Just a Thought

[Bentley Bullet]

I wonder if McCann's more refined style of football is more liable to success in a higher league, and the players he's acquired are likewise more suited to League One where there are fewer cloggers?

Or am I just clutching at straws to make myself feel better?

[craigdrfc]

I wouldnt disagree with thst Bentley.

I was saying to a mate the other week that we should probably be looking to adjust tactics now and get the points needed through scrapping.

Then the staff can sit and think about how they want to play, and what they need to do it.

[belton rover]

I think there is an element of straw clutching. I’m doing it myself.
There was a general assumption on here that because Grant was a good L1 manager, he would be even better in league 2. I suspect he has been a little naive, perhaps arrogant, in thinking the same.
I still don’t want him to go, but if does stay, he needs to change his whole outlook on what it takes to be successful in L2.
The pessimist in me thinks he won’t fancy it. I hope I’m wrong.

[Campsall rover]

I wonder if McCann's more refined style of football is more liable to success in a higher league, and the players he's acquired are likewise more suited to League One where there are fewer cloggers?

Or am I just clutching at straws to make myself feel better?

Think there is some truth in that BB
I do think GM underestimated the strength of League 2 this season.
He hasn’t managed at this level before. It is now showing. I think he will realise now we need a more physical presence in our team if we are going to challenge at the right end of the league next season.

The big concern is have we got enough bottle in this team to avoid finishing in the bottom 2 this season.
The Sutton game is massive and February is going to be a crucial month for our survival.
We really need 3 wins out of the next 5 games but are we capable.
If we don’t win 2 of them as an absolute minimum including beating Sutton then we really are in a massive relegation battle.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

I actually agree with this. Our results against teams from leagues above have been strong.  We struggle with less time on the ball for sure.

That has to be a criticism though, we should be building a squad capable of playing in the league we are in.

[Canadian Rover]

It's all down to the players the manager is given to work with. Look through our squad player by player and think if they were out of contract which teams or at what level would they be playing at?

Some like Close I think could do well in a league one playoff chasing team, but then again he was let go by Portsmouth. Others like Bailey and Ironside are definitely capable of playing above our current position.

Now think of the majority of our squad and we are where we are because of what Grant is working with.

We also have to consider the injuries that have been suffering George Miller and Ironside together could have been very good at this level.

[Petche]

"We are where we are because of what Grant is working with"

He's signed most of them now!

[donnybez]

On this theme I'd had a thought...

Whenever Rovers have been successful there has usually been someone in midfield doing the gritty work thats not pretty but gets the job done.

A Gillett, Wilson, Keegan... It feels like our midfield is lacking in that area?

[BillyStubbsTears]

How can a manager underestimate the challenges we were going to face this year?

Anyone who watched us for thirty seconds last season knew the basic weakness of the side.

1) We didn't have the mental or physical attributes to deal with an aggressive press.

2) We were sub-National League level at dealing with crosses into the box.

It's not f**king rocket science! It was written in big neon pink letters above the stadium every match.

Barring a brief spell where Close and Westbrooke were clicking and playing through the press, we have had exactly the same problem with that this season.

And we are somehow even worse at defending crosses.

We've beaten three higher league sides in near-meaningless cup games played at 3/4 pace (1/4 pace in the bizarre case of that Hull game.)

Whoopy-f**king-doo.

When a hairy arsed L2 midfielder is going through us at full pace, or when a journeyman L2 centre forward is finding 5 yards of space on the edge of our six yard box as, yet again, a cross comes in, we are woeful.

We've brought in 18 players this season and not one of them has improved those two basic weaknesses. It's really quite something to witness.

Sort that out before we start kidding ourselves that this bunch are playing a style that would be comfortable in L1. (Plot spoiler: They aren't. If we played against full throttle L1 sides every week, we'd get mullered even more often than we have this season.)

[Avsuptem]

All season we have been undone by long balls into the box for some big lummox to nod into the onion bag. A bit inexcusable that it is still happening when it is (expletive deleted) obvious to every League 2 manager, except ours it seems.

[ncRover]

We’re ranked 14th for average possession.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Not sure it’s right that you get more time on the ball in a higher league. Everyone is much faster and pressed harder than L2 imo.

Difference is the opposition might try to keep the ball a bit before going forward. This helps us but it can’t be that we get more time to play in a lower division.

[Filo]

Watch teams that regain possession from us, they have at least 3 runners looking for space, pull us all over the place, put the ball in the box, big CF heads it in. Watch us in contrast, no movement and a lumped up ball to Ironside with his back to goal, or we knock it about between the back line and then hoof it up when we realise no one is prepared to look for space

[GazLaz]

We’re ranked 14th for average possession.

We that’s one table we need to start dropping down. Possession is not our friend.

[Chris Black come back]

f**k me if possession is not our friend, then defending any ball into the box must be a really dark and disturbed enemy.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Not sure it’s right that you get more time on the ball in a higher league. Everyone is much faster and pressed harder than L2 imo.

Difference is the opposition might try to keep the ball a bit before going forward. This helps us but it can’t be that we get more time to play in a lower division.

It's a myth that you get more time in higher leagues. Why on earth would higher teams go easier on their opponents?

[BillyStubbsTears]

We’re ranked 14th for average possession.

I'd have thought we'd be in the top 2-3 for bang average possession.

[belton rover]

Not sure it’s right that you get more time on the ball in a higher league. Everyone is much faster and pressed harder than L2 imo.

Difference is the opposition might try to keep the ball a bit before going forward. This helps us but it can’t be that we get more time to play in a lower division.

It's a myth that you get more time in higher leagues. Why on earth would higher teams go easier on their opponents?

Going easy on opponents and allowing opponents more time are not necessarily the same thing.

[Upton Rover]

I wonder if McCann's more refined style of football is more liable to success in a higher league, and the players he's acquired are likewise more suited to League One where there are fewer cloggers?

Or am I just clutching at straws to make myself feel better?

He’s maybe not to good at identifying players that meet our budget, It’s a lot easier to source and attract decent players with a good L1 budget

[DonnyBazR0ver]

We got mighty close to being very competitive with Westbrooke and Faal in the team before the wheels fell off again.

Needless to say, defensively, we've been all over the shop, chopping and changing the back line, albeit mostly through necessity.  We are so far from having a settled team which is half the battle.

Whatever is his preffered style, we've got to get the basics much better with everyone knowing their job.

[BillyStubbsTears]

We got mighty close to being very competitive with Westbrooke and Faal in the team before the wheels fell off again.

Needless to say, defensively, we've been all over the shop, chopping and changing the back line, albeit mostly through necessity.  We are so far from having a settled team which is half the battle.

Whatever is his preffered style, we've got to get the basics much better with everyone knowing their job.

Westbrooke and Close would appear to be the key.

Matches where they have both played some part:
P12 W7 D0 L5 Pts21 PPG 1.75 Equiv Points over a season 81

Matches where one or both have been absent:
P16 W1 D4 L11 Pts7 PPG 0.44 Equiv Points over a season 20.

Not sure I've ever seen data that stark before. And it's a very big concern for the next 4-5 weeks.

[drfcsteve]

For me the Close/Westbrooke thing is a simple as having a midfield vs not having a midfield. Without them we basically have nothing in the middle of the park. No creativity, and no protection for the defence because we immediately give the ball back.

[Chris Black come back]

We don’t really have enough movement in the side, nor is that necessarily the game McCann plays, to have a possession-based game with these two. Oddly though we did look good when they played together so maybe there is a way through. Although with Close looking bad for rest of season and both of them out of contract in the summer, we probably won’t see them play together again for us.

[GazLaz]

We got mighty close to being very competitive with Westbrooke and Faal in the team before the wheels fell off again.

Needless to say, defensively, we've been all over the shop, chopping and changing the back line, albeit mostly through necessity.  We are so far from having a settled team which is half the battle.

Whatever is his preffered style, we've got to get the basics much better with everyone knowing their job.

Westbrooke and Close would appear to be the key.

Matches where they have both played some part:
P12 W7 D0 L5 Pts21 PPG 1.75 Equiv Points over a season 81

Matches where one or both have been absent:
P16 W1 D4 L11 Pts7 PPG 0.44 Equiv Points over a season 20.

Not sure I've ever seen data that stark before. And it's a very big concern for the next 4-5 weeks.

You mean having two midfielders that can progress the ball makes us better? Not a surprise and the numbers back it up.

Biggins isn’t a ball player, Broadbent has been a disaster of a signing after paying a fee.

Our only hope is that playing Bailey at 6 improves us defensively. He’s certainly not a No8 as he has been deployed recently. I’d play two No6s with Waters centrally in front.

McCann has had little criticism so far but he has made some pretty big errors with selection and tactics this season. He’s not helped himself at times.   

[Chris Black come back]

You could do that and then you’re got Hurst, Taylor, Adelakun, Rowe and Kuleya in squad who can play either side of Ironside. Maybe Carty and Molyneux depending on how long they are out for. We are in trouble if Ironside gets injured mind.

[DonnyOsmond]

We have 3 midfielders, 2 of which signed under Grant, that don't necessarily fit into his midfield 3.

[sedwardsdrfc]

They were signed for Schofield though. Bailey was probably signed to play in a Schofield back 3 imo