Clifton

[Barmby Rover]

If only Clifton had stopped O'Riordan from slipping and taking that awful touch. If only Clifton had been behind McGrath when he kicked thin air instead of the ball.

Signs have been there all season. 30 good minutes v Bradford, Rotherham and Burton. Other than that...

It's about what Clifton brings to the team in terms of harrying the opposition and putting them under pressure.

Individuals are always going to make mistakes. The point is, they maker fewer mistakes if we have players who help us to put the opposition under physical pressure more than they do to us. That is what Clifton brings to the squad and the lack of it over the past month has been wince-inducing to watch.

It is surprising how you don't know what you've got till it's gone to quote Joni Mitchell. It may be coincidence that this downturn has come as we lost Harry Clifton, a member of the squad that many have derided and underestimated. He does a vital job when he plays.

[Chris Black come back]

I doubt you can find a game in recent years with so many rank amateur individual defensive errors.

[dickos1]

In recent years? How far you going back?
Even last season we had some games where we performed very poorly defensively
Folk have short memories when it suits

[Janso]

In recent years? How far you going back?
Even last season we had some games where we performed very poorly defensively
Folk have short memories when it suits

"We were shite last season as well" isn't really the response you probably thought it was.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Correlation and causation and all that.

But

League matches when Clifton has started

P6 W5 D0 L1 F8 A5 Pts15 PPG2.5

League matches when Clifton has not  started

P7 W0 D2 L5 F4 A13 Pts2 PPG0.28

At some point, causation becomes unarguable.

[GazLaz]

I think the performance drop off started at the Port Vale game. We were good against Bradford but in the other games since it’s been pretty poor.

[Fal]

I think the performance drop off started at the Port Vale game. We were good against Bradford but in the other games since it’s been pretty poor.

Ah yes the same performance drop off where we won the next 4 games in a row....

[GazLaz]

I think the performance drop off started at the Port Vale game. We were good against Bradford but in the other games since it’s been pretty poor.

Ah yes the same performance drop off where we won the next 4 games in a row....

Do you watch football? Do good/bad performances always bring about wins/losses? Did you go to Vale? We were horrific and won.

[Chris Black come back]

Clifton may or may not be additive to the team, but him being absent is absolutely not the determining factor in why our press, general energy and attacking threat has collapsed in his absence. We look and play like we are terrified of our own shadow.

[BillyStubbsTears]

CBCB

I've said before he is absolutely vital to how we play. His energy and aggression both produces space for the technically better players, and often tidies up their mistakes. At the moment, when we lose the ball, there is nothing to stop the opposition hitting us. Which inevitably makes us less inclined to take chances. But our entire game is based on us taking gambles.

[Alan Southstand]

I think we’re also missing Broadbent and Sterry, Billy. I totally agree about Clifton being a very important cog in the wheel, but Sterry hasn’t even got going and I think it’s part of the reason why Molyneux has started so poorly. Broadbent was really getting to grips with his role and he had that stabilising influence in our defensive game.

One of the biggest disappointments, though, has been some of our summer recruiting. It’s been nothing short of abysmal.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I think the performance drop off started at the Port Vale game. We were good against Bradford but in the other games since it’s been pretty poor.

That's an interesting take.

The two league games after the PV match were a reasonably competent and confident victory against one of our nearest local rivals, then by some way the best performance of the season against Bradford.

It was the Wigan game and onwards where the wheels came off.

[drfchound]

I think we’re also missing Broadbent and Sterry, Billy. I totally agree about Clifton being a very important cog in the wheel, but Sterry hasn’t even got going and I think it’s part of the reason why Molyneux has started so poorly. Broadbent was really getting to grips with his role and he had that stabilising influence in our defensive game.

One of the biggest disappointments, though, has been some of our summer recruiting. It’s been nothing short of abysmal.

All good points Alan,  I’m with you on all of them.

[selby]

  The real thing is we need a couple of real sh*t houses down the middle at the back who can play a bit as well and are mobile, and add a proper footballing defensive mid fielder who can play a bit and release Bailey a bit of class in mid field.
  That's assuming O'Riordon goes back at Christmas as I rate him and would save us one of the places Faulkner and Flint the others.
  Get out of this idea of iffy youngsters from other clubs coming to a finishing school unless they are better than what we have.
  I have said before and stick with it, the worst decisions were made before a ball was kicked in anger, other clubs knew and came in for two of our best defenders.

[jmt23]

I agree with Gazlaz on the Port Vale game. I’ve mentioned a few times about us looking leggy, lacking fitness, or just struggling with the pace of this league.
Interesting that Darren Moore used those very words in his assessment of us after the vale game too.

I’m not sure Pearson is fit, or he is playing whilst carrying a knock. He is by far the best option we have but either misses games or is brought off.

[monkeytennis]

I know this is the Clifton thread but I can’t help thinking about how much ground Olowu used to cover and how many errors, misplaced passes and stray attackers trying to get into space he used to deal with.

[selby]

monkeytennis, he covered a lot up in the first half of the season that's for sure.

[Move DRFC]

We miss Olowu. He's better than all we have now and is proving it at Stockport.

[Metalmicky]

We miss Olowu. He's better than all we have now and is proving it at Stockport.

TBF, I wouldn't say that Joe has 'proved' anything.  He has played 14 times - starting 11 games - including 3 Football League or Cup games.  He has been subbed off 3 times in those 11 games, and has come on as a sub 3 times....

[selby]

  The fact is for six months he kept our head above water last season, and by consensus was our stand out player in most supporters opinions,  and since his injury that curtailed his season about the start of February and until we partnered Anderson and Bailey we went through a mini losing run against Grimsby and Chesterfield after which circumstances forced  us luckily to form that partnership.

[roversdude]

Think once Clifton is fit it’s time to put Bailey in at Centre Back and shore up the defence McGrath has lost all confidence, O’Riordan seems to still be struggling, Pearson likewise

[bobbymax]

Think once Clifton is fit it’s time to put Bailey in at Centre Back and shore up the defence McGrath has lost all confidence, O’Riordan seems to still be struggling, Pearson likewise

O'Riordan, Pearson and Grehan are solid enough but they have been getting little protection from those in front of them lately.

[Ho]

CBCB

I've said before he is absolutely vital to how we play. His energy and aggression both produces space for the technically better players, and often tidies up their mistakes. At the moment, when we lose the ball, there is nothing to stop the opposition hitting us. Which inevitably makes us less inclined to take chances. But our entire game is based on us taking gambles.

Recoveries/90 (% in opposition half) League 1, 2025/6 (WyScout)

1. C.Crew - 13.47 (41.5%)
2. B.Close - 11.09 (50%)
3. G.Broadbent - 9.83 (47.3%)
4. O.Bailey - 9.79 (40.7%)
5. R.Gotts - 7.17 (54.5%)
6. H.Clifton - 5.93 (41.4%)
7. J.Sbarra - 2.28 (60%)

Recovery Definition: Any Action that ends a Possession of the opposition team (the last action of this possession is a Loss) and starts a Possession for current team.

[sf9944]

Interesting. Our amateur supporter eyes don’t always see the full picture. Which is why I’m happy to leave it to the manager.

[Ho]

On the Bradford game, in terms of our possession in League 1 matches, the Bradford game (37.58%) is a big outlier, and is two standard deviations below our average (55.17%).  That game would be the one where Clifton stands out as he is very much the “grafter” type of player.

I agree that one of our attacking approaches is to press and set up traps out of possession, so that we can pounce on any mistakes and attack against a disrupted defence. 

For 30 minutes in the Huddersfield game* we executed that brilliantly.  The pivotal point in that game occurred in the 32nd minute (see image), we’d created 9 shots before that, but we only created 3 more afterwards.  From that point, Huddersfield took all the risk out of their passing and went longer and wider therefore negating the traps we’d set, and ultimately ground out a win.

Watching the Wigan game back at double speed you could see similar, they pushed their wing backs high and went long and wide. As as been said elsewhere, we’re also now facing teams setting up 2v1 or 3v2 against our wide players.

So rather than one player being a crucial factor in our form dropping off, is it not the oppositions (excluding Bradford) have sussed out our two major (only?) attacking threats, and we’ve yet to find the solution to it?

Not a new theme as we struggled in games last season when the opposition let us have the ball, but then we managed to grind out results against lesser players.

* Clifton unavailable for that game

[Usher wide.]

On the Bradford game, in terms of our possession in League 1 matches, the Bradford game (37.58%) is a big outlier, and is two standard deviations below our average (55.17%).  That game would be the one where Clifton stands out as he is very much the “grafter” type of player.

I agree that one of our attacking approaches is to press and set up traps out of possession, so that we can pounce on any mistakes and attack against a disrupted defence. 

For 30 minutes in the Huddersfield game* we executed that brilliantly.  The pivotal point in that game occurred in the 32nd minute (see image), we’d created 9 shots before that, but we only created 3 more afterwards.  From that point, Huddersfield took all the risk out of their passing and went longer and wider therefore negating the traps we’d set, and ultimately ground out a win.

Watching the Wigan game back at double speed you could see similar, they pushed their wing backs high and went long and wide. As as been said elsewhere, we’re also now facing teams setting up 2v1 or 3v2 against our wide players.

So rather than one player being a crucial factor in our form dropping off, is it not the oppositions (excluding Bradford) have sussed out our two major (only?) attacking threats, and we’ve yet to find the solution to it?

Not a new theme as we struggled in games last season when the opposition let us have the ball, but then we managed to grind out results against lesser players.

* Clifton unavailable for that game

What a refreshing analysis, along with an actual video to underpin your reasoning. Well done & more of the same would not only be welcomed by me, but is easy to comprehend compared to statistics that are based on xg’s, playing with two 8’s etc.

Not that I don’t understand them, just that they’re so……passé.

You on the other hand have taken the time to explain your views with eloquent narrative, which is a refreshing change.

[GazLaz]

On the Bradford game, in terms of our possession in League 1 matches, the Bradford game (37.58%) is a big outlier, and is two standard deviations below our average (55.17%).  That game would be the one where Clifton stands out as he is very much the “grafter” type of player.

I agree that one of our attacking approaches is to press and set up traps out of possession, so that we can pounce on any mistakes and attack against a disrupted defence. 

For 30 minutes in the Huddersfield game* we executed that brilliantly.  The pivotal point in that game occurred in the 32nd minute (see image), we’d created 9 shots before that, but we only created 3 more afterwards.  From that point, Huddersfield took all the risk out of their passing and went longer and wider therefore negating the traps we’d set, and ultimately ground out a win.

Watching the Wigan game back at double speed you could see similar, they pushed their wing backs high and went long and wide. As as been said elsewhere, we’re also now facing teams setting up 2v1 or 3v2 against our wide players.

So rather than one player being a crucial factor in our form dropping off, is it not the oppositions (excluding Bradford) have sussed out our two major (only?) attacking threats, and we’ve yet to find the solution to it?

Not a new theme as we struggled in games last season when the opposition let us have the ball, but then we managed to grind out results against lesser players.

* Clifton unavailable for that game

In reference to the Huddersfield game, you are essentially saying Grant was out coached in game.

[monkeytennis]

On the Bradford game, in terms of our possession in League 1 matches, the Bradford game (37.58%) is a big outlier, and is two standard deviations below our average (55.17%).  That game would be the one where Clifton stands out as he is very much the “grafter” type of player.

I agree that one of our attacking approaches is to press and set up traps out of possession, so that we can pounce on any mistakes and attack against a disrupted defence. 

For 30 minutes in the Huddersfield game* we executed that brilliantly.  The pivotal point in that game occurred in the 32nd minute (see image), we’d created 9 shots before that, but we only created 3 more afterwards.  From that point, Huddersfield took all the risk out of their passing and went longer and wider therefore negating the traps we’d set, and ultimately ground out a win.

Watching the Wigan game back at double speed you could see similar, they pushed their wing backs high and went long and wide. As as been said elsewhere, we’re also now facing teams setting up 2v1 or 3v2 against our wide players.

So rather than one player being a crucial factor in our form dropping off, is it not the oppositions (excluding Bradford) have sussed out our two major (only?) attacking threats, and we’ve yet to find the solution to it?

Not a new theme as we struggled in games last season when the opposition let us have the ball, but then we managed to grind out results against lesser players.

* Clifton unavailable for that game

In reference to the Huddersfield game, you are essentially saying Grant was out coached in game.

Well it’s pretty obvious that this is precisely what’s happening every week. We keep trying the same tactics over and over again even though we’re making no progress and it’s feeling like nobody other than the spectators are seeing it.

[Alan Southstand]

Against Huddersfield we were short of one thing - a big strong lad who could finish off all the good work done in the first half! They (Huddersfield) could and should have been dead and buried by half time.

They could lack of a decent striker is coming back to bite us on the ass - every week. Our recruitment in this area, particularly, has been shocking.

[Ho]

On the Bradford game, in terms of our possession in League 1 matches, the Bradford game (37.58%) is a big outlier, and is two standard deviations below our average (55.17%).  That game would be the one where Clifton stands out as he is very much the “grafter” type of player.

I agree that one of our attacking approaches is to press and set up traps out of possession, so that we can pounce on any mistakes and attack against a disrupted defence. 

For 30 minutes in the Huddersfield game* we executed that brilliantly.  The pivotal point in that game occurred in the 32nd minute (see image), we’d created 9 shots before that, but we only created 3 more afterwards.  From that point, Huddersfield took all the risk out of their passing and went longer and wider therefore negating the traps we’d set, and ultimately ground out a win.

Watching the Wigan game back at double speed you could see similar, they pushed their wing backs high and went long and wide. As as been said elsewhere, we’re also now facing teams setting up 2v1 or 3v2 against our wide players.

So rather than one player being a crucial factor in our form dropping off, is it not the oppositions (excluding Bradford) have sussed out our two major (only?) attacking threats, and we’ve yet to find the solution to it?

Not a new theme as we struggled in games last season when the opposition let us have the ball, but then we managed to grind out results against lesser players.

* Clifton unavailable for that game

In reference to the Huddersfield game, you are essentially saying Grant was out coached in game.

Didn’t intend it to come across as strong as that , we were good that game.  Grant was out coaching Grant for 30 mins, more even after that.  Combination of their stronger squad/couple of concentration lapses did for us