Simply not good enough

[drfchound]

No worries, it is all about opinions.
What most fans do agree on though is that 3-5-2 is not working for us.

[mrfrostsdad]

First half was poor but the 2nd half wasn't only slightly better,
We had 14 attempts 6 on target 13 corners and almost 60% possession, we should've won,
We're 2 games in and could've easily had 6 points, I don't mind criticism but it's far too early,
Need to forget about last season and realise this is fresh, starting from scratch again,
We win on Tuesday and it's not a bad start

Sorry, I couldn't agree with you less. If we continue to play like that overall, first and second half, we will finish nearer the bottom than top. Crawley looked a very decent footballing side with no cutting edge. A decent striker and it would have been lost by half time.
I do take your point about corners. It was the only time we created anything. Williams had a couple of chances but to be honest, do you ever expect him to score?? I don't.
If that's all we've got to look forward to  I'd give my season ticket to the dog if I had one. And if we win on Tuesday that'll be 4 points from 3 games. And that's if we win. That wouldn't get us promoted if we carried it on through the season.

I only hope that everyone who said we would pish this league is correct. I'm not convinced though. Still, Tuesday is another day

[dickos1]

It's 2 games, you can't start saying if we carry on in this form we won't get promoted, look at Newcastle.
Both times we've played the opposing managers have stated we were a good side and they were hanging on.
All 3 games we've played well in the 2nd half and could've easily won all 3, that's not some happy clapper rubbish, it's a fact

[mrfrostsdad]

Ok. Fair enough. I beg to differ. I thought we were a disgrace for the great majority of the game.

ps. I don't think Newcastle will get promoted either. I hope we do, don't give a toss about Newcastele. In fact I would actually PMSL if they got relegated again

[BobG]

I have a memory, which may not be accurate of course, that one or two of the Peterborough blokes who came on here when we appointed DF consistently said DF is stubborn, plays square pegs in round holes and can't see the obvious.

Anyone else have a memory of that? If it's right then we know what we've got to look forward to.

BobG

[dickos1]

I don't care about them either, but they will be in the top 6 at the end of the season and theyve lost both games.
We're currently 3 points off top of the table

[Chris Black come back]

SOD was right when he said what was most important in long term was turning in good performances on regular basis, and not be too concerned about results in the short term.

We have played shockingly bad for months and months now. "Could have" and "should have" won is not really what bothers me. We are playing dreadful disjointed football and this has been the case for months on end. This is not healthy - and that is before we look at the truly god awful results in 2016.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

People have to be patient, but I get why they are not.  There are positives and there is a clear attempt at a structure of play. With a lot of new players it will take time to gel.


More worrying is the nerves, the players look like they don't like a demanding fan base.

[Chris Black come back]

Just for the record - we have won only THREE league games in the last TWENTY THREE league games, during which time we got relegated and are yet to win in the lowest level of professional football in England. We don't win in 87pc of league games we play. How is this being tolerated when we are also playing god awful football. True mystery.

[dickos1]

What happened in the other 21 games is irrelevant, we've a new side now with many new players, they need time to gel
Win on Tuesday and its 4 points from 3 games which is an ok start

[ditch_drfc]

Think a few people are going a bit over the top after today's match. First half, yes, was absolutely dreadful. Very frustrating to watch. Not sure it deserved the massive boos at half time, in what is the first home league game of the new season! Still, first half was pathetic.

Second half looked much more lively, definitely the stronger team and for me were unlucky not to score more (ref didn't help). Lots of corners, strong interceptions from gk dead balls. We looked a completely discharge different team. Crawley will be one of the best in this league and for me showed that we have nothing to fear from League 2.

More of the footy that was on show in the second half please.

[Lesonthewest]

Think a few people are going a bit over the top after today's match. First half, yes, was absolutely dreadful. Very frustrating to watch. Not sure it deserved the massive boos at half time, in what is the first home league game of the new season! Still, first half was pathetic.

Second half looked much more lively, definitely the stronger team and for me were unlucky not to score more (ref didn't help). Lots of corners, strong interceptions from gk dead balls. We looked a completely discharge different team. Crawley will be one of the best in this league and for me showed that we have nothing to fear from League 2.

More of the footy that was on show in the second half please.

Yes I agree, we are work in progress, first half we were p--s poor, Crawley had a game plan & looked a very decent side. Second half we were far the stronger team & with that bit of luck could have won the game. Its 2 games in, so let us see where the first 10 - 15 games take us then start pointing the finger. We have lost 4 nailed on first teamers, now that would disrupt any side, whoever it is.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I worry about, ever since he joined us, the lack of direction, organisation, players just not knowing what is expected of them. He has an obsession with young players, he has almost wiped the club clean of experience.
The ones he has recruited, with experience, sods law they are injured. It needs a bit more time for me, before sacking him is thought of.
The team is very inexperienced, if we get the more experienced guys who are injured, and still it doesn't change, then he would need to go.
We have had a real poor run of injuries, but even that i wonder are his training methods contributing to this?. We have since he took over conceded late goals in games, which i put down to concentration and fitness.

 I honestly don't believe our players are worked hard enough, and in the right ways.
Where is the specialist fitness expert, that is needed?, how good is the physiotherapy, because we are very slow at getting players back into action, does the physio, have too many players to deal with?.
We seem to have gone very cheap, on the backroom staff, fair enough a manager and assistant is there. But who has specialist knowledge of fitness training?. Is enough being done to get players fit?, and is enough being done to prevent injuries?, because it seems not!.

[NickDRFC]

What happened in the other 21 games is irrelevant, we've a new side now with many new players, they need time to gel
Win on Tuesday and its 4 points from 3 games which is an ok start

Lose on Tuesday and it's 1 point from 3 games, which would be a dreadful start. We can only go on results and performances so far, not what might happen, and so far both have been largely abject and offer no improvement on last season.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

The concerning this is the application, the desire to impose ourselves on the game. Once again, we think the penny has dropped on second half performances, yet we start the next game like it never happened.

One of the players who we expect to raise the tempo and performance level in Rowe was largely anonymous yesterday.

Williams in particular made a hash of his good positions by over complicating things. Marquis didn't really have any clear cut chances but the more we deliver quality balls into the box, more will come his way.

Once we move the ball quicker with purpose, and the movement supports it, we will be different gravy. It doesn't have to be complicated football.

[IDM]

I really don't think the formation is the issue.  The players should be able to switch between 352, 455, 442, 4231, 4141 etc throughout the game and even 0010 when chasing a 0-1 in a cup tie 90th minute!

However at the moment the players seem to be under performing and we are some way from the first choice 11 being available.  We'll be much more of a potent force with McShefferey in the team for example.

The players need to show some fight and confidence, which will then make the system work.  We saw some of that in the second half, after the no show in the first.

[Chris Black come back]

Just for the record - we have won only THREE league games in the last TWENTY THREE league games, during which time we got relegated and are yet to win in the lowest level of professional football in England. We don't win in 87pc of league games we play. How is this being tolerated when we are also playing god awful football. True mystery.

Another fact. In those last twenty three league games we have kept only THREE clean sheets.

If we were playing in the Championship then I would accept that but in League One and Two (the latter where we have yet to keep a clean sheet) is really dire. 21 games out of 23 games we have let the opposition score. Perhaps no coincidence that our clean sheet ratio is very closely related to our win ratio (miserable 12pc).

When will he sort the defence out and stop trying to make a pint fit into a half pint pot. You can't make a back three into a back five! Just split the difference and have a back four.

[IDM]

Last season is over.

Let's look at this season separately, with the big changes we have in the squad etc.

We've got key players out injured, we lost only in injury time, and conceded yesterday due to a bad GK error.  We have much work to do to get the defence more solid, and we need to increase competitiveness and confidence.

Plenty of work to do, everyone can see, but not the end of the world 2 league games in.

[dickos1]

It's not dire, it's 2 games
People need to stop this overreaction we've played 2 games

[NickDRFC]

Dickos, you can't just view these two games in isolation. They come off the back of a horrendous run last year. Yes, things might turn around, but right now it doesn't look like any lessons have been learnt from last year, namely concentration at the start and end of the games, 3-5-2 and square pegs in round holes.

[Bentley Bullet]

It's not dire, it's 2 games
People need to stop this overreaction we've played 2 games

If we'd have won the first 2 games the happy clappers would have been asking why the moaners were so quiet on the forum.

[dickos1]

If we'd won the first 2 games the the doom mongers would be saying don't be getting carried away it's only 2 games

I think we do have to view these games in isolation it's a brand new team

[Chris Black come back]

Not talking about two games. Deliberately talking about last 20 odd games. We need to be looking at long term trends. Sadly consistent trend is poor defence, crap football and dire results. Not this season. Long term.

[Al4475]

Yes mate. Totally agree. Wellens, Stock, O'connor, Afro, Greeny, Sully etc etc. And then Sharp. God! What we'd do for a few of those now!

Mortgaging the club? Shit or bust? Fab till results start waning!

OOOPPS now we're in trouble!

Rectify that with 'Experiment' OOOOPPPPSSSS - even more shit or bust!

Rebuild again for at least the next 5 years!
 
YIKES!

Or is that complete tosh?

Not quite sure where we go from here - however it's still very early days! I would imagine another 6 games at most and the board'll be looking closely at things!

Hopefully we'll begin to get the results!

[Dutch Uncle]

I really don't think the formation is the issue.  The players should be able to switch between 352, 455, 442, 4231, 4141 etc throughout the game and even 0010 when chasing a 0-1 in a cup tie 90th minute!

However at the moment the players seem to be under performing and we are some way from the first choice 11 being available.  We'll be much more of a potent force with McShefferey in the team for example.

The players need to show some fight and confidence, which will then make the system work.  We saw some of that in the second half, after the no show in the first.

Think I'll go for that 455 IDM, sounds great as long as the ref can't count 

[IDM]

451, my bad

[les@donr]

Fergie has got no where to hide this season, doesn't get it right by 10 L2 games, he will be either gone or on borrowed time.

[dickos1]

I agree les, but 2 games is absolutely ridiculous