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Author Topic: What the fuck is going on?  (Read 5268 times)
sonicyouth

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« on: Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 23:01:15 »

Everything about tonight was awful. I honestly cannot find a single positive from anything that happened and it's nigh on impossible to be optimistic for Saturday, let alone the rest of the season.

What's gone wrong? This time last week we were celebrating spanking Bristol City in a vintage performance, coming off the back of two or three good results against Sheff Wed and Hull. We looked to be turning the corner and getting some form together, our defence was solid, we were playing lovely football, the atmosphere was great and the attendances were on the up again. Yet here we are less than a week later and we're playing like a team scrapping for survival in the Conference. It's more or less the same eleven players as well which makes it even more frightening, how can players who have been superb suddenly turn into complete rubbish? How can crowds suddenly drop below the 5,000 mark and quieter than a funeral? It's beyond comprehension.

Let's not pull any punches, we were utterly fucking shite tonight. Saturday was pretty bad but tonight was just awful and I refuse to take any solace in the fact we improved slightly in the last 20 minutes or so. All eleven players on the pitch tonight were below par and there is simply no excuse for it. Their confidence has gone, in the past couple of games we've come out and been on the backfoot almost immediately, our heads go down and the game continues in this vein. The lads simply haven't been starting games with any zest or passion, it's as if they'd rather be sat in the dressing room still. Why is this? Lack of motivation perhaps? I find that difficult to believe, one thing you can't accuse King of is lacking in passion - the bloke overflows with it. Are the players not good enough? One or two maybe, but for the most part we have players that would get into any team in this division and many above it yet they continue to underperform - or if they do perform, it's inconsistently - yet what can King do? It's not as if he can bring anyone else in as the players on the bench, bar Nicholas, are nothing better than the first eleven. I don't believe for a second that throwing youngsters in the deep end is a good idea, what proof do you have that they want it? We don't know if they've got the desire, it's perfectly likely they don't and I personally feel that's a large factor in why so many players don't make the grade anymore, at clubs all over the country.

Something needs to be done. The problem with the midfield is glaringly obvious and a switch back to 4-4-2 is neccesary as the only benefit it gave us was the ability to play all three centre-backs, which is now an irrelevance as Ifil will be missing for at least three games - not that he deserves a starting place on Saturday after his performance before his sending off - and a switch back to a 4-4-2 formation should at least give us a bit more solidarity in the midfield again, stick Nicholas in at left-back, Howard on the left wing and push Duke up on the right-wing. The absence of Miglioranzi is still a huge problem but any hope of seeing him back in first team action this side of 2005 is beyond optimistic. I've got every confidence that Kingy will be working hard to bring in a player during the next few days or at least before the Notts County game.

However, this would simply be a temporary measure. The midfield issue is not going to disappear once Miglioranzi is back, it will continue to haunt us until we find a midfielder capable of doing the simple things: tackle, pass and hold the ball up. Hewlett, for all his faults, works fucking hard and usually puts in a decent performance most weeks but he's simply not good enough for this level and neither is Robinson. The sooner we find a midfielder to partner Miglioranzi in the centre of midfield the better, until then I think this season will be a total write-off.

Furthermore, why are players like O'Hanlon, Parkin, Roberts and Howard performing so poorly? They've been our best players this season yet in the past two games they've all been awful. O'Hanlon was at fault for at least one of the goals tonight and he's looking nervous - much like he did at the start of the season - whereas Parkin has gone back to his lazy ways and Roberts is showing very little. Of course, you can't expect the forwards to do much if they don't get the ball but what hope have they got if Howard doesn't perform? There's no doubting that he's a very talented football, regardless of his attitude, and when he's on form we're a bloody good team. He's been inconsistent this year and whether he's capable of playing central midfield is open for debate but when the defence hoofs the ball over his head all the time, how can he influence the game and perform at a level he is capable of doing?

That leads us to the question of why the defence keep hoofing the ball up the pitch all the time? It only happens when they're lacking in confidence, when we're under pressure, when we start games poorly. If we start games well and come out raring to go then we usually play good football- as we did against Hull and City - but as soon as heads drop, the ball is just hoofed up over the midfield. It's quite obvious that this problem is the midfield and we've been playing more long ball shite with 3-5-2 than we were when playing 4-4-2. The defenders just don't have the confidence in the midfield's capability of holding on to the ball, so they'd rather put their foot through the ball and send it sailing over the midfielders and leave Parkin/Roberts/Fallon to deal with it. This simply isn't playing to our strengths as we've shown constantly and consistently over a period of time, that when we get the ball down and pass it around we can completely annihilate teams. Again, this points us to the type of midfielder we need - somebody who can hold onto the ball, use it and also win it back if we do lose it.

I'm sick of hearing people calling for King's head as well. I really don't think a change of manager would do us any good whatsoever, I've more or less given up hope on this season but whilst we are underachieving it's ludicrous to sack a manager who has done pretty well on a small budget and in difficult circumstances. This season is a write-off, we need to consolidate and improve the squad and look towards next season. What we don't need to do is ruin the stability at the club that has only been recently achieved by upheaving the manager and the structure he has built. The club is moving forward, albeit slowly, and now would not be a good time to change it all around. Does anybody honestly think that if a new manager came in tomorrow we'd get promoted this season? I don't. The problem isn't the management, it's the midfield, which is the manager's problem.

Strange how I'm not really gutted tonight. I just sat and watched most of the game in disbelief, incapable of comprehending the ineptitude of some of our players and alternately laughing and screaming bloody murder at the referee. It's a funny old game.
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strooood
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« Reply #1 on: Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 23:43:16 »

in agreement 100%
strange, our defence has a perfect blend pace and rawness of ifil, the solidness and composure of o hanlon and the experience and strength of heywood. of course this becomes obselete when ifil is so amazingly shocking as he was tonight.

the strikerforce again has the right blend, with roberts' and parkin's attributes going hand in hand. but the 5 across the middle is an utter utter shambles.

david duke- people often think that a scapegoat is devoid of any slating because people only get on his back because it's what everyone else does. although i dont hate him, i can see he's is pretty crap really and so many times there was the space for a wing back's run but he just stopped. wasnt bad tonight, but yeah you get thepoint.

steve robinson- so he probably wouldnt get in the team with everyone fit but it doesnt really excuse him from being completely mediocre, i mean even the man's name screams mediocrity. for all his pegging it around and stuff he really does offer nothing.

matt hewlett- i have to say one of the most complete players in the midfeild  and i always feel i can rely on him, but sadly i don think he;s good enough for what STFC want to be.

brian howard- what the hell is going on with clearly one of the best in the league. constantly flatters to decieve and is incapable of doing the simple things, tracking back, getting a foot in, riding a challenge. not only are his short comings becoming more and more obvious, but his pros; running at defences, shooting, killer passes etc are rarely being seen. becoming a bit of an enigma.

steve jenkins- quite solid, and is probably good enough but has looked lazy and dis interested as of late.

then who's waiting in the wings? sammy igoe- been bollocks this year,miglioranzi- half given up hope, even if he does usually blow hot and cold. and grant smith, fair enough he scored but i dont like the cut of his jib!

it's clear we have a problem!
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Onion_Jimbo

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« Reply #2 on: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 00:53:39 »

I tell you what that was well boring. I had a curry and 5 beers after. Which made the night out, TOP
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Rigobert Song La la la
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« Reply #3 on: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 10:03:32 »

Yes that was officially fucking shocking.  I am so disillusioned i almost could not be bothered to post this.  What is the problem?  Or should i say multiple problems!!  

Firstly the defense, i actually quite like a 3-5-2 formation BUT you must have the players and the system.  Defensively we have good players but they just do not know what they are doing (this goes for when they lay 442 also).  They have no positional sense at all and they just do not know where they should be at times hence why we are often left with gaping holes in our defense.  They seem to have no idea about covering and slotting into positions.  for instance if the ball is on our right hand side and jenkins is going for that player they all slip accross one etc etc.  It is school-boy stuff but we just don't do it.

Of course this is not helped because our midfield is quite frankly abysmal.  If i was to talk about everything that was wrong with our midfield it would be like writing 'War and Peace'.

I feel sorry for SSP and Roberts cause what are they supposed to do.  As was said if the ball is just pumped up to them then what can they do!  I do feel they both work hard but they must feel like they are just running for running sake at times.

This could go on forever but basically the players need to be more tactically aware.  At least if you know what you should be doing, and properly, then that will help i feel.  I am not sure how King and co do training but something is quite blatantly wrong and needs sorting.  They need to go back to the basics and make sure they are in place.
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y wings are like a shield of steel!
janaage
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« Reply #4 on: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 14:17:11 »

The thing is before Jenks signed his 18 month contract he was playing for his future, now with the knowledge that he's got 18 months pay to look forward to he probably has taken he foot off the pedal a little.

This is the busiest period of the season and it looks like we're not gonna handle it too well.  I too feel for Sam and Christian up front, you can be the best forward in the world but with out the service you're fucked.

The defence of late has looked pretty good, and so has Rhys (I for one believe his kicking has improved a lot the season).  So we all know where the problem is the Midfield.  Brian Howard is dreadful at the minute, Igoe, well thank God he's injured.  Robbo can't do anything right at the minute.  The only player performing at anywhere near his potential is Dukey.

Oh and another thing will someone please show Rory Fallon how to head the ball.  Why does he twist his bodt just as the ball comes to him so it ends up hitting the side of his head, or his shoulder or his back.  The bloke is fooking useless.
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Titch

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« Reply #5 on: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 14:27:30 »

He jumps too early for the ball old Fallon.  I think he is trying to emulate Michael Jordan and get some hang-time!
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y wings are like a shield of steel!
DMR

« Reply #6 on: Thursday, December 9, 2004, 18:59:34 »

All I can say is me and Ian were going beserk up in the NW, before shifting down to the Enclosure and giving a bit of the old "EIEIEIO" to take the piss.

That, my friends, says it all.

Truly, truly woeful, as bad as I can remember
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