TLT, Craig, Haks, Joe/Billy

[mushRTID]

Missing all three hugely.
None have been replaced adequately on current evidence.

TSL may come good but he’s nothing outstanding, he isn’t going to solely win us many points. Does the basics ok,nothing to shout about.

Gibson has been really poor, biggest disappointment so far. Even Haks at the end of the season who was apparently “not on it” was better than JG has been.

Nobody in the squad can do what Craig did, surprisingly with the amount of Midfielders we have.

And the constant chopping and changing of Sharp/Ironside is helping neither or the team
Genuine concerns guys not intending to be negative.

[Michael Shaw]

I agree with you. And without Anderson and Mols the next few games will be lot tougher. Lose them and we will be chasing a play-off spot. I always hoped Sharp and Ironside would start every game together and the squad would gel, but that's not what I see.

[andyst79]

Missing all three hugely.
None have been replaced adequately on current evidence.

TSL may come good but he’s nothing outstanding, he isn’t going to solely win us many points. Does the basics ok,nothing to shout about.

Gibson has been really poor, biggest disappointment so far. Even Haks at the end of the season who was apparently “not on it” was better than JG has been.

Nobody in the squad can do what Craig did, surprisingly with the amount of Midfielders we have.

And the constant chopping and changing of Sharp/Ironside is helping neither or the team
Genuine concerns guys not intending to be negative.

Craig's a big miss for us, no coincidence Bailey looks out of sorts without him at the side of him. I said pre season I think signing Haks was more important than Molyneux, however Mols had started really brightly but teams are just doubling up on him now so he's not having much joy.  Haks brought us so much with his movement & it leaves a bit of a sour taste how it all ended taking bad advice from his agent. I should imagine in hindsight he's as gutted as us but it is what it is.

[andyst79]

Also Woods a miss as well as young Jays done but the biggest for me is Maxwell as the team lacks balance without him. Hopefully he's over his injuries and if he can sustain a good run of fitness he will go to a Championship club for good money

[Prez]

Said same thing to my mate at the end of the game. We have not replaced them like for like, which isnt easy, but we have too many average players in the squad. Chesterfield had so much more quality than us.

On the evidence so far, best we can hope for is a play off place.

[StocksArmy]

The penny will drop with everybody on Ben Close sooner or later. Bailey currently doing 2 players running and I urge anybody who still rates him to not watch the ball but watch Close for just 10mins the next time he plays. Just jogs through games it’s pathetic that he gets away with it.

[andyst79]

I don't hide my disdain for Close but I'm not sure what other options we've had in midfield recently due to injuries? It was meant to be a big season for Broadbent but so far he's failed to live up to Grants hype. I get the feeling him & Close are doing the business in training but unfortunately when they cross that white line they aren't delivering

[keith79]

I would be very disappointed if I was a squad player,  and never got an opportunity to play next week after today performance. 

[andyst79]

I would be very disappointed if I was a squad player,  and never got an opportunity to play next week after today performance. 

Agree but the likes of Hurst have bags of potential & show glimpses but seem unable to deliver when given the opportunity.

[Padge_DRFC]

Bigger squad. Weaker starting 11 than last year. Gibson is a real let down after the first match.

[jmt23]

I think Bailey has been out of sorts so far this year, he is becoming an Omar bogle type player, running box to box without impacting the game at all. His game is about pinching the ball, and letting others do the good stuff, he needs to get back to that, and Grant needs to allow him to do that.
I do normally like Close but he looked extremely unfit today, and leggy, to the point I thought he had treacle around his ankles in the first half. 
I am not sure what the midfield answer is, and not sure Grant does, but I  don’t think it’s Broadbent. Patrick Kelly has a lot to prove, you can see he has qualities though.

I can’t say how big a miss Haks is, he was the catalyst for everything last year.Craig was important too, but Haks was the main reason we did what we did.
Forget slamming the keeper, he is ok, and hasn’t done anything to warrant the stick he is getting.
I feel a bit for Gibbo, he was actually pretty good today, getting cross3s and challenges in, again better than Molly! But who comes off? Molly should not be the be all and end all of DRFC’s campaign this year - teams have sussed him and us out.

[Scooter]

Gibson has been a big let down for me so far. I prefer Hurst. The only real time that the south stand were on their feet was Hurst running into the box

[StocksArmy]

Gibson has been a big let down for me so far. I prefer Hurst. The only real time that the south stand were on their feet was Hurst running into the box

Who was indecisive and not clinical enough. Common theme with him. Crap.

[ncRover]

McCann is under performing at the moment.

And I’m now properly concerned that the balance of the personnel at the top end of the pitch isn’t right as a result of his summer recruitment.

[dickos1]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

[adamtherover]

As grant has said this team has been at 30%, the first half today showed the levels they can reach...

[mushRTID]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

These are fair comments although at the time the thread was started we were missing them.

Gibson was excellent today I hope he kicks on from now.

[ncRover]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

Yawn.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on what you see at the time.

[Pancho Regan]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

Yawn.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on what you see at the time.

Yes but are you still as concerned about Grant’s Summer recruitment as you were 7 days ago?

It’s a fair shout from Dickos and warrants a fair response.

[ncRover]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

Yawn.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on what you see at the time.

Yes but are you still as concerned about Grant’s Summer recruitment as you were 7 days ago?

It’s a fair shout from Dickos and warrants a fair response.

I missed today’s game.

Looking at the highlights, Gibson’s movement looked a lot better. I was worried he wasn’t someone who could stretch the opposition with runs in behind, but he did that for the first goal.

Hopefully he can do it more. Maybe they worked on that. The staff clearly weren’t happy with him before if he’d been hooked at half-time three times previous.

Is that as “silly” a viewpoint as never having a bad word to say and goading people now you have the benefit of hindsight?

[RoversInSpain]

I’ll be convinced when we win 10 on the bounce and they prove it over that kind of period.
Same rule applies can’t go overboard after one bad display or one good display.
Fans write what they feel at the time and so they should. There’s a few on here who love to preach with hindsight, it’s not overly clever really.

[dickos1]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

Yawn.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on what you see at the time.

To state McCann was underperforming was crackers after 7/8 games when we were sat in 7th place.
Got to be more patient,

[andyst79]

Dropping Close and having a functional midfield unit has been the difference. We still miss Haks movement off the ball, however the run for the 1st goal today reminded me very much of Haks.

[ncRover]

This thread just shows we need to be a bit more patient, the comments look silly now just because people have jumped the gun.
Craig, haks took a few games to settle in
These new lads are just doing the same, Gibson n Kelly today were excellent

Yawn.

There’s nothing wrong with having an opinion on what you see at the time.

To state McCann was underperforming was crackers after 7/8 games when we were sat in 7th place.
Got to be more patient,

I thought he got things wrong for the Harrogate and Chesterfield games. That’s what I meant in that post by saying “at the moment”.

I’ve stuck up for the likes of Olowu, Westbrooke, TSL, Broadbent. I’m not a negative poster.

[pigeonhole]

Dropping Close and having a functional midfield unit has been the difference. We still miss Haks movement off the ball, however the run for the 1st goal today reminded me very much of Haks.

Hurst did the same run for the goal on Tuesday. It’s what we’ve been missing and essential to how we play

[andyst79]

Dropping Close and having a functional midfield unit has been the difference. We still miss Haks movement off the ball, however the run for the 1st goal today reminded me very much of Haks.

Hurst did the same run for the goal on Tuesday. It’s what we’ve been missing and essential to how we play

The ball from Molly was sublime

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I think it's worth reminding ourselves, we shouldn't be comparing our performances to date to the second half of last season, but to the first half.

It does take time to find the best combinations, players to develop, plus how to fill enforced absences. It's easy to get drawn towards the overall objective of promotion, and whether we look like a promotion or champions elect team at the moment. But it's how we get there and how we evolve whilst accumulating enough points to be there or thereabouts. Then of course, we always have January when things can be tweaked.

The question of whether we miss TLT, Haks and Craig can't really be answered until sometime in 2025.. 

Last season P10 W2 D2 L6 Pts 8
Stockport     P10 W5 D2 L3 pts 17

Of course we're going to have concerns, ups and downs, but McCann will hopefully get the players to answer those questions in good time.

[NickDRFC]

I don’t see any value in comparing ourselves to the first half. We were an absolute shambles for the first 10 games last year, it’s a terrible benchmark to use.

[BobG]

Brian Cox once remarked that the problem with the modern world is that people believe they have the right to express their opinions and have others listen to them. The correct statement of individual rights, he continued, is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!

BobG

[ncRover]

Brian Cox once remarked that the problem with the modern world is that people believe they have the right to express their opinions and have others listen to them. The correct statement of individual rights, he continued, is that everyone has the right to an opinion, but crucially, that opinion can be roundly ignored and even made fun of, particularly if it is demonstrably nonsense!

BobG

It’s a tiresome pattern on this forum Bob. People go back and make fun out of those who think critically about things when they start going well. We’ve all been overly positive in the past but no one goes back and brings that up. What’s the difference?
We’re all glad our team is doing well.
If you think something is nonsense then say it at the time rather than doing a patronising post weeks later. If that makes you feel big and clever then good for you.
Cba.