The season in one night

Wizaard

Wizaard

Well-known member
Just got back to Kings Cross. At least my train is on time at 23.33. That's about the only thing that's gone well all evening.

We started ok and the first half was pretty even with us pressing well and picking up second balls, although distribution was patchy at times. Their best chances came from sloppy passes from first Marv, and then Byers, but otherwise we looked fairly comfortable.

As always, Dembele was kicked from pillar to post with no protection and as a result, struggled to get in the game. He did get free once and put a great ball across that Beesley couldn't quite stretch enough to get on.

We had a couple of shots from Gabriel and Byers, and a bit of a scramble in the box but it was a fairly cagey half, with us slightly having the better of it.

Gabriel's departure during the interval seemed to affect us and we never got going second half and fairly quickly lost possession cheaply on the half way line and never recovered. They broke and scored with what was a poor goal to concede.

That really took the wind out of our sails and we couldn't do the basics, the passing going to pot and players struggling to win the ball, while they gained confidence and looked a better side.

The half was summed up by Lyons checking back and clearly doing some serious damage to either his knee or thigh. Either way, he had to be stretchered off. Virtue came on at RWB and struggled to impose himself.

The game then petered out despite a very late flurry when we had a shot blocked but in all honesty, that second half performance wasn't one of a side pushing for promotion.

The curse of the midweek or just plain inconsistent? I think we just can't put together a sequence of good results. Some players just can't do it, and we're not as strong in depth a we like to think.

Is the season over? Not yet, but the fat lady has just asked for a gargle.
 
Wizaard said:
Just got back to Kings Cross. At least my train is on time at 23.33. That's about the only thing that's gone well all evening.

We started ok and the first half was pretty even with us pressing well and picking up second balls, although distribution was patchy at times. Their best chances came from sloppy passes from first Marv, and then Byers, but otherwise we looked fairly comfortable.

As always, Dembele was kicked from pillar to post with no protection and as a result, struggled to get in the game. He did get free once and put a great ball across that Beesley couldn't quite stretch enough to get on.

We had a couple of shots from Gabriel and Byers, and a bit of a scramble in the box but it was a fairly cagey half, with us slightly having the better of it.

Gabriel's departure during the interval seemed to affect us and we never got going second half and fairly quickly lost possession cheaply on the half way line and never recovered. They broke and scored with what was a poor goal to concede.

That really took the wind out of our sails and we couldn't do the basics, the passing going to pot and players struggling to win the ball, while they gained confidence and looked a better side.

The half was summed up by Lyons checking back and clearly doing some serious damage to either his knee or thigh. Either way, he had to be stretchered off. Virtue came on at RWB and struggled to impose himself.

The game then petered out despite a very late flurry when we had a shot blocked but in all honesty, that second half performance wasn't one of a side pushing for promotion.

The curse of the midweek or just plain inconsistent? I think we just can't put together a sequence of good results. Some players just can't do it, and we're not as strong in depth a we like to think.

Is the season over? Not yet, but the fat lady has just asked for a gargle.
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The fat lady has tonsillitis
 
Tonight was thoroughly depressing. Not much else to say really.

We're in the top 10 but looked utterly awful at times. The goal was so soft, came so easily and once again we failed to compete on the pitch against a very limited side. As Adams_Kebab has often said, we're piss weak. There's not a leader amongst the squad and nobody who looks like he'd have someone against the wall for such a piss poor performance.
 
I've always said it, Marv's lost without Keogh and we've still not replaced Keogh with a experienced similar player.

Lets be honest Marv is technically rhubarb, if you're going to play three a the back your central player has to be technically sound who can read the game, pass the ball and has a great touch and comfortable when in possession. Marv is ideal at competing for the ball in the air and on the deck and as a marker he is an excellent talent, but you ask him to try to play out from the back and you're asking for trouble, amazingly Critch still doesn't get it.
 
Raging_Bull said:
I've always said it, Marv's lost without Keogh and we've still not replaced Keogh with a experienced similar player.

Lets be honest Marv is technically rhubarb, if you're going to play three a the back your central player has to be technically sound who can read the game, pass the ball and has a great touch and comfortable when in possession. Marv is ideal at competing for the ball in the air and on the deck and as a marker he is an excellent talent, but you ask him to try to play out from the back and you're asking for trouble, amazingly Critch still doesn't get it.
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It's bonkers really. Poor old Marv is the go to player when we play out. We know how it goes from there because we've seen it so many times. We need a back four and a functioning midfield that we actually use to pass the ball through to create chances. This diagonal hoof has had its day. Nothing will change though. This is our season, and if what we heard on Lancs at 6pm is right, it's likely to be our next season too.
 
straightatthewall said:
Tonight was thoroughly depressing. Not much else to say really.

We're in the top 10 but looked utterly awful at times. The goal was so soft, came so easily and once again we failed to compete on the pitch against a very limited side. As Adams_Kebab has often said, we're piss weak. There's not a leader amongst the squad and nobody who looks like he'd have someone against the wall for such a piss poor performance.
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Top 10 because it’s a weak L1. Next season it won’t be, and if this continues we’ll be in trouble. Can’t agree more about lack of leadership, Norburn contributes little and just seems to go through the motions.

For me, Gabriel is the one player who always puts his heart into games. I’d make him captain, as he set the tone on Saturday and again last night in the first half. Whether he’d have players against a wall I don’t know, but he sets a good example. Our other leader is Hubby.
 
TimperleyTangerine said:
Top 10 because it’s a weak L1. Next season it won’t be, and if this continues we’ll be in trouble. Can’t agree more about lack of leadership, Norburn contributes little and just seems to go through the motions.

For me, Gabriel is the one player who always puts his heart into games. I’d make him captain, as he set the tone on Saturday and again last night in the first half. Whether he’d have players against a wall I don’t know, but he sets a good example. Our other leader is Hubby.
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To be fair, I'd say it's normal league 1 fare rather than being better or worse than anything we've seen before or we'll see again. The problem is that we're a bang average side with a squad of players that looks like it's been randomly collected and is then forced to play in a manner that is utterly inflexible but has no relevance to anybody's particular strengths or weaknesses.

We're into the final quarter of the season and I still couldn't tell you what are most likely means of scoring is likely to be. And that's not because we can score from all areas and at any time...
 
It’s a very very poor league this season and will be much harder next season..another opportunity lost and Critchley will always divide the fans…if he is staying next season then he needs to be under the microscope from the off and if it’s anything like this season sent packing. He has used up all his credit in the BFC bank and it’s all about performance and points on the board in the here and now and not in the past.
 
Raging_Bull said:
I've always said it, Marv's lost without Keogh and we've still not replaced Keogh with a experienced similar player.

Lets be honest Marv is technically rhubarb, if you're going to play three a the back your central player has to be technically sound who can read the game, pass the ball and has a great touch and comfortable when in possession. Marv is ideal at competing for the ball in the air and on the deck and as a marker he is an excellent talent, but you ask him to try to play out from the back and you're asking for trouble, amazingly Critch still doesn't get it.
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I spoke to Richard last night after giving him the most biased man of the match you've ever seen. (Work sponsorship lounge) Brilliant bloke and he absolutely dominated the Wrexham attack. I don't think he'd be any worse than what we have currently.

He said stick with it and that he loves the club. Prefers Tangerine to the Green of FG.
 
straightatthewall said:
To be fair, I'd say it's normal league 1 fare rather than being better or worse than anything we've seen before or we'll see again. The problem is that we're a bang average side with a squad of players that looks like it's been randomly collected and is then forced to play in a manner that is utterly inflexible but has no relevance to anybody's particular strengths or weaknesses.

We're into the final quarter of the season and I still couldn't tell you what are most likely means of scoring is likely to be. And that's not because we can score from all areas and at any time...
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Absolutely bang on 👍
 
straightatthewall said:
To be fair, I'd say it's normal league 1 fare rather than being better or worse than anything we've seen before or we'll see again. The problem is that we're a bang average side with a squad of players that looks like it's been randomly collected and is then forced to play in a manner that is utterly inflexible but has no relevance to anybody's particular strengths or weaknesses.

We're into the final quarter of the season and I still couldn't tell you what are most likely means of scoring is likely to be. And that's not because we can score from all areas and at any time...
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Well, there is the aimlessly launch it tactic, but we're not set up to best play that way or that good at getting the 2nd balls as other sides. Infact were pretty useless at it and do it because we're seemingly not good enough to pass it round, or set up to do so.

Or there is the get it to Dembele tactic, who teams try and crowd out and if successful we don't have a right lot else.

At times, for small spells, we do manage to actually pass the ball and then get it wide and go from there, it's probably when we look our best. But it doesn't happen enough as we just give up if pressed and launch it. A good side carries on and is capable and set up to keep the ball and pass round sides.
 
TANGERINETOWERPOWER said:
It’s a very very poor league this season and will be much harder next season..another opportunity lost and Critchley will always divide the fans…if he is staying next season then he needs to be under the microscope from the off and if it’s anything like this season sent packing. He has used up all his credit in the BFC bank and it’s all about performance and points on the board in the here and now and not in the past.
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The issue then is he'll have brought in all his players and then if a new man comes in, he may be able to do better but ideally they need their own players.

We could very easily have wasted 2 seasons.

We can say hey ho, not our money, it'll cost SS, but we're wasting opportunity to get back up and wasting fans patience and goodwill. I can't see it getting easier either.
 
Last night showed again we have no leadership on the pitch. We dearly miss a kind of Andy Morrison type player. They all look too timid. As Ragers said we miss an experienced head at the back too.
 
We also lack tempo at these away games and seem scared of what the opposition will do…the Bolton game had that passion pride and tempo and good teams can replicate that week in week out..we can’t
 
JJpool said:
Well, there is the aimlessly launch it tactic, but we're not set up to best play that way or that good at getting the 2nd balls as other sides. Infact were pretty useless at it and do it because we're seemingly not good enough to pass it round, or set up to do so.

Or there is the get it to Dembele tactic, who teams try and crowd out and if successful we don't have a right lot else.

At times, for small spells, we do manage to actually pass the ball and then get it wide and go from there, it's probably when we look our best. But it doesn't happen enough as we just give up if pressed and launch it. A good side carries on and is capable and set up to keep the ball and pass round sides.
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If teams are crowding out Dembele, what are the others doing with the extra space? Total lack of imagination and footballing brain.
 
TANGERINETOWERPOWER said:
We also lack tempo at these away games and seem scared of what the opposition will do…the Bolton game had that passion pride and tempo and good teams can replicate that week in week out..we can’t
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That is the biggest problem for me. It could be a mindset issue, a lack of individual and collective leadership. Or maybe we're just not fit enough? Or does he say "go out there and absorb what they throw at you for the first x minutes lads"? Whatever it is, we end up playing like the second favourites in every away game.
 
Raging_Bull said:
I've always said it, Marv's lost without Keogh and we've still not replaced Keogh with a experienced similar player.

Lets be honest Marv is technically rhubarb, if you're going to play three a the back your central player has to be technically sound who can read the game, pass the ball and has a great touch and comfortable when in possession. Marv is ideal at competing for the ball in the air and on the deck and as a marker he is an excellent talent, but you ask him to try to play out from the back and you're asking for trouble, amazingly Critch still doesn't get it.
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Mark_GT said:
It's bonkers really. Poor old Marv is the go to player when we play out. We know how it goes from there because we've seen it so many times. We need a back four and a functioning midfield that we actually use to pass the ball through to create chances. This diagonal hoof has had its day. Nothing will change though. This is our season, and if what we heard on Lancs at 6pm is right, it's likely to be our next season too.
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whatever you say about his ability on the ball, Marv is still comfortably our best defender and for that reason he is well worth his place in the team in whatever formation. He gets more blocks in, wins more headers and cuts out more crosses than any other player. Why is that? It's because his positional sense is excellent and he doesn't need Keogh or anyone else to teach him that.
 
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Marv is an excellent defender in this league, and imo isn't the problem. The problem is that the midfielders in front of him just aren't of the quality required. They are meant to be giving him an option when he has the ball, but are often too slow to move in to space, or don't have the close control required to take the ball off him when under pressure. That leads to Marv dithering and giving the ball away cheaply. I'm not saying he's perfect, or his passing is great etc. But put some good midfielders in front of him. Norburn has disappointed if we're being honest, Morgan is in and out of the team, Dembele has the control and first touch but plays further forward so is unlikely to come deep to get the ball, and Byers has only just got here so we don't know. Midfield is our problem though (as it's been for at least two years now), not Marv.
 
20togo said:
whatever you say about his ability on the ball, Marv is still comfortably our best defender and for that reason he is well worth his place in the team in whatever formation. He gets more blocks in, wins more headers and cuts out more crosses than any other player. Why is that? It's because his positional sense is excellent and he doesn't need Keogh or anyone else to teach him that.
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Agree that he is our most solid defender. I don't think he should also have to be our defensive playmaker, it's not his best suit by a long way. And as 53 says above, our midfield are letting our defence down too often. Norburn's one-footedness gets us in all sorts of bother on occasion.
 
Mark_GT said:
Agree that he is our most solid defender. I don't think he should also have to be our defensive playmaker, it's not his best suit by a long way. And as 53 says above, our midfield are letting our defence down too often. Norburn's one-footedness gets us in all sorts of bother on occasion.
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yep, and don't exclude Grimshaw either when it comes to some-one putting Marv under unnecessary pressure.
 
20togo said:
whatever you say about his ability on the ball, Marv is still comfortably our best defender and for that reason he is well worth his place in the team in whatever formation. He gets more blocks in, wins more headers and cuts out more crosses than any other player. Why is that? It's because his positional sense is excellent and he doesn't need Keogh or anyone else to teach him that.
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Agree with all of that pal he is a good solid centre back when it comes to defending, but he will never be excellent technically so if the manager is looking to play out from the back and Marv is part of that then expect errors and plenty of them.
 
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