochdale were good, but we made them look excellent by gifting them far too much time.

After his brief resurgence under Jolley last season I was expecting Hooper to kick on but based on last night he looks to have regressed again.  He's got a slightly languid style anyway but he looked half-arsed last night, even by his standards.  Akheem Rose and Max Wright provided more energy in 10 minutes than Hooper and Cook did all game.  That's both a compliment to the young lads but also a slight on the players they replaced.  For the record I thought both the young lads looked excellent, they had exactly what we lacked all game - pace and energy.

This whole thing is a work in progress.  It's not on the same levels but just think how out of sorts Man City looked in the first few months under Pep.  They looked alien to the way he was trying to get them to play, but eventually it started to click and we have to believe it will do under Jolley.  But Pep was working with established players who knew each other, with the exception of a few additions he made.  Jolley is working with a totally new team, it won't happen overnight.

Expectations were heightened after the way we ended the season and the club themselves fueled that fire by sending out messages about the Jolley Revolution.  Jolley himself played it all down after the end of the season by talking of evolution rather than revolution, however of the side that finished last season I counted three who started last night (McKeown, Collins and Hooper).  Yes Mitch Rose was suspended but it still gives you an indication of what has happened over the summer in terms of turnover.  

Didnt think Cook lacked energy, the opposite in fact. Thought he worked very hard. He is lightweight and ineffective as the main striker but to say he lacked energy is far from the truth IMO.

Also thought Collins did well, as did Whitmore.

Didnt think we looked lost, just up against a far quicker, well drilled side with better players. The better players bit may become a regular observation this season

Jolley knows were we sit in this league budget wise, shame it isnt made public so the fans know to lower expectations and to then try and outperform those with more money.

Aye, perhaps a bit harsh on Cook.  On reflection he tried, first half he looked busy.  Second half I can't remember him doing much at all.  Any attacking intent came through Vernam running with the ball.

In Cook's defence, he's playing with his back to goal when he doesn't look comfortable doing it.  

I would be very interested to see what Jolley has had budget wise.  When you think our striking option off the bench is a guy who was knocking about in the Spanish lower leagues, you have to be concerned that it's real penny-pincher of a budget.  But then the likes of Welsh, Vernam, Hessenthaler etc. wouldn't have come cheaply.  Has Jolley gone all in on a few signings and is then hoping he can fill the squad around them on shoestring?

Quoted from Cloudy

Didnt think Cook lacked energy, the opposite in fact. Thought he worked very hard. He is lightweight and ineffective as the main striker but to say he lacked energy is far from the truth IMO.

Also thought Collins did well, as did Whitmore.

Didnt think we looked lost, just up against a far quicker, well drilled side with better players. The better players bit may become a regular observation this season

Jolley knows were we sit in this league budget wise, shame it isnt made public so the fans know to lower expectations and to then try and outperform those with more money.

Sorry cloudy but the budget statement is flawed, take a look at Accringtons playing budget last season...They got promoted by putting the right type of players in the right places in a small squad who all worked hard for each other...it wasn't an overnight success story for them, in they went through an evolution not a revolution over nearly 4 years, stuck with the manager and eventually had the success they deserved....so maybe we need to know where we are in terms of budget and be real about our chances of any success in the future..

Quoted from diehardmariner

Aye, perhaps a bit harsh on Cook.  On reflection he tried, first half he looked busy.  Second half I can't remember him doing much at all.  Any attacking intent came through Vernam running with the ball.

In Cook's defence, he's playing with his back to goal when he doesn't look comfortable doing it.  

I would be very interested to see what Jolley has had budget wise.  When you think our striking option off the bench is a guy who was knocking about in the Spanish lower leagues, you have to be concerned that it's real penny-pincher of a budget.  But then the likes of Welsh, Vernam, Hessenthaler etc. wouldn't have come cheaply.  Has Jolley gone all in on a few signings and is then hoping he can fill the squad around them on shoestring?

When comapared to O'Connor, Akinde, Shackell, Toffolo they would be bargain basement.

If Vernam and Hess represent us going 'all in' then we have less than even I thought

Quoted from Cloudy

When comapared to O'Connor, Akinde, Shackell, Toffolo they would be bargain basement.

If Vernam and Hess represent us going 'all in' then we have less than even I thought

Lincoln have a lot more money than us. Akinde is on 4k a week - I’d rather not break the bank to see us compete with that.