I believe 100% in this squad…

T

TimperleyTangerine

Well-known member
It is more than good enough to be challenging right at the top of this division. We can see the quality that is there, but we can also see the almost complete lack of belief.

Today, after 5 minutes, I won’t have been alone in thinking here we go again. I hate this 3-5-2 formation, not because it’s not sound, but because it doesn’t work for the players we have.

Zero intent, overly cautious, slow in possession and passing and little movement. Pump it long. We give teams nothing to be afraid of, they settle into games without ever being threatened. Today, Wycombe had to do nothing to win that game. We can look at some poor defending, but mistakes will always happen and we need to be trying to score goals and win games. If we don’t, mistakes will result in losses.

What on earth does NC say to the lads before they leave the dressing room. He must put the fear of god in them. Keep it tight, nothing daft, don’t commit, take the sting out of the fans (bore them to death), pump it long…..

I’m guessing of course, but NC has an absolute fear of losing and I think he doesn’t ask players to express themselves and enjoy it. This is a talented bunch and he does suck the confidence from teams / players.

The explosion of positivity after Wigan was misjudged, including the telling off by SS. At the same time, overly negative reactions to losses are misjudged.

However, we have to ask if what we’re seeing will change and if we will be where we should be, challenging at the top. It is absolutely clear to me that NC has no idea and I’m fed up of people keep referring back to his first stint. More recent history tells us the guy is stubborn to the point of stupid, and that his style is dull.

I want NC to succeed, but I just don’t see him getting the best out of our players.
 
My concern is that we are just so painfully predictable in 3-5-2, we aren’t going to get in the top 6 by lumping the ball up to our strikers, nor are we going to by keeping the ball around the back line. That seems to be our only two options at the moment.

Rhodes/Beesley don’t work as a striking partnership and the wingers aren't linking up with the rest of the attackers. There has to be more intent to take a man on/pass and move/make a run out of position.
 
Victorsponge said:
2 wins out of 7 and 9 points out of 21, suggest your wrong about the quality of the squad.
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Football has shown many times that the right manager can get entirely different results from the same squad.

We’ve got to believe in the lads and give them our support. They cannot be anything other than pissed off with what they are being told to do.

NC believes he is so much better than he is. His stats are shockingly bad if you look at QPR and what he’s achieved since returning.
 
TimperleyTangerine said:
It is more than good enough to be challenging right at the top of this division. We can see the quality that is there, but we can also see the almost complete lack of belief.

Today, after 5 minutes, I won’t have been alone in thinking here we go again. I hate this 3-5-2 formation, not because it’s not sound, but because it doesn’t work for the players we have.

Zero intent, overly cautious, slow in possession and passing and little movement. Pump it long. We give teams nothing to be afraid of, they settle into games without ever being threatened. Today, Wycombe had to do nothing to win that game. We can look at some poor defending, but mistakes will always happen and we need to be trying to score goals and win games. If we don’t, mistakes will result in losses.

What on earth does NC say to the lads before they leave the dressing room. He must put the fear of god in them. Keep it tight, nothing daft, don’t commit, take the sting out of the fans (bore them to death), pump it long…..

I’m guessing of course, but NC has an absolute fear of losing and I think he doesn’t ask players to express themselves and enjoy it. This is a talented bunch and he does suck the confidence from teams / players.

The explosion of positivity after Wigan was misjudged, including the telling off by SS. At the same time, overly negative reactions to losses are misjudged.

However, we have to ask if what we’re seeing will change and if we will be where we should be, challenging at the top. It is absolutely clear to me that NC has no idea and I’m fed up of people keep referring back to his first stint. More recent history tells us the guy is stubborn to the point of stupid, and that his style is dull.

I want NC to succeed, but I just don’t see him getting the best out of our players.
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Sorry to disagree but half this squad are league one at best it showed last season and it’s already showing this season.

Bang average league one manager (and I’m being kind here) who doesn’t pick his best team and constantly pays players out of position.

Carry on as we are and it’s a bottom half finish for me.
 
Change the 352 and we will see the players playing to their strengths and pick up points I’m sure instead of always playing players out of position. It’s just shambolic to watch why is critchley doing this. I’ve already got tickets for Barnsley away and travel but I’m sad to say if he continues with this formation then that’ll be it for away days. Not going to waste anymore money on away days when he can’t pick the correct team. I will save my hard earned money instead. At the end of the day fans pay to be be entertained and we ain’t getting that.
 
I'm somewhere in the middle -

I still believe we left ourselves 2/3 quality players short in the window. If we get an injury to one or two key players, or one of our very, very few creative outlets, then I think we're in trouble. I think we need to seriously improve and also add in January (which, to be fair, we usually do) if we're to get near our best 20/21 promotion team, for example, where the likes of Yates, Bowler, Keshi, Ballard and Stewart (at the time, injury-free) could have cut it in the Championship (even that version of Kaikai was better, creatively, than anything we started this season with). Who can you say that about at current from what we have seen? A 33 year old Rhodes, maybe? Possibly Norburn? But I'm not that sure. Demeble might be able to get there; would have to see more of him. Our squad isn't one of the best three in the league, however, and promotion should be an objective this season.

But, saying that, I do think we should be getting better results with this squad than what we are currently achieving and that's on Critchley. I thought Wycombe were completely average, but we allowed them to get organised and set up behind the ball each time we won possession and ultimately, once they'd taken a couple of chances, the game was done. Exactly the same at Lincoln. In both instances, once we started to have a go at them and changed the system we looked better, especially yesterday.
 
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thefutureistangerine said:
I'm somewhere in the middle -

I still believe we left ourselves 2/3 quality players short in the window. If we get an injury to one or two key players, or one of our very, very few creative outlets, then I think we're in trouble. I think we need to seriously improve and also add in January (which, to be fair, we usually do) if we're to get near our best 20/21 promotion team, for example, where the likes of Yates, Bowler, Keshi, Ballard and Stewart (at the time, injury-free) could have cut it in the Championship (even that version of Kaikai was better, creatively, than anything we started this season with). Who can you say that about at current from what we have seen? A 33 year old Rhodes, maybe? Possibly Norburn? But I'm not that sure. Demeble might be able to get there; would have to see more of him. Our squad isn't one of the best three in the league, however, and promotion should be an objective this season.

But, saying that, I do think we should be getting better results with this squad than what we are currently achieving and that's on Critchley. I thought Wycombe were completely average, but we allowed them to get organised and set up behind the ball each time we won possession and ultimately, once they'd taken a couple of chances, the game was done. Exactly the same at Lincoln. In both instances, once we started to have a go at them and changed the system we looked better, especially yesterday.
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I'm sure promotion is Critchleys stretch objective from Sadler but the reality is survival is the most likely challenge.
 
TimperleyTangerine said:
Football has shown many times that the right manager can get entirely different results from the same squad.

We’ve got to believe in the lads and give them our support. They cannot be anything other than pissed off with what they are being told to do.

NC believes he is so much better than he is. His stats are shockingly bad if you look at QPR and what he’s achieved since returning.
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Tbf he took on a poisoned chalice at QPR so to be critical of his tenure there is a tad unfair .

After he left we pumped them at Bloomers and we were the worst team in the league and had Mickysaurus managing us .

Beale had seen writing in the wall and left early in the season.
 
Victorsponge said:
2 wins out of 7 and 9 points out of 21, suggest your wrong about the quality of the squad.
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The team are not playing to their strengths. Virtue played well when he came on against Wigan, his reward is being dropped from the squad. This was the type of the game he could have influenced,whereas Morgan may have potential but is lightweight
Rhodes looks a good signing but we are giving him scraps. Hubbie not a cb
Connolly and CJ not wing backs.
Critchley is either over thinking it or clueless how to set the team up
 
Every time Sadler spouts off in one of his statements after a win, it turns to shit again in rapid order. I hope we never get another one and he just gets on with things. When he inevitably has to appoint a new manager, let’s hope it’s not another ex-manager. Surely we have travellled that road long enough now.
 
I think everything about this team and manager is over rated. We just won't know exactly by how much until Critchley plays a normal formation and we can judge better.
 
To me it's a simple case of does the workplace(team) believe that what they are doing is the right thing.

I think not.Critchley may well be correct that 352 offers the best recipe for success but not with the tools currently at his disposal.

Play to your strengths whatever that formation turns out to be and surely individual and collective performances improve.

We are far better than this.
 
We’re never going to enjoy his style of football and if that style doesn’t bring results, then get rid. NOW.
 
To be fair to beesley he does have a lot to prove still but you can't lump it 30 yards forward to him against big powerful centre Half's and expect him to do much with it? I won't write him off entirely until we start playing decent football and put some decent crosses in for the forwards, at the minute it is woefully poor with zero creativity. Even Jordan Rhodes looks lost with this formation
 
I think Gabriel at R/B yesterday would have changed things. Joseph up front alongside Rhodes will be more threatening. Let’s hope this is sooner than later.
 
Squads not too bad now just missing a target man. Madine. I’ve said it. And another winger. It’s the tactics that’s re failing us.
 
We have a good squad that has been assembled at some expense. However we have a couple of players who are not good enough at this level, especially when played out of position. Beesley is a nice bloke but completely useless.

We should have replaced Jerry with another proven goal scorer - and before you start Jordan fitted that bill ten years ago.

We are being beaten by very poor footballing teams week in week out. And the reason for this is the dreadful tactics adopted by the manager and his reluctance to change to a formation that better suits the players we have.

Up to recently we all thought the squad was good enough and we would do really well in this league. Half a dozen games later and Ekpiteta has been dropped for playing like a giraffe wearing roller skates. CJ had his one good game per season last time out playing right wing, so it makes total sense to move him back to being a wing back 🙄. Norburn looks like a rabbit in the highlights thinking what the fuck am I doing here? Pennington is decent but was shite yesterday. Weir and Morgan have potential but have delivered very little.

Casey and Husband have been the consistent bright sparks.

So the squad is more than good enough to compete in this league. Unfortunately our manager isn't.
 
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Squad not good enough. Weir, Morgan, Norburn our big hopes, all flattered to deceive - dreadful.
 
Altyseasider said:
To be fair to beesley he does have a lot to prove still but you can't lump it 30 yards forward to him against big powerful centre Half's and expect him to do much with it? I won't write him off entirely until we start playing decent football and put some decent crosses in for the forwards, at the minute it is woefully poor with zero creativity. Even Jordan Rhodes looks lost with this formation
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Agree on the creativity side as it’s lacking but Rhodes has had chances in both games he’s played…his movement is levels above.

If we can’t hit high balls to Beesley, he can’t hold it up and he can’t run in behind, I’m struggling to see why we should be starting him. He’s been here 18 months & still nobody knows what he’s good at? It looks like a poor January signing which looking at his career stats isn’t a shock.

He’s scored in 2 games in 18 months, he’s a centre forward who doesn’t score, doesn’t create, doesn’t hold it up 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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AngelBFC said:
Tbf he took on a poisoned chalice at QPR so to be critical of his tenure there is a tad unfair .

After he left we pumped them at Bloomers and we were the worst team in the league and had Mickysaurus managing us .

Beale had seen writing in the wall and left early in the season.
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They improved after he got sacked and they are still in the championship.
 
Having seen how the first 20 minutes was going, putting Connolly at RB Husband LB switching to a back 4
May have changed the game with the same players
I don't mind 352 but left footed wing back on the left and right on the right
We don't play with enough intensity, not closing down opposition when they have the ball
If players aren't performing give the rest of the squad a chance
It seems poor performance has little effect on selection we have not seen half the squad
 
Adams Kebab said:
Agree on the creativity side as it’s lacking but Rhodes has had chances in both games he’s played…his movement is levels above.

If we can’t hit high balls to Beesley, he can’t hold it up and he can’t run in behind, I’m struggling to see why we should be starting him. He’s been here 18 months & still nobody knows what he’s good at? It looks like a poor January signing which looking at his career stats isn’t a shock.

He’s scored in 2 games in 18 months, he’s a centre forward who doesn’t score, doesn’t create, doesn’t hold it up 🤷🏻‍♂️
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I honestly think Marv would be a better option...hes quicker, better in the air, more mobile and has scored more goals than Beesley.....Beesley isnt and never has been good enough even at League one level...a shocking signing who was simply not even worth a punt
 
tangysider said:
The team are not playing to their strengths. Virtue played well when he came on against Wigan, his reward is being dropped from the squad. This was the type of the game he could have influenced,whereas Morgan may have potential but is lightweight
Rhodes looks a good signing but we are giving him scraps. Hubbie not a cb
Connolly and CJ not wing backs.
Critchley is either over thinking it or clueless how to set the team up
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Disagree - Hubby has been superb this season so far
 
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