Scunthorpe v Swindon Match Day Thread

[Tails]

The following players are just no good enough to mount a serious promotion bid next season.

Barry, Branco, Boo, Rodgers, N.Thompson (As a CB), Hylton, Belford, Turnbull.

Barry has improved significantly this year and I believe is top with assists for us. I think he's got potential. Same with BOO, however I'd like to see a lot more cover at full back (although Brophy is another I have a lot of hope for)

Rodgers - agree. Good back up but don't like him as a regular starter.

Nate - you can't be serious? We are FAR more likely to go up with him in the backline (yes, as a CB) than without.

Hylton - Struggled to make the step up, again probably better as an impact sub.

Belford - Half decent back up, that's it. If Vigs isn't fit, a youth teamer should start in goal v Fleetwood.

Turnbull - There is a player in there but he's so inconsistent. I would be happy to have him back permanently though and I do think he'll end up as a regular at Championship level (or above).

[Panda Paws]

People love Belford because he is a nice dude on twitter, but unfortunately he is a shite goalkeeper

It's boring to keep on repeating, but it's true. And it's not necessarily just about whether he "could have done something" about the goals (which at least 3 of them should have been saved) - it's the processes and the phases of play that the team goes through before it gets to that point.

I don't believe in coincidences. We've conceded more goals in the last two than the previous ten before that. Yes I'm aware the defence hasn't been great, and that TB was in goal v Cov... but he's not good enough. He can't jump, he needs to spend far less time in the gym as he's too wide, too short, too slow and too stodgy. He plays like his goalmouth is a sand pit.

Desperate for a permanent number 1 in the summer, and a better number 2 too.

[Reg Smeeton]

Barry has improved significantly this year and I believe is top with assists for us. I think he's got potential. Same with BOO, however I'd like to see a lot more cover at full back (although Brophy is another I have a lot of hope for)

Rodgers - agree. Good back up but don't like him as a regular starter.

Nate - you can't be serious? We are FAR more likely to go up with him in the backline (yes, as a CB) than without.

Hylton - Struggled to make the step up, again probably better as an impact sub.

Belford - Half decent back up, that's it. If Vigs isn't fit, a youth teamer should start in goal v Fleetwood.

Turnbull - There is a player in there but he's so inconsistent. I would be happy to have him back permanently though and I do think he'll end up as a regular at Championship level (or above).

It's very easy for fans to slag off individual players....but because of our model, these lads will always have times where their form can dip right down....which is exactly what we're seeing now. 

The only way for them to get the level of consistency of proper hardened pros is by playing....just about all of our squad have shown some decent form or progress at some point this season, and shipping them out en masse and bringing in another batch would be completely illogical. I'm sure Power and Williams know this, nevertheless a review of the season in May, will hopefully lead to the conclusion that we need some significant reinforcements if another season of struggle is to be avoided.

[Peter Venkman]

I pretty much agree with Tails on most points.

BOO and Barry will come good for us but they are young and still learning but need consitancy in their performances which will come with age and experience.

The same goes for Brophy he needs game time and finding if his position is left wing or wingback.

Rodgers I feel is not good enough and should be offloaded as I do Hylton who has not progressed as much as he should have.

Belford is adequate back up but nowhere near the quality we need for our first team regular, if his confidence hasnt been totally ruined by yesterday.

Turnbull is a wierd one, some days he is very good, away at Coventry he was outstanding but he has cost us a LOT of goals this year and last and is at his level and IMO will not progress past L1.

Nathan.....WTF seriously get rid of him? course not....the man just needs to calm himself down at times and he is regularly going into tackles studs up and he needs to improve his timing. With a half decent defensive coach he would get that. His running with the ball is at times far better than any other L1 centre back/sweeper/RB which could be his problem, he needs to find his best position and stick to it. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is a great club servant and will get better.

Sendles-White I do hope we sign this lad on for a few seasons as he looks calm and collected and he could be future captain material IMO.

Branco is playing at his level and will get no better, I would offload him and look for two new CB's in the summer.

Our season is pretty much over now and it is time to blood a few of the youngsters to see how they fare.

[Bob's Orange]

There are many bug bears I have with where we are currently that I've noticed over the last season or two.

Our set pieces (particularly corners) are dreadful, it looks like we do little to no training at all on set pieces which is hugely frustrating. Same with throw ins, we seem to be the only team where all the players run away from the throw in taker and then stand around, leaving him with little options.

I do applaud the model of playing total football, but it's so easy to play against, press us high up the pitch meaning we inevitably lose the ball and get on the back foot. It seems to me to be churlish to not switch tactics at all, meaning our opponents don't exactly have to do much homework on us. A Scunny fan said that he couldn't believe we didn't change the way we played in the second half when it was clear that it wasn't working.

We've been bloody lucky we've nicked a load of points with last minute goals this season, millwall and Crewe at home spring to mind, otherwise I think we could have been very much in the mire.

The sky commentator in the Wigan game commented on our 1.5 million budget which he said is basically a league 2 budget so I guess if we stay up we can consider it a job reasonably well done. Next season is going to be very interesting indeed in the post season.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

People are worried Power will inevitably sell off Ajose during the summer but the opposite may be the case.

If you're a 20 plus goals a season striker would you want to stay at a club that looks like it is going nowhere?

Is it likely Power would make wholesale changes to a desperately thin squad, most of whom are under contract?

Personally, I cannot see how perservering with the perilous way of defending is ever going to work yet Williams seems content to continue with it whatever the cost.

At the moment we are between a rock and a hard place. Players not good enough to play out from the back and a lack of physical presence up front to play it longer even if we wanted to.

So, what would I like Power to do? Flog Ajose for £1m plus, and reinvest the proceeds into George Moncur, that Irish CB and obviously an Ajose replacement.

[Honest Lee]

I think there could be some bids for Obika too.
Then we could be left with only the mighty Hylton up front.
Whoopy doo.

[Posh Red]

Both Barry & BOO are better going forward, which suits a formation with 3 at the back.

With both Nathan & JSW missing we had no choice but play 4-4-2.

With two full backs who are better attacking than defending (Brophy fits this as well) & Twi Centre Halves that are better in a three we were always going to struggle at the back.

As for Belford, I just think his positioning is a bit suspect and that's possibly why it always looks like he has no chance with shots. His reactions are ok if the ball is close to him.

[Panda Paws]

I think there could be some bids for Obika too.
Then we could be left with only the mighty Hylton up front.
Whoopy doo.

But of course we wouldn't be left with only Hylton would we, because like every other fucking club in the land, we'll sign players and players will leave this summer.

[Honest Lee]

As for Belford, I just think his positioning is a bit suspect and that's possibly why it always looks like he has no chance with shots. His reactions are ok if the ball is close to him.

Perhaps we should ask the opposition to give him a chance and shoot straight at him.  

[Arriba]

Shouldn't back up players be able to step in and do the job properly with the modern squad use in football ?
Is there even such a thing as back up players nowadays? First year pro's maybe but I don't buy into back up players anymore.
This is even more relevant with such a tight budget.
You could argue that there will always be a no1 keeper but I wouldn't trust the current goal custodian to catch a cold.
Doesn't look good enough to even be classed as 'back up'.

[Reg Smeeton]

Shouldn't back up players be able to step in and do the job properly with the modern squad use in football ?
Is there even such a thing as back up players nowadays? First year pro's maybe but I don't buy into back up players anymore.
This is even more relevant with such a tight budget.
You could argue that there will always be a no1 keeper but I wouldn't trust the current goal custodian to catch a cold.
Doesn't look good enough to even be classed as 'back up'.

This is where the problem of no reserve fixtures kicks in, how are the fringe players going to improve or even keep sharp when they don't play for weeks?

I remember one season 86/87, when Chalkie was leading scorer for the Stiffs and first team, he was often overlooked for Bamber and Quinn up front.

[REDBUCK]

There are many bug bears I have with where we are currently that I've noticed over the last season.

We've been bloody lucky we've nicked a load of points with last minute goals this season, millwall and Crewe at home spring to mind, otherwise I think we could have been very much in the mire.

Talking of Bugs, when did scoring late on become lucky, what about a show of character and keeping going to the end.

[theakston2k]

I don't believe in coincidences. We've conceded more goals in the last two than the previous ten before that. Yes I'm aware the defence hasn't been great, and that TB was in goal v Cov... but he's not good enough. He can't jump, he needs to spend far less time in the gym as he's too wide, too short, too slow and too stodgy. He plays like his goalmouth is a sand pit.

Pretty much my thoughts, for the cross that went over his head yesterday he didn't even get off the ground and watching it again it wasn't even in the top corner so he should have easily got to it. He just doesn't look like a professional goalkeeper and clearly doesn't play like one.
Scunthorpe fans have said it's the worst goalkeeping performance they have ever seen which speaks volumes.... If you add up all the goals he's conceded in his 20 odd games for us it averages out at about 3 a game and whilst there's reasons for some of them it isn't just a coincidence.

[FormerlyPlymRed]

Just made myself watch the goals from yesterday, look just as bad as they looked at the time.

Feel the same as one of the previous posters about not going again this season. I had a few games pencilled in that I wanted to go to, yesterday has put an end to those. Not wasting my money/time travelling up to see the dross that was served up yesterday.