Maxwell

[jmt23]

I kind of disagree, the disappointing thing for me was how poor a team they were, there was no threat from them at all really apart from a long range effort ( good strike btw) using the wind to great effect - something I’m baffled we didn’t try from anywhere when attacking that goal - you catch it cleanly enough with that wind, a nightmare for the keeper.

I’m not sure what was wrong, but the team didn’t look anywhere near there recent levels. Bailey was very quiet ( not sure if that early JO challenge hurt him more than he showed). Broadbent was really bad too - I thought Crewe was the better player on the pitch, and then Hanlan also looked ok.

It only takes a few more performances like that and we’re bang in trouble.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

For me the problem with Billy is that he's clearly still got ability. But not from the start, he should be having cameos now not the main man.  Hanlan offers us far more and our record when he starts shows that.

Maxwell did not have his greatest game but he wasn't that bad.  I don't think anyone was bad (Ajayi maybe) but equally nobody stood out either and that's the problem.

The quality in this league isn't amazing, even we are not far from being capable, it's fairly obvious where the problems lie.

[NickDRFC]

Unfortunately Sharp is a bit of a liability. The way he spoke to the ref after he blew for half time. Remember home to Bradford last season. He throws his arms around a lot.
Not having a go at him but….

He’s just completely gone and only me has dared say it this season. He’s living of reputation. I said last season giving him another year was a bad decision based on emotion, and I think I’m right.

Decisions like that compound and end up causing issues down the line.

Turning down big offers for players that are not particularly good, another poor decision.

The list goes on.

ncRover incoming…


Thought he was very poor tonight. We look a much better team with Hanlan leading the line.

[Fal]

Hanlan needs to start ahead of Sharp, he is the only one capable of holding the ball up and brining others into play. Sharp is playing like Ironside was last season, backing into defenders, getting manhandled and thrown to the floor no foul given and we ultimately lose the ball. Hanlan is stronger and can hold them off.

[ncRover]

Hanlan needs to start ahead of Sharp, he is the only one capable of holding the ball up and brining others into play. Sharp is playing like Ironside was last season, backing into defenders, getting manhandled and thrown to the floor no foul given and we ultimately lose the ball. Hanlan is stronger and can hold them off.

The lesson in target man play was from Wootton tonight. Brilliant player.

[Blue Green Algae]

Unfortunately Sharp is a bit of a liability. The way he spoke to the ref after he blew for half time. Remember home to Bradford last season. He throws his arms around a lot.
Not having a go at him but….

He’s just completely gone and only me has dared say it this season. He’s living of reputation. I said last season giving him another year was a bad decision based on emotion, and I think I’m right.

Decisions like that compound and end up causing issues down the line.

Turning down big offers for players that are not particularly good, another poor decision.

The list goes on.

These are all Grant's decisions. What, if anything, do you think he does well as a manager?

[selby]

  Billy is the best we have got in the box has positional sense, quick feet, and physical strength.
  The last thing he should be doing is running about the field trying to be a link man as well, he should just get in the box and others get the ball in there for him and he will score goals.
  We need better players all over the park, especially down the centre of the field.

[GazLaz]

Unfortunately Sharp is a bit of a liability. The way he spoke to the ref after he blew for half time. Remember home to Bradford last season. He throws his arms around a lot.
Not having a go at him but….

He’s just completely gone and only me has dared say it this season. He’s living of reputation. I said last season giving him another year was a bad decision based on emotion, and I think I’m right.

Decisions like that compound and end up causing issues down the line.

Turning down big offers for players that are not particularly good, another poor decision.

The list goes on.

These are all Grant's decisions. What, if anything, do you think he does well as a manager?

He’s a great man manager and leader.

He recognises players with good character and gets everyone pulling in the same direction.

I think he’s a genuinely good bloke, which is probably quite rare in that profession!

I think our out of possession stuff is pretty good generally.

Give him a group of players that are in the top handful ability wise in a division, and hes as certain to deliver as anyone.

He’s good at lots of things.

[Blue Green Algae]

I'd agreed with that Gaz. Sadly I think he is blind to his limitations and the club are too, and he's ended up with too much sway in areas where he's lacking

[BillyStubbsTears]

Dropping Clifton and Hanlan for Crew and Sharp was a Very Bad Decision.

You can criticise that without thinking McCann should be burned at the stake.

[Padge_DRFC]

Bailey looked lost last night in the role he was asked to do

[Filo]

Bailey looked lost last night in the role he was asked to do

I think Bailey struggled after the leg breaker from Olowu

[Blue Green Algae]

Dropping Clifton and Hanlan for Crew and Sharp was a Very Bad Decision.

You can criticise that without thinking McCann should be burned at the stake.

Not sure I've seen anyone going that far, but sure...

[pib]

Dropping Clifton and Hanlan for Crew and Sharp was a Very Bad Decision.

You can criticise that without thinking McCann should be burned at the stake.

I agree and I wonder what motivated that decision? Presumably rotation and trying to keep players fresh who have recently come back from injury?

What's become clear in recent weeks, to me at least, is that we look a much better side with Broadbent, Clifton and Hanlan starting. All three have been maligned at times (me included), they're not perfect, and we'll certainly still lose games with them playing, but I think building around those three as well as Mols and the two first choice full-backs gives us a chance of consolidation this season. We do need a good January though.

[Usher wide.]

I might be wrong but I think Clifton was carrying an injury which was why Crew was playing from the start.

You couldn’t find a nicer lad than Owen Bailey. The fact that he wouldn’t acknowledge Olowu’s ‘gestures of innocence & concern’ at the end of the game spoke volumes to me about what Owen felt about the ‘tackle’.

I’d like to see the state of Owen’s leg today.

As a professional footballer….no, as a man, how can you celebrate a promotion on the pitch with arms outstretched & hands ‘trembling’, bringing an ever increasing volume from the supporters to a roar not once but three times then when you face those very same players you celebrated with AND the captain you played & won a medal under produce a ‘tackle’ like that on that same man & expect him to shake your hand at the end of the game.

Joseph Olowu, you can shove your ‘Christianity’ up your a**e.

[jmt23]

That’s the game, no point getting all angry about it, players and managers move on and kiss another badge.
The tackle was a shocker, but I doubt he intended it to be as such, but you never know.
He’s been in the wars recently Owen, two potential leg breaking challenges going in on him.

[scawsby steve]

I might be wrong but I think Clifton was carrying an injury which was why Crew was playing from the start.

You couldn’t find a nicer lad than Owen Bailey. The fact that he wouldn’t acknowledge Olowu’s ‘gestures of innocence & concern’ at the end of the game spoke volumes to me about what Owen felt about the ‘tackle’.

I’d like to see the state of Owen’s leg today.

As a professional footballer….no, as a man, how can you celebrate a promotion on the pitch with arms outstretched & hands ‘trembling’, bringing an ever increasing volume from the supporters to a roar not once but three times then when you face those very same players you celebrated with AND the captain you played & won a medal under produce a ‘tackle’ like that on that same man & expect him to shake your hand at the end of the game.

Joseph Olowu, you can shove your ‘Christianity’ up your a**e.

What's Christianity got to do with it? I think you'll find that many footballers are Christians, especially foreign players and black players, and they all make crunching tackles at some point. What's your point?

At the end of the day, it was an awful tackle from Olowu, and he should have walked. I doubt if his intentions were to hurt Owen.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Olowu has gone way down in my estimation of him as a man last night.

Footballers know when they have made a shocking challenge. What he wouldn't have known was whether Bailey was seriously injured. I'd expect most players in that scenario to at least go and see how Bailey was. But he just walked away, ignoring him.

I suspect THAT is why Bailey refused to shake his hand at the end.

As a player, Olowu has always had all the physical attributes required. But anyone who's watched him for several years also knows that there's always some shockingly bad judgement call just round the corner with him.

That's what that foul was last night. He totally misjudged his ability to get to the ball. As a result he made an appalling challenge which, 19 times out of 20 would see him walk and his side probably lose a game where they were clearly superior to us.

That's why I don't expect him to play any higher than this. And frankly after that challenge and his response to it, I bear him any goodwill for his career. If he carries on with judgement like that, he'll finish someone's playing days.

[scawsby steve]

Olowu has gone way down in my estimation of him as a man last night.

Footballers know when they have made a shocking challenge. What he wouldn't have known was whether Bailey was seriously injured. I'd expect most players in that scenario to at least go and see how Bailey was. But he just walked away, ignoring him.

I suspect THAT is why Bailey refused to shake his hand at the end.

As a player, Olowu has always had all the physical attributes required. But anyone who's watched him for several years also knows that there's always some shockingly bad judgement call just round the corner with him.

That's what that foul was last night. He totally misjudged his ability to get to the ball. As a result he made an appalling challenge which, 19 times out of 20 would see him walk and his side probably lose a game where they were clearly superior to us.

That's why I don't expect him to play any higher than this. And frankly after that challenge and his response to it, I bear him any goodwill for his career. If he carries on with judgement like that, he'll finish someone's playing days.

Dead right, BST, although you've made a bit of a typo there; I think you mean you don't bear him any goodwill for his career.

I remember him making a similar rash tackle against Harrogate a couple of seasons ago that gave them a penalty from which they won the game.

[mushRTID]

Olowu has gone way down in my estimation of him as a man last night.

Footballers know when they have made a shocking challenge. What he wouldn't have known was whether Bailey was seriously injured. I'd expect most players in that scenario to at least go and see how Bailey was. But he just walked away, ignoring him.

I suspect THAT is why Bailey refused to shake his hand at the end.

As a player, Olowu has always had all the physical attributes required. But anyone who's watched him for several years also knows that there's always some shockingly bad judgement call just round the corner with him.

That's what that foul was last night. He totally misjudged his ability to get to the ball. As a result he made an appalling challenge which, 19 times out of 20 would see him walk and his side probably lose a game where they were clearly superior to us.

That's why I don't expect him to play any higher than this. And frankly after that challenge and his response to it, I bear him any goodwill for his career. If he carries on with judgement like that, he'll finish someone's playing days.

There’s a video on Twitter from the Stockport end.

After Bailey pulled their lad down near the end, Olowu came over to Owen and looked as if he was saying something along the lines of “Bails, come on mate what was that”

Bailey looked like he told him in no uncertain terms where to go.

[Nudga]

I said when Olowu got booked that we should have targeted him in the final third, he'd have been shit scared to make a tackle in or near the area.
Sadly, we don't tend to look for weak links or suspect players.

[idler]

I think that what makes it worse is that Joe obviously knows how near Bailey came to have his career finished as a young lad at Newcastle. To then put a challenge like that in on a player that you have played with for two seasons is unforgivable in my eyes.
He showed no interest or compassion after the challenge on a former captain and colleague.

[GazLaz]

I guarantee Joe didn’t try to smash Bails without taking the ball. I guarantee you he tried to take the ball and then smash him, and got it wrong.

If you get it wrong you should get punished though and that’s where we were let down.

[idler]

I remember a young Barry Swallow breaking I think it was Pete Donnelly’s leg in a match at Belle Vue in the late 50s I think. They had been team mates in the junior or intermediate side. He was in tears as the stretcher carried his mate off.
In most games, a player goes to the man they have injured even if they don’t mean it. Joe acted as though he didn’t expect a card and just went away. It is a good job that the likes of Alan Little aren’t still playing or Joe wouldn’t have lasted the 90 minutes in one piece.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I guarantee Joe didn’t try to smash Bails without taking the ball. I guarantee you he tried to take the ball and then smash him, and got it wrong.

If you get it wrong you should get punished though and that’s where we were let down.

I don't doubt that. I don't think there are many pros who deliberately aim to maim an opponent with that sort of challenge. But his judgement was terrible, and whether it's deliberate or not hardly matters when you challenge like that. It's reckless.

And the issue with Olowu has always been his judgement. When he's good he is superb defender, but there's always a car crash of a decision in the post.

[drfchound]

I guarantee Joe didn’t try to smash Bails without taking the ball. I guarantee you he tried to take the ball and then smash him, and got it wrong.

If you get it wrong you should get punished though and that’s where we were let down.

I don't doubt that. I don't think there are many pros who deliberately aim to maim an opponent with that sort of challenge. But his judgement was terrible, and whether it's deliberate or not hardly matters when you challenge like that. It's reckless.

And the issue with Olowu has always been his judgement. When he's good he is superb defender, but there's always a car crash of a decision in the post.

Frueidian slip, but appropriate.