Just back

All doom and gloom from me with regards what happened on the pitch yesterday which is unusual. The only positive was that it shouldn’t matter come the end of the season. Like most though I’m still behind Jolley although I think he could do with changing things now.
We didn’t seem to have any game plan and if we were all still there now, I think the score would read Grimsby Town nil. There was no intensity and no ideas. Nothing up front or in the middle. Or wide.
I think we should have changed to a 442 for the second half. Granted it would have been cobbled together with players out of position, but this wing back system is looking tired and completely ineffective at the minute. I’m not suggesting we turn our backs on it completely though as at times it has worked well since January.
Harsh but I would leave Collins out of the matchday squad now. He’s been great for Grimsby but he’ll not be here next season and it would be nice to see what Pollock is all about and whether he could create a partnership, whether in a two or three until the end of the season.
Is Ring injured or just out of favour now?
Dennis has done very little for me since arriving. I don’t doubt he can score goals but I’ve seen little evidence he offers much else.
I think the most frustrating thing of all yesterday were set pieces. We play with 3 big centre halves yet were dropping in the worst, most tamest of corners. In the Lincoln home game, we were so inventive with corners all of a sudden and we were led to believe Limbrick had been working hard on them with the squad. We nearly carved them open 3 or 4 times in that game and since then it has been completely abandoned. Struggling to score like we do, I can’t believe we don’t at least put a better ball in to the box for the big players to attack.
Please MJ freshen things up next game. Let’s concentrate solely on who will be here next season. Let’s attack the opposition and line up with more players further up the pitch. The season is over and it can’t get much worse.

Quoted from quebec38

All doom and gloom from me with regards what happened on the pitch yesterday which is unusual. The only positive was that it shouldn’t matter come the end of the season. Like most though I’m still behind Jolley although I think he could do with changing things now.
We didn’t seem to have any game plan and if we were all still there now, I think the score would read Grimsby Town nil. There was no intensity and no ideas. Nothing up front or in the middle. Or wide.
I think we should have changed to a 442 for the second half. Granted it would have been cobbled together with players out of position, but this wing back system is looking tired and completely ineffective at the minute. I’m not suggesting we turn our backs on it completely though as at times it has worked well since January.
Harsh but I would leave Collins out of the matchday squad now. He’s been great for Grimsby but he’ll not be here next season and it would be nice to see what Pollock is all about and whether he could create a partnership, whether in a two or three until the end of the season.
Is Ring injured or just out of favour now?
Dennis has done very little for me since arriving. I don’t doubt he can score goals but I’ve seen little evidence he offers much else.
I think the most frustrating thing of all yesterday were set pieces. We play with 3 big centre halves yet were dropping in the worst, most tamest of corners. In the Lincoln home game, we were so inventive with corners all of a sudden and we were led to believe Limbrick had been working hard on them with the squad. We nearly carved them open 3 or 4 times in that game and since then it has been completely abandoned. Struggling to score like we do, I can’t believe we don’t at least put a better ball in to the box for the big players to attack.
Please MJ freshen things up next game. Let’s concentrate solely on who will be here next season. Let’s attack the opposition and line up with more players further up the pitch. The season is over and it can’t get much worse.

But surely it's simple to change 5-3-2 to 4-4-2. Drop out a centre back and replace with a midfielder. The two wing backs then play as conventional full backs. The midfielder that you bring on can either be a wide player or a midfield yard dog.

Agreed. I would have had Collins off for Woolford. Woolford to left midfield with Clifton and Hess in the centre and Vernam out wide. What I meant by cobbled together is that Woolfords best position for me is in central midfield and Vernam more through the middle. We didn’t have any specialist wide midfielders to bring on.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I thought our best player by a mile was Vernam.

Vernam was lively in the first half but, unfortunately, did his disappearing trick in the second. Other than the chance he missed after good work from Woolford, I can barely recall him touching the ball after the break. It's the main problem with him - I can't remember a game where he's had more than one good half.

I don't disagree that Clifton was poor yesterday. He's gone backwards this season for me but if, as reported, he is playing through an injury, this is possibly understandable. Hessenthaler did OK yesterday but no more than that. The fact you would struggle to think of a player worthy of man of the match yesterday (and in other recent home games as well) provides a good indication of where we're at.

Quoted from Maringer

Vernam was lively in the first half but, unfortunately, did his disappearing trick in the second. Other than the chance he missed after good work from Woolford, I can barely recall him touching the ball after the break. It's the main problem with him - I can't remember a game where he's had more than one good half.

I don't disagree that Clifton was poor yesterday. He's gone backwards this season for me but if, as reported, he is playing through an injury, this is possibly understandable. Hessenthaler did OK yesterday but no more than that. The fact you would struggle to think of a player worthy of man of the match yesterday (and in other recent home games as well) provides a good indication of where we're at.

Fully agree with you there Maringer...
You can never fault Clifton's work rate but to me he's lost his way a bit. Poor distribution of the ball and chasing shadows. If he is carrying a injury surely playing will only make it worse. Why not have him on the bench and start with Woolford?
I was really pleased when we signed Hess, hoping he would be as good as his dad. Yet he too lacks consistency.
Of course we are lacking goal scorers but the midfield players have very few goal assists this season, let alone many individual goals.

What really hacked me off yesterday - and I realise we had a few important players missing etc and it is highly unlikely we will go down (but doesn't excuse performance) - was the total lack of drive, urgency, passion to get back into the game second half
The early second goal didn't help but even before that we were never on the front foot - who was driving us on? Who was shouting at the team to step it up? Stevenage defence strolled through second half

Seen this so often over the years - when was the last time we rallied in the second half and really took the game to the opposition (someone will tell me it was a few weeks ago...but you know what I mean)

I still have faith in MJ and want him to succeed (not going to be easy with budgets, location etc) but this tinkering drives me mad; why have Davis playing in front of the back four? It's not fecking Champions League and like he's up against a Guardiola type manager!
It's almost "I've got my badges and by God I'm going to show you what a tactical genius I am"

Buckley 442 - players in right positions - great first touch for that level - target man (yep, not all Buckley players were classy) - passing footy - but team with leaders like Lever, Cunnington, Groves, McDermott etc

I am certain 'systems' prevent you playing your best players sometimes and./or playing players out of position to fit into a system (RHJ springs to mind - feel sorry for the lad cos I think he's an outstanding prospect and deserved better after being superb at Palace).

However, yesterday was about everything we lack whatever the system - pace, creativity and goals

Of the current squad I'd only consider the following for opening match of next season (assuming they are all here)

Macca
Hendrie
Ohman
Davis (back four!)
RHJ
Clifton (good energy - can be the legs for more creative types)
Vernam (classy player and will be better with better players around him)

Hessenthaler?? A good squad player but if he was ice cream he'd be vanilla...and we have too many of that flavour (but is that where we are in transfer pecking order?)

I honestly think MJ knows what the problems are - he alludes to this in his interviews - and I hope he can find another Omar or Podge; and that Whitehouse turns out to be a quality signing and stays injury free

If not we will continue to hover bottom half of division - it is almost inevitable

Quoted from Maringer

Vernam was lively in the first half but, unfortunately, did his disappearing trick in the second. Other than the chance he missed after good work from Woolford, I can barely recall him touching the ball after the break. It's the main problem with him - I can't remember a game where he's had more than one good half.

I don't disagree that Clifton was poor yesterday. He's gone backwards this season for me but if, as reported, he is playing through an injury, this is possibly understandable. Hessenthaler did OK yesterday but no more than that. The fact you would struggle to think of a player worthy of man of the match yesterday (and in other recent home games as well) provides a good indication of where we're at.

I agree somewhat to your view of Vernam but players like him need to be given the ball but our midfield is so ineffective it just doesn't create the opportunities for the forwards. The same for Dennis, you hardly knew he was on the pitch.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I agree somewhat to your view of Vernam but players like him need to be given the ball but our midfield is so ineffective it just doesn't create the opportunities for the forwards. The same for Dennis, you hardly knew he was on the pitch.

Dennis made some decent runs yesterday which Vernam in particular didnt read or play him in, first half there were a couple where Dennis arched his run across the line and just needed slipping in to run onto but Vernam ran across the face of the box with the ball instead.
Dennis also slipped Vernam in for that chance second half with a lovely bit of vision.

Quoted from moosey_club

Dennis made some decent runs yesterday which Vernam in particular didnt read or play him in, first half there were a couple where Dennis arched his run across the line and just needed slipping in to run onto but Vernam ran across the face of the box with the ball instead.
Dennis also slipped Vernam in for that chance second half with a lovely bit of vision.

A match fit and thus a match sharp Dennis would be a good signing for Town IMHO.

Quoted from moosey_club

Dennis made some decent runs yesterday which Vernam in particular didnt read or play him in, first half there were a couple where Dennis arched his run across the line and just needed slipping in to run onto but Vernam ran across the face of the box with the ball instead.
Dennis also slipped Vernam in for that chance second half with a lovely bit of vision.

Was it Vernam who played the ball across from the right in the first half when Dennis got a foot on it but it just went the wrong side of the post?