The Defence

[PV1993]

We haven't been thrashed BUT we do leak goals, and when you can't score you've got to at least be able to defend your own goal. I'm sure this is something Aspo will drill into the team.

 

He has also alluded to the fact that the squad is too big and we need to have a settled 18 to work with.

 

Defensively especially, having a settled side is massive. This is something we haven't had this season, as past line-ups have shown.

 

So far we've had:

- Lainton; Wilson, Kay, Smith, Gunning

- Lainton; Davis, Kay, Smith, Gunning (x3)

- Hornby; Wilson, Kay, Smith, Denton (x2)

- Hornby; Davis, Kay, Smith, Denton

- Boot; Wilson, Davis, Smith, Gunning

- Hornby; Davis, Smith, Anderson, Gunning

- Roos; Wilson, Smith, Anderson, Gunning (Denton in midfield)

- Roos; Gibbons, Smith, Kay, Anderson, Denton

- Roos; Wilson, Smith, Kay, Anderson, Denton (x2)

- Roos; Gibbons, Davis, Smith, Gunning, Yates

- Roos; Gibbons, Smith, Kay, Gunning, Denton

 

That's 11 different defensive line-ups in 15 games. It's no wonder we're so poor. Smith's poor form is probably down to the fact that he doesn't know who he's playing alongside every week, so he has no-one he can trust. Hopefully after this weeks training Aspin will pick a back line and give it a run of games.

 

I'd stick with the five at the back with wing backs and go: Hornby; Gibbons, Davis, Smith, Gunning, Denton - or Anderson in the middle instead of Davis with Smith moving to the right side.

 

Roos can't be with us for much longer and I don't think he's been any better than Hornby to have it renewed - if he even will be able to?

 

Kay is too small to be a commanding centre half, and too slow to make up for it.

 

Thoughts?

[Regal Beagle]

Do Anderson and Roos really improve our team? I don't really see why we need them at the club.

[bookworm]

roos is no better goalie than the shed full that we have at present and Anderson is no worse than the pen full of defenders that purport to be professional players.

[alwaysvaleme]

Be quite honest I haven’t got a problem with Anderson i don’t know we don’t go with him and smith for a few games give them a run together get some understanding

Not convinced by Kay atall

I reckon worrall best captain also

 

 

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[Biddulph_PV]

I'd have:

 

Boote

Davis-Anderson-Smith

Gibbons-Worrall-Pugh-Denton

Turner-Pope-Pyke

[Sick_Valiant]

Roos, Anderson and Wilson do not need to be at the club.

 

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[Jacko51]

Roos, Anderson and Wilson do not need to be at the club.

 

Roos is on a week to week contract I believe so can go any time. Anderson is on a 12 month loan - is there a break clause in January? Wilson is on a two year contract on good money. Much as we would like to, we can't just get rid of players.

[Guest]

Theres one player present in all the games and personally i feel as good he was last year in home games ive yet c him look anywhere near a player who not long ago was going for good money .

Nathan Smith .

He looks very ill at ease on the ball has being dominated by certain league two defenders Akinfenwa Porter etc ,and not scored as he hasnt looked interested to me .

Id drop him personally .

On sat id go

Hornby

Gibbons Anderson Davis Pugh

Worrall Reeves

Stobbs Whitfield Denton

Turner (Pyke or Pope ).

Reeves and worrall should give us energy and quality going forwards ,id play defrietas but he never scores i so wish he would .

Thst wont be the team though i can guarantee it will be the same team bar possibly one change even though the defence continues to not do there jobs properly .

[old sage]

Theres one player present in all the games and personally i feel as good he was last year in home games ive yet c him look anywhere near a player who not long ago was going for good money .

Nathan Smith .

He looks very ill at ease on the ball has being dominated by certain league two defenders Akinfenwa Porter etc ,and not scored as he hasnt looked interested to me .

Id drop him personally .

On sat id go

Hornby

Gibbons Anderson Davis Pugh

Worrall Reeves

Stobbs Whitfield Denton

Turner (Pyke or Pope ).

Reeves and worrall should give us energy and quality going forwards ,id play defrietas but he never scores i so wish he would .

Thst wont be the team though i can guarantee it will be the same team bar possibly one change even though the defence continues to not do there jobs properly .

If Aspo goes with last week's team then I fear for his and our futures. The midfield is too slow and I'm sorry but Kay simply isn't good enough and if Asp can't see this then I will be very disappointed in him.

[CAVALIER]

Think it depends OS on his formation. He may just argue that Kay is the best of a bad bunch of him, Davis and Anderson. I wonder how he will go too . Personally I wouldn’t touch Reeves either as we need strength in the middle and I don’t think he’s the one. Worrall must start I’d say.

 

 

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[PV1973]

Theres one player present in all the games and personally i feel as good he was last year in home games ive yet c him look anywhere near a player who not long ago was going for good money .

Nathan Smith .

He looks very ill at ease on the ball has being dominated by certain league two defenders Akinfenwa Porter etc ,and not scored as he hasnt looked interested to me .

Id drop him personally .

On sat id go

Hornby

Gibbons Anderson Davis Pugh

Worrall Reeves

Stobbs Whitfield Denton

Turner (Pyke or Pope ).

Reeves and worrall should give us energy and quality going forwards ,id play defrietas but he never scores i so wish he would .

Thst wont be the team though i can guarantee it will be the same team bar possibly one change even though the defence continues to not do there jobs properly .

I don't think theres any need to make so many changes. We've just spent the last 5 games playing with wing backs and Stevenage aside I'd say we played well in the majority of those games. The key is maintaining that for a full game. If we go back to a 4-4-2 with so many changes then its no different to what Brown was doing in not knowing his best side or formation. We need to settle on something quickly and stick with it so that players get used to it and each other.

 

This week I'd be tempted to stick with the same side that started v Grimsby with maybe the exception of Worrall in for Pugh or Tonge.

[Tomo]

I don't think theres any need to make so many changes. We've just spent the last 5 games playing with wing backs and Stevenage aside I'd say we played well in the majority of those games. The key is maintaining that for a full game. If we go back to a 4-4-2 with so many changes then its no different to what Brown was doing in not knowing his best side or formation. We need to settle on something quickly and stick with it so that players get used to it and each other.

 

This week I'd be tempted to stick with the same side that started v Grimsby with maybe the exception of Worrall in for Pugh or Tonge.

 

Agreed, Worrall in for Pugh for me. I'd keep the same line-up aside from that for some consistency, but then at half time I'd maybe switch & get Turner/Barnett on together, depending on how we're doing. Change it up & surprise them, rather than this habit of coming out doing the same thing with the same players, only to get tired & start conceding/losing concentration.

 

We're always reactive in terms of subs, rather than proactive to take further control of the game.

[stupers]

I know it was the Checkatrade trophy but we've kept two clean sheets all season and neither time has Anthony Kay even been in the squad.

 

People will surely call me scapegoating, but watch his positional sense. He constantly finds himself under the ball at set pieces and on crosses where we have conceded a lot of goals. On top of that he hasn't got a lot of pace and whilst I thought he was a bit better on Saturday, I find it unnerving when he's playing. It couldn't get any worse against Stevenage, but we played better when he went off.

 

I think the weak link could be Kay. Let's take him out for a game and play Davis or Anderson instead and see what happens.

[CJ Valiant]

I know it was the Checkatrade trophy but we've kept two clean sheets all seasib and neither time has Anthony Kay even been in the squad.

 

People will surely call me scapegoating, but watch his positional sense. He constantly finds himself under the ball at set pieces and on crosses where we have conceded a lot of goals. On top of that he hasn't got a lot of pace and whilst I thought he was a bit better on Saturday, I find it unnerving when he's playing. It couldn't get any worse against Stevenage, but we played better when he went off.

 

I think the weak link could be Kay. Let's take him out for a game and play Davis or Anderson instead and see what happens.

 

Totally agree. He is not up to standard for whatever reason and doesn’t really bring anything to the team as a captain either. Anderson has looked good so I’d play him

[bomber]

Defensively we have been very poor for a number of seasons that is why we are where we are. Conceeding two plus goals a game when attackwise we can,t hit a barn door with a bag of gravel spells disaster. The constant changing of the team only compounds the problem, Aspo quickly said the squad was too big. Unfortunatly its going to take time to sort this mess out, and there are no quick fixes. First and formost we need to pick up a few points, just hope someone can step up!