Its got nothing to do with injuries

Phil_bfc deux

Phil_bfc deux

Well-known member
Fuck all to do with players being tired or covid or 2 games in a week

Its all to do with the head coach and his tactical ineptitude

Time and time again this season he's got the formations wrong against teams who ever man and his dog knows how they will set up

We have played 3 teams in the last 4 games who play 352 yet we have still played this 442 thus being outnumbered in midfield and hardly having a shot or a cross

Is it any wonder why we have created so few chances

Most of our best performances this season have either been when we press high, hold up play from Madine or when we have a fluid midfield and movement

442 2 banks of 4 with wide men on their wrong foot just isn't working and its either very naive or extremely arrogant to think that doing the same thing over and over again will have different results

40 odd games in and we still haven't played our most creative player in the middle where he can influence games

We have the strongest squad we have had for years but look like we are in the process of ** things up
 
I can well understand your frustration and anger. But, the results there and can’t be changed. As you say, the 11 on the pitch and the formation can!
 
It's more likely a combination of things rather than one flat out reason.

I completely agree with the sentiment that the 4-2-3-1/4-5-1 utilises our players in their more effective roles, and persisting with 4-4-2 is frustrating. But there is no denying our injury crisis and fixture congestion will be taking its toll on the players by now - there will be a melting pot of factors that are contributing to our recent results.
 
It's not that binary imo.

It's partly down to poor tactics, it's partly down to injury, it's partly down to fatigue. Sooner or later we had to lose, but the difficult thing to take is trying the same plan that didn't work for the third time.

One thing I really can't understand is why he won't try the system that actually made him look pretty tactically astute and why he's repeating the misuse of Virtue with Embleton who is as slow as Virtue and about as much use as him on the right wing.

He's fine in a game where defensive effort matters there but in a game where you have to break the other team down with pace/trickery. Why? I know it's hypocritical of me as I swore blind Demi couldn't play there, but I was wrong and he can and I know as a full back who I'd rather face.
 
Yes,there are shades of the Virtue isolation issue with Embleton just as there are shades of the stubborn repetition of set ups that just don’t work against journeymen teams (for want if a better expression) together with repetition of substitution inaction and pointless subs three. Ins before time.

We do look knackered though energy wise and how Yates is still going I have no idea. Critchley is running the lad into the dust.

The coaches need another big reset for the run in.
 
TangerinePeel said:
It's more likely a combination of things rather than one flat out reason.

I completely agree with the sentiment that the 4-2-3-1/4-5-1 utilises our players in their more effective roles, and persisting with 4-4-2 is frustrating. But there is no denying our injury crisis and fixture congestion will be taking its toll on the players by now - there will be a melting pot of factors that are contributing to our recent results.
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Absolutely. To say injuries have played no part is just ludicrous beyond belief.
 
Scaramanga said:
There’s also the very fine margins in football. If we take the lead in both of the last two games we win them both and we’re in the play offs already.
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That's what frustrates me. Critchley seems keen not to lose first. That's yielded 2 points from 9. If we'd gone all out against Accy, Rochdale and Shrewsbury we'd definitely have beaten at least one of them and been better off even if in another game it went more wrong.

In those three games, we've not put a single period of sustained pressure together. Accy I thought earned their draw. I thought they were, in their way, very difficult to play against but the other two? I'm not sure. Both looked wobbly at times, both didn't really pose that much danger on the break.

I'm actually quite worried he's got Allardyce-itis - i.e he can see the prize in his grasp and he's thinking 'don't fuck it up!' and going to caution as the default.

I agree with, as it is, each game we could have won, but over three games vs out of form sides, you'd think just really going for it might yield at least one result.

In his defence, keeping 2 up front is perhaps his attempt to do that but it's obvious by game three of the run that it's time for a switch.
 
Not just one thing.
1/ system not currently right for players available
2/ players are running on empty playing virtually twice a week (but correct no. 1, and this wouldn’t be as much of a problem)
3/ probably not mentioned much, but attacking wise we left the last transfer window too light in attacking options (IMO and not just with hindsight either) it’s a good job Yates hasn’t picked up a knock/injury.

interesting that on the Friday show Kai Kai has said he’s been playing through pain most of the season with the lasting effects of his injury from last season, how many others have been doing the same or similar.
 
clappers said:
Yes,there are shades of the Virtue isolation issue with Embleton just as there are shades of the stubborn repetition of set ups that just don’t work against journeymen teams (for want if a better expression) together with repetition of substitution inaction and pointless subs three. Ins before time.

We do look knackered though energy wise and how Yates is still going I have no idea. Critchley is running the lad into the dust.

The coaches need another big reset for the run in.
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Jerry is missing chances he'd bury if fresh. I love him. He never stops. For god's sake, if you've only got two strikers, play one then you can rotate them (either between or during games) and maintain the ability to press high.

Jerry starts the press but he's the most knackered player. He literally looked bow legged by the end yesterday bless him.
 
FessParker said:
Absolutely. To say injuries have played no part is just ludicrous beyond belief.
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Its not ludicrous at all we have a massive massive squad for league 1 standards

I read somewhere the other day that we have used over 30 players

To be fair to Critchley he hasn't used injuries as an excuse either as he knows he's very lucky to have had such backing from Sadler

Our lack of strikers is a worry but again thats down to the manager for signing a load of duffers in the summer
 
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I think the injuries are a big problem when the game isn’t going our way and we have very few attacking options to change it.

The starting line-up and formation can obviously effect our options from the bench and how the games go and I agree 4-2-3-1 is our best formation. However we have no options to change games.

We aren’t always gonna be fully at it, football doesn’t always go how you want it to and the ability to make changes to improve your chances during a game are massive. We do not have many options if any at the moment.

Take Sunderland next game as an example. No Embleton.

So we are gonna start 4-4-2. Mitchell for Embleton, Turton for Gabriel. We then have one attacking option from the bench in Brad Holmes but it is actually unfair on him at the moment because you get weapons on here saying he did nothing when he came on in a team that doesn’t create much at the moment. For a team in the play offs to be able to make one attacking team change & it be an 18 year old who’s played about 10 mins, it is shite. Holmes is one for the future though, he deserves support, everything we should want from a local lad.

The only other option would be to go 4-2-3-1.
Robson, Dougall, Ward.
Kaikai, Mitchell wide.

Simms on bench and an option to change from it. One attacking option to change a game. It is far from ideal. This might sound like Fat Sam but we would be better whacking on Marvin and pumping up balls to him and get around hm as an option right now from the bench.

Cos we ain’t got fuck all else.
 
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Phil_bfc deux said:
Its not ludicrous at all we have a massive massive squad for league 1 standards

I read somewhere the other day that we have used over 30 players

To be fair to Critchley he hasn't used injuries as an excuse either as he knows he's very lucky to have had such backing from Sadler

Our lack of strikers is a worry but again thats down to the manager for signing a load of duffers in the summer
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I'm sorry Phil , you can argue until you're blue in the face but the long term injuries to Hamilton, Madine and Anderson must have
had an effect.
 
Whilst I agree we probably haven’t done enough to win the last two games you could argue we certainly didn’t deserve to lose against Shrewsbury. Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve in football, you could argue we didn’t really deserve to beat Sunderland. If We want to make the play offs we’re going to have to learn every quickly how to break down teams that don’t want to try and play football. Sunderland is an interesting one as we’re bang out of form at the moment and they are pretty much set for the play offs. I have no idea how the game on Tuesday will pan out.
 
I think the worry is that against the last two teams, when we had a 3-4 point cushion and a game in hand in a play/off position, he hasn’t gone all out with attacking, given the midfield freedom and playing a high line. We had the confidence to do it, it’s now looking like it’s been eroded with the losses using a rigid 442.
I do think some level of tiredness comes into it, but then start Holmes and bring Jerry off the bench when a poor defence is tiring after an hour. If players are fatigued, he’s got to change things, not keep running them into the ground.
 
Scaramanga said:
There’s also the very fine margins in football. If we take the lead in both of the last two games we win them both and we’re in the play offs already.
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How do you work that out mate?
As far as I recall we have gone from a winning position to draw or lose quite a lot this season.
 
FessParker said:
I'm sorry Phil , you can argue until you're blue in the face but the long term injuries to Hamilton, Madine and Anderson must have
had an effect.
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Yes because other teams haven’t had any injuries or played the same number of games have they? And these are teams with nowhere near the depth of squad we have. Shrewsbury had a mix and match team of teenagers making debuts, manager not even there and we still couldn’t lay a glove on them. I agree with Phil all a big letdown and Critchley getting a free pass with no fans there. He doesn’t convince me at all.
 
A good opening salvo from Phil with the odd inaccuracy to ensure a few replies.
The Shrews played 4-3-3 yesterday.
I agree 4-4-2 isn't working but I also remember the clamour to change to that system early season when 4-3-3 wasn't working. I did a quick analysis on another thread of results post Ipswich defeat. Its not indisputable that we play better using 4-2-3-1 but it is indisputable we haven't played well in the last couple of games. I still think the problem is tiredness, particularly with Jerry, because the problems we caused when we were winning were with the front "4" stopping the opposition defence moving the ball forward successfully. We do of course have a big squad but you always have "better" players and those are the ones we are missing which makes rotation of what's left challenging. Just IMO of course.
 
Victorsponge said:
How do you work that out mate?
As far as I recall we have gone from a winning position to draw or lose quite a lot this season.
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Because Shrewsbury offered nothing going forward, granted Rochdale did offer a bit more of an attacking threat. Neither of them had the attacking threat of the Lincoln’s of the division.
 
Memphisboy said:
Yes because other teams haven’t had any injuries or played the same number of games have they? And these are teams with nowhere near the depth of squad we have. Shrewsbury had a mix and match team of teenagers making debuts, manager not even there and we still couldn’t lay a glove on them. I agree with Phil all a big letdown and Critchley getting a free pass with no fans there. He doesn’t convince me at all.
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Totally agree.
 
I’ve been pretty patient all season to be fair, as I keep reminding myself where we’ve come from and what’s been achieved on and off the pitch. But, there can be no excuses next season! Regardless of which league we’re in..... I’ll be surprised if we make the playoffs and it does beg the question ‘are we ready for Championship football’? Critchley has been backed to the hilt and it’s time he starts learning from tactical mistakes.
It also begs the question, should we have gone for a more proven, experienced Manager in the first place?
I think Phil has some very valid points in his OP
 
Scaramanga said:
Because Shrewsbury offered nothing going forward, granted Rochdale did offer a bit more of an attacking threat. Neither of them had the attacking threat of the Lincoln’s of the division.
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Would you say Crew and Plymouth have the attacking threat of the Lincoln's of the division?
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Fuck all to do with players being tired or covid or 2 games in a week

Its all to do with the head coach and his tactical ineptitude

Time and time again this season he's got the formations wrong against teams who ever man and his dog knows how they will set up

We have played 3 teams in the last 4 games who play 352 yet we have still played this 442 thus being outnumbered in midfield and hardly having a shot or a cross

Is it any wonder why we have created so few chances

Most of our best performances this season have either been when we press high, hold up play from Madine or when we have a fluid midfield and movement

442 2 banks of 4 with wide men on their wrong foot just isn't working and its either very naive or extremely arrogant to think that doing the same thing over and over again will have different results

40 odd games in and we still haven't played our most creative player in the middle where he can influence games

We have the strongest squad we have had for years but look like we are in the process of ** things up
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Phil is absolutely bang on with this I'm afraid. Anybody who can't see it is as blind as Critchley himself.
 
I agree with Insider........I see Phil's posts as more of a 'Run Chase' now rather than a serious critique of the team or our situation.
They are always ambiguous.... just the right (or wrong) side of saying Critchley isn't the right manager.......so he cant be said to have called him out

As above it's ALL about opinions.........Liverpool, Sunderland & Wolves fans are 100% having the same conversation on their fans forums now.
We lose........then the Chicken Little crowd pop up with the sky's falling in and 'This is s##t'....."Doesn't know what he's doing'...blah, blah, blah.

At the moment, were in a good position to make it into the P/O........and it's about fighting to stay there....and then it's a bit of a lottery
BUT.....How many of you would have taken this at the start of the season........His 1st season....

Some are like a bunch of plastic Man U or Liverpool fans who have only seen their team play on the TV and make suggestions like they know what formation would have been better etc.....if it was that easy.....How come your managing an under 11's team and not Man Utd...?

Or we could be like Sunderland fans who seem to have the arrogance to think they can walk L1 because their players are on £20k a week and they are a BIG club.
Sunderland fans who call to sack managers because they lost 3 games.........Is that who you want to be like.....?
 
B_Side_The_C_Side said:
I agree with Insider........I see Phil's posts as more of a 'Run Chase' now rather than a serious critique of the team or our situation.
They are always ambiguous.... just the right (or wrong) side of saying Critchley isn't the right manager.......so he cant be said to have called him out

As above it's ALL about opinions.........Liverpool, Sunderland & Wolves fans are 100% having the same conversation on their fans forums now.
We lose........then the Chicken Little crowd pop up with the sky's falling in and 'This is s##t'....."Doesn't know what he's doing'...blah, blah, blah.

At the moment, were in a good position to make it into the P/O........and it's about fighting to stay there....and then it's a bit of a lottery
BUT.....How many of you would have taken this at the start of the season........His 1st season....

Some are like a bunch of plastic Man U or Liverpool fans who have only seen their team play on the TV and make suggestions like they know what formation would have been better etc.....if it was that easy.....How come your managing an under 11's team and not Man Utd...?

Or we could be like Sunderland fans who seem to have the arrogance to think they can walk L1 because their players are on £20k a week and they are a BIG club.
Sunderland fans who call to sack managers because they lost 3 games.........Is that who you want to be like.....?
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No, but Critchley isn't the man. Let's hope we get it right next time.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Fuck all to do with players being tired or covid or 2 games in a week

Its all to do with the head coach and his tactical ineptitude

Time and time again this season he's got the formations wrong against teams who ever man and his dog knows how they will set up

We have played 3 teams in the last 4 games who play 352 yet we have still played this 442 thus being outnumbered in midfield and hardly having a shot or a cross

Is it any wonder why we have created so few chances

Most of our best performances this season have either been when we press high, hold up play from Madine or when we have a fluid midfield and movement

442 2 banks of 4 with wide men on their wrong foot just isn't working and its either very naive or extremely arrogant to think that doing the same thing over and over again will have different results

40 odd games in and we still haven't played our most creative player in the middle where he can influence games

We have the strongest squad we have had for years but look like we are in the process of ** things up
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Ah yes, lets take our tactical insights from a user on a forum.

Lets just disregard the person with a UEFA Pro Licence.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Fuck all to do with players being tired or covid or 2 games in a week

Its all to do with the head coach and his tactical ineptitude

Time and time again this season he's got the formations wrong against teams who ever man and his dog knows how they will set up

We have played 3 teams in the last 4 games who play 352 yet we have still played this 442 thus being outnumbered in midfield and hardly having a shot or a cross

Is it any wonder why we have created so few chances

Most of our best performances this season have either been when we press high, hold up play from Madine or when we have a fluid midfield and movement

442 2 banks of 4 with wide men on their wrong foot just isn't working and its either very naive or extremely arrogant to think that doing the same thing over and over again will have different results

40 odd games in and we still haven't played our most creative player in the middle where he can influence games

We have the strongest squad we have had for years but look like we are in the process of ** things up
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Redirect Notice

www.google.co.uk
 
If we have such a large squad can someone please send the search party out and find some midfielders and forwards then.
Having four defenders on the bench every week and a youngster is going to achieve fuck all.

I've never known a bench so depleted ever even Rochdale with their injuries had four attack minded players on the bench.

So totally disagree about using injuries as an excuse it is the problem when in a game you can't change anything or give someome a rest.

Tactics I agree with the O/P we are crap as 4-4-2 without Madine and Kaikai can't play left wing and the closer he gets to Yates the better.
 
Injuries to key players has been a big problem.

Madine was in great form and was starting to become a real asset to the team INJURED
Stewart-in the 10 games he’s played for us I think we only lost one and he looks to have a touch of class about him especially at this level INJURED
CJ - His pace alone is enough to scare any defender in this league and though his end product isn’t the greatest was chipping in with a few goals as well INJURED

Them 3 alone are big players to have missing and that’s without adding Keshi Virtue and co,so injuries haven’t helped the squad at all especially when it comes to rotating and giving rest which is needed,if we’d of had everyone available throughout the season we’d of cemented a play off place already at the least IMO.
 
Macseasider said:
They scored the winning goal of the game which makes this point nonsense. They also hit the crossbar. Nothing going forward at all eh?
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Let`s not quibble, they offered very little going forward and and didn`t need to. Currently most teams know that if they score even one against us they are highly unlikely to lose and have a good chance of winning.
 
Once again the OP puts his finger on the pulse and provokes varied and intelligent debate. Nice little run chase that should build into the evening session
 
"Fuck all to do with being tired"

The ignorance of this statement. Sure, Critchley certainly has to take some of the blame as he's stuck with 4-4-2 which has only produced 1 goal in the last 4 games, but you're being seriously daft if you don't think the injuries (which have led to lack of rotation and tiredness) have a significant role to play in our recent form.

If we had Madine in we certainly would have scored 2-3 more goals, if we had CJ in perhaps we would have created more chances. If Stewart and Keshi were healthy then Ward and Kenny could have gotten rested for a game.

Ultimately our injuries have hurt us immensely and it's finally caught up to us.

Critchley absolutely should have switched formations to create more, but FFS it's so simple minded to just put it all on him.

In October we were in a relegation battle and now we still very much are in control of our own destiny here.

Trust the squad and trust Critchley, they got us into poor form at the beginning of the year and they got us out of it once, have faith that they'll do it again.
 
I love a good Phil thread me. Pot stirred, football based, I expect at least 70 scored including 30 from a raging exchange about a post 4 months ago and a good 15 notched quickly in a debate about how much liquid is in a glass.

A few runs for mentions of historic opinions of former managers as well.

C'mon AVFTT! 45 is a poor score...
 
Where do we consider our par position to be right now ?

Do we think we are over achieving so far, do we think we are under achieving or do we think we are doing exactly as expected ?
 
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