Zero shots

[BillyStubbsTears]

The fact that they had players pushing wide totally nullified our 3 at the back. It meant that players were being isolated 1 on 1 and caused the 2 wing backs to be defensive all night. It cried out to revert to 4 at the back which as has been said when Knoyle came on looked like the change, push Younger back in the middle, he was so uncomfortable being pulled wide  with Knoyle slotting in at right back. Seaman could not keep up with their left back who was sprinting as hard at the end of the game as the beginning. Their No7 must have worn the right touchline out of paint he played so wide. There are games to play 3 at the back last night wasn't one of them

Except we kept Younger at right back and played Knoyle at centre half.

As you do often say Billy, read my post again :-))

Yep. My mistake for skim reading.

[Lesonthewest]

Positivity is a lovely thing but can get you only so far. Find these posts about us somehow turning into worldbeaters (that's what we'd need to become) for the last 15 games just plain bloody daft. Apart from the odd example teams who have spent the entire season in the bottom 4 tend to stay there and get relegated. We haven't managed to stop the slide with changes of personnel or recruitment. Apart from the odd short-lived glimmer of a turnaround we've been rubbish all season. Its highly likely we'll continue to not be not very good with the odd spark of a Sunderland away when we looked alright. It is what it is.

I get that to an extent, but we should be treating every game like a cup final from now on in, it's all about bottle & desire now, last night was like a testimonial, not good enough. I can excuse being beaten by the better side, which they obviously were, but we were sadly lacking last night.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Positivity is a lovely thing but can get you only so far. Find these posts about us somehow turning into worldbeaters (that's what we'd need to become) for the last 15 games just plain bloody daft. Apart from the odd example teams who have spent the entire season in the bottom 4 tend to stay there and get relegated. We haven't managed to stop the slide with changes of personnel or recruitment. Apart from the odd short-lived glimmer of a turnaround we've been rubbish all season. Its highly likely we'll continue to not be not very good with the odd spark of a Sunderland away when we looked alright. It is what it is.

I get that to an extent, but we should be treating every game like a cup final from now on in, it's all about bottle & desire now, last night was like a testimonial, not good enough. I can excuse being beaten by the better side, which they obviously were, but we were sadly lacking last night.

Agree. I really don't get how Kidderminster can draw with West Ham after 119 minutes of football, Boreham Wood go to Bournemouth and win and Plymouth come within seconds of extra time at Chelsea, yet we can barely muster a corner at home to various sides in the same division. Let alone a goal.

Every home game starts the same. The opposition have all the possession and spends most of the first 15 or so minutes at least in our half. We need to start with aggression for a change. Although i'm unsure that GM knows what aggression is.

The only times we have done this, we have done well. We played with aggression from the off at home to MK Dons and took an early deserved lead. Only falling away after but getting the win eventually 2-1. We started like a house on fire at home to Cheltenham and went 3 up by half time. We went 1 up against Plymouth after starting really fast but eventually lost due to errors.

All the other home games we've let the opposition dictate and we have barely got a result. If we go 1 down, we don't win.

[Lesonthewest]

Positivity is a lovely thing but can get you only so far. Find these posts about us somehow turning into worldbeaters (that's what we'd need to become) for the last 15 games just plain bloody daft. Apart from the odd example teams who have spent the entire season in the bottom 4 tend to stay there and get relegated. We haven't managed to stop the slide with changes of personnel or recruitment. Apart from the odd short-lived glimmer of a turnaround we've been rubbish all season. Its highly likely we'll continue to not be not very good with the odd spark of a Sunderland away when we looked alright. It is what it is.

I get that to an extent, but we should be treating every game like a cup final from now on in, it's all about bottle & desire now, last night was like a testimonial, not good enough. I can excuse being beaten by the better side, which they obviously were, but we were sadly lacking last night.

Agree. I really don't get how Kidderminster can draw with West Ham after 119 minutes of football, Boreham Wood go to Bournemouth and win and Plymouth come within seconds of extra time at Chelsea, yet we can barely muster a corner at home to various sides in the same division. Let alone a goal.

Every home game starts the same. The opposition have all the possession and spends most of the first 15 or so minutes at least in our half. We need to start with aggression for a change. Although i'm unsure that GM knows what aggression is.

The only times we have done this, we have done well. We played with aggression from the off at home to MK Dons and took an early deserved lead. Only falling away after but getting the win eventually 2-1. We started like a house on fire at home to Cheltenham and went 3 up by half time. We went 1 up against Plymouth after starting really fast but eventually lost due to errors.

All the other home games we've let the opposition dictate and we have barely got a result. If we go 1 down, we don't win.
I could understand a non league side struggling to get in an attempt on target, but from a side in the same league, be them bottom or not is nothing short of pathetic.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Think a lot of it is the legacy fitness issues meaning we can't consistently play at the intensity needed to win games. And we don't have the players to control games with possession which is probably what Wellens wanted. Remember a lot of the signings have hardly played any football all season which won't help either.

Given that it's not surprising we have one performance followed by a non event. But i agree I can't remember a season where nearly every time we get beaten it is by a huge margin, not always in goals just in class. We can't sit here and talk about many games we should have won or were unlucky to lose.

[Chris Black come back]

There are very few players who have had a full preseason and have played regularly and haven’t been out injured this season. Knoyle, maybe Rowe. Can’t think of too many others.

Of the lot we brought in at the last window, none of them had been playing regularly. Some like Clayton hadn’t played for many many months. Basically hardly anyone is at the level of fitness required.

Then we have the secret six who may not be able to walk for some time, let alone run.

[sedwardsdrfc]

For this season anything we get out of those 6 is a bonus i've given up hoping returning injuries will make a difference to the squad. Think we've been saying that since the 1st month or so of the season

[BigH]

I'm only surprised that people are surprised.

When Wellens left we had a team that was barely L2 standard. None of the walking wounded have since returned to make a difference but we've made some half decent signings and McSheffrey has applied his own methods. I'd say we're probably nearer top half of L2 standard as a result. So some improvement but I'm not kidded that we're anywhere near proper L1 (i.e. midtable) quality.

However, if we can keep improving to the point where we get, say, 14 points off the last 8 games then I think we'll have bottomed out and back on an upward curve that'll give us some momentum for next season.

[sedwardsdrfc]

I'm only surprised that people are surprised.

When Wellens left we had a team that was barely L2 standard. None of the walking wounded have since returned to make a difference but we've made some half decent signings and McSheffrey has applied his own methods. I'd say we're probably nearer top half of L2 standard as a result. So some improvement but I'm not kidded that we're anywhere near proper L1 (i.e. midtable) quality.

However, if we can keep improving to the point where we get, say, 14 points off the last 8 games then I think we'll have bottomed out and back on an upward curve that'll give us some momentum for next season.

100% this. We've been playing the better teams recently too. If we can start getting performances against teams around us thats important for next season.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Barrow drew with Ipswich away and then bossed them in replay. Yet we concede and accept defeat so easily to the same side at home, as if we shouldn't expect better.

[Colin C No.3]

We’ll get fitter & better.

It may well be too little too late this season, but we’ll have a solid club & a competitive squad should the drop come for next season.

We’ve ‘all’  been there before. It won’t be pretty.

Don’t forget the SO’D days, just mark them down as a time we were like ‘pigs in s**t’, put them to bed then look forward to a time when we can one day taste the same.

It may very well not be in my lifetime, but at least I had those days plus, plus the joy of watching Copps.

So here’s to new heroes & new adventures.

[Sammy Chung was King]

It’s players not confident in their own fitness pacing themselves in my opinion. Until they have that confidence we are struggling to start the game how we should.

We might as well go for it from the start, changes can be made when players tire. A sixty minutes starting aggressively could win us the game. Then get the subs on and they do their bit.