Barrow (H) Match Thread

Definitely one of those 'step forward' type performances where you can take far more positives than negatives.

At the back I thought we were rock solid.  Pollock gets better and better, whereas Waterfall quite clearly leads and is comfortable in dragging people into position by the scruff of their neck if needed.  I know Ohman started the season well but Waterfall/Pollock is our best pairing in my eyes.   Hendrie quality again and back to the form he showed in his first season.  I thought Clifton did a great job at left-back, for a lad out of position and on his weaker side he definitely didn't let it show and even offered the overlap to good effect on numerous occasions.  Whilst a benefit to the side, almost unfortunate for the player that he's showing his best form when having to fill in all over the pitch.

In the middle Rose showed his worth.  Calm, composed and just efficient.  Taylor looked vastly improved with that know-how alongside him.  He, Morton and Spokes all look decent enough in my eyes, I know some will disagree, but the lack of experience with the three of them in any combination is a concern.  It's essential we keep Rose fit.

The three behind the front man buzzed about but never really got going.  Great to see Wright back in a Town shirt, he looked fit as a flea but lacked that match edge and it showed in some of his touches.  I always feel that Wright adds a bite to the attack we otherwise lack.  He's like a terrier and is really capable of setting the tempo.  Bennett I was impressed with, showed a lot of nice touches and has an air of quality about him, once up and running I think he'll be a real asset.  Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Up top I thought Gibson was outstanding in his work-rate.  He left everything out there and delighted he got his goal.  Sadly I thought the commentary team of Tondeur and Croft were well over the top in their constant digs and snipes at him, embarrassing at times in fact.  He's a work in progress and sometimes the ball did just bounce off him or he made the wrong decision.  But despite having the three behind him not real firing and a lack of quality service, he never stopped and kept their defence occupied.  Genuinely not sure what he did to upset Tondeur and Croft but other players seemed to escape the level of scrutiny/criticism levelled at Gibson.

Agree on the Williams point, another who we need to get up to speed and keep fit.  I was excited but his signing but he's taken a while to really get going.  Last few appearances you can see his class, has that Jon Nolan like quality of carrying the ball at ease and seeing things appear in front of him.  I'd like to see him definitely making that No 10 type role his own.

The biggest concern for me is experience up top.  Unfortunately I'm in agreement with the points that we just can't factor Hanson into any thinking.  It reminds me a bit when we had Robert Taylor here on loan in the early 2000's and then on a short-term contract.  We were desperately trying to get him fit to be the focal point of attack but he just kept breaking down and it knackered up any plans.  The other experience up top is Green but he doesn't offer anywhere near the mobility of Gibson or Windsor, nor Gomis from the limited bits I've seen from him.  Even pairing two of the three up, we're in need of a striker who has a bit of know-how.

[quote=123]Definitely one of those 'step forward' type performances where you can take far more positives than negatives.

At the back I thought we were rock solid.  Pollock gets better and better, whereas Waterfall quite clearly leads and is comfortable in dragging people into position by the scruff of their neck if needed.  I know Ohman started the season well but Waterfall/Pollock is our best pairing in my eyes.   Hendrie quality again and back to the form he showed in his first season.  I thought Clifton did a great job at left-back, for a lad out of position and on his weaker side he definitely didn't let it show and even offered the overlap to good effect on numerous occasions.  Whilst a benefit to the side, almost unfortunate for the player that he's showing his best form when having to fill in all over the pitch.

In the middle Rose showed his worth.  Calm, composed and just efficient.  Taylor looked vastly improved with that know-how alongside him.  He, Morton and Spokes all look decent enough in my eyes, I know some will disagree, but the lack of experience with the three of them in any combination is a concern.  It's essential we keep Rose fit.

The three behind the front man buzzed about but never really got going.  Great to see Wright back in a Town shirt, he looked fit as a flea but lacked that match edge and it showed in some of his touches.  I always feel that Wright adds a bite to the attack we otherwise lack.  He's like a terrier and is really capable of setting the tempo.  Bennett I was impressed with, showed a lot of nice touches and has an air of quality about him, once up and running I think he'll be a real asset.  Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Up top I thought Gibson was outstanding in his work-rate.  He left everything out there and delighted he got his goal.  Sadly I thought the commentary team of Tondeur and Croft were well over the top in their constant digs and snipes at him, embarrassing at times in fact.  He's a work in progress and sometimes the ball did just bounce off him or he made the wrong decision.  But despite having the three behind him not real firing and a lack of quality service, he never stopped and kept their defence occupied.  Genuinely not sure what he did to upset Tondeur and Croft but other players seemed to escape the level of scrutiny/criticism levelled at Gibson.

Agree on the Williams point, another who we need to get up to speed and keep fit.  I was excited but his signing but he's taken a while to really get going.  Last few appearances you can see his class, has that Jon Nolan like quality of carrying the ball at ease and seeing things appear in front of him.  I'd like to see him definitely making that No 10 type role his own.

The biggest concern for me is experience up top.  Unfortunately I'm in agreement with the points that we just can't factor Hanson into any thinking.  It reminds me a bit when we had Robert Taylor here on loan in the early 2000's and then on a short-term contract.  We were desperately trying to get him fit to be the focal point of attack but he just kept breaking down and it knackered up any plans.  The other experience up top is Green but he doesn't offer anywhere near the mobility of Gibson or Windsor, nor Gomis from the limited bits I've seen from him.  Even pairing two of the three up, we're in need of a striker who has a bit of know-how.[/q

Very very good post Diehard

Quoted from Poojah

How you define 'mid-table' is debatable, but we're currently bottom of the middle third of the division - I'd be tempted to call that 'lower mid-table'. Personally, I think the way we've set-up the squad was always going to lend itself to a sluggish start - lots of changes, players slow to reach match fitness, manager slow to establish what his best eleven (or even best eighteen) looks like.

As the season wears on, and the relentless Saturday / Tuesday combinations begin to ease I think we'll improve. Not so much that we're going to trouble the play-offs, but enough to ensure we're never seriously entertaining relegation. Mid-table, I guess. And amidst the madness of the footballing and wider world right now, that'll do me for now.

This was always going to be a difficult season due to the way Coronavirus impacted on footbal, especially for us. We got a new manager prior to Christmas and a transfer window post Christmas for Ollie to strengthen the squad and impose his football philosophy. The pandemic curtailed the season and threw a lot of his plans into the air. A summer recruitment campaign with no clear or concrete indication of when the season would start. This, coupled with Covid affecting training, further upset a lot of Ollie's plans to help the players to " gel ". I know it was the same for all teams but we were rebuilding and it nearly always takes a full season for a new manager to get a team anywhere near how he wants them to play with the players he wants. If we can tread water this season, avoid relegation and stay financially viable then I will take that. The latter part of the season could prove quite interesting as it seems possible that the restrictions imposed due to this pandemic could be eased ( hopefully ) which should give Ollie the opportunity to work more closely with the squad.

Williams does indeed look like one of our best players. He's definitely a number 10 though, so quite how we shoehorn him into the current formation, I'm not sure? I'd be quite open to see us trying a more diamond sort of midfield with Williams at the tip of it. Hendrie and Preston providing the width, Rose sat in front of Pollock and Waterfall then Clifton and either Taylor or Hewitt in the middle. Windsor should be nailed on, he can play all the across that front line it seems. Then, it'd just be who partners Windsor. Hanson ideally, but that's obviously not a long term/reliable option. Edwards and Tilley the best of the rest, both similar but both a bit rash - same goes for Wright. Gibson's so raw but we're seeing flashes of decent play from him but like Windsor he seems capable of playing across that front three. Then I'm not sure about Kyle Bennett yet? Good on the ball at times, but also largely anonymous for long periods last night. Too many options up top at the moment, too much meddling from Holloway. The defensive players are carrying us at the moment, but that's because they're getting plenty of game time together.

Like Ska says, Williams should be in that front three, he's wasted in midfield as he's a bit too lightweight. The only things he did wrong last night were backing out of a few headers.

I'm assuming Hewitt's still injured? I've not heard anything about him for weeks now?

Quoted from wuffing

[quote=123]Probably the worst we've seen from Windsor but well out of position and got to expect the odd bad game from a young lad.

Definitely not disagreeing that he didn't have his best match, but his ball to Wright was the one moment of class in the whole match and essentially secured the win for us.

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Quoted from Tommy

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Couldn't agree with this anymore. every single point.

Quoted from Tommy

I think Bennett and Gibson did better than some give them credit for.

For me, Bennett looks to have a touch of quality about him. He isn't going to be chasing round like Clifton and some of the younger lads, but he rarely wastes a pass and is always looking to be creative.

Gibson did alright, for me. His movement is decent, he gets himself involved in the game much more than Hanson and Green have done in recent starts in that position. He may have been offside a few times but I'd sooner have someone trying to make runs in behind than not. And maybe some of the times it needs a quicker ball to him.

I think if some people had watched the game last night with the commentary muted, they might not have been so critical of Gibson on this thread. As DHM points out, JT and Crofty were overly critical of him as if there was an agenda to it. Some of the times he recieved a poor pass and lost a chance to attack the goal, or which meant he was under immediate pressure, yet it was always Gibson who copped the criticism.

There were moments from Wright, Clifton and Windsor last night which drew a completely different response in commentary than that if Gibson.

I like JT but it was like they were both sticking to their pre-match opinion of him regardless of what happened, and allowing that bias to effect their commentary/analysis.

Aside from all that, I think in Rose, Williams & Bennett we have some real quality on the ball. If we can get runners and energy around those lads I think they will produce.

Post of the week for my money! Especially the part around muting the comms.

its a little bit baffling to work out what system they are playing to at times. I must admit im not an admirer of the defence passing around, it all looks very nail biting at times, one shoddy pass and were up against it, and it eventually ends up with a pass to Waterfall who then boots it up to the strikers, who then lose it, and we lose possession. There also seems to be confusion and lack of ability to find that pass and motivation from midfield to attack, we all seem to be in slow motion, and when we are around the 18 yard line,we tend to pass back and eventually it comes back to Macca. And as for throw ins, you could leave your armchair and make a coffee before it is thrown. We really do need someone who can give us that buzz and excitement when he gets the ball, we dont seem to have anyone at the moment, Edwards can do that, but doesnt have an end product. Gibson needs to check his offside game too. Maybe in the nearest future it will click and hey presto, but its not showing to me at the moment. My laptop has fallen out with me for shouting at it, im a frustrated fan , but i guess its easy for us armchair fans to see a through ball, but its different when your on the pitch. Lets hope that it all comes to fruition to how Olly wants us to play, its certainly going to be a rollercoaster ride for us fans, and i,ll still be paying my tenner to watch the lads.