Given the quality of the oppponents...

[BillyStubbsTears]

...that was on a par with the abomination at Ipswich last year.

After their third today, we lost everything. Heart, effort, positional discipline, the lot.

That was a decent professional football side imploding and leaderless.

McSheffrey has to go after that.

[BillyStubbsTears]

By the way. In 3 of the last 4 halves, we have had a total of 1 effort on target. Not one per half. One in total.

In League 2...

[Chris Black come back]

I see your famine in front of goal and raise you a defence that concedes in 86pc of league games.

[Jimmydee]

I see your famine in front of goal and raise you a defence that concedes in 86pc of league games.

Midfield?
I’m sure that Close didn’t get a touch until the 32nd minute.

[andyst79]

I see your famine in front of goal and raise you a defence that concedes in 86pc of league games.

Midfield has a lot to answer for it's been a shambles ever since Whiteman went. I thought Clayton would make a difference this season but I was wrong he doesn't seem to have the legs. For me it's no good having fancy players like Close in league 1 & 2 you need midfielders with energy who are box to box and can travel with the ball, also need some physicality, we are woeful at picking up 2nd balls.

[Chris Black come back]

Yes, you could say that but this is an appalling defensive unit and how many of those goals today came from defensive errors and frailty? Long also gave away the penalty they missed.

[Campsall rover]

We had 59% possession according to the BBC

Carlisle had 23 efforts on goal and we had 5 only 1 on target.
What on earth are we doing with all that possession?

Unbelievable. How can a team with Clayton, Close, Biggins, Molyneux, Woltman and Miller. Then Hurst & Taylor who came on in the 2nd half, only have 1 attempt on target, and I think that was after about 20 mins.

[ChrisBx]

Awful decision to give him the job on a permanent basis.

Awful decision to keep him in the summer.

It will be an awful decision if he's kept on now.

[andyst79]

Yes, you could say that but this is an appalling defensive unit and how many of those goals today came from defensive errors and frailty? Long also gave away the penalty they missed.

I think a lot of our defensive frailties are down to Williams managing to stay fit for as long as he has. Anybody who thinks he's anything near a CB need to have a look at themselves.  Jones or McCombe are what's needed in this division no nonsense just defend.

[keith79]

Dont forget our injuries.

[eastender]

Dont forget our injuries.

They had more injuries than us.

[belton rover]

It’s appalling. The whole Mcsheffrey situation since Wellens was sacked. Let’s pretend that we are looking for the best man for the job but give it to his polar opposite.
I have never been vocally critical of the club, the situation we are in is almost unforgivable. We are a laughing stock. At least in 1997 the players we had reflected their league position and terrible performances - in many ways we are worse than then.

[HomerJSimpson]

First game I’ve gone to this season. Absolutely devoid of any ideas. Clayton is a sideways player somehow does not see any runs that go forward. Straight balls down the line never worked and never will. First half was even ish, but they stayed same level and we got totally worse.

McSheffrey out for me. If that’s the standard then it’s way off.

[Sammy Chung was King]

We’ve downgraded in quality of manager as the years have gone on. If you have good players you need a good manager, otherwise you don’t get the best from them. Cheap isn’t always cheap, it’s costing us more going down that route. Recruit a manager of quality, we do have some quality players but it isn’t showing.

[DD]

Where is our “Director of Football” in all this?

[Jonathan]

We’ve downgraded in quality of manager as the years have gone on. If you have good players you need a good manager, otherwise you don’t get the best from them. Cheap isn’t always cheap, it’s costing us more going down that route. Recruit a manager of quality, we do have some quality players but it isn’t showing.

I wouldn’t say there’s been a trend of downgrading management over the years. We went from Ferguson (an established manager) to McCann. That was an upgrade. We went from McCann to Moore, which was an upgrade in status if not the quality of football, and he went on the better himself. Next up was Wellens. It didn’t work for him but I don’t think it was a bad appointment and he’s doing well again now. We took a punt on McSheffrey and sadly it’s not working for him, I think and hope he’ll go in to have a good coaching career but it looks to me like we'll make a change now. The next appointment is of course important to get right, and the fans will need to get behind him even though these things invariably polarise opinion. To say we systematically downgrade is as incorrect as your wayward claim that we always appoint from within. We don’t, simple as that.

[normal rules]

At least we have a head of football eh?

[Alan Southstand]

I dispute going from Fergie to McCann was an upgrade (certainly not on paper, or status). It only ended up being an upgrade because he had the basis of a very good squad.

You also missed out Butler, Jon! I’ll say no more on that.

[Jonathan]

I dispute going from Fergie to McCann was an upgrade (certainly not on paper, or status). It only ended up being an upgrade because he had the basis of a very good squad.

You also missed out Butler, Jon! I’ll say no more on that.

Butler was an interim appointment.

McCann is a much better manager than Ferguson.

[Alan Southstand]

He wasn’t when he was appointed - that’s my point. It may have turned out that way (for the reasons I gave). When it came to him trying to build a side, he p1ssed off to Hull!

[Jonathan]

He wasn’t when he was appointed - that’s my point. It may have turned out that way (for the reasons I gave). When it came to him trying to build a side, he p1ssed off to Hull!

Nice of you to credit the owners with a shrewd appointment and some effective squad building. Is this a new you, Alan? ;-)

[Alan Southstand]

I’m not doing that, though, am I? The owners when Fergie was here were very different to the one(s) we have now. When Mr Watson passed away, I believe we have gradually fell away ever since. Our standards are now so low that I fear for our future presence in the EFL.

I genuinely think we need a lot more than a new manager. We are an insipid Club right now. We just seem to be happy to meander without any real aim or ambition. I’m sure there are certain individuals within the system that are working their proverbial buts off, but, as a collective, I don’t see where we are aiming.

If they have ambition, they’re keeping it well hidden.

The Chairman said we were going to bounce back decisively and those words are sounding more and more meaningless and hollow as the days go by. We’re due some decisive action, that’s a fact, but doing it and saying it are two completely different things.

Rant over.

[Chris Black come back]

I dispute going from Fergie to McCann was an upgrade (certainly not on paper, or status). It only ended up being an upgrade because he had the basis of a very good squad.

You also missed out Butler, Jon! I’ll say no more on that.

Butler was an interim appointment.

McCann is a much better manager than Ferguson.

This is correct.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It's now been nearly 2 years since we've had a clear playing style with players looking confident that they knew what their roles were.

Love Moore or hate him, he imposed a very clear and very consistent playing style. We kept possession. We tried to pull opponents out of position. And when we saw a gap, we moved the ball forward with very quick passing and runners going through the back line.

In the nearly 2 years since he left, we e had nothing. I honestly don't know under McSheffrey (or Wellens, or Butler before him) what our playing style is.

There was a classic example midway through the second half today. We had the ball 40 yards out. A line of four players around there, none moving.

We lumped the ball into the box, where we had a line of 5 players. All static. None moving. The defence cleared easily.

We get the ball around the halfway line and I honestly have no idea what we will try to do. No expectation that a well-oiled system will click into gear. No thinking "Ok so now look for X making a run from deep or Y pulling a defender wide or Z coming deep to pick up the ball."

Throw ins are the dead giveaway. We clearly have no routines worked on to find space or position.

When we don't have the ball, we press half-heartedly at best. We never look like physically intimidating the opponents. We jog to close down then give up. Opponents are frequently piling into us and leaving a foot in to harry us into lumping the ball up field.

For nearly 2 years I've been hoping that we were working on a playing style and it was just a matter of time.

But I'm wondering now if there actually IS any plan, or whether we tell 11 moderately descents pros to go out and make it up as they go along. Because that's what it looks like week after week.

Personally, I'm sick of watching it. It's hour on hour wasted on watching something that gives nothing at all back.

[Campsall rover]

Blunt may well be looking after the finances very sensibly and making sure we are sustainable but as a personality as Chairman of our Club I do think he a non entity. ( I am trying to be polite )
He has no personality, seems to have very little empathy with supporters when questioned at Meet the owners meetings and as a figure head for the club he seems to be a non existent presence.

We all know JR was a great ambassador and sales person for the club and it’s unlikely we would see the likes of him again but DB is the total opposite in that we never hear a squeak from him.
The club needs some serious leadership from the top, a voice of enthusiasm who is going to communicate with the fan base  Even GB has been almost invisible recently.
Communication has become inconspicuous by its absence and that is not helping getting the fan base on side. In fact it is having the total opposite effect.

The club must replace GM immediately or we are going down a very slippery slope very fast.
GM is not going to turn this round that is quite obvious from his interviews.

We need a manager with a Promotion on his CV someone who knows League 1 and League 2 someone with motivational skills and excellent man management ability.
And we need him NOW. 
Who that person is I don’t know but I hope Copps has been doing his homework in the last few weeks and we have a 2/3 potential candidates lined up as serious possibilities.

[MEGA1879]

Blunt may well be looking after the finances very sensibly and making sure we are sustainable but as a personality as Chairman of our Club I do think he a non entity. ( I am trying to be polite )
He has no personality, seems to have very little empathy with supporters when questioned at Meet the owners meetings and as a figure head for the club he seems to be a non existent presence.

We all know JR was a great ambassador and sales person for the club and it’s unlikely we would see the likes of him again but DB is the total opposite in that we never hear a squeak from him.
The club needs some serious leadership from the top, a voice of enthusiasm who is going to communicate with the fan base  Even GB has been almost invisible recently.
Communication has become inconspicuous by its absence and that is not helping getting the fan base on side. In fact it is having the total opposite effect.

The club must replace GM immediately or we are going down a very slippery slope very fast.
GM is not going to turn this round that is quite obvious from his interviews.

We need a manager with a Promotion on his CV someone who knows League 1 and League 2 someone with motivational skills and excellent man management ability.
And we need him NOW. 
Who that person is I don’t know but I hope Copps has been doing his homework in the last few weeks and we have a 2/3 potential candidates lined up as serious possibilities.

Well said

[Alan Southstand]

Great post CR, but I fear we’re already well down that slippery slope. The Club is drowning in mediocrity. It has to stop, but who’s going to stop it?

[steve@dcfd]

The quality of the players we have now are certainly not at the level we had under Ferguson and MCCann and even sometime under Moore.
From GK to defence certainly midfield and attack. The quality on paper should be good enough for league 2 but on the field they are not proving that.
The manager is not getting the best out of these players but also picking players in wrong positions. When has Molyneux ever been a wing back. He’s under performing all season yet he gets picked every game. But we had Maxwell or Hurst who could play wing back. Playing Molyneux there left Long out to dry with no back up. Then GMC says he doesn’t understand why they could break from our attacks and score. The midfield is slow and certainly is the worst part of the team. They neither get enough going forward and do not protect the defence allowing played to run past them at will. The defensive unit is no where near the quality we had.

[Bessie Red]

If we look at the players we have I think most fans will say we have a strong League 2 outfit. Mitchell is steady for the level, Jones a capable back up. Defence wise we have Knoyle, Anderson, Oluwu, Long, Maxwell, Younger, Faulkener, Williams all more than capable for a top 7 Lge 2 side defence. Midfield we have Clayton, Close, Rowe, Biggins, Molenyeux, Taylor, Hurst again players good enough to achieve a top 7 finish. Finally up front we have Agard, Miller, Woltman & Griffiths. The 2 young players maybe not ready yet but Miller & Agard should score plenty in this league.
It is worrying that we have a manager who with those players at his disposal is serving up such negative, ill thought out football. I think its fairly obvious to anyone with functioning eyesight that the team is no longer playing for the manager and he must go. The defeat at Hartlepool summed up GMS negative approach. He set up a side to avoid defeat against a team 2nd bottom in Lge 2 without a win in 20 games. This gave Hartlepool encouragement and they took their chance. We should have gone there and played aggresive front football from the off and piled pressure on them but no GMS took the passive approach & paid for it with the defeat. That was the game that made me believe that he has to go.

[i_ateallthepies]

Blunt may well be looking after the finances very sensibly and making sure we are sustainable but as a personality as Chairman of our Club I do think he a non entity. ( I am trying to be polite )
He has no personality, seems to have very little empathy with supporters when questioned at Meet the owners meetings and as a figure head for the club he seems to be a non existent presence.

We all know JR was a great ambassador and sales person for the club and it’s unlikely we would see the likes of him again but DB is the total opposite in that we never hear a squeak from him.
The club needs some serious leadership from the top, a voice of enthusiasm who is going to communicate with the fan base  Even GB has been almost invisible recently.
Communication has become inconspicuous by its absence and that is not helping getting the fan base on side. In fact it is having the total opposite effect.

The club must replace GM immediately or we are going down a very slippery slope very fast.
GM is not going to turn this round that is quite obvious from his interviews.

We need a manager with a Promotion on his CV someone who knows League 1 and League 2 someone with motivational skills and excellent man management ability.
And we need him NOW. 
Who that person is I don’t know but I hope Copps has been doing his homework in the last few weeks and we have a 2/3 potential candidates lined up as serious possibilities.

I sort of get what you're saying, Campsall but it's performances, effort on show and results that get the fan-base onside.  In fact, whilst it may not have been Blunt speaking last year, it was everything that was said - Usually by Gavin Baldwin - 'Consolidation season', 'not in a relegation battle', (and on manager recruitment), 'Some excellent candidates' - before appointing McSheffrey - that stuck right in my craw.


Quite honestly, it is their stinking efforts at getting the fans onside with things said for our consumption that has pissed me off to the point of not renewing my Season Ticket this time.