Just back (merged)

I remember on the coach as we were leaving Wembley we happened to stop at a red light opposite a pub where Northampton fans were drinking away there sorrows.  They were terrible we started chanting as you do and then the next minute, bottles quid coins were being lobbed at the coach.  Scary bit funny as well.

Quoted from monkeyboy

Starting to look at who will be going and there’s a few.
Green is at best urine poor and has no control and can’t pass.
Clifton and whitehouse are on the verge of not good enough.
Ohman gone backwards.
Hanson to retire.
Rose got to go.
New keeper needed.
Hewit garbage.
Wright needs another year but jury out for me.
Caldwell already at the door.

That’s 9 there I won’t lose sleep over.

Will always fully support them when playing but I’m pretty sure Ollie knows who is not great

Only just read this thread, and i'm going to have to nibble already...

Green isn't great, I agree
Clifton is a young pro, still learning, and will get better under IH
Whitehouse didn't even play Saturday.... before that, he's been a total new player since IH.
Ohman hasn't gone backwards, he had a poor game, but Pollock and Waterfall have been playing well, so make him look worse
Without Hanson, this current team struggles, It's not all about scoring
Rose, fair enough
New keeper, to challenge Mckeown, not to replace
Hewitt is far from garbage as a RB, in fact, he's a good squad player to have
Wright is good, on a good pitch, just loses his head a bit too quick and does silly tackles, that will soon change under IH
Cardwell I agree

Two ways of looking at this one.

1) Holloway got it badly wrong with his team selection and then his subs/tactical changes didn't really seem to help us.
2) We're going to concede goals under Holloway and the way he plays, we're Keegan's Newcastle of the bottom tier...we need to outscore teams and had we taken 50% of our clear cut chances, would have come away with 3 points.

We were warned when we appointed him that Holloway likes a tinker and he likes to play players out of position.  We're seeing that now.  

I'm not really concerned that he got it wrong, it'll happen again and we have to accept it.  It's part of having a manager like him really.  I would be a bit more comfortable if he didn't feel the need to change 4 of his back 5 from a winning side, I understand players need rest but maybe just stagger that a little bit.

The concern, if we can call it that, is how Northampton highlighted our weaknesses across the pitch.  

• We're not good enough to play it out from the back on a consistent basis.   Waterfall made an error at the end but he has been rock solid under Holloway, I say that having previously questioned his value.  But he's not a footballer.  Ohman isn't a footballer either, he's another blocker.  I think Pollock is our best footballing defender but he has looked in need of a rest so can understand why he was left out.  The other issues at the back is that we're not quick enough.   We need some pace and someone who's capable of playing the ball out.  It feels a bit like when Slade first took over and we had a lot of warrior type defenders (Whittle and Rob Jones) and we needed someone like Simon Ramsden who could play a bit.  I imagine this will be high on Holloway's summer list.
  
• We lost the midfield battle.  The biggest improvement in Whitehouse under Holloway has been his ability to pick up the second balls.  Without him in there we just didn't have that.  The whole midfield felt a bit disjointed.  Clifton, Grandin and Benson all seemed to want to be the one sits and dictate things from deep.   But none really did.  What that left us with was a very deep second line and then nothing working off the strikers.  I thought it was also Clarke's quietest game since joining us.  He too is very good at picking up the second balls, but didn't seem to get any on Saturday.
  
• We're too nice.  Northampton had a team of shithouses.  We had a team of nice blokes.  Goode and McCormack refereed the game.  They were in the ear of the ref, they were telling him what to do, when to blow, when to tell a Town player off, when to give them a free-kick....we just muttered our protests under our breath.  We need a shithouse in there.  The last one we had was Mitch Rose.  For his limitations as a footballer, his shithousery levels were superb.  
  

There was plenty to work on and loads of areas for development.  But it was 3 sloppy goals that we conceded and 5 maybe 6 that we should have put away.  It's all ifs and buts, but on another day we would have thrashed a play-off team.

Quoted from Jarmo.Is.God

Only just read this thread, and i'm going to have to nibble already...

Green isn't great, I agree
Clifton is a young pro, still learning, and will get better under IH
Whitehouse didn't even play Saturday.... before that, he's been a total new player since IH.
Ohman hasn't gone backwards, he had a poor game, but Pollock and Waterfall have been playing well, so make him look worse
Without Hanson, this current team struggles, It's not all about scoring
Rose, fair enough
New keeper, to challenge Mckeown, not to replace
Hewitt is far from garbage as a RB, in fact, he's a good squad player to have
Wright is good, on a good pitch, just loses his head a bit too quick and does silly tackles, that will soon change under IH
Cardwell I agree

If our defence have been playing well, then I'd hate to see the goals we'd concede when they're not. The centre backs seem to look good for 85 minutes but make terrible mistakes that cost us goals nearly every week.

I have no real problem with our defenders playing out from the back but their limitations mean they have to keep a higher line. At the moment because they are close to our penalty area then if they are get closed down then any back pass to the goalkeeper immediately puts him under pressure. A higher line of would create a larger "recovery area".

Quoted from rancido

I have no real problem with our defenders playing out from the back but their limitations mean they have to keep a higher line. At the moment because they are close to our penalty area then if they are get closed down then any back pass to the goalkeeper immediately puts him under pressure. A higher line of would create a larger "recovery area".

But a higher line would give the opposition more opportunity to get behind us as none of our centre backs are particularly quick.

“We need a shithouse in there.  The last one we had was Mitch Rose.  For his limitations as a footballer, his shithousery levels were superb. “

I completely agree with this. Beautifully put as well!

Quoted from MuddyWaters

But a higher line would give the opposition more opportunity to get behind us as none of our centre backs are particularly quick.

Yep, agreed, they could do with a higher line for more wiggle room playing back to the keeper, but don't have the pace to defend a high line against quick attackers...

I am enjoying watching Town again for the first time in many years.
The two main areas of concern for me are, inability to retain possession and the ease at which we give the ball away, and the majority of the goals conceded come from mistakes at the back, not clearing our lines properly.  How many have come from a scuffed pass/clearance or bounced of a defender?

other than that we look a good side at time

Quoted from Shipwrecked In Gainsborough

Went to both 98 Wembley finals with my missus, found a place to park for the first one ( Bournemouth), parked at the wrong end of Wembley for us, and walked both wearing Town tops, not a problem. Bit of banter off the Bournemouth fans as we walked to our end, but all fine and what you would consider acceptable for a " Husband and Wife ", we were hardly The " Cleethorpes Beach Patrol ". Few weeks later, parked in the same place V Northampton and what a difference. We got a load of quite intimidating abuse as we walked to Towns end, appalling behaviour for the threat level ( just the 2 of us ), wish I had the CBP with me that day, what a bunch of noobs the Northampton lot were. But still we won, so happy days. UTM.

I went to both '98 finals.  Never had the displeasure of meeting the Northampton lot but as I was on my way home to S.E. London popped into a pub for a pint which had a bunch of Bournemouth fans there.  They bought me a drink. Ain't that what footie should be about?