Just Back?

Any chance of a ‘Just back’ thread please
(Sorry I couldn’t be there today)

It's a fair old trek!

They’ve still got an hour or so to drive haven’t they?

Ok I will dive in with a few observations.and they are precisely that observations NOT criticisms. First time I've seen them this season. Much better quality players compared to last season  who are hard working and well organised. Very disciplined but not much flair or pace. Definitely need 1 or 2 left footed players, far too much time wasted by players cutting back to get it on to their favoured foot. We have been transformed into a mini lincoln, it's long balls ,hard work, long throws with attempted quick breaks. Trouble is that with no pace you're going to struggle with that strstegy! We created very little  and it's very reliant on the impressive Hanson winning headers and the rest feeding off those knockdowns.
FGR were much nicer on the eye despite them playing the ref like a fiddle all game and going down like they'd been shot. They were the only team really looking to win the game and they'd argue (probably rightly) that they deserved their bit of luck for all the probing and nice clever football they'd played in the previous 75 mins. We created very little and looked like we'd come for the point. We won't go down but we'd  need a bit more to be challengers.
Impressed with new boys hewitt, Hanson green (especislly) and whitehouse.hess and Davis looked good but Clifton was poor.Moses is going to be a marmite player, looks like he could be a handful but made a couple of v poor decisions, hanging on to the ball for too long. Overall much more effective and efficient than last season but it won't great to watch. We really need a player like their no.14 adams

Been back ages all kebabed and cidered up
Brief synopsis:
They had lots of possession but did nothing threatening with it
We looked the more dangerous of the two first half, they did second half
They passed it a lot square and backwards, we were largely direct
When we got it down we were pedestrian

They fell down a lot and the ref bought it and had cheery conversations with their players
Friendly ground and people, totally devoid of atmosphere
Odd experience to be on a country lane with passing places less than 100m from the ground
Excellent cider
AWFUL vegan burgers. Disappointed to learn that they’re not actually made out of vegans, surely a trades’ description transgression right there?

All in all a very forgettable game

My takeaway (apart from the kebab made from animals when I got home) is: it’s ok to go direct, but not at the expense of some pass and move at pace when the opportunity presents

To be fair, if they’re at home they’re going to look more like they are trying to win it. Agree though - think it’s pragmatic for us to adopt the approach we have but we need more attacking and creative impetus from midfield, missing since we lost Embleton, and I hope Jolley is on the case to address it.?

What was so striking is the change in approach.It's almost like we've got a new manager, the idealistic young coach has suddenly been transformed into a mini Cowley, it's all about effectiveness, directness, discipline and hard work. It was a Paul Hurst ' keep us shape' performance. Can't say I enjoy it but if it improves us then who am I to be critical?

Depends how much you read into this sort of stuff but our xG was 2.0 while FGR was down at 0.7. Obviously this data eliminates the human factor but it shows how little we allowed FGR to create.

That said, using the same stats, FGR have barely created in their other games either and have taken the good chance presented to them in each game. Their luck will run out eventually.

We failed to stop FGR 's keeper playing the Beckanbauer role. He enabled their wing backs to be advanced which tied up Green and Ogbu. Wright or a fit? Vernam could have played in advance of Hanson to disrupt their leisurely faffing around at the back. Jolley just let it happen til it was too late. Played it like a pre season game.

Locals here wondered why we didn't sing 'we urinate on your fish'!

The main thing I took from the match was, I am glad town do not play football like FGR. No wonder they get small no vocal crowds. I would not buy a ticket to watch that every week.
I has been said we did not let them play, but all the passing across their defence even when they did have options to go forward I do not think they wanted to play football.