Just Back

Forgot to say in my first post that Mackreth was awful and how he lasted 90 mins, i'll never know. Hurst probably took off the more dangerous Marshall because he was "tired". Even then, Mackreth should have also gone to be replaced by Monkhouse on the left and switch Arnold to the right. In fact, that should have been done at half time. In fact x2, we should have started with Arnold and Monkey. Tired my ar$e. 6 fooking games into the season ffs.

I wasn't angry when i left the ground but the more i think about it, the more angry i get. Hurst said the other week that his aim is to have 2 good players for every position. Then what about the keeper you idiot?

I posted on another thread mckreth mom lol lol sat in the main stand just as it was announced .....  I couldn't believe it,Yeh he's got pace but can't cross a ball very rarely beats a man so all in all not much of a winger is he. Unfortunately he's not the only problem far from it

Macca kicking error nearly results in a goal.  Then his handling error gives a goal away at a critical time (nothing new this season).

The defence look unsettled and concede again (nothing new).

Both strikers miss good chances (nothing new).

We have enough chances to win the game - but don't (nothing new, on both counts).

The opposition score from very few chances (nothing new).

We are 12 points behind FGR (This is new - and unexpected).  

Just back and somewhat disheartened by today's events.  When your regular choice forwards both leave their shooting boots in the dressing room any manager would be in trouble. I listened to Alan Buckley on R.H. on the way home (I could actually listen to Buckley's views on the noble art of football 24/7) and he suggested that you need a "Craig" in the middle of the park-I'm assuming he meant Disley. The natural question to ask after that would have been to refer to whether he was match fit but unfortunately it wasn't asked. Disley isn't getting any younger (according to some on here his legs went ages ago) and he played like a man possessed on Saturday especially after the sending off. I don't ever think I've seen him play better and he is the only player I've ever given a 10 to in the match ratings. It cannot be that it is as simple as players must be able to play two games in 48 hours and you have to trust the judgement of the professional team that look after his welfare. What it does say though is that if we have to rely on him so much that is a clear weakness in what we have termed our strongest squad for years (although I readily accept that some posters on here had identified that a while ago.) After that (not so) brief diversion back to the point in hand. As is well chronicled on here I'm not Mackreth's biggest fan but I thought for the first half he was excellent. He got forward-a lot-and whipped in some decent crosses. Robinson also began well. He was in the thick of most of our decent moves in the first half and it was him generally who gave Mackreth the ball to do his stuff with. It is easy to blame Macca for the goal and he must take a lot of the flak but I'm amazed that both full backs have got away so lightly. Their guy put the cross in far too easily with Robertson a distinctly uninterested stander-by and Macca may have been worried about the guy who was stood on his own at the back post. At Alty I was utterly convinced that the ball was going out. I'm nowhere near as sure (and I was sat/stood in virtually the same position at both games) about today. As it happens Macca's weak flap did nowt to improve the situation. There is never a good time to concede a goal but some are far worse than others. No time to right the wrong before half time and it showed across the team in the body language.
Second half not only did Robinson disappear but for most of the time Clay joined him! I fully believe in the idea that football these days is a squad game but Marshall reminded me today of the Marshall we had the second time he was loaned to us. I've read a post that said that he was just getting into the game when he was subbed!? WTF!? He should have been busting a gut to ensure that Hurst couldn't think of a team sheet without his name on it. It was a tall order to expect JPP and Arnold to save the day especially given the formers lack of game time and I can barely remember Dis touching the ball. There is a whole thread devoted to "The strongest side". Well after today and the woeful in front of goal shenanigans I'm not even sure I know what our strongest front pair is. One of the best things about this season is that the service to the strikers is almost infintely better than last year. MOM (although it's a bit of a white elephant) Toto...
Finally a request:- Tempers are understandably a bit frayed on here tonight but it would be great if people could resist rubbishing Operation Promotion or using it as a stick to beat Paul Hurst and the club with. I'm not bothered for myself but there are people-some of whom post on here who have given up (and continue to do so) vast amounts of time to help with it-including people who work nights and then delay going to bed until they've processed rewards etc.

Lot of people highlighting the number of changes, but when I heard the team (apart from starting MacKreth) I thought it was good enough.
First 20 minutes we looked good, but our finishing was poor, then McKeown does an "Alty" and we went down hill from there.
Do we have no one who can cross or head?

Get an experienced goalkeeper in on loan, and give McKeown a prolonged break - I've always had my doubts over McKeown as a keeper (always acknowledged his shot-stopping ability but there's a lot more than that to a goalkeeper) and I just feel on edge every time a cross comes in to our box. If I'm feeling like that watching, I imagine it's twice as bad for our back four. Given McKeown's ineptitude with backpasses of late, I imagine that's another thing putting pressure on our defence - rather than feeling comfortable rolling it back to McKeown and resetting the play, our defence will be more inclined to turn out and clear it themselves.

Sometimes I question myself as to whether I'm too harsh on McKeown, but I'd be willing to put money on the amount of goals we conceded last season through him not claiming a cross outweighing the amount of goalbound attempts he stopped through a spectacular save. Time and time again we've seen the ball come across the 6 yard box allowing a tap-in at the back post, followed by McKeown tearing off his line to bollock his defence. If he was as inclined to come off his line in open play, he might not find himself in the situation where he feels the need to blame those in front of him...

Quoted from mariner91

I'm starting to wonder if Danny East could be the legs to go in there. I'm sure I've read that he's capable of playing across midfield as well as at full back?

That's not a bad shout....

Quoted from mariner91

The other thing that really gripped my shit today was terrible deliveries from great positions. Mackreth should have worked out by now that he cannot cross for love nor money so if he gets in behind the full back as he was doing today then he has to be hitting the by line and pulling it back. If you get there and pull it back across the six yard box and no striker is attacking the near post, that's the strikers fault and you've done your job. We've got two smart strikers, one of them will be there. If not, it's still a difficult ball to deal with and it may bobble into the box for a midfield runner or go out for a corner. We cannot keep wasting our good play like we do. At times in the first half we were splitting them apart only for the final ball to be lacking. Corners are shite too.

As I've said I thought Jack put in a couple or three decent crosses early doors but nowhere near consistent enough...

Quoted from barralad

Just back and somewhat disheartened by today's events.  When your regular choice forwards both leave their shooting boots in the dressing room any manager would be in trouble. I listened to Alan Buckley on R.H. on the way home (I could actually listen to Buckley's views on the noble art of football 24/7) and he suggested that you need a "Craig" in the middle of the park-I'm assuming he meant Disley. The natural question to ask after that would have been to refer to whether he was match fit but unfortunately it wasn't asked. Disley isn't getting any younger (according to some on here his legs went ages ago) and he played like a man possessed on Saturday especially after the sending off. I don't ever think I've seen him play better and he is the only player I've ever given a 10 to in the match ratings. It cannot be that it is as simple as players must be able to play two games in 48 hours and you have to trust the judgement of the professional team that look after his welfare. What it does say though is that if we have to rely on him so much that is a clear weakness in what we have termed our strongest squad for years (although I readily accept that some posters on here had identified that a while ago.) After that (not so) brief diversion back to the point in hand. As is well chronicled on here I'm not Mackreth's biggest fan but I thought for the first half he was excellent. He got forward-a lot-and whipped in some decent crosses. Robinson also began well. He was in the thick of most of our decent moves in the first half and it was him generally who gave Mackreth the ball to do his stuff with. It is easy to blame Macca for the goal and he must take a lot of the flak but I'm amazed that both full backs have got away so lightly. Their guy put the cross in far too easily with Robertson a distinctly uninterested stander-by and Macca may have been worried about the guy who was stood on his own at the back post. At Alty I was utterly convinced that the ball was going out. I'm nowhere near as sure (and I was sat/stood in virtually the same position at both games) about today. As it happens Macca's weak flap did nowt to improve the situation. There is never a good time to concede a goal but some are far worse than others. No time to right the wrong before half time and it showed across the team in the body language.
Second half not only did Robinson disappear but for most of the time Clay joined him! I fully believe in the idea that football these days is a squad game but Marshall reminded me today of the Marshall we had the second time he was loaned to us. I've read a post that said that he was just getting into the game when he was subbed!? WTF!? He should have been busting a gut to ensure that Hurst couldn't think of a team sheet without his name on it. It was a tall order to expect JPP and Arnold to save the day especially given the formers lack of game time and I can barely remember Dis touching the ball. There is a whole thread devoted to "The strongest side". Well after today and the woeful in front of goal shenanigans I'm not even sure I know what our strongest front pair is. One of the best things about this season is that the service to the strikers is almost infintely better than last year. MOM (although it's a bit of a white elephant) Toto...
Finally a request:- Tempers are understandably a bit frayed on here tonight but it would be great if people could resist rubbishing Operation Promotion or using it as a stick to beat Paul Hurst and the club with. I'm not bothered for myself but there are people-some of whom post on here who have given up (and continue to do so) vast amounts of time to help with it-including people who work nights and then delay going to bed until they've processed rewards etc.

Agreed. Not mentioned it myself and for me it has no bearing on our current position. Money will only take a team so far as plenty of wealthy sides have discovered. I'm more bothered about the waning optimism among the fans.

Quoted from lee65

Lot of people highlighting the number of changes, but when I heard the team (apart from starting MacKreth) I thought it was good enough.
First 20 minutes we looked good, but our finishing was poor, then McKeown does an "Alty" and we went down hill from there.
Do we have no one who can cross or head?

Just about everyone who came in today has had people on here saying they should be in the team on a permanent basis. Tait, Marshall, and particularly Clay fall into that category...which leaves.....