Look at the League table, and you would say we should beat Carlisle comfortably. Look a little deeper and you will see Home record 3-3-0 plays Away record 4-2-1, and you will notice that we have taken 5 points from our last 4 games.
What is needed ? In my view a whole new look at the way we line up, and particularly our tactical plan. I only saw Saturday's highlights, but they were dominated by Stevenage. They obviously had a plan which they executed very well, basically we did not. Warning bells should be sounding at the Valley, I seem to remember that we were leading the way at the start of last season before we dropped like a stone. We certainly have a very strong squad now, the spotlight for me is on the Coaching Team. Remember that if you keep doing what you have been doing, you will keep getting what you have been getting, and recently it won't be enough. Time for CP to show what we know to be his qualities, COYR.
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I saw Carlisle play at Tranmere recently (don't ask). They won comfortably; had no problems with Tranmere's direct style, playing good attacking football.
In some ways, Carlisle's style should suit us. Having said that, why can't we put away teams like Tranmere/Stevenage?
Will be a close game. I still think the players have the character to get our season back on track. Still have a big question mark over tactical ability within the managment team.
Hmmm, I don’t think Stevenage dominated us, we just didn’t dominate them. It was a poor game, they scored from an unbelievable deflection and we didn’t impose ourselves afterwards. If they hadn’t have got that first I’m convinced it would have ended 0-0 based on what happened in the rest of the game.
I don’t think we need “a whole new look at the way we line up” – we should just go back to the line up we had at the start of the season. The biggest difference has been Stephens and (to a lesser extent) Hollands inability recently to put their stamp on the game in the way they had been. There are probably a couple of reasons for this, but one of them in my opinion is that introducing Green and Kermagont into the side has seen us bypass the middle of the midfield as we launch it forward to Kerm or try to find Green out wide so he can cross to Kerm. Hayes and Waggy back in the side should clear this up and then we can go back to the drawing board and devise a style that will suit including Kerm and Green if/when we bring them back in. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
I was at the game and can not remember 11 shots - either on or off target !!
I think it was more like 4 or 5 at most.
I'm hoping for a return to 11 players playing in their normal positions, that fit together in a pattern of play with pace and width. The worry is that the coaching team can come up with such a poor game plan at Stevenage, they can do it again. Fingers crossed we can get back to playing the football of the opening 11 games, although it's not always as easy as flicking a switch. Carlisle will have covered the last 2 games, and if they are sensible will replicate the game plans of Tranmere & Stevenage.
Don't believe they are, Matt but a win on Saturday is a must in my book, to set those butterflies free again.
Away points are a definite bonus but we really should be bossing matches at The Valley if we want to keep on track for promotion.
I realise that the squad as a whole is very important and that SCP needs ready, willing & able players to step in when injuries/suspensions occur ...
But from what I've read here, it appears that we all know the best possible starting eleven ....and so does he.
I'd bet we'll see a return for Solly, Hayes and Waggy and another well deserved 3 points in the bag by 5pm on Saturday evening.
In SCP we trust !