Just back  (merged)

Quoted from Germo66

Just like my school report - Could do better. Barrow must feel robbed. Take the three points.
I wonder what this team practice in training, as they seem to be devoid of where there team mates are or unable to pass to them

I've been saying this for weeks. What ARE they doing in training? How come Barrow can pass the ball with purpose and verve, and ours are hopeful, under hit, over hit, too long,too short or just an aimless punt into no man's land.

Of course there are some good bits but honestly we are boring to watch, lacklustre and have no obvious style or any sense of urgency and we are so short of pace.

Quoted from Hagrid

I agree with he and you, there was nothing convincing in the performance but hopefully just one of them
Games in which the luck was in for us

Well we got consensus in the end. Nothing beats three points but three points weren’t necessarily deserved tonight.

won yes, but we were rubbish. that's all I can say

Tonight looked like, after building a squad in the summer to try and control possession and be an aggressive high-pressing team, and starting the season with that philosophy, we've abandoned that in favour of being a solid grafting team inviting pressure and almost playing percentage football.

I get that after a few losses we needed to do something. I guess I'd have liked to have seen us just tweak what we were doing or get better in the final third to convert those defeats/draws into wins. I know we won tonight which is all that counts from a game of football, but I'd be more worried about us if that was our approach to future games tonight, than if we were trying to play like we did at Swindon/Bradford etc.

I think PH has started a couple of seasons in the past with wanting us to play more football, but abandoned it at the first sign of it not working and reverted to what he knows as the solid safe approach. I'd hope that after building a squad this summer with some transfer fees paid, to be a better team technically and playing better football, that we wouldn't do the same by the end of September this season.

Will be interested to see how we approach the next few games.

But bottom line delighted to get 3 points tonight and ease a bit of pressure.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I've been saying this for weeks. What ARE they doing in training? How come Barrow can pass the ball with purpose and verve, and ours are hopeful, under hit, over hit, too long,too short or just an aimless punt into no man's land.

Of course there are some good bits but honestly we are boring to watch, lacklustre and have no obvious style or any sense of urgency and we are so short of pace.

Whether you liked it or not, previous managers have brought an identifiable style of play. Buckley 1 was pass and move with Rees as the linking forward, ball into feet, and runners going one side or the other, Slade 1 was ball over the top to Reddy to exploit his pace, Buckley 2 Groves won the ball, passed to Burnett, who fed Donovan, who then crossed for Groves to head home.

Trying to describe Hurst’s style of play is difficult to define. Broadly it seems to be having one isolated frontman to try and win the ball with his back to goal, midfielders who help the ball on, and often turn possession into 50/50’s (Clifton being a good example tonight), and hoping for individual moments of genius from Eisa or Khan.

It defies belief that we work on this in training, and Barrow were far far better to watch tonight. To have not even collected one point against us, let alone three was scandalous. In the second half we offered nothing, and seemed content to defend en masse for almost half the match.

Tonight may be an extreme example, but it follows a pattern of play that is far too frequent. I’m amazed that crowds are holding up so well when this is the product on offer.

Pleased with the three points but I'll be damned if I can work out what we're actually aiming to do going forward. There's no obvious game plan or pattern of play which was in stark contrast to some of the crisp play from Barrow who looked decent at times. Their movement was purposeful and well timed showing that it's been worked on and drilled in to them. Our movement is disjointed and sometimes non-existent, particularly from the central midfielders who don't seem to run beyond the play to stretch the defence but also rarely seem to pick the ball up in pockets of space. Holohan did some great work defensively but he's just not very good with the ball at his feet and his movement off the ball is extremely poor.

We're just a bit of a nothing side. We're neither quite technically good enough or well drilled enough to move the ball quickly between the lines to create chances that way. We keep the ball but don't move it quickly enough to actually move the opposition around to create space. But we also don't have the physical attributes to be successful at going more direct, although early signs are that Wilson who I think looks good may give us a better chance at that route. We don't seem to have an obvious aim such as to get the ball out wide and fill the box or to slide passes in behind for midfield runners. Frankly a lot of the time it looks like the players don't quite know what the aim is either and that might be what slows some of our play down. We're basically reliant on the fact that Rose and Eisa are better than average players for this division.

Happy with the three points but I'm just a bit dejected overall after that. We won't be going down but we won't be troubling the play offs either in my opinion.

Quoted from mariner91

Pleased with the three points but I'll be damned if I can work out what we're actually aiming to do going forward. There's no obvious game plan or pattern of play which was in stark contrast to some of the crisp play from Barrow who looked decent at times. Their movement was purposeful and well timed showing that it's been worked on and drilled in to them. Our movement is disjointed and sometimes non-existent, particularly from the central midfielders who don't seem to run beyond the play to stretch the defence but also rarely seem to pick the ball up in pockets of space. Holohan did some great work defensively but he's just not very good with the ball at his feet and his movement off the ball is extremely poor.

We're just a bit of a nothing side. We're neither quite technically good enough or well drilled enough to move the ball quickly between the lines to create chances that way. We keep the ball but don't move it quickly enough to actually move the opposition around to create space. But we also don't have the physical attributes to be successful at going more direct, although early signs are that Wilson who I think looks good may give us a better chance at that route. We don't seem to have an obvious aim such as to get the ball out wide and fill the box or to slide passes in behind for midfield runners. Frankly a lot of the time it looks like the players don't quite know what the aim is either and that might be what slows some of our play down. We're basically reliant on the fact that Rose and Eisa are better than average players for this division.

Happy with the three points but I'm just a bit dejected overall after that. We won't be going down but we won't be troubling the play offs either in my opinion.

That is exactly my summation.

The players just don't know what they are trying to achieve. There HAS to be some game plan, in the sense of attacking intent, but we have got none, absolutely no intention of threatening the goal.

Pontoon fans have seen a grand total of 2 goals all season,  and you can count the times we have been in the box at that end on a metaphorical hand.

Quoted from Tommy

I think PH has started a couple of seasons in the past with wanting us to play more football, but abandoned it at the first sign of it not working and reverted to what he knows as the solid safe approach. I'd hope that after building a squad this summer with some transfer fees paid, to be a better team technically and playing better football, that we wouldn't do the same by the end of September this season.

Hurst said we was poor. If that was our gameplan executed, he wouldn't have said that, would he?

Do you think when the team win the ball back, Hurst says pass it to them so we can defend? That suggestion defies all logic. By all means, we defended well, but probably didn't do well with the ball when we got it and invited pressure onto ourselves.

However, on Saturday, we did well when we have the ball, but we defended poorly.

We needed a good defensive display, and I think the team can hopefully take confidence that we can see a lead out. We just need to combine the two and get more consistent. A platform to build on.

Oh, and everyone who keeps sayings that we were crap, could it not just be that Barrow are now a competent League 2 outfit, just shy of the play-offs and performed well? I get that Barrow used to be shite, but then again, Luton used to be non-league. Things change in football.

Think Hurst has tried to put a tight squad together to cover various formations and got a squad that can't master one style of play let alone three. Can we play a two in centre midfield without getting overrun so we can accomodate our wide players and two up top? Not sure we've got a partner for Conteh, or at least one that's in favour. Can we play three at the back? Not with Waterfall we can't, and if Efete plays right wing back as Mullarkey moves to the right of a three, PH doesn't trust either of our left footed full backs on the other side. And where does Eisa fit in to that formation? Same with a 4-4-2 diamond, which suits Khan much more tham Eisa at the tip. All a bit of a confused mess at the minute.  Rodgers and Maher centre backs, Conteh holding midfielder and Rose up top, rest of the outfield positions up for grabs.. in god knows what formation..

Well, footballs a weird game isn’t it?! Not sure why I actually like this sport at times 😂

Played better this season and not got owt, much the second best tonight but you take it.

The football has to improve but hoping a win that stops the poor run of results and holding out to not lose yet more points from a winning position can be a catalyst to kick on.

Great finish from Rose and a great ball in from Michee, for all the criticism of him from me he’s had two good solid games on the wrong side. Wilson is giving me Solskjaer vibes of late, must be tempting to start him Saturday.

For a time there it looked like it was only going to end one way, they had a ridiculous amount of pressure in the second half and a change was needed.

Hurst has drawn deserved criticism at times for in game management but thought he got it spot on tonight. Many screaming the change was negative but I though going for 3/5 at the back and matching them up, which also allowed us to get two up top probably meant we got three points from a game where it looked like 0 points was quite likely.

Really want to see Rose/Wilson start together Saturday. That brings problems with where you lose the other player from but reckon 442 might be the best shot and accept the consequences of having less in midfield for the forward threat.

Special mentions to Rodgers, Holohan and Andrews tonight who I thought were all excellent. I am getting alittle worried about Waterfall, great when we’re deep and compact and will always put everything on the line… but showing a few signs he’s struggling with a higher line and more possession. I’m not used to us looking so nervy defensively with him on the pitch, usually so assured.