Just back

It's difficult to analyse a game when we are defeated by two individual errors, but when we can't be relied upon to score more than one goal a match, it puts our defence under increasing pressure which leads to mistakes. It's worryingly reminiscent of our downturn last season when a similar decline in goal threat lead to us losing a raft of winnable games, usually by a single goal.

I thought Hurst should have swapped Hunt for Holohan or Green in the second half when Carlisle started to sit in. Hunt is good at picking the ball up in a deep position and moving it on through midfield, but that doesn't work when the opposition are dug in and effectively squeezing out our passing options. We needed to go a bit more direct, hitting the channels quickly and forcing corners and throw-ins to keep Carlisle pinned in. Holohan might have been able to pounce on second balls in their half which would have sustained our pressure.

I think that's the most disappointing aspect of both Saturday and last night. We had the ability to get back into both games but we let them both drift with some naïve play. It didn't help that the set-piece deliveries from both Hunt and JMD were well below par.

It's not a disaster but it's a big wake-up call for some players and possibly the management. Mid-table teams in this league aren't going to fold like Barnet and we're going to need to be more ruthless if we're going to push on.

Khan was excellent by the way. Displayed some very neat control and was unlucky not to score in the first half after a bursting run. Nice cross for Efete's tap-in too.

Quoted from Grimsby2012

As I've been saying since the start of the season, I think we are really going to regret bit signing a more experienced striker instead if relying on Taylor who just simply isn't good enough to be a main striker.

Although I respect people's opinions and their love for Taylor for his help in getting us promoted. We need to be realistic here and realise he isn't a 20 goal player and this shows in our lack of goals.

Stats are facts.

Yes, I have received ridiculous and mostly childish abuse for this opinion, but slowly it will become evident that I was right.

Taylor was never going to be a 20-goal striker, just as Steve Livingstone wasn’t. I feel like your ire could be better directed.

Quoted from Grimsby2012

As I've been saying since the start of the season, I think we are really going to regret bit signing a more experienced striker instead if relying on Taylor who just simply isn't good enough to be a main striker.

Although I respect people's opinions and their love for Taylor for his help in getting us promoted. We need to be realistic here and realise he isn't a 20 goal player and this shows in our lack of goals.

Stats are fact

Yes, I have received ridiculous and mostly childish abuse for this opinion, but slowly it will become evident that I was right.

Harsh to blame Taylor he does what he does.won numerous balls flick ins thirty yards out if first half last night and there was no one within 15 yards of them . I agree he can’t play if we are playing with the more creative khan and JMD  . I was very suprised that Hurst played JMD and Khan with no one playing on their back lines shoulders or anywhere near it . Football is a matter of opinion but I woukd have thought this was obvious enough by now

Why are people slating Ryan Taylor for heavens sake? And are people really taking issue with him not being  the 20 goal a year striker that we need?

Ryan Taylor is a classic Number 10, not a Number 9. He does great work in that 10 role, and if people cannot see that then frankly they must be be blind or lack understanding of what that 10 role is.

Why is it going so unnoticed by supporters, that we don't have a Number 9 in the building and that is the reason why we are lacking a goal threat. We've got Orsi, who with the fitness of McAtee and/or another nailed on No 9, would be a squad player. And we have two kids in on loan that we have taken a bit of a chance on.

Until we get somebody in, that PH wants to hand the No. 9 shirt to, then we are likely to amble along fairly well, but still lacking the firepower we need to put games to bed more often or not. But people, you have really got to stop making Ryan Taylor a bit of scapegoat for your frustrations, because you are judging him based on a role that he isn't really there to fulfil. He's not an out and out goal scoring striker in the No 9 sense of the game. Although to give him a bit of credit where credit is due, his league form recently is a goal every other game,.

As I said in an earlier post in this thread it’s not Taylor’s ability that’s in question it’s the fact that, without McAtee, we don’t have any players capable of playing alongside him in the team structure that Hurst favours.

Funny how anyone who has a negative opinion on Taylor’s role is judged to know nothing about football and Dale saying he’s a number ten who requires a number 9 alongside him suggests some of our views have merit.

Whilst I’m at it one of the reasons Efete doesn’t always cross the ball as early as us fans think he should might have something to do with the fact that we never have more than one player in the box!!!

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

As I said in an earlier post in this thread it’s not Taylor’s ability that’s in question it’s the fact that, without McAtee, we don’t have any players capable of playing alongside him in the team structure that Hurst favours.

Funny how anyone who has a negative opinion on Taylor’s role is judged to know nothing about football and Dale saying he’s a number ten who requires a number 9 alongside him suggests some of our views have merit.

Whilst I’m at it one of the reasons Efete doesn’t always cross the ball as early as us fans think he should might have something to do with the fact that we never have more than one player in the box!!!

The manager clearly likes to play off Taylor, the problem is finding the right players to play off him. The fact we’ve ended up with the players we have (3 young loanees plus Orsi) suggests that we didn’t find/couldn’t afford what we were looking for in the window.

It suggests that the manager is keen to carry on with his preferred game plan even though he might not have the players to implement it. Time for a change of plan maybe?

Has people slating Taylor now moved to people talking about people slating Taylor?

Good player, who just needs people to play around him properly, McAtee seemed to that quicker than anyone else.

Quoted from Grimsby2012

As I've been saying since the start of the season, I think we are really going to regret bit signing a more experienced striker instead if relying on Taylor who just simply isn't good enough to be a main striker.

Although I respect people's opinions and their love for Taylor for his help in getting us promoted. We need to be realistic here and realise he isn't a 20 goal player and this shows in our lack of goals.

Stats are facts.

Yes, I have received ridiculous and mostly childish abuse for this opinion, but slowly it will become evident that I was right.

He has literally never even come close to scoring 20 goals in a season, throughout his career - so i don't think anyone ever claimed or thought he would be that guy. It's not what he's been signed for or what he consistently gets picked for.

Stats are facts.

Quoted from sam gy

He has literally never even come close to scoring 20 goals in a season, throughout his career - so i don't think anyone ever claimed or thought he would be that guy. It's not what he's been signed for or what he consistently gets picked for.

Stats are facts.

In the eyes of several, Hurst is getting this wrong. Which is good as any one of them could do better when/if he moves on.

On a positive note I was very impressed with Niall Maher last night, he looks a high-quality recruit who can go on to be a mainstay in this team. Khan and JMD also looked like positive introductions and will improve with match fitness.
The big issue for me is the lack of mobility and movement. We barely turned the Carlisle defence so we were easy to play against, almost predictable. And that of course is where McAtee comes into his own, probably the least predictable player we've had in years. Things improved after Orsi and Richardson came on but if you gift the opposition two goals it's going to be a struggle.
Somehow we have to eliminate the mistakes, easier said than done, but hopefully the goal will have helped Efete's confidence.