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Post by Pete Burrett on Nov 12, 2016 17:08:11 GMT
This is becoming worrying. At least away at Coventry we had the excuse that they played out of their skins to start a decent run of results. I await a report from someone who was in Shrewsbury today. Were they good, or were we just bad?
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Post by oufcyellows on Nov 12, 2016 17:12:16 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. It was always going to take time for players to settle and the team to gel. That would be the biggest worry for me, the team needs to gel, but mapp doesn't seem to know what his best 11 is or what formation, until that's sorted the players will struggle, made harder still by playing people out of position like raglan and sercs. I'm still confident we have more than enough to finish comfortably and not be in a relegation battle, but it would be nice to see a bit of consistency sooner rather than later so we don't get towards squeaky bum time
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Post by ZeroTheHero on Nov 12, 2016 17:16:10 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. Just so we can be clear, at what point in the season is the right time to worry about relegation? After Christmas? End of Feb? April?
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Post by oufcyellows on Nov 12, 2016 17:19:14 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. Just so we can be clear, at what point in the season is the right time to worry about relegation? After Christmas? End of Feb? April? Barnsley were in the relegation spots at xmas. They won promotion. Like I said I'd like to see us find a formation and team selection that becomes consistent so the players can get used to it, then maybe add a couple in Jan to see us finish comfortably
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Post by bigfella72 on Nov 12, 2016 17:19:28 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. Just so we can be clear, at what point in the season is the right time to worry about relegation? After Christmas? End of Feb? April? Definitely not before Christmas
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Post by behindthegoal on Nov 12, 2016 17:19:35 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. It was always going to take time for players to settle and the team to gel. That would be the biggest worry for me, the team needs to gel, but mapp doesn't seem to know what his best 11 is or what formation, until that's sorted the players will struggle, made harder still by playing people out of position like raglan and sercs. I'm still confident we have more than enough to finish comfortably and not be in a relegation battle, but it would be nice to see a bit of consistency sooner rather than later so we don't get towards squeaky bum time That quote is increasingly getting to me....why are ours taking so long, yet other teams have gelled weeks ago?? Not too worried yet...but the season must start next saturday
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Post by baggs on Nov 12, 2016 17:23:34 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. Just so we can be clear, at what point in the season is the right time to worry about relegation? After Christmas? End of Feb? April? After the winter window closes if it's a bad window. League 1 is a tough league, however, you have the quality on paper to finish mid-table
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Post by oufcyellows on Nov 12, 2016 17:24:23 GMT
I'm not to worried it's still very early and way to soon to be saying we're in a relegation battle. It was always going to take time for players to settle and the team to gel. That would be the biggest worry for me, the team needs to gel, but mapp doesn't seem to know what his best 11 is or what formation, until that's sorted the players will struggle, made harder still by playing people out of position like raglan and sercs. I'm still confident we have more than enough to finish comfortably and not be in a relegation battle, but it would be nice to see a bit of consistency sooner rather than later so we don't get towards squeaky bum time That quote is increasingly getting to me....why are ours taking so long, yet other teams have gelled weeks ago?? Not too worried yet...but the season must start next saturday For the reason I gave I think, they keep getting swapped about, formation changed. No one is getting used to playing together or forming partnerships as the next week it's changed. Dunks and raglan prime example. Good understanding, working well, next week raglan dropped then following week he's at rb
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Post by behindthegoal on Nov 12, 2016 17:24:59 GMT
MJ "we didn't start too brightly"....but why why wh? how many more times are we going to start not too brightly???
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Post by behindthegoal on Nov 12, 2016 17:26:54 GMT
That quote is increasingly getting to me....why are ours taking so long, yet other teams have gelled weeks ago?? Not too worried yet...but the season must start next saturday For the reason I gave I think, they keep getting swapped about, formation changed. No one is getting used to playing together or forming partnerships as the next week it's changed. Dunks and raglan prime example. Good understanding, working well, next week raglan dropped then following week he's at rb Yes...maybe right..tinkering...didn't we have a tinkerer before and get nowhere???
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Post by ZeroTheHero on Nov 12, 2016 17:32:26 GMT
Of course, it's still very close points wise (and yes is too soon as yet to be worrying too much).
But...
Some of the recent performances have been absolutely awful IMO. And yes, I have seen many of them live, although I missed today. Flashes of quality here and there and one decent half at Port Vale. That's enough to be irritating, because it is obvious that the team could play better.
We are getting worse rather than better - and that IS worrying.
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Post by Pete Burrett on Nov 12, 2016 17:39:44 GMT
Stating our current situation is 'worrying' doesn't mean I think we're going to get relegated, or even be in a relegation battle from now on. It's simply a reaction to losing to the club that were bottom of the league this morning.
It's a bit of a mystery that we have a squad packed with quality but don't seem to be able to get the results we might reasonably expect.
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Post by brassmonkey on Nov 12, 2016 17:55:08 GMT
Do we have a squad packed with quality though? The players haven't shown it very often.
Sent from my SM-G930F using proboards
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Post by benox on Nov 12, 2016 17:55:16 GMT
First time I've seen us for a while, but made the trip from Bournemouth today. I'm struggling to find any positives from today. The first half was awful, truly dreadful. We didn't look sharp, didn't compete and couldn't do the basics. Eastwood made a howler but without him we'd have lost by 4 or 5.
2nd half we had 15 dominant minutes after half time where we could have got a goal back, but despite us improving slightly compared to the 1st half we were pretty average. Other than Eastwood I don't think I could praise anyone. Similarly it's hard to single out any of the others for criticism, they were equally as bad as each other.
If we're in for a relegation battle we need to show some fight. Looking at a few players I'd question if they've got that. I'm a fan of Appleton, but I'm still trying to work out what our tactics were today. The team isn't balanced at all. I don't think he has any idea what his best team or formation is at the moment. The players haven't really helped him to nail that team down.
Big couple of games ahead.
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Post by manorlounger on Nov 12, 2016 17:55:26 GMT
For all those asking if we should be worrying, the answer is yes! That was very poor today. Yes, the ref was appalling but we did very little to deserve anything. Lost count of the number of wayward passes and obvious misunderstandings between players. We could not get the ball in the back of net and that is how you win games. We still get done by sides who cheat but if the ref isn't seeing it then play accordingly! Very cross and fed up.
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Post by Pete Burrett on Nov 12, 2016 17:56:45 GMT
Do we have a squad packed with quality though? The players haven't shown it very often. Sent from my SM-G930F using proboards Fair point. Pedigrees on paper certainly look quality, performances might suggest otherwise. Still, when we 'gel' everything will be alright ....
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Post by oufcyellows on Nov 12, 2016 17:57:10 GMT
For all those asking if we should be worrying, the answer is yes! That was very poor today. Yes, the ref was appalling but we did very little to deserve anything. Lost count of the number of wayward passes and obvious misunderstandings between players. We could not get the ball in the back of net and that is how you win games. We still get done by sides who cheat but if the ref isn't seeing it then play accordingly! Very cross and fed up. Nice night in the hotel to make up for it ?
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Post by charliesghost on Nov 12, 2016 17:57:40 GMT
Stating our current situation is 'worrying' doesn't mean I think we're going to get relegated, or even be in a relegation battle from now on. It's simply a reaction to losing to the club that were bottom of the league this morning. It's a bit of a mystery that we have a squad packed with quality but don't seem to be able to get the results we might reasonably expect. But a team isn't just made from 'quality', is it? Who had more 'quality' last season, Leicester or Chelsea? Yet the former finished 20 points clear of the latter. A successful team needs leadership, nous, a clear understanding of how it is going to win, and an understanding of how it is going to react in adversity. When we played Chelsea midweek, they had far more 'quality' than us. But in the first half, my other half - who doesn't know much about football, but played international sport - said: 'The Chelsea players have no teamwork; they're eleven players playing eleven different games.' So we can sign however many keepy-uppy champions we want, but it won't add up to much without leadership, nous and gameplan. 3 or 4 weeks ago - after Wimbledon, I think - I said that getting rid of Hylton and Wright was a 'rick'. A lot of smart-asses told me I was wrong. But on days like today, perhaps others may be able to see what I was getting at. We're lacking men; we're lacking leaders; we're lacking people who can take responsibility (Maguire apart). When I think back to our renaissance as a club, it is Jake, Beano and Danny who personified it. After a decade of semi-motivated weak dross dirtying our doors, finally we had players who had the personality to take us forward, even on difficult days when it wasn't all going beautifully. Remember AFC Wimbledon away last season. They set out to bully us, just as they did then, but Hylton - more or less single-handedly refused to let it happen. Contrast that resolute, characterful way of playing with the 'meh' nonsense we've been seeing recently and it is clear what we are lacking. Not 'quality', but the kind of players who dragged us out of the mire we were in for so long. Are we 'in a relegation battle'? Doesn't really matter what terminology you use, but we need to start winning games on a regular basis. And that won't be done by scoring points on artistic merit every week.
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Post by manorlounger on Nov 12, 2016 18:04:31 GMT
For all those asking if we should be worrying, the answer is yes! That was very poor today. Yes, the ref was appalling but we did very little to deserve anything. Lost count of the number of wayward passes and obvious misunderstandings between players. We could not get the ball in the back of net and that is how you win games. We still get done by sides who cheat but if the ref isn't seeing it then play accordingly! Very cross and fed up. Nice night in the hotel to make up for it ? And a bottle or 3 of something might help!
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Post by sarge on Nov 12, 2016 18:05:09 GMT
Maybe adopt a pink away kit if we continue to fail to put away chances converted
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Post by oufcyellows on Nov 12, 2016 18:05:36 GMT
Nice night in the hotel to make up for it ? And a bottle or 3 of something might help! Thanks god u read that the right way, I was half expecting u would think I was offering 🙈
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Post by Pete Burrett on Nov 12, 2016 18:07:21 GMT
Well yes Charlie, but the players themselves do have a responsibility to play to their best for 90 minutes, irrespective of how a game is panning out. If we believe we have quality in the squad - a moot point, admittedly - then their 'best' is surely better than we've seen recently.
If the players feel the current game plans don't play to their strengths they need to tell Mr Appleton, so perhaps that is a sign of lack of leadership amongst the player ranks.
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Post by winchesterox on Nov 12, 2016 18:11:41 GMT
The stats say we had 13 shots but only 3 were on target.
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Post by charliesghost on Nov 12, 2016 18:18:02 GMT
Well yes Charlie, but the players themselves do have a responsibility to play to their best for 90 minutes, irrespective of how a game is panning out. If we believe we have quality in the squad - a moot point, admittedly - then their 'best' is surely better than we've seen recently. If the players feel the current game plans don't play to their strengths they need to tell Mr Appleton, so perhaps that is a sign of lack of leadership amongst the player ranks. That is what I am saying! In the last eight years of gradual progress, remember the sheer number of times that Wright, Beano, Hylts, Mullins etc would show leadership, put their bodies on the line and haul their team-mates to a better result than they would otherwise have done. THAT is leadership. No doubt that some of the players we have signed are better at keepy-uppy, but do they have the man balls to turn shit days into a point? Or to shake a fist at an under-performing team-mate and show, by example, what is required. We're looking like a side that can be bullied, and that is why I am saying that - having made the mistake of getting rid of Hylts and Jake - we need to focus on bringing a couple such players in, and shipping out a couple of the ineffective 'quality' we've signed. At the moment, we're not really equipped to be under pressure. But our league position plus our inability to cope with physical/ long ball means that we are surely going to need to be able to deal with pressure. Not a time to panic, no, but there is a fair enough sample size in 20 games to indicate what we need.
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Post by johnf on Nov 12, 2016 18:49:15 GMT
Couldn't go today so can't really comment but to say it's a very disappointing result . But what I can say is it's a massive game next Saturday.
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Post by Barts on Nov 12, 2016 18:51:31 GMT
Its time too stop with excuses! Right now we have a good squad playing crap. As oufcy said too much tinkering. Mapp seems too be trying to be too cute even border line arrogant with his tinkering. Taylor - left mid Sercombe - right back Johnson - left back Raglan - right back Sercombe - right mid It almost seems as if he's moving players around to either accommodate them or others. Don't get me wrong I really rate Mapp I just feel he's put together a good squad but not worked out his best team. Please Mapp, sort out the best formation for the squad, play the best players in their best positions and stick too it (barring injuries/suspensions). If after 5/6 games they're not performing then play who you thought was the second best player in whichever position you feel needs changing. Fwiw my first choice team would be, (minus ribero). Eastwood Edwards Nelson Dunkley Skarz Maguire Ledson Rothwell Johnson Hemmings Hall Subs Buchel Long Raglan Lundstrum Sercombe Crowley Taylor Others will have different opinions but that's my ten peneths worth!
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Post by bigfella72 on Nov 12, 2016 18:57:16 GMT
The stats say we had 13 shots but only 3 were on target. 16 shots to 10 in our favour, both 6 on target 52% possession according to the bbc
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Post by yellowoptimist on Nov 12, 2016 19:04:00 GMT
Its time too stop with excuses! Right now we have a good squad playing crap. As oufcy said too much tinkering. Mapp seems too be trying to be too cute even border line arrogant with his tinkering. Taylor - left mid Sercombe - right back Johnson - left back Raglan - right back Sercombe - right mid It almost seems as if he's moving players around to either accommodate them or others. Don't get me wrong I really rate Mapp I just feel he's put together a good squad but not worked out his best team. Please Mapp, sort out the best formation for the squad, play the best players in their best positions and stick too it (barring injuries/suspensions). If after 5/6 games they're not performing then play who you thought was the second best player in whichever position you feel needs changing. Fwiw my first choice team would be, (minus ribero). Eastwood Edwards Nelson Dunkley Skarz Maguire Ledson Rothwell Johnson Hemmings Hall Subs Buchel Long Raglan Lundstrum Sercombe Crowley Taylor Others will have different opinions but that's my ten peneths worth! Agree with sentiment of post but not Ledson on the basis of today's performance. The game completely passed him by and there was nobody keen to take the ball off the defence. Worrying given lundstrams lack of form also.
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Post by uptheus on Nov 12, 2016 19:06:36 GMT
One word...worrying.
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Post by whingit on Nov 12, 2016 19:29:12 GMT
One positional experiment I would like to see is throwing Dunks up front when we're chasing the game. He'll win every header and it gives us a direct option as a plan b. You can't play it through teams when they're defending deep and getting everybody behind the ball.
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