Let's talk about the Colchester United game

[selby]

  There are times in the season when playing certain sides is a lot harder than when you could have played a team earlier in the season, and after Colchester started the season slowly this game looks very much one of those games.
  Not only are they in much better fettle themselves, but with our last clean sheet a full eight games in the past we could be in better form ourselves.
  This afternoon Colchester extended their run of unbeaten games to double figures with a good home win v Gillingham with goals from Taylor and Gordon and more impressive they are yet to concede a goal in December with five clean sheets on the bounce.
  With our leaky defence unable to replicate once this month their record of nil goals given away, and also us finding it hard to attack with any real threat apart from against a ten man poor Tranmere team the outlook looks bleak for a merry Christmas again, and just our luck to meet two teams on the bounce who are right on it form wise.
   Have we been rumbled? are we just  lacking in certain positions? or is it just a temporary lack of form? whatever it is we need to get back on it quickly, as teams look quite happy just to hold us at arms length and wait for the inevitable mistake we make in our slow build up and sloppy play.
  Today we looked like Olowu was playing them by himself at times, and showed little going forward especially in their box, and any chances we did have we snatched at them, to me a poor performance and as dull as the weather, creating nothing  and defending poorly for their goals.
  With a big squad could there be changes? the defence certainly need to tighten up and stop playing across our own area and the mid field needs to start showing more consistent form and give the lads up front something to work with rather than hit and hope passes.
  We need a win, it will be hard, play well and we have every chance, and to do so we need to be on it, lot's to talk about, lots of things to discuss, please have your say.
   

[In the box]

We’ve complained that our away form was so good it has made our home form worse , so now that we’ve lost two away games on the bounce and won our last home game it’s likely we’ll make it a hat-trick until we get our form sorted out . Sarcasm is easy but our form is just not predictable.
Moly Kelly Gibson Ironside are all firing blanks with varying inconsistency.. make of that what you will . But we just don’t do things easy at DRFC .

[les@donr]

Last season we beat them 4-0 at their place. Can’t see that happening this time. More likely they will beat us, they are on a good run at the moment, another in form team.

[drfchound]

Colchester are unbeaten in their last ten matches.
All runs come to an end.

[les@donr]

They have gone 690 minutes without conceding.

[drfchound]

They have gone 690 minutes without conceding.

All runs come to an end.

[Alan Southstand]

Colchester are unbeaten in their last ten matches.
All runs come to an end.

It would be nice to go on a run ourselves, but that looks a long way off, unless we get some quality in January, of course.

[scawsby steve]

To make matters worse, it looks like it's not on Sky+.

[dickos1]

Last season we beat them 4-0 at their place. Can’t see that happening this time. More likely they will beat us, they are on a good run at the moment, another in form team.

It was 1-4 wasn’t it? Sure they took the lead

[Surrey Rover]

Last season we beat them 4-0 at their place. Can’t see that happening this time. More likely they will beat us, they are on a good run at the moment, another in form team.

It was 1-4 wasn’t it? Sure they took the lead

You are right they did and the team that evening just dusted themselves down and went on to win convincingly. Unfortunately winning  from a losing position is a feat not repeated since in the league.

[Chris Black come back]

An alternative view is that they have won only three games in the last 14 league games, and only two of those were at home, against a poor Swindon side and a better Gillingham side. They have drawn 8 league games in that run. That is the outstanding statistic. They are a resilient side that draws a lot.

[les@donr]

They have won 3 of their last 5 EFL games, while we have lost 3 of our last 5 EFL games, a big contrast in form.

[scawsby steve]

They have won 3 of their last 5 EFL games, while we have lost 3 of our last 5 EFL games, a big contrast in form.

Sorry to be pedantic, Les, but we've only lost 2 of our last 5 EFL games.

The Port Vale defeat was a cup game.

[les@donr]

Steve, just showing there is a contrast in form.

[dickos1]

What is form?
One game? 3 games? 6 games? 10 games? 12 games?
Whichever you decide on, we will be fairing better in most form tables

[steve@dcfd]

Go back to 4231 for this game .
Molyneux on the left Gibson on the right and Ironside up top.
Bailey Clifton and Kelly although you could chose any of Clifton Kelly Broadbent Close Westbrooke or Sbarra all average at best, none anywhere near Craig or even Biggins and Rowe at there best of last season
Defence
Emmanuel or Sterry
Olowu
McGrath
Fleming or Maxwell

[Bailey Vickerage]

Hard to predict what McCann will do team wise this season but from listening to his presser sounds like he’s going back to what we do rather than the opposition so expecting us to go back to a 433/4231.

I’d go with:

TSL

Sterry Olowu McGrath Maxwell

Broadbent Bailey

Molyneux Clifton Hurst

Ironside

Sterry and Maxwell are our 2 best full backs and were massive in the winning run last season, only Ironside and Olowu came out of Thursday having a half decent game imo so would start Ironside up top and then feel like we’ve missed Clifton a bit in the midfield.

He isn’t someone u want to break a low block down but his work rate and that bit of bite in the midfield is something we’ve missed the last few weeks imo, impressed me a lot at the start of the season then fell out of the team for whatever reason.

[ncRover]

Senior has been our most consistent left back, he continues to be overlooked by management and supporters.

[Lesonthewest]

Senior has been our most consistent left back, he continues to be overlooked by management and supporters.

Agreed, he's been excellent whenever called, & looks the most mobile when going forward.

[Padge_DRFC]

Senior has improved a bit, but a fully fit firing Maxwell is the best LB in the league

[Butchers Red]

For me, based on form ( or lack of it ! ) we should go 3 4 1 2

TSL

Olowu
McGrath
Senior

Emmanuel (Drops off when we lose ball - otherwise bombs on down the right )
Kelly
Bailey
Broadbent ( Sat Deep )

Hurst   (Free role behind front 2 )

Sharp
Ironside


BENCH

Lawlor
Nixon           (On at 60mins for Emmanuel)
Maxwell
Anderson
Clifton
Gibson
Molyneux

[selby]

  The back four need to come to the party, at Wimbledon and Walsall apart from Olowu they were not on it at all especially down the left hand side getting faced up, slow on the turn, and run past.

[Prez]

I think Grant will make changes in midfield after the Walsall defeat. Wouldn’t be surprised if any of Close, Clifton or Westbrooke starts.

[selby]

 The BBC  nas us lined up 4 3 2 1 with Ironside up front.

[Chris Black come back]

Olowu especially and also McGrath were excellent today, as was TSL.