To anyone who went to Barrow on Saturday

[Mad Dog]

The reason I decided to ask about the Barrow game from those who went, like I did against Bath is because listening on the radio and watching a match can give two very distinct different views. I don't consider the above post one before this one excellent because it is far too early to draw conclusions. Whilst we've heard the negatives, we've also heard that there have been positives in the two away games, which given time may help eliminate the negatives.

Take the Osano example. Stuart up until November last year, for me was a bit of liability in defence. After that point, he seemed to settle in and became a key part of our defence. Let's give Osano time, especially given his age.

Tomlin was going to be missed regardless. I feel it will take time for the team to get over his loss and thus we need to be patient with the team on that matter.

Midfield is going take a while, just like it did last year. Partnerships will take time to develop.

This is not me casting judgement. I've seen one league game so far this year and thus I, myself cannot cast judgement this team. It is far too early anyway, unless anyone is suggesting that Eastbourne and Hayes & Yeading will be promotion contenders based upon the current table.

My gut feeling is someone will get a hammering and that might prove to be the spark that brings everything together. Of course I could be entirely wrong, but just as I say it is too early for me to cast judgement, that also means it is too early for me to question my belief that we can have a decent season.

[Dukes]

Made the same points elsewhere. Biggest loss for me is Terry - linked defence to attack - the oil in the machine.

[Jemfy]

Dave also said we dominated for the first hour. Now if we'd been under the cosh all game I'd say we're in the shit. All we're missing is a little craft and a goalscorer, it doesn't seem a million miles away to me once we get all our strikers available again.
I'm actually looking forward to seeing Cousins back :oops: , he aint a worldbeater but he's steady and we need that right now.

And Dave is right, we did dominate for the first hour, yet we still didn't get a shot on target I don't think. Not that I remember anyway. We're missing a lot of craft in midfield, and creativity. Last season, even in the games with Tomlin missing and against better sides we always created chances, we created very few against a poor team, I think the problem is partially confidence related, but partially tactical as well.

I'm not saying we're terrible, or we are in the shit, I'm saying we probably miss Stone's input. Last season we would have crafted more/better efforts on goal wheras we were reduced to shooting from outside the area. Free kicks on the edge of the area were near but not on target, plan b was to change the taker, not try something different.

[Dukes]

Didn't Barnet lose 7 - 0 yesterday..?

[Jemfy]

Didn't Barnet lose 7 - 0 yesterday..?

Your point being?

[Three of Diamonds]

I still don't see how it's a tactical problem, seems to me to be a lack of "power/ mentality" and experience. We've tried 2 formations and neither have produced a win (yet). We can only put the right players in the right positions when they're available. IMO, Jamie Day, Faz and O'Connor will strengthen the team on their return. There's better to come from this team, but for now it must believe in itself and simply work harder. The problem is in front of goal, not all over the pitch.

[jimbobjaw]

I still don't see how it's a tactical problem, seems to me to be a lack of "power/ mentality" and experience. We've tried 2 formations and neither have produced a win (yet). We can only put the right players in the right positions when they're available. IMO, Jamie Day, Faz and O'Connor will strengthen the team on their return. There's better to come from this team, but for now it must believe in itself and simply work harder. The problem is in front of goal, not all over the pitch.

The tactical problem for me was that we seemed to play a side that fitted 4-3-3, yet we played 4-4-2. For me, as Dave says, Johnson is not a right winger, but I would also say Charles is not a striker. Personally I think if we had have played the 3 in midfield with Green and Charles on the flanks with Howe almost playing up on his own, we would have had a better balance.

Hopefully though, we will start to get some players back from injury, and the side will start to gel together over the next few weeks...well in time for Bank Holiday Monday at least :lol:

[rushandd]

I did not go to Barrow or Bath but from reports read and listened to on the PC there a few fundamental differences this season.

First game we let in a silly goal, mostly Osano's fault, but luckily we drew level in the final minute of extra time.

Second game, we dominated 1st half and conceded 2 goals to a weak side who have just been promoted to the conference.

Third game, we dominated 1st half and conceded 2 2nd half goals and had our captain and main motivator and defender sent off, and will miss 3 games, I believe. This against a team we trounced twice last season.

What has changed : Tomlin gone
Stone gone and replaced by Driver
Terry gone
Byrne gone
Downer gone.

Loss of Tomlin - loss of an impact player who had imagination and skill.
Loss of Stone replaced by Driver - potential loss of good tactician, motivator and trainer replaced by youth team coach who may not hold any of these strengths, particularly potentially fitness as there seems too many injuries for my liking ( possibly due players not being fully fit initially) and we seem to die in the 2nd half.
Loss of Terry - good mainstay in defensive midfield and someone who used the ball simply and well.
Loss of Byrne - loss of someone who broke out of defence quickly and joined the attack immediately. At present we are too slow out of defence into attack alowing the opposing side ample of time to recover to their defensive positions.
Downer - loss of a defender who was mostly switched on, all of the game, had pace and used the ball wisely through Terry out of Defence. I am afraid Curtis Osano has only one of these ( pace ).

It's going to be a tough year unless Justin can show that last year was no fluke and that he can build a team from very rough material. I sincerely hope and pray that he can.

Ditto for me excellent post

[Jemfy]

I still don't see how it's a tactical problem, seems to me to be a lack of "power/ mentality" and experience. We've tried 2 formations and neither have produced a win (yet). We can only put the right players in the right positions when they're available. IMO, Jamie Day, Faz and O'Connor will strengthen the team on their return. There's better to come from this team, but for now it must believe in itself and simply work harder. The problem is in front of goal, not all over the pitch.

We had a complete lack of ideas going forwards. When Stone was here you could see him micro managing everything on the pitch, tactics boards, barking orders along side Justin. Every player knew exactly what he was to go out there and do. I think Johnson certainly could have done with some of that against Barrow. If you wouldn't call lack of ideas going forwards and invention in play a tactical problem then it's the players just not being good enough.

O'Connor certainly will, and Faz is always a useful player, if we are still in 4-4-2 it will be about patnerships. Jamie Day might be more use as a kick up the backside to Robinson than to actually play, or maybe as a midfielder, I'm fast going off Green, but then again we've signed another from peterborough...

The problem isn't only in front of goal, it's in midfield as well. If you can't work a chance to get someone through on goal against Barrow from more than a narrow angle (Howe's chance which hit the crossbar) so that the keeper has to work, then something is wrong IMO. Barrow were poor, as poor as last season, and last season we made Deasey who was in goal for them move a lot and make a number of saves as well as picking it out the net 6 times. We made Martin make 1.

Of course there is better to come from this team. If there wasn't we'd be screwed! :lol: We haven't actually played too badly, but we give the ball away in the final third, we don't make the goalkeepers work, in 3 games we have had about 5 shots on target, scored one, and one was a penalty. Granted we have played 3 teams with a bit of a backs to the wall style, it might be easier to work a chance against sides with more open styles of play, but we need to be able to break down anyone if we want to do well.

[Three of Diamonds]

I think you're most likely correct about the drop in the quality of the midfeild players, however I still don't think we've seen our best XI. I'd like to see Huke as the holding man with Power pushing on in support of the front players (3rd man), personally I think he could pick the passes so long as the front runners make the moves.