Will the real Mr Dickov please stand up

[The Red Baron]

I thought the substitutions achieved nothing. As usual he was itching to go 3-5-2 but unlike at Crewe it did nothing to make us more of a threat.

For me Garratt would have replaced Evina, who was awful, at half time. I would have also got Mandeville on in the second half. Agree about Rowe- very disappointing.

I hope McSheffrey isn't too far away because he might offer us something different.

[i_ateallthepies]

It isn't really the case to say we've been brilliant this season, the results have largely been very good which explains the positivity we've seen on here.  Fact is though, just about any of those results this season could just as easily gone the other way.  Goals have gone in for us when on another day - yesterday for example - they don't, and oppositions have missed chances we've gifted them.

The point CBCB makes has merit, this squad is not performing to it's potential, particularly defensively.

Seems to me, this is simply what we're going to get with Ferguson, every game will be a total lottery in terms of result.  For the most part this season the ride is an entertaining one which is more than could be said for anything Dickov served up.

[The Red Baron]

What would you rather have though? An entertaining, unpredictable side that misses out on promotion? Or one that grinds out results and goes up?

Ideally we would find the happy medium that Dave Penney did in 2003-04. A rock solid defence, a couple of hard so and sos in midfield and attacking players who entertained.

[DonnyOsmond]

We do have some good defenders at this club, unfortunately a lot of them have been out injured to a point where we've only had 2/3 of them available and had to put Evina in defence, where we all know isn't his strongest point. When we get players like Alcock, Baudry, Garratt fully fit we'll start defending better. Left back does look like our weak area though, unless Garratt turns out to be amazing.

Comparing Dickov to Ferguson is comparing chalk and cheese.

Dickov got sacked on the 8th September, by that point we had played 9 games. In those 9 games we'd scored in 4 of them, scoring a grand total of 5 goals, including the Bury accidental goal. Playing boring football.

Under Ferguson after 9 games this season, we've scored in every game, scoring a grand total of 18 goals. We've only kept 4 clean sheets in our 11 games but at least it's entertaining.

Most important stat for me is that we're 4th and 3 points off the top. People need to remember that. Start moaning when we've dropped out of the top 7.

[dickos1]

It isn't really the case to say we've been brilliant this season, the results have largely been very good which explains the positivity we've seen on here.  Fact is though, just about any of those results this season could just as easily gone the other way.  Goals have gone in for us when on another day - yesterday for example - they don't, and oppositions have missed chances we've gifted them.

The point CBCB makes has merit, this squad is not performing to it's potential, particularly defensively.

Seems to me, this is simply what we're going to get with Ferguson, every game will be a total lottery in terms of result.  For the most part this season the ride is an entertaining one which is more than could be said for anything Dickov served up.

On the other hand we should have quite comfortably won 2 of the games we've lost so yes we may have sneaked a victory but also we've lost games that we've dominated, can't have it both ways

[Chris Black come back]

Which is why results only tell a very partial version of events.

The truth is that even with the significant injury list we have a very good team for this league and we have reasonably consistently been average.

With the resources at hand and the poor quality of this league, we are disappointing.

Perhaps our performances will improve, we can all hope so.

[The Red Baron]

If it were possible, I think Fergie might want to change the entire back four for Tuesday. That was where the problems lay for me.

Given who is available and reasonably match-fit, I reckon only left back will see a change of personnel.

[i_ateallthepies]

It isn't really the case to say we've been brilliant this season, the results have largely been very good which explains the positivity we've seen on here.  Fact is though, just about any of those results this season could just as easily gone the other way.  Goals have gone in for us when on another day - yesterday for example - they don't, and oppositions have missed chances we've gifted them.

The point CBCB makes has merit, this squad is not performing to it's potential, particularly defensively.

Seems to me, this is simply what we're going to get with Ferguson, every game will be a total lottery in terms of result.  For the most part this season the ride is an entertaining one which is more than could be said for anything Dickov served up.

On the other hand we should have quite comfortably won 2 of the games we've lost so yes we may have sneaked a victory but also we've lost games that we've dominated, can't have it both ways

I wasn't trying to have it both ways Dickos, your comment is making the point for me, that with Ferguson's approach the outcome of any game will turn largely on fortune.  Fergie's gung-ho approach gives us the prospect of a victory in any game we play and entertainment with it.  Equally, we will lose some games heavily which never goes down well.

[RedJ]

If it were possible, I think Fergie might want to change the entire back four for Tuesday. That was where the problems lay for me.

Given who is available and reasonably match-fit, I reckon only left back will see a change of personnel.

When did we sign Given?

[dickos1]

Which is why results only tell a very partial version of events.

The truth is that even with the significant injury list we have a very good team for this league and we have reasonably consistently been average.

With the resources at hand and the poor quality of this league, we are disappointing.

Perhaps our performances will improve, we can all hope so.

gu

The results at the end of the day are the only thing that matter, we've had some very good performances and we've had some poor ones,
But after the 2nd game of the season we've won 5 and lost 2.  Even the most negative person can't moan at that, we carry on like this and we will gain promotion at a canter

[drfchound]

I have said elsewhere CiM that sometimes in away games would should set up more defensively and try to be hard to beat rather than go hung ho to win every game from the off.
We would probably actually win more away games because our quality players would sooner or later create some chances to score.
We have already lost three games and need to improve on that otherwise we may not get the top three finish that many of us seem to be taking as a given.

[Chris Black come back]

Last time we were in this league we lost eight league games all season.

[dickos1]

Last time we were in this league we lost eight league games all season.

And??
How many points did we have after 9 games

[Dutch Uncle]

12

[drfchound]

Last time we were in this league we lost eight league games all season.

.....and if that carried through the season we would lose 15 games.
The way we are going hung ho in all games to win them, I could see that happening and for sure we wouldn't go up with ghat many defeats.

[RoversAlias]

If it were possible, I think Fergie might want to change the entire back four for Tuesday. That was where the problems lay for me.

Given who is available and reasonably match-fit, I reckon only left back will see a change of personnel.

When did we sign Given?

He signed along with Richard Dunne, Mo Diarra and Carlos Tevez when we won the Championship in 2011/12, don't you remember?

 

[DonnyOsmond]

If it were possible, I think Fergie might want to change the entire back four for Tuesday. That was where the problems lay for me.

Given who is available and reasonably match-fit, I reckon only left back will see a change of personnel.

When did we sign Given?

He signed along with Richard Dunne, Mo Diarra and Carlos Tevez when we won the Championship in 2011/12, don't you remember?

 

Don't forget Stephen Ireland.

[dickos1]

So we've had a significantly better start than we did the year we won the title, yet people are moaning

[Sammy Chung was King]

We have scored quite a few, yes we have kept four clean sheets but we have also conceded eleven already. It's away where the problem has come up, if we conceded it's not one it's two or three.
You can't carry that on and not expect more defeats than a potential promotion team can afford. The manager is bloodyminded he is not prepared to slightly adapt his set up of a team. And that's all it needs minor alterations.

Full backs playing a bit more defensively away, getting a goal up and not chasing a second straight away. Just generally the team and manager using they're brains instead of rushing blindly in and getting picked off.
Our team should be doing the picking off of teams. It's defintely something that needs working on. Start solid and hard to beat, attack but always have cover in place. It should be automatic, one player is going forward another one covers for him, we are naive at times.

[ditch_drfc]

I think we need to calm down a bit. We could've been 3-0 up after 10 mins - what with the "offside" goal, shot that hit the bar and Marquis' missed header in clear space (that really should've been a goal).

I'm hopeful that the Luton game is a lesson in not taking your chances. We were pretty dominant until their goal from nowhere.. then after 2-1 we looked beat. There will be days like that. This season is still early days and we're right up there with the very best in this league.

[steve@dcfd]

There is a difference between Darren and Paul's teams, we are creating chances, we were taught a lesson on Saturday if you don't put good teams to bed when you have the chances they will come back to bite you.

We have nice players in the side we don't have that person who can kill a game when we are in front. So collectively the players need to take chances and get more ruthless when we are in front.

[drfchound]

We are also conceding more goals than we did under Dickov.
I am with SWwC on the point that we should be more cautious away from home instead of going hung ho for a win in every game.
It has already been proved in three away defeats hat we can't do it successfully.
We would probably win more away games by setting up to be hard to beat as we have the quality of players to make goals on the break.
There is a case for playing just one of Marquis or Williams away from home.

[BobG]

It's a pious hope though, isn't it, expecting this manager to go for the careful and cautious option? There's more than enough evidence, across more than enough clubs, that he just don't do things that way. So we might as well accept it.

BobG

[Sammy Chung was King]

I think we will improve as we go along defensively anyway. As players become available for selection back there, it will mean more pressure to keep a clean sheet or they might lose there place.
Just little alterations would just tighten it up a bit. The manager is an attacking manager, he goes for the win everytime but sometimes a point is a good result away.
I expected it taking until around christmas before the side was used to each other and that was with the players who are injured being in the side. As it is we have a patched up side that has proven it's good enough for this league.
Just tighten up a touch and we can win more away games. If you are a good side you shouldn't need to score three goals to win the game.