Rochdale v Blackpool Official Matchnight Thread 20.04.21

Touched a nerve then with sarcastically calling out your history of slagging off the management. Yep. Didn’t call you a bellend though.
Didn’t touch a nerve at all, I pay my money and am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours. I don’t particularly care who agrees or doesn’t, if you don’t agree say so, just leave out the unwarranted sarcasm. This is a football message board, I post messages about football, if you think criticism is slagging off I think it’s a little poor of your command of the language.
 
On the tactics front I wonder if Critchley's set patterns come before individual initiative? Every pass (certainly first half), seemed to be risk-averse. No-one wanted to be the person to say, 'I'm taking this on, who's with me?'
I read posts that say nobody was at the races today. OK, it looked that way but what is Yates supposed to do with all the crosses and through balls that were rank awful? I'm starting to agree that Kaikai, for all his ability, just isn't consistent enough to warrant selection. Today and against Sunderland, his passes were wayward. Give me a man who can thread a ball to feet or into a striker's path ahead of someone who scores 6 great goals a season.
 
Pool have had to work harder than most teams to get results and tonight the players had little left in their locker. The lack of quality, creativity and goals from midfield has been an issue all season. Critchley should have addressed it but has failed to do so. We may make the play offs but going up via them looks unlikely.
 
BIGGER ** PICTURE!

Football fans eh?
Totally right, looking at league 2 Cheltenham, Cambridge, Bolton and Morecambe all coming up possibly. If we stay in league 1 all good away trips and we are trying to be the best that we can be, it's all you can ask for as a fan.
But a fan also has the right to whinge a bit if they think the gaffer has fucked up!
 
Totally right, looking at league 2 Cheltenham, Cambridge, Bolton and Morecambe all coming up possibly. If we stay in league 1 all good away trips and we are trying to be the best that we can be, it's all you can ask for as a fan.
But a fan also has the right to whinge a bit if they think the gaffer has fucked up!
Morecambe v Bolton on Saturday will be interesting to say the least!
 
Too many games twice a week for too long with too many game changers out injured, coupled with a manager who still hasn't worked out when to make tactical substitutions. We needed to make an offensive change imo around 55 minutes as it wasn't happening. We waited until we went behind when it was was too late and we were c!hazing the game. It also irks me somewhat that we only attack with intent once we go behind. We wasted 10 minutes of that game passing it from side to side. If we were winning then great but we weren't, we were drawing against a bottom 4 side. Will that do ?
 
We are still 3 points clear with games in hand!
A couple more wins will do.

Both Oxford and Portsmouth lost to struggling sides.

You have to feel a little sorry for Dale as Wigan and Wimbledon are both in form.
Curtains for Joey Barton’s lads are down. We play them final game.
We'll draw.... 🙄😏

Tbh I said about posh really tough lasy games and they losing so far, we should have beaten Lincoln, Fleetwood, Wimbledon. That would be 74 with a game in hand.

Plus others, tonight not even counted....

Could have been so much higher but honestly haven't shown the quality attacking wise.

This is always the worry when you dont score many, what if something goes wrong, a mistake, a lapse, deflection etc.

Can we respond. We look devoid of ideas at times and resort to hoofball too much like first half. Had we played with the second half later on intensity who knows.
 
Players dead on their feet and no one to inspire from the bench is really hurting us at the moment. Defensive foundations are good but midfield very average and take Yates out the forward line we are sorely lacking. I know we have players out but we do need to strengthen in these weaker areas even with a fully fit squad.
I agree with you. Which is why I would rotate massively at the moment. Robson, Husband, Gabriel, Thornily(who played, obvs) should all be starting. It wasn't eleven players who got us into the top 6, it was the squad.
 
I think it's reasonable to give fans a bit of slack here Chunky. We're in a precarious position with a chance, no more, of getting into the play-offs. We played a bottom 4 team and we were abysmal.
Fans letting off steam is the least of Critchley's worries.
He said in his pre-match vid that he knew how Rochdale would set up. Well? That went f*cking shite didn't it!
At this stage we should be doing a Charlton and beating these by a score.
Yeah we looked pedestrian first half, no shots on target, worked it forward only to do nothing and work it back only to hoof long and lose it, all that play wasted.

Why is that still happening, you'd think the lads would have the bit between their teeth but started crap.
 
Unfortunately we were not at it tonight, but credit to Rochdale, they are fighting for their league 1 lives . Their game plan worked a treat . I would imagine Mr Critchley will analyse this performance and make the necessary tactical changes for the next game . COYP.
Will they involve being in an advanced position on the wing and recycling it back to Ballard, across to Garbutt and up to Thornily...etc....etc?
 
We just don't deal with this type of game very well at all.
I'm pretty sure we passed the ball more times in tonights game than any other this season but of course nearly 50% of those were in our own half. It was MK Don's football.
We've had far more success when playing against a team that dominates possession.
We don't create well through slow build-up, we are far better on the break.
We need the hard press against the opposition defence, force errors and take advantage.
Hopefully some lessons will be learned.
 
On the tactics front I wonder if Critchley's set patterns come before individual initiative? Every pass (certainly first half), seemed to be risk-averse. No-one wanted to be the person to say, 'I'm taking this on, who's with me?'
I read posts that say nobody was at the races today. OK, it looked that way but what is Yates supposed to do with all the crosses and through balls that were rank awful? I'm starting to agree that Kaikai, for all his ability, just isn't consistent enough to warrant selection. Today and against Sunderland, his passes were wayward. Give me a man who can thread a ball to feet or into a striker's path ahead of someone who scores 6 great goals a season.
Yates has been poor for the last few games, needs a rest for me.

A few times tonight he had a half chance to do something and spun round losing the moment when he had to try to shoot or cross wasn't just him as they were all poor.
 
Very disappointing but in reality we werent going to stay unbeaten forever. Injuries aren’t helping so the same lads are having to play every game.

We are still in a good position, the most Oxford can get to is 74 and Pompey are really struggling. Got to play lot better than tonight but I’m confident we will get the 6 or 7 points we need. Doesn’t matter if you finish 3rd or 6th, once your in it you have as much chance as the other 3 teams.
 
I’m not against criticism on here nor even a vent 66.
I just cannot understand certain posters who literally only post when it’s bad. They can literally only contribute to directly attack players.
On the night we murdered Charlton and played them off the park, these people could not say one thing positive. No where to be seen?
I guess I will never understand that view of life?
Yep.

Anyyone saying that the playoffs are gone is a ** lunatic.

FIRST LOSS IN 17 GAMES.
 
Too many games twice a week for too long with too many game changers out injured, coupled with a manager who still hasn't worked out when to make tactical substitutions. We needed to make an offensive change imo around 55 minutes as it wasn't happening. We waited until we went behind when it was was too late and we were c!hazing the game. It also irks me somewhat that we only attack with intent once we go behind. We wasted 10 minutes of that game passing it from side to side. If we were winning then great but we weren't, we were drawing against a bottom 4 side. Will that do ?
But that doesn't explain why we're done?
 
We just don't deal with this type of game very well at all.
I'm pretty sure we passed the ball more times in tonights game than any other this season but of course nearly 50% of those were in our own half. It was MK Don's football.
We've had far more success when playing against a team that dominates possession.
We don't create well through slow build-up, we are far better on the break.
We need the hard press against the opposition defence, force errors and take advantage.
Hopefully some lessons will be learned.
Unfortunately our press didn’t work very well with our two forwards against three centre halves , our midfielders weren’t quick enough getting forward in support and so on . Hopefully we will learn from this !
 
Sadler must be disappointed in the style of football Critchley has adopted...about as entertaining as Mourinho.
I think he'll be happy with where we are but will have been disappointed tonight obviously. Strangely, up to tonight we've been consistent in picking up points, but not really consistent in how well we've played. The away game vs Lincoln compared to tonight were like chalk and cheese, with largely the same team. It's a bit weird to be honest.
 
Strange that we've been mostly done so far by horrible cheaty teams employing shithousing tactics. Tonight we were just outfought and outthought by a decent footballing side that needed it a bit more than us. Hopefully we can reset for Saturday and go another eight games unbeaten.
NO, IT'S ALL OVER! WE MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP NOW! WE'RE ONLY 3 POINTS INSIDE THE PLAYOFFS WITH AT LEAST A GAME IN HAND OVER SOME VERY BANG AVERAGE SIDES!
 
One thing I had started to fear was that we went 22 games unbeaten but then lost the final vital game in the Play Off final. At least that won't happen now!
 
But that doesn't explain why we're done?
In my opinion we have look terrible since the second half at Lincoln, it's as if the confidence has been knocked out of us.
Sunderland was a great result but let's be honest they battered us. Our game consists of passing left to right, Right to left then back to Maxwell to launch it forward. I think we peaked to soon, that I'm my opinion is why we are done. I'll be delighted to eat my words.
 
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I've long been a critic of Critchley who over this season has got far too much wrong. In my view Calderwood saved his bacon.
Not being there day to day I have no idea but the constant 4 4 2 with the two centre forwards starved of service puzzles me, but we are usually good at defending.
 
Pool have had to work harder than most teams to get results and tonight the players had little left in their locker. The lack of quality, creativity and goals from midfield has been an issue all season. Critchley should have addressed it but has failed to do so. We may make the play offs but going up via them looks unlikely.
What an odd ‘Fan’ you are.
 
What a golden opportunity we missed tonight....Its all right harping on about 16 games undefeated but we need to show something for that at the seasons end and it looks like we are in danger of blowing it.
The facts are some of those draws in the early games of that run the football was turgid....and its only since the half time of the Burton game when they obviously had a rocket up their arses have we seen the potential of what they are capable of.As someone has pointed out earlier in this thread that since they conceaded those 2 late goals against Lincoln their confidence has been shot. It does look like they are running on empty.I know we beat Sunderland but think we where lucky and at some point your luck is going to run out.
To get out of this league....you have to show desire...commitment ....and show the other team you want it more than them....Im afraid that didnt happen tonight.
Critch should have seen where the problem was after 60 minutes and pulled Kai Kai, Embleton and Simms who as someone else had pointed out looked like he was running in lead boots. Robson, Mitchell and Husband should have come on to freshen things up pushing Garbutt into midfield....We have played with 5 across the middle before and it has worked.So I think Critch is to blame tonight ...To give Brad Holmes the last 4 minutes tonight is really asking for miracles...I think Sherlock Holmes wouldn't have figured out a way to score with that performance....Anyway lets please hope that this is only a blip and that we can really take it to Shrewsbury on sat by coming out on the front foot just like we did against Peterboro.

COYP
 
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Reality here is that the players are tired and after the "Lord Mayor's Show" at the weekend the performance was distinctly stale. Very little has changed though, so I do get surprised at the continuous ups and downs of emotions. With hindsight NC may have rotated more last night and may be more inclined to do so in the remaining matches, but he is still learning. The fact is that we are still in a very good position, so let's try and stay positive and look no further than the next game. Unbeaten runs become a millstone after a while and personally I'm happy that this one has now ended and we can move on.
 
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