Time for Grant to show his mettle.

[ForsolongaRover]

Regarded objectively, you might question the extent to which responsibility for our position in February was attributable to GM and how much where we finished
3 months later was the result of his leadership. My impression is that he certainly got credit for the latter.

This time last year there was a good deal of expectation based on the perceived quality of the squad and the additions he had made. The situation at the club now is not dissimilar and the pre-season and the first 2 matches generated huge optimism.

The Newport performance and result showed that we could not contain a team whose strength may not be much above the division’s average, but whose spirit seemed superior.

McCann is now in a far stronger position resource-wise than he was this time last year and the onus is very much on him to show that he can lift his squad to a level worthy of the hype. There seems to be adequate talent and ability in the squad but we seemed to fail to respond strongly enough to Newport’s added momentum in the second half. Indeed even in the games we’ve won, we seemed to have eased off, once ahead.

It could well have been this easing off after we’d scored and a reduced commitment to tackle and challenge for the ball which lost us the game. You can blame the individuals, but it’s also a collective failure, of spirit and the desire to win, all very much the province of the management. You could say that it happened in the home leg versus Crewe when the usual quality from Adelukan was not on show and it illustrated just how much his contribution was integral to success.

What we have now is probably a better average quality amongst the 8 who lined up alongside TLT, Craig and Adelukan, but does the sum of the current 11 equate with the strength of the 8 + the extra talented 3?

The club may well possess a squad with overall extra quality greater than that in place this time last year, but from that squad we need an 11 that is as strong overall as the 8+3. At the very least we need more commitment from the current squad and it is management’s job to start driving that hard now.

A deserved 3-1 defeat at Newport brings us and our great expectations back to reality somewhat embarrassingly. McCann needs to crack the whip and banish all thoughts of a comfortable ride.

[scawsby steve]

Good post, FR.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Losing football matches is usual but it's how you learn and respond that matters.

I don't think he-'ll have to crack the whip as the players will know, that second half was way below the target line.

A few reminders here and there plus some honest one to one's with a couple of players will probably enough. He'll make some tweaks if he needs to.

If we lose three on the bounce, then we might have cause for concern.

[ncRover]

- There’s a reason there isn’t a 2-game form table. Let’s assess at 5,10,15 games if we’re at 2 points per game.

- Our big squad will help us even more 2nd half of the season when other squads get depleted.

- Craig and Adelakun weren’t any good until 3 or 4 games in.

[mpc123]

Grant and his team have to show their mettle every game, win lose or draw the previous game. Every season is a long one and you are going to have some bad performances no matter who you are. Saturday, was more down to individual errors, even grant himself. Personally the midfield lost it and there were players better on the bench. The squad will actually help us further on as players realise they can't have those individual errors because there is someone to step in. Now should be when grant gets busy with changes, right back, centre back, centre mid are where the errors were made and poor performances, expect some changes or tough questions asked with another chance given and maybe Kyle Hirst back after injury.

We are going to do well and I still maintain we will finish top 3, more of those Newport games will happen though.

[dickos1]

We lost games with craig, haks and TLT,
Gibson will be better than haks and Kelly could well be as good as craig.
There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that this squad and starting 11 is better than what we had last season, at any point

[Lesonthewest]

Regarded objectively, you might question the extent to which responsibility for our position in February was attributable to GM and how much where we finished
3 months later was the result of his leadership. My impression is that he certainly got credit for the latter.

This time last year there was a good deal of expectation based on the perceived quality of the squad and the additions he had made. The situation at the club now is not dissimilar and the pre-season and the first 2 matches generated huge optimism.

The Newport performance and result showed that we could not contain a team whose strength may not be much above the division’s average, but whose spirit seemed superior.

McCann is now in a far stronger position resource-wise than he was this time last year and the onus is very much on him to show that he can lift his squad to a level worthy of the hype. There seems to be adequate talent and ability in the squad but we seemed to fail to respond strongly enough to Newport’s added momentum in the second half. Indeed even in the games we’ve won, we seemed to have eased off, once ahead.

It could well have been this easing off after we’d scored and a reduced commitment to tackle and challenge for the ball which lost us the game. You can blame the individuals, but it’s also a collective failure, of spirit and the desire to win, all very much the province of the management. You could say that it happened in the home leg versus Crewe when the usual quality from Adelukan was not on show and it illustrated just how much his contribution was integral to success.

What we have now is probably a better average quality amongst the 8 who lined up alongside TLT, Craig and Adelukan, but does the sum of the current 11 equate with the strength of the 8 + the extra talented 3?

The club may well possess a squad with overall extra quality greater than that in place this time last year, but from that squad we need an 11 that is as strong overall as the 8+3. At the very least we need more commitment from the current squad and it is management’s job to start driving that hard now.

A deserved 3-1 defeat at Newport brings us and our great expectations back to reality somewhat embarrassingly. McCann needs to crack the whip and banish all thoughts of a comfortable ride.

Now that's a great post!

[steve@dcfd]

You look at the subs and Grant in his interview said he made a mistake for not putting 3 on instead of one at the that time. So for me Grant took Broadbent off he may not be a Craig but steady player gets stuck in. H brought on Sbarra therefore we had Bailey Clifton and Sbarra only one of those Bailey had played centre two in our first two games. Therefore he should have brought Kelly on at that time. If he wanted to bring Sbarra on straight swap with Clifton. Nixon not in the squad was a wrong decision as sub we know he can cover right or left back. Therefore Grant as got to make a decision whether it’s Senior or Fleming at left back for Saturday. It’s early days but decisions are now vital. We can’t be leaving our selves open we did after the 60minutes on Saturday hence two quick goals and lost the game.

[graingrover]

I think he has shown his mettle every living day at the club .Time for fickle weak minded fans to show theirs more like .

[steve@dcfd]

I think he has shown his mettle every living day at the club .Time for fickle weak minded fans to show theirs more like .

He did admit in his interview he had made a mistake with the substitute at 60 mins he said he should have brought three on.

[RoversInSpain]

Very good opening post. For me the question through summer was always, can we replace THE 3 who made a huge difference?
We are only 2 league games in and a cup game, so it’s incredibly early days, however my feelings at the moment is that we haven’t replaced with the same quality. If Craig, Adelukan and TLT rocked up this morning, all 3 would go straight into the team.
Until I can say, ‘none would easily get in the team’ then I believe we will not have enough to be promoted automatically. I stick to my 4th place prediction….
This Saturday will be really interesting to see the ‘reaction’ against a team who battered us at home last season and delivered a horror comeback a couple of seasons ago, so we owe them…

[CottyRover]

Some good sensible well thought out posts on this thread, starting with the OP. Not the angry doom and gloom reaction we get all too often

[mushRTID]

Nearly everything I have read suggests Gibson is an upgrade on Haks.

Whilst Gibson looks a good player I think that is an unbelievable claim to make this early. I think people forget how unbelievable Haks was for us last year.

If you look back at highlights from late last season Haks is involved in most goals. He was phenomenal for us.

I don’t know if people are overrating Gibson to date or not giving Haks the credit he deserves.

But he’s a long way to go before we can confidently say he’s a Haks upgrade.

[dickos1]

After 2 games at the club I think Gibson has looked better than Jake did in his first two games and I think Kelly in the little we’ve seen of him has looked better than craig did after two games.

Two games means nothing though and they need to progress like the other two did but I think they’ve started better

[steve@dcfd]

The claims of an upgrade is not right we don’t have Craig or Adelaken any more.
We lost the game against Newport because we allowed them to score in the 10min period after we subbed Broadbent. We didn’t replace him with a player who has played that midfield two this season. When we bring on Kelly he replaced Bailey. Grant knows better than me but what I’ve seen of Sbarra and maybe Clifton I don’t believe they are ready for role yet

[Chris Black come back]

I think the frustration of some is down to us getting crushed last season at Newport by a fairly poor team who had a fairly poor home record in the league last season. We turn up there this season with a much better squad and still lose to a side, which last season had a fairly poor home record. Individual errors, late or wrong substitutions, or whatever. Newport are a fairly poor side and we got beaten. Losing to Chesterfield, Notts County, MK Dons, etc ok but Newport are a weaker side in this division and we didn’t out fight or out think them.

[ForsolongaRover]

I think he has shown his mettle every living day at the club .Time for fickle weak minded fans to show theirs more like .

I am sorry that I have upset you and I know that you, like me, are a very long-standing supporter. I think there is frustration on both sides of this debate, some people believe that we should be patient, but against that, we were the best side in L2 for the last quarter of 23/24 and this squad was assembled earlier and should have settled sooner than the majority of our rivals.

On top of that, management gave us every reason to believe that we would hit the ground running.

And yes, it’s only 3 games in, but this result was not undeserved and exposed weaknesses which the manager admitted.

When the manager confesses he made mistakes and when the overall performance is clearly sub-standard, it is surely rather weak-minded of the fans not to voice their concerns. Intelligent followers of the game will not normally offer blind support; they are entitled to expect value for their time and money.

[mushRTID]

After 2 games at the club I think Gibson has looked better than Jake did in his first two games and I think Kelly in the little we’ve seen of him has looked better than craig did after two games.

Two games means nothing though and they need to progress like the other two did but I think they’ve started better

Their starts are completely irrelevant.

Haks and Craig came into a struggling team mid season.

Gibson had a full pre season. Kelly joined immediately after the season started. Both joined with the team and club in a positive position.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Every new player coming in changes the dynamics of how the team operates. It was a very disappointing defeat, with very poor goals given away. It isn’t totally unexpected to lose with new players coming in, the manager getting the blend of his team right. Opinions on players can change from game to game for a manager.

 I wouldn’t say we were fantastic in the first game, we just took our chances. Winning papers over weaknesses, which we still have. That defeat highlights that though we have a promising team there is work to be done on the training ground and in the coming games of building understanding and consistency.

 For me at this level, having Billy Sharp in the starting eleven, when they see his name on the sheet, there will be a bit of uncertainty in defenders minds. They know what he is capable of. When he starts on the bench it gives them a boost of confidence.

 Maybe that was part of it with the Newport game, but you just can’t legislate for such poor defensive errors. If you want to win leagues you must stay in games, don’t give goals away so cheaply. I do think there are players in the starting line up, not really upto giving us the consistency we need.

Molyneux looks very promising, his goal this season is to be consistently good. For me you start with Sharp as much as you can. His age doesn’t come into it. He is as fit as they come.
We are still poor at getting the ball back from the opposition. When we have the ball, we are one of, if not the best side in this league.

 There are a few little wrinkles to iron out. I’m sure McCann knows the things we need to improve on. Sometimes when you lose you can take something from the performance. I think the last game we just need to move on. There was little to take only how not to do things.

[dickos1]

After 2 games at the club I think Gibson has looked better than Jake did in his first two games and I think Kelly in the little we’ve seen of him has looked better than craig did after two games.

Two games means nothing though and they need to progress like the other two did but I think they’ve started better

Their starts are completely irrelevant.

Haks and Craig came into a struggling team mid season.

Gibson had a full pre season. Kelly joined immediately after the season started. Both joined with the team and club in a positive position.

Gibson has looked very good, he’s started 2 games and looked very good. Scored a great goal.
Yet people are being negative about him.
It’s crazy but not surprising

[Avsuptem]

McCann's talk of making a mistake by not bringing on the substitutes sooner might be more about canny motivational PR than genuine acknowledgement of error. Luck is everything in football and some days the luck runs against you, it's important to do everything you can to to maintain belief. The team that never has a bad day or never makes any errors has not been created yet.

[dickos1]

I think he has shown his mettle every living day at the club .Time for fickle weak minded fans to show theirs more like .

I am sorry that I have upset you and I know that you, like me, are a very long-standing supporter. I think there is frustration on both sides of this debate, some people believe that we should be patient, but against that, we were the best side in L2 for the last quarter of 23/24 and this squad was assembled earlier and should have settled sooner than the majority of our rivals.

On top of that, management gave us every reason to believe that we would hit the ground running.

And yes, it’s only 3 games in, but this result was not undeserved and exposed weaknesses which the manager admitted.

When the manager confesses he made mistakes and when the overall performance is clearly sub-standard, it is surely rather weak-minded of the fans not to voice their concerns. Intelligent followers of the game will not normally offer blind support; they are entitled to expect value for their time and money.

The squad has settled quickly, we’ve won 2 games from the first 3. That’s a good start to the season.
People are overreacting after a defeat, of course we’re going to lose games of course we’re going to have poor performances.
If we’re going to have inquests after every one then it’s going to be a long old season.
One defeat in 14 league games and look at some of the posts on here it’s like we’ve won one in 14

[mushRTID]

After 2 games at the club I think Gibson has looked better than Jake did in his first two games and I think Kelly in the little we’ve seen of him has looked better than craig did after two games.

Two games means nothing though and they need to progress like the other two did but I think they’ve started better

Their starts are completely irrelevant.

Haks and Craig came into a struggling team mid season.

Gibson had a full pre season. Kelly joined immediately after the season started. Both joined with the team and club in a positive position.

Gibson has looked very good, he’s started 2 games and looked very good. Scored a great goal.
Yet people are being negative about him.
It’s crazy but not surprising

Agreed Gibson has looked good, where have you seen negativity about him as I can’t say Iv seen this?

You can’t compare their starts though as it’s not comparing apples for apples is it.

This is exactly the kind of thing you have argued against others over the years but now you are ignoring the different situations as it doesn’t support your argument.

It’s a fact Craig and Haks were brilliant for us.
It’s a fact Gibson and Kelly have started brilliant for us.
It’s irrelevant to compare their first two games as it’s a fact they were all in different situations and team dynamics.

[dickos1]

The arguement I’ve seen numerous times on here already is that we haven’t replaced the 3 loanees from last season with players of the same quality.
I think it’s far too early to suggest that, especially when you consider neither haks or craig started their spells with us very well.

[ncRover]

The arguement I’ve seen numerous times on here already is that we haven’t replaced the 3 loanees from last season with players of the same quality.
I think it’s far too early to suggest that, especially when you consider neither haks or craig started their spells with us very well.

And the goalie hasn’t done anything wrong.

I said this before - post-Sutton away we got 2.47 points per game. That team wouldn't have kept that going so it’s pointless to keep using it as a benchmark.

To win the title we only need ~2.0 ppg.

https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=291843.msg1333228#msg1333228

[scawsby steve]

The arguement I’ve seen numerous times on here already is that we haven’t replaced the 3 loanees from last season with players of the same quality.
I think it’s far too early to suggest that, especially when you consider neither haks or craig started their spells with us very well.

And the goalie hasn’t done anything wrong.

I said this before - post-Sutton away we got 2.47 points per game. That team wouldn't have kept that going so it’s pointless to keep using it as a benchmark.

To win the title we only need ~2.0 ppg.

https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=291843.msg1333228#msg1333228

Disagree about TSL, I thought he was very poor with the first goal. Whether he's an improvement on Jones and Lawlor is debatable, but he's certainly not of the standard of TLT.

So that's one of the 3 loans from last season that hasn't been adequately replaced.

[drfchound]

IMO Teddy could have been put off by the offside Newport player who was in his line of sight for the first goal.
TSL may have thought the player might get a touch to divert the ball into the opposite side of the goal which could well have affected his attempt to get to the cross shot.

[dickos1]

TLT cost us a few times early on his spell
Bradford away was a prime example, plus a couple of more occasions. People weren’t impressed for the first few games, same with craig

[scawsby steve]

TSL cost us a few times early on his spell
Bradford away was a prime example, plus a couple of more occasions. People weren’t impressed for the first few games, same with craig

I think you mean TLT.

[drfchound]

TSL cost us a few times early on his spell
Bradford away was a prime example, plus a couple of more occasions. People weren’t impressed for the first few games, same with craig

Agreed with the Craig comment dickos, plenty weren’t happy after his first few appearances.