What’s missing?

Yesterday’s game was terrible to watch. We are missing Scanell and Williams imo

Mckeown
Hendrie Waterfall Pollock Preston
Clifton Williams Rose
Scannell Hanson Windsor

That’s the most creative team I can see in the current mix

Edwards and Wright are game changers for me.

Harry’s energy in midfield and Williams creative ability. Saw several times we were one good pass away from been in behind. But that’ll come I’m sure with some time on the training pitch.

I think there are two things at play here. Firstly, we’ve pursued a recruitment approach which prioritises numbers over individual quality - we have a big squad, not necessarily a brilliant one.

We’ve done that for a reason, which brings me onto the second point. We face a ridiculous succession of Saturday, Tuesday fixtures. Throw in travel, and that takes a huge toll on the fitness of players.

By mixing it up as we’ve been doing, you keep players fresher and less prone to injury. The play-off of course is that you lose fluidity between the players on the pitch, and you’re less likely to be playing your best available eleven for any given fixture.

This was never an approach likely to see us come out of the blocks strong. Only time will tell whether it was the right one as we get deeper into this most arduous of seasons.

Quoted from Poojah

I think there are two things at play here. Firstly, we’ve pursued a recruitment approach which prioritises numbers over individual quality - we have a big squad, not necessarily a brilliant one.

We’ve done that for a reason, which brings me onto the second point. We face a ridiculous succession of Saturday, Tuesday fixtures. Throw in travel, and that takes a huge toll on the fitness of players.

By mixing it up as we’ve been doing, you keep players fresher and less prone to injury. The play-off of course is that you lose fluidity between the players on the pitch, and you’re less likely to be playing your best available eleven for any given fixture.

This was never an approach likely to see us come out of the blocks strong. Only time will tell whether it was the right one as we get deeper into this most arduous of seasons.

I don’t like the current strategy but have to acknowledge as I think many others do that Ollie knows more about the levels of his players than we do and is operating a selection policy to protect them from silly injuries etc..

I’m sure he’d pick the same 11 each week if he could and who knows as we go into the back 9 of this season maybe he’ll get the opportunity to do so.

What does strike me is that the EFL trophy adding more fixtures to the schedule isn’t helping overall but the next couple of games In that competition could work to our advantage as it will give some game time to those that have hardly featured and possibly allow Ollie to get closer to his best 11.

I dont get this swapping and changing to avoid injuries it seems half the squad are out injured in any one week anyway, so it can't be working can it?

Quoted from promotion plaice

Edwards and Wright are game changers for me.

With these 2 on the pitch we’re a top half team but without pretty average. As we are nearly a quarter of the way through season I see little progress but some optimism. However, as the footballing ecosystem is so fragile a run of bad luck, injuries, gelling in time, dressing room incongruence and covid interruption could see us within site of the trap door all season. On the other hand the “Johnson” scenario could see us top of the League by Christmas.

Quoted from Madeleymariner

I dont get this swapping and changing to avoid injuries it seems half the squad are out injured in any one week anyway, so it can't be working can it?

If we are playing twice a week anyway the players should naturally stay fit and training can be reduced accordingly.

I think the fact that we have such a massive squad is almost a justification in itself for the constant swapping and changing.

I disagree Rob. Constant competition tires players out. The only sports that requires athletes to compete so frequently are cycling and tennis. And they have gaps normally between the major competitions and some teams prioritise one event per year.

Training sessions are not just about fitness either. They are about team preparation, running through drills etc. They’re chances for the coach to get across what he wants players to do in a way that you can’t in a competitive match.

Our most effective attacking display this season was Cheltenham away and we had real pace and inventiveness up front. We got in behind and ran at tall slow defenders, so perhaps having Hanson in the team is not the answer from the start but an option from the bench.

Think the back 5 picks itself and is reasonably solid but with Cliftons energy and Williams' industry supported by Rose shielding the defence. We should have a frontline of.......

Scannell/Wright        Windsor        Edwards/Gibson

Quoted from Stew0_0

Our most effective attacking display this season was Cheltenham away and we had real pace and inventiveness up front. We got in behind and ran at tall slow defenders, so perhaps having Hanson in the team is not the answer from the start but an option from the bench.

Think the back 5 picks itself and is reasonably solid but with Cliftons energy and Williams' industry supported by Rose shielding the defence. We should have a frontline of.......

Scannell/Wright        Windsor        Edwards/Gibson

Gibson is a million miles off being as good as the players you’ve listed him with.

Our biggest loss has been Edwards, we’ve been absolutely useless without him.

how you can miss Scannell....hardly played, so we have a better knowledge of some of the other rubbish that we have.

Id argue the answer is Limbrick

Quoted from Nutsy

Yesterday’s game was terrible to watch. We are missing Scanell and Williams imo

Mckeown
Hendrie Waterfall Pollock Preston
Clifton Williams Rose
Scannell Hanson Windsor

That’s the most creative team I can see in the current mix

Hanson creative? He can hardly jump, and seems to hit the ground everytime he is tackled. We need to hit other teams back line with pace and energy

Hanson in a 442 if we had a reliable fox in the box. We don't. He is isolated in a 433 so play Windsor there and put Edwards/ Tilley/Wright/Gomis/Jackson/Williams/Bennet around him depending on fitness.

Thought Bennet was sharp and competed well for headers and second balls in midfield. Good awareness of players around him and didn't give the ball away like on his debut. Start at least.

Bennet's experience could be valuable against Barrow who will try to bully some of our younger guys. We have to start winning more free kicks than we give away. Stevenage commentators were chuckling about our naivety. Green, Tilley, Windsor, and Gibson were easy meat for a whistle happy ref.

Hanson is fine to bring on especially if we are defending a lead and need help defending corners.

Still think Rose is off the pace. Should be demanding the ball from Pollock and Waterfall not squaring it to them to welly diagonals.

          Mckeown
     Waterfall Pollock
      Clifton Rose
          Hanson

Thats ye spine, work in the rest around them.

Why do a lot of you think Wright is going to be our saviour! When was the last time he played? How many times has he played with the various players we are using? IMHO he is looking at 3/4 games to get to a standard we expect from him. So please don’t have great expectations of the lad. (I hope I am wrong)

UTMM

Quoted from Nutsy

Yesterday’s game was terrible to watch. We are missing Scanell and Williams imo

Mckeown
Hendrie Waterfall Pollock Preston
Clifton Williams Rose
Scannell Hanson Windsor

That’s the most creative team I can see in the current mix

No Edwards? You really ARE Nuts.

Bennett played some poor passes yesterday, but I thought his delivery from set prices was very good. I can only assume he was knackered yesterday, as i hoped he’d stay on, but he didn’t.

Anyway, get Edwards back ASAP.

Our front 6 is all over the place at present mainly due to us signing players who lacked fitness. Until we get some continuity, this isn’t going to change. Pure guesswork but I’d suggest that Edwards and Windsor alongside a fitter Hanson would be the preferred front 3 with Rose, Clifton and either Williams or Bennett as the attacker in the midfield 3.

I think Bennett shows enough that he is almost a core starter, just hope his fitness can improve,  and then I think he will be a good find  

Just starting to look like the non-league signings have been a waste of time.

I genuinely hope not — and I appreciate they'll be on relatively small contracts, so can understand the punt — but, really, are Spokes, Sisay and Jackson Jr really going to play a part in this season?

I get Ollie's approach, I guess we have to trust him on it, but it does seem a bit of a shambles.

Maybe in a parallel universe I've been made to look a fool as a 20-strong squad gets decimated with injuries and we're bottom of the league. Below Scunthorpe.

I think Olly is trying to find the right moment for Ira Jackson. Spokes' physicality perhaps earned him a place when we had Rose, Harry, Bennet and others not match fit. Unfortunately, it exposed his lack of touch, timing and anticipation so that the game passed him by. With so few reserve games, it's difficult to see how he and Ira Jackson Jnr can get up to speed. Don't think we are allowed to even play our Academy 'in house' due to Covid rules. Difficult for Olly to have foreseen this.
Jackson is a somewhat unusual character. Highly intelligent, driven and committed to his family and new business adventure. Fitness and ambition are unlikely to be issues but Geography and all the Covid rules may be fuelling disillusion if he isn't part of the squad soon.