The biggest thing that stands out this season for me is that we seem to over compensated for the fixture congestion are just making too many changes. I know its hard with with the injuries but we all cried out for a bigger squad but now it seems to be hurting us.
Weak, turgid display with a lack of self-belief and urgency. Things need to improve.
Some of those players really haven’t worked out have they - Gunter looks very, very average, Gilbey looks very poor, immobile and slow to get the ball out from under his feet and Maatsen is quick but seems to be playing the game at a different pace to the rest of the team. We don’t hold the ball well, and that’s what we did under Bowyer when he started with us. Fitness levels don’t look great - Maddison now injured but didn’t even nearly look fit when he came on, Albie was fairly immobile there in that match and Smith goes to ground so easily. Not looking good, but having said that - we put the squad together in double quick time at the end of the summer, we nearly didn’t have a CLUB AT ALL and Schwartz has only been with us a few days - let him get fit first.
Still trust Bowyer 100%, despite it not being what people want to hear on here. Fans are fickle in football and we need stability after a shitshow of a couple of years.
You may need to talk to a therapist...... your seeing things that are not there.
After that shambles I’ve decided to write this season off and to be honest if the authorities decided to cancel the remaining fixtures tomorrow I wouldn’t be disappointed in the slightest.
Ask our players if they’re looking forward to playing the next match. The Accrington player just interviewed said his team are enjoying their football and can’t wait to play games
Constant tinkering has left us devoid of any pattern of play. Like a group of strangers out there
This.
Its no surprise that the team that has made the least changes beats the team that has made the most.
You have to have a settled side. Only Amos has played every game this season - and we've only played 20 !!
Pick you best players; play them in every game you can. We are not playing sat/tues/sat every week so there is no reason why they all cant play in every game.
30 players have played for us in the League and no less than 29 have started.
Where to begin with that. Some of my points are general and not just tonight.
That was appalling and embarrassing, outfought, outplayed, no ideas, no tactics or game plan, no communication and not up for it at all.
Pearce - what on Earth was he doing, the last person on the pitch is expect to see let the ball bounce so criminally.
Maatsen - he’s got worse week by week, could put it down to the team as there’s only so much influence you can have as a full back, but still what’s happened?
Gilbey & JFC - both are anonymous, both have no ideas or leadership, and look like they’re not up for a battle. They are the opposite of what bowyer stood for as a player, he must be picking them because there is no one else cos I can’t see him tolerating them much longer.
Maddison - pulls out of tackles when he came on.
Aneke - best player in our squad on his day, but as a general point, what is the point of him? If he can’t ever start a game he’s gotta be replaced, he didn’t play for ten days and still couldn’t start, it’s taking up a space from someone who can play week in week out.
When you map it out, we are far superior to Accrington player for player, that’s not arrogant, it’s a fact. We’ve internationals and championship players. Even with the injuries. Their best player (Charles) signed from Southport.
So where do you point the finger, it has to be the management!
I love bowyer, it’s a weird one cos he deserves more time so keeping him makes sense, but also getting rid of him to save the season also make sense.
Never thought I’d say this but if he went next week I’d get over it quickly.
Sorry, but that is being arrogant! Quite clearly, our players are not far superior to theirs! The fella who scored their goals is a class act and I'd have him in a flash. His second goal would have graced the Premier League. It had touch, composure, class, and a finish. His strike partner was also a handful. Nottingham in defence was excellent; need I go on.
So, no, quite demonstrably, player for player, we are not far superior to them at all! Not even remotely! They are where they are (and with 3 games in hand!) not just because they are well 'drilled'.
I think sometimes that our league 1 'big club' mentally does let us inadvertently slip into a modicum of arrogance, yes.
29 players have started for us already this season. Accrington have had 19. LB does not have a system or a game plan in place that works and doesn't know what his best team is either. Accrington do on both counts.
Our turn up in form will coincide with Innis and Famewo returning. I honestly think that’s a given at this level. As well as Deji played, Pearce equally had a shocker. Gunter was crap as well. Then at the other end, one of those chances goes in. It’s fine lines, but it’s infuriating.
Nothing to add that I havent been saying for a few weeks now
Individuals keep costing us... Bowyer cant and shouldnt have be making every single decision for them
Every week its Bowyer should be doing this, should be doing that
Managers get sacked, players continue on as though they've done fuck all wrong when they need to take a large amout of responsibility
I partially agree. Generally I like Bowyer and I feel sorry for him because the silly mistakes are costing us.
But can you genuinely say the man is getting much right? I have no idea what we actually train to do but he’s either useless or the players are ignoring him. Either way that’s a huge problem. I am starting to believe he’s lost the dressing room as they look disinterested, I’m not sure there’s any coming back from that.
First half I dont think they did much wrong, Baxter had a decent game in goal... Loath to say he had a blinder and stopped us truly scoring
Its why at the end of the first half the individual (Pearce) has to take the blame instead of Bowyer else we're going in 0-0
Because of that players action, Bowyer is then forced to try and find a new approach instead of one that slowly had the potential to get somewhere
For a squad with 13 players who've played top-flight football in the UK or abroad (and who have 178 full international caps between them) this was seriously underwhelming. This is shaping up as a repeat of 2019-2020: promising start in the first third...dire form in the middle third...some improvement in the final third, but not enough to achieve anything. Last season, despite Bowyer's peculiar tactics and endless re-shuffling of the side, it was a no-brainer to say that Lyle Taylor was responsible for us being relegated. This season?
I've thought for the last month or so that Bowyer has lost the dressing room. Not in a bad way, just that the players can't figure out what he wants them to do, and he keeps changing his mind and/or changing the team.
Given how much money Sangaard has put into the club, how many more games does Bowyer get?
Exactly this - where as Accrington had a bunch of players picked from the lower and non league. Big difference is their manager is getting the best out of them, where as our manager currently has no idea what his best 11 is, and does not even seem to want to try the same team and formation two games in a row.
I suppose one way of looking at it ........ we were missing 6 players who would have started tonight: Doughty, Inniss, Famewo, Shinnie, Watson & Pratley. We don't look a 'team' without them.
But where are the others hiding?
We've still a number of players who started or should have started, who should have been influential, but weren't or didn't gel as a unit. We don't look a 'team' at all.
For all the bad luck with injuries, it remains the manager's responsibility to regroup and get the simple things right. "Back to basics", as Curbs would say.
Bowyer hasn’t known his best team since half way through last season, even with the best squad league 1 has ever seen we only scraped play offs. As much as he is a fan favourite and always will be much like Powell a time comes when enough is enough and we’ve been there for a few weeks now. Get him out now and give someone else a chance while we’re still in a window and they have a chance to make a difference.
Don’t agree with that. Our League 1 team was very good but the squad was thin and I think the injuries cost us automatics.
Ignoring the silly errors we were outclassed by a much better side. Accrington looked the real deal they are everything which we are not.
So did MK Dons a couple of weeks ago. And Plymouth in the cup. Burton looked like they could do some damage in this league. Don’t get me started on the mighty Shrewsbury. It ain’t them, it’s us.
We’re so aimless that any team with a modicum of togetherness will do a number on us. We looked like a bunch of strangers, they looked like a team. Is it that great a surprise? They have made 13 changes all season. We’ve made 58. He needs to find a team and stick with it. And it needs to include Aneke and it needs to include Williams.
I’m starting to think Bowyer was the right man at a bad time, but he isn’t the right man at this time.
Really, who else will be better?
I mean lots of managers would be better. Of those that we could realistically attract, someone like Appleton would be a good shout (plus it would fulfil a long running prophecy on this site).
Whoever we bring in will want to bring in their own players and will be restricted by the Salary Cap...
We all look at the squad with rose tinted glasses but am sorry every new Manager who joins a club, tends to stamp their own image on the team
One year on from Robinson being sacked we beat Sunderland 2-1 at Wembley
Aribo was the only player that Robinson introduced to the team, Bauer | Sarr | Pearce were already at the club, the rest were Bowyer players
Our turn up in form will coincide with Innis and Famewo returning. I honestly think that’s a given at this level. As well as Deji played, Pearce equally had a shocker. Gunter was crap as well. Then at the other end, one of those chances goes in. It’s fine lines, but it’s infuriating.
I agree with this to some extent - and Shinnie who is mustard. Problem is even with those players can you tell me a game where we actually controlled the game from start to finish and looked good doing it?
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I’m pretty ashamed to admit that too.
Can you imagine how toxic The Valley would be after recent weeks?
Thomas must be deep in thought!
So, no, quite demonstrably, player for player, we are not far superior to them at all! Not even remotely! They are where they are (and with 3 games in hand!) not just because they are well 'drilled'.
I think sometimes that our league 1 'big club' mentally does let us inadvertently slip into a modicum of arrogance, yes.
Its why at the end of the first half the individual (Pearce) has to take the blame instead of Bowyer else we're going in 0-0
Because of that players action, Bowyer is then forced to try and find a new approach instead of one that slowly had the potential to get somewhere
That is a management problem.
Exactly this - where as Accrington had a bunch of players picked from the lower and non league. Big difference is their manager is getting the best out of them, where as our manager currently has no idea what his best 11 is, and does not even seem to want to try the same team and formation two games in a row.
We don't look a 'team' without them.
But where are the others hiding?
We've still a number of players who started or should have started, who should have been influential, but weren't or didn't gel as a unit.
We don't look a 'team' at all.
For all the bad luck with injuries, it remains the manager's responsibility to regroup and get the simple things right.
"Back to basics", as Curbs would say.
We all look at the squad with rose tinted glasses but am sorry every new Manager who joins a club, tends to stamp their own image on the team
One year on from Robinson being sacked we beat Sunderland 2-1 at Wembley
Aribo was the only player that Robinson introduced to the team, Bauer | Sarr | Pearce were already at the club, the rest were Bowyer players