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Post by scfc73 on Mar 19, 2024 12:20:28 GMT
it was all to do with how we played with Barry. We attacked teams with pace and defenders shat themselves. For months we've now been slow and pedantic just hoofing it to Wootton where nothing happeneds. When Wootton is on the pitch we are supposed to be a crossing team but it seems that we only have 1 player on pitch that can cross the ball at any given moment so why do we insist in keep playing that way. It's shit, okay we didn't have Barry's pace and dribbling but we still have had the players to play on the floor and flowing football which can be attacking with pace. True, but you couldn't hope to play the way we did with Barry in the side, after he got injured. But DC had a bit of a rejig and we did carry on the winning run for a few games after that, then we lost Collar as well, which was a big blow. You're right about crosses, without MSH (and Knoyle, and Rydel) that part of our game has been weak - I'd rather see the ball on the floor too. Like others I've been disappointed with Bailey since he signed. The Bailey signing is a bit worrying. He was great when he 1st arrived, lacked a bit of end product but made things happen, went off the boil a bit just before we signed him but so did everyone else. Since he's signed permanently he's not done anything of note. I hope that's down to our constant re-shuffling & the general pressure surrounding the team at the moment & he's not one of these players who takes his foot off the gas once he's bagged himself a nice contract? Salford fan's weren't bothered when we signed Touray & described his faults to a tee, they've said similar things about Bailey, I hope they're not right on both counts.
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Post by David Schofield on Mar 19, 2024 12:34:36 GMT
Powell is definitely a high earner for the league and it probably hasn't gone how we had all hoped but in a backwards way he's too good for the league even though it might not show it, he's seeing things that only really madden sees. Powell's never really got up a head of steam for me, started slow but then was getting better (Crawley, MK away), then injured. Got back in for a bit and again looked ok at times but then another couple of niggles (Wigan, Bradford), then finally gets a prolonged run in the New Year but is moved back to DMF due to the injuries, and now another niggle that's keeping him out. He's not been poor himself as such, but on outlay / return then it currently goes down as a poor signing. DC’s not managed him well. He should be given the Number 10 role and a consistent run of starts. Our best performance of the season IMO came at MK Dons and it is no coincidence that Powell started in that role
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Post by HTC on Mar 19, 2024 12:38:38 GMT
Part of the issue with Bailey is that he seems to have spent a lot of time playing out of position.
Before Christmas, he was excellent on the left side of the diamond. Since then, he's been LWB / RWB / part of a 2 man midfield / number 10. Even those games where he has played left side midfield, it's been with a revolving door at LB/LCB/LWB and no time to get comfortable playing with the same players.
He might turn out to be a poor signing, but at the moment, he's still got decent excuses.
I'm still hopeful Touray might have a Sam Walker-esque terrible first season / brilliant second season in him, but we shall see.
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Post by desmond on Mar 19, 2024 12:46:08 GMT
I do feel like I am missing something here with the doom and I love a bit of doom.. If we beat MKD on Saturday then we are 5 points clear of them with 2 games in hand. The best points haul they can achieve is 82. Wrexham can finish on 91 points but to do would need to beat us, Mansfield and Crewe. We would also be 4 points clear of Crewe with a game in hand. If they win Saturday the best they can hope for is 88. The best Barrow can achieve is on 85 but have Mansfield last day Mansfield have to play all 3 of these teams and if we are all so sure Mansfield are going to win every game then you can pull them all down by 3. What does all that mean? For me. If we win 5 of the last 9 then we will go up. 4 might even do it depending how the split goes on the head to heads. Of the fixtures remaining I thinks that's obviously achieveable. I know its obvious but in second place, with a game in hand, we are really well placed if we can get Tanto, Paddy and Woots to take even half their chances. I know the doom is based on form and all that but it does seem a bit ridiculous when there’s only one team in the division who wouldn’t swap places with us, add to that we should see the return of the likes of Croasdale, Powell, Collar, Wright, Knoyle and maybe Barry in relatively short order, perhaps all is not as desperate as it seems. No team other than Mansfield would swap the points position we are in but it’s not the points gained that’s a concern, it’s the points to be gained.
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Post by bluearmy1988 on Mar 19, 2024 12:56:10 GMT
For me we're ultimately missing Collar, Barry, Wright, MSH, Knoyle, Powell, Crossie and now Bristow. We've replaced them with emergency back ups to try and limp us across the line. Yes the tactics to try and defend for 20+ minutes was wrong last night in hindsight, but we need to be realistic with the team/personnel we currently have at our disposal. We saw the difference a Will Collar can have in his first half performance before he was injured again, we looked a completely different team and I can understand DC being worried about more injuries last night having players play a full 90 minutes after Thursday. Yes, all teams have injuries but ours have been significant given the areas and players impacted. I just hope we can get this over the line.....
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Post by scfc73 on Mar 19, 2024 12:59:18 GMT
Part of the issue with Bailey is that he seems to have spent a lot of time playing out of position. Before Christmas, he was excellent on the left side of the diamond. Since then, he's been LWB / RWB / part of a 2 man midfield / number 10. Even those games where he has played left side midfield, it's been with a revolving door at LB/LCB/LWB and no time to get comfortable playing with the same players. He might turn out to be a poor signing, but at the moment, he's still got decent excuses. I'm still hopeful Touray might have a Sam Walker-esque terrible first season / brilliant second season in him, but we shall see. That's what i hope is affecting Bailey too. With regards to Touray I'm not one of those who get on his back as soon as he steps on the pitch, I don't think he's great by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I think he comes in for overly harsh criticism & can't be doing with people giving him abuse at the match for every little mistake, it's sickening to hear people shouting 'you're shit' at one of our own players when we're 2nd in the table! That said IF we go up no way do I think he's good enough for league 1, that's not singling him out in particular neither, if we go up I think we're going to need big upgrades all over the pitch, If not then I believe we'll be in for a season of struggle in a higher division.
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Post by gibbo on Mar 19, 2024 13:00:29 GMT
No team other than Mansfield would swap the points position we are in but it’s not the points gained that’s a concern, it’s the points to be gained. And 9 games is alot of games to be limping towards the line, it's not like National League season where we just needed to raise ourselves for those final 2 games.
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Post by ricky on Mar 19, 2024 13:00:58 GMT
For me we're ultimately missing Collar, Barry, Wright, MSH, Knoyle, Powell, Crossie and now Bristow. We've replaced them with emergency back ups to try and limp us across the line. Yes the tactics to try and defend for 20+ minutes was wrong last night in hindsight, but we need to be realistic with the team/personnel we currently have at our disposal. We saw the difference a Will Collar can have in his first half performance before he was injured again, we looked a completely different team and I can understand DC being worried about more injuries last night having players play a full 90 minutes after Thursday. Yes, all teams have injuries but ours have been significant given the areas and players impacted. I just hope we can get this over the line..... The Crawley manager twice mentioned how he thought County would potentially flag towards the end of the game due to heavy pitch at Salford, the travelling and them being fresher, he said it before the game and after to the point that he told his players if they were losing, keep going.
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Post by ricky on Mar 19, 2024 13:14:24 GMT
Powell's never really got up a head of steam for me, started slow but then was getting better (Crawley, MK away), then injured. Got back in for a bit and again looked ok at times but then another couple of niggles (Wigan, Bradford), then finally gets a prolonged run in the New Year but is moved back to DMF due to the injuries, and now another niggle that's keeping him out. He's not been poor himself as such, but on outlay / return then it currently goes down as a poor signing. DC’s not managed him well. He should be given the Number 10 role and a consistent run of starts. Our best performance of the season IMO came at MK Dons and it is no coincidence that Powell started in that role Not sure how he can have a consistent run of starts when he keeps getting injured, he’s also been a victim of other injuries so had to slot into a defensive midfield role which he fulfilled pretty well, the injuries have also meant he hasn’t had chance to build up partnerships, there was definitely something really working with MSH and Evans, but MSH injured and Evans had to shift due to other injuries. He should be our number 10 for sure, I recognise you are grabbing the opportunity for a dig at DC again but don’t buy this one at all, there are obvious mitigating circumstances.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Mar 19, 2024 14:43:13 GMT
Barry isn't our best-paid player then. He is. Just because we're not paying the full wage doesn't mean he's not our highest earner. He's getting paid the full amount of wage it's just coming from 2 places. Powell is definitely a high earner for the league and it probably hasn't gone how we had all hoped but in a backwards way he's too good for the league even though it might not show it, he's seeing things that only really madden sees. I don't really want to make it about wavelength but it's true. The amount of times powell done a 20/30 yard pass and it's gone out for a throw in because the player has stopped running or didn't make the run in the first place where in the championship there would of been someone there and that's potentially a problem. We have players coming from all different systems instead of getting players that know the type of football we want to play (although that's hard to see because we change every week) and we've got players from nln, national league, league 2,league 1,championship, Premier league reserves, mls and Scottish championship. All different levels of football A lot of those 20/30 yard passes that Powell plays Linford Christie wouldn’t have got on the end of. It’s not just about wavelengths sometimes they’re just very pretty but ultimately bad passes. Part of being an intelligent footballer is knowing where your teammates will be, not players you played with 2/3/4/5/6 years ago. He’s been here long enough now to know the players he’s with. Ultimately I don’t think Powell is as good as some do. I think he’s very nice on the ball, and can do neat flicks and tricks, but a lot of what he does isn’t all that effective. He’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, and his touch and control is probably the best in the squad. But he doesn’t impact games nearly as much as he should, and that’s ultimately how I judge footballers. As for “we've got players from nln, national league, league 2,league 1,championship, Premier league reserves, mls and Scottish championship” every club does. But what makes Bristow and MLS player over being a League 2 player when he’s played a lot more football in this division than he has in America. Will Collar signed from a Scottish club but has spent more time in England. Every player plays across levels in their whole career. Right now they’re all League 2 players. Every club signs players from different places. You’re just more aware of it at County because you’re a County fan.
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Post by Stranded Hatter on Mar 19, 2024 14:49:10 GMT
He is. Just because we're not paying the full wage doesn't mean he's not our highest earner. He's getting paid the full amount of wage it's just coming from 2 places. Powell is definitely a high earner for the league and it probably hasn't gone how we had all hoped but in a backwards way he's too good for the league even though it might not show it, he's seeing things that only really madden sees. I don't really want to make it about wavelength but it's true. The amount of times powell done a 20/30 yard pass and it's gone out for a throw in because the player has stopped running or didn't make the run in the first place where in the championship there would of been someone there and that's potentially a problem. We have players coming from all different systems instead of getting players that know the type of football we want to play (although that's hard to see because we change every week) and we've got players from nln, national league, league 2,league 1,championship, Premier league reserves, mls and Scottish championship. All different levels of football A lot of those 20/30 yard passes that Powell plays Linford Christie wouldn’t have got on the end of. It’s not just about wavelengths sometimes they’re just very pretty but ultimately bad passes. Part of being an intelligent footballer is knowing where your teammates will be, not players you played with 2/3/4/5/6 years ago. He’s been here long enough now to know the players he’s with. Ultimately I don’t think Powell is as good as some do. I think he’s very nice on the ball, and can do neat flicks and tricks, but a lot of what he does isn’t all that effective. He’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, and his touch and control is probably the best in the squad. But he doesn’t impact games nearly as much as he should, and that’s ultimately how I judge footballers. As for “we've got players from nln, national league, league 2,league 1,championship, Premier league reserves, mls and Scottish championship” every club does. But what makes Bristow and MLS player over being a League 2 player when he’s played a lot more football in this division than he has in America. Will Collar signed from a Scottish club but has spent more time in England. Every player plays across levels in their whole career. Right now they’re all League 2 players. Every club signs players from different places. You’re just more aware of it at County because you’re a County fan. One last thing from me on Powell. The best, most exciting and most effective football we have played this season was without him in the team. I don’t think he suits what we’re best at which is high energy, high pressing, in your face quick football. Someone will probably share that tweet from earlier in the season where he was marked as the best presser in the division. Ignoring that it was based on “successful presses” which basically means a player who only presses when they have a high chance of winning the ball, and not to disrupt and harass opponents, will score higher than a player who panics the opposition with their pressing. We’re better when we’re doing the latter as a team. The actual last thing from me is to reinforce that he’s clearly a good player. I just still don’t think he’s the right for us, and I don’t think he’s as good as some people think he is.
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pirate33
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Post by pirate33 on Mar 19, 2024 14:58:36 GMT
We had a winning run already but the question to ask is did this just happen by accident or was it created by our manager and coaching staff. All that seemed to start with Baileys introduction into the side who now has gone to look a player you,d think twice on signing for a free than the one we were all excited about but needed a goal. it was all to do with how we played with Barry. We attacked teams with pace and defenders shat themselves. For months we've now been slow and pedantic just hoofing it to Wootton where nothing happeneds. When Wootton is on the pitch we are supposed to be a crossing team but it seems that we only have 1 player on pitch that can cross the ball at any given moment so why do we insist in keep playing that way. It's shit, okay we didn't have Barry's pace and dribbling but we still have had the players to play on the floor and flowing football which can be attacking with pace. Braodly agree with the main thrust of this post. The Wrexham 5--0 was the most enjoyable game I've seen for years and for me the template for how we should aim to play football. It was as if DC had either had a style epipthany or been pressured into moving from the entertaiinment free industrial football which was his 'stock in trade'. Yes he has had to cope with a highly unusual crop of long term injuries but we seem to have gone backwards excessively in terms of how we play. This is compounded by over-thinking the tactics and an over emphasis on the opposition, resulting in chopping & changing formations to match them up ( even within games) rather than playing our players in their natural positions . He complains about the team deviating from the game plan but if this is overly complex at this level, it shouldn't be a surprise like it seems to be. Maybe Dave " we waste the first half" because players are trying to figure out what the hell they are supposed to be doing !! Maybe , especially at home, we should play simple fast pass & go footie and let our opponents figure out what we are doing! If we want to play Wootton, then we need to be much better at crossing the ball for him to attack rather than lumping it to him to play his own wrestling bout.
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Post by alkringtonhatter on Mar 19, 2024 16:26:59 GMT
Interesting (not a definitive point, but interesting…) We have the second highest goals + assists by subs in L2, this season. 13th out of the 92 overall. Us and Wigan lead the country in number of different subs who have scored (10 each). theanalyst.com/eu/2024/03/substitutes-breaking-records-english-football-league/That’s not to say DC’s subs are perfect, just that the narrative that he hasn’t positively changed games with substitutions isn’t necessarily supported by all the evidence.
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Post by HTC on Mar 19, 2024 16:41:13 GMT
Interesting (not a definitive point, but interesting…) We have the second highest goals + assists by subs in L2, this season. 13th out of the 92 overall. Us and Wigan lead the country in number of different subs who have scored (10 each). theanalyst.com/eu/2024/03/substitutes-breaking-records-english-football-league/That’s not to say DC’s subs are perfect, just that the narrative that he hasn’t positively changed games with substitutions isn’t necessarily supported by all the evidence.
It's definitely an area where he has hugely improved this season.
But it's also an area where we should be massively stronger than most other teams in our division. The whole point in having a top 2 or 3 budget is that brings a degree of squad depth / use of subs / lack of tired players etc. to our advantage that other teams with their smaller squads don't have to anything like the same extent.
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Post by alkringtonhatter on Mar 19, 2024 16:56:14 GMT
Interesting (not a definitive point, but interesting…) We have the second highest goals + assists by subs in L2, this season. 13th out of the 92 overall. Us and Wigan lead the country in number of different subs who have scored (10 each). theanalyst.com/eu/2024/03/substitutes-breaking-records-english-football-league/That’s not to say DC’s subs are perfect, just that the narrative that he hasn’t positively changed games with substitutions isn’t necessarily supported by all the evidence.
It's definitely an area where he has hugely improved this season.
But it's also an area where we should be massively stronger than most other teams in our division. The whole point in having a top 2 or 3 budget is that brings a degree of squad depth / use of subs / lack of tired players etc. to our advantage that other teams with their smaller squads don't have to anything like the same extent.
Yeah that’s a totally fair point. It’s one of the issues in all of this discussion, that we have very high standards based on our resources. Looking at the Crawley forum, the consensus is that we dominated, especially second half, and that we were one of the best sides they’d faced, which isn’t at all the impression you’d get reading comments on here. I didn’t see last night’s game, but I do think we’re really hard on our players and manager, as a general tendency.
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