Let's talk about the AFC Wimbledon game

[Chris Black come back]

That was as bad as it has been all season. Third to every ball, pass completion rate in low single digits, and I don’t think a single shot on target. 1-0 flattered that performance.

[In the box]

I’ve not seen the game today so can’t comment on that but on the whole do we think our squad is too big and therefore too much changing going on??

yes it’s big but with NO big players . You could select any 11 and you’d get the same results !!

[Ian Nimmo]

We started positively and we should have been 2-0 up, before the very poor play by GB. Not only did he give the ball away but was then very poor in not clearing.
Again another playing out slowly from the back, but before this we were playing the ball forward quicker.
We are now not in a very good position in the league and we need a re-think. Clearly whilst we have a good squad, there are too many players underperforming, or making mistakes.
It’s quite possible Grant was thinking that apart from injury that we would not need to add players in january, but given our current performances, this is now looking like a priority.
We can,t carry any passengers from now on.

[Alickismyhero]

I dont get it........

Why all the long high balls to Billy,

and we never got the second phase balls,

I dont know what the managers plan was but he must take some blame for that performance, very poor.

But the show goes on and I will be there to watch the Tranmere game its got to be a better game.

[Chris Black come back]

I assume teams have found us out so we cannot play it every game but what happened to the early long ball to wings and fast breaking, with high energy press off the ball? These days we basically just hammer ball forward and then sit back when we inevitably  lose possession.

[steve@dcfd]

It’s not that squad is to big but we have players who we all thought would improve the side and they are not good enough. We can only compare with the side that finished last season.
Molyneux gone backwards or been found out.
Is Sbarra better than Biggins No
Is Clifton better than Rowe about the same
Is Kelly better than Craig definitely not
Are Broadbent and Hurst better than last season when they couldn’t get consistently get in the first eleven no.
Is Gibson better than Adelulaken no
Close and Westbrooke should not have been re signed
Is the defence overall better than last season possibly yes but because we can’t score they are under more pressure.
We are doubting players like Sterrry and Maxwell because our attacking players are not scoring
Have Billy and Ironside improved our attacking ,which ever plays, no because of the players around them are consistently not good enough ( we all thought they would be)
We are not as bad as this time last year but will Grant get this side, squad to produce at at least 80% of our finish of last season. If not the top two(three) will not be attained and playoffs will be a battle.

[scawsby steve]

It’s not that squad is to big but we have players who we all thought would improve the side and they are not good enough. We can only compare with the side that finished last season.
Molyneux gone backwards or been found out.
Is Sbarra better than Biggins No
Is Clifton better than Rowe about the same
Is Kelly better than Craig definitely not
Are Broadbent and Hurst better than last season when they couldn’t get consistently get in the first eleven no.
Is Gibson better than Adelulaken no
Close and Westbrooke should not have been re signed
Is the defence overall better than last season possibly yes but because we can’t score they are under more pressure.
We are doubting players like Sterrry and Maxwell because our attacking players are not scoring
Have Billy and Ironside improved our attacking ,which ever plays, no because of the players around them are consistently not good enough ( we all thought they would be)
We are not as bad as this time last year but will Grant get this side, squad to produce at at least 80% of our finish of last season. If not the top two will not be attained and playoffs will be a battle.

The top 3 go up, Steve, but I take your point.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

At least in his post match interview, he identifies where we went wrong. If he'd come out with some waffle, I'd be worried.

He knows he's got work to do with players individually and somehow get them back on the front foot. He's done it before and he can do it again.

I heard him talk about analysing the game which is usual but sometimes, you can just end up reinforcing the negatives. Keep things positive. He'll have to take stock and ask questions of himself whether, he's put too much pressure on the squad too early and some players are struggling to cope with the weight of expectations on their shoulders.

[Ldr]

I’ve not seen the game today so can’t comment on that but on the whole do we think our squad is too big and therefore too much changing going on??

No

[Chris Black come back]

The two chances we have early on were worked from the game plan. Get the ball forward exceptionally early. Both Hurst and Molyneux did very well to find space and get behind their defence. Both attempts were an absolute disgrace to professional football all though. As Grant said, if they had gone in then we would have seen Wimbledon properly come out at us and likely given us even more chances. That neither Hurst or Molyneux were able to get a shot away let alone test the keeper, was really poor.

[les@donr]

The way we are playing we are not a top 3 team. We don’t improve we’ll again be in the playoffs.

[drfchound]

The two chances we have early on were worked from the game plan. Get the ball forward exceptionally early. Both Hurst and Molyneux did very well to find space and get behind their defence. Both attempts were an absolute disgrace to professional football all though. As Grant said, if they had gone in then we would have seen Wimbledon properly come out at us and likely given us even more chances. That neither Hurst or Molyneux were able to get a shot away let alone test the keeper, was really poor.

Just being a bit picky mate, but both Mols and Hursty did get a shot away, but not on target.

[Donnywolf]

True

Moly wasn't helped by the bounce which he had to head

Hurst maybe should have shot rather than try to beat their defender

But as a crap footballer from 12 to 30 I don't want to criticize them

They do say goals change game and these may have done but hey , who knows

[danumdon]

We made an impressive start to the game, unusual for us we were quick out of the blocks, the two nailed on chances should and would have been taken 90% of the time, that would have set the game up for us and it would have been a controlled slow slaughter of them after.

We missed the chances so that left the game far more open for them, they built and capitalised on it by basically kicking the shit out of us for the rest of the game, the Ref who early on bottled the nasty challenging from that perennial annimal Hutchinson, basically set the tone for the rest of the game, they knew they could push, barge, foul and dive with impunity, the No9 (Omar Boglesomthing)was running around like some demented freak, barging and fouling everyone who came within his sphere of reach, at the end where he took Sharp out who gave him some choice words which upset the nutter enough to come back and go head to head with him, the ref finally decided he needed to do something and booked him along with Sharp! to little to late from a pathetic ref

So basically they beat up our team, when you have a team of footballers who play with skill and technique, if you miss your chances the odds are you will then get beat up by the typical 4th tier side of physical thugs who have no football smarts but know how to put it about, are in your face and will try every trick in the book to nullify your skill advantage.

When you miss golden opportunities like we did at the start of this type of match against a side like them, then this is the usual outcome.

More steel and grit needed with the footballing ability, if you have the bottle to play players with the size and physicality of Hurst, Sbarra, Mols and Gibson  then you need an insurance of a Mister in there to protect them when it all goes tits up.

GM knows what's required, pity he wasn't 10 years younger!

[ForsolongaRover]

 

We made an impressive start to the game, unusual for us we were quick out of the blocks, the two nailed on chances should and would have been taken 90% of the time, that would have set the game up for us and it would have been a controlled slow slaughter of them after.

We missed the chances so that left the game far more open for them, they built and capitalised on it by basically kicking the shit out of us for the rest of the game, the Ref who early on bottled the nasty challenging from that perennial annimal Hutchinson, basically set the tone for the rest of the game, they knew they could push, barge, foul and dive with impunity, the No9 (Omar Boglesomthing)was running around like some demented freak, barging and fouling everyone who came within his sphere of reach, at the end where he took Sharp out who gave him some choice words which upset the nutter enough to come back and go head to head with him, the ref finally decided he needed to do something and booked him along with Sharp! to little to late from a pathetic ref

So basically they beat up our team, when you have a team of footballers who play with skill and technique, if you miss your chances the odds are you will then get beat up by the typical 4th tier side of physical thugs who have no football smarts but know how to put it about, are in your face and will try every trick in the book to nullify your skill advantage.

When you miss golden opportunities like we did at the start of this type of match against a side like them, then this is the usual outcome.

More steel and grit needed with the footballing ability, if you have the bottle to play players with the size and physicality of Hurst, Sbarra, Mols and Gibson  then you need an insurance of a Mister in there to protect them when it all goes tits up.

GM knows what's required, pity he wasn't 10 years younger!

If we had have scored from the 2 early chances they were far from illustrative of superior skill. They were 2 speculative balls from defence which due to lack of superior skill we failed to convert. Our 90 minutes of “superior skill” failed to produce any shots on target.

The only consolation was that Wimbledon, a team that seemed likely to contend for automatic promotion a few weeks ago with all those matches in hand, did not look very good either.