2 minutes ago, ValeForever. said:

One of the most worrying aspects currently is that most of us would agree we've actually played quite well in most games this season. Clinical, no, but we've played some good stuff.

To be playing well & not picking up anything is a sign of a team that will ultimately struggle. If this is us playing well, imagine the scenes when the performances do drop off.

It's almost a carbon copy of the Crosby season at the minute. The only difference in that opening 10 x Crosby games was that we were falling the right side of the 1 x goal results, rather than the wrong side. Nobody needs reminding what happened next.

Played well, or flattered to deceive. We are playing the same way as we did in league 2, with a worse side against better teams. So instead of scraping a win by a goal, we are losing games by a goal. We need a striker or two, but it’s also how we set up. 

18 minutes ago, valiant_593 said:

Id normally be asking questions of the manager at this stage and especially given his return in league 1 overall for us. But I feel he’s been let down this season. Signings largely poor, Humphries aside and I do like the new keeper, but like you I actually think we’ve played some decent stuff under Moore so far but he hasn’t been backed at all. Maybe league 2 is where we’re meant to be under Carol 

When he came in we were told that DM was running the whole football side. If hes given credit for the recruitment previously then surely you cant pass the buck when it goes badly. 

Depressing game to watch with zero quality except Paddy Lanes strike.

Another individual mistake to concede but what was really concerning was our attacking play. From our own box to the opposition box we work it out wide and look a good team, it’s then downhill from there. The delivery out wide is atrocious, the balls  played down the sides from the CM was just as bad. The players look like they have zero confidence and conviction passing or shooting in that final 3rd.

Based on today our problem is not just a lack of presence in the penalty area.

I thought quite a few we were well off the pace of the game today. 

Beginning to get a deja vu felling from our last campaign in L1 although this group of players is considerably better.

8 minutes ago, Essex Boy said:

Its the appallingly negative tactics that are the problem. We are playing with 2 attacking players and people wonder why we don't score any goals. With 4 at the back, you usually have 4 attacking players, but we have no attacking central midfielders in the squad. Unfortunately, we will struggle until Moore is relieved of his duties.   

I'm afraid I have to second that. Yes we got promoted, but DM is so negative in the set up, and so stubborn he won't try anything new. Have to question no Rico or Paton in the squad today, Faal just doesn't seem up to it and Curtis is not a striker (I like him but he's out of position). 

My thoughts from the game, and our attacking play generally:

It’s all very predictable. We rely on our wide players for the crosses but they haven’t been great, Croasdale has actually put in the best crosses so far that have gotten goals from the target man. 
There’s little variation in our build up play. We look threatening when Croasdale can break forward, but we don’t have much of an advanced player in the middle offering other opportunities at the moment. 

Pressing from the front and sides is creating a lot of our chances from set plays, etc and I find a lot of our good chances to come from quite chaotic sequences of play. 

In other words for me I don’t think just a striker solves our problems, it’s a systematic issue. Asking Waine and Curtis to replicate what Tolaj could do is never going to be a solution. We are also missing Stockley who is better on the ball than Faal. 
 

On to today’s game and players:

Brown with the best chance. Has much better first touch than Faal but lacked composure to convert what was our best chance. Brown impressed me to be fair. 
 

Byers’ neglected his defending for the goal.
 

Gauchi’s eccentricity gets me excited and not in a good way. His confidence is reassuring but seems to potentially be error prone  

Good performances from Rhys, Heneghan again. We need better offensive play from the wide areas or we are never going to score from open play. Croasdale is not able to break forward enough and we don’t have a ball carrier in the midfield that can make enough of a defense splitting pass. Byers is the closest to this description but is quite deep currently to really be threatening any closer to goal. 
 

Onto the final days of the window:

A striker would be lovely, but we need a plan for much better individual chance creation so I’d like to see another wide player in. We still need cover at LCB. 

On the squad going forward:

I’d like Moore to release the shackles a bit and allow the likes of Rico to come on to effect the game in the middle of the park. We must score to win and we can’t rely on just being hard to beat and set plays. 

Prospects: Our season is going down to the wire. We’ve not been helped with injuries and ins/outs and have been unlucky so far, especially with the red cards and goal chalked off v Cardiff. 

Hope the boys take the positives and keep going with everything they’ve got. Could get very hairy if morale sinks. 

15 minutes ago, ValeForever. said:

One of the most worrying aspects currently is that most of us would agree we've actually played quite well in most games this season. Clinical, no, but we've played some good stuff.

To be playing well & not picking up anything is a sign of a team that will ultimately struggle. If this is us playing well, imagine the scenes when the performances do drop off.

It's almost a carbon copy of the Crosby season at the minute. The only difference in that opening 10 x Crosby games was that we were falling the right side of the 1 x goal results, rather than the wrong side. Nobody needs reminding what happened next.

You dunner get rewarded with points playing well , it's a results business at the end of the day and we can't put the ball in the net and when that's the case the writing is on the we'll ll do well escape relegation this season unless proven strikers are recruited 

32 minutes ago, Jim Gammon said:

We need stockley and Garrity fit again.

The thing is Garrity doesn't seem to stay fit now as he always seems to be picking up injuries and it was very odd how he wasn't in the squad today unless he has suffered a setback but correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think DM mentioned any injury in both his pre-match interview and his post-match interview. 

14 minutes ago, Guppys left peg said:

The Crosby season was not quite the same as we were just very pretty in the middle third but rarely threatened an opening much less a shot at goal. We’re getting openings this season just have absolutely no composure where it counts.

The recruitment has bin no good then 

7 minutes ago, JohnDoe said:

When he came in we were told that DM was running the whole football side. If hes given credit for the recruitment previously then surely you cant pass the buck when it goes badly. 

True. If he’s had a major involvement in the signings. Only mitigating thing is if the funds aren’t there. 

9 minutes ago, ValiantHan said:

The thing is Garrity doesn't seem to stay fit now as he always seems to be picking up injuries and it was very odd how he wasn't in the squad today unless he has suffered a setback but correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think DM mentioned any injury in both his pre-match interview and his post-match interview. 

He touched on it that he tweaked something on Tuesday but should be fine going forward. As I say though his availability isn’t the greatest.

Gabriel had a family matter I believe it was.

Edited August 30, 2025Aug 30 by Guppys left peg

54 minutes ago, dazzerjames said:

Some fans coming out the woodwork tonight ! Wow. 
we will win Saturday , chill yourselves out, you bunch of flappers ! 
 

wouldn’t want to be in the trenches with some of the persons posting on here.

if after 10 games we are still without a win , then maybe , maybe I’d panic.

you mean fans who arent employees of the club, happy clappers or have previous experience of seeing where we headed?

 

10 minutes ago, Nippy Naylor said:

The recruitment has bin no good then 

well we have got stokes former head of recruitment and their fans couldnt wait to be rid of him.

56 minutes ago, dazzerjames said:

Some fans coming out the woodwork tonight ! Wow. 
we will win Saturday , chill yourselves out, you bunch of flappers ! 
 

wouldn’t want to be in the trenches with some of the persons posting on here.

if after 10 games we are still without a win , then maybe , maybe I’d panic.

I’m sure I saw comments like this last time in league 1. 

1 minute ago, Guppys left peg said:

He touched on it that he tweaked something on Tuesday but should be fine going forward. As I say though his availability isn’t the greatest.

Gabriel had a family matter I believe it was.

It was a surprise that Ruari was left out but I imagine we are carefully managing his minutes after his injury which would be totally understandable. I suspect we might see him start in the EFL Trophy against Leeds u21s. 

Just now, ValiantHan said:

totally

 

1 minute ago, ValiantHan said:

It was a surprise that Ruari was left out but I imagine we are carefully managing his minutes after his injury which would be totally understandable. I suspect we might see him start in the EFL Trophy against Leeds u21s. 

He is not good enough, hope he proves me wrong.