Bloody awful

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Werthers Original
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Bloody awful

Post by Werthers Original »

Don't want to state the obvious too much but that second half was bloody awful. As soon as they equalised it was obvious we wouldn't be able to come back, and if the winner wasn't exactly deserved it wasn't unexpected. We are weaker since the transfer window - Bowery looks a worse player than Hoban, and Maguire flatters to deceive. They are all knackered and the squad is too thin. However I still have some trust in App to turn it round with two away games.
Mr T
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Mr T »

Before the game I would have said it was more of a 'Mustn't lose' rather than 'Must win' game, but credit to John Coleman for getting 11 players on the field after all the suspensions and injuries. They obviously have a strong mental attitude that maybe we could do with a bit of right now. Still a third of the season to go, and 45 points to fight for, and we will now see what MApp and Co have in the locker. Is there a Plan B? Have felt for some time that we seem to rely too much on the mighty triumvirate of Sercombe, Roofe & Lundstram. Many argue that a steady team is preferable to squad rotation, but there is always a risk of burn out. Players need a mental, let alone a physical rest from time to time. Only a couple of days to prepare to 'go again', and Exeter is not always a good place to visit.

On a completely unrelated topic; why do we have those ridiculous jackets when we walk out? They get discarded straight away! Reminds me of Leeds in the early 70s when they had special lapels on their socks as well that they handed to the crowd at the start of play. Ditch them, please!
Bring back the black away shirt!
Shoobedoo
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Shoobedoo »

Worst performance of the season without question, and we save it for possibly the most important game of the season. Absolutely no reflection on JJK but with Baldock gone we have no outlet. Neither Roofe (or Maguire when he plays on the left) or Macca are out-and-out wingers and so the crosses have dried up. We have to play at least one of O'Dowda or Ismael from the start. Why Hylton is not first choice up top also confuses me.

Sercs and Lundstram (particularly) look very jaded at the moment and need a rest. Who is there to replace them though?

Defensively we were very shaky. Is it time to recall Max? Neither of our current custodians fill me with any confidence whatsoever.

We need to learn to win ugly.

I'm worried that our season peaked with Exeter (h), Notts C (a), Swansea (h), Millwall (a).
Jimski
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Jimski »

Well, I guess psychologically I no longer *expect* us to go up, so can merely live in hope, which is a little easier.

Has anyone got a comparison of results of matches with and without Hylton in the starting line-up?
OUFC4eva
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Re

Post by OUFC4eva »

The defence does not look secure and the rotation
of our goalkeepers is not helping for sure.

Since the start of the new year we have conceded
two goals against Notts County, Swansea City,
Mansfield, Morecambe and Accrington.

Blackburn also put three past us and we have lost five
of our last six home games. We are poor again at
Grenoble Road.

Accrington thoroughly deserved their victory
after dealing better with the difficult conditions.
It was always going to be tough second half
in the face of a gale force wind but the
end result was disastrous.
Dr Bob
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Dr Bob »

Given how well those same players (more or less) had been playing just a few weeks ago, it got to the point yesterday afternoon where I almost found it funny how ineptly they were playing. The difference was so vast, it was as if they were trying to do that, because surely they had not really suddenly become Sunday morning park players (with apologies to Sunday morning park players). They could not control the ball, could not pass to teammates, could not win a single 50/50 (or even 60/40), they dithered and dallied as if they had never seen a football before. It was a complete shambles.

Apparently Appleton thinks that all those people asking why Rose was let go (forget who to) are insulting Ruffels and Ashby. But they are too inexperienced and too lightweight physically to be substantive replacements for Lunds and Sercombe.

Some people on RadOx were linking the drop off in form to the departure of Baldock, but is that not just a spurious correlation? You could just as reasonably say it was the departure of Ashton. How does the departure of Baldock explain players' inability to hit a pass or win a 50/50?
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Old Abingdonian »

I share the sense of awfulness, but I think the departure of Baldock (and the absence of Wright) were clearly factors.

Baldock was the go-to player for an attack, perhaps sometimes when others were not performing so well. I fear Dunkley, while he has strengths, isn't good enough. He did not do well for either goal yesterday.

I agree with the comments about the players looking tired and jaded. However, I think the wind was important. It seemed that our players realised that the passes had to be shorter. Stanley realised that it was then easier to close us down, because we were unlikely to try the 20 yard pass, let alone the 40 yard one. Then, we dithered. The way we lost possession for their first goal was laughable.

In terms of goalkeepers, I generally think Büchel is better, but someone who knows more than I do can tell me whether he was at fault for their first yesterday, or whether it was Kee's skill (after Dunkley had missed the header)
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Werthers Original wrote:However I still have some trust in App to turn it round with two away games.
The difference between our home and away form is really startling. It's not just these past three games either, but over the whole season our home record is bottom half of the table stuff. Plus ca change...
Ancient Colin
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Ancient Colin »

Well, that was dispiriting. I've been reluctant to comment because you could argue that I'm the albatross around the neck when it comes to my sporadic visits to the Kass. The wind was clearly a problem but I'm not sure that really explains how frequently we gave the ball away and why we kept pulling out of 50-50s. As others have said, the central midfield looked jaded, Sercombe slightly less, but even he looked leggy. But (and this may also have been said, in which case apologies), compared to last time I saw them (plus TV), they seem to be playing one forward, one back, which really narrows the midfield and makes it easy to swamp and stop - which they duly did and then exploited the space available. That, as much as anything, contributed to their better handling of the conditions, although generally they seemed to set up better for it all round. If you are going to keep that stacked formation, then the wider midfielders need to come in more, to tuck in - which didn't really happen (MacDonald to an extent did) and also then demands that the full backs come forward more - so Baldock's departure looks significant in that light. But an easier solution would be to have S and L more level, with the back line further up the pitch. My first look at Bowery, very disappointing. Someone that big really shouldn't be being dominated, and if he's a touch player then that's a pretty bad touch. And his panic on the near one and one on the keeper was pretty bad (I'd bet the house that we'd have won if he'd got that, mind). The shocker, though, was Roofe. What's happened there? Was he expecting to move in January and has become disengaged? Hylton once again didn't show much of the bundle of energy that he was at the end of last and the start of this season, maybe he needs more game time for fitness?

The real bad for me was it really made me think about how much I want to make the trek over from the Fens - and the answer is really not a lot any more. 2.5 hours there, nearly 3.5 hours back, little time to chat to friends, little atmosphere in the ground and woeful fare on the pitch. I still like what (I think) Appleton's trying to do, but I am really not sure that I can justify the time and disappointment, particularly with cycling season looming.
Matt D
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Re: Bloody awful

Post by Matt D »

Dr Bob wrote:Some people on RadOx were linking the drop off in form to the departure of Baldock, but is that not just a spurious correlation? You could just as reasonably say it was the departure of Ashton. How does the departure of Baldock explain players' inability to hit a pass or win a 50/50?
well not entirely, but I can see the logic to some extent here. baldock provided another outlet which offered an option for players, took the ball out of our third, and kept us moving forward. the other outlet we had was through the middle, and teams have noticed this and stopped it (wycombe, bristol, blackburn, milwall, northampton, etc.).

without the additional outlet that baldock offered, that means that the ball keeps coming back, players have fewer options with the ball, and are under more pressure - hence more likely to make mistakes.

not that that's an excuse for saturday. I said after twenty minutes I was surprised that accrington weren't marking lundstrum more closely, and weren't doing what teams have done when we've played dunkley: marked mullins when we play from the back so the ball has to go through dunkley, and we often lose the resulting ball upfield. I could only assume accrington had decided to play their own game and let Us worry about that, rather than trying to stop Us. and with that performance and result, who can argue with that strategy?..

:cry:
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