Just Back

To be fair to Shaun & Ben I thought the shape was right what let us down today was the so called professional footballers who currently have the inability to pass the ball, work hard to find space when we have it and push themselves to win it back when we don’t.

I know AP said that if we need some in some will have to go out, a few of the current squad might want to get Crofty round to value their house or check when they’ve got a break in their tenancy agreements.

Good chance the next two games to get Green in front of back four and Conteh playing further forward, were wasting him back there.

Once again we seem to have built a squad that lacks pace. One or two individuals might have it in their locker but we simply don’t play in a way that allows them to use it. Everything is so static.

You could see the frustration in our back line when they had possession under no pressure - they were looking for a pass but no one showed.

My biggest frustration was how immobile we were in the centre. Conteh and Gav would have the ball at their feet, while they were looking for a pass they ignored the 20 yards of space they had right in front of them. No one drove into that space all game. No one drew players to them, or committed them, to create pockets of space elsewhere.

No one had the pace of the confidence to drive forward. Everyone looked scared to lose possession. Understandable in the circumstances but we have to be braver than this.

And jeez, our set piece deliveries once again were just píss poor. I like Glennon but each of his corners landed on the head of the guy at the near post every time. When we played it short that time, we messed it up.

Absolute basics not being executed today. So frustrating when we’ve shown fight and bravery in previous games. Today it all disappeared and we were back to Accrington/Colcheser levels.

Quoted from chaos33

Of course I do. It’s your obsession with analysis and data and it’s use in the modern game that is odd. You’re absolutely wound up by it as a concept. I dont get it.

What gives you that impression?😄

I just feel it is a nonsense. Take today - look at the stats and you would get the wrong impression. We had far more possession and more shots on target. So what? What does it prove? Anybody at the game could see they were the better team; possession is immaterial as they don't play a possession based game but were better at what they do.

Football is too nuanced to be reduced to numbers, apart from the result and league table  which tells you all you need to know. Maybes, couldbes and nearlies don't count.

Player data is equally ridiculous. Our centre backs probably have the best completed pass stats because they keep passing it between each other. What's the point? I understand the footballing reasons for it but reduce that to data and it is irrelevant.

Then you  get the absolutely ludicrous stats that say don't worry about being 4th bottom of league 2, because some daft stats show that you had more throw ins in the final third, you had more corners or whatever. None of it matters.

My final point is ALL data is retrospective so has no bearing whatsoever on what happens in future games. The opposition is different,  the weather is different,  the tactics might be different,  the venue might be different,  the team might be different thereby altering the dynamics and ad infinitum.

It is a modern phenomenon which has embedded itself in the game but if we are to improve our season we need a manager who can set us up right, players who can be coached into a style of play they are comfortable with and drilled week in week out.

I'm in a minority of one, which I am comfortable with. Others have different views and talk about marginal gains and such and good luck to them if they believe it.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

What gives you that impression?😄

I just feel it is a nonsense. Take today - look at the stats and you would get the wrong impression. We had far more possession and more shots on target. So what? What does it prove? Anybody at the game could see they were the better team; possession is immaterial as they don't play a possession based game but were better at what they do.

Football is too nuanced to be reduced to numbers, apart from the result and league table  which tells you all you need to know. Maybes, couldbes and nearlies don't count.

Player data is equally ridiculous. Our centre backs probably have the best completed pass stats because they keep passing it between each other. What's the point?

Then you  get the absolutely ludicrous stats that say don't worry about being 4th bottom of league 2, because some daft stats show that you had more throw ins in the final third, you had more corners or whatever. None of it matters.

My final point is ALL data is retrospective so has no bearing whatsoever on what happens in future games. The opposition is different,  the weather is different,  the tactics might be different,  the venue might be different,  the team might be different thereby altering the dynamics and ad infinitum.

It is a modern phenomenon which has embedded itself in the game but if we are to improve our season we need a manager who can set us up right, players who can be coached into a style of play they are comfortable with and drilled week in week out.

I'm in a minority of one, which I am comfortable with. Others have different views and talk about marginal gains and such and good luck to them if they believe it.

I’m all for marginal gains but the data has to augment the talent and coaching. What I’m watching is professional footballers failing to do the basics, particularly movement off the ball, making the most of space and creating space for others. It’s not difficult.

Back in a very wet Whitby.

We lack quality.   The performance was well summed up above.

Hard to believe we beat 5 teams from higher divisions in the FAC. And won impressively at County and Wrexham.

They had 3 good chances to score in the 2nd half. They did enough to deserve 3 points.

Our crosses and corners could not beat the first defender.

We rarely troubled a reserve keeper for the bottom team in the league.

Some absolute clowns on here.

Says it all when a 33year old Luke Waterfall, who many would have argued is in his final season with us, comfortably looks as good as the other two.
We didn't spend in the summer and this is the result. Same will happen next season.

Quoted from nightrider

Says it all when a 33year old Luke Waterfall, who many would have argued is in his final season with us, comfortably looks as good as the other two.
We didn't spend in the summer and this is the result. Same will happen next season.

I’m one who thought Luke was done but on the basis of today I may have been wrong, though Sutton aren’t that good he played well.

Quoted from nightrider

Says it all when a 33year old Luke Waterfall, who many would have argued is in his final season with us, comfortably looks as good as the other two.
We didn't spend in the summer and this is the result. Same will happen next season.

We did spend in the summer, some of those signings aren't in the best of form at the minute.