Hit and Miss away form

[Sammy Chung was King]

I didn't go today so i am basing what i say on seeing the goals on the highlights. They seemed again player error goals. Carey in my opinion the best midfielder in this league with a great finish. Rowe seemed about to collect the ball and stumbled.
Whereas against the lower placed teams we might have got away with that the ball fell to the one man you didn't want it to. The penalty Butler gave away looked a case of him being caught in two minds by a player coming towards him quick. He didn't have long to think what to do, it happens!.
Listening to it on the radio it seemed to be a pretty boring game where we had plenty of possession and not that many actually on target. This was one of those games i was talking about last week. Where our forwards have an off-day and our inability to keep clean sheets would hurt us.

Won five, lost five. You would expect figures like that from an attacking team. We have to learn how to battle a few draws out of games we lose.
Plymouth are a good side no doubt about it. They are a small taste of what we would face if we got promoted. In a game like that you have to be solid and patient. The problem is the Rowe slip put's us on the back foot then game plans go out of the window.
Some sides you can't afford to be chasing a game against Plymouth are one of those teams. We are in the running at the minute i'm more than happy with that. I just think some little changes in how we set up would make us a bit more consistent away from home.

If we are serious about promotion the defence has to be sorted out in this league because we would get heavily defeated in the league above.
We are in danger of hitting a bad run and the defence costing what is mostly a very good side, promotion. We have a nasty habit of giving stupid goals away you just can't do that.
We could very easily turn them over at home but we are just too unstable away from home. We have now let in a goal more than the bottom of the league Newport. Of course we have the best goalscoring record by some way.
I have said it before play almost the same as at home, just put an extra holding midfielder in front of the defence. Start solid then make attacking substitutions when you have control of the game!.
I would be seriously thinking of putting Wright in for Baudry at centre half in away games. Use Baudry alongside Houghton and get some control of the game.

I'm excited about our team we have more good things going on than bad. I just don't want us to lose out due to things that can be fixed.
Mandeville though he missed the penalty i don't think it will effect him long term. He has been fantastic these last couple of months.
Marquis and Williams plenty of quality there. Midfield again plenty of ability but away from home we need another negative minded player in the side.
Defence i like all of them except Butler i would be tempted to start Wright over him even with his lesser experience. Butler is very solid in some parts but the lack of pace is hurting us on the break.

Marosi i'm not convinced of but yet again the goals that went in were not his fault. We have good defenders what we don't have yet is a 'defensive team' back there. They are all doing their own thing but not working as a unit.
I still think when you have a defensive coach at the club in Russ Wilcox then surely you have to use those abilities?.
Anyway we are around the top of the league so far so good. With a decent defence we might have lost today and still been three or four points clear at the top!.
The manager needs to look at it in my opinion. There is plenty of defensive ability but it's not being used to it's best.

[Alan Southstand]

As I have said previously, not a great deal wrong with our first 11, it's the fact that there isn't much behind them that will hurt us in the end. Unless we get a couple of nice Late Christmas presents in January.

Copps, if out for 3 games, yes wroey can cover but then who fills in on the left? Get another injury in midfield and we are stuffed. Attacking wise we now have a 2 from 3 scenario. And we have a 2 from 3 centre back situation. Lund coming back helps with cover for RB and ATS similarly on the left.

Houghton just has to be secured and Mason, for that matter. After that we probably need 2 more. One to replace Calder, who hasn't done enough imo and I would add either an experienced keeper or a striker with pace.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I agree on Calder we need somebody else. If we could i would try and loan some of the kids out for experience. Maybe try and move Keegan on and bring another option in for him in midfield either a loan or permanent.
I would bring a striker in on loan somebody with a bit of pace. I know you won't like this some of you but i would bring an experienced keeper in and loan Etheridge out to regain his confidence.

[IDM]

As I have said previously, not a great deal wrong with our first 11, it's the fact that there isn't much behind them that will hurt us in the end. Unless we get a couple of nice Late Christmas presents in January.

Copps, if out for 3 games, yes wroey can cover but then who fills in on the left? Get another injury in midfield and we are stuffed. Attacking wise we now have a 2 from 3 scenario. And we have a 2 from 3 centre back situation. Lund coming back helps with cover for RB and ATS similarly on the left.

Houghton just has to be secured and Mason, for that matter. After that we probably need 2 more. One to replace Calder, who hasn't done enough imo and I would add either an experienced keeper or a striker with pace.

Just for the next game or so I would consider playing Marquis in Copps' Role, with Mandy and Williams up front. 

[Alan Southstand]

Too big a risk to have all our striking options on the field at the same time. Better to have one on standby just in case injury or referees interfere. We can't afford to be making wholesale changes just for the one position, but because Wroe is the ideal replacement for Copps, we don't really have much choice.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I would put Beestin in for Coppinger while he is out. Mandeville wasn't trusted until he got a proper chance.