Do the players know we’re trying to get in the play-offs?

A

Adams Kebab

Well-known member
Didn’t look like it to me.

Zero urgency to do anything. Free-kicks, throw-ins? Going through the motions…everything done slowly, robotically and lethargicially.

A win today would have got us in 6th place, 3,000 behind the goal and we looked about as enthusiastic as I would be to do a coaching seminar with Critchley, Garrity & Brunskill where they tell you about patterns of play, slow presses and pumping long balls when you aren’t able to play through midfield & the benefits of not making any subs to change a game in a positive fashion till after a minimum of 65 minutes. Boring hell.

If that’s us trying to get in the play-off picture then there’s next to no chance of it happening.

Fans can moan at misplaced Byers forward passes or him going backwards but there is literally fook all to hit or play to most of the game.

I’m just trying to work out if it’s the players lack of movement or ability or the coaching.

The fact it’s the away performance we’ve seen 7 or 8 times before I’m thinking it’s not the players cos we’d have shippedj them out by now surely if it was. Saying that we gave another 2 years to Europe’s hide and seek champion who came on today wearing number 22 incase you missed him.
 
Agree with that. We are trying to get in the play offs and they just look like they are going through the motions. Ekpiteta didn’t look on this planet at some points.
I just think they struggle with the tactics which is why they look so clueless and lost.
Either change the tactics to 442 or actually sign players that can play in this system.
I’ll give Coulson his due he was the only one actually trying to make things happen.
 
Agree with the above. Ridiculous rigid five at the back formations aside, there's a soft centre to our squad that is a real worry. We look scared of it and never put our foot in until its too late.
Besides that, anyone with an ounce of insight could see they were pinning our wingbacks in from the start this afternoon. Meanwhile our three centre halves were clearly one too many and once again became our hapless playmakers. No wonder Marv looks shell-shocked. Dire.
 
Well when your captain leads by example what chance have you got? Ollie "Backpass" Norburn makes Barry Ferguson look like Glen Hoddle. It summed it up for me when with just a couple of minutes to go rushed over to take a free kick on the halfway line. With the big men in the box I thought at last he's showing some initiative and was going to pump the ball into the mix but no he turned round and rolled a 20 yard backpass to Grimmy..
 
It was shades of Appleton at the beginning of the second half with Lavery left, Beesley right and Dembele through the middle. WTF was all that about?
 
Adams Kebab said:
Didn’t look like it to me.

Zero urgency to do anything. Free-kicks, throw-ins? Going through the motions…everything done slowly, robotically and lethargicially.

A win today would have got us in 6th place, 3,000 behind the goal and we looked about as enthusiastic as I would be to do a coaching seminar with Critchley, Garrity & Brunskill where they tell you about patterns of play, slow presses and pumping long balls when you aren’t able to play through midfield & the benefits of not making any subs to change a game in a positive fashion till after a minimum of 65 minutes. Boring hell.

If that’s us trying to get in the play-off picture then there’s next to no chance of it happening.

Fans can moan at misplaced Byers forward passes or him going backwards but there is literally fook all to hit or play to most of the game.

I’m just trying to work out if it’s the players lack of movement or ability or the coaching.

The fact it’s the away performance we’ve seen 7 or 8 times before I’m thinking it’s not the players cos we’d have shippedj them out by now surely if it was. Saying that we gave another 2 years to Europe’s hide and seek champion who came on today wearing number 22 incase you missed him.
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I posted during the match thread the same thing about taking an age with free kicks, throw ins and when Grimshaw has the ball,it's been going on all season even when we go a goal behind, so robotic does my head in
 
Good point about the slow press. Even when we managed to get reasonably close to their midfield and back line in the first half, we still gave them too much time on the ball by standing off a yard or so . Either press or hold your shape (eg like Derby at our place), today we did neither.

I really can't see how Critchley isn't disappointed with today's performance. The only player I thought had a decent game was Casey.

We've nothing to lose ffs, although you wouldn't know that from watching that shite today.

Every fan around me today was frustrated and disappointed, why isn't the manager?
 
onlyonepool said:
Well when your captain leads by example what chance have you got? Ollie "Backpass" Norburn makes Barry Ferguson look like Glen Hoddle. It summed it up for me when with just a couple of minutes to go rushed over to take a free kick on the halfway line. With the big men in the box I thought at last he's showing some initiative and was going to pump the ball into the mix but no he turned round and rolled a 20 yard backpass to Grimmy..
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Yep that and Dembele’s two free-kicks 1st half, one that was a cross he just didn’t tell anyone and the other from a worse angle ballooned over. Wasted.

I’m going to cut Norburn and Byers some slack that when they do get the ball there are only two options ahead of them, every other player is behind them or at the side of them. Of course they do go backwards too much particularly ON, but there’s nothing much to hit infront.
 
pooljimbo said:
It was shades of Appleton at the beginning of the second half with Lavery left, Beesley right and Dembele through the middle. WTF was all that about?
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I can only think we thought moving Beesley off the centre halves who won every headed against him 1st half and to get him play on another defender to try and bring success with our high punts forward..
 
Adams Kebab said:
I can only think we thought moving Beesley off the centre halves who won every headed against him 1st half and to get him play on another defender to try and bring success with our high punts forward..
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Maybe. They were all playing so wide though. Tbf Beesley today wouldn’t even have won Hook a Duck at the fair.
 
For years and years, we have been lacking in midfield.
Nobody showing, no composure, and Sunday league panic.
Play a high line with 5 at the back/wing backs - but let's have 3 across the middle, and two up top.
Keep the ball, push forward, and make chances - someone will score - yes I know how shit most of our forwards are.
But the genius super coach NC can't see it - but we all can.
 
Adams Kebab said:
Didn’t look like it to me.

Zero urgency to do anything. Free-kicks, throw-ins? Going through the motions…everything done slowly, robotically and lethargicially.

A win today would have got us in 6th place, 3,000 behind the goal and we looked about as enthusiastic as I would be to do a coaching seminar with Critchley, Garrity & Brunskill where they tell you about patterns of play, slow presses and pumping long balls when you aren’t able to play through midfield & the benefits of not making any subs to change a game in a positive fashion till after a minimum of 65 minutes. Boring hell.

If that’s us trying to get in the play-off picture then there’s next to no chance of it happening.

Fans can moan at misplaced Byers forward passes or him going backwards but there is literally fook all to hit or play to most of the game.

I’m just trying to work out if it’s the players lack of movement or ability or the coaching.

The fact it’s the away performance we’ve seen 7 or 8 times before I’m thinking it’s not the players cos we’d have shippedj them out by now surely if it was. Saying that we gave another 2 years to Europe’s hide and seek champion who came on today wearing number 22 incase you missed him.
Click to expand...
A shocking display and lack of plan considering what was on offer. Robotic, going through the motions, side to side, no creativity, no freedom, no swagger, no character, no defined style of play etc. Particularly first half before they tired and sat back more.
 
onlyonepool said:
Well when your captain leads by example what chance have you got? Ollie "Backpass" Norburn makes Barry Ferguson look like Glen Hoddle. It summed it up for me when with just a couple of minutes to go rushed over to take a free kick on the halfway line. With the big men in the box I thought at last he's showing some initiative and was going to pump the ball into the mix but no he turned round and rolled a 20 yard backpass to Grimmy..
Click to expand...
Norburn has been incredibly disappointing, things is he started off well, remember that defence splitting pass that most couldn't do so showed he was capable.

He's gone backwards to use a pun...
 
JJpool said:
A shocking display and lack of plan considering what was on offer. Robotic, going through the motions, side to side, no creativity, no freedom, no swagger, no character, no defined style of play etc. Particularly first half before they tired and sat back more.
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No attacking runs , running at defenders , usually expect CJ to have a go but didn’t notice him once - side back side hoof , lose possession .

Any credibility would be for Lavery for at least a bit of effort , Casey played well. Wigan done their home work and set up well against us - we could not get through at all .
Wingbacks we’re far to deep to get up there for getting some crosses in . Very one dimensional and Wigan would not of played an easier game all season
 
Just posted on another thread I thought they looked shattered after Tuesday's win and 10 men hold out last Saturday.
Dembelle case in point.
 
Let's face it, they've had a very busy last few weeks.
2 matches a week for a few months.
It's got to take it out of the players.
 
pooljimbo said:
Maybe. They were all playing so wide though. Tbf Beesley today wouldn’t even have won Hook a Duck at the fair.
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Do you know what, when we played Peterborough at home in the cup we were watching him and the team chasing shadows.

I happened to be as high up as you can go so it gives that perception that players are further from each other, similar view at Wigan yesterday and given they play out in a similar way, watching Beesley and the team chasing shadows and resorting to long punts reminded me a bit of that game, given the patterns of play were similar and looked similar from my vantage point.

We really struggle against sides like that when they're at it because we have no pace up top with Beesley and Rhodes, a bit better with Lavery and Joseph but they barely score.

We also can have a pretty ineffective press at times.

If we're resorting to long punts to Beesley, to flick on to nobody or most likely not win the ball, to get in the playoffs then we've no chance.
 
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