Cheltenham T (H) match thread 28th Oct

[Valiiant]

50 minutes ago, Wrex said:

It's a confidence thing. Injuries have decimated the squad, we're on a losing run and things are looking desperate with the home crowd getting on their backs. The manager may well be telling them to be brave on the ball but that's easier said than done

How long are we going to be using injuries as an excuse for? Every team in the league will often be missing two or three what they would consider key players. Ultimately we still had a stronger looking team out yesterday than they did. But one team was fired up, had a proper game plan and most importantly someone that isn't a complete donkey up front. Sadly that wasn't us.

[Warren]

To get the best out of Loft and Ikpeazu you have to play properly to their strengths as target man type players. I take the points about why have we signed them and whether they are even close to the fitness of the rest of the squad. 

Playing to their strengths as target men isn't 'Aspin like' putting the ball up in the clouds from the keeper repetitively. This is especially when they are partnered with young players as good as Thomas and Devine. The target man may be big and slow, but if the ball is played into them properly they will hold it up and bring the talented players in to the game. 

What I saw yesterday is us not having any shot at all for over 30 minutes from the start of the game. Cheltenham were unlucky not to be three or four goals up at half time. Our goal was a surprise taken well by our quality loanee. 

This five at the back stuff. We have no idea how to play it. The ball goes to the RWB who 90% of the time passes it back to the central defence. Then it goes to the keeper who skies an 80 yard drop kick and hopes for the best or even worse plays it out on the deck where the same back at the keeper passing happens again.

We seem to have no worked routines in play and no worked routines at corners or throw ins. We have no pattern in play because to make anything we do work requires Ojo to take the ball under pressure reliably and hit an advanced midfield player or the target man on the deck. What he actually does is filter to the wing backs who immediately go backwards to the centre halves. That includes Plant. 

I have watched professional football at all levels for 47 years now. It's actually the first time I've seen a good team at the level completely stuffed by the manager's coaching and tactics. It's no good coming on and saying the players didn't perform, it's 100% on him and how he's asking them to play. 

I'm really sorry to hold that view. But sport has no hiding places when things go wrong. 

[MBE]

1 hour ago, PV1973 said:

 

 

For me the problem runs deeper than just the manager. It comes down to the recruitment of players for a system that we’ve settled on as being our only way of playing. We knew Harrison would be off as more than one club as supposedly in for him. We didn’t replace him. We knew we’d lost Wozza and were also weak on the left hand side. I’m assuming Mitch was brought in to replace wozza? Hes not produced at all. We have no recognised left wing back (even when Grant is fit I’m not convinced he’s a wing back). Sang and plant are not wingbacks. We can’t change formation because we don’t have any recognised fullbacks, (currently fit), maybe cass at a push but he’s not good enough for me. We’ve hamstrung ourselves by not recruiting to the formation we’ve decided to play. Does that come down to Crosby or Flitcroft or both? 

Can't disagree with that but what is 100% on Crosby ,he continues to play 3CB's and WB's when we don't have any fit WB's. Surely any manager worth his salt finds a different formation to suit the players who he has fit and available?

It really is annoying me we continue to do the same thing  shoehorning Plant and Massey in at WB's and relying on Sang a defensive midfielder to be our provider and we wonder why we don't create chances.

 

 

[darren1810]

2 minutes ago, MBE said:

Can't disagree with that but what is 100% on Crosby ,he continues to play 3CB's and WB's when we don't have any fit WB's. Surely any manager worth his salt finds a different formation to suit the players who he has fit and available?

It really is annoying me we continue to do the same thing  shoehorning Plant and Massey in at WB's and relying on Sang a defensive midfielder to be our provider and we wonder why we don't create chances.

 

 

Correct. 

If you don't have the fit personnel you don't persist with a formation playing players in alien positions. 

You alter the formation and adept to the players at your disposal. 

[TJHValiant]

1 hour ago, philpvfc said:

True but does not mean we have to sign their cast offs.

Totally agree, but it shows the comparative reality of our competition. 

[TJHValiant]

12 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

But it makes our stats look ace

Absolutely. At half time we had 78% possession and all full time 16 shots on goal but only 5 on target. 

[TJHValiant]

1 hour ago, Wrex said:

Five months later and he's back in the same division, immediately turning around a team cut adrift at the foot of the table.

The arguement that you give support to a man by sacking him so he can get some rest for a couple of months is quite frankly <ovf censored>.

Turning around? They have 8 points and are still 10 adrift of us. It only looks like they are improving because they played us! 

[Granville]

11 hours ago, JoeB2 said:

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS the first fans e-kicking of the season.

I reckon 15 games in is a new record for 'actually, this is somehow the fans' fault'.

Will keep a running total.

2023/24 mentions of 'actually, this is somehow the fans' fault': 1

Whilst I agree there are lots of things wrong with the current set up, some of our "fans" have to consider their behaviour. 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the lad in the baseball cap on the back row of the Lorne Street stand screaming "Love you Clarkey, f*** off Crosby you c***, f*** off Carol,"  then wishing Crosby physical harm so he'd be forced to leave is exactly what's wrong with part of our fanbase.

I'm sure you're looking forward to your exclusive email from the football club informing you of Crosby's departure a few days before its officially announced because you above all people deserve to know.

[Warren]

Cheltenham looked organised yesterday. We didn't. I can't tell how good they now are because we were so bad. 

[MBE]

How bad is our defending? Just rewatched the goals. Absolute shambolic.

Crosby <ovf censored> off. 

 

 

[Brian Johnson]

13 hours ago, Devine intervention said:

 

Don't bring the owners into it if a manager cannot get a tune out of a team he chose no one else it's on him.

Leave the owners out of it .

 

And who chose the manager and employed him?

[MBE]

1 minute ago, Warren said:

Cheltenham looked organised yesterday. We didn't. I can't tell how good they now are because we were so bad. 

They are the worst team we have played so far this season by some distance. 

Relegation team.... with us if Carol and Kevin don't act.

[Warren]

21 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

But it makes our stats look ace

Yes, I mean one thing I always do is look at the stats. And it's a fact our stats do not tell the truth of how bad we were. That's because they don't have any qualitative aspect. There is shooting and shooting. There is passing and passing etc. 

So the Sky stats yesterday don't point to what we were. Complete and utter garbage. 

[Brian Johnson]

14 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

That was dire. Our best performance of the season was the win at Charlton. Only 5 of the starters that day were available today. We are being shafted by injuries, rubbish defending and fear in front of goal. The team looked like they’d never played together which, of course, they hadn’t!

We were very very luck at Charlton.

Are you telling me that the team that started against Cheltenham yesterday, have never met each other, they do not know each other, they do not train every day together?

They are all professional players that are part of a squad that the clubs brought together

[Wrex]

10 minutes ago, TJHValiant said:

Turning around? They have 8 points and are still 10 adrift of us. It only looks like they are improving because they played us! 

See the 0 wins, 1 draw and 9 defeats in the first 10 games? Clarke then took charge and has 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in his 6 games.

0.1 points per game to mid-table