Lost 2-0 tonight in front of 169 Supporters. Gave away a sloppy goal after only 2 Minutes. Played well until the 18 box but nobody there to put it away. Need a striker. Then in the second half gave away another poor goal. Improvement needed on Saturday.
Thought it was a bit of a difficult evening, really. Once we'd been woken up by the early goal, the play until the eighteen yard box was as good as we've seen: really dominated the ball for long periods, with a bright tempo and a variety of passing. All of that was excellent, bar a couple of avoidable errors for the goals.
But all of that football amounted to not very much. We created one clear-cut chance for Daniel Ajakaiye, which he completely fluffed and then his confidence visibly evaporated. He looks a lively, quick player and may well have goals in him, but we play so much football for every chance we create that there's enormous pressure whenever anyone actually glimpses goal. He needs a break, either of the lucky-deflection variety or the having-a-rest variety. Their keeper made a brilliant save to keep out a drive from Kelvin Ogboe, but every goal seems like it needs about two weeks' build-up currently, perhaps involving written notice to the League on headed notepaper, such is the effort involved.
By the end, following Ajakaiye's substitution, we gave the impression of clutching at straws somewhat. That impression may be wrong, but Chris Agutter has himself raised expectations for this season and I fear people will be considerably less forgiving of a well-coached young side that can't score than they were last time around. Goals aren't the icing on the cake; they're the whole point of the exercise. This is a potentially terrific side, but it'll rapidly unravel unless it can win games.
Some nice play, but pretty much always a slow build up from the back, from which we were badly caught out for the second goal. Whilst route one football isn't always great to watch, and all the while we don't have a big target man up front, sometimes we need to mix it up a bit.
Thought we really made a massive effort towards the end of the match, the team is clearly very fit, not sure why Cruttwell didn't start, and when he did he was pushed up. Who was the number 15 playing wide? looked quite useful. I personally don't think we are far from being a good side, just need that big striker ASAP
I don't like criticizing before a ball is kick in anger but I don't think the balance of the side looks right.
Yes we have got some talented young players and I'm all for going down the route of mixing them with experienced players, but....
I feel that too many of the players that are too similar (quick with no end ball)
We have no height in midfield or up front.
We do not have a striker who will score at least every other match (Why have we not got a striker in. Surely we wasn't going to rely on Rodari for all our goals).
And I think Crutts is wasted in defence.
We in the same position again ... no striker ...all the same since Billy Medlock left
I'm not even sure that the solution has to involve a striker, to be honest. It seems to me that the failing is a lack of bodies in the box, particularly tall bodies. We get a lot of good possession from skillful, quick players in wide areas...and then at the moment when we could be flipping an early ball into the box before the defence has set itself, there's nobody to hit and we're either going backwards again or taking on the full-back to work a better position. You don't have to hit that early cross every time, but the threat of it coming in and potentially being won has to exist, I think, and it'd all look different if it did.
That would be helped by a more physically aggressive striker, but unless the system changes, you've still only got one player to contest that cross. So while the attention is all focused on Daniel Ajakaiye, you've got to ask for more from the likes of Ansu Janneh and Dayshonne Golding, who could commit themselves more to supporting him and could be more physical in doing so; you've got to demand that they get in there and score some scruffy goals at the far post. Alternatively, you play someone like Jack Dixon or Sam Cruttwell, someone with a bit of height and muscle, and tell them that you want them piling into the penalty spot every time the ball goes wide and that the cross /will/ be coming, that that's their job and someone else is taking care of business deeper in midfield.
Team game, after all.
-- Edited by mr_ig on Wednesday 8th of August 2018 01:57:41 PM
I hope I come back to eat my words Mr IG but I won’t be nervous if I am wrong
Just can’t stop thinking of what could of been with that great late run last season with a Billy Medlock character .... what do I know , as you said it could all come from the midfield
-- Edited by ChrisVanRock on Wednesday 8th of August 2018 08:10:49 PM
You must have a striker who scores 25 goals or more in a season to be a serious contender for promotion.
Well, yes, maybe...probably...but you're going to need fifty-ish goals from elsewhere too, so that means some midfielders hitting double figures. And those midfielders and their goals make the task of the striker getting his twenty-ish considerably easier because the whole team is harder to defend against. That's really my point: there's a lot of pressure on one player at the moment and that pressure ought to be shared around.
