Let's talk about the Forest Green Rovers game

[selby]

  Even though from reports we are now playing better we still can't get off the mark with a win and once again our unbeaten run although just a draw ended again after one game.
  Now we come up against a team that have lost all four home games this season and must be happy to be meeting us as we are normally just the team to get a  struggling side back on track, and who would bet on us not carrying on our long held tradition?
  So for both sides this is looking like somewhat of a crunch match as we are fast becoming the rubbing rags of division 2 and if we don't quickly do something about it the hole we  are digging for ourselves will just get bigger.
  We seem incapable of taking chances in attack that other sides snap up, and always have a b*****k if not two or three at the back, and to top it off must have killed a black cat or a hundred when it comes to having a modicum of luck.
  Half the playing staff we cannot seem to get on the field of play, if they were horses they would have been shot and animal feed by now, and others (Faulkner especially) who have played well and were looked on as players in the making who would bring valuable transfer funds into the club have been touted to go out on loan to National League sides, have not played one minute of football this season, and we will turn into a National League player and probably with us if someone does not grasp the metal and sort our defence out, and that means giving him a chance instead of the error strewn players who have had every chance and been abject failures, and that is the only way to view a team that has picked up two points from 21 and are rock bottom of the EFL.
  What has happened at Forest Green god knows, their away record being two wins and a draw on seven points and unbeaten so what happens when they play at home is a complete contrast to their away form and would probably turn it around with a coal fire in the dressing room, although that could be a fire risk with all the green furniture around them. Yesterday they lost 4-1 at home to Crewe who over the last few seasons have mirrored our fall but look in much better nick than ourselves now. although they score goals 17 to our 5 up to press probably being the secret.
  So all the usual questions, are you Going? do we even deserve supporters who follow the team away every game at the moment?  can we get a result ( it is a brave man who thinks so at the moment)? What team will we pick? is Faulkner not getting a minute the best bet?
 As you might realise I am not at the moment enamoured with our current position. We need to find a way to win, I am not bothered about being easy on the eye, how many keepie-uppies we can do in training, or who has the latest model car in the car park, or the latest fashionable gear to wear. I want basic football,  and that means being good at both ends of the field in the penalty areas, getting shots off at one end, and getting rid of the ball out of the area at the other, the rest is just coincidental and the dressing on the cake.
  I hope we win this game, we need to or we are dropping into deep trouble and probably a game if we can't win we need to get a point from, What team plays I will leave to others to mull over, but the bottom line is we have to start getting it right very very soon in both the league and cup games if we are to retrieve anything from this season, what we have done up to press just does not cut the mustard for me and has to change.
   As ever lots to discuss about this game, and my interest in your views which I am sure holds lots of interest for the other posters and readers who contribute most weeks please feel free to have your say.

 

[steve@dcfd]

The problem we have is the midfield it showed again on Saturday. You talk about defenders all you want the two goals scored were down to poor marking by midfield players not defenders.
The midfield is our major problem they look good but do not tackle enough and do not drive with the ball. Grant needs to get the midfield right.
Unfortunately it might take till the transfer window to do it. Let’s see which midfield players play against Forest Green. Unless we get it right we will lose creativity going forward and defensive cover. Westbrooke and Biggins were both to blame for lack of cover with their colleagues for both goals.

Up front Faal looks a good football player but has poor ball control he’s not a Miller. He’s young and will learn but it won’t happen oover night. Marsh another young player it will take time for him to adjust to this league.

[roversdude]

We have got to keep hold of the ball better up top. Ironside is capable of winning everything but may as well be there on his own Faal needs to learn basic control rather than showboating.
Olowu needs a rest, I can’t believe Bobby never got a start against Wrexham tbh.
Our current formation playing Bailey at the back takes away from our midfield.
Yes I’m going another new ground

[selby]

 This game and the mid week game v Everton u21's I feel could be a turning point of the season, or two poor results and we have to accept we are likely to be in a battle for most of the rest of the season on many fronts, both on the pitch and keeping our support who just a couple weeks ago were looking forward to better things.
  We are a young team, the majority of the new signings have shown flashes of great ability, some others on the fringe will just not make it unfortunately in MHO.
  The main problem is consistency in games, even in individual games we can play well such as Saturday but still switch off for vital moments especially in both penalty areas, some of our mid field and defensive play being childish.
  We are slow to react, and slow in possession with the ball at times with teams standing off us keeping our play in front of them knowing we will play the ball across field giving them the option of intercepting a poor pass, nothing wrong with that if it is mixed up a bit and good decisions made on and off the ball, but our players tend to ball watch and don't make the runs other teams do, how many times do our wide men receive the ball standing still facing our own goal and pass it back to a defender instead of getting on the shoulder of  the last defender and running him taking him on and giving the option of the ball behind the defender making him turn. Hurst and Roberts have the ability and Molly just take defenders on stop playing safe for stats.
  This game is as important as they come in so many ways not just on the field of play, and even though some decry the competition so is the Everton game, we don't want to be approaching that with the attitude we can pick anyone for a game, we need to take every competition seriously that can bring support in after chucking good will away for a couple of seasons. Two wins and a home game to come would make things look so much better.
   
 

[EasyforDennis]

GM summed up the game perfectly. He told the players to keep their wingers on the outside and not let them turn inside to get a shot away. So what does Broadbent do for their 2nd goal? Exactly what GM told him not to!!
On the attacking side of the game we ran out of ideas when we got to the final third and too many players were taking the wrong option instead of having a shot at goal.
Molyneux being the classic example when he had an opportunity to have a shot in the second half but instead tried to pass it to an offside player.
Too many times players are passing the buck when they should be taking more responsibility.
Nobody is going to criticise you for having a go.

[ncRover]

Molyneux on the right cutting in
Hurst on left cutting in and running in behind
Ironside up top, with Marsh just off him
Nixon back at right back pushing forwards with Bailey back in to midfield
Bobby to partner Anderson

[steve@dcfd]

All sounds good on paper but it’s not working Bobby won’t be playing on Saturday he get his chance against Everton U21s to show what he can do .
The problem with Molyneux taking anybody on he hasn’t got the pace he can cut inside but that’s is his only trick. He gets found out.

[Iberian Red]

In defence, we have looked so much better over the last few games. Bodies on the line all the time.
What we seem to be lacking is a hard man winning the ball,taking it form defence,then spraying passes about.

[grayx]

This is where we kick start our season with a win.

[steve@dcfd]

Quote
GM summed up the game perfectly. He told the players to keep their wingers on the outside and not let them turn inside to get a shot away. So what does Broadbent do for their 2nd goal? Exactly what GM told him not to!!

You are right but if you look Westbrooke is stood marking no body he could have come across to assist Broadbent. That’s the inconsistency

[Donnywolf]

I do hope so. I've been confident in every game so far only for those hopes to be cruelly smashed to bits

FGR haven't won at home all Season
 .... we kick start other Teams seasons so what could go wrong ?

[GazLaz]

If we have been the worst team this season, FGR are the second worst. It’s possible we improve, I can’t see them improving too much.

[philsky]

This will be our first win of the season.

I'm attending which isnt the best for the team.

Looks like we've sold 600 tickets so far ?

3-1

[Mike_F]

I've bought three tickets today. Looks lie it'll be another decent turnout from the long-suffering Donny faithful but I'm confident that we'll get three points on Saturday. Not cautiously or quietly confident either. I reckon we'll go down there and give them a hiding.

Get your money on 3-0 to Forest Green then...

[Donnywolf]

I would but then it would be 3-1 lol

[ncRover]

If we have been the worst team this season, FGR are the second worst. It’s possible we improve, I can’t see them improving too much.

In terms of defending (xG conceded) there are 10(!) teams worse than us. Of which Forest Green are the 2nd worst behind Tranmere.

Unfortunately, in terms of attacking (big chances created) there are only 2 teams worse than us.

The teams worse than us in *both* of those metrics are Bradford City and Barrow, who are only 33/1 and 25/1 to go down respectively.

But you’d think they’d both pick up, as you would with us.

[wilts rover]

The results aren't going for us at the moment but the performances do seem to be getting better. As Sean O'Driscoll used to say - if we keep putting in good performances the results will come. Starting on Saturday.
Another local game for the south-west exiles so I shall be there. Then again as the last game I went to was Newport that may not be such a good thing.

[selby]

  Steve@dcfd, I will make my case for Faulkner to play if you would like to state the alternative I would very much like to read your thoughts.
  He has played for the club for two years coming into the juniors as a 17year old playing in the academy for six months at his own cost every player in the team he played with on scholarships and getting paid excelled and was signed straight after a youth cup game only when two other teams made noises to take him on pro terms, and we realised he could just walk away, both teams championship sides but he would have to leave college and move, The Rovers accommodated his college work with their offer for him to finish his course.
  Richie Wellens was the manager intimated he would soon get a chance but was sacked., he has kept in touch.
  Gary McSheffrey played him in preseason and he did well and because of injury came on at right back in his first game as a sub. did well, during the game due to injury he was thrust forward when losing 1-0 caused havoc in the area up front and we scored two goals one he had a  major part in challenging the keeper in the air.
  He kept his place was very good at Northampton stopping and marking a player who was scoring for fun at the time again had a major part in a goal winning a corner we scored from played a few games and did well scoring at Hartlepool and won a few MOM with the supporters.
  Mcsheffrey got the sack at Carlisle where he apologised to Bobby for resting him saying he should have started him again has texted him since.
  Then came blood nut Schofield, by this time other big clubs were taking notice, he took the blame publically v Kings Lynn when blood nut and Copps said his technical ability was lacking and Schofield left him out of a completely terrible side that might have been good at beating cones technically but couldn't win on a football field while they had a hole in their backsides and he got a break because of injury with seven games left in the season. He improved every game, was the stand out player in those last seven games surrounded mainly by no marks as far as professional football is concerned and once again Blood nut Schofield left the building, and has not been heard of since.
  Grant came in, in pre season players came back from injury we signed Wood and Bobby slipped back in the que although playing as good as if not better than the others, all the others have been given a good go at cementing their places, all have struggled with injury and form and made mistakes just the same as they were were doing two years ago.
  Well as I pointed out in two years he is on his fourth manager as a 19 year old, wins long distance races at a canter (where are the box to box mid fielders) and has had a lot of change both with team mates and managers  and must be wondering what he has to do while other teams I know are watching closely the situation ,and that is my main concern as far as the club is concerned after repeatedly seeing us shafted value wide especially when our own management undermine the value with careless comments best kept to themselves.
 

[steve@dcfd]

Selby I haven’t got a case to make against Bobby he will Play when selected by the manager then we can judge if he is ready to be a regular in the side. I like you don’t pick the side. The goals we are conceding are coming from midfield players not marking or following their players or assisting other players defensively. Take Saturday for instance the defenders were marking their players yet we conceded two goals.
Bobby will play when Grant decides that’s his job. I believe that could be against Everton U21s, I could be wrong but as I’ve said I don’t select the side.

Olowu is rated by statically to be equal top 89% in league 2 as I saw on Twitter yesterday for one to one defensive challenges I was amazed.

[selby]

  It would not be the first it has cost a job as I have just pointed out,  the common denominators are Anderson, Olowu, RSW, Younger, Long who we paid money for unbelievingly, Rowe and another couple of midfielders and full backs thrown in there (that worked out well Saturday) and Wood a motley crew if ever I have seen one and shows the panic management and approach we have had to team selection over the last couple of seasons.
  It has been someone's idea of panic management, not knowing their best side, or in Schofield's case having no idea at all and a dream of swallowing the coaching manual.
  The more I look at it from the outside I am thinking the patients have took over the nut house, it has been at times like me employing a joiner to do a plumbing job.
  There are one or two decent central defenders in that lot by the way and a young promising player on the sideline itching to get on and play, I would expect most regular supporters to pick more or less the three they would make first picks  instead of chucking names up in the air and the first to land gets a game.

[steve@dcfd]

As I’ve said from day one of this season and the one thing I disagreed with Grant is the midfield. Close Biggins Westbrooke are not the right players for this league. We have two up and coming in Broadbent and Bailey who will come good if we had better players playing along side them. Then we come to Molyneux who again is failing to produce looks good but does nothing. Yes we have conceded 14 goals some have come from defensive mistakes. But there teams higher up the league that have conceded more by have scored more. If we were like Gillingham then we would be top of the league who have scored 5 conceded 5 so there are different ways to get up this league. Our biggest problem is midfield and as been for two/ three seasons
We set off this season playing 433 yet we haven’t got 3 midfield players capable of taking on midfielders in this league and coming out on top.

[Butchers Red]

As I’ve said from day one of this season and the one thing I disagreed with Grant is the midfield. Close Biggins Westbrooke are not the right players for this league. We have two up and coming in Broadbent and Bailey who will come good if we had better players playing along side them. Then we come to Molyneux who again is failing to produce looks good but does nothing. Yes we have conceded 14 goals some have come from defensive mistakes. But there teams higher up the league that have conceded more by have scored more. If we were like Gillingham then we would be top of the league who have scored 5 conceded 5 so there are different ways to get up this league. Our biggest problem is midfield and as been for two/ three seasons
We set off this season playing 433 yet we haven’t got 3 midfield players capable of taking on midfielders in this league and coming out on top.

Well to be fair ........ especially Close and to a lesser extent Westbrooke are like Mohammed Ali once described an opponent ......."Dances like a butterfly.....and stings like one"

Last few games Westbrooke has looked ok in an almost quarter back role , similarly so did Clayton for a few games early last season, trouble is word get's round quickly and I'm expecting in the few games we'll see teams high press him and from that point he's nullified as Clayton was and got nothing else to offer.

Biggins is ok for me and Molyneux has been vastly improved, especially against Everton so I don't think the midfield is as bad as you say to be fair.

[drfchound]

I played football today against Wolves over sixties team.  The opposition keeper is a Gillingham fan and he was talking with me after the match about the upcoming match with Rovers and was saying that he wished they had a player of Molyneux’s quality.
He really rates him and had high praise for a few of our other players.
His opinion is that we are too good to be in the bottom few of the division.

[Michael Shaw]

Selby,  I rarely have anything good to say about the club, the results or the players, but I really enjoyed your original post on this thread. Thanks. it made me smile.

[Michael Shaw]

I played football today against Wolves over sixties team.  The opposition keeper is a Gillingham fan and he was talking with me after the match about the upcoming match with Rovers and was saying that he wished they had a player of Molyneux’s quality.
He really rates him and had high praise for a few of our other players.
His opinion is that we are too good to be in the bottom few of the division.

I think a lot of us think we have a good manager and many good players (certainly for league two) but for some inexplicable reason we can't make it work. Nothing makes sense any more.

[scawsby steve]

Thanks, Brian. I totally agree with all your comments on this thread.

I regard this as a must-win game. Yes, I know it's still very early in the season, but we have half a squad with a losing mentality carried on from last season, and some from the last 2 seasons.

The longer this goes on, the harder it's going to be to get that elusive first win, and that's when the situation starts to look serious.

We need to get moving on Saturday.

[roversdude]

There has definitely been a sea change in the last 4 games, we are playing well, just need to iron out individual errors. The players we have are at last fighting for the cause

[scawsby steve]

I played football today against Wolves over sixties team.  The opposition keeper is a Gillingham fan and he was talking with me after the match about the upcoming match with Rovers and was saying that he wished they had a player of Molyneux’s quality.
He really rates him and had high praise for a few of our other players.
His opinion is that we are too good to be in the bottom few of the division.

I'm not surprised at his last sentence, mate, and most of us would agree with that. However, I'm surprised that he would want any of our players in the Gills side. They've signed many excellent lower league players over the last 2 years, and are top of the league.

We'll find out a week on Saturday. I can't see us beating them, but I live in hope.

[Barmby Rover]

There is no such thing as an individual in a team, errors happen when others in the team are not there to cover for a mistake by one team member. What Rovers are doing is not good enough, and GM knows that. I hope he manages to iron out the fragilities of defence, and manages to get more shots on goal at FGR, but I have my doubts that can be done in a week. Another loss looms.

[Filo]

Lose this one and the goodwill of the fans will start to turn