First half we were the better side (slightly), but once again just not able to put the ball in the net, for most the of the second half it evened out both sides in it and it looked like a draw would be a fair result for both parties. The trouble was Jolley's subs decision, he took Hooper off and brought Cook (Why not Pringle?) on and changed our shape and this killed us we stopped pressing, invited trouble and were punished when out striker was pushed out side and didn't track his man and we were 1-0 down and the second came because we had just given up not much else to report sadly.

Agreed... the first change did the damage,,,, didnt see the need for it...

My mate who is an ardent Alex fan told we had three decent chances and failed to take them. Not a great game but not dire either. He predicts mid table for both clubs! I'd take that now!

He also said he does not want Lincoln to get promoted- 'Long ball thugs' were his words.

We have improved greatly over the last few weeks. We try and play football on the ground, pass it reasonably well and are solid enough but we don’t really look to have too many goals in us.
We created 3 good chances in the first half but took none of them.
Think as fans all we can do is be supportive and hope that when one goes in confidence grows.

I am far happier watching the last few games than I ever was watching a Slade team!

Though Collins had a decent game and Thomas too

First half - thought we were the better side. Lots of energy forcing Crewe into mistakes.
Good link up between midfield and front three - a few decent chances created but not taken
Second half - Crewe upped their game and we seemed to lack the same intensity of the first half.
Always a game in which the first goal was a massive factor. We didn't take our chances, Crewe did.

Compared to last away game that I went to (Bury), this was a vastly improved performance. I drove home feeling disappointed but not despondent. If we continue to play like we did in the first half, we will be ok. However, I still think we are missing some quality to challenge at the top end of the table. (especially up front)

It would be churlish to pick up too many negatives after today but
1. I get frustrated by how many times when we have the opportunity to run at opposing defenders, we seem to stop and pass the ball in field.
2. Set play delivery was dreadful today

Overall much better but some work still to do

If we need a proven goalscorer who can  capatilise on all this good play does anyone spring to mind in Jan?
Amond?

Quoted from @Grimsbyfish

First half - thought we were the better side. Lots of energy forcing Crewe into mistakes.
Good link up between midfield and front three - a few decent chances created but not taken
Second half - Crewe upped their game and we seemed to lack the same intensity of the first half.
Always a game in which the first goal was a massive factor. We didn't take our chances, Crewe did.

Compared to last away game that I went to (Bury), this was a vastly improved performance. I drove home feeling disappointed but not despondent. If we continue to play like we did in the first half, we will be ok. However, I still think we are missing some quality to challenge at the top end of the table. (especially up front)

It would be churlish to pick up too many negatives after today but
1. I get frustrated by how many times when we have the opportunity to run at opposing defenders, we seem to stop and pass the ball in field.
2. Set play delivery was dreadful today

Overall much better but some work still to do

I agree, we seem to play well and get within 10 yards of the opposition's penalty area then we seem to fanny about passing it around without looking dangerous.

Embleton's corners today were poor and in the first half we had a free kick about 20 yards outside of their penalty area, a long line of our players on the edge of the area then I think it was Rose who decided to play a short ball to someone I can't remember who, they fannied about with it till it ended up somehere near the half way line, Collins was effing and blinding at Rose on his way back to defend.

For the first 60 minutes, we looked most likely to score without playing particularly well. I don't actually think we pressed them that well in this period too in sharp contrast to the Colchester game. There were so many times were Thomas and Vernam were trying to press but the gap between our lines left a easy pass on for them. It was just that Crewe were too poor to take advantage of this. The opening goal clearly resulted from Vernam being placed on the left, and having no clue how to defend, which I don't blame him for. After this we never remotely looked like scoring.

Our attacking play was also weaker than of late, and we were labouring to even get near the penalty area. Embleton particularly had a poor game, which tells you how influential he's been to us of late. Overall, we didn't play particularly well, but still looked the most likely team to win for 60 mins which we can take some encouragement from, but Crewe were a poor team.

Shoot out to the guy behind me who all game was criticising Hooper for not defending well enough and being clueless, before becoming a tactical mastermind after their first goal, pointing out how he knew taking Hooper off would leave our left side vulnerable.

Quoted from Cloudy

We have improved greatly over the last few weeks. We try and play football on the ground, pass it reasonably well and are solid enough but we don’t really look to have too many goals in us.

I'm not sure we do play football on the ground. Yesterdays game was a case of two contrasting styles in my opinion. We look to hit the channels at the first opportunity although at times we play nice little triangles. We are set up to counter attack but lack real pace and like you say a goalscoring threat. That said, Thomas although not getting any younger has shown flashes recently that he could be the short term answer. Vernam is a quality footballer and will get his fair share although he needs to start finding the net more regularly. His wide position isn't helping.

I think a major reason we aren't hitting the target often enough is the amount of players we commit into the box. We aren't getting enough bodies in the box, decent crosses are going out for goal kicks.

I think Thomas' goal against Colchester shows what a threat he can be if we can get him into the box and the ball at his feet more often. In his current role, he's spending too much time closer to the centre circle and with his back to goal. Hopefully Cardwell's fitness is improving as it might be worth giving him a run to do the donkey work to hopefully release Thomas a bit more.

I’m not convinced by Vernam to be honest, he’s got good energy and looks threatening sometimes but he doesn’t score or setup many goals at all and often seems hesitant to shoot without wanting too many touches. I’m not a Hooper hater by any means, and he showed his defensive value yesterday, but he also doesn’t look like he will create or score many goals.

If we could find better players than these two (Pringle may be the answer as a Hooper replacement) then I think we would comfortably finish in the top half.

I think we are seriously lacking goal threat all over the pitch, and the stats bear that out. I worry, because you watch the highlights of the L2 games week after week and you see almost every team scoring goals almost at will through all sorts of methods. I do think that L2 teams are generally pretty suspect defensively across the board but we simply don't have enough attacking quality to be anything but bottom 6 strugglers without better players. The points we have acquired recently have been heavily reliant on plenty of luck in terms of not conceding but yesterday showed the essential truth yet again - not enough goal threat, nobody who can convert chances and nothing there once we are a goal or two behind.

Played well and unlucky not to get something.  Move on and let our management get on with the clear improvement from earlier in the season.

Quoted from chaos33

I think we are seriously lacking goal threat all over the pitch, and the stats bear that out. I worry, because you watch the highlights of the L2 games week after week and you see almost every team scoring goals almost at will through all sorts of methods. I do think that L2 teams are generally pretty suspect defensively across the board but we simply don't have enough attacking quality to be anything but bottom 6 strugglers without better players. The points we have acquired recently have been heavily reliant on plenty of luck in terms of not conceding but yesterday showed the essential truth yet again - not enough goal threat, nobody who can convert chances and nothing there once we are a goal or two behind.

Errr, they just show the goals or goalmouth incidents so it's bound to look like they score at will. The other 89 minutes don't get shown.

But we do need a goalscorer or two.

No, I know that. Give me some credit. You look at the stats and the league table. You notice other teams have midfielders scoring goals, centre backs, goals from corners, free kicks, last minute winners, headers from crosses...
I don't really see much of that in our team really. Easily the fewest goals scored.
How many goals have our centre backs and centre midfielders got between them, excluding penalties..?

I suppose it's natural that we're critical after the game and look to discuss areas where we need to improve. But I actually thought we played OK yesterday.

I know there's always a frustration about the end result when we've ultimately lost the game, but sometimes the result can cloud people's perception of the game/performance itself. It also works the other way around if we win, and I'm not trying to claim we dominated and were brilliant either.

But at half time I was delighted with how it was going. We'd been the better team for the last half hour of the half, played some really nice football and were as calm and comfortable in possession as I remember us being for a long time. It may not be progressing into ruthlessness in the final third yet, but the football to get us there was very good at times and MJ/AL aren't stupid, they'll be working on what needs working on.

We also had good chances. Thomas bit of play to roll his marker and sprint to goal was very good and just lacked a smoother finish. Key to that was the service to him - Hendrie played the ball up to him through gaps in midfield, on the floor, to find the strikers feet. A clear difference in what we're trying to do I think.

Yes it may have gone a bit more direct at times in the 2nd half - or the balls up to the front two weren't of the same quality, but I don't agree with the one/two posters thinking we still go long.

2nd half was very open to start with. Chances at both ends including one frantic 15 seconds when  Macca saved a one-one-one and then we went up the other end and nearly scored when Vernam had an effort pushed wide by their GK.

Didn't feel like we were under real pressure at any point second half though and when they scored it seemed to almost come out of nowhere. Seen Vernam get a lot of flak for being too slow to get back but I'd question where Hendrie has gone too. Why has he followed his man into central midfield?

As always when we concede, it was hard to see a way back to win the game from then. And then they killed it off after some soft defending down our left allowed a cross (great cross by the way) in and boom game over.

Pringle looked decent on the ball and put one really nice cross in that Cook headed wide. Would like to see him given a bit more time on the pitch now on the left.

We lost but the performance is still something to build on in my opinion, and with better finishing could've brought us a win anyway.

Wasn't their keeper given their MOM award? That tells us something about the game.

Onto the next one....Not too many changes needed.

Chaos 33 is spot on - it is almost the only regular problem with this team I feel... lack of goals
Developing nicely, some good players, defensively sound (we will always have the odd blip...but that's when you need a major goal threat), hard working, playing for the shirt and boss etc etc
Take Tuesday - we won 1-0 against a very decent team IMO - everyone happy.
Had we drawn 0-0 we'd have said 'decent point' but would have come on here moaning about lack of a striker
Had we lost... cue Ipswin et al

So, it's fine lines most of the times and footy shows again and again it's only ever about results.

Quailty strikers are the most sought after players and sadly we are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to attracting the top ones for this level... unless we find another Bogle and/or take a punt on a Morecambe reserve (Podge) which Hurst did, we will struggle.

It's not all about a free scoring centre forward either - Tony Rees was never prolific but we had people chipping in goals all over the pitch so not a problem

Unless and until we find someone who can score a dozen at least for us then we will be bottom six I think...but I honestly feel we won't go down; far worse teams than us in L2

It's the same at nearly all the struggling clubs at any level - park football or PL - few chances, little goal threat, few goals, always susceptible to defeat

Onwards.....

Taken from GT website
This is the sort of hysteria that drives me up the wall... irrational bollox after one defeat in which had we taken our chances we'd have got a point minimum


"Having seen the goals Town conceded against Crewe and having listened to the Manager's after match summary, he states that "we have only conceded two goals in the last five matches so I won't criticise the defense" - Why not?  The goalscorers were left totally unmarked each time, it's like watching schoolboy football.
There seems to be no discipline with Town's defenders, they have three men running towards the ball and then leave opposition players unmarked!
This is a recipe for disaster unless they address these simple things - for goodness sake get it sorted MJ !"

Goals win games - MJ's post-match interview was spot on - we take one of our first half chances and we can then narrow up and see the game out. We make one mistake, get punished and only concede the second because we've had to open up.

Bournemouth's win at Fulham yesterday was the perfect example of what we could have done yesterday had we scored first. You don't always play badly when you lose.

I agree with Tommy, Devs and Chaos - a lot of what we are doing is as good as I've seen from us for quite a long time. I just think better replacements for Vernam and Hooper could see us finish somewhere near the play off places. I still can't see us going down though even if we don't replace them. TBH I spent most of the game yesterday thinking what a good bet GrimRob had placed for us to finish in the top half.

Quoted from chaos33

No, I know that. Give me some credit. You look at the stats and the league table. You notice other teams have midfielders scoring goals, centre backs, goals from corners, free kicks, last minute winners, headers from crosses...
I don't really see much of that in our team really. Easily the fewest goals scored.
How many goals have our centre backs and centre midfielders got between them, excluding penalties..?

I wasn't disputing the lack of goals. It was the daft use of highlights programmes to illustrate the point.

Quoted from arryarryarry

I agree, we seem to play well and get within 10 yards of the opposition's penalty area then we seem to fanny about passing it around without looking dangerous.

This demostrates that they dont know what theyy are trying to do to me. Time and again Embleton is given the ball out wide but the ball isnt crossed. He just pixxes about until he loses it. No end product, No threat on goal at all.
If you dont ask questions of the defense you'll get nothing. Makes life easy for the defense

Embleton's corners today were poor and in the first half we had a free kick about 20 yards outside of their penalty area, a long line of our players on the edge of the area then I think it was Rose who decided to play a short ball to someone I can't remember who, they fannied about with it till it ended up somehere near the half way line, Collins was effing and blinding at Rose on his way back to defend.

Exactly. A complete waste of a set piece. We got the tall defenders forward and then lose the plot as to what we are trying to do. Hasnt it been shown that a big percentage of all goals come from set pieces so you must take advantage when you gett them, We create so few clear cut chances that getting loads of crosses in when we have a few players in the box will pay off enough times to get winning goals until we have forwards who are not shot shy.

Quoted from TheGoalKipper

[/b]

Exactly. A complete waste of a set piece. We got the tall defenders forward and then lose the plot as to what we are trying to do. Hasnt it been shown that a big percentage of all goals come from set pieces so you must take advantage when you gett them, We create so few clear cut chances that getting loads of crosses in when we have a few players in the box will pay off enough times to get winning goals until we have forwards who are not shot shy.

But sometimes you have to try something different to get a result. This team is not the finished article and I'm sure MJ knows that. As long as we can keep clear of relegation and develop then I'm sure we will be fine.

I still think our lack of goalscoring is mainly due to the extremely low amount of quality chances we create. We very rarely open teams up and lay chances on a plate for any of our strikers. Our stats show that we create very few chances as a team per game rather than being extremely wasteful in front of goal. I can only remember us missing three or four gilt-edged chances all season (mainly Carlisle away which we won anyway) where you could say we should have scored. That's after 15 games. We could sign as many proven goalscorers as we want but if the chances aren't coming, they're not going to be able to score them. Our problems go a little deeper than purely missing chances, we don't create anywhere near enough when we get around the box, especially from crosses in wide areas or players pulling the ball back from the goal line. We do significantly suffer from a lack of penetration, composure and inventiveness in the final third..

I know we didn't win but if we keep playing the way we've been playing we will get there. We are heading in the right direction.

Quoted from Bigdog

I still think our lack of goalscoring is mainly due to the extremely low amount of quality chances we create. We very rarely open teams up and lay chances on a plate for any of our strikers. Our stats show that we create very few chances as a team per game rather than being extremely wasteful in front of goal. I can only remember us missing three or four gilt-edged chances all season (mainly Carlisle away which we won anyway) where you could say we should have scored. That's after 15 games. We could sign as many proven goalscorers as we want but if the chances aren't coming, they're not going to be able to score them. Our problems go a little deeper than purely missing chances, we don't create anywhere near enough when we get around the box, especially from crosses in wide areas or players pulling the ball back from the goal line. We do significantly suffer from a lack of penetration, composure and inventiveness in the final third..

.

I agree with all of that - especially the idea that we don’t get in behind defences sufficiently. The goal at Carlisle and the second against Port Vale showed the benefits of getting the ball down to the by-line and pulling it back. Also, our shooting lacks power. The shots we did have on goal on Saturday were like passes to the goalkeeper. The value of hitting the ball really hard was exemplified by Harry Kane’s penalties in the World Cup. We don’t need to bring in a ‘proven striker’. We just need the ones we’ve already got to wise up on what it takes to find the back of the net.

Quoted from joe56

.

I agree with all of that - especially the idea that we don’t get in behind defences sufficiently. The goal at Carlisle and the second against Port Vale showed the benefits of getting the ball down to the by-line and pulling it back. Also, our shooting lacks power. The shots we did have on goal on Saturday were like passes to the goalkeeper. The value of hitting the ball really hard was exemplified by Harry Kane’s penalties in the World Cup. We don’t need to bring in a ‘proven striker’. We just need the ones we’ve already got to wise up on what it takes to find the back of the net.

Sorry but we disagree slightly with this ..
Yes I agree with the lack of true velocity, accuracy and powder in the attempts we have when shooting from outside the box but twice on Saturday, both in the first hskf, Vernham whipped 2 fantastic balls across the face of goal but unfortunately hooper just wasn't in the right places due to his inability to read the game..maybe this is just his age and lack  of maturity, I'm not sure to be honest.yet I contradict myself with that statement as he read the situation against vale perfectly...who knows, but to me the problems really started on Saturday once hooper went off, he at least occupied their right back but cook was ineffectual...poor substitutions cost us the game, hopefully MJ is astute enough to realise that fact..

Quoted from Mariner93er

For the first 60 minutes, we looked most likely to score without playing particularly well. I don't actually think we pressed them that well in this period too in sharp contrast to the Colchester game. There were so many times were Thomas and Vernam were trying to press but the gap between our lines left a easy pass on for them. It was just that Crewe were too poor to take advantage of this. The opening goal clearly resulted from Vernam being placed on the left, and having no clue how to defend, which I don't blame him for. After this we never remotely looked like scoring.

Our attacking play was also weaker than of late, and we were labouring to even get near the penalty area. Embleton particularly had a poor game, which tells you how influential he's been to us of late. Overall, we didn't play p[/color]articularly well, but still looked the most likely team to win for 60 mins which we can take some encouragement from, but Crewe were a poor team.

[color=blue]Shoot out to the guy behind me who all game was criticising Hooper for not defending well enough and being clueless, before becoming a tactical mastermind after their first goal, pointing out how he knew taking Hooper off would leave our left side vulnerable.

I think JJ is in a continual fight to justify automatic selection.
I think he may not be in our strongest XI when everyone is fit.
I think constructive criticism should be part of the lifeblood of this forum.
I think JJ must despair at the continual excessive criticism he receives.
I think he is a useful member of the squad.
I think part of the problem is, he is more David Gower than Graham Gooch.

I know the tone of the criticism does JJ no good whatsoever.
I know because of this it is not good for the team.
I know the tone of the criticism is from a minority.
I know the idiot behind me at Crewe p.ssed off the majority who could hear him.
I know most of us didn’t want to hear his rather less than eloquent b.llocks.
I know the idiot behind me would (silently) have been glad had JJ been in position rather than Vernam when
   Crewe scored.

I will continue to trust in Michael Jolley.

UTMM.

Wrong highlighted bit but l guess it is self explanatory when looking at Mariner93er’s post.

Quoted from Bigdog

I still think our lack of goalscoring is mainly due to the extremely low amount of quality chances we create. We very rarely open teams up and lay chances on a plate for any of our strikers. Our stats show that we create very few chances as a team per game rather than being extremely wasteful in front of goal. I can only remember us missing three or four gilt-edged chances all season (mainly Carlisle away which we won anyway) where you could say we should have scored. That's after 15 games. We could sign as many proven goalscorers as we want but if the chances aren't coming, they're not going to be able to score them. Our problems go a little deeper than purely missing chances, we don't create anywhere near enough when we get around the box, especially from crosses in wide areas or players pulling the ball back from the goal line. We do significantly suffer from a lack of penetration, composure and inventiveness in the final third..

True enough. Someone on here said the other day that we do not get enough players in the box and that may have something to do with the lack of chances. Midfield players are not getting ahead of the ball enough. (Is this a fitness issue as well?) Stands to reason a cross has more chance of being dangerous if there are 2 or 3 possible scorers in there instead of just one to aim at.