Reason why I trust the process.

L

LA1 Seasider

Well-known member
It’s easy to forget how well organised, disciplined and meticulously prepared we were under Critchley in both League 1 and the Championship. Every player knew their role, responsibilities and that of every other player in the squad. We’d also built a culture of winning and being tough to beat over a period of months and years.
All that good work was undone last year. Critch has inherited a team low on confidence, lacking any sort of consistency and without the creative and cohesive influence (both on and off the pitch) that had done us well the 2 years previously. This squad was ill disciplined and disorganised. Easily overrun and beaten physically and mentally time after time last season.
He’s starting with the basics. Making us hard to beat and getting a defensive structure in place we can rely on. If we have a structured platform to build on, If were picking up points and well in games then small improvements and tactical changes will lead to tangible results. If we were being overrun like last season there’d be no chance of achieving anything.

It’s certainly not pretty at present and it is frustrating. But even playing the way we currently are we know we’re just 1 moment of genius (or 1 error from the opposition) away from 3 points.
Im confident with recruitment, with training and with more time the necessary changes will come.

We don’t currently have the players to switch to a 4-3-3 and don’t have the players to play with the preferred fullbacks and wide-men set up which was previously so successful. I also think it’s clear we lack the physicality of Madine in order to play Lavery in a similar role to that of Yates.

One thing I can say for certain is that Marvin Ekpiteta is no Frans Beckenbaur - and whilst I trust the process and recognise patience is needed I really need to stop seeing Marv telegraphing 70yard passes. I would have happily defended against us for 90 minutes today.
 
LA1 Seasider said:
It’s easy to forget how well organised, disciplined and meticulously prepared we were under Critchley in both League 1 and the Championship. Every player knew their role, responsibilities and that of every other player in the squad. We’d also built a culture of winning and being tough to beat over a period of months and years.
All that good work was undone last year. Critch has inherited a team low on confidence, lacking any sort of consistency and without the creative and cohesive influence (both on and off the pitch) that had done us well the 2 years previously. This squad was ill disciplined and disorganised. Easily overrun and beaten physically and mentally time after time last season.
He’s starting with the basics. Making us hard to beat and getting a defensive structure in place we can rely on. If we have a structured platform to build on, If were picking up points and well in games then small improvements and tactical changes will lead to tangible results. If we were being overrun like last season there’d be no chance of achieving anything.

It’s certainly not pretty at present and it is frustrating. But even playing the way we currently are we know we’re just 1 moment of genius (or 1 error from the opposition) away from 3 points.
Im confident with recruitment, with training and with more time the necessary changes will come.

We don’t currently have the players to switch to a 4-3-3 and don’t have the players to play with the preferred fullbacks and wide-men set up which was previously so successful. I also think it’s clear we lack the physicality of Madine in order to play Lavery in a similar role to that of Yates.

One thing I can say for certain is that Marvin Ekpiteta is no Frans Beckenbaur - and whilst I trust the process and recognise patience is needed I really need to stop seeing Marv telegraphing 70yard passes. I would have happily defended against us for 90 minutes today.
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We're also not picking up loads of reds and yellows. Discipline.
 
LA1 Seasider said:
Yeah. Pretty sure I alluded to that. But it’s a process nonetheless.

Not sure how you expected someone to come in and turn the clusterfuck that was Blackpool FC last season around overnight.
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My hour drive home didn’t help my slowly deflating balloon feeling…anyway 2 weeks to re charge the optimism…we go again.
 
LA1 Seasider said:
Yeah. Pretty sure I alluded to that. But it’s a process nonetheless.

Not sure how you expected someone to come in and turn the clusterfuck that was Blackpool FC last season around overnight.
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I didn't say I did expect anyone to turn it around overnight did I? I just said it was boring. We could have won 3-0 lost 3-0 won 3-0 lost 3-0 and we'd be in the same position. It's an observation that we seem to be going at it in a particularly conservative and risk averse manner.
 
td53 said:
I didn't say I did expect anyone to turn it around overnight did I? I just said it was boring. We could have won 3-0 lost 3-0 won 3-0 lost 3-0 and we'd be in the same position. It's an observation that we seem to be going at it in a particularly conservative and risk averse manner.
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Exactly, we were on the same points total under Appleton after 4 games
 
td53 said:
I didn't say I did expect anyone to turn it around overnight did I? I just said it was boring. We could have won 3-0 lost 3-0 won 3-0 lost 3-0 and we'd be in the same position. It's an observation that we seem to be going at it in a particularly conservative and risk averse manner.
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I understand your point, but if that was the case then it would be hard to see if we were actually building anything. At the moment we're defensively solid, we just need to add a goal or two a game and we're cruising. We've built the foundation and now need to add a spark. If you're winning 3-0 and then losing 3-0, frankly you're likely to be all over the place with no idea what to work on, what the next development is likely to be, and if the manager has a clue what he's doing or not.
 
Seaseaseasider said:
I understand your point, but if that was the case then it would be hard to see if we were actually building anything. At the moment we're defensively solid, we just need to add a goal or two a game and we're cruising. We've built the foundation and now need to add a spark. If you're winning 3-0 and then losing 3-0, frankly you're likely to be all over the place with no idea what to work on, what the next development is likely to be, and if the manager has a clue what he's doing or not.
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Yes, I know. It's boring though 🤣
 
LA1 Seasider said:
It’s easy to forget how well organised, disciplined and meticulously prepared we were under Critchley in both League 1 and the Championship. Every player knew their role, responsibilities and that of every other player in the squad. We’d also built a culture of winning and being tough to beat over a period of months and years.
All that good work was undone last year. Critch has inherited a team low on confidence, lacking any sort of consistency and without the creative and cohesive influence (both on and off the pitch) that had done us well the 2 years previously. This squad was ill disciplined and disorganised. Easily overrun and beaten physically and mentally time after time last season.
He’s starting with the basics. Making us hard to beat and getting a defensive structure in place we can rely on. If we have a structured platform to build on, If were picking up points and well in games then small improvements and tactical changes will lead to tangible results. If we were being overrun like last season there’d be no chance of achieving anything.

It’s certainly not pretty at present and it is frustrating. But even playing the way we currently are we know we’re just 1 moment of genius (or 1 error from the opposition) away from 3 points.
Im confident with recruitment, with training and with more time the necessary changes will come.

We don’t currently have the players to switch to a 4-3-3 and don’t have the players to play with the preferred fullbacks and wide-men set up which was previously so successful. I also think it’s clear we lack the physicality of Madine in order to play Lavery in a similar role to that of Yates.

One thing I can say for certain is that Marvin Ekpiteta is no Frans Beckenbaur - and whilst I trust the process and recognise patience is needed I really need to stop seeing Marv telegraphing 70yard passes. I would have happily defended against us for 90 minutes today.
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You trust the process only because you are having to back your man given how you have been waxing lyrical about him ever since he left

For what its worth I'm not calling for his head as I have absolutely no confidence in the board getting anybody better
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
You trust the process only because you are having to back your man given how you have been waxing lyrical about him ever since he left

For what its worth I'm not calling for his head as I have absolutely no confidence in the board getting anybody better
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And plenty on here are piling in because they cried like girls over him not saying goodbye.

He's unbeaten in 5 games and he has to go? Mental.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
You trust the process only because you are having to back your man given how you have been waxing lyrical about him ever since he left

For what its worth I'm not calling for his head as I have absolutely no confidence in the board getting anybody better
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Also, it would be ridiculous to call for any managers head after a few games and unbeaten. Even if Man City or Real Madrid got a new manager tomorrow and they won one and drew three, would their fans be right to call for the managers head? Of course not. It would be preposterous.
 
Seriously lads

You need to give your a heads wobble

Where still in August


It's definitely not great football to watch

What keeps you happy 12 points

Champ manager might be the solution
 
LA1 Seasider said:
It’s easy to forget how well organised, disciplined and meticulously prepared we were under Critchley in both League 1 and the Championship. Every player knew their role, responsibilities and that of every other player in the squad. We’d also built a culture of winning and being tough to beat over a period of months and years.
All that good work was undone last year. Critch has inherited a team low on confidence, lacking any sort of consistency and without the creative and cohesive influence (both on and off the pitch) that had done us well the 2 years previously. This squad was ill disciplined and disorganised. Easily overrun and beaten physically and mentally time after time last season.
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When he had an experienced assistant.
 
LA1 Seasider said:
We don’t currently have the players to switch to a 4-3-3 and don’t have the players to play with the preferred fullbacks and wide-men set up which was previously so successful.
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We don’t have the players to be playing the 3-5-2 we are currently adopting? This is where trusting the process is a struggle.

I’m really not wanting to moan or be negative, we’ve endured enough of that for 12 months but can you honestly say after watching our last 7 halves of football in the League that you can see what we are trying to do to score goals? This is where I’m struggling. If I could see the game plan I would be trusting the process. Wing-backs who either don’t want the ball or don’t get behind the defence and cross the ball. James Husband has been our most creative player the last two home games.

If it’s because we haven’t got the players in yet, then that’s disappointing as that would now be 4 years we’ve started the respective season without the right players.
 
Super opening post. We have to give NC time. It is hard to watch but we’re not shipping goals. We’re also not getting the favourable bounce at the moment either, a couple of occasions yesterday, if we had, we’d have had decent breaks one on one, it just isn’t falling our way.

Hopefully it will come, and we are able to knock one or two in and the whole outlook changes.
We as fans just have to keep going and try to be the twelfth man. Probably have to say twelfth person these days. But we do have the support for that home and away.

Lincoln up next. Let’s get behind the team and hopefully we’ll start seeing things change in our favour.

We’d all like to see certain changes such as players dropped or signed, but ultimately, it won’t be for us to influence anything. We just have to keep going.

As Epictetus would say - “Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it will - then your life will flow well.”

UTMP
 
Don’t get this idea that we are solid at the back. Vale missed a couple of sitters and Orient should have at least scored two with one of those being a blatant penalty. We aren’t very good in either box and only a matter of time before we start conceding. If we don’t sort out our attacking play, I can’t see anything other than a relegation battle.

The fans have given up. Orient fans were singing is this a library yesterday. The only noise coming from the fans is when Ekpiteta is on the ball or boos at half time and full time.
 
The fact is, he’s not just come in, he was here just over a year ago, he knows most of the players, they know him and his tactics, so why is it a process? Most of theses players were playing in the championship last season plus they’ve had a full preseason and now five competitive games, I’m not having any more processing, I expect us to be close to the finished article now.
 
Stop comparing recent opposition results .Comments like “Barnsley banged in 7 against them” or they have conceded 23 goals. It’s early season.
Barnet banged in 7 past us. We went up they finished bottom. Some were thinking that Bolton were going to run away with this league. Beaten 4-0 at home. Bye the way 7 goal hitters Barnsley are below us!
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
You trust the process only because you are having to back your man given how you have been waxing lyrical about him ever since he left

For what its worth I'm not calling for his head as I have absolutely no confidence in the board getting anybody better
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Unfortunately the second para is spot on.

And that’s another reason why we’re stuck with him.
 
GrahamwantshisOates said:
Stop comparing recent opposition results .Comments like “Barnsley banged in 7 against them” or they have conceded 23 goals. It’s early season.
Barnet banged in 7 past us. We went up they finished bottom. Some were thinking that Bolton were going to run away with this league. Beaten 4-0 at home. Bye the way 7 goal hitters Barnsley are below us!
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It’s exactly this. No club has settled. Cambridge are top and Stevenage are joint with them ffs.

Fans have the right to ask questions but calling for Critch to go after 4 games is dangerously stupid. Nothing good comes of it.
 
A_Tense_Grin said:
Don’t get this idea that we are solid at the back. Vale missed a couple of sitters and Orient should have at least scored two with one of those being a blatant penalty. We aren’t very good in either box and only a matter of time before we start conceding. If we don’t sort out our attacking play, I can’t see anything other than a relegation battle.

The fans have given up. Orient fans were singing is this a library yesterday. The only noise coming from the fans is when Ekpiteta is on the ball or boos at half time and full time.
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“Don’t get this idea that we are solid at the back”

I think the fact we have conceded 0 goals, not one, not even a solitary ball past our defence into our net, might be the basis of the idea that we are solid at the back?
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
I've not seen many people saying he has to go to be fair

But let's be honest the football is dull as fuck
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Maybe it would help NC's cause if he didn't talk about being on the front foot, making Bloomfield Rd a fortress etc.
3 of yesterday's match day squad were deemed not good enough to make the final 20 odd last season. Dale, Casey and Virtue, all Critchley signings are back in..... Casey has been very good by the way.
 
Chunkylad said:
“Don’t get this idea that we are solid at the back”

I think the fact we have conceded 0 goals, not one, not even a solitary ball past our defence into our net, might be the basis of the idea that we are solid at the back?
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7 and a half hours plus some injury time taking it past 8 hours. Not to be sniffed at.
 
Chunkylad said:
“Don’t get this idea that we are solid at the back”

I think the fact we have conceded 0 goals, not one, not even a solitary ball past our defence into our net, might be the basis of the idea that we are solid at the back?
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Ah yes, but if I make up some theoretical bollocks about chances the opposition have missed whilst also not applying the same theoretical bollocks to chances we've missed, it's quite clear that we're shit.
 
The only people calling for his head are on a wind up as they hate him or it's good to bait people.

Most people are just pointing out it's quite limited football and that we're lacking any confidence in our ability to take a risk.

That's absolutely fair. You can only say what you see. It's not been a good watch.

My main concern is that he doesn't get the same combination of leeway and backing this time as he did last time.

If he does get both, we'll challenge.

I appreciate his work on shape and the concept of 'building from the back' but that doesn't alter that it's been 3 really boring games in a row.

There's only so long you can go 'my, what an excellent high line we held there' - I like and admire good defending but we've not really had any great threat to defend against yet. Exeter was 'fine' - Vale and Orient were 'flat'

What would be enjoyable in a higher league because we're keeping sides with much bigger resources at bay isn't as satisfying in a division where we're one of the better resourced teams.

We haven't been unlucky or lucky. We're not creating loads of chances and missing them or penning teams in. We're not conceding loads of chances either.

Hopefully, the former will come.

It also has to be said that last time around the clamour for Critch to evolve his initial ideas was ultimately borne out on the fact we changed things and played in a more direct way and that was the catalyst for our uplift in form.

So far he's played 'the same' in each minute of each game.

We can't seriously suggest that 'play 433 and lose a lot then switch to 442' was 'a process'

It wasn't. He's not infallible. His ability to change was his biggest strength so that needs to be acknowledged, rather than some mythical notion that everything Critch does is made of solid gold winningness and he shalt not ever be questioned
 
td53 said:
The only people calling for his head are on a wind up as they hate him or it's good to bait people.

Most people are just pointing out it's quite limited football and that we're lacking any confidence in our ability to take a risk.

That's absolutely fair. You can only say what you see. It's not been a good watch.

My main concern is that he doesn't get the same combination of leeway and backing this time as he did last time.

If he does get both, we'll challenge.

I appreciate his work on shape and the concept of 'building from the back' but that doesn't alter that it's been 3 really boring games in a row.

There's only so long you can go 'my, what an excellent high line we held there' - I like and admire good defending but we've not really had any great threat to defend against yet. Exeter was 'fine' - Vale and Orient were 'flat'

What would be enjoyable in a higher league because we're keeping sides with much bigger resources at bay isn't as satisfying in a division where we're one of the better resourced teams.

We haven't been unlucky or lucky. We're not creating loads of chances and missing them or penning teams in. We're not conceding loads of chances either.

Hopefully, the former will come.

It also has to be said that last time around the clamour for Critch to evolve his initial ideas was ultimately borne out on the fact we changed things and played in a more direct way and that was the catalyst for our uplift in form.

So far he's played 'the same' in each minute of each game.

We can't seriously suggest that 'play 433 and lose a lot then switch to 442' was 'a process'

It wasn't. He's not infallible. His ability to change was his biggest strength so that needs to be acknowledged, rather than some mythical notion that everything Critch does is made of solid gold winningness and he shalt not ever be questioned
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Excellent post Td 👍
 
Wizaard said:
There are three separate threads saying he must go, plus 'Stephen Dobbie's Tangerine Army'.

It wasn't great but it's early days and we're short up front literally and figuratively.
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To be frank I dont give a flying fuck what most of the idiots post on this site

He shouldn't go and he won't

However he needs to find a way of creating chances asap or the atmosphere will turn
 
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