Saturday was really disappointing for a few reasons.
Firstly our home form had until recently been strong and it had become a bit of a fortress and I had felt confident we would get positive results each time we played at home. Now our home form has become worrying and coming off the back of the Salford defeat.
Secondly, aside from their number 5 Rawson and 9 Garner I thought Morecambe were a poor side and very much there for the taking of 3 points to kick us back up closer to the play offs, ye we have now slipped further down the table.
Thirdly I thought it highlighted even more so a poor January recruitment drive because with all due respect to Orsi it was crying out for a different attacking option of pace or power where we could play up to or beyond their back line to ask a different question of them. As well as Orsi has done this season moving forwards there are times he needs a rest or the team needs a different option so attacking options in the window were vital but haven’t been achieved.
Agree with these points completely.
I always sneak a watch of opposition players and management being interviewed after our games and I just got the feeling their boss was almost embarrassed (though delighted) to come away with 3 points. There’s no doubt they are a poor side and only won because of flashes of great play by their goal scorer in my view.
They were dreadful outside of those moments. Orsi is knackered and unable to fight physical battles against L2 defenders.
He needs help as I’ve said for bloody ages and repeatedly.
It was either scandalous complacency or a lack of support from the owners which allowed us to go through a whole transfer window and end up with basically the square root of zero.
Missed opportunities all round.
Agree on Orsi. He puts in a shift with little reward. Credit to him that he has scored as many as he has. Without the goals he’s going the way of Telford who had exactly the same problem, little or no support up front.
As SL prefers three at the back, and just one up front, that leaves us with 6 in midfield. So how the shit do we get overrun in midfield so often, oppo players run straight through us, and rarely a tackle in sight from us.
I get that with not enough players in defence why we are shipping so many goals, and I get that with just one up front why we are not scoring enough goals. Our overcrowded midfield is the puzzler. Just what do they do in training?
I don't think three at the back is the main problem. As I see it, the biggest problem we have is the lack of courage in the wide players.
At the start of the season, the wide players, Kellen, Nick and the wide CBs were taking players on, they were working overlaps and when the CBs were pushing up, some of the midfield fell back to fill in the gaps - Jay does this extremely well. At the that time - we would be playing or running into the space beyond the full backs and our wide players would be trying to get behind the defence.
Now, for the last couple of months, we have stopped playing the ball behind the full backs (or just in front) the wide players are picking the ball up much deeper and as soon as they come up against the full back, there is hesitation. Instead of pushing the ball forward and taking them on, they are turning back and passing inside or backwards. This compresses the space we have to work in and a simple press by the opposition puts us under pressure.
I don't understand why we keep turning back now when we have had so much success pushing forward in the wide areas earlier in the season.
I don't think three at the back is the main problem. As I see it, the biggest problem we have is the lack of courage in the wide players.
At the start of the season, the wide players, Kellen, Nick and the wide CBs were taking players on, they were working overlaps and when the CBs were pushing up, some of the midfield fell back to fill in the gaps - Jay does this extremely well. At the that time - we would be playing or running into the space beyond the full backs and our wide players would be trying to get behind the defence.
Now, for the last couple of months, we have stopped playing the ball behind the full backs (or just in front) the wide players are picking the ball up much deeper and as soon as they come up against the full back, there is hesitation. Instead of pushing the ball forward and taking them on, they are turning back and passing inside or backwards. This compresses the space we have to work in and a simple press by the opposition puts us under pressure.
I don't understand why we keep turning back now when we have had so much success pushing forward in the wide areas earlier in the season.
SCOTT LINDSEY'S RED ARMY!
Had a very similarr conversation on way back from game on Saturday as to why Gordon and Nick both seem to have stopped taking on defenders and more often stop and pass mostly back. No concensus but one suggestion was that it was a tactical move which doesn't seem sensible as you mentioned how well we did earlier in the season, I am baffledby it!
Sons FC makes some good observations there summing it up well.
I think the change of approach with Kellls Gordon is the most noticeable to me.
When he came to us initially he spend half his time bombing up the sidelines like a madman, trying to create and get crosses in.
We’re getting a much more muted version of Kells lately and it’s clearly a deliberate change from the management team.
I’m buggered if I know why, but then I’m not a manager!
In Scott we trust.
It's all coming from the management team. The tippy tappy suicidal stuff at the back, reining in the wingers, getting Corey to pass it out to Conroy (who usually gives it straight back) rather than launching it upfield to start an attack... I have no idea why we have gone so defensive. Which is a joke in itself as we can't defend. Our attacking threat - which was the reason we had such a good start to the season - has been blunted, seemingly deliberately. Now our performances are heading back to the mediocrity of the Betsy era.
But at least we have good passing and possession stats to keep Eben happy.