| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN 14:04 - Sep 28 with 15831 views | Edindale |
Hoping for entertainment and a good home win.
Important that we don't underestimate them. |  | | |  |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:31 - Sep 30 with 3792 views | D_Alien |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 10:16 - Sep 30 by BillyRudd |
I thought the best team on the day lost on Saturday. But for some woeful finishing they should have had three by half time.
Am in my 59th year of watching the "Mighty Dale" and for the first time in a long while I did,nt renew my season card. Part of my reasoning is that I recently moved away from Rochdale and so a home fixture is now a 200 mile round trip but the main reason was due to JM,s ethos on the game itself. I wanted to see how our new future would manifest itself on the pitch, because quite simply I don,t enjoy games anymore. I don,t blame Jim his walking chess on grass ethos is prevalent throughout the game.Its like a giant fun sponge where I sit waiting for something to happen, punctuated by panic as we adopt yet again the ludicrous tactic of playing out from the back. We were fortunate to get away with it on Saturday again Perversely I think this high risk strategy is at odds with why I think we often (not always)play with such a low tempo. I think it is instilled in the players by Jim that they play no risk football when it comes to passing forward. Hence the back four are slow at releasing the ball as they are reluctant to play any sort of wayward ball. To unlock teams you have to take risks yourselves and yes that does ensure you give the ball away more but it is also what makes a high tempo game, pulling opposition defences out of shape and getting behind them. It has been pointed out many times on here that we play best when we play at a faster pace. We have the ability to open teams up beautifully but we give teams far to much respect when we play this low tempo approach going forward.
Saturday was three points in the bag and judging by the animation at the final whistle at the antics with the players, that is good enough for some. That is fair enough and I understand it. Especially after the last few seasons we have had to endure. However that is enjoyed by the committed. The thick and thins for whom the club is a big part of their lives. Sadly I have to point out that Jims ethos has another consequence, however high we are up the table. I persuaded two friends, who whilst not strangers to Spotland are certainly not bread and butter regulars, to attend on Saturday. Suffice to say that the match post mortem left me in no doubt that it will be awhile before I can entice them to attend again.
As I say I acknowledge that football has changed but that said the walking passionless slow build fare on offer is sucking the excitement out of the stadium. The main stand is like a library nowadays.
On a positive note my two friends where very complimentary to the pies. So I ask myself is a play off spot and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos? [Post edited 30 Sep 10:20]
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Pretty much agree
The manager can't escape the overall plan for Dale under the Ogdens, which is to become self-sufficient through both a return to the EFL and growing the crowd. The latter simply won't happen, whatever our points total, under the current footballing 'ethos' |  |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:32 - Sep 30 with 3645 views | truenorth |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 10:16 - Sep 30 by BillyRudd |
I thought the best team on the day lost on Saturday. But for some woeful finishing they should have had three by half time.
Am in my 59th year of watching the "Mighty Dale" and for the first time in a long while I did,nt renew my season card. Part of my reasoning is that I recently moved away from Rochdale and so a home fixture is now a 200 mile round trip but the main reason was due to JM,s ethos on the game itself. I wanted to see how our new future would manifest itself on the pitch, because quite simply I don,t enjoy games anymore. I don,t blame Jim his walking chess on grass ethos is prevalent throughout the game.Its like a giant fun sponge where I sit waiting for something to happen, punctuated by panic as we adopt yet again the ludicrous tactic of playing out from the back. We were fortunate to get away with it on Saturday again Perversely I think this high risk strategy is at odds with why I think we often (not always)play with such a low tempo. I think it is instilled in the players by Jim that they play no risk football when it comes to passing forward. Hence the back four are slow at releasing the ball as they are reluctant to play any sort of wayward ball. To unlock teams you have to take risks yourselves and yes that does ensure you give the ball away more but it is also what makes a high tempo game, pulling opposition defences out of shape and getting behind them. It has been pointed out many times on here that we play best when we play at a faster pace. We have the ability to open teams up beautifully but we give teams far to much respect when we play this low tempo approach going forward.
Saturday was three points in the bag and judging by the animation at the final whistle at the antics with the players, that is good enough for some. That is fair enough and I understand it. Especially after the last few seasons we have had to endure. However that is enjoyed by the committed. The thick and thins for whom the club is a big part of their lives. Sadly I have to point out that Jims ethos has another consequence, however high we are up the table. I persuaded two friends, who whilst not strangers to Spotland are certainly not bread and butter regulars, to attend on Saturday. Suffice to say that the match post mortem left me in no doubt that it will be awhile before I can entice them to attend again.
As I say I acknowledge that football has changed but that said the walking passionless slow build fare on offer is sucking the excitement out of the stadium. The main stand is like a library nowadays.
On a positive note my two friends where very complimentary to the pies. So I ask myself is a play off spot and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos? [Post edited 30 Sep 10:20]
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DaleNet and TrueNorth = 'giant fun sponge''??? | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:31 - Sep 30 with 3483 views | ramsdale |
I'm not sure if I was watching a different game, but I really don't think Braintree were much the better team. I think it was a good team who didn't turn up vs a poor team who didn't have the quality to capitalise.
I think we were absolutely dire for 90 minutes and would've been battered against any of the better sides in the league. HOWEVER, we would not have won that game last season and that is a massive step forward for me.
It's no comparison and with only a fraction of evidence, but both games against Chesterfield last season I wasn't impressed with how they played, quite underwhelming. They went on to win the league by 12 points and losing 4 of their last 5 once they'd wrapped it up, so should've won it by a bigger margin.
This is also no defence of the playing style as no matter what minute we take the lead we seem to try and shut up shop, but we're sitting at 1.91ppg. If we keep up like this, is it a terrible playing style or just an effective one? I know it doesn't seem it but we're sticking with the leading pack. We can't play well every week like the performances against Woking, Aldershot, Hartlepool. What we can do is grind out results like Saturday.
I believe that wins and points on the board will bring new fans as opposed to the brand of football on the pitch. It might wind us regulars up, but Tom, Dick & Harry who haven't been for 10 years see that Rochdale are 4th in the league and think it might be worth the £20 to pop down. | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:43 - Sep 30 with 3411 views | 442Dale |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:31 - Sep 30 by D_Alien |
Pretty much agree
The manager can't escape the overall plan for Dale under the Ogdens, which is to become self-sufficient through both a return to the EFL and growing the crowd. The latter simply won't happen, whatever our points total, under the current footballing 'ethos' |
Yet we are now steady at around 2500 home fans for Saturday games and a decent 2300 ish for a Tuesday night game.
There’s so much of BillyRudd’s post and the opinions expressed elsewhere that I totally agree with, especially the modern day curse of how this style has consumed the game. At the moment it will take a generational shift for that to change, which will happen but we don’t know when. It’s a good sign that McNulty recognises when we don’t look as good as he did on Saturday.
One of the biggest positives is the amount of younger fans now turning up, the support they give (with the problems of a couple of years ago seemingly and thankfully not occurring) and the obvious connection that exists between fans and the team. We might not all be fans of how we play at times, but the atmosphere and results are much better in recent memory. For many of those newer fans, it’s the best they can probably remember. |  |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 14:26 - Sep 30 with 3287 views | Delboy |
Again, its not defending our style of play but a trawl around the forums of many of our rivals in this league show that their fans are equally frustrated with the slow sideways backwards approach that many teams are now adopting. The difference is we are sitting in fourth place and many of them are not. It was interesting to read Hartlepool supporters comments after our win there. They were lambasting the manager for his 'old fashioned' direct approach and pointing to the way we played as the style and approach that they should be adopting.
In contrast its also interesting to read some more recent comments from the manager of our next opposition:
Watling has urged his Ebbsfleet players to take the handbrake off.
Too many passes went backwards and sideways and the Fleet boss insisted that isn’t the intention. “My big thing is, do you play at the back or do you play from the back?”
“We have played at the back far too much. I want my centre-halves to step into the pitch and serve the midfielders, I want the midfielders to face forwards, I want the forwards to score goals".
I think we all agree with those sentiments and hope that JM is of the same mind. Fingers crossed Ebbsfleet players were not listening at least for this Saturday. | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 15:06 - Sep 30 with 3170 views | Dale_4_Life |
The worry for me is that whilst we have the players unless we address two things quickly it will be tough to crack this league (and i think this season is the one we could do it).
1. Home form. Whilst decent we have not set the division on fire.
2. Games against the top 10. We have played 4 games against sides currently sat in the top 10. We have not won any and mustered 2 points from a possible 12.
York away Lost
Forest Green at Home 0-0
Eastleigh away lost
Dagenham and Redbridge at home 1-1 | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 19:49 - Sep 30 with 2751 views | BillyRudd |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:32 - Sep 30 by truenorth |
DaleNet and TrueNorth = 'giant fun sponge''??? |
I am more than happy to amend the last line of my post.
"So I ask myself is a play off spot, the excellent company of Dalenet and Truenorth, and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos?" | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 23:32 - Sep 30 with 2425 views | Dalenet |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 19:49 - Sep 30 by BillyRudd |
I am more than happy to amend the last line of my post.
"So I ask myself is a play off spot, the excellent company of Dalenet and Truenorth, and a superb steak pie enough to warrant the tedium of Jims ethos?" |
At least we didn't fall asleep on Saturday - unlike one of the guests. | | | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 05:52 - Oct 1 with 2238 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 15:06 - Sep 30 by Dale_4_Life |
The worry for me is that whilst we have the players unless we address two things quickly it will be tough to crack this league (and i think this season is the one we could do it).
1. Home form. Whilst decent we have not set the division on fire.
2. Games against the top 10. We have played 4 games against sides currently sat in the top 10. We have not won any and mustered 2 points from a possible 12.
York away Lost
Forest Green at Home 0-0
Eastleigh away lost
Dagenham and Redbridge at home 1-1 |
Agree with this post. We all know what the players are capable of but when playing at home is the manager getting the best out of them? Are the tactics employed by the manager holding the players back and over complicating their natural game? It's a definite yes from me. I always have the feeling that we are playing with the handbrake on and i don't subscribe to the theory that the away teams are dictating to us the way we have to set up and play the game. The last two games at home are worrying because when you analyse the chances we created and the times we worked the opposition goalkeepers we hardly registered.
We've all watched football long enough to know that we should have lost both those games and if McNulty is honest with himself he will admit that. The hope was that with more expansive players available and better quality we would see a more progressive and exciting style of football at home but it hasn't taken long to revert to what was served up last season. McNulty doesnt want a open expansive game, he wants a tight, tactical battle and it often looks like watching a training ground exercise, keeping the ball for keeping its sake, normally in negative areas of the pitch, slowing the game down and killing any momentum both on the pitch and in the stands. It's boring to watch and sterile, safe,uninspiring football and i think it's designed to keep us in the game as long as possible, the mindset and tactics which should apply to the visiting team not the home team. I think he's got the balance right away from home but as you rightly point out, to get out of this league we need to be winning most of our games at home and playing with bravery, that bravery needs to come from the manager and his assistant. The players look like they are bogged down with a style of play that they have to adhere to and it's one that is impacting on their natural game, in particularly both wide men and Rodney. The home displays killed us last season and apart from the two friendlies and Woking when the Ogdens were in attendance the tactics look the same. We all know what we are watching and if McNulty can't change things at home then I think the home form will really hurt us. Scoring so early against Braintree was a invitation to keep them on the back foot and go and get another goal, instead we reverted to type and let them off the hook.
Does McNulty have that ruthless, killer instinct that you need, or is he happy to fall back on the coaching manual and possession stats, that's how it appears. The players will know and you can see the frustration in their body language. We can't stumble through games like we have done in our last two fixtures, good teams don't do that when they're playing at home. It's not the players, the finger needs pointing at the manager when it comes to our home displays but unfortunately I don't think he's capable of changing things, they've been replicated for too long to the point were we are struggling to increase attendances. I think yet again our home form will prove to be our downfall this season and it's not down to the players, we know what performances they are capable of and we know the individual flair we have in the team. If you want entertainment you are better going to the away games.
I hope the manager is open to change and will look at implementing a plan during training over the next couple of weeks, being proactive rather than reactive to the next home loss, do it now after a fortunate win. The warning signs are there with performances at home and now is the ideal time for McNulty to sit down with the players and devise a strategy that suits them and causes maximum pain to our opponents. He's got three weeks to do that now before our next home game. To try doing that further down the line after losing more games is poor management because we'll never get those points back. [Post edited 1 Oct 7:01]
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:17 - Oct 1 with 2140 views | NigelWatson |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:43 - Sep 30 by 442Dale |
Yet we are now steady at around 2500 home fans for Saturday games and a decent 2300 ish for a Tuesday night game.
There’s so much of BillyRudd’s post and the opinions expressed elsewhere that I totally agree with, especially the modern day curse of how this style has consumed the game. At the moment it will take a generational shift for that to change, which will happen but we don’t know when. It’s a good sign that McNulty recognises when we don’t look as good as he did on Saturday.
One of the biggest positives is the amount of younger fans now turning up, the support they give (with the problems of a couple of years ago seemingly and thankfully not occurring) and the obvious connection that exists between fans and the team. We might not all be fans of how we play at times, but the atmosphere and results are much better in recent memory. For many of those newer fans, it’s the best they can probably remember. |
Jim is doing an excellent job. All things considered, the crowds are excellent.
There is no future in playing 'Gerrit forward' football for a handful of clueless, elderly dinosaurs, who never played a game a competitive football in their lives | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:18 - Oct 1 with 2143 views | James1980 |
Haven't the new players, to a man, in their introduction interviews, mentioned the way JM likes to play, as one of the reasons for signing? | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:42 - Oct 1 with 2088 views | BillyRudd |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 23:32 - Sep 30 by Dalenet |
At least we didn't fall asleep on Saturday - unlike one of the guests. |
He is claiming in his defence, that it was a "20 second nod"
I did point out that Brian Clough said "it only takes a second to score a goal" and on that basis he could have missed a rout.
I could,nt give him to much grief though, as I thought it was a fair reaction to the game.
After my pie, if it had been a bit warmer, I might have had a snooze! | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:45 - Oct 1 with 2081 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:18 - Oct 1 by James1980 |
Haven't the new players, to a man, in their introduction interviews, mentioned the way JM likes to play, as one of the reasons for signing? |
They have actually James but i refuse to believe the style of play we employ at home brings much enjoyment to anybody. There is a bigger picture than what the manager and players enjoy, there's also the paying public to take into consideration and the need to attract floating fans and wanting them to come back for more, even bring their friends. Home performances have hurt the club, the constant feeling and frustration when leaving the ground that these players are capable of much more than we've just witnessed. It can't just be me who seems to nearly always leave the stadium feeling that way? Maybe it is just me and the players aren't as good as i actually think they are, i need to lower my expectations and accept what's served up. A talented squad of players but still not capable of dominating and exciting home performances. [Post edited 1 Oct 9:22]
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 10:06 - Oct 1 with 1907 views | D_Alien |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 07:45 - Oct 1 by TalkingSutty |
They have actually James but i refuse to believe the style of play we employ at home brings much enjoyment to anybody. There is a bigger picture than what the manager and players enjoy, there's also the paying public to take into consideration and the need to attract floating fans and wanting them to come back for more, even bring their friends. Home performances have hurt the club, the constant feeling and frustration when leaving the ground that these players are capable of much more than we've just witnessed. It can't just be me who seems to nearly always leave the stadium feeling that way? Maybe it is just me and the players aren't as good as i actually think they are, i need to lower my expectations and accept what's served up. A talented squad of players but still not capable of dominating and exciting home performances. [Post edited 1 Oct 9:22]
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It's pretty fair to assume "it can't just be me"
There's post after post from others outlining the same issue. It's the majority who think that - who know that - even the one's who're trying to keep the positivity around our performances going
There is very much a bigger picture, which has also been outlined by the Ogdens and to which i fully subscribe. The manager needs to get on board | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:04 - Oct 1 with 1775 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 10:06 - Oct 1 by D_Alien |
It's pretty fair to assume "it can't just be me"
There's post after post from others outlining the same issue. It's the majority who think that - who know that - even the one's who're trying to keep the positivity around our performances going
There is very much a bigger picture, which has also been outlined by the Ogdens and to which i fully subscribe. The manager needs to get on board |
The importance of how we perform at home this season can't be under played, its vital.Taking the game to the opposition and looking to score goals from the first minute to the last should be the blueprint of every home fixture, run our opponents ragged. Draws aren't good enough, our currency needs to be wins. We don't have enough time to see how games pan out and engage in pointless tactical battles, waving X and possession stats around in order to justify how we should have won the game, nobodys interested Jim.
The away games will look after themselves, we'll win enough of them over the season. If McNulty can instill a 'no fear' style into how we play at home then i think we have a real chance of doing the unthinkable this season and turning the three year plan into one. If nothing changes then i think a great opportunity will be missed and come next May we will once again be pointing the finger at our home form and not converting draws into wins. I have so much confidence in the current squad and i don't think we've seen the best of them yet, they have to be given the freedom to perform though especially at home.
This league is wide open, let's not die wondering in home games by strolling around trying to produce tactical masterclasses instead of taking the game to our opponents and forcing them to defend for their life. Bravery, urgency, tempo, no fear...all words that need to be permanently pinned up on the dressing room walls and incorporated into the team talk at the start of every home fixture. I'm not sure if Jim's personality will stretch that far though, he'd feel the need to insert the word 'caution' before everything else. [Post edited 1 Oct 11:25]
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:09 - Oct 1 with 1769 views | howy10 |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:04 - Oct 1 by TalkingSutty |
The importance of how we perform at home this season can't be under played, its vital.Taking the game to the opposition and looking to score goals from the first minute to the last should be the blueprint of every home fixture, run our opponents ragged. Draws aren't good enough, our currency needs to be wins. We don't have enough time to see how games pan out and engage in pointless tactical battles, waving X and possession stats around in order to justify how we should have won the game, nobodys interested Jim.
The away games will look after themselves, we'll win enough of them over the season. If McNulty can instill a 'no fear' style into how we play at home then i think we have a real chance of doing the unthinkable this season and turning the three year plan into one. If nothing changes then i think a great opportunity will be missed and come next May we will once again be pointing the finger at our home form and not converting draws into wins. I have so much confidence in the current squad and i don't think we've seen the best of them yet, they have to be given the freedom to perform though especially at home.
This league is wide open, let's not die wondering in home games by strolling around trying to produce tactical masterclasses instead of taking the game to our opponents and forcing them to defend for their life. Bravery, urgency, tempo, no fear...all words that need to be permanently pinned up on the dressing room walls and incorporated into the team talk at the start of every home fixture. I'm not sure if Jim's personality will stretch that far though, he'd feel the need to insert the word 'caution' before everything else. [Post edited 1 Oct 11:25]
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Absolutely spot on. |  | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:45 - Oct 1 with 1650 views | James1980 |
I struggle to comprehend that the players, coaching staff and board wouldn't prefer every game to be played like we did against Woking, than how we played against Braintree. | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:11 - Oct 1 with 1592 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 11:45 - Oct 1 by James1980 |
I struggle to comprehend that the players, coaching staff and board wouldn't prefer every game to be played like we did against Woking, than how we played against Braintree. |
Not sure, the Woking game is the only example we have at home up to now and we didn't see it replicated many times last season, we saw the opposite if we're being truthful. So if that's the plan, it's not working James. The managers interview after the Solihull game spoke of X stats and controlling the game..we had our first shot on target in the 87th minute and our performance was a replica of so many that we've seen since the start of last season. Faffing about with the ball, gifting our opponents daft goals with schoolboy defending etc. The manager glossed over all that though, this was followed up with another poor performance in the next home game. We know what everybody prefers James but its becoming obvious that for some reason they aren't capable of producing a level of performance at home that we should expect from a squad full of good players. I accept we can throw in the odd poor performance but it's been poor at home for too long now and our performances this season are starting to regress, rather than progress. The last two home performances have been very poor, irrespective of what Jim's stats tell him or what he prefers. You don't need coaching badges to know what poor looks like, the fans aren't daft. Different circumstances now to last season, the manager has a good squad of players at his disposal. It's only right that we should all expect to see better home performances. [Post edited 1 Oct 12:28]
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:49 - Oct 1 with 1464 views | 100notout |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:11 - Oct 1 by TalkingSutty |
Not sure, the Woking game is the only example we have at home up to now and we didn't see it replicated many times last season, we saw the opposite if we're being truthful. So if that's the plan, it's not working James. The managers interview after the Solihull game spoke of X stats and controlling the game..we had our first shot on target in the 87th minute and our performance was a replica of so many that we've seen since the start of last season. Faffing about with the ball, gifting our opponents daft goals with schoolboy defending etc. The manager glossed over all that though, this was followed up with another poor performance in the next home game. We know what everybody prefers James but its becoming obvious that for some reason they aren't capable of producing a level of performance at home that we should expect from a squad full of good players. I accept we can throw in the odd poor performance but it's been poor at home for too long now and our performances this season are starting to regress, rather than progress. The last two home performances have been very poor, irrespective of what Jim's stats tell him or what he prefers. You don't need coaching badges to know what poor looks like, the fans aren't daft. Different circumstances now to last season, the manager has a good squad of players at his disposal. It's only right that we should all expect to see better home performances. [Post edited 1 Oct 12:28]
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Agree with a lot of what you're saying TS but there is one massive factor in all of this which impacts the way we play and that is the tactis of the opposing team.
I missed the Woking game but from what I heard they came at us, played with tempo and left a lot of spaces that we could exploit and this allowed us to (successfully) play the way we did. Many teams coming to Spotland get men behind the ball and slow the game down and that is when we seem to struggle. Its like they bring us down to their level.
Its this that we need to work on - No Fear, with a plan B, a plan C and possibly a plan D! | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:03 - Oct 1 with 1420 views | TVOS1907 |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:11 - Oct 1 by TalkingSutty |
Not sure, the Woking game is the only example we have at home up to now and we didn't see it replicated many times last season, we saw the opposite if we're being truthful. So if that's the plan, it's not working James. The managers interview after the Solihull game spoke of X stats and controlling the game..we had our first shot on target in the 87th minute and our performance was a replica of so many that we've seen since the start of last season. Faffing about with the ball, gifting our opponents daft goals with schoolboy defending etc. The manager glossed over all that though, this was followed up with another poor performance in the next home game. We know what everybody prefers James but its becoming obvious that for some reason they aren't capable of producing a level of performance at home that we should expect from a squad full of good players. I accept we can throw in the odd poor performance but it's been poor at home for too long now and our performances this season are starting to regress, rather than progress. The last two home performances have been very poor, irrespective of what Jim's stats tell him or what he prefers. You don't need coaching badges to know what poor looks like, the fans aren't daft. Different circumstances now to last season, the manager has a good squad of players at his disposal. It's only right that we should all expect to see better home performances. [Post edited 1 Oct 12:28]
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Maidenhead 3-1 |  |
| When I was your age, I used to enjoy the odd game of tennis. Or was it golf? |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:48 - Oct 1 with 1302 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:03 - Oct 1 by TVOS1907 |
Maidenhead 3-1 |
Yes, we started our home games playing much more progressively but the last two home games seem to have regressed to what we saw last season. I'll be happy if it's just a figment of my imagination but i don't think it is because others are of the same opinion, we'll see. | | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:56 - Oct 1 with 1247 views | 442Dale |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 13:03 - Oct 1 by TVOS1907 |
Maidenhead 3-1 |
There was a positive reaction on here to the Dagenham draw too. So we’ve played quite well in half our home games and not so great in the others - though that point against Forest Green wasn’t a bad one.
Again, the manager admitted we weren’t at our best on Saturday and throughout our tactics have remained the same. It’s all about finding a plan to cause more problems for teams who don’t allow us to play our preferred way leading to slow football that’s not as much fun to watch. | |
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 14:02 - Oct 1 with 1230 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 12:49 - Oct 1 by 100notout |
Agree with a lot of what you're saying TS but there is one massive factor in all of this which impacts the way we play and that is the tactis of the opposing team.
I missed the Woking game but from what I heard they came at us, played with tempo and left a lot of spaces that we could exploit and this allowed us to (successfully) play the way we did. Many teams coming to Spotland get men behind the ball and slow the game down and that is when we seem to struggle. Its like they bring us down to their level.
Its this that we need to work on - No Fear, with a plan B, a plan C and possibly a plan D! |
Agree with that but it's not a tactic that hasn't been around for decades. It's one that most home teams encounter. They normally get around it by passing the ball quickly, getting it out wide and switching play, midfielders making runs into the box. The last couple of games has seen our defenders cautiously passing it between each other up to the halfway line, the pass to the wide player is declined in preference to giving the ball to the central defender who then rolls the ball around the floor backwards and forwards whilst perusing the options ahead of him. Everybody in the ground then waits in frustrated anticipation until he eventually decides to kick the ball up to nobody in particular or a player who has two defenders marking him, or straight through to the goalkeeper. Those are the tactics that are employed, they must be because we see them too often to be accidental. If they're intended to draw the away team out then they don't work, as we've seen over the last eighteen months. They are counter productive and assist the away team, it's easy to play against for a half decent team. We have a lot of talented forward and midfield players, give them the ball quickly and let them express themselves, instead of relying on the likes of EEL/Sassi/Ferguson to instigate attacks, it's ridiculous really. [Post edited 1 Oct 14:07]
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| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 14:05 - Oct 1 with 1206 views | 49thseason |
Its not so much a style of play as a lack of dynamism. The demands of playing flat out for 90 minutes are huge and very few players, much less teams could do it, but the ability to turn from a defensive posture to an attacking one is where dynamism is required and shifting mindset and attitude in that instant is the difficult bit.
I believe it is trainable, think of the explosive response needed by a 100m sprinter when the gun goes off compared to the gradual pace increase of a distance runner. Some of it is a mental decision, some of it simply the physical ability to shift from jog to sprint in a split second.
Add to this the speed of thought required to play at pace, the physical positioning (half turn, not looking at your own keeper) and the ability to retain a picture of the
positions of other players on the pitch in your head and see its possibilities and you need a very gifted set of players....
Given the number of teams and size of squads of teams above us, the players filtering through to our level are inevitably compromised in some of these areas and indeed our expectations are often set by what we see on TV where the players are the ones that have survived countless trials and tests en-route. Our players are the ones that failed one or more of those tests. We have to do our best with who we can afford and who will agree to join us, two more major filters....
Promotion to the EFL is essentially a combination of money and luck, you can make your own luck but you have to have the right raw materials. Our owners will not throw big money at a promotion push, we struggle to get half the crowd we need to sustain the finances and whilst the squad is competent, few are good enough to play at a higher level and any that we do manage to unearth are snatched away for relatively
little money.
Our new owners have started a process which is going to take time to produce the results we all hope for, whilst financially stable for the time being, the steps required
to improve this measure have barely started. Crowds are at 50% of what is hoped for / needed, no new training facility has been announced. Hopefully the new Commercial Director has now got his feet under the table and is starting to generate more cash, but given what has gone before, it is going to require a gargantuan effort and above all else, time.
We are at the very start of the 5 year plan, so far so good, but there is still a mountain to climb and base camp is still being prepared. The team that takes on the summit will be different to the Sherpas we are employing today.
Everyone is a cog in the machine but over time replacement parts and fresh, innovative ideas will be needed. For the moment we have to be satisfied that we are turning a corner and now moving in the right direction. Constancy of Purpose is what will carry the day. |  | | |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 14:11 - Oct 1 with 1184 views | TalkingSutty |
| TODAY V BRAINTREE TOWN on 14:05 - Oct 1 by 49thseason |
Its not so much a style of play as a lack of dynamism. The demands of playing flat out for 90 minutes are huge and very few players, much less teams could do it, but the ability to turn from a defensive posture to an attacking one is where dynamism is required and shifting mindset and attitude in that instant is the difficult bit.
I believe it is trainable, think of the explosive response needed by a 100m sprinter when the gun goes off compared to the gradual pace increase of a distance runner. Some of it is a mental decision, some of it simply the physical ability to shift from jog to sprint in a split second.
Add to this the speed of thought required to play at pace, the physical positioning (half turn, not looking at your own keeper) and the ability to retain a picture of the
positions of other players on the pitch in your head and see its possibilities and you need a very gifted set of players....
Given the number of teams and size of squads of teams above us, the players filtering through to our level are inevitably compromised in some of these areas and indeed our expectations are often set by what we see on TV where the players are the ones that have survived countless trials and tests en-route. Our players are the ones that failed one or more of those tests. We have to do our best with who we can afford and who will agree to join us, two more major filters....
Promotion to the EFL is essentially a combination of money and luck, you can make your own luck but you have to have the right raw materials. Our owners will not throw big money at a promotion push, we struggle to get half the crowd we need to sustain the finances and whilst the squad is competent, few are good enough to play at a higher level and any that we do manage to unearth are snatched away for relatively
little money.
Our new owners have started a process which is going to take time to produce the results we all hope for, whilst financially stable for the time being, the steps required
to improve this measure have barely started. Crowds are at 50% of what is hoped for / needed, no new training facility has been announced. Hopefully the new Commercial Director has now got his feet under the table and is starting to generate more cash, but given what has gone before, it is going to require a gargantuan effort and above all else, time.
We are at the very start of the 5 year plan, so far so good, but there is still a mountain to climb and base camp is still being prepared. The team that takes on the summit will be different to the Sherpas we are employing today.
Everyone is a cog in the machine but over time replacement parts and fresh, innovative ideas will be needed. For the moment we have to be satisfied that we are turning a corner and now moving in the right direction. Constancy of Purpose is what will carry the day. |
Bloody hell, are you Jim's dad? We are more than capable of finishing in the top seven this season, then it's the lottery of the play offs, at that point we have as much chance as the other teams. The best team will have already have been promoted. We are capable of winning games home or away, we have players who are L2 standard and we can win promotion this season, I'm sure the players will believe that. [Post edited 1 Oct 14:50]
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