Sturrocks "crossing team"

[mattboyslim]

Centre back cover is important, Nicho is OK, and at least we have Zaboub to cover LB as Vincent looks very defensive and poor at distribution.

I agree with the main points that all have said.  I thought CCP looked good last season and I hope he makes it here but I can't see it.  I think he'll need to majorly impress to earn a contract though.

Up front and CM are undoubtedly the key areas, we're lacking two key components of the spine of the team, and ultimately to be doing so well without any strikers illustrates our luck thus far.  I just hope Luggy has someone lined up for the new year.

[janaage]

First team players who are "safe" imo.

P Smith ( & Brez), J Smith, Nicho, Williams, Ifil, Weston, Lucas, Evans, Zaboub, Roberts (can't see him letting him go mid season at least), and maybe Shakes!

Others could find themselves out the door.

[Reg Smeeton]

I'm not so certian Reg. Even the top 6/7 in the league (bar Walsall, currently) drop a lot of points so its not going to be as hard as it might be to keep in with a shout. That and the 3 auto slots of course.

 In a fairly even league like ours with poorly resourced clubs,  getting a winning side is difficult....which tends to explain the fluctuation, between the 20 game point and teh seasons end......basing this on last season,   Northampton and Cheltenham were outside the top 7 after 20 games...the likes of Rochdale and Chester were in the top 7 and went to the last game under threat of relegation. the scum were just outside the PO places with Cheltenham.......and we know what happened to them.

  My point is that it can be very difficult to arrest a slide once it kicks in....to my eyes we look like a side on the slide.

[DV]

Its all about the spine of the team

Brezovan, Williams, Evans, Peacock

and we started off well and we were winning games, 3 of those players didnt play last night.

Phil Smith is decent cover for Brezovan, and Lukas is ok but certainly doesnt have the expirence Peacock has. A team with the spin of

Smith, Williams, Timlin, Roberts

Is never going to work.

Paul Evans is the key man, he holds the team together in the middle. That last few games our central midfielders have been totally annoymous....that what we desperately need a 2nd Paul Evans.

The striker issues is well document, last night we put in lots of decent crosses and no one attacked them.

Peacock needs to be told to look after number 1 and be more greedy. Stop helping the other usless cunts by doing their work and concentrate on getting into that 6 yard box. Dont do all the running upfront yourself because Roberts cant be arsed to break into anything more than a strut.

I think Sturrock has shot himself in the foot, getting rid of CCP, Monky & Fola was a poor decision. They maybe shit players with no future (they arent imo) but they are squad players. Fola despite all his faults maybe capable of changing the game a bit, and he has done.

We were 2-0 down and playing shit, with a bench of Stewart (0 games), Wells (1 game?) Pook, Brown (shit) & Brownlie....now really which one of those are capable of coming on and turning a 2-0 to a 2-2 or better yet a 3-2 win....none of them.

Would Monky and Fola have made more of an impact on the game then Brown and Brownlie....probably.

Also, I dont like the fact Sturrock has tried to change everything, yes we dipped under Ady, but we've got worse since Sturrock has been in charge. I know he likes his own style and all that, but November in what HAS to be a promotion season isnt the time to completely change things.

This time on Saturday we could be 6th and 13 (THIRTEEN) points off top spot, which is not good enough and near impossible to claw back

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

i disagree that we have got worse under Sturrock DV. the first game in charge was much better than the crap we saw under Wise. to an extent i think we have looked to play more attacking. but the players are so used to the way Wise wanted to play they know no different

[herthab]

i disagree that we have got worse under Sturrock DV. the first game in charge was much better than the crap we saw under Wise. to an extent i think we have looked to play more attacking. but the players are so used to the way Wise wanted to play they know no different

Agreed Rich.

Unfortunately Luggys hope that they're 'not as thick as mince' seems to be wishful thinking.

The thick cunts...............

Not rocket science is it?

[sonic youth]

i agree with you to an extent but i think this is a transitional period hence the abysmal performances, footballers have difficulty following one standard set of instructions at the best of times let alone having to adapt to an entirely new way of playing.

i couldn't be arsed trying to draw a diagram in paint, sorry.

simple formation, simple instructions. full-backs pushing on - both nicho and smith are capable of it - and wingers playing high up the pitch. direct and attacking.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jameswalsh/442formation.jpg

evans provides cover all over, he's got the engine to keep it up for 90 minutes.

by overloading the wings, it keeps our strikers in the box. all play goes down the flanks but weston is essentially given a playmaker type role giving him carte blanche to go wherever when we're attacking, providing he doesn't neglect his defensive duties.

this all sounds horribly champ man, doesn't it?

the wingers play wide and they stay wide. we've got a fairly large pitch at the county ground, why don't we utilise it?

it's all well and good being a "solid" team who are "difficult to break down" but we're not battling relegation here, we're trying to get promoted. i think every man in the starting eleven is capable of doing what they're asked, it's just a case of building a squad to provide cover and competition for those players.

[Samdy Gray]

Careful Sonic, you'll have Luggy stealing your tactics  

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

.....think we need to accept that auto promo this season is unlikely and a PO the best to hope for...

That's a bit of a strange thing to come out with when we are actually still in an automatic promotion spot isn't it Reg?  I certainly don't accept automatic promotion is unlikely, not by any means.

[red macca]

We are 3rd,still in with a shout of 2nd place imo thats what the rest of the league is aiming for as i think walsall will piss it.

we have things to look forward to its a totally different season to last year so i dont really understand all the fuss

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Yep, agree with all of that.

[PHIL!!!!]

I think people need to remember Dennis Wise had a whole pre-season to check out the team, apply tactics and get everything the way he wanted it. Paul Sturrock has had a month so far, and is looking to make huge tactical changes to the side.

We have played poorly, but a lot of it is down to a massive change, not to mention off the field events. I dont think we'll see a huge change of personnel in january - maybe 3 out and 3 in.

also, massive changes in personnel would have an adverse effect on the team as a whole.

Yep, exactly - Good post

[DV]

I think people need to remember Dennis Wise had a whole pre-season to check out the team, apply tactics and get everything the way he wanted it. Paul Sturrock has had a month so far, and is looking to make huge tactical changes to the side.

We have played poorly, but a lot of it is down to a massive change, not to mention off the field events. I dont think we'll see a huge change of personnel in january - maybe 3 out and 3 in.

also, massive changes in personnel would have an adverse effect on the team as a whole.

Yep, exactly - Good post

Yes, Dennis Wise had a whole pre-season to check out the team and apply tactis....and he did, he bought in some good players and applied winning tactics....

Sturrock is his own man, but why come in and totally try to change something mid-season which has actually worked damn well so far...

[Simon Pieman]

Because if we go up playing Sturrocks way we'll be better off next season

[SwindonTownFC]

I think people need to remember Dennis Wise had a whole pre-season to check out the team, apply tactics and get everything the way he wanted it. Paul Sturrock has had a month so far, and is looking to make huge tactical changes to the side.

We have played poorly, but a lot of it is down to a massive change, not to mention off the field events. I dont think we'll see a huge change of personnel in january - maybe 3 out and 3 in.

also, massive changes in personnel would have an adverse effect on the team as a whole.

Yep, exactly - Good post

Yes, Dennis Wise had a whole pre-season to check out the team and apply tactis....and he did, he bought in some good players and applied winning tactics....

Sturrock is his own man, but why come in and totally try to change something mid-season which has actually worked damn well so far...

theres your answer