Match thread v the monkey hangers

In a state of shock.

Too much talk in the week about next season, when we have not mathematically secured our L2 place.

That’s complacency, in my opinion.

They had five shots and scored 4!! Come on, lads.

So then, would any of the 13 red crossers on the season ticket poll like to offer some reasoning behind their kind actions?  Do you honestly believe that the negative comments on this thread are conducive to a high renewal rate?

Well, there’ll now be lots of histrionics and over reactions and abuse, but even if we put that aside, today, and the home form generally is way below par. Baffling tactical choice from the off, and terrible defending, passing, movement and ball retention. Trying to keep some perspective and balance, but I think it’s pretty clear we’ll need a serious upgrade on half a dozen or so players if we want to compete next year. Just a shame that the support this season has been fantastic, but the season ticket holder would have every reason to say - you know what? I’ve had really poor return for my money. Big improvement needed if we are to salvage momentum and positivity, because that was tripe today.

Well I've had a walk round the block to calm down.
Hurst and the players you should be donating you wages to charity cause you certainly haven't earnt them.
Cant see anything changing rest of season sadly.

First half it wasn’t working, everyone could see that and changes should have been made 20 mins in.
As it was we got back into it and looked decent early 2nd half, we were all over them, then the ref - who weirdly let nearly every offence go in the game aside from this one- was adamant it was a pen when it was clearly outside the area. From then on we were chasing and they had it easy on the counter.
We can play it on the floor really well, but we can’t penetrate defences and when we do nobody busts a gut to get on the end of things. We have no natural finishers willing to gamble on a chance. 17 shots 1 goal….same every game.
Fair play to pool, they played proper footy and looked far better than relegation candidates, they took every opportunity really well too.

Not surprised people left with 20 mins still to go.

5 at the back and too many changes gave them the initiative from the off.

Fook saving players for Monday. Get your best players on the pitch to give the home fans something to cheer about.

The fans are doing their bit at home and away, but the way the team perform at BP is abysmal.

Quoted from chaos33

Well, there’ll now be lots of histrionics and over reactions and abuse, but even if we put that aside, today, and the home form generally is way below par. Baffling tactical choice from the off, and terrible defending, passing, movement and ball retention. Trying to keep some perspective and balance, but I think it’s pretty clear we’ll need a serious upgrade on half a dozen or so players if we want to compete next year. Just a shame that the support this season has been fantastic, but the season ticket holder would have every reason to say - you know what? I’ve had really poor return for my money. Big improvement needed if we are to salvage momentum and positivity, because that was tripe today.

Well said - all the effort should go into making Blundell Park a fortress, why the hell were we trying to rest Clifton, McAtee etc for a home game?

I wonder if Jason has Steve Evans’ phone number……

Quoted from MaccasBoots

To put this in perspective, they've had four shots all game - bizarre

To put it in perspective they drunk us, they played really well we were absolute flipping garbage.

This — and every other match from hereon in — is a dead rubber. Our season was effectively over the moment we lost at Brighton.

So then, with a home game and a bumper crowd turning up to BP on Good Friday, and a team in the relegation zone and the worst defence on the road in the whole league to face... we play five defenders and a holding midfielder.

What exactly where we looking to gain from that?

I don't need a degree in football analytics to know that if we'd played two strikers from the off, we'd have given their defence something to think about. Instead we were totally anaemic. We offered literally nothing in the first half.

A braver manager would've changed it 25 minutes in, when Hartlepool had quite clearly sussed us out.

Changes come at half time and, to be fair, they worked. We got back in it at 1-1, looked okay... and then the penalty. Seen one screen shot where it looks on the line, and another where it looks a yard outside.

Either way, when we go 2-1 down, as we did v Salford, we went to pieces. Too fragile.

A Hartlepool supporting mate watched us play Crawley off the park and feared today. He was mega impressed with Emmanuel and Clifton that night. Where were they today?

I have always supported Hurst, especially at times when it's got tough. I'm not changing my tune on the basis of today although I think it's fair he also comes in for criticism when it's truly warranted. I don't think there can be any excuses today, other than he got it badly wrong from the start.

What on earth is the point of signing players like Mikey O'Neill and Dickson-Peters if they're never going to be trusted in a dead rubber? As for Orsi, what more can he do to get a game? McAtee and Taylor starting on the bench...

It's not the end of the world but our home form is genuinely awful. That's 9 wins in our last 42 League 2 games at Blundell Park (including the 20/21 season).

1878 talk about continuous improvement, and I'm sure there's lots of work going on behind the scenes that we're not privy to. But we've certainly gone backwards since about October. Cup run aside, this squad now looks ragged and more like a bunch of strangers thrown together rather than a team.

We've had a lot of games to play this season. You'd think we'd have built rhythm and partnerships off the back of that. But constant tinkering with the side has never allowed us to get into a flow.

We've got a few more games left this season for Hurst to work out how exactly he wants his side to play.