Opportunity Wasted

BFC_BFC_BFC

BFC_BFC_BFC

Well-known member
Completely bizarre from Critchley tonight !!

Looking at the starting line up, I’m thinking he must have sone kind of tactical change in mind, but nope… we just replaced a big strong striker with a bloke half his size and expected him to do the same job.

Dembele obviously has ability, but tgat was an absolute waste of a game tonight. Handed it to Derby on a platter through our own stupidity
 
He tinkers and he overthinks. I supported his appointment (and still do) but I said this when we brought him back stuff like this happens.
He wants to utilise his whole squad but the reality is we don’t have enough in depth quality to have this luxury.
 
Bizarre is that we seem to prefer to have the ball nearer to our own goal than the oppositions.

Backwards and sidewards fc.

Derby got the ball and went one way forwards with pace and bravery and got the rewards.

In transition were slow and passive and allow them to get back in and get set making it even harder to break down.

Like I said after Barnsley I’m worried about going forward and attacking big time.
 
King Billy said:
He tinkers and he overthinks. I supported his appointment (and still do) but I said this when we brought him back stuff like this happens.
He wants to utilise his whole squad but the reality is we don’t have enough in depth quality to have this luxury.
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He's had a couple of good results and he has his style of play and at the end of the day it's about being strong defensively but it is at the expense of any creativity. He is really stubborn, we know that, but after listening to his pre match interview it was pleasing to hear him say attack was the best form of defence, but he may of said it but he doesn't instil that to the team. No doubt his post match interview will be about how the players didn't do what they were supposed to, they lost possession, didn't move it fast enough, Derby were hard to break down, caught on the break when we were looking to score, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day the Derby manager could suss his tactics out easily and they were the better side and deserved their win. It's going to be attritional, not fun and I can't see us finishing anywhere other than mid table.

We never had control of that game and at home, we should have.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Completely bizarre from Critchley tonight !!

Looking at the starting line up, I’m thinking he must have sone kind of tactical change in mind, but nope… we just replaced a big strong striker with a bloke half his size and expected him to do the same job.

Dembele obviously has ability, but tgat was an absolute waste of a game tonight. Handed it to Derby on a platter through our own stupidity
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Do you mean Critchley's stupidity?
 
ItsGrimUpNorth said:
Can’t help but think Norburn slows the game down, far too much. Sideways, backwards & too many touches. Then constantly lofting balls over the back 4 into their keepers hands.
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i have to admit im still not fully convinced by Norburn. he can be really ponderous on the ball, and take too many touches and does give the ball away quite often. but there are times when he just has to react in the moment when he can be brilliant. would i leave him out? not sure.....

think i might have subbed him tonight though after we scored for kouassi
 
Was mentioned before kick off about how much joy CJ and Dale had on Saturday but tonight was playing them on opposite sides.
Was also mentioned by Gary Bowyer how every team Rhodes has done well at he's had a big man up front with him and wide men either side. So makes sense Critchley plays a 5 foot player alongside him.
 
he quite obviously looks at Kloppity and pep and a few others at the very top of the game and wants to replicate it, but he is still way too defensive.

Klopp and the like are always out to get on the front foot and impose themselves, inverted wingers and wingbacks and suchlike are difficult when you are setting up to not lose. to me he just doesnt have that confidence to go all out.

possession in this league is pretty meaningless weve won most of the games when weve had lower possession stats
 
Burnnazzer said:
We pass it back constantly. Manager needs to chuck his coaching manuals in bin. Possession in our league means shite all if it’s in our half.
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💯 just couldn’t believe how negative we were tonight.
Time after time we kept going backwards when in the Derby half Grimshaw was the busiest outfield player for us.
Yet soon as Derby got the ball it was route one straight away.
 
Critch is too stubborn for his own good.

Why does he persist with Carey - time and time again he's proven not to be good enough at this level.

Dembele is not a striker but looked great receiving the ball deep and sliding balls through.

And Connoly is an absolute liability at right back, he constantly costs us goals by being out of position or failing to stop the ball coming in the box.

For the second game running Dale was a revelation, can't believe how tenacious he is and good in the air for a small guy. Shame his dead balls were so shite tonight.
 
What worries me is our robotic and drilled football that’s all about shape and a system so much so that our most creative player sets up the goal but because he’s already coming off he gets no further time to create as he buzzes running back for kick off because the thought of changing your sub or shape at that stage would have made our robot short circuit.

Pragmatic or dull as fuck? Not sure which.
 
1. We've known for at least 2 seasons that Connolly isn't a RB
2. It was pretty clear that we weren't going to draw them out by keeping possession at the back, because they just kept their shape, but we continued with it. We played into their hands tonight.
3. Dembele was very good on the turn and played some good passes, but he had to drop deep after watching the ball go over his head for much of the first half.
4 Husband was again the only player who showed urgency in getting the ball forward

As the o/p said, a massive opportunity wasted after a good away win.
 
Totally agree with the o/p. We were just starting to look like we had an identity and something about us with Kouassi and Rhodes and Critchley tinkers with it.
 
We were far too tippy tappy at times, not wanting to try something for fear of losing it 1st half.

Amateur defending for all the goals and pretty toothless up top. Although credit to Dougall.

Unlucky not to make it 2 but at the same time you've got to put it in, too wasteful with many positive positions we got into 2nd half.

Dembele in the 2nd half showed what he's about, took him a bit to grow into the game but once he did he was turning players and slipping passes through, then got taken off.

The automatic slots are looking already too far away after a mixed start, playoffs at best. Of course we are masters of them but we're far to slow to learn, drift from one style to another with no real reasoning.

You could see the other day, the way we panic when we go one up and completely stop playing eventually will bite us on the arse too.

Too much tinkering, fannying about and lack of goals from throughout the team so far.
 
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subs were wrong and should have been made earlier. Don't understand why it was Lavery for Dembele. For me, it should have been Kouassi replacing Carey and dropping Dembele into the hole where he was starting to look effective. Never noticed Carey really apart from his miss.

Everything was so slow and laboured.
 
hertfordseasider said:
He's had a couple of good results and he has his style of play and at the end of the day it's about being strong defensively but it is at the expense of any creativity. He is really stubborn, we know that, but after listening to his pre match interview it was pleasing to hear him say attack was the best form of defence, but he may of said it but he doesn't instil that to the team. No doubt his post match interview will be about how the players didn't do what they were supposed to, they lost possession, didn't move it fast enough, Derby were hard to break down, caught on the break when we were looking to score, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day the Derby manager could suss his tactics out easily and they were the better side and deserved their win. It's going to be attritional, not fun and I can't see us finishing anywhere other than mid table.

We never had control of that game and at home, we should have.
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Yep. He's bad again. 👍
 
straightatthewall said:
Yep. He's bad again. 👍
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I haven't said that and I said the players stuck to the plan and ground out a win at Barnsley, I also said a couple of victories won't mean things have changed and it will take more games to see where we are really at. It was just such a strange team selection against such a massive Derby side. They were a good side too and completely had the measure of us. Need to get something out of Saturday now. It's typical Critchley, we should be well aware of how he does things. Frustrating probably sums it up best.
 
hertfordseasider said:
I haven't said that and I said the players stuck to the plan and ground out a win at Barnsley, I also said a couple of victories won't mean things have changed and it will take more games to see where we are really at. It was just such a strange team selection against such a massive Derby side. They were a good side too and completely had the measure of us. Need to get something out of Saturday now. It's typical Critchley, we should be well aware of how he does things. Frustrating probably sums it up best.
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Owners fault then?
 
Why change a winning team? I'm as supportive of critchley as they come but I was so frustrated tonight. Great chance to really kick on blown! How on earth he leaves Kouassi out is beyond me.

Maybe a couple of wins has him thinking he's the master tactician... just don't get it!

Anyway on to Charlton. I'll hopefully be looking forward to that game a bit more in a couple of days when I'm over this!
 
I used to think it was solely the formation and tactics but after tonight it's clear the players are not good enough. That is a harder fix than f changing a formation.
 
Abysmal management from Critchley tonight. Talk about the midas touch in reverse. I'm really not enjoying the second coming.
 
Mark_GT said:
Abysmal management from Critchley tonight. Talk about the midas touch in reverse. I'm really not enjoying the second coming.
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It was never going to be anything else Mark. We have to hope his attritional football manages to get us into the top 6, if it doesn’t then I can’t see him being here next season. I think people forget how boring a lot of the games were in his last spell in charge. It’s his style, it was successful before can it be again?
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Completely bizarre from Critchley tonight !!

Looking at the starting line up, I’m thinking he must have sone kind of tactical change in mind, but nope… we just replaced a big strong striker with a bloke half his size and expected him to do the same job.

Dembele obviously has ability, but tgat was an absolute waste of a game tonight. Handed it to Derby on a platter through our own stupidity
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Well that's the biggest 180 turnaround since the darts came on. Wow.
 
I’m not convinced, players are not encouraged to turn when in possession the ball goes back to much and the initiative is lost, playing Carey in a forward position just isn’t the answer.
 
hertfordseasider said:
It was never going to be anything else Mark. We have to hope his attritional football manages to get us into the top 6, if it doesn’t then I can’t see him being here next season. I think people forget how boring a lot of the games were in his last spell in charge. It’s his style, it was successful before can it be again?
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He needs saving from himself sometimes. I'm sure there must be some good stuff going on somewhere but these bizarre set ups and constant meddling are a liability. Where is that Calderwood figure when you need them?
 
Win 2 on bounce with Koussi up top so he changes it. Can only think he wants to rotate to keep people happy.

Carey. Still don’t know what he’s supposed to be doing. Wouldn’t play him at all.

Dembele looks ok but is a bench player.

Too many average players and a manager who is too conservative and tries to be too clever.

If Rhodes gets recalled in Jan got no chance of promotion.
 
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It was hard to understand the changes upfront, especially against a team who won most things in the air!
 
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