let's talk about the Colchester United game

[selby]

  That was one of the most up and down games of football absolute amateurish defending. interspersed with some good football and individual play.
   We however got what we very much needed to stay at arms length out of trouble, a win, the only central defender we have got who had a good game tonight was sat in the stand with a medical boot on his foot.
  Fair does though when things were going uncontrollably wrong, and there were quite a few periods especially in the first half, at least the effort was there, and players put the yards in.
  So it is off to Peterborough on Saturday, who should be even hotter favourites after tonight, and we try once again to get that second win on the trot, but at least we got the win we needed  thanks to some good periods of decent play going forward, will we ever be consistent?
  Let's hope the knocks picked up are not next to terminal like some  we have had lately, and players can throw their hat in for Saturday.

[Prez]

A few observations. Faal excellent, really coming A favourite of mine. Ironside didn’t have his best game, but what a penalty.

Moly was excellent when he came on changed game. Defence still looked fragile not helped by some misplaced passes. Jones however made some great saves.

15 mins either side of half time we were poor. We just didn’t click until the substitutions.

Finally special mention for their number 18. One of the worst performances from a professional footballer I’ve seen in a long time.

Why did he kick the ball out?

[Chris Black come back]

A few observations. Faal excellent, really coming A favourite of mine. Ironside didn’t have his best game, but what a penalty.

Moly was excellent when he came on changed game. Defence still looked fragile not helped by some misplaced passes. Jones however made some great saves.

15 mins either side of half time we were poor. We just didn’t click until the substitutions.

Finally special mention for their number 18. One of the worst performances from a professional footballer I’ve seen in a long time.

Why did he kick the ball out?

Mandela Egbo. Ex-Borussia Mönchengladbach and New York Red Bulls.

[Campsall rover]

Great result tonight.
Can’t comment on the performance as I wasn’t there to witness it.
Now we need to put a serious winning run together before Xmas or we probably can forget the play offs.
We really need 3 wins against Accrington A, Morecambe H & Bradford H
Accrington are in a bit of a dip at present as are Morecambe, Bradford are improving a little.
4 wins on the bounce including tonight is not impossible. Yes i know I have rose tinted glasses on but if we can tighten up at the back then we are capable of scoring enough goals against all those teams.
Onwards and upwards
In GM I trust.
He will get this team winning consistently. I have 100% belief in that.

[dickos1]

  That was one of the most up and down games of football absolute amateurish defending. interspersed with some good football and individual play.
   We however got what we very much needed to stay at arms length out of trouble, a win, the only central defender we have got who had a good game tonight was sat in the stand with a medical boot on his foot.
  Fair does though when things were going uncontrollably wrong, and there were quite a few periods especially in the first half, at least the effort was there, and players put the yards in.
  So it is off to Peterborough on Saturday, who should be even hotter favourites after tonight, and we try once again to get that second win on the trot, but at least we got the win we needed  thanks to some good periods of decent play going forward, will we ever be consistent?
  Let's hope the knocks picked up are not next to terminal like some  we have had lately, and players can throw their hat in for Saturday.

Thought senior was excellent until he went off, no coincidence we went off the boil as soon as he went off

[bpoolrover]

Great result, poor performance for me, bailey really struggled in front of the defence, 3 needed points thou so well done

[ncRover]

Bailey is a defender for me.

Midfielder needed in January to screen the defence.

That then enables Westbrooke to play further forward.

We saw tonight why Anderson and Wood don’t play at the same time.

[Chris Black come back]

Anderson and Wood not a goer?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Good result, poor performance though I thought too.  We were just a bit slow, when we upped it we played alright. Good subs won it for us.

Wins like that are so important, we just need to do it away as well as at home.

[sedwardsdrfc]

Can’t play both Anderson and Wood together. Strangely we struggle to win any easy headers from long straight balls which is what you’d think we’d be strong at with those two.

I’m starting to lose faith with the back 3 I’m just not sure playing more defenders actually helps us defend better and instead brings teams onto us.

If we are going to do a 3 I agree ncRover Bailey is a centre half and should play on the right side of the 3.

I’d love a 442 with Molly and hurst out wide supported by Maxwell and Nixon.

We could have won the game comfortably and we were obviously much better than them but again we made enough stupid mistakes to draw 3-3

[bpoolrover]

The problem is who does play at centre half, wood would be my favourite atbthe minute but that simply is he has made less mistakes than the others

[DonnyBazR0ver]

For the first 30 mins we were good value, the shape was working fine with Nixon and Maxwell getting forward regularly.

Once a goal up I thought we could get another before half time BUT, when Nixon opted to play safe and go backwards instead of capitalising on the space in front of him, that led to us taking the foot off the gas a bit. Then before you know it, we're 1-1 and lost the initiative.

Took us a while to get going again but, what seems to be happening is we look good when the tempos high but when we start thinking about it, we cock up and find ourselves on the back foot.

We're not quite there yet in thinking we can slow things down and manage the clock.

Shame Bailey had three abhorrations tonight, which could have cost us. He looked assured to start with but, the first mistake maybe affected him. Don't write him off though in that midfield role.

As said above, it's good to be able to call on Molyneux and Westbrooke from the bench just to wrestle back that initiative.

I thought Maxwell had a great game over the 90 mins, Faal looked class too but thank goodness Jones stayed big and dug us out of the sh*te a few times.

We really have to learn not to gift the initiative back to the opposition when they don't deserve it. Too charitable by far.  Go for the jugular.

[sedwardsdrfc]

I might throw a wild card out and say Olowu should be the centre half with players either side of him. Yes he’s got a mistake in him but I don’t think we can pick anyone who hasn’t.

I just think he’s quick enough to cover everyone and had a very good game in the centre when we played Everton

[danumdon]

I might throw a wild card out and say Olowu should be the centre half with players either side of him. Yes he’s got a mistake in him but I don’t think we can pick anyone who hasn’t.

I just think he’s quick enough to cover everyone and had a very good game in the centre when we played Everton

When you play a back three, especially when its our version with Bailey and Senior who aren't the tallest. Then the central defender has to be a big unit with no compromising defending ability and as a must he MUST win his headers when defending corners, set piece and crosses.

That immediately rules Olowu out, we have tried Anderson and Wood with varying level of success.

I'd try Faulkner in the role when he's back and firing, we have nothing to lose as things stand.

[Bills view]

As a couple of others have said Bailey is better as a defender. Albeit he gave them a golden chance late on when at the back. I'm not convinced on Wood.

Faal is such a handful. He's that player who can make things happen and is getting better and better. Great header too.

Not the best performance but still better and far more enjoyable than last season.

[drfchound]

Some of the saves Jones made tonight were made by spreading himself to block shots.
He did the same on Saturday but the shots missed his frame, but tonight they hit him.
He did nothing any different in both matches but was just unlucky at Crewe.

[selby]

  Playing at the moment Anderson and Wood with Olowu at the back isn't the problem, the problem is we want to play them following the ball up field too far from the edge of the box.
  All of them are basic central defenders who can head, tackle, kick the ball forty yards, and can't  turn on a sixpence, so play them deeper facing the ball which plays to their strengths not their weaknesses.
   Add the  touchy feely midfielders full of budding No10s with hardly a tackle in them and hardly a thought of a tactical foul in them and we have a soft touch defence who can play a bit going forward but can more than likely get rolled over, and has been a problem for a long time.

[drfchound]

A few observations. Faal excellent, really coming A favourite of mine. Ironside didn’t have his best game, but what a penalty.

Moly was excellent when he came on changed game. Defence still looked fragile not helped by some misplaced passes. Jones however made some great saves.

15 mins either side of half time we were poor. We just didn’t click until the substitutions.

Finally special mention for their number 18. One of the worst performances from a professional footballer I’ve seen in a long time.

Why did he kick the ball out?

Faal is growing in confidence with every game he plays.
Another goal for his tally tonight will boost him even more.
I was glad when Moly came on, he unsettles defenders and gives them decisions to make which resulted in the penalty.
It was a clear 100% pen too, brought about by his quick turn.
As for their number 18, why did he kick the ball out.
He was having a pop at the linesman about something for a while afterwards.

[pib]

Don't think it was a dazzling performance in any regard, but we just about did enough to win on a bit of a flat night all round, both on and off the pitch. I'd have been disappointed if we didn't win the game as I thought they were a pretty poor side, and their goalkeeper was one of the worst I've seen in a while.

I thought we controlled large spells of the game and for the most part didn't look in much danger. I think Colchester looked pretty toothless though so that will have helped.

My critique would be that despite having 3 centre halves on the pitch, we still afford opposition forwards far too much space. The equalising goal, although it was a good finish, was a really poor one to concede. We let them in far too easily on a couple of other occasions too and Jones saved us, in what was a really good performance from him.

I'd like to see the midfield trio of Bailey, Close and Westbrooke as others have said. Rowe looked a bit rusty last night and I think Westbrooke's introduction, along with Molyneux, helped us massively.

The front two seem to be working really well too which is good.

[steve@dcfd]

Team selection is now getting harder. Also formation to get the inform Players on the pitch.
Selected the team and formation for Saturday if Senior is available will be interesting
Playing Anderson and Wood in a three at the back makes us slower. If senior is not available then maybe Bailey will have to go in there we shall see

[ncRover]

  Playing at the moment Anderson and Wood with Olowu at the back isn't the problem, the problem is we want to play them following the ball up field too far from the edge of the box.
  All of them are basic central defenders who can head, tackle, kick the ball forty yards, and can't  turn on a sixpence, so play them deeper facing the ball which plays to their strengths not their weaknesses.
   Add the  touchy feely midfielders full of budding No10s with hardly a tackle in them and hardly a thought of a tactical foul in them and we have a soft touch defence who can play a bit going forward but can more than likely get rolled over, and has been a problem for a long time.

In which case McCann would have to create an entire new style of play for himself and the team. So it is an issue.

Playing Anderson there instead of Bailey really scuppered our build up play too.

[sedwardsdrfc]

The 3 centre half’s irrigated me because often from a long goal kick it was Bailey challenge for the 1st ball. That feels like it shouldn’t happen. If Anderson and Wood aren’t there to win the 1st balls and win it well I’m not sure they can justify selection. Certainly not together.

Miss Butler or Jones who just won 1st balls all day long. Anderson had a spell of been that guy too but struggles now.

[drfchound]

I thought that Anderson won most of the long balls that were punted his way into our half of the pitch, particularly in the first half.

[danumdon]

I thought that Anderson won most of the long balls that were punted his way into our half of the pitch, particularly in the first half.

We need Anderson and whoever plays alongside him to continue to do this, only better.

Its also apparent now that we are playing a very high line in defence, it compresses the play which should make defending easier, this works well when you have defenders who can get back into the big void and clear the danger, if they don't then you have given the opposition masses of room to swing in a well delivered cross to run onto.

If you compound this by having a keeper who's adverse to coming into the space to claim the ball and your central defenders are slow to react then you can have problems. If you do it correctly then your defence becomes overall stronger as you have reduced the opportunity for the attackers.

[ForsolongaRover]

I might throw a wild card out and say Olowu should be the centre half with players either side of him. Yes he’s got a mistake in him but I don’t think we can pick anyone who hasn’t.

I just think he’s quick enough to cover everyone and had a very good game in the centre when we played Everton

He can be so reckless though - that tackle on the half way line! What gets into him? He perhaps needs a bit of therapy!

[ravenrover]

The 3 centre half’s irrigated me because often from a long goal kick it was Bailey challenge for the 1st ball. That feels like it shouldn’t happen. If Anderson and Wood aren’t there to win the 1st balls and win it well I’m not sure they can justify selection. Certainly not together.

Miss Butler or Jones who just won 1st balls all day long. Anderson had a spell of been that guy too but struggles now.

Were you too dry watching these 3?

[idler]

They were a bit of a drain though.