It's interesting how different people see the game and how we would all rectify the situation .
I like Jackson and feel he could do a job in cm . Like Len I think he does quite a lot without necessarily being noticed , last Saturday I felt he covered well to allow Bessone to go forward . Although he can play left back I prefer him as a cm/lm who covers left back in an emergency .
If we can't get a loan in I would move him inside and bring Reidy back in on the left .
[cite]Posted By: MuttleyCAFC[/cite]Midfield poses a problem because JJ doesn't really do much- but he scores goals which is invaluable so very difficult if not impossible to drop him. Semedo puts in Semedo performances every game and needs 2 others in there to compliment him. Like others seem to think, for me, McCormack should be one of those only in an emergency. Racon needs to step up to the plate or we need to bring somebody in of the necessary quality.
Fry has worried me for a while - he doesn't fill me with confidence and hopefully Bessone will be back for Saturday.
JJ does a lot, much of it off the ball, so it doesn't get noticed.
Yea he does, he comes into the centre midfield posistions, leaving our poor left back exposed when we are defending. Then when our poor left back gets the ball, he dosnt have a good outlet down the wing because JJ has gone wondering off into the middle of the park.
Last night changes nothing for me - I've been impressed with CP so far but if there isn't an attempt to sort out central midfield in the loan market, i won't be impressed. Guess i should apologise for repeating myself but there's no point changing my view just to avoid being boring.
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]Last night changes nothing for me - I've been impressed with CP so far but if there isn't an attempt to sort out central midfield in the loan market, i won't be impressed. Guess i should apologise for repeating myself but there's no point changing my view just to avoid being boring.
yawn....
;-)
I happen to agree with you though, a new creative (but combative) midfielder is desperatly needed to play alongside semedo.
[cite]Posted By: Bexley Dan[/cite]Last night changes nothing for me - I've been impressed with CP so far but if there isn't an attempt to sort out central midfield in the loan market, i won't be impressed. Guess i should apologise for repeating myself but there's no point changing my view just to avoid being boring.
yawn....
;-)
I happen to agree with you though, a new creative (but combative) midfielder is desperatly needed to play alongside semedo.
agreed - at one stage i would happily have put Semedo back into defence as well but i think he's upped his game again since CP has come in and we'd miss him in there - certainly away from home.
Chris has come in and tried to get us passing on the floor rather than hoofing it but finding a lot of passes go astray cos we're too strung out. He is getting us fitter, but that was an area I didn't see lacking compared to opponents. He has tried to keep the same personnel as much as possible but been hampered by injuries lately. Rightly because they are probably the best he could select, arguements for Reid/Jackson, Waggy/Eccles, Francis/ANO but not much in it. He has replaced the "no end product" Martin with the potent Eccleston and bought in a specialist left-back. He is working on individual improvements for each player.
However despite 12/15 he has failed largely to alter the poor performances of Parky; perhaps a bit more belief or a bit more luck depending how you look at it, small tactical tweaks like Waggy in the hole. He is unlikely to sign two loanees that will suddenly propel us into automatic contenders. He can muddle on as we are (and Parky was) and hope results go our way and have a shake up end of season. Or he can gamble and start implementing some new ideas, formations and tactics that might go pear-shaped and drop us out of the top six. Time for a shake-up I say.
United first-team coach Mick Wadsworth told BBC Tees:
"It was a fabulous result, but just as important for me it was a great performance.
"From minute one we set our stamp on the game, we played in their half, we played on the front foot, and we forced situations that were going to put them in danger, and the set plays have come up trumps again".
I've been banging on for some time about trying to play in the opponents half and here we have someone doing it to us and getting a result. Hartlepool don't have a midfield general pulling the strings, they just kept the pressure on.
[cite]Posted By: harveys gardener[/cite]I've been banging on for some time about trying to play in the opponents half and here we have someone doing it to us and getting a result. Hartlepool don't have a midfield general pulling the strings, they just kept the pressure on.
Is the types of midfielders we have stopping us from doing it, or the defence playing too deep, or something else? Walsall also pushed right into our half when they beat us at home. Luton pressed us a lot in our own half in the away replay, at least for the first half.
[cite]Posted By: MuttleyCAFC[/cite]Midfield poses a problem because JJ doesn't really do much- but he scores goals which is invaluable so very difficult if not impossible to drop him. Semedo puts in Semedo performances every game and needs 2 others in there to compliment him. Like others seem to think, for me, McCormack should be one of those only in an emergency. Racon needs to step up to the plate or we need to bring somebody in of the necessary quality.
Fry has worried me for a while - he doesn't fill me with confidence and hopefully Bessone will be back for Saturday.
JJ does a lot, much of it off the ball, so it doesn't get noticed.
Yea he does, he comes into the centre midfield posistions, leaving our poor left back exposed when we are defending. Then when our poor left back gets the ball, he dosnt have a good outlet down the wing because JJ has gone wondering off into the middle of the park.
I'm not saying he's perfect. Like all our players there is a reason that they are playing in the third division.
The point you make is valid, when we lose the ball, but if we don't lose it then by moving inside he takes players with him and opens up space for a quick full back, which Bessone is meant to be, to bomb on and perhaps get a dangerous cross in. Even allowing for the point you make he still helps the full back out far more than Reid.
My point really though is his off the ball work and I'll give you one example of it. OK he has scored some penalties in his impressive tally but 4 or 5, perhaps more, of his goals have come from headers or tap ins at the far post where he has made the run from midfield to be in that position. He has made a lot more runs too where for whatever reason the cross hasn't reached him too. Nobody remembers or notices those runs though. He does other off ball work elsewhere on the pitch too.
The point you make, like I say, is a fair one but for me Jacko is not the midfield problem.
Fell into bed at 4.30 this morning after a disappointing trip north.
Little seemed to go right for us last night , or was it just that we didn't make much happen ? Didn't expect a fantastic performance/win from the lads but did hope for a bit more skill....
I'm not totally convinced by Fry, JJ appears to be running out of steam , Macca is not the midfielder we need and Reidy is totally lacking in confidence at the minute.
Not a doom & gloom merchant but with injuries kicking in, I think SCP has a really tough few weeks ahead. And at home, we need to be the 12th "man".
May have already been mentioned on here, but a certain Lifer who used to work for the Club was overheard in the Gents to say that Benno & Racon have both "fallen out" with SCP....Should we worry ?
a certain Lifer who used to work for the Club was overheard in the Gents to say that Benno & Racon have both "fallen out" with SCP....Should we worry ?
I think we try to play good footbal to feet but opponents are in our faces and try not to give us time. We don't have premiership players and are quite a lot easier to stop. As the game progresses we adapt our tactics and game and opponents tire and hence don't close us down quite so effectively. People will say - ah but we play a lot of aimless long balls- but I think this is out of frustration when the game we are trying to play isn't working.
Positively - we possess pace in key areas and that should help - SCP needs to find a formula that maximises our potential and a loan or 2 of the right qulaity could be big.
Benson has been injured and at first suspended, think he's only been available for 2 games of Powell's reign.
Racon injured his knee, whether that's still the problem I don;t know, but if he and Powell have fallen out they either kiss and make up, or we face the prospect of McCormack being our 2nd choice CM for the rest of the season.
Benson - IMO he is behind BWP, Eccleston, Abbot & Anyinsaw at the moment so if he falls out with Powelly then see ya later fella. I would imagine he is just frustrated at not being in the team though so if he gets his head down and stafrts to prove his worth with some goals in friendlies etc plus a couple of injuries to those up top we may still need him.
Racon - better than mcCormack but ultimately for all his skill and ability he rarely plays the killer pass or scores so I would expect a better midfielder on loan soon enough.
[cite]Posted By: Athletico Charlton[/cite]Benson - IMO he is behind BWP, Eccleston, Abbot & Anyinsaw at the moment so if he falls out with Powelly then see ya later fella. I would imagine he is just frustrated at not being in the team though so if he gets his head down and stafrts to prove his worth with some goals in friendlies etc plus a couple of injuries to those up top we may still need him.
Racon - better than mcCormack but ultimately for all his skill and ability he rarely plays the killer pass or scores so I would expect a better midfielder on loan soon enough.
[cite]Posted By: Athletico Charlton[/cite]Benson - IMO he is behind BWP, Eccleston, Abbot & Anyinsaw at the moment so if he falls out with Powelly then see ya later fella. I would imagine he is just frustrated at not being in the team though so if he gets his head down and stafrts to prove his worth with some goals in friendlies etc plus a couple of injuries to those up top we may still need him.
Racon - better than mcCormack but ultimately for all his skill and ability he rarely plays the killer pass or scores so I would expect a better midfielder on loan soon enough.
I think Powell has probably been honest with the pair of them and that he doesn't see them as part of his long term plans - Racon's contract runs out at end of season and has possibly thrown his toys out being told he was going to be on the bench, maybe a move fell through?? and hence Macormack is playing until the planned midfield superstar comes in on loan. Benson - must admit i wouldn't lose any sleep if he moved on - never been a fan of his really.
dont forget every team is tough in this league ... i mean just look at the way swindon have racked up the points after they humiliated us 2-4 on the box
[cite]Posted By: ISawLeaburnScore[/cite]Southampton are going to Hartlepool on Tuesday... if they win there as well that just shows where we are at the moment given MK's result today
Having just seen the highlights, Hartlepool, should have won comfortably hitting the woodwork a couple of times. MKD were lucky.
[cite]Posted By: ISawLeaburnScore[/cite]Southampton are going to Hartlepool on Tuesday... if they win there as well that just shows where we are at the moment given MK's result today
Having just seen the highlights, Hartlepool, should have won comfortably hitting the woodwork a couple of times. MKD were lucky.
So were Exeter, but which teams have the three points.
Comments
I like Jackson and feel he could do a job in cm . Like Len I think he does quite a lot without necessarily being noticed , last Saturday I felt he covered well to allow Bessone to go forward . Although he can play left back I prefer him as a cm/lm who covers left back in an emergency .
If we can't get a loan in I would move him inside and bring Reidy back in on the left .
Yea he does, he comes into the centre midfield posistions, leaving our poor left back exposed when we are defending. Then when our poor left back gets the ball, he dosnt have a good outlet down the wing because JJ has gone wondering off into the middle of the park.
yawn....
;-)
I happen to agree with you though, a new creative (but combative) midfielder is desperatly needed to play alongside semedo.
agreed - at one stage i would happily have put Semedo back into defence as well but i think he's upped his game again since CP has come in and we'd miss him in there - certainly away from home.
However despite 12/15 he has failed largely to alter the poor performances of Parky; perhaps a bit more belief or a bit more luck depending how you look at it, small tactical tweaks like Waggy in the hole. He is unlikely to sign two loanees that will suddenly propel us into automatic contenders. He can muddle on as we are (and Parky was) and hope results go our way and have a shake up end of season. Or he can gamble and start implementing some new ideas, formations and tactics that might go pear-shaped and drop us out of the top six. Time for a shake-up I say.
"It was a fabulous result, but just as important for me it was a great performance.
"From minute one we set our stamp on the game, we played in their half, we played on the front foot, and we forced situations that were going to put them in danger, and the set plays have come up trumps again".
I've been banging on for some time about trying to play in the opponents half and here we have someone doing it to us and getting a result. Hartlepool don't have a midfield general pulling the strings, they just kept the pressure on.
Guess it's probably down to a mixture of reasons.
Change, and how do we change?
I'm not saying he's perfect. Like all our players there is a reason that they are playing in the third division.
The point you make is valid, when we lose the ball, but if we don't lose it then by moving inside he takes players with him and opens up space for a quick full back, which Bessone is meant to be, to bomb on and perhaps get a dangerous cross in. Even allowing for the point you make he still helps the full back out far more than Reid.
My point really though is his off the ball work and I'll give you one example of it. OK he has scored some penalties in his impressive tally but 4 or 5, perhaps more, of his goals have come from headers or tap ins at the far post where he has made the run from midfield to be in that position. He has made a lot more runs too where for whatever reason the cross hasn't reached him too. Nobody remembers or notices those runs though. He does other off ball work elsewhere on the pitch too.
The point you make, like I say, is a fair one but for me Jacko is not the midfield problem.
Little seemed to go right for us last night , or was it just that we didn't make much happen ? Didn't expect a fantastic performance/win from the lads but did hope for a bit more skill....
I'm not totally convinced by Fry, JJ appears to be running out of steam , Macca is not the midfielder we need and Reidy is totally lacking in confidence at the minute.
Not a doom & gloom merchant but with injuries kicking in, I think SCP has a really tough few weeks ahead. And at home, we need to be the 12th "man".
May have already been mentioned on here, but a certain Lifer who used to work for the Club was overheard in the Gents to say that Benno & Racon have both "fallen out" with SCP....Should we worry ?
Should we worry that you use the gents?
Positively - we possess pace in key areas and that should help - SCP needs to find a formula that maximises our potential and a loan or 2 of the right qulaity could be big.
There's always SUCH a queue for the Ladies.....
Racon injured his knee, whether that's still the problem I don;t know, but if he and Powell have fallen out they either kiss and make up, or we face the prospect of McCormack being our 2nd choice CM for the rest of the season.
Or maybe we'll get a loan in...
As for Racon, he can't stay fit
Racon - better than mcCormack but ultimately for all his skill and ability he rarely plays the killer pass or scores so I would expect a better midfielder on loan soon enough.
Good points,well made......
Abbott gave him a dog of a pass throat high and Eccelstone flicked it over the defender and finished it.
He's going to be some player this kid.
Bloody awful goal to give away for their second goal.
I think Powell has probably been honest with the pair of them and that he doesn't see them as part of his long term plans - Racon's contract runs out at end of season and has possibly thrown his toys out being told he was going to be on the bench, maybe a move fell through?? and hence Macormack is playing until the planned midfield superstar comes in on loan. Benson - must admit i wouldn't lose any sleep if he moved on - never been a fan of his really.
So were Exeter, but which teams have the three points.